Residential Care: Child Welfare
Lower Level, 4 credits, Non-Liberal
Residential Care: Child Welfare is considered to be lower level knowledge that is nonliberal. It represents foundational skills and concepts that an entry level human service
worker has acquired. Residential Care: Child Welfare is more often about how we do
things (i.e., non-liberal) and not necessarily why we do things (i.e., liberal).
Please use the questions below to structure your PLA submission on the topic of
Residential Care: Child Welfare. Copy each question and respond directly below it. If
you utilize an outside source, such as a website or a book, make sure to reference this
in your response. The responses to the questions should be submitted in a Word
document and uploaded in PLA Planner. In PLA Planner, you would list the topic as
Residential Care: Child Welfare, asking for 4 credits, and designate this as Lower Level
and Non-Liberal.
Please note – responding to these questions is not a guarantee of credit. You will still
be expected to speak with an evaluator and answer any supplemental questions that
they may have. The evaluator would then make a credit determination.
Questions for Students to respond to
We suggest you save this document with your name and the title of the PLA (e.g.,
Smith Residential Care: Child Welfare PLA) and answer beneath each question
below.
Name:
ID:
PLA Title: Residential Care: Child Welfare
Number of Credits Requested: 4
Type: Lower level, Non-Liberal
1. Please describe your experiences working in residential care in the child welfare
system.
2. In New York State, child welfare residential care may serve different populations.
Please describe the differences between the following types of care and which
populations that they serve:
•
•
•
•
Residential treatment centers/facilities
Group home settings
Foster homes
Therapeutic foster homes
3. Foundational skills required to work in child welfare residential care include
interpersonal skills, effective communication, ensure safety, boundary setting, and
teaching or helping with self-sufficiency skills. Please discuss each of these skills and
provide an example of how you apply each of these to your practice.
4. Engagement with the residents of your facility is a core component of your work in
child welfare residential care. Please describe some techniques that you utilize to
engage the residents that you work with. Describe your understanding of diversity
issues may impact your work with the residents.
5. Each resident will have an individualized treatment plan in child welfare residential
care. How do you collaborate with others on your team to support the success of your
residents reaching their goals?
6. Describe the type of documentation that you perform in your role in child welfare
residential care.
7. Please list any trainings or workshops that you have attended through your work.