C-FIRST! Provider Training
As C-FIRST is implemented, placement provider work will occur in three primary areas. Understanding where each activity will take place will help your agency identify the staff members who need training and prepare for the transition.
Relative Caregiver Training is only for agencies that contract with DCS for relative caregiver services.
Please email EI_DCS.Inservice@tn.gov if you have questions. Thank you for your partnership as we prepare for the implementation of C-FIRST!
Most placement-related work will be completed through the Provider Portal, including:
- Accepting or denying placements
- Submitting invoices
- Viewing the children placed with your agency
- Accessing documents related to children placed with your agency
Staff who perform these activities will need Provider Placement and DPA Portal training.
Only provider staff who enter and manage provider foster homes will have access to C-FIRST! for this purpose. These staff members will use the Provider Object to:
- Enter foster home studies
- Enter reassessments
- Manage each foster home within the agency’s provider network
Staff responsible for these activities will need the Home Study training and Foster Home Management Training.
Case management staff will no longer enter provider documentation directly into C-FIRST!
If your agency has its own electronic records system, contacts and case summaries will be entered into that system. Your IT team will then be able to pull the data and upload it to C-FIRST! through the Placement Provider Interface monthly.
If your agency does not have an electronic records system, or your agency makes the decision not to download information from your electronic records system, your staff will document contacts and case summaries in an .CSV document (similar to an Excel spreadsheet). A designated staff member from your agency will upload the completed .CSV file to the interface each month.
DCS has been working with provider leadership and IT teams for approximately one year to prepare for this process. Please speak with your agency’s leadership to confirm how your organization will manage the Placement Provider Interface.
No training from DCS is needed with the group.
| Course Title | Course Description | Audience by Staff Type |
|---|---|---|
| Provider Bright Futures | The session will cover how to access Bright Futures tasks and understand how to navigate to appropriate List Views and case information. | IL Specialist; Youth Villages/Bright Futures |
| Provider Home Studies and Foster Home Management | The session will cover topics pertaining to foster homes, including entering foster home studies, entering reassessments, and managing each foster home within the agency's provider network. | Provider Home Study Writers and Foster Home Management |
| Provider Placement and DPA Portal | The session will cover Provider Portal requests, navigating the Portal, document management, service referrals, placement referral, and incident reporting. | DPA; Placement Providers; Service Providers; FCCR |
| Provider Relative Caregivers | The session will cover learnings related to performing person searches, treatment cases, case documentation, service agreements, and stipends. | Provider agencies; DCS Trainers; FCCR |
Coming soon