About the DCF-Office of Training and Professional Development

The Office of Training and Professional Development was created under the 2004 Child Welfare Reform Plan, "New Beginnings." Its purpose is to provide training that enhances the child protective services skills of New Jersey's child welfare workforce (approximately 6,500 employees and the offices that support them). OTPD facilitators have degrees in education, social work and other human services-related disciplines and are training approximately 4,500 DCF personnel, statewide, at any given point in time.

In addition to the above, the OTPD provides continuous instruction to staff in various other curricula, including orientation for all new workers; courses for the Special Response Unit (SPRU) workers, who respond to reports of child abuse and neglect after hours; New Jersey Spirit (NJS) instruction, to ensure that workers know how to navigate and use DCF's statewide computer system;

Detailed descriptions of the pre-service and foundation courses for new workers, as well as of the in-service courses for more seasoned staff are outlined under the Learning Path

University Partnerships

The OTPD works in partnership with some of New Jersey's most esteemed colleges and universities. These institutes of higher learning offer degrees in social work with specific focus on child welfare. Rutgers University heads up the New Jersey Partnership for Child Welfare Program (NJPCW) with Richard Stockton State College. The Partnership is to provide enhanced educational support to ensure a more qualified child protective services workforce.