Education & Training

Transforming Knowledge into Skills
OACAS Education Services provides a unique program with the necessary knowledge, competencies and tools for child welfare professionals, managers and resource families in Ontario to make critical decisions about child safety while simultaneously working alongside families towards better outcomes for children. (top)

Our Teaching Approach
In OACAS Curricula, the emphasis is on the powerful application of child focused, family centred, strengths based practices that protect children and respect families.  Through a unique blend of trainer-led presentations, case studies, small group discussions, and self-reflection assignments, OACAS courses are designed to generate practical and action-oriented knowledge about child welfare in Ontario.  Critical themes and relevant issues pertaining to the daily practice of child welfare are examined.  Our programs play a vital role in becoming reflective child welfare professionals, innovative leaders or strong resource families in the province of Ontario.

The curricula promote current promising practices related to child safety, diversity and anti-oppression, parent collaboration, resiliency, community development, and permanency planning.  Supplementary research materials are provided to learners after the course has been completed.  We believe education in child welfare is not a one-time event but rather a life-long learning process.

Our trainers are highly skilled, experienced and knowledgeable about child welfare practice.  Their role is to ignite a creative and positive learning environment for you in the classroom, or virtually online.  OACAS believes that the transfer of learning from the classroom to the work environment is vital to the professional development of participants.  To demonstrate our commitment to this seamless transfer or learning approach, OACAS has a team of training specialists who can provide customized support to a group of professionals, an individual child welfare organization, or to a specific region in the province. (top)

Trainer Development and Agency Support
OACAS Education Services recognized the importance of pre and post-training support to encourage the transfer of learning into practice, as well as to support the ministry’s goal of building local agency capacity through training.  Education Services, therefore, has Learning and Development Consultants located throughout Ontario, each assigned to one of five regional areas.  The role of the Learning and Development Consultants includes:

  • Supporting and overseeing agency-based training programs and regionally organized training programs and initiatives
  • Trainer support and development
  • Resourcing agencies with new training and development products and seminars
  • Supporting regional and cross regional networking
  • Ongoing representation and support to the Ontario Practice Model, curriculum development and transfer of learning initiatives
  • Leading various field pilots, working groups and participating in planning education services symposiums and the development of provincial learning guides

Education services also has a staff of three Provincial Trainers who provide a lead role in the delivery of training, development of curriculum, participate in OACAS projects/committees, and support capacity building for agencies and their staff across the province.  In addition to direct classroom training our Provincial trainers serve in a variety of facilitation capacities: web-based/internet initiatives, support to learners engaged in alternative delivery models, coaching and mentoring for the development of Agency Based and Sessional trainer’s as requested by trainers and agencies, etc.  As well they offer support to agencies related to the transfer of learning.

The majority of OACAS training is delivered by Agency Based Trainers, Children’s Aid Society staff, and Sessional Trainers, child welfare and other community professionals contracted to deliver specific courses, both of whom have subject matter expertise and proven facilitation skills.

OACAS currently has a roster of approximately 1,000 local Children’s Aid Society (CAS) staff or foster/adoptive parents whom it has trained and approved to deliver courses for CAS staff and caregivers in their local agency or training region. Trainer preparation modules include Train the Trainer (for beginning trainers) and Advanced Facilitation Skills for the more experienced; training on course content sessions for trainers of Parent Resources for Information, Development and Education (PRIDE), Looking After Children (LAC), Child Welfare Professional Series, and other modules. (top)

Training Target Groups
Programs as described above are directed to child welfare frontline and management staff at Children's Aid Societies, and to CASs foster, kin, customary care and adoptive families.  In addition, OACAS is now beginning to provide some training services to private adoption practitioners and foster/group care agency staff and families when OACAS holds the licenses for the training products. Over 130,000 participants from CASs target groups have attended training since 2000.

Training is scheduled and delivered in English and French based upon the training needs of the target groups, as identified by regular needs assessments, and in consultation with Ministry of Children and Youth Services (MCYS) and individual Children’s Aid Societies. (top)

Training Administration
OACAS Education Services supports the provincial training system by scheduling sessions in consultation with agencies, providing on-line registration services, printing/shipping course materials, arranging facilities and maintaining an extensive data base of training participant records since 2000, and reporting to agencies on training completed by their staff. Linkages with the private adoption and private foster/group care systems are maintained to facilitate training delivery services for these sectors. (top)

Learning Resources Development
Staff responsible for learning resources development regularly review and up-date existing curricula, develop new modules for priority target groups (e.g. Adoption and Children’s Services workers are currently priorities for new courses), plan for alternative delivery strategies (using web based learning approaches for example) and arrange for translation of all mandatory training materials into French. Linkages with other child welfare partners and learning organizations are maintained to ensure products are of high quality and that learning delivery methods are state of the art. Learn more ... (top)