Become a Trainer

Being a TAC trainer has enabled me to meet therapists and social workers from a variety of backgrounds and clinical positions. It is great to see the excitement that they all have in wanting to be better prepared to help our adopted youth, adults, and adoptive and birth families. I am so proud that by teaching the TAC that I am contributing to helping individuals and families have greater access to adoption competent clinical professionals.
Edythe Swidler, LMFT, TAC Trainer and Clinical Program Director Lilliput Children’s Services Citrus Heights, California

Interested in becoming a TAC Trainer? C.A.S.E. enters into agreements with selected organizations to provide the TAC in defined geographic areas — which may be a single county, a group of counties, or an entire state. Once C.A.S.E. has selected an organization to become a TAC provider, the organization selects two or three trainers to become TAC trainers.

C.A.S.E. expects that selected TAC Trainers will:

Hold a master degree or higher in social work, counseling or a related field
Be licensed in their professional field
Have at least 5 years of experience training child welfare and/or mental health staff (the training of other human service staff may be considered on a case-by-case basis)
As a team, bring experience and expertise in both adoption/child welfare and mental health practice

Wondering what TAC Trainers are expected to do? The responsibilities of the TAC Trainers fall into three areas:

Trainer Training/Preparation: TAC Trainers participate in the Trainer Orientation Program and in periodic trainer conference calls to debrief on the TAC modules. Trainers are expected to be very familiar with the teaching script, handouts, power point slides and other materials for each module.

Delivery of Curriculum: TAC Trainers deliver the curriculum in its entirely as written and add examples from their own professional experience.

Evaluation-related Activities: TAC Trainers provide instructor feedback on each module and encourage students to complete their feedback forms. They assess students on their performance on the final project.

Once an organization selects their TAC trainers, the trainers participate in a 5-day TAC Trainer Orientation at the C.A.S.E. offices in Burtonsville, MD (which is offered at least once a year) or in another locations as determined by C.A.S.E. The Orientation is designed to provide TAC Trainers with a full understanding of the TAC and with hands-on practice in teaching the curriculum. Upon successful completion of the Orientation, TAC trainers are certified to teach the TAC.
Download our National TAC Trainers List here.