FRIENDS Online Learning Center

Introduction to the Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) Program and FRIENDS National Center provides an overview of the CBCAP program. One module is specifically for new CBCAP State Lead agency staff, while others provide information and resources on the CBCAP program; the roles and responsibilities of the CBCAP State Lead Agency; guidance on completing the CBCAP application and annual report; and contact information for the CBCAP Federal Project Officers. The last module focuses on the work of the FRIENDS National Center and how the Center’s training and technical assistance helps State Lead Agencies fulfill their responsibilities under Title II of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA).

In this five-module course, prevention and child welfare professionals learn about the importance of collaborating and the common language and different terms that each uses. Participants also hear about successful examples in five states that effectively contributed to both Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) programs and child welfare service goals.

• The first module is an introduction to the course in which participants learn why collaboration between CBCAP State Lead Agencies (SLA), their funded child abuse prevention programs, and child welfare agencies is critical for helping children and families.
• Module Two, Continuum of Services for Children and Families, provides information about each system - CBCAP and child welfare - and discusses the commonalities and differences between the two.
• Module Three, Moving to a Common Language, focuses on the concepts and terms that CBCAP and child welfare programs have in common and how they are used within each system.
• Challenges often experienced and areas that hold promise for collaboration are discussed in Module Four.
• The fifth and final module, Collaborative Relationships in Action, highlights collaborative efforts between CBCAP SLA’s and their child welfare counterparts. Julie Collins with the Child Welfare League of America interviews staff in Michigan, North Carolina, South Carolina, Washington, and Wisconsin.

For any program to provide the best possible services to children and families, Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) activities must be intentionally integrated into all aspects of service planning and delivery. This course will build on the participants’ previous knowledge of CQI and the steps already being taken towards creating a CQI agency environment. New knowledge will enable staff to identify the elements needed to develop and maintain CQI in family support and child abuse prevention programs.

The course is divided into manageable sections that cover aspects of CQI, including understanding participants’ needs and desires; standardized policies and procedures; data-driven decision making; creating a safe environment; and system-wide support.

Parent Leadership is founded on the belief that parents are knowledgeable about their families and communities, and that their contributions to programmatic and community decision making, benefits and strengthens family support and child-abuse prevention programs.

Creating Effective Parent-Practitioner Partnerships is a an introductory course that defines the roles and benefits of parent leadership, examines common fears and barriers, and explains the basic principles and guidelines that support the development of effective parent leaders.

Data 101 – An Introduction

In Module 1, Data 101 answers the question: What data do I need to plan, implement, and evaluate Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) Programs? This course also helps program staff understand why prevention programs should collect data, how to identify the data they need, and best-practices strategies for data collection.

Module 2 explains how logic models, critical tools for developing an evaluation plan, can be used to identify data needed. Students will learn how each component of a logic model — components such as population served, resources, services, outcomes,  and theory of change — can suggest which data should be collected to measure program fidelity and program success.

At the end of the two modules, learners will be able to:

• Define how the word data is used in the Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) community
• Describe why it is important for CBCAP programs to collect data
• Identify purposes for which data are used
• Identify the specific data needed to understand program outcomes
• Identify appropriate sources of data—including evaluation tools
• Describe best practices in data collection

Effective Strategies for Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention Engagement with Tribes is an interactive course that uses video to demonstrate the historical experiences of tribes and the long-term impact these experiences have had on native children and families. The importance of engaging tribes in CBCAP work is highlighted, as are strategies for engagement and overcoming potential barriers. The four-module course is narrated by American Indians, bringing to life family stories shared from personal, sometimes traumatic, experiences.

Module 1 provides a definition of historical trauma and a short video of the Trail of Tears experience. The prevalence of child abuse and neglect for both the American Indian and Alaskan Native Tribes is discussed in Module 2. Modules 3 and 4 address engagement opportunities for tribes and CBCAP programs as well as specific strategies for effectively engaging tribes and overcoming barriers to collaboration between CBCAP and tribal groups.

Evidence-Based 101 is a three-module course pertaining to evidence-based practices, programs, and research. The first module introduces the concept of evidence-based practice and how it impacts daily work. Module 2 addresses needs assessments, how they are executed, and how their data can be analyzed and applied to program selection. This module also provides information on understanding an agency’s internal capacity to provide evidence-based or evidence-informed programs and practices as well as how that capacity impacts services. Components of effective practices, such as evaluation and identifying outcomes, are also discussed.

Researching evidence-based programs is addressed in Module 3. Course registrants will be able to explore resources that help with this task and identify key questions for comparing different programs. A workbook is included with the course to support learning.

My Money Today and Tomorrow: Financial Decision Making for Practitioners and Parents identifies essential information and skills for building financial stability when working with parents, youth, and families. The course addresses the question, “Why work with families to build financial stability?” Course objectives focus on understanding the relationship between financial stability and child maltreatment prevention, understanding the parent’s role as a provider, available resources, and strategies for ways to connect families to resources in communities.

This course is appropriate for family support workers, caseworkers, home visitors, and other practitioners working with families in preventing child neglect. It will offer suggestions to help build knowledge and skills for making good financial decisions and reducing financial stress.  A financial self-assessment is included that focuses on six strategies for helping individuals and families become more financially stable. A companion workbook and handouts are included.

Implementation: Effectively Implementing Sustainable Programs explores key elements for program implementation. Module 1 expounds on Dean Fixsen and Karen Blasé’s research on implementation drivers and stages of program implementation. To practice what is learned in the course, participants will consider a local program’s decision to change to a new parent education program and make managerial decisions about issues that result.

Module 2 takes a closer look at three of the key elements needed for effective program implementation:  leadership, culture, and vision and values, and considers the stages of change from an individual staff person’s perspective as organizations and systems go through a change process. The content blends the traditional Stages of Change Theory with newer research on social cognitive neuroscience. Through interviews, experts share their thinking on work culture and environment, leadership, and vision and values.

The perfect course for participants who want to update or enhance their logic model construction skills, Logic Models will explain the process of developing a logic model for a CBCAP program and will offer information on:

• the concept and use of logic models.
• how to write effective outcome statements.
• construction of appropriate indicators for desired outcomes.
• how to gather the data needed to evaluate the program’s effectiveness.
• how to select and use measurement tools.

Maximizing Fiscal Resources was developed specifically for the state lead agency designated to receive funding from the Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) program.  The course provides an overview on how to leverage funds for CBCAP programs and offers guidance on creative funding approaches such as leveraged, braided, blended and pooled funding.

The course explores key elements of successful funding strategies, including relationship building, knowledge of funding sources, and creative thinking. It also reviews important strategies for increasing state and private resources.  Interactive tools will be utilized to describe how financing strategies can help maximize limited resources.

Parent Leadership identifies and defines successful strategies for program staff and parents who are interested in learning more about engaging parents in leadership roles or meeting the Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) requirement of incorporating meaningful and authentic parent leadership in local and statewide networks. The course uses the metaphor of a journey to:

• identify the characteristics of parent leadership and how to nurture it;
• the personal and organizational benefits of parent leadership; and
• how to generate and sustain the involvement of parents and practitioners to achieve mutual outcomes.

Using the protective factors framework, participants will be introduced to the importance of parents and practitioners working together, the value of learning from one another, and the role that CBCAP and FRIENDS NC for CBCAP play in providing training and technical assistance specific to parent leadership and involvement.

A good introduction, Protective Factors: Promoting Healthy Families provides information that supervisors, program managers and coordinators may find helpful in supporting and promoting the integration of protective factors with frontline staff. Participants will learn:

• how protective factors can be used to strengthen families and prevent child abuse and neglect.
• the difference between focusing on risk factors and using protective factors in child maltreatment and prevention.
• the protective factors that research has shown to reduce risks of child abuse and neglect.