D49 – Citizen Involvement & Impact in Child Welfare
Sandra Lescoe, BSW, MSW, Arizona State University Center for Child Well-Being
Citizen Review Panels (CRPs) are responsible for examining the child protective services system. The CRP Program is an important component of the Arizona child welfare system as it provides opportunities for community members to take an active role in helping influence, support, and advocate for children and families. This presentation provides a background of citizen involvement and how CRPs are working to achieve meaningful impact in the lives of children and families in the communities.
D50 – Kinship Navigation and Family Group Conferencing
Julie Treinen, MA, LPC, LISAC, Arizona’s Children Association; Michele Schmidt, MPA, LeCroy & Milligan Associates
Kinship Navigation and Family Group Conferencing are strategies utilized by Arizona Kinship Support Services (AKSS) to support the safety, permanency, and well-being of children in kinship care and their families. Arizona’s Children Association received a Children’s Bureau grant to compare outcomes of families who receive kinship navigation services (services as usual) and those who receive kinship navigation plus family group conferencing (FGC) (services enhanced), using a randomized controlled study design. This session will be co-facilitated by the director and evaluator of AKSS. The presenters will review the two program models and preliminary findings on how FGC may benefit kinship families involved with child welfare and/or the court system.
D51 – Understanding the Dynamics of Domestic Violence
Melissa Brickhouse-Thomas, LCSW, Glendale Police Department Victim Assistance Unit
Understanding domestic violence and the complexities related to issues of power and control is key to helping someone break the cycle of violence. Oftentimes, the professionals involved in helping the family do not fully understand the dynamics present in these complex and frequently dangerous situations. We walk away asking questions like: Why doesn’t she just leave? Why didn’t she tell anyone about the abuse? Why won’t she cooperate with the police investigation or prosecutors? These questions continue to perpetuate the domestic violence myths that are so pervasive in our culture, our communities and our courtrooms. This presentation will help you understand the complex victim behaviors present within the context of intimate partner violence and expand your working knowledge of how difficult it is to break out of the cycle of violence.
D52 – How & Why to include Youth in Prevention Efforts
Courtney Lee Ward, MSW, and Jacob Chevalier, Peer Solutions
Adolescents have first-hand insights on youth issues. So why not let them give their opinions on prevention? Jacob Chevalier, 2015 Bio Science High School graduate and Stand & Serve member for seven years, and Courtney Ward, Stand & Serve director, will discuss “Building on Youth’s Strengths: A Call to Include Adolescents in Developing, Implementing and Evaluating Violence Prevention Programs,” an article published by the American Psychology Association in January 2016. Participants will have fun learning from each other and discovering why and how to include youth and families in trauma-informed primary prevention programming.
D53 – Family Engagement Workshop
Karin Kline, MSW, and Sue Chacon, Arizona State University Center for Child Well-Being
Participants will learn and practice skills and strategies for improving engagement with the families they serve so that families will feel empowered to make needed changes in their lives. This presentation provides an overview of communication skills and emphasizes the importance of open-ended questions, genuineness, empathy and respect, and strength-based strategies. The presenters will connect the engagement process with appropriate application of protective authority.
D54 – Effective Referrals for Children with Disabilities
Rita Aitken, Office for Children with Special Health Care Needs, Arizona Department of Health Services
Do you work with families of children with disabilities or ongoing health conditions? This session is designed with you in mind! We will focus on increasing understanding of supports, resources and systems of care available to children and families. Through this session we aim to increase the capacity of the home visitor/provider in making appropriate and effective referrals, and we’ll provide handouts and resources to make your work easier.
D55 – Strengthening Families through Building Children’s Social and Emotional Competence
Christy Maltos, Child and Family Resources of Graham/Greenlee Counties; Sandi Cimino, professional trainer
Strong families start with strong parents. Keeping parents strong reduces the likelihood of child abuse and neglect. This interactive session will spark ideas, identify resources and empower professionals to keep families strong by strengthening the social and emotional competence of children.
D56 – Do What’s Good For You: Secondary Traumatic Stress
Christopher Keck, LPC, and Sara Moody, BHT, Department of Child Safety, CMDP – Behavioral Health Unit
With warm and humorous delivery, the presenters will facilitate self-awareness of secondary traumatic stress symptoms and equip participants with tools for preventing and/or intervening in its development.
Standing on foundations laid by the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, this workshop will contextualize trauma-informed care as a method for collaboration, empowering participants to apply personal leadership practices in their respective agencies and systems.
D57 – Mandated Reporting in Arizona
Chelsea Pilon, MSW, and Gina Magri, Department of Child Safety
All community members have an obligation to protect children by reporting concerns of suspected child abuse and neglect either to DCS or law enforcement. This workshop will provide mandated reporters with a comprehensive understanding of A.R.S. 13-3620, the child abuse reporting law in Arizona, and A.R.S. 8-201, the definitions of abuse and neglect. The Arizona Child Abuse Hotline is the gateway for the community to begin the process of protecting Arizona’s most vulnerable children.
D58 – Reproductive Health and Family Planning
Kristin Stookey, CRNP, and Dania Garcia, Arizona Family Health Partnership
This training focuses on how to provide client-centered counseling on the topics of reproductive health, family planning and current contraceptive methods, as well as how to provide referrals to low- or no-cost reproductive healthcare providers. Attendees will increase their knowledge of current practices and recommendations on the topics of reproductive health and family planning as well as gain comfort discussing these topics with clients.
D59 – What makes “SENSE”? Substance-Exposed Newborn Safe Environments
Sue Smith, MEd, CPM, Department of Child Safety
Substance-Exposed Newborn Safe Environments (SENSE) is a program that engages families with substance-exposed newborns in an array of services designed to keep these children safely in the home with their parents. This workshop will provide information on all the key components of the SENSE program and services. Information about the family-centered case planning, timeframes for family engagement, Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome and safety planning will also be discussed.
D60 – Supporting and Strengthening Families: A Resource
Maureen Casey, MA, Karie Taylor, MA, and Docia Rojel, Arizona Early Intervention Program
Supporting families requires more than a list of resources. Using evidence-based help-giving practices, professionals can engage families to develop a plan. We’ll show how this works and practice using some tools.
D61 – A Story of America’s Trafficked Youth
Stephanie Castillo-Leon and Amada Mendoza, Casa de los Niños
This presentation aims to bring awareness to the issue of domestic trafficking of minors in the United States, with a deeper look at the growing trend in the state of Arizona. Hear the untold stories of America’s trafficked youth through a series of statistics, risk factors, and research into the impact on the lives of trafficked children. Sex trafficking is a crime that targets and traumatizes our youngest, most vulnerable citizens. Learn how to become an advocate by exploring prevention strategies to protect our children and support our local efforts in ending sex trafficking.
D62 – Using Language to Empower
Andi Fetzner, MA, CCTP, CFTP, Arizona Trauma Institute
This workshop will offer participants a basic understanding of how learning and language are processed in the brain. Basics of how the traumatized brain responds to traditional models of talk therapy versus capacity-building language will be addressed. Examples and application will be modeled throughout the session to allow for deeper understanding and use in practice.
D63 – Drug Testing Myths and Facts
Jamie Anderson, Treatment Assessment Screening Center
Treatment Assessment Screening Center is a nonprofit organization that is known nationally as an innovator in the development and implementation of drug testing and behavioral health programs. This presentation will cover a large range of topics about the process of drug testing, including general drug information, new drug trends, and collection processes.
D64 – Substance Abuse Treatment and Engaging Families
Missy Longe, MC, LPC, LISAC, Terros; Gloria Cruz-Bernal, MPA, MSW, Maricopa Dependency Treatment Court
This presentation will discuss the Terros Families First and Maricopa County Juvenile Court Cradle to Crayons-DTC programs and their collaborative efforts to assist and support parents working toward overcoming past traumas and maintaining sobriety.