We are excited to share with you that preliminary work has begun to establish the new

Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy (CWTA)! In May 2019, the Minnesota Legislature authorized funding to develop and implement a statewide training academy under a newly formed State-University partnership. The Minnesota Department of Human Services and the Regents of the University of Minnesota, on behalf of the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare, entered into a Joint Powers Agreement and officially began work together in September. Thanks to all who helped with the crafting and passage of this important legislation.

Early work of the Training Academy has focused on numerous activities, including increasing training capacity and reducing wait times for new worker training, as well as an update and expansion of new worker Foundation training. We have recruited and hired additional community-expert trainers to join our experienced training team. Staff have worked eagerly to identify a new metro-based training facility and administrative offices, anticipating state of the art facility renovation to begin after the New Year. Work on identifying regional training hub locations will commence in early 2020.

Over the course of the summer and fall, Training Academy staff have also worked closely with the Indian Child Welfare Advisory Council and the University of Minnesota Duluth's Center for Regional and Tribal Child Welfare Studies (CRTCWS) to deepen collaboration on the delivery of some curricula focusing on the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), the Minnesota Indian Family Preservation Act (MIFPA), and working with Indian families and tribes.

CWTA staff are excited to partner with tribes, counties, communities, families, private providers and other key stakeholders in the evolution of the Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy. We will soon be announcing a series of regional listening sessions and other feedback opportunities, designed to engage stakeholders and solicit input on training process, structure and content. Please watch for announcements in the coming weeks as dates, times and locations for these meetings are identified. We also invite you to sign up to receive Training Academy updates at mnchildwelfare.com/training