Rep. Michelle Mussman

Filed: 3/25/2019

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 2833

2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 2833 by replacing
3everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4    "Section 5. The Children and Family Services Act is amended
5by adding Section 21.2a as follows:
 
6    (20 ILCS 505/21.2a new)
7    Sec. 21.2a. Child Protection Training Academy.
8    (a) Findings. The General Assembly finds and declares all
9of the following:
10        (1) The Department of Children and Family Services
11    developed the Child Protection Training Academy in 2015 at
12    the University of Illinois at Springfield.
13        (2) The Child Protection Training Academy represents
14    an innovative approach to training frontline child
15    protection investigators using experiential learning
16    through simulations. Experiential learning provides a safe

 

 

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1    learning environment, bridges the gap between policy and
2    practice, increases worker engagement, and accelerates
3    learning.
4        (3) Research indicates that traditional classroom
5    training results in less than a 15% transfer of knowledge
6    once in the field.
7        (4) To date, 625 investigators have completed the
8    simulation training at the Child Protection Training
9    Academy. A June 2018 evaluation of simulation training at
10    the Academy and traditional classroom training found that
11    "investigators with simulation training gave significantly
12    higher ratings on 8 of the 9 items assessing how well
13    [they] thought their initial training prepared them for
14    their work". Also, investigators not trained by the Academy
15    were 4 times more likely than Academy-trained
16    investigators to say they were actively looking for a
17    position in another unit within the Department of Children
18    and Family Services. This research found that at the
19    18-month mark persons who were not trained under the
20    simulation model were twice as likely to leave their
21    positions than the group that had been trained at the Child
22    Protection Training Academy.
23        (5) Over the last 8 years, there have been 10 acting or
24    confirmed directors of the Department of Children and
25    Family Services. Rapidly shifting leadership results in
26    changing initiatives and priorities. Over the last 3 years

 

 

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1    of operation, the Child Protection Training Academy has
2    institutionalized training for frontline child protection
3    investigators with plans to expand simulation training to
4    the other professionals at the Department of Children and
5    Family Services as well as to community providers. To
6    ensure fidelity to the simulation training model, the
7    purpose of this Section is to create a foundation for
8    training child welfare professionals throughout the
9    Department of Children and Family Services regardless of
10    any administrative changes in the future. This is
11    particularly important as the Child Protection Training
12    Academy expands operations to other sites, subject to need
13    and appropriation.
14    (b) Child Protection Training Academy. As used in this
15Section, "child protection training" includes, but is not
16limited to, training for all child protective investigators and
17supervisors, child welfare specialists and supervisors
18employed by the Department of Children and Family Services or
19its contractors, as well as other State and county staff,
20judges, court personnel, service providers, mental health
21professionals, school personnel, law enforcement, foster
22parents, mandated reporters, and other appropriate entities
23that are involved in the child welfare service system and work
24directly with maltreated children.
25    (c) Subject to appropriations, the Department of Children
26and Family Services, in collaboration with the University of

 

 

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1Illinois at Springfield, shall continue operating the Child
2Protection Training Academy. The training efforts of the Child
3Protection Training Academy shall include, but not be limited
4to, the following:
5        (1) The continued development of foundation and
6    simulation training for all child protection
7    investigators, including those newly hired and seasoned
8    investigators.
9        (2) The continued development and implementation of
10    training for all supervisors.
11        (3) The development of simulation training for intake
12    and permanency workers both in the Department and at
13    private agencies.
14        (4) The development of training curricula on
15    recognizing and responding to cases of child abuse or
16    neglect for mandated reporters.
17        (5) The development of a multidisciplinary training
18    team that uses the Academy's simulation training model.
19        (6) Cultural competency training that provides tools
20    and other supports to ensure that a child welfare
21    provider's response to and engagement with families and
22    children of color are: (i) conducted or provided in a
23    manner that is responsive to the beliefs, interpersonal
24    styles, attitudes, language, and behaviors of the
25    individuals who are receiving services; and (ii) conducted
26    or provided in a manner that has the greatest likelihood of

 

 

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1    ensuring maximum success of or participation in the child
2    welfare program or services being provided.
3        (7) Laboratory training facilities that may include,
4    but not be limited to, mock houses, mock courtrooms, and
5    mock forensic interview rooms that allow for simulated,
6    interactive, and intensive training.
7        (8) Minimum standards of competence that a person shall
8    be required to demonstrate prior to receiving
9    certification from the Department.
10    (d) By July 1, 2020, the Department of Children and Family
11Services shall adopt rules for the administration of the Child
12Protection Training Academy that not only establish statewide
13competence, assessment, and training standards for persons
14providing child welfare services, but that also ensure that
15persons who provide child welfare services have the knowledge,
16skills, professionalism, and abilities to make decisions that
17keep children safe and secure. The Department shall continue to
18arrange for an independent evaluation of the Child Protection
19Training Academy for at least the first 5 years of operation to
20determine whether it is meeting the goals of this Section.
 
21    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
22becoming law.".