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Content
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Statewide meetings
California Welfare Directors Association (CWDA)
- CWDA is a nonprofit association representing the human service directors from each of California’s 58 counties. The mission is to promote a human services system that encourages self-sufficiency of families and communities, and protects vulnerable children and adults from abuse and neglect.
- CWDA functions:
- Advocates for policies that will further the mission of the organization.
- Educates state and federal policy-makers and the public regarding the significance of human services policies on individuals, communities, and county human services operations.
- Collaborates with county human service agencies, state and federal governmental entities, community-based organizations and advocacy organizations to ensure efficient and effective service delivery and the exchange of best and promising practices.
- CWDA also convenes
- Children’s Services Committee and a Children’s Operations Committee (“Ops”).
- Transition Aged Youth Committee
- Workforce Training Committee
- Resource Family and Permanency Subcommittee
CWDA Children’s Services Committee
- This committee is chaired by County Agency Directors and is attended by the Child Welfare Services Directors of each California County. The purpose is to provide updates about child welfare programs to the child welfare directors and to bring issues and concerns in child welfare that need to be addressed at the director level. It is an opportunity to have direct contact with state child welfare leaders and to meet child welfare directors from other counties.
CWDA Children’s Operations (“Ops”)
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This meeting is chaired by two Child Welfare Directors who serve a two-year term and is attended by Child Welfare Directors or their designee. The purpose is to give CWS directors an opportunity to jointly collaborate with the state on the development and implementation of child welfare policy.
At the Monthly Children’s Operations Committee, State DSS representatives attend this meeting to share knowledge that may be useful for program implementation. The information may be based on legislative changes or needed program clarification related to current mandates. Again, these recommendations are discussed and a decision is made about what will be taken the next day to the Children’s Committee as concerns and recommendations.
There is a report out opportunity for each sub-committee as part of the standing agenda items. Sub-Committees convened by CWDA are pre-approved and sanctioned by Agency Directors. These committees are specific in focus and participation can be in person or by phone. Members include designated staff from counties who are responsible for analyzing proposed legislative changes; identifying trends and concerns; sharing program implementation strategies, goals, and outcomes; and making recommendations to the Operations Committee.
There is also time set aside each month at the Operations meeting for “County Only Time”. The State representatives leave the meeting at this time so that County Child Welfare Staff can have specific time to debrief, share concerns and ideas, ask questions, and gain understanding in a confidential environment.
Regional Meetings
Regional Children’s Committees
Each regional area has a regional Children’s committee that meets regularly to debrief issues, concerns and policies discussed at the state meeting and to discuss the implications for regional implementation.
Bay Area:
Bay Area Regional Children’s Committee (BARCC)
- This committee includes the CWS Directors of the 12 Bay Area counties. These counties include Alameda, Contra Costa, Monterey, Marin, Napa, San Benito, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, and Sonoma. The purpose is to share expertise that will improve the lives of vulnerable children throughout the Bay Area Region. Discussion topics may include developing operational regional agreements, identifying and problem-solving common issues or concerns among the region’s counties, sharing information about how counties are implementing a particular initiative or other requirement, etc.
BARCC serves as a Regional Subcommittee of the County Welfare Directors Association Children’s Services Committee, an affiliate of the Bay Area Social Services Consortium, and a regional consortium for the review of group home, STRTP and foster family agency support letter requests.
Central Region:
Regional CWDA Children’s Committee
- This group meets monthly at Central California Training Academy (CCTA). Staff /facilitation support is provided by CCTA. The meeting is attended by Child Welfare Directors/Managers/Supervisors from Central Region counties (as designated by CWDA); a CDSS Training Support Unit representative; and regular call-in from OSI. Discussion topics may include developing operational regional agreements, identifying and problem-solving common issues or concerns among the region’s counties, sharing information about how counties are implementing a particular initiative or other requirement, etc. Regular discussion about implementation of California’s Core Practice Model (iCPM) is a part of every meeting as is tracking the progress of the cascading of iCPM throughout the region.
Los Angeles: Contact Los Angeles
Northern Region: Contact Northern Training Academy
Southern Region: Contact Child Welfare Development Services
Regional Training Academy Advisory Bodies
In California there are four regional training academies and a university consortium in Los Angeles and each one serves specific counties. Each training academy has an advisory group that includes representatives of the counties they serve.
Bay Area:
Training Advisory Board (TAB)
- TAB is coordinated by the Bay Area Academy. To insure a strong connection with the Bay Area Social Services Consortium (the Bay Area’s agency-university-foundation partnership), the Vice-Chair of BASSC serves as the Chair of TAB. TAB’s purpose is to advise Academy staff on planning and implementing the annual regional training plan. This board is comprised of two representatives from each county (the child welfare services administrator and staff development director), and invited CalSWEC representatives. BASSC Directors are responsible for designating two TAB members, one as Chair of the TAB.
Central Region:
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Regional CWDA Children’s Committee; Central Region Staff Development and Training Committee; Central Region CQI Collaborative
Each of the above groups meet regularly at CCTA and share facilitation/hosting responsibilities with training academy staff. Each group spends a portion of their meeting discussing workforce development needs that can potentially be addressed by training and or technical assistance from the Regional Training Academy. County participation is defined by CWDA.
Los Angeles: Contact Los Angeles
Northern Region: Contact Northern Academy
Southern Region: Contact Child Welfare Development Services
Regional Managers Groups
A managers group is an opportunity for managers in a region to meet together regularly to meet together in a supportive environment to develop professionally and to exchange management ideas of shared and regional interest.
Bay Area:
Bay Area Managers Meeting (BAMM)
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The Bay Area Managers Group is sanctioned by BARCC. Attendees include all classifications of middle managers from the 12 regional counties. BAMM’s goal is, through networking and group dialogue, to create a supportive learning environment that encourages individual and collective professional development of Child Welfare middle managers from the Bay Area Region. The meeting is a forum for discussion of emerging trends, new initiatives, program operations, and a venue to problem solve areas of shared interest.
This meeting is not attended by child welfare directors, but is included here because it is available for your direct reports.
Central Region: Not applicable.
Los Angeles: Contact Los Angeles
Northern Region: Contact Northern Academy
Southern Region: Contact Child Welfare Development Services
Other regional meetings that the child welfare director should be aware of:
Regional Social Services Agency Directors/Department Head Meetings
Every region has regular Agency Directors meetings. These are opportunities for Agency Directors to meet together and discuss issues and concerns of shared interest. The child welfare director does not attend, but it is included here to inform you of other regular regional meetings.
Bay Area:
Bay Area Social Services Consortium (BASSC)
- BASSC is an agency-university-foundation partnership that promotes social service research, training, and policy development to strengthen public sector social services in the San Francisco Bay Area. BASSC is attended by the social services/human services agency directors and university and foundation representatives.
- The BASSC Research Response Team conducts structured literature reviews and projects to identify evidence-based methods to inform services and build organizational capacity.
- The BASSC Executive Development Program (EDP) trains middle and senior managers. It holds 3 one-week sessions in a year-long program along with inter-agency projects focused on promising practices.
- BASSC case studies describe promising and innovative programs and practices.
- This meeting is not usually attended by child welfare services directors but is included here because topics of discussion may affect your child welfare services division/department.
Bay Area Human Resources Committee (BAHRC)
- This is a subcommittee of BASSC. This meeting convenes Agency Staff Development and Human Resources leads on a quarterly basis to share best practices and innovations in staff development, knowledge sharing and workforce development strategies.
Bay Area Regional Committee (BARC)
- This is a regional committee that meets to share information, resources and tools to improve CWS/CMS data input, utilization, reporting and training.
Central Region:
Central California Area Social Services Consortium (CCASSC)
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The Central California Area Social Services Consortium (CCASSC) operates as an agency-university partnership that promotes and provides training to public human services administrators to 12 Central Region counties.. Data driven activities, action-oriented research, policy analysis and policy/program development activities are emphasized. CCASSC was founded by the Central California Training Academy in 2003 in response to interests in regional needs and issues shared by Central California County Social Services Directors, the Dean of the California State University, Fresno, College of Health and Human Services, and Directors of Social Work Education in the Central California Region.
On a rotating basis, agency Directors are joined by Child Welfare Directors to discuss program-specific issues. At these meetings, regional program implementation successes/ challenges are shared and time-limited task groups for follow-up are created as needed.
Joint Meeting: CCASSC/San Joaquin Valley Public Health Directors (SJVPHD)
- These two groups meet annually to discuss common areas of community need involving at-risk families, secondary prevention strategies, trauma, and health and economic disparity. Staff in county human services and public health agencies collaborate on community-based projects and discuss their service outcomes/successes with the directors.
Los Angeles: Contact Los Angeles
Northern Region: Contact Northern Academy
Southern Region:
Southern Area Consortium of Human Services (SACHS)
- The Southern Area Consortium of Human Services (SACHS) was established in 2001 and consists of human service directors from the Southern California Counties of Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, and Ventura. In addition, the directors from California State University San Bernardino’s Department of Social Work and San Diego State University’s School of Social Work are also members. SACHS is facilitated by the Academy for Professional Excellence.
County meetings
In addition to statewide and regional meetings, each county will have specific standing meetings related to child welfare and inter agency meetings that the director may or may not participate in. For example, in some counties there are countywide children’s services committees that are focused on sharing of information among agencies and programs focused on children’s well-being and needs.
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