new text begin Administration. new text end

new text begin (a) The Child Welfare Training Academy must be administered through five regional hubs in northwest, northeast, southwest, southeast, and central Minnesota. Each hub must deliver training targeted to the needs of the hub's particular region, taking into account varying demographics, resources, and practice outcomes. new text end

new text begin (b) The Child Welfare Training Academy must use training methods best suited to the training content. National best practices in adult learning must be used to the greatest extent possible, including online learning methodologies, coaching, mentoring, and simulated skill application. new text end

new text begin (c) Content of training delivered by the Child Welfare Training Academy must be informed using multidisciplinary approaches and must include input from stakeholders, including but not limited to child welfare professionals, resource parents, biological parents and caregivers, and other community members with expertise in child welfare racial disparities and implicit bias. Content must be structured to reflect the variety of communities served by the child welfare system in Minnesota and must be informed with attention to both child safety and the evidence-based understanding that maintaining family relationships and preventing out-of-home placement are essential to child well-being. Training delivered by the Child Welfare Training Academy must emphasize racial disparities and disproportionate child welfare outcomes that exist in Minnesota and must include specific content on recognizing and addressing implicit bias. new text end

new text begin (d) Each child welfare worker and supervisor must complete a certification, including a competency-based knowledge test and a skills demonstration, at the completion of the worker's or supervisor's initial training and biennially thereafter. The commissioner shall develop ongoing training requirements and a method for tracking certifications. new text end

new text begin (e) The Child Welfare Training Academy must serve the primary training audiences of (1) county and tribal child welfare workers, (2) county and tribal child welfare supervisors, and (3) staff at private agencies providing out-of-home placement services for children involved in Minnesota's county and tribal child welfare system. new text end