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2011 Workshop Presentations
Child Welfare, Mental Health, Juvenile Justice, Domestic Violence, Schools, Self Care, Kinship Care, Fatherhood, Developmental Disabilities, Health, Program Evaluation/Program Development
Understanding Child Development as a Key Element of Assessing Family
Strengths
Presented by Dr.
Susan M. Henney
How can knowledge of child development be used by social workers to assess
and plan services for children and families? Familiarity with normal child
development assists in assessing risk, identifying needed services, communicating
with other professionals, writing accurate case notes, and talking with parents
about their children. Enhancing knowledge of child development will enable
participants to provide practical, developmentally appropriate services to
the children and families with whom they work. This workshop can also provide
a framework around which participants can build their own child development
trainings at their place of work.
Parental Child Safety Placements: Strategies for Working with Relatives
and Fictive Kin Voluntary Caregivers
Presented by Stacy
Lake
A workshop that highlights both the benefits and challenges of parental child
safety placement--the workshop will explore the ways in which relatives and fictive
kin face unique challenges as voluntary caregivers of children who are not in
the conservatorship of DFPS, and particularly the ways they can be engaged and
supported to make the experience more successful for children.
Presentation 
Engagement: Knowing the Family
Presented
by Lori Lewis-Conerly & Ellen
Letts
Why are engagement skills so important to our work with children and families?
How do you know when you are engaging children and families? Join us for a facilitated
discussion on engagement where participants will have the unique opportunity
to: openly share their ideas and perspectives about engagement and learn simple
techniques that yield massive outcomes. Effective engagement skills help families
become more comfortable with information sharing and staff gets to know family
resulting in enhanced safety decision-making. The voices of our parents, children,
and youth will guide our discussion and aid in the learning experience.
Reading Safety: How to Translate What We See in Families to the Written
Word
Presented by Kathryn
Sibley
When working with families, one must be able to express in detail what is actually
occurring. Often, the ability to explain safety comes down to using the written
word to paint a picture of what is observed and connecting it to child safety.
Whether you are a caseworker in the field or are responsible for making case
decisions based on documentation, it is critical that you can correlate the visual
to the written word. We'll look at how to connect what a person is seeing, how
safety gets interpreted, and then how to make your interactions come alive on
paper.
“Using Mindfulness Meditation to Build Family Strength in the Face of
Challenges"
Presented by Dr.
Catherine Hawkins, Dr. Betsy L. Wisner
Meditation, derived from ancient wisdom traditions, has gained wide recognition
in the U.S. as a practical tool. Empirical research supports its usefulness for
enhancing stress-management and self-care, increasing focus and concentration,
and improving interpersonal relationships. Mindfulness meditation refers to a
specific technique for achieving an empathetic, present moment, non-judgmental
state of awareness. This workshop explores the mindfulness meditation and its
applicability to strengths-based practice through empowering families and promoting
worker wellness. Participants will learn a simple meditation technique and will
be offered guidance in using meditation as a valuable resource in their personal
and professional lives.
The Challenge of Substance Abuse: Using Evidence Based Practice to
Build on Family Strengths
Presented by
Dr.
Susan P. Robbins
This workshop will explore myths and facts about substance abuse and its impact
on individual and family functioning. It will cover basic concepts about how
the most commonly abused drugs work in the brain and body, the differences between
use, abuse, dependence, and addiction, and current knowledge about evidence based
practice and effective substance abuse treatment that builds on family strengths.
Positive Parenting in the Face of Child Misbehavior
Presented by Charity
Eames, Lauren Hardesty, Jody Miller
In the face of child misbehavior, many parents and counseling professionals suggest
individual counseling for the child and family counseling. Triple P, the Positive
Parenting Program, an evidenced based model created in Australia, suggests teaching
positive parenting strategies directly to parents instead of these more traditional
approaches. This presentation will focus on how this program has been successfully
implemented as an individual, home-based program in Galveston County, as well
as discussing the evidence base and research involved in this project. Participants
will also have the opportunity to examine and discuss the benefits of therapeutic
assessment in the context of parenting.
Male Victims and Survivors of Partner Abuse: Hearing their Voices
Presented by Dr.
Monit Cheung, Dr. Venus Tsui
An anonymous survey of 80 male victims/survivors in partner abuse found interpersonal and societal obstacles abused men face in the help-seeking process. The avoidance of help-seeking pertains to types of services and helpers, abuse experiences, age, employment status, marital status, number of children, and men’s tendency of minimizing problems. Abused men don’t feel comfortable requesting services because men are always portrayed as perpetrators in domestic violence. Based on qualitative input from 26 respondents, a composite narrative presents the voices of abused men for a better understanding in relationship building and a gender sensitive attitude in social and legal service delivery.
Presentation
Families and Human Trafficking
Presented by Mandi
Kimball, Dr. Robert David Sanborn
The Human Trafficking Workshop will provide participants with a greater understanding
of the crime of human trafficking. They will learn what trafficking is and
how it impacts Houston and the State of Texas. In addition, participants will
be exposed to ways to identify trafficking situations and discover behavioral
signs of which to beware to prevent girls and boys from becoming victims. Finally,
CHILDREN AT RISK will cover state and federal trafficking laws which have been
enacted and how people can fight this particular crime in their community.
Substance Exposed Newborns in Families
Presented by Milton Ayala
The workshop will present a conceptualization of the Ecological Model for substance
exposed newborns from the perspective of Child Welfare. The Ecological Model
holds the key to putting the pieces together from the individual to society in
child protection as it relates to substance use disorders (SUD). The workshop
will emphasize policy and program response to substance exposed newborns as mandated
by CAPTA. Of particular importance to the audience will be the discussion on
prevention, treatment, and policy. To assist the audience in better understanding
systems thinking, the experience of the Texas Department of Family and Protective
Services with SUD and infants will be highlighted. The workshop will pay particular
attention to the concepts of safety and protective capacities, prevention and
treatment, and to legislative responses to the issue of substance use by pregnant
females. To help the audience better understand systems thinking, a group exercise
will be held in each phase of the Ecological Model. The take-way message from
the workshop is: we all have a piece of the puzzle in the Ecological Model. More
importantly, we all have a piece is keeping children safe and protected.
Spirituality as a Pathway to Enhancing Family and Community Strength
Presented by Betsy
Wisner &
Catherine Hawkins
There is a growing scholarly literature on spirituality (as opposed to religiosity)
as a valuable component of child welfare practice. This content can be presented
through a humanistic, strengths-based, and empowerment perspective that encompasses
the universal desire for love, hope, growth, dignity, worth, and meaning. Effective
social work interventions in this “spirit” can be build on family and community
strengths while respecting individual and cultural differences. The link between
spiritual wisdom and effective practice can be potentially transformative for
practitioners as well as the families that we serve.
Hand-and-Body Movements: Self Care Applications for CPS Workers
Presented by Dr.
Monit Cheung
This experiential workshop will teach ten “hand pressure” methods and ten “qigong”
(air movement) exercises. The purpose is to build strength, increase feelings
of centeredness, re-gain internal energy, and appreciate body-mind-emotion connections
during a helping process.
Telling Amy's Story: Empowering Professionals When Working With Domestic Violence
Presented by: Ada
Gomez
This presentation includes viewing a short documentary entitled Telling Amy's Story which showcases a true story of a mother who falls victim to her husband and all the systems who had knowledge of the domestic violence, however failed to save her life. The facilitator will lead discussion and debriefing after viewing the film and discuss how professionals can identify the warning signs of domestic violence and how all the systems involved trying to address domestic violence can come together and make a difference in a family's life. Participants will engage in discussion in identifying how their particular profession can make a difference in domestic violence cases.
Presentation
Evidence-Based Skills Found in Interviews with Alleged Victims of Child
Sexual Abuse
Presented by Dr.
Monit Cheung, Jacquelynn Duron, Amanda Ford
This workshop focuses on hands-on interviewing skills based on data from 90 taped interviews. A 69-item forensic interview instrument was used to demonstrate the four-stage process: rapport, free narrative, questioning, and closure. Evidence was found to support advanced techniques in eight areas: rapport, truth/lie ritual, clarification of slang terms, understanding of consequences, use of free narrative techniques in the entire process, sequence of questions, skills used in nondisclosure cases, and determining motivation of disclosure. Audience will receive the 2011 CSA Protocol and watch two videos that demonstrate the effective use of skills in forensic interviews in disclosure and nondisclosure cases.
Finding and Using the Strengths in Families
Presented by: John Ronnau
Every family has strengths; even in those families in which children must be removed for a short time (or even long term) in order to insure their safety and well-being. The focus of this workshop is to provide a framework and tools for finding and using the strengths of families. One premise of this workshop is that the best place for children to grow and thrive is in their families. Another underlying premise is that the concept of “family” must be defined in a very inclusive manner that respects and values the tremendous diversity of families throughout the world. Respect, understanding, knowledge and valuing cultural diversity is a must.
Working with Adjudicated Youth and Their Families: Rewards and Challenges
Presented by: Kimberly Beatty
Working with adjudicated youth and their families can be just as challenging as it is rewarding. Initial rapport and therapeutic alliance with the adolescent is paramount to success. Family Service Center of Galveston County uses a three prong approach in working with these youth and their families in the Transforming Lives Cooperative Program at the Juvenile Justice Center. We provide individual, group and family counseling utilizing multiple modalities. We use a combination of therapeutic approaches including Cognitive Behavior Therapy and a Strengths Based approach. This workshop will provide direct intervention strategies used and demonstrate how barriers are addressed to increase family involvement.
“Solutions for the Sexually Abusive Youth Developmental Issues, Risk Assessment and Interventions”
Presented by: John S. Kubis
The treatment of adolescents with sexual behavior problems has historically focused on treating the adolescent offender with a model borrowed almost exclusively from the treatment of adult sex offenders. Within the last 10 years there has been a much needed paradigm shift for clinicians, treatment providers and educators to take into account essential developmental differences and empirical clinical interventions in the treatment of youth with sexual behavior problems.
As competent professionals, we are required to utilize treatment approaches based on effective clinical interventions that are empirically derived and guided. The treatment model discussed in this presentation involves a comprehensive approach with a necessary consideration and integration of a number of key clinical and ‘ecological’ components. Currently, the research and literature thus far suggests that the effective treatment of adolescents with sexual behavior problems is one that needs to include group, individual and family therapies as well as a component of community supervision and legal accountability. This workshop will focus on pertinent developmental issues and current empirically guided clinical principles needed for the treatment of adolescents with sexual behavior problems/issues.
Without Families: A Transition Model for Youth out of care and Former
Foster Youth
Presented by: Joel
Levine & Deborah
K. Green &
Mary
Green & Marshall McGhee & Sherea McKenzie
Learn how young adults exiting foster care in the greater Houston region successfully
face the challenges of moving from foster care to adulthood with high expectations
through an innovative collaboration. The Houston Alumni & Youth Center (HAY)
provides transitional services for 1,450+ youth annually who are aging out
of foster care and former foster youth to promote independence. The HAY Center
addresses the unique challenges of serving foster youth and former foster youth
with social work and counseling, employment readiness, job search/placement,
career exploration, support services and housing through collaboration at all
levels. The workshop features a panel of partners from state and local government,
higher education, workforce, and social services. The HAY Center is a model
youth transition center supported by child welfare, workforce, and private
resources, and is dedicated to helping Texas foster youth succeed. Come find
out what it takes to create a successful transition center.
Principle-Based Supervision for Family Centered Social Services
Presented by: Dr. Jo Daugherty Bailey & Dr. Kristin Cotter Mena
This workshop presents a principle-based, alliance model of supervision for use in social services. We provide an overview of the Supervisory Alliance and key principles for supporting the alliance. We then explore critical interpersonal and intrapersonal skills necessary for implementing a principle-based approach to supervision. Attendees will take away specific tools for successful use of the model, as well as references for further reading that will support them in their practice. The presentation is a mix of lecture, discussion, and group exercises, with the aim of imparting specific skills and techniques for building healthy, effective supervisory relationships.
Tools You Can Use: Developing Partnerships within the Community and
Families to Address Disproportionality
Presented by: Mia R. Williams & Shondra Rogers-McGary
This workshop is designed to enhance and increase each participant's knowledge and understanding of Disproportionality and disparities in the Child Welfare System.
Each participant will provided with national, state and local data relating to the over representation of African American children within TDFPS system. A brief documentary will be shown during the workshop which demonstrates the obstacles that parents must endure when trying to satisfy the requirements of CPS. Participants will learn how to implement critical thinking and practical applications to address disproportionality in day to day casework practice. Lastly, participants will understand the significance of engaging the community in addressing this phenomenon.
Families in Grief
Presented by: Gloria Thomas-Anderson
The purpose of this interactive workshop is to increase awareness among social service professionals who work with culturally diverse families experiencing loss and grief. The workshop will address some of the key cultural differences that may impact effective service delivery when working with differing populations. The workshop will also address the professional helper’s own ability to manage unresolved grief and loss issues in their individual lives and examine how this important self assessment can either impede or improve the desired outcomes when working with families in grief. A relational theory approach will be the primary framework to guide the workshop content.
Children and Families with Mental Illness in the Welfare System: How Can I Help?
Presented by: Ada Gomez
This presentation will allow participants to conduct a case review of an actual case of a child with mental illness in foster care. Facilitator will review the case and lead discussion in identifying observable warning signs, identify behaviors and possible causes, identify traumas experienced, and how to identify services that could address and provide treatment for both the behaviors and emotional stability of the child. Participants will also engage in discussion on how emotional stability impacts a child's experience in foster care.
Presentation
Families of Youth Offenders - An International Case Study
Presented by: Emmerentie Oliphant
The treatment of juvenile offenders can be enhanced by empowering families to effectively cope with the offending behavior. This presentation focuses on an international study on juvenile offenders and the importance of family therapy as a treatment method. The study was used to develop a family treatment program for youth offenders and their families in South-Africa. This treatment program is used to guide families and juvenile offenders through the process of empowerment. Juvenile offenders are engaged in activities to ensure effective re-integration with the community. The presenter will share lessons learned from implementing the program within a juvenile correctional facility.
Family Values: What Are They and What Do They Mean?
Presented by: Kenneth
Wedel & Annie Smith
Little is known about family values espoused by social workers and how these
values might impact their practice with families. Our study reviews the conceptual
nature of “family values” and represents an initial look at family values
of social workers. This work is an effort to explain how congruent family
values of social workers may be with those of individuals and families for
whom they provide services or administer policy practice. Results of an online
survey of National Association of Social Worker (NASW) – Oklahoma Chapter
members, identify espoused family values and priorities. Value preferences
by demographic and field of practice variables are presented. Key words:
values, family values, value measurement, values scale, survey of values,
social worker values.
Presentation
Father's The Missing Link
Presented by: Kenneth D. Thompson
Historically, the child welfare system has directed more of it resources to working with and providing services to mothers than fathers. However, the absence and the lack of engaging fathers in the child welfare system have created significant challenges for child welfare system and the families they serve. While the evidence of engaging fathers in the child welfare system generated positive outcomes for children living in foster care. The attitudes and behaviors of mothers, caseworkers, and service provider may play a role in sustaining a differential focus on mothers. This workshop will explore the dynamics of engaging and connecting the value of fathers to his family and community.
Presentation
The Structural Challenges of Working with Undocumented Families: Family Preservation vs. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Presented by: Dr. Dawn McCarty
Participants that attend this presentation will: 1) deepen their understanding of the special structural challenges faced by new immigrant families, 2) become aware of the status of services available to immigrant families, both documented and undocumented, 3) and develop an awareness of the trends and conditions for migrant families worldwide.
The TAO of Mediation
Presented by: Robert Hughes & Tracy Leissner
We propose an interactive presentation examining the purposes and processes involved in mediating high conflict disputes. The presentation explores the dual nature of mediation: as a process for problem solving and negotiation; and as facilitation of improved interpersonal communication, empowerment and empathy.
The presentation will pay particular attention to selecting and applying appropriate techniques when the participants or the process is impeded by hostility, lack of trust, emotional dysfunction, mental disorder, addiction or abuse.
The Foster Care - Homeless Connection: A Struggle for Stability
Presented by: Jeanne Stamp
Highly mobile children, homeless or in foster care, lose their homes, rooms, possessions, family, friends, schools, community, and sense of security and belonging. They suffer from grief and loss, with issues from poor mental and physical health four times that of children living in stable families. While their home lives may be chaotic there is a lot that can be done through school stability to assist these children. There are now laws that address children’s rights to remain in their original schools even though they are changing residences through homelessness or foster placement. Schools can do much to provide a safe stable refuge where children can regain some of their lost sense of security and belonging.
Presentation
Custodial Grandparents: Their role in keeping families together
Presented by: Barbara Chandler
The workshop will focus on the critical role that grandparents can and often do play in the lives of their grandchildren by performing the dual role of grandparent and parent. We will look at the strengths and the challenges faced by both grandparents and grandchildren as they assume this change in role and responsibilities. The workshop will also focus on the similarities and differences faced by grandparents when they care for their grandchildren both those where the responsibilities are done informally and those that are provided and have direct contact with the child welfare department of their respective county.
Systems of Care: Uniting Families and Professionals
Presented by: Pam Schaffer
System of Care is a framework for service development and implementation that incorporates three basic values:
- 1) Incorporating family and youth voice
- 2) Provision of culturally and linguistically competent services
- 3) Providing community-based services.
System of Care concepts emerged in the 1980’s from the work devised by Beth Stroul and Robert Friedman to guide reformation of child-serving agencies to improve outcomes for children and youth with serious mental health challenges. Thirteen guiding principles are foundational to this work. This workshop will explore these principles.
Improving Systems through Family Driven Care
Presented by: Pam Schaffer,
Barbara Sewell, Eileene Chappelle
Family Driven Care is a core value of Systems of Care, emphasizing the development of collaborative partnerships between families and the professionals working with them. The purpose of this workshop will be to explore the concepts and principles connected to family driven care. Participants will explore their own relationships with families and how to improve outcomes through ideas connected to family driven care.
Disproportionality: We must embrace the challenge
Presented by:
Tanya Rollins and Jon Olson
This workshop will discuss the issue of Disproportionality as a national and state level child welfare crisis. This workshop will allow participants to take the first step beyond calculating the statistics. This is an interactive workshop designed to provide specific direct delivery options for eliminating Disproportionality in an effort to promote positive outcomes for all children.
Presentation
Family Preservation 101-How to implement a Family Preservation Program
Presenter: Deborah Lewis
Deborah Lewis, LMSW, LCDC, CART, will be explaining in this session how to implement a Family Preservation Program. If you are interested in implementing your own Family Preservation Program and don’t know where to start, this is the workshop for you. This workshop is not just for the novice worker but helpful ideas for the experienced worker will be provided as well. Participants will be provided with ideas on how to develop a mission statement, write personal disclosures, program descriptions, search for evidence based practice curriculum, and resources that they can utilize in developing their own Family Preservation Program. Actual examples of Power Point presentations used in groups, client files, a Family Preservation brochure she designed, a bio-psychosocial assessment, progress notes, progress reports, consents, will be shared. This workshop is guaranteed to be informative and immediately beneficial!
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Last updated or reviewed on 9/26/11
