The Florida Institute for Child Welfare’s GROW Center is committed to innovating the learning experience through interdisciplinary problem-based learning for students, creating robust professional advancement opportunities, as well as providing holistic support of the workforce. Additionally, it aims to transform the workplace through specialized capacity building and targeted technical assistance to public and private child welfare organizations. The Institute’s GROW Center will house the initiatives Academic Innovation (AI) that will redesign the future of learning in social work education through experiential learning, and state of the art virtual technologies; (ALIGN) which will offer exceptional training opportunities and provide ongoing support for professionals; and the Alliance for Workforce Enhancement (AWE) which aims to enhance organizational well-being. Each element of the GROW Center aims to enhance learning and build capacity towards meaningful and systemic change within the statewide child welfare workforce.
VISION:
Innovate child welfare curricula and student learning, support child welfare professionals, and transform the workplace by enhancing organizational well-being.
Stay informed at WWW.FICW.FSU.EDU
ALIGN is a learning community that offers comprehensive support for child welfare professionals and advancement opportunities throughout their career. Engaging with ALIGN will provide opportunities to Advance, Learn, Innovate, Grow, and Network with other child welfare colleagues statewide. Joining this community includes support through training and onboarding, specialization pathways through Advanced Certification courses (AdCert), as well as ongoing mentoring and coaching.
VISION:
Cultivate a learning community of professionals who benefit from enhancement of skills as well as comprehensive support as they advance in their child welfare careers.
Stay informed at WWW.FICW.FSU.EDU
Florida’s child welfare system has experienced persistent challenges within their organizations which range from training, onboarding, burnout, and turnover. Based on the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute’s Workforce Excellence Sites and the Florida Study of Professionals for Safe Families, the Institute has created the Alliance for Workforce Enhancement (AWE), an opportunity for specialized capacity building for Florida’s child welfare system. Through a 3-year partnership, the selected AWE sites will have an organizational assessment, tailored technical assistance, and leadership development.
VISION:
Prioritize leadership development and organizational well-being within child welfare agencies across Florida.
Stay informed at WWW.FICW.FSU.EDU
The Academic Innovation initiative seeks to partner with social work educational units throughout Florida to: • redesign the future of learning in social work education through innovative, experiential learning, and state of the art virtual technologies. • successfully prepare and train students to address the complex and diverse needs of youth and families in everyday practice. • develop and implement innovative, promising, and tested teaching methodologies that facilitate active student engagement and reflection in the classroom. • facilitate the development of resilient, engaged, lifelong learners who are prepared to enter social work practice.
VISION:
Provide students with the necessary skills to effectively navigate real-life practice challenges by transforming the classroom into an engaging and collaborative case-based learning environment that supports the development of advanced problem-solving skills, complex reasoning, ethical decisionmaking, and student-driven learning.
Stay informed at WWW.FICW.FSU.EDU