|
| Possibilities | 2008 NYS Child Abuse Prevention Conference |
| | Main Conference Page | Registration | Workshops | Workshops by Audience | Exhibits | Schedule | | Plenary Speakers: Dr. Dana McDermott | Linda Silvas | Rev. Alfonso Wyatt | |
Conference Workshops
Each conference workshop belongs to one or more of the following tracks:
Tracks are indicated at the end of workshop descriptions according to the abbreviations listed above. Workshop Session A / Institute Part 1 A1 National Parenting Education Network: Setting the Bar for Parenting Education (Institute Part 1) The institute will provide a forum for addressing primary concerns that have been identified as priorities in the field of parenting education. The first half of the forum will identify high-quality, research-based parenting education curriculum and principles of practice. This will set a foundation for the second half of the institute which will focus on how to support high national standards for parenting educators through a process of credentialing, licensure or certification. This is an institute: Participants must attend part 1 in order to attend part 2. Tracks: PES, PPGD. A2 Stewards of Children® (Institute Part 1) Darkness to Light’s Stewards of Children® is a revolutionary sexual abuse prevention training program that educates adults to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to child sexual abuse, and motivates them to courageous action. The Stewards of Children® program is designed for organizations that serve children and youth and any/all adults interested in protecting children. Participants in this workshop will be charged an additional $10 for the Darkness to Light workbook. This is an institute: Participants must attend part 1 in order to attend part 2. Tracks: EC, MYA. A3 The Power of Rhythm in Maintaining Healthy Selves & Building Community We will explore simple rhythm patterns as a tool for centering our focus, maintaining a steady presence and as a gentle technique for releasing tension and relaxing the body & mind. We will explore how drumming can be used to assist with recovery, self-care, secondary stress (VT), as well as in building capacity for communication with individuals who may have difficulty with spoken communication. Throughout the workshop there will be opportunities to imagine and share how such rhythm circles can be used to develop rapport with diverse communities in terms of promoting prevention strategies with groups of all ages. No drumming experience is necessary. (A collection of hand drums and percussion will be available or bring your own.) Tracks: PPGD, CBSC. A4 Legal Rights of Kinship Caregivers The workshop will provide legal and practical information for kinship caregivers and advocates for caregivers who are seeking custody, guardianship or adoption of their kin outside of the formal foster care system. We will discuss the legal rights of caregivers in various situations and will include information on authority to make medical and educational decisions. We will also discuss federal and state benefits, including child care, Medicaid, food stamps, and public assistance. Tracks: KIN. Children in the middle school years (ages 10 - 14) experience a wide range of emotions as well as a rapidly changing body. Living with and loving a “middler” can be challenging! This workshop will take a close look at the intellectual, social and physical changes your child is experiencing; discuss setting boundaries and consequences; strategies to avoid over-indulgence; modeling social skills and practical suggestions for parents to help them through this interesting transition period. Tracks: PES, MYA. A6 Collaborating for Children: The Role of CASA in Family Court The complexity of child abuse and/or neglect cases in Family Court is daunting. Gathering as much information as possible allows judges to make better informed decisions. Learn how CASA can assist by collaborating with all parties involved to provide supplemental information, monitor court orders, and facilitate services for the well-being of the children and their families. Such efforts can help with educational decisions, kinship issues, fatherhood initiatives, and many other needs related to case specifics. Tracks: SNVC, FCM. A7 Supporting Parental Involvement in Children’s Education Families and Communities Together with Schools (FACTS) is a Parental Information and Resource Center funded by the United States Department of Education. FACTS will present a workshop to increase participants’ knowledge of parental involvement in children’s education. The FACTS program of Jefferson County will describe its comprehensive programming to increase parental involvement both locally and statewide. This workshop will answer the following three questions: What is parental involvement? Why is parental involvement important? How can parent educators and family support providers support parental involvement and positive communication with schools? Participants will learn what the latest research tells us about the importance of parental involvement and brainstorm ways to put that research to use in their local programming. Tracks: PES. A8 The Role of Trauma Information and Training in Parenting Education Participants will learn the importance of including information about trauma in education for parents, foster parents and kinship care providers. Workshop participants will learn a basic trauma framework and how to incorporate it into parenting education, how to understand problem behaviors among traumatized children as adaptations, and how children heal through relationships. They will explore vicarious traumatization—the effect on parents and others of caring for children with trauma histories. Tracks: PES, SNVC. Workshop Session B / Institute Part 2 B1 National Parenting Education Network: Setting the Bar for Parenting Education (Institute Part 2) The institute will provide a forum for addressing primary concerns that have been identified as priorities in the field of parenting education. The first half of the forum will identify high-quality, research-based parenting education curriculum and principles of practice. This will set a foundation for the second half of the institute which will focus on the how to support high national standards for parenting educators through a process of credentialing, licensure or certification. This is an institute: Participants must attend part 1 in order to attend part 2. Tracks: PES, PPGD. B2 Stewards of Children® (Institute Part 2) Darkness to Light’s Stewards of Children® is a revolutionary sexual abuse prevention training program that educates adults to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to child sexual abuse, and motivates them to courageous action. The Stewards of Children® program is designed for organizations that serve children and youth and any/all adults interested in protecting children. Participants in this workshop will be charged an additional $10 for the Darkness to Light workbook. This is an institute: Participants must attend part 1 in order to attend part 2. Tracks: EC, MYA. B3 The Influence of Culture on Caregiving The ability to collaborate effectively with parents and children from various backgrounds and life experiences is essential to our efforts in supporting them. Using materials from the Zero To Three training curriculum “Parent-Provider Partnerships in Child Care” (PCAN), this workshop will offer child care professionals, home-based visitors and parents the opportunity to explore how one’s culture influences routines, caregiving styles and parenting choices. Participants will learn and practice an approach (”cultural reciprocity”) for resolving culturally based dilemmas with families. Tracks: PES, EC. B4 Media Zero to Media Hero: The Inside Scoop on How to Get Publicity Advertising is what you pay for. Publicity is what you pray for. What’s a small service provider to do? It’s hard to get noticed in a sea of media messages. One thing is for sure: You may or may not have a big budget for marketing and promotion but you want to get the most bang for your buck. That’s where media relations comes in. Publicity is a far more powerful tool than advertising and a successful campaign lends credibility to you and your organization. Are you tired of wasting your time sending out information to the media that no one responds to? Do you want to stop struggling to figure out how to get the media interested in writing about you and your expertise? Then join Shannon Cherry, APR, MA, for this workshop exclusively tailored for child advocate service providers. She knows personally that media relations is the most cost effective and credible marketing method available. And she’s willing to share her insider knowledge as someone who’s worked as both a reporter and a PR pro. In this workshop, you’ll learn the secrets that the top PR practitioners use including: identifying which type of media outlets to pursue; knowing what reporters want to cover; determining the best timing for an important announcement; developing relationships with reporters; discovering what reporters want to see on your web site; and the 5 key media relations tools that help you get publicity. Tracks: PPGD, OMS, CBSC. B5 Improving Skills in Working with Families Exposed to Domestic Violence This workshop is designed to increase understanding of the dynamics of families living with domestic violence between the adult partners, to explore how these dynamics impact the children, and to give the participants tools to better serve the children and to reinforce protective factors. Tracks: SNVC, FCM. B6 Communication Frustrations, Sign Language Solutions Wouldn’t you love to have your young child tell you what they want or need without crying, screaming or throwing a temper-tantrum? Wouldn’t you be so much less frustrated if they had another way to communicate? In this workshop you will learn why you should use American Sign Language with your young child, how to incorporate signing into play time, story time and music time, as well as some introductory signs and signs about feelings. Tracks: PES, EC. B7 Parenting the Second Time Around This workshop, presented by two of the program’s authors, will introduce participants to the nationally award-winning curriculum and training manual Parenting the Second Time Around (PASTA). Designed by Cornell Cooperative Extension, this parenting program contains six experiential workshops on child rearing and family life that address the specific concerns and needs of kincare families. Participants (both kin caregivers and staff who work with kincare families) will leave the workshop with the basic preparation needed to host the PASTA program in their home community, as well as use the information gained in their own families. Tracks: PES, KIN. B8 Helping Parents Work With (Rather Than Against) Their Children Marie, age two, insists on wearing her Minnie PJs. Her parent’s response will depend on his/her interpretation of her behavior. One stumbling block to sensitive, nurturing caregiving is a parent’s inability to see the child as a unique, developing individual. Often their own needs get in the way, leading them to interpret the child’s behavior from a narrow adult-centered perspective. Several strategies for helping parent consider their child’s perspective will be demonstrated. Tracks: PES. Workshop Session C / Institute Part 1 C1 Kincare: When Grandparents and Relatives Are Parenting Children (Institute Part 1) The Kincare Institute provides an overview and introduction to the issue of relative caregiving, including presentations by kinship caregivers. Intended for those who are interested in or are currently working with kincare families and those who are working on research and public policy issues related to kincare, participants will learn about the who, what, why, when, where and how’s of kinship caregiving. This is an institute: Participants must attend part 1 in order to attend part 2. Tracks: KIN, CBSC. C2 How to Get Fathers Involved and What to Do Then (Institute Part 1) The first part of this Institute focuses on best practices for engaging fathers in family support work. Participants will gain an understanding of why more fathers are not involved, discuss benefits of engaging dads and learn strategies to successfully connect fathers with their families. In the second part, issues of cooperative parenting will be addressed. We will explore conflicts that may arise when two parents share responsibilities for a child and participants will practice using tools for resolving disagreements between parents. This is an institute: Participants must attend part 1 in order to attend part 2. Tracks: PES, FA. C3 Shared Leadership: A Support Group Model that Works! This workshop will highlight the Parents Anonymous model of parenting support groups which includes an accompanying children’s program. Family Connections Family Resource Center has successfully implemented this model with both parents and kinship caregivers and their children. The Parents Anonymous model emphasizes shared leadership, utilizing a parent group leader, and encouraging mutual support. Workshop participants will view excerpts of actual meetings, children’s programs, and testimonials from participants. Information on becoming an accredited organization will be available. Tracks: PES, KIN. C4 Working with Children in Kinship Care: The Possibilities Are Endless Providing childcare is an essential component in successful outreach to kinship families. Creating an environment where the children are safe and busy is a good place to start. Adding structure and organization to the programming is even better. But a program that is designed to be fun, engaging and therapeutic in nature is best. Whether you are starting a program for children in kinship care or want to take your current programming to the next level, this workshop will assist you in taking the next step to move positively forward. Tracks: KIN. Children who have experienced sexual abuse and their non-offending family members deserve support and opportunities to heal. Some also have a strong desire to take their experience and use it to create change. This presentation will provide an overview of advocacy, mental health and group works services all offered in the context of a child advocacy center, as well as provide interactive activities that will allow the audience to experience how it might feel for a survivor of sexual abuse and their non-offending family member to speak out and make a difference using their own experience to do so. Tracks: SNVC. C6 The Impact of Maltreatment on the Developing Brain of Infants and Toddlers This workshop will discuss the brain changes that occur in maltreated infants and toddlers along with the consequences of those changes. Participants will learn about relational trauma that can occur as early as the first month of life. Participants will also explore such topics as developmental delays, disorganized attachment, the organization of the right brain in the first year of life, and the social-emotional consequence of early childhood trauma. Tracks: EC, SNVC. C7 Working with Families in Poverty This workshop will focus on the culture of poverty in our society. Learn about the “hidden rules” among classes and how to identify interventions that are effective in helping children and families succeed. Participants will learn creative ways of building relationships with parents in order to improve student achievement. Tracks: PES. C8 A “Parent’s Day in Court:” How Parents Are Judged by Each Other and Themselves A father is charged with “faulty fathering.” Is he innocent or guilty? Participants in this workshop establish a “Parent’s Court,” review the evidence, and decide. This activity is used in the Helping Our Parents to be Educators (HOPE) Project, which represents a powerful and ground-breaking approach to parental engagement in prevention programming. The project is, by design, both unique and innovative. Funded since 2004 through the Office of Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention, the HOPE Project has successfully developed and implemented a parent designed and parent-led curriculum. Participants will learn techniques that foster parental self-efficacy and accountability. Participants will be challenged to examine their own definition of “parent.” Principles of social learning theory and the unique needs of adult learners will be demonstrated during the workshop. Learning how to engage diverse parents in programming is essential to any youth development efforts. The HOPE Project’s overall goal is to cultivate the assets required for teens to make conscious decisions to postpone sexual activity and avoid high-risk behavior. Tracks: PES, MYA, CBSC. Workshop Session D / Institute Part 2 D1 Kincare: When Grandparents and Relatives Are Parenting Children (Institute Part 2) The Kincare Institute provides an overview and introduction to the issue of relative caregiving, including presentations by kinship caregivers. Intended for those who are interested in or are currently working with kincare families and those who are working on research and public policy issues related to kincare, participants will learn about the who, what, why, when, where and how’s of kinship caregiving. This is an institute: Participants must attend part 1 in order to attend part 2. Tracks: KIN, CBSC. D2 How to Get Fathers Involved and What to Do Then (Institute Part 2) The first part of this Institute focuses on best practices for engaging fathers in family support work. Participants will gain an understanding of why more fathers are not involved, discuss benefits of engaging dads and learn strategies to successfully connect fathers with their families. In the second part, issues of cooperative parenting will be addressed. We will explore conflicts that may arise when two parents share responsibilities for a child and participants will practice using tools for resolving disagreements between parents. This is an institute: Participants must attend part 1 in order to attend part 2. Tracks: PES, FA. D3 Cross Disciplinary Collaboration: Pathways to Comprehensive Services for Babies, Toddlers and Their Families There is an “infancy movement” happening across New York! Professionals from many different disciplines—health care, social work, family support, early care and education, mental health, early intervention, child welfare and the judicial system—are coming together to create a shared vision for supporting families with young children in a more comprehensive way. How can we change our service delivery systems and create supportive communities that support all families in providing a healthy start for their children? Participants will receive a Collaborator’s Tool Kit and see clips from a community example. Tracks: PES, EC, CBSC. D4 Working with Kinship Caregivers and Involving Them in Leadership Roles This workshop will describe an avenue in which grandparents who are raising their grandchildren can draw from their experience and empower others in similar kinship caregiving roles. The workshop will specifically focus on the development of leadership and mentoring roles based on a 15-week curriculum developed jointly with the University of Rochester and used by the Skip Generations program of Family Resource Centers of Crestwood. Tracks: KIN. D5 Understanding and Responding to the Sexual Behavior of Children This workshop provides basic information to assist individuals in distinguishing between normal, problematic and abusive sexual behavior of children. Participants will have an opportunity to learn ways to respond to promote health and prevent sexual abuse perpetration by youth. Materials developed by the Perpetration Prevention Program at the Kempe Children’s Center, University of Colorado School of Medicine will be presented. Tracks: PES, SNVC.
D6 Allowing Strengths to Shine in Parenting Group Experiences! How do I bring out the best in my group? Identifying the personalities and qualities of members through exercises, techniques, and interventions, this workshop will help group leaders of any level be clearer about important interpersonal factors that are vital to the effective parenting group process. Participants will learn to build a sense of community and safety within a group regardless of content. Topics covered include: initial meetings; structure; developing a knowledge base about the parents you are working with; building group consensus; the value of rituals and routines; enhancing self-awareness and strength based approaches. Tracks: PES, KIN, FA, FCM. D7 In Her Shoes: Understanding a Domestic Violence Victim’s Experience Child Welfare workers/supervisors are increasingly confronted with the complex issue of domestic violence in casework. This workshop provides the opportunity to explore experiences of adult victims navigating community systems to keep themselves and their children safe. Group discussion will build on the simulation. The discussion encourages participants to think creatively about ways to address domestic violence in their cases and collaborate with other community systems toward the goal of improving safety. Tracks: FCM, PPGD. D8 Increasing Protective Factors Using a Home Visiting Intervention The Parent-Child Home Program can contribute to increasing protective factors in the home of disadvantaged families; protective factors that are associated with reducing the risk of child abuse and neglect. The Program provides intensive home visiting to families with children between the ages of two and four challenged by poverty, low levels of education, language and literacy barriers, and other obstacles to healthy child development and educational success. Tracks: PES, EC, FCM. Workshop Session E E1 Responsible Fatherhood 101: Fundamentals of Programming and Philosophy The issue of fatherlessness negatively impacts society at the local, state and national levels. Empowering responsible fathers could have positive implications for many public and private agencies, yet many do not understand how they can profit from or contribute toward the strengthening of families. Fatherhood expert Kenneth Braswell will outline the history of responsible fatherhood. He will explain the impact of fatherlessness on our society as evidenced by staggering social trends. Mr. Braswell will highlight some truths that have been established about fatherhood and discuss what must be done to overcome the barriers fathers face and incorporate these philosophies into programs that work for fathers and families. Finally, Mr. Braswell will share the successes achieved by six pilot Fatherhood programs and the Noncustodial Earned Income Tax Credit in New York State. Tracks: FA. E2 Supervised Visitation: Enhancing Services for Children and Youth Who Are Affected by Domestic Violence This workshop will share best practices developed for supervised visitation programs dealing with domestic violence in both rural and metropolitan areas. Participants will learn safety, support and prevention techniques for working with children affected by domestic violence, as well as safety and services for their caregivers to enhance their parenting capacity. Tracks: PES, SNVC. E3 Cafe-style Roundtables: Parent Engagement and Leadership Parent Leadership is a strength-based approach to family support that is founded on the belief that parents are knowledgeable about their families and communities and can provide valuable insight into programmatic and community changes to benefit children and families. Through a series of roundtable discussions that address this topic, participants will share experiences and record common themes, ideas and strategies that can be shared with all participants. Facilitators from the Trust Fund, Family Resource Center Network, and FRIENDS National Resource Center will offer specific questions to stimulate the conversation. The format will allow participants to join more than one discussion. Tracks: PES. E4 Loss, Trauma and Bereavement in Kinship Caregiving Families: Decreasing Risks, Utilizing Strengths All relative-caregiving families have experienced loss, whether it’s due to separation, abandonment, trauma or death. This workshop will examine the impact of grief and trauma on kinship families from both the caregiver’s and the child’s perspectives. A video clip will be shown to illustrate these issues. Participants will learn effective interventions to help strengthen families’ adaptive coping capacities. Tracks: KIN, SNVC. E5 Youth and the Internet Families and Communities Together with Schools (FACTS) is a Parental Information and Resource Center funded by the United States Department of Education. FACTS will present a workshop to increase participants’ knowledge of Internet use by children and teens and what parents can do to keep their children safe. The use of social networking sites (like MySpace) will be covered in detail. Participants will learn what the latest research tells us about Internet use and walk away with strategies to guide youth toward safe and positive Internet use. Tracks: PES, MYA. E6 Beyond Megan’s Law Megan’s Law is often misunderstood with regard to protecting children. It can often lead to a false sense of security or unnecessary anxiety. This workshop will explore what Megan’s Law can and can not do and what communities can do beyond the law to protect children. Tracks: CBSC. E7 Engaging Parents in Positive Parenting Parents! Some so frustrating! How do we get them to change?! How can we relate when they are from different cultures or backgrounds different than our own? In this workshop, learn ways to engage and build positive relationships with even the most challenging parents. This is a hands-on, interactive and fun workshop guaranteed to support and refresh you in your challenging work with families. Tracks: PES, PPGD. E8 Possibility: Finding the Balance of Needs; Yours and Your Clients’ Front-line prevention workers are routinely cautioned not to get too involved emotionally with their clients, for their own sakes. Yet, even as they try to follow this well-intended advice, they know instinctively, or at least suspect, that it is not only impossible to leave their emotional skills behind when they go to work, it is counter intuitive. After all, it is precisely their great empathy that supplies the powerful motivation for their entering upon the work of preventing child abuse. This workshop offers a different approach, one which can enable workers and support providers to integrate their educational wisdom and skills with the full range of their human talents and resources. Operating within connection, we are able to realize true empowerment, which we can put to work not only on behalf of our clients but our colleagues and ourselves as well. Moreover, these enhanced skills can be applied immediately, in our jobs, our homes and in our communities—in short, through all of our lives. Tracks: PPGD. Workshop Session F F1 Why Are Fathers Important This workshop is designed to establish the critical role of the father as it relates to the development of our children. We will share our experience at Family Resource Centers of Crestwood in engaging fathers in the lives of their children through education and support groups. Tracks: FA, PPGD. F2 FRIENDS Evaluation Toolkit and Logic Model Builder This workshop’s presenter will demonstrate a web-based Evaluation Toolkit designed specifically for child abuse prevention programs. The toolkit includes a Logic Model Builder that takes the user through a step-by-step process resulting in a logic model. Logic models developed on the Web site are downloadable to Microsoft Word for editing. Participants will learn to access and use this free service of the FRIENDS National Resource Center on Child Abuse Prevention to create their program’s logic model. Tracks: PES, OMS. F3 Men of the Future: A Pregnancy Prevention Tool Men of the Future (MOTF) is a program designed to emphasize the importance of mentoring in the life of a young man. The goal of MOTF is to provide young men with the tools and life skills they will need to successfully transition into adulthood. Students are best served when they are allowed to express themselves without fear of persecution for their lifestyle and/or beliefs. This is something that the Men of the Future programs should strive for, creating a safe place for learning and expression to commence. This workshop will inform and engage the audience in the importance of providing a safe place for males to express themselves about important issues which they confront each day; explore the unique challenges that young men presently face in today’s youth culture; engage the audience in a discussion about what steps we can take to better address young men who are often left out of the general discussion about creative youth development techniques; and present male oriented/specific initiatives for school-based programs. Tracks: MYA, CBSC. F4 Alternative Healing: Engaging Young Children in Creative Arts Presenters will demonstrate and explore with the audience art therapy and yoga. These disciplines naturally complement and support a variety of therapeutic and educational goals. Presenters will discuss a variety of ways in which creative arts can promote emotional and physical well-being in young children and offer alternative opportunities for healing. Tracks: PES, EC. F5 Parents with Psychiatric Disabilities Parenting Children with Emotional and Behavioral Challenges Lorraine McMullin will present on issues confronted by parents with psychiatric disabilities in parenting their children with emotional and behavior challenges. She will review barriers to successful parenting including custody challenges. In addition, the presentation will focus on strategies used to effectively parent while negotiating the medical, mental health, educational and other systems for children’s services. This presentation will highlight how parent’s recovery, focus, resiliency and experience with the mental health system can be used as assets. Tracks: PES, EC, MYA. F6 Public Television’s Not Just for Kids: Resources for Adults, Too! Thirteen/WNET and the nationally broadcast A Place of Our Own/Los Niños en Su Casa prepares childcare providers to get their children ready to learn. They will introduce a fantastic resource for childcare providers and help providers get children and their families ready for school. Participants will be introduced to the series and learn about resources and services for childcare providers and low-cost educational activities. Each participant will receive an activity kit for attending the workshop. Tracks: KIN, EC. F7 Please Don’t Pity Me: Youth in Progress Presents Confronting Stereotypes of Youth in Foster Care Designed and implemented in collaboration with the NYS Office of Children and Family Services and the NYS Adolescent Services Resource Network, Youth in Progress (YIP) is a youth-led education and reform initiative to effect change and improvement in the foster care system. One of YIP’s priorities includes dispelling the negative stereotypes associated with youth in foster care. In 2006, youth partnered with the NYS OCFS Bureau of Training to create, star in, co-produce and co-edit a training video entitled “Confronting Stereotypes of Youth in Foster Care,” which addresses the stereotypes young people in foster care face and poses questions about how all of us can help to dispel them. The video is based on the stories of four foster care youth who have embraced their life path and showcases how they have overcome some of their struggles. Come and see the video and find out how it is currently being used in the recruitment and retention of foster, adoptive, and permanency resources for these youth, as well as the training of child care staff at all levels. Tracks: PES, MYA. F8 Home-School Communications: Special Considerations for Grandparents The number of grandparents raising school-aged children seems to increase each year. Let’s talk about how schools can support grandparents and other family members in their role as primary caregivers. We will practice activities that school-based parent educators / parent involvement coordinators can share with families. While incarceration isn’t the only reason that children are cared for by someone other than their parents, it is a growing reason and we will spend some time exploring ways to talk about this very difficult topic with children and their caregivers. Tracks: PES, KIN. |
| Main Conference Page | Home | |
|||
Possibilities | 2008 NYS Child Abuse Prevention Conference | April 7 - 9, 2008 | Albany Marriott |
|||
Conference sponsors: |
|||
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
||
- We're an official partner! |
|
| Prevent Child Abuse NY | 134 S. Swan St. | Albany, NY 12210 | | P: 518-445-1273 | 1-800-CHILDREN | F: 518-436-5889 | | |
