Child Welfare League of America

Workshop Session F

F-1 Methamphetamine 101

This workshop covers the basic information about what methamphetamine is, how it is similar or different from cocaine, how it impacts child development, and how active home methamphetamine labs may pose a danger to child welfare workers. This workshop covers the mental and physical effects of methamphetamine use, as well as epidemiology of use and prenatal and postnatal developmental risks for children exposed to methamphetamine. Fundamentals of treatment for methamphetamine use are also briefly discussed. Participants learn to separate the facts of methamphetamine use from the media-generated hype and to understand basic similarities and differences between cocaine and methamphetamine.
Presenter: Elizabeth R. Disney, PhD, Program Manager, Chase Brexton Health Services, Baltimore, MD

F-2 The Dual-Jurisdiction Dilemma: Creating a Coordinated and Integrated Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice System to Improve Outcomes

CWLA has developed a four-phase framework to assist state and local jurisdictions in efforts to improve outcomes for these shared populations of youth and families. CWLA's work focuses on addressing initial mobilization and advocacy, information management and sharing, data collection, resource assessment (fiscal and workforce), and legal and policy mandates. Barriers and obstacles in these arenas-as well as promising approaches engaged around the country- are the focus of this session. The workshop features the experiences of several jurisdictions currently engaged in this work (King County, WA; Los Angeles County, CA; and the state of South Dakota, among others) to inform this interactive PowerPoint presentation and discussion. In this effort, the goal of the workshop is to supply participants with a toolkit of initial action steps that can be actualized upon returning to their home jurisdictions. Additionally, participants leave with a greater understanding of the issues that are likely to be confronted when working toward improved multi-system coordination with regard to dual-jurisdiction youth.
Presenter: Wayne S. Promisel, Director, Juvenile Justice Division, CWLA, Arlington, VA

F-3 Investing in Our Future: Creating a Vision for Youth Development in Illinois

This workshop outlines efforts to create a youth-development policy framework for Illinois to end teen poverty and increase youth-development programs and services. Emphasis is placed on sharing the results of a statewide youth survey and recommendations to improve coordination and planning across state agencies serving youth.
Presenters: Andrea Ray,Youth Policy Associate and Coordinator, Youth Transitional Jobs, and Gina Guillemette, Policy Director, Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights, National Transitional Jobs Network, Chicago, IL

F-4 School Violence: How Students Can Survive When Security Measures Fail

In recent years, school districts have worked hard to put safety policies and procedures in place that are designed to protect the student body from violent acts. However, recent tragedies show that no matter how much is done to deter violence in schools, it still happens. Staff and students need further information as to their options should they face violence in their school. This training provides information designed to save children's lives.
Presenter: Greg Crane, Trainer, Response Options, Burleson, TX

F-5 Do You Want to Increase Staff Retention?

Child-serving agencies continue to struggle to retain a quality workforce. This workshop introduces participants to an organizational model of supervisory practice, which results in increased staff retention, higher staff morale, and increased productivity.
Presenter: Jeff Bormaster, Consultant, CWLA, Palm Springs, CA

F-6 Kinship Care: Charting the Legal Barriers

Nonparent caregivers of children face a wide range of legal barriers. Examples are access to birth certificates, medical and schooling issues, custody, guardianship, foster care, financial assistance, and planning for the future. This workshop describes the range of legal issues and provides a simple matrix to analyze barriers.
Presenter: Gerard Wallace, Esquire, NYS Kinship Navigator, Catholic Family Center, Rochester, NY

F-7 Getting Kids Home Sooner: Results from a Five-Year Study of a Model Family Reunification Program

This workshop describes a unique public-private child welfare agency partnership that provides family reunification services. Findings from a five-year evaluation of this program are presented along with case examples to illustrate the implications for child welfare practice, policy, and program evaluation.
Presenters: Trisha Maling, Team Leader, Casey Family Services, Portland, ME; and Patrick Lyttle, Team Leader, Casey Family Services, Hartford, CT

F-8 Partnership Between Accreditation and Licensure

This workshop addresses the added value of accreditation to licensing requirements. Attendees learn general information about the Council on Accreditation (COA), the benefits of accreditation for licensed providers (based on qualitative and anecdotal evidence), and what partnerships exist between licensing entities and COA.
Presenter: Amanda Gartland, Senior Government Relations Associate, Council on Accreditation, New York, NY

F-9 Identifying Barriers to State Endeavors to Modernize Information Systems for Human Services

Information system integration has been in the forefront of modernization goals for many human services leaders. Indeed, for over 30 years, the idea of service integration has been championed frequently. However, there are various impediments that render this rather noble idea a difficult endeavor to accomplish, which include public policy at the national and local levels, and the politics of human services itself.
Presenter: Amare Asegahegn, Consultant, CGI Inc., Madison,WI

F-10 Mental Health Clinic Satellites in Urban Prevention Programs: Implementing the NYS Clinic Plus Program

This workshop describes an innovative program that partners licensed mental health and preventive service providers in three Brooklyn, New York, neighborhoods. The goal is to educate, screen, assess, and treat children and families on site in prevention programs and to integrate their mental health and preventive services. The workshop focuses on how the Institute for Community Living Inc. is implementing Child and Family Clinic Plus, an innovative public health approach to children's mental health, sponsored by the NYS Office of Mental Health. The program promotes public understanding of children's mental health, reduction of stigma, early identification of children's mental health problems, more accessible professional assessment and care for those who need it, and greater integration of mental health with other essential services.
Presenters: Linda S. Nagel, PhD, Senior Vice President, The Institute for Community Living Inc., New York, NY


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