There are no prerequisites or licensure requirements for any of the trainings.

NTI is designed as a comprehensive training to prepare professionals to effectively address the mental health challenges of children and youth and their foster, adoptive and kinship families. Content builds on previous modules and is intended to be completed in full. Certificates of completion are only provided for those who complete all the modules and pass all module post-tests at 80%. NASW approved continuing education credit is also based on completing the entire training.   

The training is web-based and requires an internet connection. The training is viewable on computer, tablets and smartphones and works in all web browsers but is best with Firefox or Google Chrome.  

 Organizations interested in integrating NTI into their training arrays will need to have a learning management system that accepts SCORM 1.2, SCORM 2004 Tin Can or HTML 5 files.  

There are three ways NTI can be accessed: 

1. States agencies and national organizations can integrate NTI into their state learning management systems (LMS). To learn if you can access NTI in your state, view the Directory of Host Sites on our NTI website. Please note this list is updated as new agencies/organizations are added. For organizations interested in hosting NTI, see FAQ section below for organizations.  
2. NTI Trainings can be accessed free of charge (as federal funding allows) through C.A.S.E. Ideas@TheInstitute Learning Management System. 
3. COMING SOON: NTI Trainings will also be accessed free of charge on the CapLEARN online training center: https://learn.childwelfare.gov/.  

Attaining Credits and CEUs:

NTI is approved by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) for continuing education credits for individuals who enroll though C.A.S.E. on the Ideas@TheInstitute Learning Management System and pass the module post-tests at 80%. Other state licensing boards may also accept NASW credits; individuals should check with their licensing boards.  Please contact your local licensing board to verify your options. The credit hours are as follows: 

• NTI Training for Child Welfare Professionals (20 credit hours) 
• NTI Training for Child Welfare Supervisors (25 credit hours) 
• NTI Training for Mental Health Professionals (25 credit hours) 

Individuals interested in other CEU’s have the option to purchase CEU’s (cost is $40) for a wide variety of disciplines through R. Cassidy Seminars.* 

Individuals accessing NTI via CapLEARN will have the option to purchase continuing education credits for a wide variety of disciplines from R. Cassidy Seminars* once they have successfully completed all the module post-tests (passed at 80%) and have received their certificate of completion.  

Organizations that integrate NTI into their own learning management systems have two options: 

1. They can submit the NTI trainings for CEU approval through national or state licensing boards and provide CEU’s (for free or a charge). 

2. They can also provide access for those who successfully complete to purchase CEU’s for $40 through R. Cassidy Seminars*, which has already approved NTI Trainings for a wide variety of disciplines. NTI provides organizations hosting NTI with the necessary links and wording to provide training participants access at the successful completion of the training. Organizations may also be able to arrange with R. Cassidy Seminars to purchase CEU’s for a group of users (i.e., a designated number of staff). Interested organizations should contact R. Cassidy Seminars directly to discuss this option. 

*R.Cassidy Seminars is a third party CEU provider. Click here for the listing of CEU credits available. 

Learn more:

• See the NTI Curricula Overview Diagram with allocated CEUs.
• Refer back to our Certificates and CEUs web page.

In calculating the total number of CEUs per training, hours were based on the average time it would take a learner to go through the training itself.  Because of the interactive elements of the training and time individuals may spend reviewing resource provided, it is not possible to provide an exact “running time” for each lesson.  An average of 30 minutes per lesson was used taking into consideration that some lessons may be shorter while others are longer. The actual time spent in the training may be more than the hours reflected since some individuals may spend more time than others answering questions, reflecting on content or reviewing resource materials.  

Participants who successfully complete all modules and pass all the module post-tests (80% passing) will receive a certificate of completion. This, however, is not a certification or credentialing program.  

In compliance with federal funding and Section 508 (www.section508.gov), the trainings are designed to be accessible to users with both hearing and sight impairments.  This content is compatible with screen reading software. All presentation content is narrated with closed captioning. Additionally, the training can be used with mouse or keyboard functions. Each lesson has the entire narrative available for users to read along with the presentation in the Transcript tab of the player and users can also print out the transcript from the Resources tab to follow along with the presentation.  

NTI has no requirement to complete the training within a certain amount of time. To help staff pace themselves and stay motivated, we recommend that each curriculum be completed within 4 months, based on pilot testing. Host agencies can set their own expectations for completion dates or time frames for completing each module to keep staff progressing through the curriculum. The Implementation Planning and Transfer of Learning Guides can provide organizations with best practices and learning from the pilot of NTI.   

This depends on where the training is accessed. If you access the training through CapLEARN or C.A.S.E. Ideas@TheInstitute you should have access as long as you have an account in the learning management system.  If you access NTI in your state systems, you will need to check with the system administrator to determine what the limits are for access.  

NTI was developed by the Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E.) and funded through a $9 million cooperative agreement with the Children’s Bureau (Administration on Children and Families, US Dept of Health and Human Services) with the goal of providing free access to NTI in all U.S. states, tribes and territories.  

C.A.S.E. led a team of experts in curriculum development, web-based production, and evaluation to oversee the development of the NTI trainings. This team worked collaboratively with an advisory group of nationally recognized experts in child welfare and mental health, including foster and adoptive parents and former foster youth to develop the competencies that provide the foundation for the curriculum.