The Curriculum Development Department creates curriculum for Child Welfare and related Professionals that supports casework practice, promotes the safety, permanency, and well-being for the Commonwealth's children and their families, aids Pennsylvania in the implementation of the Program Improvement Plan (PIP), and assists Pennsylvania's Child Welfare Professionals in meeting their certification requirements. Pennsylvania's Child Welfare Professionals must complete 120 hours of certification training requirements within 12 to 18 months of employment and 20 hours of training annually after initial certification.

In addition to the responsibilities listed above, Curriculum Development Department personnel develop, for county use, critical-thinking guides that support transfer of learning to the worksite, prepare trainers to present curriculum, and/or modify curriculum to meet the needs of Child Welfare and related agencies and personnel.