National Child Welfare Leadership Institute

Who We Are

The National Child Welfare Leadership Institute (NCWLI) provides leadership development training, mentoring, and technical assistance to mid-level managers in public and Tribal child welfare agencies throughout the country. Managers in private agencies are included in the target group of trainees when they represent States in which child welfare services have been privatized. Participation in NCWLI programs is intended to increase the effectiveness of mid-level mangers and to build human capital needed in child welfare agencies in order to improve outcomes for vulnerable children and families in those systems.

Collaboration

NCWLI comprises several partner organizations, each bringing indepth expertise in child welfare. All partners involved in NCWLI are highly qualified child welfare experts and include individuals from the Social Research Institute, College of Social Work, University of Utah; Independent Living Resources, Inc. in Durham, NC; the American Humane Association in Denver, CO; the National Implementation Research Network from the University of South Florida (USF), Tampa; and evaluators from the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, also from USF, Tampa.

Vision and Mission

NCWLI trainees will enhance their leadership skills in order to succeed in their current environment and to be prepared to lead their agencies in the future as that environment changes. These enhanced skills will encourage productive and effective relationships with others within the immediate work setting and within the broader child and family services systems. Trainees will learn and practice evidenced-based management skills that are associated with personal and organizational success.

The NCWLI training curriculum, while focusing on leadership skills, will utilize evidence-based practice as the common link across the entire curriculum and will promote data-driven decision-making. Specific objectives include:

Development of a leadership curriculum based on a model that prepares mid-level managers to lead positive change
Utilization of principles of adult learning—Stages of Change—while incorporating opportunities for transfer of learning
Implementation and support of regional and topical e-learning communities to function as effective, supportive mentoring networks
Development of sustainable, real-world initiatives as the work products associated with completion of the NCWLI training

Training Model

NCWLI's innovative leadership model includes four components:

Trainees will participate in a 5-day residential training event culminating with the development of action plans for specific changes they plan to implement in their agencies.
Initial training will be followed by a 3-month transfer of learning period at which time Institute staff will provide intensive consultation and technical assistance to assist participants with the change initiatives. Web-based resources (e.g., webinars) and e-learning communities will be provided, through which NCWLI participants and staff will communicate with each other to create leadership networks among participants.
The next phase will be a 3-day training event during which participants will discuss progress and challenges encountered in their change efforts. Additional training will be provided on evidence-based practice, program evaluation, and media relations to provide skills in leading and evaluating change efforts.
Participants will continue their implementation of projects during the remaining 4 months of the grant period. The implementation period will include intensive technical assistance to develop leadership capital and to advance child welfare practice towards more effective models.

For More Information

Address:	NCWLI Social Research Institute University of Utah, College of Social Work 395 S. 1500 E. Salt Lake City, UT 84112
Phone:	801.581.6192
Email:	NCWLI@socwk.utah.edu
Website:	http://www.ncwli.org
Contact:	Norma Harris, Ph.D., Director and Principal Investigator Norma.Harris@socwk.utah.edu Raymond Kirk, Ph.D., Co-Principal Investigator ray.kirk@ilrinc.com

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