CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - Department of Family Services employees are getting training to help them better understand people of different nationalities and circumstances.

"We wanted something that would help our people think about the people we serve and what their life is like," Director Rodger McDaniel said. "We need to be aware of how our feelings impact the way we deliver our services."

McDaniel said the program is part of the agency's shift of focus away from the needs of one child in a family and more on the family as a whole.

"If a child comes into our system, it is not good practice to focus on the needs of that child without focusing on the family dynamics," he said

The training, "Undoing Racism," is conducted by The People's Institute and results from the department's partnership with Casey Family Programs.

"In Wyoming, there's sort a sort of a sense that we don't have a lot of racial diversity here, so it's not a problem," McDaniel said. "That's not true when you look at the data.

"Considerably higher numbers of children of color fail to complete high school than Caucasian children. A disproportionate number of children of color are in out-of-home care. We need to understand why that's happening."

Brenden McKinney, director of Casey Family Programs here, said children are removed from black and American Indian homes at a rate four to five times higher than for white families.

Also, white children tend to remain in the state welfare system longer than minorities.

Information from: Wyoming Tribune-Eagle, http://www.wyomingnews.com