Workshops

For presenter bios, click here

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Family First: Designing a Blue Print to Implement Evidence-Based Trauma-Informed Services in Virginia

Laura Reed, Virginia Department of Social Services and Lisa Jobe-Shields, University of Richmond

Presentation Handout

Come learn about the Family First Prevention Services Act (Family First), which was signed into federal law in February 2018, and the Three Branch Model, which launched in June 2018 to implement this landmark legislation in Virginia.  This workshop will provide an overview of how all three branches of government are working together to address critical child welfare issues and will highlight the implementation plan for Family First, with a special focus on recent survey findings that will inform the ongoing development of a continuum of evidence-based, trauma-informed services for Virginia’s child welfare system. 

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Community-Based Prevention and Intervention in Fairfax: A Local Look at Collaborative Efforts to Support Youth and Families

Allison Lowry, Fairfax Department of Human Services and Mary Jo Davis, Fairfax County Public Schools

Presentation

Neighborhood Networks is a prevention / early intervention program administered in partnership with the public school system. Families are identified by school personnel and referred to this voluntary program to help them build upon their own support networks to strengthen their families and keep their children safe. This workshop will include an overview of this innovative program and review its development including lessons learned and outcomes, the exploration of creative funding opportunities, and strategies for utilizing a systems-approach for prevention work.

 

ACEs Connection Network’s Growing Resilient Communities 2.0 and Community Tracker

Samantha Sangenito, ACEs Connection Network

Presentation Webinar Link

Learn about ACEs Connection Network – comprised of ACEsTooHigh.com, a news site for the general public, and its accompanying social network, ACEsConnection.com. Both sites focus on adverse childhood experiences science and how people are implementing trauma-informed and resilience-building practices based on that science. Dive into how Virginia communities and others across the country are using the Network to support local ACEs initiatives, as well as the tools that can help measure their progress.

 

Health, Racial Equity and Trauma-Informed Care

Gabriela Alcalde, Richmond Memorial Health Foundation

Jackie Washington, Six Point Innovation Center at Storefront for Community Design

Presentation 

This session will provide a framework for understanding how trauma-informed care (TIC) fits within the broader understanding and approaches to health, while examining how health equity and racial equity overlap and differ from the TIC approach. Participants will have an opportunity to discuss how a racial equity analysis could inform and complement a TIC approach and practice.

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Improving Child Outcomes by Strengthening Adult Capacities

Dr. Debbie Blackburn and Dr. Jennine Moritz, Partners in Parenting, PC

This workshop draws on cutting edge research and tools from the Harvard Center for the Developing Child and Circle of Security® International.  We will examine and share a map for building core adult competencies in parents and explore how we as helping professionals can deliver services in a way that enhances parents’ self-efficacy, reduces stress, and increases engagement.  We will also review the latest brain research on understanding motivation and factors contributing to active learning and participation in programs intended to support parents and children facing adversity.  This training is intended for child welfare, mental health, juvenile justice, and education providers.  Workshop participants will leave with new ideas and tools to support their work with parents. 

 

Modeling the Way:  The Power of Reflective Practice

Sheri Parcell, Families Forward Virginia and Juliana Weaver, Jefferson Area CHIP

Presentation  

Obtaining positive outcomes for children means we need an intentional approach for supporting and empowering every single person involved in the life of a child. By embracing and practicing a reflective approach at all levels, we can build a circle of support for providers and agencies that are involved in helping children grow up healthier and happier. Let’s talk about what that circle of support looks like and how we can organizationally integrate parallel, reflective practices that promote better outcomes for children and families; and increased job satisfaction for us. We’ll talk about the challenges of a reflective approach consider strategies for managing them, and reflect on our individual roles in taking this approach deeper into practice.

 

Mindfulness Using the Five Senses

Margo Buchanan, Greater Richmond SCAN and Annette Nelms, Mindful Matters, LLC

During this workshop, participants will gain an understanding of the why and the how of practicing mindfulness. Presenters will explain what mindfulness practice is and how it can affect the brain by increasing awareness of the body and mind, increasing attention and focus and decreasing emotionally reactivity. Participants will then participate in mindfulness practices for all five senses, making these practices accessible throughout our day.

 

CDC’s Child Abuse and Neglect Technical Package

Dr. Melissa Merrick, CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control

From a public health perspective, preventing early adversity before it begins by promoting safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments is strategic in order to achieve multiple health, well-being, and productivity goals across generations. To assure the conditions that prevent many early adversities, like child abuse and neglect, from occurring in the first place, comprehensive approaches that minimize risk factors and promote protective factors at all levels of the social ecology are critically important, particularly at the societal level. Learn strategies outlined in CDC’s Child Abuse and Neglect Technical Package and policies that improve the socioeconomic conditions of families to satisfy children’s basic needs, reducing risk factors for child abuse and neglect. The policies will be discussed within a health equity frame and will highlight the important role we all play in prevention.

 

Safeguarding Children from Sexual Abuse – A Training Resource Toolkit

Ian M. Danielsen and Emily Burleson, Longwood University

Social workers and other human services professionals are in a unique position to serve as effective trainers in child sexual abuse training models. Their “front line” expertise enables them to enhance the content found in curriculum-based trainings, through the sharing of direct experiences and resultant practice wisdom.  Come learn about four different community-based prevention trainings, including Stewards of Children® by Darkness to Light and Safe Church by Praesidium, and how you can teach others to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to child sexual abuse.  Workshop participants will also experience a mock training segment, bringing to life what child abuse prevention training “looks and feels like” when quality content is facilitated by seasoned professionals.

 

Advocating for a Trauma-Informed Virginia

Emily Griffey and Allison Gilbreath, Voices for Virginia’s Children

Handout Presentation

Voices for Virginia’s Children leads the Campaign for a Trauma-Informed Virginia. This year, 40 organizations developed and advocated for a Unified Policy Agenda to promote trauma-informed policy and practice. Learn about the creation of the Campaign and the Unified Agenda and how partners were involved in advocacy efforts through storytelling, participating in advocacy days, and meeting with legislators.  This workshop will also highlight other tips for advocating at the state level.

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Parent Leadership:  Effecting Community Change

Donna Guevara and Rachel Miller, Virginia Parent Council and Julie Rivnak-McAdam, Families Forward Virginia

Presentation Handout Handout Handout Handout Handout

This workshop will focus on how agencies can bring about meaningful parent involvement in their programs. Families Forward Virginia believes that parents need to be “at the table” defining the needs of their family and the families in their community.  This workshop will include two parents sharing their experience as parent leaders and the work of the Virginia Parent Council. Attendees will learn new ways to encourage parents to succeed as more effective leaders in their family, their child’s school and their community.

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The Greater Richmond Trauma-Informed Community Network: Highlight on Trauma Screening Regional Collaborative

Gretchen Brown and Elizabeth Scholla, Henrico Department of Social Services, Lisa Tully, Virginia Department of Social Services, and Lisa Wright, Greater Richmond SCAN

Presentation Handout

This workshop will provide an overview of how a group of individuals who share a commitment towards the creation of a more trauma informed and resilient community within the Greater Richmond region joined together to build the Greater Richmond Trauma-Informed Community Network (GRTICN). Presenters will provide the history of the GRTICN, the collective impact approach, committee structures and a variety of impacts the GRTICN has had across the region and beyond. Panel members from a local agency will share about their collaborative work with the GRTICN and specifically about the pilot implementation of the modified North Carolina Project Broadcast Brief Trauma Screening Tool with children and families involved with the child welfare system.  A CPS investigator who has been implementing the tool for 4 years will share specific case examples. In addition, the Central Regional Foster Care Program Consultant will share about how the Virginia Department of Social Services serves as the conduit between local departments of social services and best practice efforts across the region.

 

Good News! Simple Tools for Resilience, Self-Regulation and Healing

Dr. Linda Chamberlain, Alaska Family Violence Prevention Project

In this skill-based workshop, participants will learn about the neurobiology of stress and practice brain-body tools that improve self-regulation, buffer stress and prevent compassion fatigue. Breath work, movement, visualization, HeartMath, and other simple strategies that can be easily taught to children, adults and families, individually, and in groups will be demonstrated. These techniques are used in a wide range of settings including clinical practice, family violence services and shelters, early education programs, schools, youth services, family shelters, refugee camps and areas of conflict. Dr. Chamberlain will highlight her work with Capacitar International, a popular education approach that is being used in more than 40 countries to empower families and communities with tools to promote resilience and self-regulation. 

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Unlocking the Power of ACE, Trauma and Resilience Networks:  Lessons Learned from the Field

Leslie Lieberman, Health Federation of Philadelphia

Presentation

In this interactive workshop, participants will learn how to unlock the power of local cross-sector networks to foster community resilience.  Leslie Lieberman will draw upon her experience as a founding member and leader of the Philadelphia ACE Task Force, a developer of the Community Resilience Cookbook and director of the Mobilizing Action for Resilient Communities (MARC) initiative.  Key lessons learned, challenges encountered and overcome and tools and resources will be shared.

 

Achieving Success Through Diversity and Inclusion:  Recognizing and Challenging Our Own Unconscious Bias

Anne Gibbons, Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities

Handout

This workshop is designed for individuals, regardless of your professional role, to learn about unconscious bias and how it impacts our work with clients as well as with one another.  Using real life examples, personal reflection and thought-provoking activities, participants will receive an overview in diversity awareness and bias reduction and learn basic skills for building a more inclusive environment in the work place.

 

Circle of Parents:  Helping Parents Succeed

Olivya Wilson and Teresa Jackson, Greater Richmond SCAN, Keli Lichty, NRV Cares, Cecilia Gonzales, Family Focus, Rachel Miller, Virginia Parent Council, and Julie Rivnak-McAdam, Families Forward Virginia

Presentation Handout Handout Handout Handout Handout

Learn about the dynamics of parent support group programs, which assist parents in developing stronger, more positive relationships with their family. A panel of Circle of Parents facilitators and parent leaders will share their experience with this effective program model that helps parents succeed at home and in their community.

 

Building Resilience Through Engagement:  A Survivor’s Story

Pam Wong, Norfolk Department of Human Services and Devitta Jones, Advocate

Presentation

Despite experiences in a foster care system that failed her, hear the journey and success story of a survivor and advocate now helping others find hope and healing.  Participants will better understand the effects of trauma on the brain and behavior, and learn how to develop resilience to break the cycle of abuse and neglect.

   

Telling the Prevention Story:  Turning your Data into a Compelling Narrative for Funders, Stakeholders and Community Members
MaryJo Caruso, FRIENDS National Resource Center for Community Based Child Abuse Prevention 

This skill building workshop will support attendees to effectively communicate their child abuse prevention message. In an interactive format, participants will learn how to describe the impact of their efforts, utilize program data to enhance their continuous quality improvement process and share their outcomes with a variety of audiences.  Attendees will develop an understanding of the elements of effective storytelling and how to organize narratives that depict their program’s impact and encourage listeners to form an understanding of the programs being described.  Participants will be able identify the data needs of their audience and utilize strategies to turn that information into compelling, accurate, and succinct messaging that describes their program’s practices and effectiveness which can lead to generating social capital and support.

 

Change in Mind:  Applying Lessons Learned on Brain Science Integration

Jennifer Jones, Change in Mind Institute at the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities and Gabriel McGaughey, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin

Presentation Presentation

Stress from housing instability can impair parent functioning and increase the risk for child maltreatment.  Complex challenges like these require systems-based solutions.  This workshop will be a deeper dive into the keynote presentation on the Change in Mind Initiative, brain science, systems change, and the HOMES Initiative, a systemic intervention focused on housing and child maltreatment prevention. Attendees will learn about how brain science can inform policy, drivers of systems change, and the role of strategic learning in advancing solutions to complex problems.  

 

Strengths-Based Approaches That Build Positive Parent-Child Relationships and Foster Resilience

Sue Geller, Wingspan

Handout

Participants will gain an understanding of stressors and issues that parents face that may impede their positive parenting.  Evidence-based approaches to build on parents’ strengths and improve their relationships with their children will be highlighted including calming down methods, caring and nurturing, and conflict resolution.  An array of easy-to-use, practical resources will be shared.

 

Women and Addiction Across the Lifespan

Dr. Caitlin Martin, Virginia Commonwealth University Obstetrics and Gynecology

Presentation

Addiction impacts families in many ways. Even though women are less commonly diagnosed with a substance use disorder than men, women generally are more severely afflicted by this disease and its co-morbidities. Providing comprehensive compassionate care to women with addiction requires a tailored approach. Come learn about addiction, the current epidemiology of substance use disorder among women, neonatal abstinence syndrome, and the advantages of opioid use disorder pharmacotherapies in the context of the mother child dyad.  You will also learn how to recognize common co-morbidities of and recommended components of specialized care for women with addiction across the life, including postpartum women.

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Redefining Possibilities:  A Creative Approach to Service Development

Elizabeth Clark, Hampton Department of Human Services

This session will highlight the creative service development in areas of safety, supervision, and support in the City of Hampton.  This has led to a reduced number of young people entering the foster care system, eliminated the use of congregate placements for over ten years, and increased the positive outcomes for children and families.  A snapshot of these services will be reviewed highlighting the positive impact of collaborative and creative service development and delivery to the most vulnerable youth and families in the child welfare system.