Collaboration: Partnership, alliance, teamwork, joint effort, working together to achieve a common goal. The mere idea suggests something positive may happen if we do this. The use of collaboration in child welfare can be seen throughout history in the 'village concept.' It takes many eyes, ears, hands, and rolled-up sleeves to influence positive, lasting change. It's no surprise that increased synergistic collaboration, through meaningful, dedicated partnerships, is a critical step in changing the trajectory for children and youth impacted by the child welfare system.

What's interesting is the seemingly increased focus on collaboration of late, particularly the messaging around cross-sector collaboration in child welfare. This stands to serve as a reminder that we need to work together, collaborate more, and leverage partnerships to their fullest potential. When it comes to protecting kids and supporting families, we need partnerships that serve to modernize child welfare by seeking different perspectives, considering all possibilities, and embracing out-of-the-box approaches.

A promising partnership has emerged between the University of Illinois, Springfield (UIS) Child Advocacy Studies (CAST), Child Protection Training Academy, and Creative Information Technology Inc. (CITI). This partnership is a creative mash-up designed to infuse technology innovation throughout child welfare learning environments and target opportunities to enhance practice areas, such as the assessment process with modern tools and current research, building from the foundational UIS learning model. This arrangement provides university students hands-on learning using technology tools like those they will encounter in the workforce. The experience also enhances their understanding of the importance of comprehensive case documentation and data collection, while informing future technology enhancements. A partnership with UIS in this capacity is a natural fit considering their focus on simulated and experiential learning.

For nearly five years the Child Protection Training Academy has been conducting simulation training for new investigators from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. At the same time, the UIS CAST curriculum has been preparing the next generation of frontline workers to better respond and report suspicions of child maltreatment using Problem-Based Learning (PBL) and case simulations. PBL is a model that emerged decades ago in the healthcare profession; a form of decision-making to improve detection and diagnosis. Later, other disciplines recognized the value of this tool, translating it throughout healthcare, law enforcement, and higher education.