Statewide Training Residential Care for Children and Youth (RCCY)
In order to meet the needs of Alaskan children beyond those entrusted to our direct care, the AK Child & Family training department, through a State of Alaska Division of Behavioral Health grant, has been providing training and technical assistance support to Residential Care Children & Youth (RCCY) provider agencies statewide since 2006. RCCY provider agencies are located throughout the state, from Utqiaġvik to Ketchikan, and offer short-term emergency shelter as well as more long-term residential treatment. Children and Youth served in RCCY facilities range in age from newborns to eighteen year olds.
AK Child and Family trainers assist staff at RCCY homes and programs meet licensing & accreditation requirements by providing necessary training in de-escalation skills, managing aggressive behavior, suicide awareness & prevention, trauma informed care, Transition to Independence (TIP) and FASD. We also offer courses, which can lead to professional certification for direct care staff. This includes Mandt, CPR/First Aid, as well Mental Health First Aid. Specialized training is offered on subjects such as early childhood mental health, cross-cultural awareness, and working with LGBTQ+ youth in care. We host an annual “RCCY Providers’ Training Summit” in Anchorage, attended by RCCY agencies, as well as by key staff from the Division of Behavioral Health and Division of Juvenile Justice.
Our training is needs-based, goal-driven, and data-informed; utilizing ongoing assessment and evaluation at every step of the training process. We know that every program is unique, and that in the training world one size does not fit all. We use ongoing data collection and solution-focused customer service to tailor our training to the needs and goals of each facility. To meet individual provider’s training needs, we travel to remote locations, develop online trainings as well as custom trainings requested by grantees. We offer traditional classroom training, web-based training through our learning management system, blended learning (combining classroom and web-based), resource and training material lending, and nationally recognized certification in residential childcare and behavior management.
The AK Child & Family training department has dedicated staff with experience and expertise in all aspects of training, and of clinical and community interventions. The department also has an established relationship with UAA’s Clinical and Community Psychology doctoral program, and we frequently host practicum students from that program, who bring additional up-to-date knowledge and skills to our agency.
