Child Welfare League of America

Workshop Session C and Leadership Encounter 3

C1 Takoja Niwiciyape: Giving Life to Grandchildren - A Culturally Specific Family-Based Program

Takoja Niwiciyape is a 14-week program that focuses on a specific Oyate value each week to help youth and parents learn about appropriate forms of help seeking, dealing with anger, discrimination, forgiveness, problem solving, positive friendships, mentoring, volunteering, and refusal skills. The goal is to provide early intervention to help youth avoid problems such as delinquency, violence, abuse, addiction, and dropping out of school. The teachings and experiential learning of this program are designed to delay onset of disruptive behavioral patterns and negative life outcomes.
Presenters: Joseph White, Research Scientist, Institute for Research and Evaluation, Salt Lake City, UT; Melita Valandra, Social Service Program Manager, Bureau of Indian Affairs-Crow Creek Agency, Ft. Thompson, SD; and Emily Williams, Clinical Social Worker, Indian Health Services-Crow Creek Service Unit, Ft. Thompson, SD

C2 Public and Private Perspectives: Integrating Residential and Systems-of-Care Services

This workshop shares how public and private agencies transformed their systems and integrated residential and system of care services to produce a more efficient servicedelivery system, more effective and appropriate individualized services to children, youth, and families, better use of resources, and improved outcomes.
Presenters: Debra Downing, Director of Quality-Centered Services, Montgomery County Department of Job and Family Services, Dayton, OH; Lloyd Bullard, Vice President of Internal Operations, Youth for Tomorrow, Bristow, VA; and Jim Dalton, Vice President and COO, Damar Services, Indianapolis, IN

C3 Changing the Lives of Our Children: Adaptation of the Teaching-Family Model

The Children's Home of Cincinnati presents workshop participants with the evidenced-based Teaching- Family Model. We explore the adaptation of the model to meet the needs of at-risk youth in school-based services and mental health services for an early childhood population.
Presenters: Alyssa Terrell, Director of Special Projects, and Melanie Hackett, Professional Development Coordinator, The Children's Home of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH

C4 Proposed Standards for Rural Cultural Competence

At CWLA's 2007 National Conference, the National Advisory Committee on Rural Social Services and the National Advisory Committee on Cultural Competence determined the need for standards for rural cultural competence. This session presents the history of the development of standards and the standards developed, and it encourages an interactive discussion before the standards are finalized. Theory-based and rural-tested, the standards are applicable for rural child welfare administrators, staff, organizations in rural communities, and regional and national organizations that impact rural people.
Presenters: Kathleen Belanger, Assistant Professor, Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, TX and Cheri Hoffman, Predoctoral Fellow, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN

C5 Helping Teens Help Themselves: Supporting the Unique Needs of Young Mothers

This workshop highlights how supportive housing programs meet the unique needs of pregnant and parenting teens transitioning from foster care to independent living. Presenters will discuss the challenges facing young mothers, examples of promising supportive housing programs, and strategies for developing local partnerships to provide the services and housing these young families need.
Presenter: Janet Max, Senior Program Manager, Healthy Teen Network, Washington, DC

C6 Examining the Relationship Between Foster Care Experiences and Educational Outcomes of Young Adults Formerly Placed in Care

The purposes of this presentation are to: (1) describe educational outcomes of 359 young adults who received foster care services from Casey Family Programs, (2) discuss the relationship between selected experiences in foster care and educational outcomes, and (3) discuss with participants how these findings resonate with their own experience and can translate into direct practice and service improvements.
Presenters: Anne Havalchak, Research Specialist, Casey Family Programs, Seattle, WA; John Emerson, Education Advisor, Child Welfare Practice Improvement, Casey Family Programs, Seattle, WA; and Melissa Smith, Foster Care Alumna and Graduate Student, American University, Washington, DC

C7 A Therapeutic Approach to Successful Reunification

The Institute for Family Centered Services' therapeutic approach to reunification provides a process for successful reunion of a juvenile placed out of the home. This presentation addresses components of successful reunion from outof- home placement, typical barriers with practical tools to overcome them, and ways to engage parents in the process.
Presenter: William Painter, Senior Vice President of Organizational Development, Institute for Family Centered Services, Denver, NC

C8 Case Management in Child Welfare: Working Hard or Hardly Working?

The move is on to improve the profession of public child welfare. Agencies are struggling, however, to revise their existing case management practice models. This workshop suggests a reconceptualization of the caseworker role based on an understanding of the effects of organizational structure, caseworker preparation, and the nature of the helping relationship. Participants use organizational assessment and planning tools.
Presenters: Sue Steib, Director of Research to Practice, CWLA, Jackson, LA; and Wendy Whiting Blome, Associate Professor of Social Services, Catholic University of America, McLean, VA

C9 A Rural Model for Developing Adoption-Competent Mental Health Services

The Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E.) has provided in-depth training to over 100 indigenous therapists and social workers in rural Virginia where adoption-competent services heretofore have been almost nonexistent. This workshop presents how interest was kindled, the training competencies, modules of training, and effectiveness of this capacity-building model.
Presenters: Anne Atkinson, President, PolicyWorks Ltd., Richmond, VA; Patricia Gonet, President, Patricia Gonet Ltd., Ashland, VA; and Debbie Riley, Executive Director, and Alison Harshaw, RAFI Therapist, Center for Adoption Support and Education, Burtonsville, MD

C10 Engaging Foster Care Alumni to Improve Practice and Policy

In this workshop you will hear directly from adult alumni of the child welfare system. Ways to engage this expertise in your own communities in order to improve practice and policy will be highlighted.
Presenter: Misty Stenslie, Deputy Director, Foster Care Alumni of America, Alexandria, VA

C11 Advocacy 101: Defining Your Message

Service-based agencies have potential to impact public policy in an enormous way. The importance of advocacy is an essential part of the service mission; it gives a voice to the children and families we serve, and it brings understanding to the public. Too often agencies miss the opportunity to participate in advocacy due to lack of framework, the intimidation factor, or uncertainty around whether or how your organization/ agency should be involved. This workshop is geared toward beginning-level advocates and people interested in starting the process. The objectives will focus on the importance of advocacy, how and where to start, and what to say once you get there.
Presenters: Kathy Colbenson, Chief Executive Officer, CHRIS Kids Inc., Atlanta, GA; Lori Ross, Foster/Adoptive Parent and Executive Director, Midwest Foster Care and Adoption Association, Independence, MO; Nathan Ross, Former Foster Youth and Freshman, Northwest Missouri State University, Maryville, MO; and Cristina Fahrenthold, Government Affairs Associate, CWLA, Arlington, VA

C12 Let's Talk: A Meeting for Seasoned Advocates

Some of the most effective work done on behalf of children is public policy-related advocacy completed by agency executives and staff. Seasoned advocates understand the importance of advocacy and h; ave incorporated it into their work regarding children and families. They have also spent time developing relationships with their members of Congress, mastering the unique dynamic between constituent and elected official. Join other advanced-level advocates for a frank discussion about how to better leverage these relationships with Congress. Share strategies, best practices, and insider information so we can work together to advance advocates and members of Congress to the next level.
Presenters: John Sciamanna, Codirector, Government Affairs, CWLA, Arlington, VAMark Mecum, Policy Analyst, and Bryan Brown, Assistant Executive Director, Ohio Association of Child Caring Agencies, Columbus, OH; and Phil Accord, President/CEO, Children's Home/Chambliss Shelter, Chattanooga, TN

Leadership Encounter 3
8:00 - 10:00 a.m.

LE 3A Transformational Leadership

(Emerging leaders)

Learn how some agencies have transformed their organizational culture and developed a new approach to leadership development.
Facilitators: Ed Kelley, CEO, Robert F. Kennedy Children's Action Corps Inc., Boston, MA; and Ted Blevins, Executive Director, Lena Pope Home, Fort Worth, TX

LE 3B Succession Planning: Effective Approaches for Leadership Continuity

(Executive leaders)

This session describes the process and tools designed specifically for human service agencies to develop a comprehensive CEO-succession plan. The material covers both planned and unplanned leadership transitions as well as the scenarios that may occur that trigger succession plan implementation. Content is specifically geared toward CEOs and board members.
Presenters: Richard King, President, Kittleman & Associates, Chicago, IL; and Martin Sinnott, President and CEO, Kid's Hope United, Chicago, IL


Close window