H.B. 93 Enrolled

TRAINING REQUIREMENTS FOR CASEWORKERS
1999 GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Sponsor: Matt Throckmorton
AN ACT RELATING TO HUMAN SERVICES; REQUIRING ON-THE-JOB TRAINING FOR
A CHILD WELFARE WORKER, DEPENDING ON THE WORKER'S JOB EXPERIENCE;
AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
This act affects sections of Utah Code Annotated 1953 as follows:
AMENDS:
62A-4a-107, as enacted by Chapter 260, Laws of Utah 1994
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
Section 1. Section 62A-4a-107 is amended to read:
62A-4a-107. Mandatory education and training of caseworkers -- Development of
curriculum.
(1) There is created within the division a full-time position of Child Welfare Training
Coordinator, who shall be appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the director. The employee
in that position shall not be responsible for direct casework services or the supervision of those
services, but shall:
(a) develop child welfare curriculum that is current and effective, consistent with the
division's mission and purpose for child welfare;
(b) recruit, select, and supervise child welfare trainers;
(c) develop a statewide training program, including a budget and identification of sources
of funding to support that training;
(d) evaluate the efficacy of training in improving job performance;
(e) assist child protective services and foster care workers in developing and fulfilling their
individual training plans;
(f) monitor staff compliance with division training requirements and individual training
plans;
(g) expand the collaboration between the division and schools of social work within

institutions of higher education in developing child welfare services curriculum, and in providing
and evaluating training; and
(h) report annually to the board and the Legislature on training activities, compliance with
the training plan, and achievement of individual training goals.
(2) (a) The director shall, with the assistance of the child welfare training coordinator,
establish a core curriculum for child welfare services that is substantially equivalent to the Child
Welfare League of America's Core Training for Child Welfare Caseworkers Curriculum.
(b) Any child welfare worker who is employed by the division for the first time after [April]
July 1, [1995] 1999, shall, before assuming significant independent casework responsibilities, [and
in no case later than six months after initial employment,] successfully complete:
(i) the core curriculum[.]; and
(ii) except as provided in Subsection (2)(c), on-the-job training that consists of observing
and accompanying at least two capable and experienced child welfare workers as they perform
work-related functions:
(A) for three months if the worker has less than six months of on-the-job experience as a
child welfare worker; or
(B) for two months if the worker has six months or more but less than 24 months of
on-the-job experience as a child welfare worker.
(c) A child welfare worker with at least 24 months of on-the-job experience is not required
to receive on-the-job training under Subsection (2)(b)(ii).
(3) The division shall provide an annual report to the Legislative Child Welfare Oversight
Panel before November 1 on the implementation and status of on-the-job training for child welfare
workers required under Subsection (2).
Section 2. Effective date.
This act takes effect on July 1, 1999.

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