The Child Welfare Academy (CWA) provides training and technical assistance to the
State of Alaska, Office of Children's Services. CWA also contracts with other organizations,
as requested, to provide a variety of training and facilitation needs in the area
of child welfare.
The Family & Youth Services Training Academy (FYSTA) began in 1998 through the initiative
of Alaska's Governor Tony Knowles and Department of Health and Social Services Commissioner
Karen Perdue. Wanting to create a training center for child protection workers in
Alaska, a partnership between the University of Alaska Anchorage, School of Social
Work and the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services was established. The
Academy receives its funding through a combination of state, university, and matching
Federal Title IV-E funds earmarked to improve child welfare services through training.
In 2011, Family and Youth Services Training Academy (FYSTA) became the Child Welfare
Academy (CWA). The new name represented the agency's commitment to new innovations
including training, curriculum and expanded partnerships.
This CWA web page is intended to serve several functions: to let you know who we are,
how we're doing, when we offer classroom training and how to access additional training.
There is never enough time or resources for classroom training, therefore, we offer
many topics and methods to augment your knowledge, skills and development. On the
right side of this page you will see a menu of options. The "Training Calendar" shows
the dates of SKILS, Supervisor, and SSA core training, along with the online registration
form. Courses lists our regularly scheduled classes, their descriptions and access
to the course agenda by clicking on the course name.
Next are a series of learning opportunities - micro-learning, webinars, podcasts,
and available online courses. The rest of the links on the right are resource pages
specific to special topics relating to child welfare. Additionally, we have included
the bi-annual reports we compile for the Office of Children's Services, information
about Staff Members, and how to contact us. Please let us know how we can make the
CWA website more helpful, it's all about staff development!
TheChild Welfare Academy mission: “Empowering communities to promote child well-being.”
Core Values
Respect: We respect and honor all peoples' dignity with compassion.
Trauma Informed: Our curricula and training is trauma informed.
Excellence: Through research, collaboration, adaptability and creativity.
STRATEGIC PLAN
Our strategic plan is to be the “go to” agency for any professional from any discipline
who shares the Office of Children’s Services vision of “Safe Children, Strong Families.”
Our curricular array offers a broad spectrum of trainings. We emphasize family centered
practice to encourage collaboration with families, tribes, communities, or any professional
who share the responsibility of keeping children safe and families strong in Alaska.
UAA's School of Social Work received a $1.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to address the need for Alaska social workers in a K-12 setting. The School-Based Social Work Education and Network Development program (SSWEND) aims to graduate a cohort of 31 fellows by 2026 who will increase the amount of school-based mental health service providers in high-needs schools.
Master of Social Work student Shana Cooper works with the Alaska Native Justice Center. She joined the Hometown, Alaska podcast to talk about mental health and suicide prevention in the state.
A Gala was held to celebrate the School of Social Work Spring graduates. About 100 people attended the event, filling the room with bustling conversation. Five students graduating from the Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Social Work programs share why social work motivates them.
"For all those deciding what to do following high school, I encourage you to find your passion, that spark that brings you joy and motivation. If you don’t quite know what you want to do with your life, that is okay. When you find the path that motivates you, take each small step one by one, but don’t stop growing," said MSW student Guy Harris.
A $1.5 million grant coordinated by Recover Alaska was presented to the University of Alaska Anchorage School of Social Work, which will significantly increase enrollment capacity, establish a pathway to licensure for graduates, add faculty and staffing, and offer continuing education to maintain clinical licenses.
