WiLearn for New Youth Justice Professionals Framework The WiLearn Youth Justice program will begin to address some of the identified youth justice (YJ) training gaps and is part of our long-term strategy to build up YJ infrastructure in the areas of standards, training and technical assistance. WiLearn Youth Justice provides a fundamental grounding in trauma-informed, culturally-competent child welfare practice that supports all children and youth entering the child welfare system regardless of which “door” they enter. Resources WiLearn Youth Justice Flyer — overview of the WiLearn Youth Justice program. WiLearn Youth Justice - Wisconsin Child Welfare Professional Development System (WCWPDS) — course-related information including materials and example WiLearn Youth Justice timelines. Sample Training Sequence — training details and approximate schedule for WiLearn Youth Justice. FAQs Why should my new YJ professional complete WiLearn Youth Justice? WiLearn Youth Justice will better prepare our state’s child welfare workforce to work with families in making decisions to support youth. It also provides additional resources, like Pre-Service and eWiSACWIS trainings. The auto-enrollment process, quarterly cohorts and clear schedules provide predictable initial training and allows agencies to align onboarding activities. How is the WiLearn program relevant for YJ? We have selected the web-based trainings and four WiLearn Elements from WiLearn that are critical to all child welfare practice. The community huddle discussions and applications will lean into YJ practice. Some of the training included in the WiLearn package for CPS is not as universally applicable. DCF and WCWPDS are working to build a sequence of training to support all new YJ professionals. Youth Justice Philosophy and Case Process Training and WiLearn Youth Justice are two major milestones toward meeting this goal. What are the WiLearn Youth Justice program expectations? The WiLearn Elements to be completed include the following: Culturally-Responsible Practice Trauma-Informed Practice Engaging Families Case Practice with American Indian Tribes Case Practice with American Indian Tribes – Understanding WICWA Learners are committing to completing all of the WiLearn Youth Justice program components with their assigned cohort. Complete all assigned web-based trainings. Complete all online packet work and activities on time. Attend and actively participate in all 11 Community Huddles. Use your workbook to document your learning and applications and capture self-reflections and questions for your agency. The expected total time for the above activities is around 60 hours, but actual time spent in learning, activities and applications may differ based on the learner.Enrollment will be confirmed with the supervisor and is strongly encouraged (but not required) for all new YJ professionals hired or transferred after July 1, 2025. If community huddle absences occur, it is expected that agency supervisors (or their designee) will provide the huddle experience in the agency. How does WiLearn Youth Justice fit and work with other trainings like Basic Intake and YASI? There are no changes to the current process. The timing of each of these trainings may vary slightly based on the hire date and cohort assigned. Learners can typically compete YJPCP about one month from hire, may start YASI about two months from hire and may begin BI training about three to four months from hire. The WiLearn Youth Justice program will typically be spread out two to nine months from hire, so Elements will occasionally overlap with another training. WCWPDS will orchestrate schedules to reduce conflicts between huddles and training days and ensure there is sufficient time to complete online packets and activities. WiLearn Youth Justice enrollees will be provided with a full schedule, which allows agencies to plan for training and onboarding activities during the first year on the job. WiLearn Youth Justice also includes agency-specific trainings and onboarding activities (i.e., structured supervisory coaching and mentoring opportunities) as determined by the agency. See the WCWPDS Sample Training Sequence for Youth Justice webpage for training details and an approximate schedule. How do the WiLearn Youth Justice cohorts work? Cohorts provide a small community of about 20 colleagues that engage in collaborative learning and supportive networking. All cohort members will be new to YJ professional responsibilities. Each cohort will have a specific beginning and end date for WiLearn and will navigate through the WiLearn program together on the same schedule. WCWPDS will schedule one cohort per quarter to meet the anticipated hiring patterns for new YJ professionals. How will I know I am enrolled and what are my next steps? This training program has specific eligibility requirements and is intended for newly-hired/transferred staff whose primary role is YJ professional. WCWPDS will identify those who are eligible, confirm with agency supervisors and enroll learners into the respective cohort. Enrolled learners and their supervisors will receive confirmation and detailed information via email, which will include program information and a complete schedule. Due to having quarterly cohort start dates, the time between enrollment and launch of the cohort will vary based on hire date. I’m not eligible for enrollment but interested in these training topics. Can I still register for these courses? Yes, but in a different way! WCWPDS offers the same four topics as standalone courses for child welfare professionals. We’ve labelled these as “Hybrid” courses as they are a combination of self-paced online learning and activities, attendance of scheduled virtual community huddles and use of workbooks. Standalone means they can be taken in any sequence, and you can take as many as you choose. To register, search PDS Online for these titles for details. More information about these Hybrid courses can be found on the WCWPDS website. Culturally-Responsible Practice – Hybrid Trauma-Informed Practice – Hybrid Engaging Families – Hybrid Case Practice with American Indian Tribes – Hybrid (includes "Understanding WICWA" training) Can supervisors or coach/lead staff take this? No, supervisors and lead staff may not be enrolled in a cohort. We want to make every effort to allow brand new professionals to learn and process safely with their peers. We will provide a variety of ways that supervisors and coaches who onboard new staff can learn about WiLearn. This will include: Descriptions, learning objectives and behavioral indicators Full curriculum of online packets Workbooks for each WiLearn Element Additional resources Access to the four topics as Hybrid courses What is the cost? Agencies are billed separately for each WiLearn Element a month or two after completion. There is no cost for the Pre-Service and eWiSACWIS web-based modules. Please contact WCWPDS for specific billing questions.
