C-FIRST! DCS Staff Training Schedule

Select the Resources tab below to access C-FIRST! Learner Guides

Training for C-FIRST! will begin in August 2026 across the state in the cities in the table below. 

Training Locations

WestMid WestMid StateTN ValleyEastNortheast
DresdenClarksvilleMurfreesboroChattanoogaKnoxvilleJohnson City
MemphisColumbiaNashvilleCookeville New Market
 JacksonTullahoma   

Virtual Deliveries

In addition to in-person training, virtual trainings are available for the following topics:

Case Process Reviews & Provider Management
ICPC
Intake/Hotline
Legal

Course TitleCourse DescriptionAudience by Staff Type
Case ManagementCase Management will cover how to perform case and person searches and how to update and manage collaterals, court and legal information, service referrals, case documentation, and other case management topics.
  • Child Programs-CM/TL/TC/Directors
  • ICPC
  • Independent Living Team, Workers, & Supervisors
  • JJ-CM/TL/TC/Directors
  • Permanency Team, Workers, & Supervisors
  • Youth Villages, Child Program Contract Workers
  • FCCR
Case Process Reviews & Provider ManagementCase Process Reviews and Provider Management Evaluation will cover processes related to case process reviews and provider evaluations. 
  • Central Office Personnel
  • FCCR
EligibilityEligibility will cover fundamental eligibility processes in C-FIRST! 
  • Adoption/SPG Subsidy Specialist
  • Eligibility Staff (Max Specialists)
  • IL Subsidy-IL staff that determine eligibility
  • Relative Caregiver Program (RCP)
  • FCCR
FiscalFiscal will cover fiscal process and tasks in C-FIRST!
  • Central Accounting Team (F&A)                  
  • DCS Budget Team      
  • Eligibility Team
  • FCCR
Foster Home Entry & Management
(Part 1 and Part 2)

Foster Home Entry will cover processes in C-FIRST! including provider inquiry, document management, foster home applications, setting up providers, processing agreements, accessing the provider portal, and invoicing payments. 

Staff must attend both parts.

  • Anyone who enters ICPC Foster Homes
  • Contract Home Study Writers
  • Foster Care Support
  • Home Study Writers
  • Kinship Placement
  • Placement Provider Foster Home (entry/mgmt) Staff
  • FCCR
Foster Parent Portal for FCSThis course will inform staff on the operations of the Foster Parent Portal as utilized by foster parents, including requesting a C-FIRST! parent account, navigating the Parent Portal, confirming placement for board payments, submiting incident reports, requesting services, and related activities. ​
  • Anyone who enters ICPC Foster Homes
  • Contract Home Study Writers
  • Foster Care Support
  • Home Study Writers
  • Kinship Placement
  • Placement Provider Foster Home (entry/mgmt) Staff
  • FCCR
ICPCICPC will cover processes related to creating an ICPC request, submit requests, manage transmittals and other ICPC topics. 
  • ICPC Medical Program Coordinators
  • ICPC Staff (Central Office)
  • FCCR
Intake/HotlineHotline will cover how to create and manage intakes in C-FIRST! including capturing caller information, documenting allegations, completing screening assessments, and routing reports to investigation.
  • All Hotline Staff
  • FCCR
LegalLegal will cover legal related processes in C-FIRST! including investigations and reviews, court jurisdictions, filing petitions, creating and processing court orders, managing hearings, uploading documentation, and preparing documents for legal proceedings. 
  • Central Office Legal (includes centralized legal function and general counsel office)
  • Court Liaisons 
  • Immigration Team & Cultural Affairs
  • Regional Legal Counsel
  • Regional Legal Support Staff
  • FCCR
Network DevelopmentNetwork Development will cover processes in C-FIRST! including placement processing and placement updates.
  • Kinship Placement (Coordinators)
  • Network Dev-Family Based PL Family FC
  • Network Dev-Intake
  • Network Dev-Residential PL
  • Network Dev-Utilization Review
  • FCCR
Permanency  SpecialistsPermanency Specialists will cover processes related to performing case and person searches, updating collaterals, court and legal information, referrals, case documentation, and other case management topics.
  • Adoption Team/SPG (Subsidy)        
  • Harmony Permanency Specialist
  • Permanency Team, Specialist, & Supervisors
  • FCCR
Bright Futures for DCS Independent Living Staff
The session will cover how to access Bright Futures tasks and understand how to navigate to appropriate List Views and case information.
  • DCS Trainers (TTT)
  • IL Specialist
Provider Initiation & ManagementProvider Initiation and Management will cover processes including Provider Portal account registration, document management, provider application processing, and provider management.
  • Contracts
  • Licensing
  • Network Development
  • Vendor Management
  • FCCR
Provider Relative CaregiversThe session will cover learnings related to performing person searches, treatment cases, case documentation, service agreements, and stipends.
  • 8 different agencies, DCS Trainers (TTT)
  • FCCR
Safety/CPSSafety and CPS will cover documentation, court procedures, and case management in C-FIRST!
  • Case Managers-Child Safety
  • Case Managers-Human Trafficking
  • Child Safety Investigations
  • CPS Admin that sends due process letters
  • CPS Directors
  • DEC Case Managers-Drug Team
  • DEC Support Staff-Drug Team
  • Due Process & Clearance Checks
  • Due Process Support Staff
  • Resource Linkage Team
  • Special Investigations Unit
  • TC/TL Child Safety
  • TC/TL Drug Teams
  • TC/TL Human Trafficking
  • TC/TL Special Investigation Unit
  • FCCR
General Overview of Person and Case (Virtual)The session will cover how to use the search function for cases and persons, case documentation, plan development and management.
  • Absconder Unit
  • Court Liaisons, Workers, & Supervisors
  • Facilitators
  • Nursing/Mental Health Clinicians/HAR/SAT

Training Schedule

Below is the C-FIRST! training schedule for DCS staff. Use the dropdown filter to narrow by training topic, or use the search bar to filter by city. Use the table headers to sort.