2010 PPCWG Institute Kick Off

May 20th and 21st, 2010 marked the first session of four for participants in the first PPCWG Institute. The PPCWG Institute brings teams from public agencies together and teaches participants a continuous improvement process to make changes in their organizations based on the Guidance. During the sessions, participants will become familiar with the Change Management Guidance, identify an improvement area and use one of the other pieces of Guidance to make changes.

After a rigorous application process, six public child welfare agencies were selected to participate in the institute. The agencies chosen to participate in the PPCWG Institute are:

• Baltimore County Department of Social Services, Maryland
• Calaveras Works and Human Services Agency, California
• Charlottesville Department of Social Services, Virginia
• Government of the District of Columbia Child and Family Services Agency
• Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services
• Larimer County Department of Human Services, Colorado

With much preparation on the part of the teams and the staff at APHSA, teams arrived in Washington, D.C., full of enthusiasm, readiness to participate and energy to take on large-change initiatives. During this first session, teams assessed their agencies' readiness for change, gained a better understanding of the Guidance and left with some tools to start using in their agencies. Until the next session in July, teams have their charge and will be working with APHSA staff liaisons on any challenges that may come up.