The Level of Care (LOC) Matrix protocol updates the decades-old method of determining a rate based on a child’s age. The new protocol is designed to match the daily care and supervision needs of a child or youth based on level of intensity and the abilities of the resource family; which translates to a rate. Come hear the basics; updates and how some counties and providers are implementing the new protocol.

The role of juvenile probation is to reduce recidivism; to maintain and return youth as law-abiding members of the community. Probation officers are tasked with balancing responsibilities of community safety; youth safety and rehabilitation and treatment. This is an opportunity to gain an understanding of the role and responsibilities of probation officers; the juvenile court process and services provided to youth.

Learn how TCOM can be effectively integrated into the Wraparound process to promote success. Training will demonstrate how to use Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) on multiple levels: increasing team collaboration and communication in the context of the Child and Family Team (CFT); engaging in team treatment planning; enhancing oversight and supervision; and monitoring outcomes for families. Leave with tools for utilizing TCOM within the Wraparound context and a success story of how TCOM integration has had a positive impact on outcomes reporting.

FFT is a short-term evidence-based intervention that focuses on the strengths in the family; community; school and neighborhood. The goal of FF T is to reduce criminal offending and out-of-home placements. Probation has trained two teams to administer FF T. They have been formally trained and receive ongoing training and assistance to ensure that they are providing this evidence-based service with fidelity. Come learn how this was done and how you can use FFT.

This workshop will provide information on collaboration efforts between public agencies and community partners to effectively implement the Continuum of Care Reform (CCR) initiative. It will discuss the collaborative relationships among Child Welfare Services; Mental Health; Probation; TulareWORKS; Tulare County Office of Education and Parenting Network (parent partners). The workshop will also discuss the implementation of Child and Family Team (CFT) meetings in Tulare County that started with a pilot program in 2016.

In 2017; California implemented the Resource Family Approval (RFA) Program. RFA is a unified; family friendly and child-centered process created to replace the existing multiple processes for licensing foster family homes and approving relatives and non-relative extended family members as foster-care providers; as well as approving families for legal guardianship or adoption. The RFA Program eliminates duplication; coordinates approval standards and provides a comprehensive assessment of all families; to expedite permanency for children and youth served by the Child Welfare and Juvenile Probation Departments. This training aims to orient participants to the RFA Program and explore ways participants can support families and youth impacted by RFA through their professional roles.

As the healthcare system evolves to meet the changing demands of an increasingly diverse nation; creating an equally prepared system of services that address these needs has become a top priority for all service providers. Dr. Isaiah Pickens will discuss the challenges for families of navigating within and across systems and the promise of integrating a relationship-based framework to meet their needs; while providing evidence-based care. This keynote address will inspire service providers to use relationships for building resilience in both their clients and themselves.

Effective July 1; 2017; when a child or youth in foster care is placed outside his or her county of jurisdiction; the responsibility to provide; arrange and pay for specialty mental health services changes. Presumptive transfer sounds like a complicated government administrative process because it is. This workshop will provide an explanation of what this process is; who is affected by it and how it can be managed effectively.

This workshop will cover considerations for supervisors who are responsible for training; coaching and supervising team members that attend and participate in Child and Family Team meetings. Several models that support staff development; family-centered practice; and organizational accountability will be presented.

In 2018; the landscape of services for children and families being served in California Child Welfare Services has continued to evolve. One recent evolution is the use of Child and Family Teams as a vehicle for team planning. Child and Family Teaming (CFT) must integrate practices; services and supports for children; youth; non-minor dependents (NM Ds) and families in care. Two of the major practices to integrate with the CFT mandate include Safety Organized Practice (SOP) and Team Decision-Making (TDM) meetings. SOP is a collaborative practice approach that emphasizes the importance of teamwork in child welfare; and TDM is a facilitated team meeting structure to address placement issues for children involved or potentially involved in foster care. This workshop will focus on the promising practices and art of integrating SOP and TDM into a CFT process. Participants will leave with increased capacity to create one teaming process that meets the needs of the child; youth; NM D; parent; family agency and community.

Engagement is a word commonly used to describe a practice that should be used by all who serve youth and families. Engaging staff at all levels of an organization is just as critical. But what does that look like? How do we engage others and create the relational foundation essential to support the application of best practices? In this workshop; participants will learn the role neuroscience plays in how we engage others; they will understand how to create an environment that encourages reflection and supports dialogue that identifies barriers to engagement; and they will leave with tools and strategies that they can apply immediately to create meaningful conversations within the organization and with families.

Plan to attend this highly interactive workshop if you have been wondering how to propel yourself forward and achieve your goals and objectives by aligning the outcomes you desire with your greatest natural talents and strengths. Discover what Gallup; Inc. has done with critical thinking to support us in learning to tap into who we already are to maximize our productivity! Be willing to practice some basic coaching skills with colleagues in this session. If you are experiencing a transition in your life (professionally or personally); leave this session inspired to take your next steps--moving into action toward making that significant difference you desire to make in the lives of the people we serve!

In this three-hour workshop; we will begin the conversation about cultural competency; privilege; oppression and humility. This course focuses on personal; and often unquestioned; beliefs and experiences in an attempt to enhance learning about cultural competence; increase humility in working with others and begin to be more open to examining the world from various perspectives. We will discuss entering into situations with humility; willing to learn from others; and being open and honest with ourselves about our own identities; privileges; oppression and growth opportunities.

In December 2011; the State of California entered into a settlement agreement of the class action lawsuit Katie A v. Bonta. Therapeutic Foster Care (TFC) is one of the Specialty Mental Health Services that became available as a result of this settlement. This workshop will provide background as to how California’s TFC service model; TFC parent training topics and learning objectives evolved. Presenters will walk participants through the TFC Training Resource Toolkit; which was created to provide information and resources to assist TFC agencies to develop a TFC parent training program.

The purpose of this workshop is to provide an overview of the STRTPs versus group homes; per the enactment of the Continuum of Care Reform (CCR). The CCR’s mission is to improve outcomes for foster children through a decreased dependence on congregate care and an increased reliance on loving; nurturing families. The overview will cover the shift away from congregate care and the formation of STRTPs and how they fit into California’s foster care system.

Materials for classroom use and reference for "Advanced Analytics in CW Administration" training

This thirty minute presentation serves as a preview/orientation to the Northern California Training Academy's in-person training: Advanced Analytics for Child Welfare Administration. To learn more about the Academy and upcoming courses, please visit humanservices.ucdavis.edu/Academy

This curriculum, which may be used in whole or in part, offers an overview of foster care, background on the characteristics of kin and non-kin foster parents, and trends in foster care. Special emphasis is placed on foster care recruitment, training, and retention efforts as well as the foster care payment rate structure. A comprehensive look at the elements that comprise quality of care in kinship and non-related foster homes is included. The curriculum highlights the philosophical reasons for providing quality care, the history and philosophy of kinship care, a legal history and brief policy analysis of kinship care, and domains of quality. Practice tips for child welfare workers and administrators are included, as well as a chapter where kin and non-kin foster parents address their relationship with the child welfare system and recent child welfare policies affecting foster parents and kinship caregivers. (332 pages)Berrick, J. D., Needell, B., Shlonsky, A., Simmel, C., & Pedrucci, C. (1998).

While interventions and outcomes can feel like opposite ends of the Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) spectrum; they are more closely related then most realize. This workshop will help participants link the daily work of interventions with the larger task of improving outcomes. Participants will gain a basic knowledge of the California Well-Being Project (which includes the interventions of Wraparound and Safety Organized Practice) as well as the California Case Review process.

Come learn about California’s QPI effort to transform foster care by re-orienting system practice and policy to meet the core developmental needs of children and youth through prioritizing excellent; loving parenting. Although child development; brain and trauma research have definitively established excellent parenting as a foundational element to support healthy child and youth development and well-being; systems have often undermined; rather than supported; effective parenting. Approximately 70 jurisdictions in 10 states; including 26 counties in California; have joined the QPI movement. Families; youth; agency leaders and staff; judicial partners and community agencies are working in partnership to make the practice; culture and policy changes necessary to prioritize relationships and ensure the healthy development of children and youth in child welfare.