Empowerment Skills for Family Workers

Empowerment Skills for Family Workers is a 90-hour interactive professional development course and credential using the strengths-based approach for frontline workers supporting families. Participants will experience a supportive adult learning environment that promotes discussion and reflection. Development of a portfolio will be prepared throughout the course documenting skills practice, activities of extended learning, and family development plans. A FDC portfolio advisor will offer guidance, support, and feedback on all portfolio development work.  

After participants have completed the course work, they will also take an examination to assess their knowledge on the ten chapters of the curriculum. When all requirements have been met to earn the FDC™ credential, participants will be issued a nationally recognized and respected credential by The National Family Development Credential® Program at the University of Connecticut. 

Empowerment Skills for Leaders

Empowerment Skills for Leaders is a 30-hour interactive professional development course and credential for supervisors and other leaders — at all levels and in all organizational settings — who wish to learn practical ways to build organizational capacity in empowerment-based leadership.  

Participants apply concepts and competencies as they develop a portfolio made up of independent learning projects, peer reflections, and a workplace empowerment plan. The ESFL curriculum ensures that leaders and staff they supervise are aligned in their understanding of the empowerment-based approach as outlined by FDC ®. ESFL focuses on concepts and skills related to supervising all staff from a strengths-based perspective.  

Empowerment Skills for Leaders help leaders to: 

• Learn the core concepts and competencies of empowerment-based leadership 
• Enhance strengths-based communication skills to maintain mutually respectful relationships with employees, program participants, community partners and others 
• Practice using strengths-based assessment to balance staff support with accountability for program and agency outcomes 
• Practice techniques to reduce stress, prevent burnout and enhance feelings of self-empowerment 
• Develop a vision and plan for transforming their organization using the principles and practices of empowerment-based leadership 
• Participate in leadership development that combines the benefits of professional networking with future potential for interagency and interdepartmental collaborations.