$201,639 in federal funding has been earmarked to revive a specialized certificate program that provides training opportunities for child welfare professionals, helping them better support the unique needs of children and families in need.
The Adoption and Foster Care Certificate Program was established by the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth, and Families, the Rhode Island College School of Social Work, and Adoption Rhode Island, a collaboration that has been instrumental in providing training and support for child welfare professionals throughout the state.
The program is designed to empower child welfare professionals with the knowledge and skills needed to make a positive impact on the lives of children and families involved in adoption and foster care. Through ongoing professional development opportunities, the program aims to enhance and expand support systems for children and families, and ensure that every child has the right to reach their full potential.
The federal funding earmarked by U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Jack Reed will support ongoing professional development opportunities for child welfare professionals. This funding is expected to help equip child welfare professionals with the skills they need to provide best-class support for children and families involved in adoption and foster care.
The program is expected to relaunch as an online course in the summer of 2024, making it more accessible and relevant to the current needs of the child welfare workforce. The program’s redesign will aim to make it more accessible and relevant to the current needs of the child welfare workforce, helping professionals better support the unique needs of children and families involved in adoption and foster care.
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) assisted a What’sUpNewp journalist with the reporting included in this story.