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REAL Academy

Pre-Service Re-Design Proposal

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Dear Decision Maker,

The team here at the REAL Academy is excited to respond to this opportunity to redesign the Pre-Service Training for social workers in the State of North Carolina. We live, eat, sleep, and breath Child Welfare solutions. It is a passion unique to each person in our organization because we see it as an investment in our communities for the benefit of families. Up until this point our attention has been focused on developing training systems to compliment and pair with the existing training offered by the state and university systems. Supporting the latest policies, creating new strategies and techniques, and offering safe opportunities for CW workers to practice new skills is creating momentum amongst counties who have invited us to improve their workforce.  

There are so many pieces that have fallen into place at just the right time that surround this RFP. We see the demand from agencies, social workers, the university system, and our families to build training that is relational, reflective, relevant, and responsive. A new age of technology has opened doors to be a force multiplier and a mechanism to improve training without requiring unrealistic human resources. New simulation methods are proving to be as effective as they have been proven to be in other industries. 

The REAL Academy has been working to create curriculum solutions based in everyday practice. We have a team that has been pushing the boundaries of creativity paired with technology through implementing VR/AR tools within simulation. Plus, our research team pushes us to try new things while validating the work that has been done. In other words, we were made for this project. 

It would be an honor and joy for our bid to be considered by our home state. We are homegrown and are invested in the mission of the State. We invite you to review our proposal and thoughtfully examine our strategy for the redesign of PST. 

Sincerely, 

Dr. Kevin Marino

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The REAL Academy formally presents our proposal in direct response to the request for proposal to redesign the current North Carolina Pre-Service Training program. Our organization formed to provide high quality training to benefit social workers across the state, specifically focusing on Child Welfare (CW). We recognize the state’s responsibility to train the CW workforce across the state and have built a system of training that supports current curriculum but emphasizes practice and simulation. The state of North Carolina has invested much time and resources to train a large workforce, and it is our desire to support it efforts through a strategy we refer to as Tethering. This allows for us to be partners and be complimentary in our efforts for the same purposes. Our stance has not changed in offering a proposal, but instead our desire and opportunity to tether has increased to be allowed to partner with the state to a higher degree. 

The following pages describe our values, vision, and approach to this project. You will find that we are grounded to the demands of active social workers, the needs of community families, and the call for improved skills from agencies and directors. Based on the information we have available we have developed a strategy that will set us up to create a robust curriculum that not only supports new social workers through the PST program but also adds onto the foundation by writing new 200 level curriculum. Your decision-making team will find that we cover an anticipated timeline and how we plan to use the resources within our team to complete the project within the one-year timeframe. The most critical aspect, strategic implementation of the new training by the state and/or its subcontractors, is covered as well. This part of the proposal is filled with recommendations on how to incorporate new modalities that do not currently exist within PST (simulation, VR/AR, etc.).  

Finally, you will see how important tethering is for us, because we have built a partnership with Western Carolina University and University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill). Our plan outlines how these partnerships work and benefit the state’s final product. The subcontract agreement makes clear the responsibilities of each group, their work expectations within each team, and how these actions support the project deliverables. Together, we will be more than capable of meeting the requirements of the project. 

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Mission

The mission of the REAL Academy is to build a system of training based in research, that emphasizes critical thinking first to best equip the Child Welfare worker with objective reasoning skills. We thrive on relational connections and reflective feedback from students, to present relevant training that solves community problems. Our team is responsive and nimble to build effective training without unnecessary delay.

Vision

Our vision is to improve social work professional standards contributing to a healthy workforce and reduced turnover in the field through simulation and practice.

History

In 2015, Dr. Kevin Marino began to research decision making in child protective services with his mentor and collogue Dr. Robert Wright. Their initial investigation demonstrated a need to address systemic changes in education and training (Marino & Wright, 2015). Dr. Marino drew from years of notes and research stemming from his education and clinical credentialing in forensic psychology, and crafted simulation and reflective training models. Dr. Wright and Marino consecutively developed new theory and practice models for sustainable collaboration based on the work of Herbert Simon. Changing the education and training topography in a state’s system requires tethering™ to key partners in the academic and practitioner spaces. As such, Dr. Marino grafted relationships with the Dr. Tonya Westbrook at WCU’s School of Social Work, and the ten most western counties’ DSS directors in North Carolina.

The Western 10 Collaborative lead by tethering™ manager Dr. Marino were able to test and prove the concept of simulation training adaptation in child welfare in 2019. The proof of concept trained 63 child welfare staff including 7 uncertified. Our division partners provided a pathway for full certification with simulation training a core aspect. It presented a monumental day for the project. As 2019 moved into 2020 the COVID pandemic hit. WCU and Dr. Marino arrived at the decision to build a public-private hybrid to foster maximum flexibility to advance simulation education and training. Dr. Marino parted ways with his first love of child welfare at the county level to launch the REAL Academy.

In July of 2020, the REAL Academy was formally registered as an LLC in the state of North Carolina and a new team was formed. The Pandemic has pushed REAL to build several simulations incorporating social work supervisor and leadership training, extended reach into live stream interaction sims, virtual reality, augmented reality, and extended reality. Moreover, the identification of practice skills gaps as learners move back to work lead to the creation of a new Learning Management System that address the on-the-go workforce. REAL LMS provides micro-burst learning applications. Child Welfare staff can use on any device and find topics they need in that moment to refresh skills or help them with techniques to engage parental behaviors. REAL’s footprint is steadily extending from the Western hub out into the central counties.

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The goals of the REAL Academy are to (1) build a layered system of training that develops the Child Welfare worker throughout the progression of their career by focusing on required skillsets and gained experience through both practice, simulation, and real world implementation. (2) Address the systemic turnover issues that keep County agencies across the state of North Carolina in a continuous state of recovery. We believe training that leverages multiple modalities, especially simulation, either prepares the SW for working in a real environment, or guides their career decisions earlier when it is less impactful on the County and State. (3) Strengthen reasoning, and critical thinking skills needed to recognize, examine, and interpret harm and danger, and family protective factors. REAL has developed, tested, validated, and trained using proprietary methods to strengthen reasoning in a simple format.

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The REAL Academy is led by a team of experienced Social Workers, former DSS Directors, Program Administrators, State Trainers, and Quality Assurance personnel. Each team member’s experience is relevant and current, having only recently joined the team after working directly for DSS agencies across the state.

Academically speaking, the founder of the REAL Academy, Dr. Kevin Marino, has dual bachelor’s degrees in human services and bible studies from Montreat College, a master’s degree in forensic psychology, held licensing in NC in addiction and behavioral health, and received his doctoral degree in public administration from Walden University. Dr. Angela Pittman Vanderweide has her degrees with (list Angie’s creds here…). Our Director of Student Engagement has his Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Workforce Education and Development from Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Work experience relevant and supportive to Child Welfare training stems from multiple team members as well. Including, a former court clerk (something about Lincoln’s experience here…). Our development team is also equipped with members who have been trained in simulation from other industries (military, law enforcement, and manufacturing). Team members also have vast experience in developing simulation training within other fields. Some examples of simulation development are: active shooter training for law enforcement, domestic violence training for law enforcement, and new assembler training simulations for new hires in local manufacturing facilities.

Since 2015, The REAL Academy has been delivering quality simulation training across the western 10 counties of North Carolina in partnership with Western Carolina University. Simulations have been delivered to both a collaborative group of students representing both university students and county DSS CW workers. Individual county DSS agencies have also been delivered simulation training on specific skill areas to include CPS Intake, Interviewing Skills, Narrative Writing, Home Assessments, Court Hearings, and much more. These trainings have been delivered with a specific focus on individual skills as well as in a package of training that was meant to pair with and compliment the current North Carolina Pre-Service Training.

Beyond the Western 10 Counties, the REAL Academy has supported DSS Agencies in the Central part of the state, supporting them through online and simulation-based training. In combination with the training suite that has been delivered to these counties, the REAL Academy team also offered coaching for supervisors, managers, and directors on policy and CW worker development.

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