Southwest Montana News

The Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) continued its Child Welfare 101 training series in Great Falls on November 2, 2021, at MSU Great Falls College. The initiative aims to unite key community partners within the child welfare system to review collaborative roles for ensuring child safety and family support. Participants included judges, county attorneys, public defenders, and Court Appointed Special Advocates.

“Communication and understanding between all entities involved in child welfare is critical to successfully serving the children and families of Montana,” stated DPHHS Director Adam Meier. “The child welfare system is complex, and it really takes all of us working together to improve the system as a whole.”

The training also featured a two-hour introduction to Collaborative Safety. This model integrates safety science, behavioral analysis, forensic interviewing, and trauma-informed practices. It promotes accountability, addresses systemic issues, and views individuals as part of the solution.

Collaborative Safety offers a modern approach to analyzing adverse events with an emphasis on immediate improvements. Since Meier's appointment earlier this year, DPHHS has been incorporating this model into daily operations.

“It moves away from a reactionary approach toward a comprehensive process that addresses systemic factors so together we can make critical advancement to promote safe outcomes,” Meier explained. “This approach has been championed by safety-critical industries, including health care, aviation and others.”

Post-training listening sessions allow participants to ask questions and provide feedback aimed at enhancing the child welfare system.

These trainings follow previous CORE sessions held in 2019 and 2020 that educated community partners about CFSD's safety model for assessing families' needs. Recent sessions were conducted in Bozeman and Kalispell last week, with final training scheduled in Billings tomorrow.