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Beginning Friday, April 2, the new WA State Learning Center (LC) will assign the following trainings to all DCYF employees. The objective of the automated assignments is to mitigate risk to the agency while improving mandatory training completion rates. DCYF employees will have three months to complete the assigned trainings which are due by July 1.
To provide a level starting point for all DCYF staff, the LC platform and assignments were designed to “look back” at training completions that have occurred on or after Jan. 1, 2021. Therefore, if you have completed any of the trainings before Jan. 1, 2021, you will need to take them again. The goal is to ensure that staff take the most current trainings and that DCYF is on an agencywide schedule moving forward. In all, this is about eight hours of online training spread out over three months.
Required All-Staff Trainings
- DCYF Information Security Awareness Training for Employees – annual training
- DCYF Annual Records Management & Retention – annual training
- WA-State Ethics in State Government – every three years
- WA-State Defensive Driving – every three years
- WA-State Suicide Awareness Training – every three years
- WA-State Sexual Harassment Prevention for all Employees – every five years
Required Supervisor Trainings
- WA-State Sexual Harassment Prevention for Supervisors – every three years
- DCYF NeoGov Recruitment & Onboarding Orientation for Hiring Supervisors
Additionally, supervisors are required to complete the Instructor Lead Training: WA-State Leading Others (three-day course) Virtual or In-person (formerly Supervision Essentials) – one-time training – this training will not be assigned automatically.
Once the above online trainings are assigned, staff will be able locate any assigned trainings and complete their registration by logging in to the WA State LC using Chrome as your web browser and going to their My Experience Hub – steps below:
 Once you select the icon for Assigned Activity, you will see your Timeline load and you will be able to complete your registration and start the assigned activities:
It can be hard to keep up with policy changes, updates, or revisions along with the day-to-day responsibilities of your job. DCYF rolls these out as needed throughout the year so that you can be aware of updated practice expectations. The Alliance’s newest eLearning series will help you stay on top of these changes.
This new series is called DCYF Policy Rollout and is available in the Alliance catalog. Each course is named with the timeframe of the policy change. The latest eLearning is called DCYF Rollout: April 2021 which includes the following policies:
- 4420 Monthly Visits with Children or Youth, Parents or Guardians, and Caregivers
- 4420 Health and Safety Visits with Children and Youth and Monthly Visits with Parents or Guardians
- 4430 Courtesy Supervision
These trainings will provide you with specifics on what the policy change is and why the change is being made. You will find links to resources that provide context or support your policy compliance.
This series will be revised as policies are updated or changed.
Getting ready to hire? Feeling lost with the recruitment process? Before you pick up the phone to call your recruitment specialist, please check out the on-demand trainings available in The Learning Center. These trainings provide step-by-step guidance on the entire hiring process. You can find all of the relevant trainings by accessing the Learning Center and searching the courses by name, shown below.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Talent Acquisition Team at dcyf.jobs@dcyf.wa.gov.
 
A new policy is finalized and is effective Thursday, April 1: DCYF Administrative 13.03 Response to Litigation-Related Documents, Contacts by Opposing Counsel, Providing Opposing Testimony, and Requesting Legal Representation Policy.
The purpose of this policy is to provide guidance on how to:
- Respond to litigation-related documents and contact by an attorney not employed or contracted by the Office of the Attorney General (AGO).
- Provide opposing testimony.
- Request legal representation related to work at DCYF.
For questions about this policy, please contact Ronda Haun. To view all DCYF policies, please visit the DCYF Administrative Policies intranet page.
The Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice (RESJ) is offering healing-centered spaces each month for staff to connect, reflect, and collaborate in racial affinity group gatherings to address institutional and systemic racism.
Black and BIPOC Gatherings
The intent of the Black and BIPOC Gatherings is for staff to find understanding and support while navigating white dominant cultural spaces and institutions. It is also an opportunity to collectively imagine what transformation is necessary for DCYF to be an agency that truly supports BIPOC clients and staff to thrive.
White Responsibility Gatherings
The intent of gatherings for white staff is to explicitly work on examining the construction of the white racial identity. These gatherings can help build participants’ individual and collective capacity to dismantle and heal from racism and white supremacy. The onus is then on white people to teach each other about these ideas, rather than relying on BIPOC to teach them. This is why the organizers of this space have chosen to name it, the White Responsibility Gathering.
- Monday, April 12 | BIPOC Group | 3 – 5 p.m. | Register here
- Tuesday, April 13 | Black Affinity Gathering | 1 – 3 p.m. | Register here
- Wednesday, April 14 | White Responsibility Group | 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. | Register here
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From time to time, reporters and media representatives will reach out for information about DCYF and the children, youth, and families we serve. Please remember that the Office of Communications (OC) handles all communication and formal contact involving the media. Staff who are aware of situations or information that could lead to an inquiry should contact the director of communications. This action strategically assists the agency with media relations.
The OC will connect with the media representative to discuss the issues involved and then contact the appropriate individual(s) within DCYF, if necessary.
Things to Keep in Mind
- Whenever a member of the media contacts you, either by phone, email, or in person, you should refer them to the OC.
- If you are approached for an interview (including to promote DCYF programs, services, or partnerships), contact the OC.
- The OC will work with the reporter to coordinate all interviews.
- The director of communications must be present during every interview with the media.
Refer all inquiries to the Interim Director of Communications, Nancy Gutierrez, at nancy.gutierrez@dcyf.wa.gov or 360-789-3451.
You can find more information on our agency communications protocols here (page 9).
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In observation of April 2021 Records and Information Management Month, DCYF would like to send a “HUGE” thank you to the Records Imaging Center staff. The Imaging unit has been working in the office while observing all COVID-19 precautions since the beginning of the pandemic to ensure DCYF records are organized, imaged, and accessible.
Pictured in Photo: Chieu, Kaela, Hope, Jamie, Katelyn, Becky, Brandon, Mic, Denise, Charles, and Sonya.
Not Pictured: Stephanie, Char, Kendra, and Christian.
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The Department of Enterprise Services (DES) Wellness committee has coordinated with the Washington State Employees Credit Union (WSECU) to host a four-part lunch and learn webinar series on financial health. The following webinars will run from noon to 1 p.m. on the dates identified.
Check out the following dates and webinar topics:
- April 14 Identity Theft
- April 21 Credit Reporting Basics
- April 28 Budgeting Basics (focus on people new to budgeting)
- May 5 Financial Stress Management
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April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, a time to draw attention to the prevalence of sexual assault, provide education about prevention, and recognize the impact of sexual assault on individuals and communities.
Washington State’s Employees Assistance Program (EAP) has some helpful awareness and prevention resources available on their website. EAP’s April 2021 Frontline Supervisor Newsletter provides statistics, a personal/intentionally public narrative, and resources regarding sexual assault awareness and trauma-informed leadership.
Please visit EAP’s web site to subscribe to future employee and supervisor newsletters.
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