Regional Core Training (RCT) is a structured learning program developed for new employees to gain knowledge and skills identified as foundation level competencies. RCT is the initial, intensive, task-oriented training that prepares newly hired Social Service Specialists to assume job responsibilities. RCT starts on the first day of employment and lasts for 60 days, or the first two months of employment. Competencies are used to assess learning needs; Alliance coaches and Children’s Administration Supervisors partner to identify an individualized development plan for new workers. The following five guiding principles can be found throughout RCT coursework, classroom discussion, and field assignments.    Child safety is the paramount concern of all workers within Children’s Administration. Decisions about removal, placement into a particular home, and return home are all safety decisions.  Cultural competence is critical to do our work well. Staff should identify and respect the many ways that a family’s cultural background supports safe healthy parenting, and should be curious and humble in service of gaining a better understanding of each family’s culture. Families are strongest when they exist in a community that supports and affirms them.   Good decisions are supported by having significant information about the family, child, and issues of concern. Good decisions are made using multiple sources to gather and verify this information.  Collaboration is the rule in child welfare. Collaborative work with families, caregivers, and experts in the community leads to stronger assessments, better plans, and better outcomes. No one can do this work alone.  Permanence and wellbeing are the rights of every child. Our work with families, caregivers, and communities should have the child’s need for safety, permanence, and well-being as its central focus.