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Permanency
Concurrent Case Planning, Margaret A. Burt, Esq. (54 mins)
Participants will explore the benefits of concurrent case planning and the court's role in its use in a particular dependency case. A review and discussion regarding federal and state statutes relating to permanency and the concurrent case planning policy recently implemented by Arizona CPS should leave participants with a greater understanding of the goals of concurrent case planning: increased participation of parents and family earlier in the dependency process and an overall reduction in unnecessary delays in the permanency process.
Education and Children in Foster Care, Honorable Jane Butler, Commissioner Nandi Muhammad (54 mins)
Some estimates have less than one half of Arizona foster children graduating from high school. These children are far more likely to drop out of school and far less likely to enter college. Disruptions to their school placement and inappropriately matched services are just two factors with which this population has to contend. By becoming familiar with the Judicial Checklists to Meet the Educational Needs of Children and Youth in Foster Care, judicial officers can better equip themselves to ask the right questions to help ensure that foster children have the best opportuntity to succeed.
Engaging Parents Early and Often, Hon. Corey Sanders - Facilitator; Hon. Anna Young, Hon. Richard Weiss, Anna Jure - Panel (116 mins)
Panel discusses what statewide efforts to support and engage parents in the dependency process early and often. Participants will learn of the positive outcomes arising from the use of Parent Partners/Peers in juvenile dependency matters.
SAFE AZ Renovation, Katherine Guffey (75 mins)
This presentation provides an overview of the SAFE AZ, a model designed to build consistency and capacity to provide safe, high quality services to children and families. The goal of SAFE AZ - make the right safety decision for every child using a clearly-defined decision-making process. Shared decision-making includes comprehensive and collaborative training and coaching of DCS employees, service providers, attorneys, and judges. Ensuring the success of SAFE AZ will require changes in daily practice and must include ways to sustain the process in times to come.
Building Strong Families: Empowering Parents with Nurturing Skills, Katherine Guffey, MSW, MS, Executive Consultant to the CEO, Arizona Department of Child Safety (61 Mins)
The New DCS Service Array has the Nurturing Parent Program and the Family Connections Programs as their focus for helping families. The Family Connections Program is a comprehensive family support program designed to assist families in crisis, improve family dynamics, and promote child safety and well-being. The program provides a range of services, including case management, counseling, and skills training to address the unique needs of each family. The Nurturing Parent Program is an evidence-based initiative designed to develop nurturing parenting skills among families. Katherine will explain how DCS integrates these two programs in dependency cases.
The DCS Service Array - A Response to Family Needs, Culture, and Readiness to Change, Katherine Guffey, Arizona Department of Child Safety (120 min)
Picture a DCS investigator meeting with a parent – “Let’s talk about how to strengthen your family to make sure DCS doesn’t get another call.” The agency is undergoing a significant change in the way they deliver key services to families, both before and after the removal of a child. A new range of services has been developed to help encourage growth in a parent’s behavioral, cognitive and emotional characteristics that go hand in hand with protecting their child. Katherine Guffey will talk about the new placement matrix and show how, under the Family First Prevention Service Act, a child can receive services to avoid disruption. She will discuss how the new Nurturing Parenting Program and Family Connections provide services based on a family’s need and not a case status. Katherine will outline the important role that Court Volunteers can play in reviewing and advocating for the appropriate services and outcomes for children and families.
Engaging Fathers Early and Often, Neil Tift, Native American Fatherhood and Families Association (90 mins)
Picture a home without a father – a common event for foster children. Fathers are absent from the homes of 75% of the children placed in foster care nationwide. Engaging fathers of foster children is important, not only for the benefit of the child-father relationship, but also for making placement decisions and gaining access to valuable family resources. Children with involved fathers use less drugs and alcohol, do better in school, and have higher self-esteem and pro-social behaviors. Participants will explore the benefits of effectively engaging fathers, both in the home and in the courtroom .Participants will discuss the rights of nonresident fathers and ways to help ensure more meaningful paternal participation in the case planning process. Hurry and register now.
Parent Peer Support - Making the Difference, Karin Kline and Paula Brunswick, Family Involvement Center (120 mins)
Picture a parent who feels lost in the system, like everyone is against them and just doesn’t understand. Maybe they wish they could talk to someone who had already gone through the same process, someone who could understand what it’s like to walk a mile in their shoes. Enter the Family Involvement Center and Parent Peer Support. Parent Peers have personal experience with the child welfare process and are there to listen and help parents understand. Besides sharing new skills with parents that support positive parenting and self-care, they help them better prepare for court hearings, Child and Family Team meetings, school meetings, and more. More support for parents can mean more success, whether reunification occurs or they are just able to be a more positive part of their child’s life into the future. We know if you attend this session, you will see how Parent Peers can make a difference.
Careful Placement and Care of our Foster Children - The FFPSA, Hon. Joseph Kreamer, Presiding Juvenile Judge, Maricopa County Superior Court (90 mins)
Picture a case manager choosing a caregiver for a new foster child. If family placement is not appropriate or available, what options are there? Newly enacted federal legislation, the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) includes provisions to encourage family like placement for foster children. This presentation will review caregiver options, including the new Qualified Residential Treatment Program caregiver type. The presentation will also include discussion on prevention, namely how to safely stop children from entering or staying in the foster care system for longer than necessary. You won’t want to miss this session.