Information

What has been happening to CASCWA lately?

CASCWA's membership has been increasing steadily over the past five years and the conference attendees also continue to increase.

A legislative representative has been appointed to act as liaison between CASCWA and ACSA this year and we envision developing a working relationship with other organizations in the future.

We are developing a new approach in becoming more involved in the legislative process. The intent of this approach is to allow for more direct involvement in the language of the legislation as well as the ongoing monitoring of existing legislation being presented.

The number of CASCWA sponsored and co-sponsored sectional workshops continues to expand.

Do You Have a Leak in Your ADA? Leaky faucet? Broken pipe? Old equipment? Flawed design?

DA slips away from schools every day throughout California...$20.00-$25.00 per pupil, daily! Like water leaking from a broken pipe or wasted because of a flawed design, the mounting losses often occur quietly and may even go unnoticed.

CWA professionals are skilled "trouble-shooters" in correcting ADA "leaks". Concerns and problem areas can be targeted by examining attendance policies, procedures, records, and programs. Once problems are known pertinent solutions can be suggested. Because of the many fine points of law and procedure associated with building maximum levels of school attendance, the Child Welfare and Attendance specialist is indispensable to the success of corrective efforts.

Common Causes of Lost ADA

Not claiming ADA for which you qualify
Obsolete data processing systems.
Incomplete and/or flawed School District attendance policies
Lack of quality and uniformity in managing attendance interventions
Display staff and organizational "attitudes" that push students away
Underdeveloped alternatives to the regular school program
Poorly implemented SST's and SARB's...no truancy mediation or 601 petitioning
Neglect of attendance as a training priority among school staff
Overlooking early patterns of chronic absence displayed by students
Not recognizing common "truancy profiles" among students
Improper and careless attendance taking by teachers
Lack of schoolwide understanding about the ADA money trail
Lack of attendance monitoring/enforcement on 602's
No attempts to counteract known (or potentially known) and predictable schoolwide attendance trends
Ill-timed (school calendar) start up of new programs
Absence verification given greater priority than absence elimination
Being unaware of how the attendance habits of school staff influence the attendance habits of students

State Section Boundaries

The State is comprised of four sections with the following counties included in each section:

San Joaquin -: Fresno, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Mono, Monterey, San Benito,San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Tulare, Tuolumne, San Luis Obispo
Bay -: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Sonoma, Humboldt, Del Norte, Lake, Trinity
Southern -: Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Ventura
Delta Sierra -: Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Colusa, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento,, Sierra, Solano, Sutter, Yolo, Yuba, Butte, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama

Child Welfare and Attendance in California Public Schools

CWA Firefighters: Child Welfare and Attendance is a highly specialized and constantly changing sphere of work that combines the knowledge and skill of a school counselor, district administrator, legal consultant, and community ombudsman. Like firefighters, CWA personnel provide their jurisdictions with the capacity to respond to crisis situations with competence and care. Students, parents, and staff members are guided by CWA through sometimes very complicated problem solving steps to needed resources and services.

CWA personnel are also experienced scanners and forecasters of school climate and changing community conditions. Besides bringing a capacity for case by case watchfulness and problem solving, CWA professionals can contribute a community, county and even statewide perspective on the most recent events, trends, and developments affecting schools. School choice, student discipline, campus safety, categorical programs, At-Risk students are just a few of the current issues and topics that CWA professionals are widely recognized for their expertise.

Scope of Child Welfare and Attendance

CWA professionals enable public school systems to comply with State laws and expected standards in the following areas of Student Support Services:

Compulsory education laws
Student admission and enrollment
Student discipline
Alternative programs
School climate and safety

How to Become a Qualified CWA

Title 5 regulations (Section 80632) govern the professional preparation of Child Welfare and Attendance Supervisors in conjunction with the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing and Commission approved college and university programs.

The School Child Welfare and Attendance Services specialization requires that candidates demonstrate knowledge in the following areas of generic pupil personnel services.

Knowledge of techniques for facilitating individual growth and development to achieve academic success;
Knowledge of human assessment;
Knowledge of problem prevention and early intervention;
Knowledge of consultation services;
Knowledge of psychological education;
Knowledge of coordination and development of services:
Knowledge of legal enablements and constraints and
Knowledge of referral and utilization of services

In addition to the knowledge requirements, candidates must also meet the specialization requirements in school counseling, school social work, or school psychology and acquire skill and knowledge in the following areas:

Attendance Laws and Rights of Minors; including
90 clock hours of field practice, demonstrating skill and knowledge of Attendance Laws and the Rights of Minors, in a school setting, in direct contact with pupils and under the supervision of an experienced practitioner who holds a PPS Credential.
Any person wishing additional information about the regulations or approved college and university programs should contact the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing at (916) 327-1461.