WiLearn for New Child Protective Services Professionals Framework WiLearn is required for all new child protective services (CPS) professionals in Wisconsin whose primary functions include Access, Initial Assessment, Ongoing or a mixture of those practice areas. The core of WiLearn is the 8 WiLearn Elements, which will account for the majority of the new CPS professional’s time in the program. In addition to the 8 WiLearn Elements, WiLearn includes several additional requirements, such as Pre-Service. All of these requirements must be completed within the first six months of employment. During these first 6 months of employment, CPS professionals enrolled in WiLearn are expected to be assigned up to a 50% primary caseload, which the Department of Children and Families (DCF) defines as seven. Please note this expectation pertains to new CPS professionals whose primary case responsibilities are Initial Assessment, Ongoing Services or a mixture of those two practice areas. FAQs What are the WiLearn Elements? The WiLearn Elements are built around learning priorities identified by DCF and local CPS agency leaders and address the following areas: Culturally-Responsible Practice in Child Welfare Trauma-Informed Practice Understanding the CPS Case Process Engaging Families Case Practice with American Indian Tribes Areas of Assessment in CPS Critical Thinking in CPS Family-Centered Decision-Making Learners will experience these elements together (and in this order) in virtual, instructor-led training and have opportunities to review materials on their own and at their own pace. These specific WiLearn Elements will account for 42 hours (or seven days) of training content that will be completed within a new CPS professional’s first six months of employment. Are there any other requirements for new CPS professionals while they are enrolled in WiLearn? If so, what are they? Yes. New CPS professionals are expected to have no more than 50% of a typical caseload that is held by a Primary Worker in eWiSACWIS during their time completing the 6-month WiLearn program. Any questions or support needs can be directed to the WCWPDS WiLearn inbox for counties outside of Milwaukee and the WCWPDS WiLearn Milwaukee inbox for Milwaukee. How and why was a 50% primary caseload during new CPS professionals’ first six months of employment decided upon? Training provides the foundational knowledge that will support CPS professionals in their career. Because training plays such a critical role in learning and supporting new staff, the county-lead workgroup recommended training be the primary focus of new CPS professionals. To help ensure this occurred, a 50% primary caseload benchmark was included into the WiLearn parameters. Based on feedback and recommendations from the county-lead workgroup, six months was selected as the shortest amount of time new CPS professionals could realistically and conceivably complete all of the WiLearn requirements. What is considered a 50% caseload and how is that determined? DCF defines a typical caseload as 14 primary case assignments for both Initial Assessment and Ongoing Services. Therefore, the expectation is that new staff enrolled in WiLearn receive up to seven (50% of 14) primary case assignments at any given time. Please note this requirement pertains to new CPS professionals whose primary case responsibilities are Initial Assessment, Ongoing Services or a mixture of those two practice areas. What happens if new CPS professionals are assigned a primary caseload that is higher than 50%? DCF will be following federal guidance regarding WiLearn which is considered to be “intensive training." This is defined as “highly concentrated and intended to significantly strengthen and increase the employee's knowledge." Given these parameters, an employee could not participate in intensive training while maintaining a full caseload. Using available statewide information systems, including eWiSACWIS data, DCF will monitor new CPS professionals’ primary case assignments and determine if a caseload is under, meets or exceeds the 50% threshold. What about CPS professionals who are employed part-time or in an LTE position? Do the WiLearn parameters still apply to them? Yes. Any CPS professional whose primary job duties include Access, Initial Assessment, Ongoing or a mixture of those practice areas are required to complete WiLearn within their first six months of employment. During that time, part-time professionals and professionals in an LTE role are expected to carry no more than a 50% primary caseload (seven cases) at any one time.
