Advanced certification trainings for child welfare professionals: Results from the formative evaluation of STARS

In response to Senate Bill 1326, the Florida Institute for Child Welfare partnered with the Institute for Trauma and Resilience Studies to develop and pilot the Strengths, Trauma, and Resilience Studies (STARS) Advanced Certification training. This initiative addressed a critical gap in child welfare workforce development by enhancing professionals’ ability to understand and respond to trauma and build resilience. A formative evaluation was conducted to examine the design and implementation of the pilot program and to guide future iterations. Using qualitative description methods, interviews with project team members highlighted four key phases of the training process: discovery/exploration, development, implementation, and evaluation. Key enablers of success included strong cross-institutional partnerships, well-defined roles and expectations, and consistent, transparent communication. Areas needing refinement included course pacing and recruitment strategies. This discussion emphasizes the value of early, structured collaboration and iterative feedback in professional training initiatives. The findings offer practical recommendations for organizations aiming to strengthen the child welfare workforce through Advanced Certification programs. Ultimately, this evaluation underscores the importance of formative assessments in shaping effective, sustainable training efforts and contributes a framework for practice that may be adapted across systems engaging in trauma-informed workforce development. Core elements of this framework—such as the phased development approach and embedded coaching—are especially transferable and can be tailored to diverse organizational contexts. • Addresses gaps in trauma-informed training for child welfare professionals • Describes a formative evaluation of the STARS advanced certification pilot • Identifies four phases: discovery, development, implementation, and evaluation • Emphasizes flexible, research-informed, and learner-centered training design • Offers a replicable model to support child welfare workforce development