Using Simulations and other Experiential Learning Activities in Child Welfare Training

Child Welfare is an increasingly complex field and the workforce needs to be prepared with a diverse toolkit of knowledge, skills, and abilities. Training systems have been using experiential learning activities as a way to... [ view full abstract ]

Child Welfare is an increasingly complex field and the workforce needs to be prepared with a diverse toolkit of knowledge, skills, and abilities. Training systems have been using experiential learning activities as a way to develop empathy and engage the learner from the heart.  As the need for more sophisticated intervention skills increases, training systems are finding that simulations which include skill practice and feedback are a great way to support the workforce and help trainees transfer what they learned in the classroom to their work with families in the field. Training simulations are one way to mimic the conditions and content of a task that the child welfare worker will encounter as part of their job. They can be used to develop skills, teach how to give and receive feedback, and to evaluate a participant's competence. Creating simulation labs can be costly and inflexible and this workshop will help participants find ways to capture the best learning elements from training simulations without the price tag of a learning center and lab. This workshop will look at creative ways to integrate simulation and experiential activities into your workforce training. A variety of training experiences will be presented including home visit simulations, court room simulations, how to use actors in scenario based learning and using fiction and memoirs in experiential learning. The session will discuss the necessary elements for a successful simulation (i.e. how real does it have to be?  Smells? Environmental hazards? Noises?) Participants will learn the difference between role-play, real-play, experiential activities, and simulations and will be provided tip sheets for each.