Improving Our Support and Response to Child Welfare System [6 CEUs]

Improving Our Support and Response to Child Welfare System-Involved Families [6 CEUs]

Trainer: Dr. Marya Wright, DSW, LCSW

Date: December 2, 2025

Time: 9:00am - 4:00pm

Location: Virtual – Zoom

Agency: City College San Francisco

Description

By attending this course, attendees will have a basic understanding of the Child Welfare System (CWS) and Child Protective Services (CPS). Participants will have a basic understanding of the process of CPS once a report has been filed. Participants will have a basic understanding of timelines, expectations and guidelines when involved in the CWS. Participants will learn the reasons why questions are asked during a CPS investigation and the importance of accurate information. Participants will learn how to engage and provide support to families involved in CWS. The material will be delivered by PowerPoint presentation, short video clips, group discussion, breakout (small group) discussions and participant workbook (handout).

Learning Objectives

• Trainees will be able to have a general understanding of child welfare and its legal definition.
• Trainees will be able to describe the court timelines, expectations, and rights of a family involved in the child welfare system.
• Trainees will be able to discover new ways of supporting clients involved in the child welfare system.

Transfer of Learning Goals

• By the end of the training, trainees will be able to describe what the investigation process will entail, what a family may experience during this phase, and how to support them.
• When assessing a family’s need for support, trainees will be able to use a community list of services and provide referrals for their client.
• Trainees will be able to describe at least two directions in which a family can go after a child welfare investigation and how to support the family in understanding the next steps in the court process.

Founder & Lead Trainer Bio

Marya Wright, DSW, LCSW (#128392), is a nationally distinguished Black social worker, consultant, published author, educator, and facilitator with extensive experience in organizational leadership, child welfare services, and curriculum development. As the Founder and CEO of Marya Wright Consulting LLC, Dr. Wright is dedicated to empowering system-involved families through awareness, services, and education. She also provides consultation, training, and facilitation to agencies serving these communities.

Dr. Wright earned her master’s in social work from Cal State East Bay, specializing in child welfare policy and research, and a bachelor’s in social work with a focus on Child Welfare Services and Motivational Interviewing from San Diego State University. She holds a doctorate in social work from the University of Southern California Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, focusing on achieving equal opportunity and justice in the child welfare system.

As a community leader, Dr. Wright prioritizes building relationships, networking, and collaborating with stakeholders to address social and economic issues faced by clients, aiming for justice and peace. She has served as a qualified expert witness and forensic social worker. Additionally, Dr. Wright sits on the Board of Directors for the National Phi Alpha Honor Society and is actively involved with the National Association of Social Workers and California Chapter.

Dr. Wright’s research interests include child sexual exploitation, foster care, and algorithmic decision-making in child welfare. She has published articles and lectured extensively on these topics. Dr. Wright’s teaching experience includes courses in sociology and social work at Cal State East Bay, since January 2020, focusing on sexualities, child welfare policy, family sociology, and sexual violence. Currently, she serves as a professor in the graduate program teaching generalist practice, human behavior and social environment, and advance practice children youth and families.