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Family Team Decision Making - Peggy DeVoy Family Team Decision Making Meetings (FTDM)- A training explaining the "who, what, where, and why" of these vital meetings will be led by Peggy DeVoy, a DCFS Supervisor of FTDM Coordinators. Every child's caregiver should know about these meetings to know how to request one, what the roles are of each person involved, and how to detect if it is being conducted correctly. This is one of the most important ways to advocate for the child in your home and one of the best places to work collectively with everyone involved in creating the plan for a child as the case moves through the system.
Scott is the Clinical Director for Community Youth Services (CYS) in Olympia, Washington. As Clinical Director, Scott oversees the CYS’ Residential Treatment Program, Family Preservation Services, Crisis Family Intervention Services, Foster Care Assessment Program, Comprehensive Assessment Program and Therapeutic Foster Care.
Scott currently sits on a number of regional and statewide committees that address issues related the children and families who are considered “at risk”.
Bullying
Bullying is recognized as significant problem that can negative impact youth and their families. Youth who are in foster care are particularly vulnerable to bullying as victims and as perpetrators. This workshop with address the reasons bullying occurs, what roles youth play in bullying and what caregivers can do to decrease bullying and the impacts of bullying.
Addressing Challenging Behavior
This workshop will offer caregivers real tools to managing escalated behavior. Specific caregiver skills in this workshop include:
Michael Migura, LCDC,
Michael is a trainer for the Cenpatico Foster Care Program. Since 2007, Michael has been building relationships with foster care stakeholders and advocating for needs of children in foster care across Texas. In addition, Michael has over 20 years of experience as a trainer in the Behavioral Health field. Michael currently leads the Cenpatico foster care curriculum development committee, trained extensively on trauma informed care and developed specialized initiatives to target specific needs identified in the community. Additionally, Michael serves as a consultant to Behavior Health and Social Work providers regarding services to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community.
Trauma Training for Caregivers - Michael Migura
This presentation presents basic information about trauma, defines trauma, and addresses different types of traumatic stress. It discusses the effects of trauma on the child including effects on brain development and developmental stages. The presentation also presents ideas about what a caregiver can do to help to maximize the child’s sense of safety; reduce overwhelming emotions; and help the child make new meaning of their trauma history and current experiences.
Self-Care: Preventing Compassion Fatigue and Secondary Traumatic Stress - Michael Migura
Providing care to children with attachment disorder can be very challenging and lead one to experience compassion fatigue or Secondary Traumatic Stress. This presentation defines these two conditions and discusses the importance of self-care as prevention of these conditions.
Objectives
1) Participants will be able to describe the warning signs of compassion fatigue and symptoms of Secondary Traumatic Stress.
2.) Participants will be able to discuss ways in which a child’s trauma may impact attachment and the care giver – child relationship.
3.) Participants will understand the importance of committing to the practice of self-care and develop a self-care plan.
Outline of the workshop (topics to be covered and time allotted each):
Compassion Fatigue and Secondary Traumatic Stress (10 minutes)
Self-Care Basics (10 minutes)
Exposure to Trauma and Its Effects (15 minutes)
Case Studies (15 minutes)
Getting Past STS Activity (10 minutes)
Committing to Self-Care (10 minutes)
Self-Care Plan (15 minutes)
Navigating the College Application Process - Jessica Roberts My name is Jessica Peyton Roberts and I am a Higher Education Consultant working with young adults and their parents to find the best college, financial, and scholarship options to fit their needs.
I consider a student’s ability to effectively communicate in writing the single most important skill determining their success in obtaining academic, funding, and professional opportunities.
I established Aim High Writing to extend my scope to include navigating entire applications processes, including college, graduate school, scholarships, and grants. My mission is to inspire students to aim high with their academic and professional objectives by turning them into confident, competent writers who are comfortable self-advocating in various situations and environments. I also maintain a blog with free information for students and parents about succeeding in a university environment.
Succeeding with Difficult Children - Gary Benton This class has been Cancelled - Gary will present at our Mini-Conference in Tacoma on June 7th 2014 Dealing with difficult children is very challenging and can be emotionally exhausting. Having some strategies to manage these children can help them become more self controlled and can reduce the impact of their behavior on their parents and caregivers. This training will explore ways to manage difficult behavior and to prevent difficult behavior in children. We will look at different developmental stages in children and how to manage behavior based on the age/stage of the child. We will talk about ways to manage the severely behaviorally disturbed child who might have been placed on the autism spectrum and we will talk about ways to maintain our own self control so that we don’t get as easily “hooked” on behaviors and then do or say things that we later regret. The training is fast paced, informative and fun and you will walk out with some specific plans for managing the difficult child in your life.
Penny Michel was a Foster Care Licensor for 10 years. She has taught classes for foster parents, kinship care providers and childcare providers for over 17 years. She is excited to offer the Positive Discipline class to everyone who wants to add positive parenting tools to their parenting skills.
Come and learn Respectful and Effective tools to replace shouting, nagging, bribing and punishing. This class is based on Positive Discipline techniques.
Positive Discipline is for parents who are looking for long-term parenting skills that will encourage their children to think for themselves, become more responsible and have a greater respect for themselves and others. Positive Discipline can offer non-punitive, respectful methods that will incorporate kindness and firmness into parenting, help parents get to the core of their child’s “mis” behavior, bring more joy into the home and give parents the sense of accomplishment. This class is for parents and caregivers of children ages 0-18.
Delpha Hudson
Deltha Hudson is the Recruitment and Retention Liaison for Thurston and Mason Counties with Olive Crest and has been a licensed foster parent in Thurston County for 10 years. She has parented 40 foster children and understands the needs of foster parents and the Foster system. A recent graduate of Saint Martin’s University with a degree in Social Work, Deltha desires to continue her education and complete her Master’s degree with the U of W. She has presented research at Saint Martin’s University, and taught Foster Parents in Lewis County.
Sue Nouguier Sue has a life-long career in Social Services and has been a licensed respite provider for 6 years, providing respite care for Foster Families and private citizens. She completed a Master’s program in Counseling Psychology and is working toward licensure as a mental health therapist with Olympia Therapy, LLC. Among other things, Sue has taught Foster Parents in Lewis County, organized, facilitated, and conducted various classes and self-help groups, including nutrition, self-esteem, communication skills, anger management, parenting, a self-discipline book group, and a sexual assault support group. She has 40+ years dealing with family and childhood issues, women, working approximately 20 years with homeless, mentally ill, post-deployed veterans, and disabled populations. Sue has training in Mediation and Foster Parenting, and has a heart for Foster Families.
Got Respite? Opportunity for Self Care - Delpha Hudson & Sue Nouguier This training focuses on teaching foster parents/kinship providers and adoptive parents to recognize and accept the necessity for self-care, which may involve time away from their children. Participants will learn to: identify early symptoms of stress overload and compassion fatigue, recognize times and ways to use respite, identify respite providers, understand the process of becoming a non-licensed respite provider, discuss methods to create successful respite experiences for both the children and respite provider, navigate funding and payment, and create a positive and supportive working experience for foster parents/kinship providers/adoptive parents and respite providers.
A small portion of the class will be spent discussing the Division of Licensed Resources (DLR) required paperwork to complete the simple process to be a non-licensed respite provider for licensed foster homes (State and Private Agencies). It is important for all caregivers to identify people in their “circle of support” as potential respite providers so they can “Take a Break” and take care of themselves for a change. Mike Canfield Is the Co-President of FPAWS, 30 year Veteran Foster Parent and a Washington State Aggression Replacement Training Master Trainer and Consultant. Invitation to Washington State Aggression Replacement Training (WSART) - Mike Canfield
Invitation to WSART is intended to invite trainees to gain an understanding of Aggression Replacement Training (ART). It takes years to develop our skill sets to deal with anger provoking situations. How we handle these situations can greatly impact our lives and the lives of those around us. Everyone gets angry. What we do next can change everything.
In these three hours we will cover: Social Skills Training:These are the skills successful people use when their anger interferes with their needs getting met. Anger Control Training: This is one skill that allows us to stay in control of ourselves even when we are angry. Moral Reasoning Training: This training looks at how our thinking and our thinking errors allow us to hurt others and ourselves. Our thinking leads to our behavior, so we should think about our thinking.. With more knowledge we can think differently and act differently. The goal is to invite you to see WSART as a tool for taking young lives back from trouble and getting them on the right path.
Mary McGauhey
Mary is and Director for FPAWS and answers the FPAWS 1-800 number, a veteran foster parent and trainer in Region 3 who cares for Developmentally Delayed Treatment Foster youth. Mary is a volunteer on the task force for educating foster families concerning the mental health system through the Bright Futures grant. She has been a therapeutic foster parent for 13 years and has fostered for over 35 children specializing in developmental delays and mental health issues. She developed and coordinated a respite program for children from families impacted by mental health issues with Compass Mental Health. She has been a trainer and advocate for families with special needs children; assisting with resolution of Special Education and IEP issues, since 1977. Currently, she is developing a foster family support program, “Heart Beat” in Snohomish County for foster/kinship families with Native American children.
Letters of Understanding - Mary McGauhey
WHAT IT IS?
It is written documentation of your perception of a meeting or phone call with someone, and any agreements made during the meeting or conversation. I.e. who is going to do what…..
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
If you ever played the game of “secrets” as a child you will remember the ending statement is always different from what it began as. The same discussion will be remembered differently by the people involved depending on their focus at the time. For teams to work their best it is important that all parts of the team are on the same page- have the same understandings and goal. When a conversation or discussion about a team function happens it is important for it to be accurately understood by all parties to the conversation or discussion. In other words, write it down. If it isn’t written it doesn’t really exist except as a memory and that takes you back to the memory game. Sometimes important issues come down to a difference of who said what EXACTLY.
Yolonda Marzest earned her BASW and MSW degrees from the University of Washington, in Seattle, Washington.
Ms. Marzest has worked in the field of child welfare for 25 years. Ms. Marzest is a former Child Protective Service social worker and Indian Child Welfare Social Welfare social worker specializing in working with children and families in the Native American community.
Additionally Ms. Marzest also has 15+ years experience as a Mental Health Professional. Currently works as a Supervisor/Hospital Authorizer Mental Health professional at the King County Crisis Clinic. And, has served in past positions as Mental Health Professional for Sound Mental Health (formerly Seattle Mental Health); and Geriatric Medical Social Worker at Life Care at Home.
Ms. Marzest has a passion and commitment to serving children and families in crises and has dedicated her life to working to give all children a right to a better life. Ms. Marzest is committed to helping and assisting African American elders and communities of color to empowerment.
Ms. Marzest has been a RFTI Trainer with Children’s Administration and a Continuing Education Coordinator and Foster Parent/Kinship Caretaker Trainer. Currently the Manager of Program Operations Region 2 Child Welfare Trainers, Alliance For Child Welfare Excellence, School of Social Work, UW.
Tools & Skills for Caregivers:
A Focus on Race, Ethnicity & Cultural Difference Yolonda Marzest, MSW, MHP
This training comes from the FIRST prospective, Deena covers allegations and how to avoid them. detailed PowerPoint and a complete handout if you like.
Lynn Urvina has been the Kinship Navigator for Thurston, Lewis, and Mason Counties for the past six years. She works at Family Education and Support Services, a non-profit agency located in Olympia, WA. Lynn administers the area's Kinship Caregiver Support Program, which offers annual financial assistance to low-income kinship caregivers. Lynn coordinates kinship support groups and helps caregivers "navigate" through varies systems, including family courts, CPS, and educational systems.
Lynn and her husband Lars have adopted one granddaughter, who is now 10 years old. They currently have another seven year old granddaughter placed in their care by CPS. They are the biological parents of four adult children and have a total of 14 grandchildren. Lynn is the first Kinship Representative on the FPAWS Board of Directors.
Kinship Matters - Lynn Urvina
What is Kinship Care and why does it matter?
Explore the definition of kinship care and learn about the different systems that place children in the care and custody of relatives.
Learn the difference between Relative Placement, Non-Parental Custody, Informal Placements and how these can affect permanency for children in kinship care.
What resources are available to kinship caregivers in Washington State? How do you locate resources in your community?
How can you advocate for kinship children in need of medical, dental or mental health care?
Legislative advocacy for policies and laws benefiting kinship families - What can you do?
