Advocating for safe children, stable families, and supportive communities
37 West Broad Street, Suite 1100
Columbus, OH 43215 — 614-224-5802

2022 Conference Workshops

Overview

All workshops are in-person and are listed in chronological order. Information provided about each workshop is intended as guidance for workshop selection. Attendees may register for any workshop that interests them. Social Works continuing education units (CEUs) are signified with the letters “SW,” counselor CEUs with the letter “C,” continuing legal education credits with the letters “CLE,” Ethics credit with the word “Ethics,” and Supervision with the word “Supervision.”

View the agenda at-a-glance.


September 19 Morning Session

PROVIDING A QUALITY UPP PLACEMENT
Dr. Linda Helm, UPP Campus Coordinators, UPP Field Instructors
Audience: Caseworkers, Supervisors/managers, Directors/administrators
Credits: 3 hours training certificate credit, SW, C, supervision

Workshop Description


UPP students are recruited to the child welfare field, spend two semester in field placement and then take employment at their field placement agency. Providing a field placement is a recruitment activity. This workshop will define the nine competencies required for university field placement learning agreements and identify learning activities to support the university competencies for field placements. Discussion and brainstorming will develop learning activities to be implemented during the field placement to support transfer of learning. The learning activities will be organized to extend over two semesters. Discussion of how to appraise the quality and appropriateness of learning activities will occur in small groups. Each group will develop learning activities specific to unit and student degree. UPP Campus Coordinators and current agency Supervisors/ Field Instructors will lead the discussion.


Presenter Bio


Dr. Linda Helm, MSW, PhD, LISW-S
Linda Helm, MSW, PhD, LISW-S is the Asst. State Director of UPP and Research and Evaluation for OUCCAS. She has served as Senior Lecturer and the UPP Campus Coordinator at The Ohio State University in the College of Social Work from 2004 to 2022. Her social work practice has included extensive work within the mental health and child welfare settings. Her research and teaching experience are in child abuse and neglect, trauma, and social work supervision. She worked on the Citizen Review Panel Redesign for Ohio and was been a national CRP board member.


SOCIAL MEDIA USE IN CHILD WELFARE: PRIVACY, PROTECTION, AND ETHICS IN ENGAGEMENT
Rick Dencer
Audience: Caseworkers, Supervisors/managers, Directors/administrators
Credits: 3 hours training certificate credit, SW, C, ethics

Workshop Description


This workshop will focus on structuring social media usage to maintain privacy, for the PCSA staff and for the families served. Topics will include the ethics of searching and engagement using social media as a tool while also being accountable to your agency’s brand. During this workshop we will discuss ideas for documenting key information found in searches, sample messages and strategies for safe engagement, and how to protect yourself and your family from intrusion. This workshop will include strategies for maintaining both physical and online safety and how to uphold professional boundaries with families. Participants will discuss the standards of ethical practice and professional conduct rule of “multiple relationships” and considerations for virtual or online communities. During this workshop, participants will examine the state and federal legislative support for diligent family search and engagement efforts, and how social media is a powerful tool in this area. Discussion will include how policy guides practice and how ongoing learning can be supported through training and supervision.


Presenter Bio


Rick Dencer
Rick Dencer is the Statewide FSE Trainer for Kinnect. He trains PCSA staff across Ohio in family search and engagement (S.E.E.K.), as well as search technology, genogram building, social media usage and ethics, and policy and workflow development for agency leadership. Previously, he served as the Kinnect to Family Coach for the Northeast Region of the State, where he provided support to the Kinnect to Family Teams through ensuring fidelity to the model, case guidance, and barrier busting. Prior to Kinnect, he was Case Manager/Intake Investigator Supervisor of a county Child Support Enforcement Agency, where he supervised the daily operations of the Intake Department and the Support Order Management Team. He began his career in community mental health, where he spent nine years, culminating in Supervising the C&Y CTT Program, the CCFT (Continued Child and Family Treatment) Team, and a specialty pilot program for the Bureau of Tenncare.


UNDERSTANDING POLICY & PRACTICE TO SUPPORT THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY
Nikki Dertouzos, Heather Jamison
Audience: Attorneys, Caseworkers, Supervisors/managers, Directors/administrators, Counselors/clinicians
Credits: 3 hours training certificate credit, SW, C, ethics, CLE

Workshop Description


Laws and policy impacting Trans youth and other LGTBQ individuals are ever changing. In this workshop we will review the current status of legal protections in the state of Ohio while building understanding and skills towards being an Ally to the LGBTQ+ Community with our families, youth, and colleagues. Participants expect to have basic level of familiarity with LGBTQ+ community terminology; materials for self-study will be provided in advance to optimize our workshop time in practicing ability.


Presenter Bios


Nikki Dertouzos, JD
Nikki Burns Dertouzos, JD is an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney in Lorain County, Ohio representing Lorain County Children Services in all areas of Abuse, Neglect, and Dependency cases. Before coming to the Prosecutor’s office, Nikki maintained a private practice handling Abuse, Neglect, and Dependency cases on behalf of parents and was an Attorney Guardian ad Litem. She also served as the Coordinator for the Lorain County Reentry Coalition. Nikki was an inaugural member of the Board of Directors for LGBTQ+ Lorain County where she helped develop their Safe Zone Training and a train the trainer curriculum. Nikki earned a Bachelor’s Degree from Hiram College and a Juris Doctor from Case Western Reserve University.

Heather Jamison, MSSA, LISW-S
Heather (she/her) has worked at public children service agencies in Ohio for 13 years. Heather has a Master of Science in Social Administration from Case Western Reserve University. While earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work, she participated in the University Partnership Program with Ohio University. Heather has been a Safe Zone facilitator with LGBTQ+ Lorain County since 2019, working to make Lorain county a safe and inclusive place to work, play, and live.


OVERVIEW OF PLANS OF SAFE CARE
Sarah Fortner, Stacey Bergstrom, Elyssa Wanosik
Audience: Caseworkers, Supervisors/managers, Directors/administrators
Credits: 2 hours training certificate credit, SW, C

Workshop Description


This training will focus on educating child welfare workers on what the Comprehensive Addiction Recovery Act (CARA) is, as well as Plans of Safe Care (POSC) and how they interconnect with child welfare. Participants will be provided information on how you engage community partners in obtaining information for a POSC, how to develop a POSC and how a POSC is monitored. Participants will hear how Fairfield County Protective Services built a collaborative system around the development and monitoring of Plans of Safe Care. Resources will be provided to participants that assisted in the creation and implementation of POSC in Fairfield County.


Presenter Bios


Sarah Fortner
Sarah Fortner obtained her Bachelor of Specialized Studies from Ohio University in 2005. In 2006, Sarah began her career with Fairfield County Child Protective Services. Since joining Protective Services she has served in the capacity of an Intake Caseworker, Intake Supervisor, Screening Supervisor, Business Administration Supervisor, Family Preservation Manager and currently as the Assistance Deputy Director. Over the years, Sarah has participated in several collaborative meetings and community groups which are focused on service enhancement for the children and families of Fairfield County.

Stacey Bergstrom
Stacey Bergstrom is a Family Services Manager with Fairfield County Job & Family Services. She previously worked as the Screening Decision Making Supervisor and Ongoing Supervisor and before that, was an ongoing caseworker for about seven years. She has worked in child welfare for about 14 years total. Stacey has a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Education from Ohio University. She also trains Caseworker Core through the Ohio Child Welfare Training Center.

Elyssa Wanosik, MPA
Elyssa Wanosik, MPA, is the Family Preservation Manager at Fairfield County Protective Services. She has worked in child welfare for the past 15 years as an intake and ongoing caseworker, intake supervisor, and currently manages the intake and adult protective services units in Fairfield County. Elyssa has a Bachelor of Science from Baldwin Wallace University and a Master of Public Administration from The University of Akron.


PARTNERING CREATIVELY: KEEPING FAMILIES IN RECOVERY TOGETHER THROUGH INTENSE FAMILY SEARCH AND ENGAGEMENT
Shelbe Brown
Audience: Supervisors/managers, Caseworkers, Directors/administrators, Counselors/clinicians
Credits: 2 hours training certificate credit, SW

Workshop Description


Kinnect to Family, an intense, short-term family finding intervention, and Ohio Start, a program that stabilizes families harmed by parental drug use, partnered together to integrate services for families. Both teams work together with the goals of increasing family involvement and supports, and decreasing days children spend in foster care. This panel will share lessons learned, barriers overcome, and highlight family search and engagement strategies. This pilot includes engaging families prior to court-involvement. The team focuses on kinship supports, backup placements, parental supports, and genogram creation to prevent custody episodes. These two unique programs continue to refine the implementation process to transform the practice of family engagement for Ohio’s children.


Presenter Bio


Shelbe Brown, MA, RA
Shelbe Brown has a Bachelor of Science in Social Justice and Public Policy and a Master of Arts in Professional Counseling. She is currently the Ohio Start Family Specialist with Kinnect to Family, a unique pilot partnership in Ohio venturing into the possibilities of prevention in the child welfare space. Shelbe has experience teaching in higher education on the topics of mental health, sexual violence prevention, and human trafficking. She has worked in many aspects of victim services and with child advocacy centers serving human trafficking survivors and survivors of child sexual abuse. She was a SOAP Project Liberator Award Finalist in 2019 and has spoken at the Ohio State House at multiple Annual Human Trafficking Days.



September 19 Afternoon Session

CARESOURCE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH RESPITE
Pam Sanborn, Lorie Stadtmiller, Aditi Naik
Audience: Caseworkers, Supervisors/managers, Counselors/clinicians
Credits: 2 hours training certificate credit

Workshop Description


The Child & Family Health Collaborative of Ohio partnered with CareSource to pilot a statewide Behavioral Health Respite Care Program that offers therapeutic relief and breaks for families and caregivers of CareSource members. This breakout session is designed to bring awareness to the respite programming along with outcomes data and successes of the program.


Presenter Bios


Pam Sanborn
Pam is a Behavioral Health Lead with CareSource and she focuses on Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health and Quality Outcomes and Improvement since 2020. Pam has experience working in the juvenile justice system, and in youth residential and community support programming . She has also spent time working in the hospital systems—both rural and city—in Central Ohio and has experience working in the Emergency Department, outpatient clinics, and inpatient settings, both for medical and psychiatric. She has experience with case management, discharge planning, and utilization review. While Pam has a passion for serving youth, she brings a special perspective to that work because of her broad work experience which covers the entire span of life—from prenatal and mother/infant units to hospice and palliative care. She has a Bachelors in Social Work from Ashland University, a Masters in Social Work from The Ohio State University and she is a Licensed Independent Social Worker.

Lorie Stadtmiller
Lorie leads the Collaborative on clinically integrated network program development, quality improvement projects, and the Respite Pilot project. She has been with the Healthcare Collaborative for 2 years and has 15 years of experience in BH implement projects and network management.

Aditi Naik
Aditi Naik is the Healthcare Network Coordinator for the Child and Family Health Collaborative. She supports the Healthcare Network, by assisting with project data requirements, managing the CareSource Respite Care Program and assisting with other Network initiatives. She has over a decade of experience working on behalf of children and families in Ohio.


ELEVATING THE ROLE OF THE NONCUSTODIAL PARENTS
This session is full.
Lorie Bricker, Beth Stahl, Donikea Austin
Audience: Caseworkers, Supervisors/managers, Directors/administrators
Credits: 2 hours training certificate credit, SW, C

Workshop Description


In the child welfare profession, how we support, engage, and interact with the custodial parent is often prescribed for us. Historically, child welfare workers have followed recommended steps that support a custodial parent’s goal of reunification, leaving the role of the noncustodial parent largely unexplored. When we do not invite noncustodial parents to the table, we are not just missing one person. We miss out on their entire side of the family, who could offer support and solutions that improve outcomes for children. This presentation will assist participants in identifying implicit biases that can be barriers to elevating the role of the noncustodial parent. Participants will be encouraged to reflect on their past experiences engaging with noncustodial parents and will learn how to forge a path of collaboration with all parents, even in the absence of prescribed steps.


Presenter Bios


Lorie Bricker
Lorie Bricker is a Child Welfare professional who has spent more than 16 years serving families in the capacity of coach, advocate, caseworker and mentor. Currently, she is working as a Kinnect to Family Coach in Southern Ohio. Lorie’s belief in family and her advocacy skills are helping children, who are experiencing child welfare, remain connected to their family, culture and community. Lorie has repeated experience in advocating for non-custodial parents to be placement for their child(ren). She has inspired change through dialogue, to encourage child welfare professionals to examine their practice and take innovative approaches when engaging non-custodial parents to be part of the family decision-making team. Lorie has her degree from The Ohio State University. She is a certified victim advocate, an Ohio crisis response team member and she is Dare to Lead® trained.

Beth Stahl, MSW
Beth Stahl has been serving children and families for over a decade. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Miami University and her MSW from the University of Cincinnati. Spanning four states and Washington DC, Beth’s career has shifted focus from infant adoption to older child adoption, and finally to kinship caregiving as the Kinnect to Family Coach in Southeast Ohio. All along the way, Beth has been a staunch advocate for non-custodial parents, believing that it is never too early or too late to engage non-custodial parents. Beth brings a focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging to her work. She is trained in TBRI® and Dare to Lead®.

Donikea Austin
Donikea Austin has worked in the non profit sector serving children and families for 12 years. She is currently the Northeast coach for the Kinnect to Family program, a specialized, intense, family search and engagement program. Donikea has worked to create change within organizations to recognize the benefits of stepping beyond empowering families to sharing power with families to create healthy partnerships for positive outcomes. Donikea is a graduate of Baldwin Wallace College and has been trained in both Fundamentals of Mediation as well as Divorce and Family Mediation.


READY FOR SOME R&R? INNOVATIONS IN WORKFORCE RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION
This session is full.
Scott Britton, Dr. Linda Helm, Susan Walther, Mike Kenney, David Wigent, Lara LaRoche
Audience: Directors/administrators, Supervisors/managers
Credits: 2 hours training certificate credit, SW

Workshop Description


While frontline staff turnover has long been a challenge in children services, the addiction epidemic and global pandemic, followed by a “Great Resignation,” have led to a workforce crisis. PCSAO commissioned the OSU College of Social Work to conduct research and develop recommendations, resulting in “Building a 21st Century Children Services Workforce,” released in February 2022. In this workshop, county and state leaders will discuss innovations based on the report’s recommendations, including efforts to build a culture of safety, a focus on race and equity, development of a shared practice model, apprenticeship programs, university training partnerships, and more. Participants will leave with new ideas to tackle workforce challenges in their own county.


Presenter Bios


Scott Britton
Scott Britton joined the staff of PCSAO in July 2011 as assistant director. He leads efforts related to communications, human resources, member benefits and services, and grant-funded projects such as race, equity and inclusion. Born and raised in Parkersburg, West Virginia, Scott is a 1993 graduate of Drew University in New Jersey.

Dr. Linda Helm, MSW, PhD, LISW-S
Linda Helm, MSW, PhD, LISW-S is the Asst. State Director of UPP and Research and Evaluation for OUCCAS. She has served as Senior Lecturer and the UPP Campus Coordinator at The Ohio State University in the College of Social Work from 2004 to 2022. Her social work practice has included extensive work within the mental health and child welfare settings. Her research and teaching experience are in child abuse and neglect, trauma, and social work supervision. She worked on the Citizen Review Panel Redesign for Ohio and was been a national CRP board member.

Susan Walther
Susan Walther has been the Director of Warren County Children since 2017 and has worked in child welfare for over 20 years. She has an undergraduate degree in Psychology and a master’s degree in Management and Leadership. Susan has emphasized the need to change the culture within her agency to assure that workers feel supported while increasing their knowledge in this field. This has lowered turnover among frontline staff and lowered the recurrence of abuse due to retaining experienced caseworkers.

Mike Kenney
Before joining PCSAO in 2021 as director of strategic initiatives, Mike (he/him/his) was the co-founder and executive director of Kinnect (formerly Waiting Child Fund), a Cleveland-based nonprofit that continues to lead innovative statewide initiatives that improve permanency outcomes for children in foster care. His leadership led to rapid expansion in Kinnect’s programming related to family finding, kinship navigator services and permanency for older and LGBTQ youth. During his time there, Mike spearheaded five highly regarded statewide convenings designed to bring vision and transformation to the children services system. He is also a sought-after trainer, coach and speaker. A 2000 graduate of Bowling Green State University, Mike previously worked at the Cleveland Heights School District and Northeast Ohio Adoption Services. He is a past president of Family Builders Network, a national professional child welfare membership organization, and former board member of Voice for Adoption in Washington, DC.

David Wigent
Dave (he/him/his) has devoted himself to a variety Social Services roles for 31 years as well as a foray into Information Technology for three years. This journey included work in Probation, Child Abuse, Welfare Fraud, Poverty Programs, Health Care Programs and Elder Abuse. He has been with Wood County Job and Family Services in Ohio for over 16 years and has been in the Director role for eight. During his time at Wood Dave has focused on the application of technology to Human Services. He founded the “Collabor8 Project” which established the first multi-county call center for SNAP, Medicaid, and TANF clients. This project was also the first to establish a unified multi-county document management system. The model was later adopted by the state of Ohio and is used by 80 counties. This project won the NACO best of class award in 2012. Dave has served on the Executive board of the Ohio Job and Family Services Director’s Association and served as a trustee of the Public Children’s Service Association of Ohio. He has received awards in Ohio as Director of the year, Fraud Investigator of the year, and Worker of the year. He recently began the development of a Fellowship Pilot Program for the recruitment of Children’s Services Workers.

Lara LaRoche
Lara LaRoche, MSW-LISW-S (she/her/hers), serves as the Intake Division Director at Franklin County Children Services in Columbus, OH and is a member of the organization’s Executive Leadership team. She has worked in Child Welfare for more than 25 years in the capacities of caseworker, supervisor, administrator, trainer, and guardian ad litem. Ms. LaRoche’s current scope of leadership responsibility includes the following areas: child abuse hotline/screening, child placement and emergency kinship, intake assessment and investigation and medical/nursing.


THE IMPACT OF THE CUYAHOGA YOUTH COUNT
Jennifer Croessmann, Karen Anderson, Elliott Hinkle
Audience: Supervisors/managers, Directors/administrators, Attorneys, Counselors/clinicians
Credits: 2 hours training certificate credit, SW, C, ethics, CLE

Workshop Description


Cuyahoga County youth in foster care participated in a survey conducted by an independent organization to learn more about their experience in foster care. That survey, the first in the Midwest to to ask young people about their sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression (SOGIE), found that LGBTQ+ youth are overrepresented in foster care and endure more adverse experiences. In fact 32% of the respondents identified as LGBTQ+. This workshop will further explore the findings of the Cuyahoga Youth Count and implications for child welfare practice.


Presenter Bios


Jennifer Croessmann
Ms. Croessmann is a social program administrator for the Cuyahoga County Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) where she manages and coordinates a variety of projects to improve practice in child welfare integrated with other HHS service divisions. Jennifer has worked in child welfare for over 25 years in direct services, as a team decision making facilitator, and a special projects coordinator. Jennifer was the data manager of the Cuyahoga County local implementation site of the National Quality Improvement Center on Tailored Services, Placement Stability, and Permanency for LGBTQ+ Children and Youth in Foster Care at the University of Maryland Baltimore School of Social Work funded by the Children’s Bureau Ms. Croessmann is a licensed independent social worker with a master’s degree in social work from Case Western Reserve University, where she attended as a child welfare fellow.

Karen Anderson
Karen Anderson is currently a Deputy Director at the Cuyahoga County Division of Children and Family Services. In this position she is responsible for leading casework staff, development and implementation of practice and projects, and leadership for various projects including administration of the agency’s local implementation services for the National Quality Improvement Center for Tailored Services to LGBTQ2S Youth in Foster Care. She is a Board Member of the Cuyahoga County’ Homeless Services Continuum of Care. Ms. Anderson’s primary focus is programming that serves underrepresented and specialized populations. Prior to her employment with Cuyahoga County she worked as a consultant in the areas of permanent supported housing for young adults and families where she focused on the development of policies and procedures, program design, implementation, compliance and staff development. She also consulted in the child welfare area where she assisted various organizations with the start-up, development, compliance, and evaluation of child welfare programs. Ms. Anderson holds a Bachelor of Arts from Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy, Massachusetts, and a Master of Social Work degree from Boston University.

Elliott Hinkle
Elliott Orrin Hinkle (they/them) is a skilled facilitator, trainer, and advisor focused on elevating lived expertise in systems that serve children, youth, and families. They are a graduate of Portland State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Women, Gender, Sexuality, and Queer studies. Elliott has lived experience in the Wyoming Foster Care System as a young person but calls Oregon home. They have assisted and participated in child welfare and youth mental health research and are trained in evidence-based peer coaching. Additionally, their skills include consultation and reviewing states’ Independent Living programs and National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD) survey work. Elliott is the principal and founder of the consulting firm Unicorn Solutions LLC, which seeks to create positive futures for youth and young adults impacted by systems such as Child Welfare and Youth Mental Health, particularly at the intersections of LGBTQ youth within these systems.


TRAUMA-COMPETENT SUPERVISION IN THE AGE OF ANXIETY
Jesse Schroeder
Audience: Supervisors/managers, Directors/administrators
Credits: 2 hours training certificate credit, SW, C, supervision

Workshop Description


Public children service organizations are operating in an “age of anxiety.” The impact is significant on clients and families, but also on the workforce. The result is high rates of staff burnout, turnover, and decreased compassion satisfaction. Providing effective supervision in this setting is increasingly challenging. This session will define the role of a trauma-competent supervisor and provide Universal Best Practices to be applied to every supervision setting. Participants will also receive practical tools to support their work.


Presenter Bio


Jesse Schroeder, LISW-S
Jesse A. Schroeder (he/him), LISW-S, is a school social worker in South-Western City Schools. He is the former Lead Community Trainer of Building Better Lives – a brain-based, trauma-informed initiative of Franklin County Family & Children First Council. He has had the privilege of working with children, students and families in the Central Ohio area for 18 years. He is a graduate from the MSW program at the Ohio State University, and studied Religion at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee. As a trainer, he is committed to learning, growing, and listening alongside the many diverse individuals in our community, in order to continue to reach toward a truly trauma-competent practice that serves all children and families.



September 20 Morning Session

DESCRIPTION OF AND RESULTS OF THE QIC-WD COACH OHIO INTERVENTION STUDY
Dr. Anita Barbee, Vincent Ciola, Amy Davidson
Audience: Directors/administrators, Supervisors/managers
Credits: 3 hours training certificate credit

Workshop Description


The workshop will situate the Coach Ohio study in the larger work of the Quality Improvement Center for Workforce Development, a cooperative agreement funded by the Children’s Bureau in 2016 to test the effectiveness of workforce interventions to reduce turnover. A discussion regarding the motivation for Ohio to apply to be a study site, the process for recruiting Ohio counties to be involved, which counties were part of the study, and the role of the statewide implementation team in project execution will follow. Details about the needs assessment leading to the creation of the Coach Ohio intervention and its components as well as how other counties can execute a similar intervention in their counties will be shared. Then representatives from Summit County and Wayne County, two of the intervention sites, will describe how they implemented the program, the logistics involved, the role of on the ground implementation teams to execute the project and how well the program was received. Results will be shared regarding how well the program was implemented, the impact of the intervention on changes in staff coping skills, the impact of the intervention on short-term outcomes like intent to remain with the agency, the impact of the intervention on actual turnover, particularly in sites that embraced the model to create system wide changes, and the impact of the intervention on organizational culture and climate. The session will end with county representatives describing how they have sustained the intervention and staff responsiveness to ongoing climate health.


Presenter Bios


Dr. Anita Barbee, PHD, MSSW, MA
Anita P. Barbee is Professor and Distinguished University Scholar at the Center for Family and Community Well-Being, Kent School of Social Work and Family Science, University of Louisville. She received her BA in Psychology and English from Agnes Scott College, her Ph.D. in Social Psychology with a co-major in Child and Family Development from the University of Georgia and her MSSW from UofL. Dr. Barbee practiced on the Medically Fragile Team in the Louisville child welfare office handling investigations, ongoing work with families and children, foster care placement, TPR paperwork, and adoptions. She has evaluated child welfare training since 1992, has been a PI or evaluator on five Children’s Bureau Discretionary grants as well as an evaluator for the Children’s Bureau Training and Technical Assistance Network, and the current Capacity Building Centers since 2004. She is currently the lead evaluator for the Children’s Bureau funded Quality Improvement Center for Workforce Development. The QIC-WD is testing the efficacy of different workforce interventions in eight jurisdictions across the nation using rigorous evaluation designs, as well as studying the impact of Title IV-E education on outcomes, and the efficacy of employee selection tests on predicting turnover and performance. Dr. Barbee serves on the Editorial Boards of the Journal of Public Child Welfare, Families in Society, Journal of the Society of Social Work Research, Social Service Review, Personal Relationships, and Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. She also regularly reviews for Children and Youth Services Review and other social work and psychology journals and is a Fellow in the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare, the American Psychological Association’s Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, and the Society for Experimental Social Psychologists.

Vincent Ciola, MBA, MSSA, LISW-S
Vincent is currently the Bureau Chief of Systems and Practice Advancement at the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. He previously served as the Project Manager of the Quality Improvement Center for Workforce Development (QIC-WD) project, Helping Ohio Parent Effectively (HOPE), and the state’s continuous quality improvement efforts. Vince was a member of the CPS policy team where his leadership contributed to the success of the CAPMIS Infusion work related to the CFSR PIP. Vince was also a Technical Assistance Specialist and participated in the CFSR case review. Prior to joining ODJFS, Vince served as a caseworker and supervisor at Logan County Children’s Services. He also trained supervisor Core for the Ohio Child Welfare Training Program and later developed and revised caseworker and supervisor trainings while working for IHS.

Amy Davidson, LISW-S
Amy Davidson, LISW-S holds a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work and a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Akron. She started her career in child protection over 25 years ago as a caseworker and is now the Deputy Executive Director, Social Services at Summit County Children Services in Akron, Ohio. She has been instrumental in agency initiatives including Team Decision Making Meetings, Family Preservation, Human Trafficking, Family Interaction, Leadership Development Academies, and Continuous Quality Improvement, always focused on a commitment to best practice and partnering with families. Most recently she was part of Ohio’s Implementation Team and lead at her agency for Coach Ohio; where she was thrilled to be able devote attention to her agency’s most valuable resource, their staff.


ACHIEVING PERMANENCY & UNITING FAMILIES: THE CROSS-SYSTEMS APPROACH OF THE SAFE BABIES COURT TEAM (SBCT) PROGRAM
Lynanne Gutierrez; Cortney Reiser; Delaney Jones
Audience: Caseworkers, Supervisors/managers, Directors/administrators, Attorneys, Counselors/clinicians
Credits: 2 hours training certificate credit, SW, C, CLE

Workshop Description


Safe Babies Court Team (SBCT) is a nationally recognized, evidenced-based approach that seeks to address critical child welfare and family court system issues through interdisciplinary and proactive teamwork. The goal of the SBCT approach is to promote healthy early childhood development, support family resiliency, and build capacity to prevent future child abuse or neglect. A key strategic component of the program entails professionals coming together in partnership, across sectors, to engage in a collaborative teamwork approach which shifts away from the customary services provided by the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. The SBCT approach emphasizes solutions that include a high level of contact between parent(s) and child(ren) and high expectations for engagement in supportive services, including mental health, substance use treatment, early intervention, and so on. By providing supportive, specialized, and developmentally appropriate services, the chance of positive outcomes and reunification increases.


Presenter Bios


Lynanne Gutierrez, Esq.
Lynanne provides leadership to our policy focuses. She was previously a child and family law attorney and served as a Senior Legislative Aide in the Ohio General Assembly.

Cortney Reiser
Cortney Reiser joined Scioto CASA as the Executive Director in the fall of 2021, previous to this position she worked in Franklin County as an EPSEA Liaison and as a Literacy Coordinator. Cortney is from Athens, Ohio and has earned two master’s degrees from Ohio University, in Education: including her principal license and a bachelor’s degree in middle childhood education. Cortney is passionate about advocating for youth in foster care and educational stability and works tirelessly to ensure all children receive the care they deserve. In the short time she has been with the program, Cortney has doubled the amount of Court Appointed Special Advocates available in the county and tripled the number of children served. She is guided by the understanding that all children deserve specifically tailored, best-interest advocacy that is rooted in trauma informed care and family preservation.

Delaney Jones, MSSA, LSW
Delaney (MSSA, LSW) is a graduate of the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences where she studied Community Practice for Social Change. Delaney’s professional and educational background, focused in the area of young child/ family wellbeing, intertwines a micro- level study and practice (child behavior, family dynamics, trauma), with a macro- level focus and practice (policy and program development). Delaney currently serves as the Community Coordinator for Safe Babies Court Team in Cuyahoga County where she is working alongside local child welfare, judicial, and social services leadership to plan, implement, develop, execute and evaluate the Safe Babies Court Team initiative in the county.


COMBINING TRAINING AND SUPPORT TO INCREASE FOSTER & KINSHIP PARENT RETENTION
Dawn Davenport
Audience: Supervisors/managers, Caseworkers, Directors/administrators
Credits: 2 hours training certificate credit, SW, C

Workshop Description


Foster, adoptive, and kinship parents need ongoing training and support to be successful and we have an ethical obligation to provide this support. How can agencies combine training and support to increase foster and kinship parent retention and recruitment? This presentation on your options and what works is based on 4.5 years of research into providing support/training for foster and kinship families and extensive surveys of parents, group facilitators/trainers, and agency directors. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the different types of groups, including in-person groups/trainings vs. online? What makes a high quality group? How to get foster and kin parents to attend? What resources are available to run high-quality groups where parents form community and build parenting skills.


Presenter Bio


Dawn Davenport, JD, MS
Dawn Davenport is the Executive Director of Creating a Family, the national adoption, foster, and kinship care training and support nonprofit. She is an attorney, educator, training/curriculum developer, and trauma-informed adoption/foster/kinship specialist. She is the host of Creating a Family Radio Show/Podcast, which began in 2007 and is now ranked in the top 10% of all podcasts in the US. She is the author of a book on adoption published by Random House and has had articles published in many national and regional publications. She has a JD, MS, and degree in education and is a mom of four by birth and adoption.


DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION AND ITS CRITICAL ROLE IN CHILDREN SERVICES
This session is full.
Melisa Fisco; Amanda Riess
Audience: Caseworkers, Supervisors/managers, Directors/administrators, Attorneys
Credits: 2 hours training certificate credit, CLE

Workshop Description


The training is focused on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), generally, including examples and exercises with the audience, implicit bias, how / why DEI is important specifically in direct services with vulnerable members of the public, and a case study of how DEI initiatives became embedded in local legislation and its impact on employee training.


Presenter Bios


Melisa Fisco, JD
Melisa Fisco is an Account Manager. She advises and represents clients in labor and arbitration matters, assesses wage and benefit compatibility, develops and updates policy manuals, job classifications, and other human resource system components, and conducts client training. Melisa rejoined Clemans Nelson in 2021, after serving as an Assistant Law Director in Cuyahoga County. Prior to joining Clemans Nelson in early 2014, Melisa represented clients in litigation and matters involving employment discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage and hour claims, contract disputes, and non-competition agreements. Melisa received her J.D. from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law and her B.A. in Public Affairs from Cleveland State University.

Amanda Riess, JD
Amanda Riess is an Account Manager. She assists clients in areas of labor relations, discipline, policy development, and other human resources and management issues. Prior to returning to her native Northwest Ohio, Amanda was a litigation attorney for 14 years in Illinois, including working with municipalities on a variety of issues. Amanda holds a B.A. in Speech Communications from Otterbein University, and earned her J.D. at Ohio Northern University, Pettit College of Law.


HELPING GIRLS NAVIGATE STRESS, PRESSURE & SOCIAL MEDIA IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
This session is full.
Lauren Morosky
Audience: Counselors/clinicians, Caseworkers, Supervisors/managers, Directors/administrators
Credits: 2 hours training certificate credit, SW, C

Workshop Description


Girls’ reports of stress and pressure are higher than ever before with nearly 40% of girls reporting feeling pressure to be perfect. Today’s girls live in an environment where happiness is defined and experienced as a direct result of feedback from others. Couple this with increased isolation and more time on social media, girls are struggling now more than ever before. Girls are reporting high rates of anxiety: most say they are stressed-out and few have adequate skills to handle the pressures they are facing. So how are they coping? Research suggests that girls are more likely than boys to cope through support and expressing their emotions, however, we also know that girls’ relationships with peers and adults can become tense, competitive or even combative during the adolescent years. Utilizing first-of-its-kind, groundbreaking research from The Girls’ Index, this workshop will take a deeper dive into the complex experiences of girls, their relationships, social media and their primary stressors. Participants will leave this workshop equipped with strategies for supporting girls as they navigate stress and pressure in a complex world.


Presenter Bio


Lauren Morosky
Lauren Morosky is the Manager of Community Programs & Partnerships for Ruling Our eXperiences (ROX). In her role, Lauren oversees ROX community-based programming including: corporate workshops, summer camps, community outreach, parent workshops and ROX collaborative program delivery. She is a ROX content expert and regularly delivers professional development training and workshops via The ROX Institute focused on ROX research and best-practices for supporting and empowering girls. Prior to joining the ROX team, Morosky spent 9 years as a high school counselor and ROX Facilitator and has worked both in private and public school settings. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Miami University and earned her master’s in Counselor Education from The Ohio State University.



September 20 Afternoon Session

ETHICS AND PROFESSIONALISM
This session is full.
John D. Everett
Audience: Caseworkers, Supervisors/managers, Directors/administrators, Attorneys, Counselors/clinicians
Credits: 3 hours training certificate credit, SW, ethics, CLE

Workshop Description


Ethics and professionalism are a joint effort of all participants in juvenile justice. Using the concepts contained in the various ethical codes, participants in this training will look at situations that give rise to ethical and professional questions in the area of child welfare. Participants will work together to focus on improving the ethics and professionalism of those who work in child welfare.


Presenter Bio


John D. Everett
John D. Everett is an attorney in the City of Kettering, having worked as a prosecutor for 20 years. He is a trainer for Ohio Child Welfare Training Program, a frequent speaker for Ohio CASA and has developed training programs for the Ohio Supreme Court and various local agencies. He is on the editorial board of the ABA Children’s Rights publication and a member of several juvenile justice committees. Mr. Everett earned a B.A. in history from Kenyon College and a J.D. from University of Dayton School of Law. He is married and has 2 children.


SUPERVISION FROM A MULTICULTURAL RELATIONAL PERSPECTIVE
Dr. Kynetta Luciana Verita McFarlane, Psy.D., MA; Bobbi Beale, Psy.D.
Audience: Directors/administrators, Supervisors/managers
Credits: 3 hours training certificate credit, SW, C, supervision, ethics

Workshop Description


Research indicates that marginalized groups often fear discussing culture in the supervision process due to cultural differences and the natural power differential in supervision. Supervisors are recognizing the need to speak about cultural differences in supervision, but due to several factors (a lack of training, fears of offending others, or lack of experience having cross-cultural conversations, etc.) may avoid these conversations. This workshop will review issues related to culture, power, and supervision. Through experiential exercises, supervisors will practice ways to discuss culture in supervision and will uncover ways that their cultural viewpoint impacts supervision. Supervisors will also learn the Multicultural Relational Perspective (MRP), which is a framework that can be applied to supervision and training.


Presenter Bios


Bobbi Beale, PsyD
Bobbi Beale, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist and a Co-Director of the Center for Innovative Practices & the Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Center of Excellence at Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Beale has over 30 years of practice and expertise in trauma, resilience, system of care and behavioral health treatments for children, youth and families, specializing in Intensive Home-Based Treatment and Adventure Therapy. She spends most of her time training, consulting and providing technical assistance across Ohio to support behavioral health providers serving youth and their families that are involved in multiple service systems. Bobbi has focused on designing non-traditional therapy programs for youth populations that are at risk or have trauma histories. During the current pandemic, Bobbi teamed up with Maurie Lung to adapt their Adventure Therapy curriculum for telehealth application. They created a 12 session family therapy series for clinicians to provide virtually in an effort to support and stabilize families and were able to train over 200 therapists online. This program was so well received, they are added a 6 session parenting series. Bobbi and Maurie also have a podcast: Pondering Life Adventures.
Bobbi’s programs have utilized adventure therapy, a highly engaging and experiential treatment, to increase skills and resiliency for children, youth and families. She launched her own training and consulting business, Life Adventures for All, to continue working on validating AT with clinical research with Dr. Anita Tucker on new AT programs with a variety of applications: school-based, home-based and multi-family groups. Bobbi’s current personal adventure is to design and implement a program that combines adventure therapy with CIP’s home-based treatment model, to serve children and youth right at home with their families, where they belong. Bobbi recently collaborated on a book, Adventure Group Psychotherapy: An Experiential Approach to Treatment, which explores what is necessary for an experiential therapy group to function effectively, and the practical skills needed to inspire success.

Dr. Kynetta Sugar McFarlane, Psy.D.
Dr. Kynetta Sugar McFarlane, Psy.D., (she/her/hers) is a licensed clinical psychologist with over 20 years of experience working in the psychology field. She is the creator/owner of Transformative Health, LLC, where she provides trauma-informed and affirming therapy, supervision, and consultation services. Dr. McFarlane holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology with a Minor in Africana Studies from the University of Pittsburgh, a Master’s of Arts, and a Doctorate of Psychology in Clinical Psychology from the American School of Clinical Psychology, Washington, DC at Argosy University. Dr. McFarlane has been identified as an expert in trauma in federal court. She completed a predoctoral internship in clinical psychology with a focus on trauma and adventure group therapy at Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health in Canton, OH and a postdoctoral fellowship in complex trauma at Nationwide Children’s Hospital (NCH) in Columbus, OH. While at NCH, Dr. McFarlane was responsible for conducting trauma-focused assessments for the NCH hospital system. Dr. McFarlane is also an expert in the assessment and treatment of gender diversity in children, adolescents, and young adults and worked in NCH’s THRIVE clinic. Dr. McFarlane is the System of Care, Equity and Inclusion Coordinator for The Center for Innovative Practices (CIP) with the Begun Center for Violence Prevention at Case Western Reserve University’s Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences. She is an expert on the Project ECHO Team for multisystem youth at Northeast Ohio Medical University. Dr. McFarlane has spoken throughout Ohio and to national and international audiences on issues related to trauma, culture, and gender diversity.


JUMP-STARTING PUBLIC TREATMENT FOSTER HOMES IN YOUR COUNTY
Scott Britton; Deanna Prezioso, Melanie Allen, Donna Seed
Audience: Directors/administrators, Supervisors/managers
Credits: 2 hours training certificate credit, SW

Workshop Description


Children should grow up in families, not in institutions. Best practice and the Family First Act prioritize placement of foster youth in family settings close to their own home rather than in residential treatment facilities or far-off foster homes. Historically Ohio has lacked treatment-level foster homes that can serve youth with high-acuity needs close to home, and as a result, the state exceeds the national average in congregate care placement rates. In this workshop, learn about state efforts to improve treatment foster care and professionalize resource caregivers. Participants will gain insight and instruction into how large and small counties alike have launched their own publicly certified treatment foster home programs in order to offer quality therapeutic care close to home – all while controlling costs and reducing use of congregate care settings. Understand aspects related to readiness, process and policy development, recruitment and retention, and management practices, and hear success stories – in terms of both family outcomes and cost savings – from county agency leaders.


Presenter Bios


Scott Britton
Scott Britton joined the staff of PCSAO in July 2011 as assistant director. He leads efforts related to communications, human resources, member benefits and services, and grant-funded projects such as race, equity and inclusion. Born and raised in Parkersburg, West Virginia, Scott is a 1993 graduate of Drew University in New Jersey.

Deanna Prezioso, LSW, MSW
DeeDee Prezioso is a licensed social worker and has her Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Social Work from Youngstown State University. Following her graduation from her undergrad degree DeeDee served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine for two years. After returning from Ukraine DeeDee began her work with foster and adoptive parents at a treatment foster care agency in Northeast Ohio where she obtained her assessor certification in 2003 and trained, licensed, and provided on-going casework and support to treatment foster caregivers. After five years in that role DeeDee continued her passion for working with foster/adoptive families when, in 2006, she joined Trumbull County Children Services (TCCS) as a caseworker holding a caseload of foster/adoptive families. While obtaining her Masters Degree in Social Work, DeeDee moved into a supervisory position at TCCS. In this position she continues to work with foster, adoptive and kinship families supervising the foster and kinship care unit. DeeDee has a passion for siblings in foster care and developed a sibling protocol designed to keep siblings in foster care placed together and/or connected. In 2011, DeeDee created and implemented a mentoring program for foster/adoptive caregivers. This program has improved caregiver supports, placement stability for children, and retention rates for foster and adoptive families. DeeDee is an adjunct instructor for Youngstown State University in the Social Work Department teaching courses focusing in Child Welfare and for the past seven years, DeeDee has also trained both child welfare staff and foster/adoptive families through the OCWTP.

Melanie Allen
Melanie Allen (she/her/hers) was appointed as the Director of Sandusky County DJFS, a quadruple-combined agency, in March 2019. The agency employs 92 staff members. Melanie spent just over a year as the Assistant Director before being appointed as the Director. Prior to that, Melanie spent over 20 years in children services, beginning her career as a child welfare caseworker and eventually being promoted to supervisor. Melanie is an avid advocate for families, children and the child welfare team finding ways to collaborate with community partners and other county agencies in innovative ways. Melanie also serves on several boards: Child Abuse Prevention Committee, FCFC Executive Board, Domestic Violence Task Force, Sandusky County Health Partners, Homeless Coalition, and the Public Transportation Board. Melanie is part of the state development team for Tiered Treatment Foster Care. Melanie graduated from Bowling Green State University with a degree in criminal justice. She is also very involved in her community, investing time volunteering on boards and coaching. Melanie resides in Sandusky County and has three adult daughters and a son in middle school.

Donna Seed
Donna Seed (she/her/hers) has been committed to a child welfare career for over 38 years. She began as a child advocate, worked in the children’s mental health field, managed group home facilities and then landed in a public child welfare organization. During her tenure at Lucas County Children Services, Donna has worked as a case worker, case review facilitator, supervisor of Adoptions and Treatment Foster, Manager of the Placement Department and now as Director of Social Services (holding the areas of Intake/Assessments, Family Services, Family & Community Engagement, and the Placement Department. Donna holds a Bachelor’s and Masters degree in Public Administration (University of Findlay and Bowling Green State University) and a Master’s degree in Social Work from Ohio State University.


OHIO CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES SCREENING GUIDELINES 2022: AN OVERVIEW OF THE CHANGES
This session is full.
Wendy Hite, Jennifer Miller
Audience: Caseworkers, Supervisors/managers, Directors/administrators
Credits: 2 hours training certificate credit, SW

Workshop Description


This workshop will provide an overview of the changes to the screening guidelines with a focus on increasing consistency for screening decisions. This session will explore the history of the formation of the guidelines lending context to the content, discuss how the guidelines may inform screening decisions and review examples of referrals in relation to the guidelines.


Presenter Bios


Wendy Hite, MSW, LISW-S
Wendy graduated from Otterbein College with a BA in psychology and from The Ohio State University with her masters in social work. She also has her LISW. Wendy was employed with Franklin County Children Services for 27 years before arriving at ODJFS. She served in various positions from intake caseworker where she began to Associate Director of Provider Services when she left FCCS. Additionally, Wendy was in the Performance Improvement Department where she managed quality assurance and continuous quality improvement tasks. She is currently a member of the Children Services Training and Development team where she is a key player in the development of trainings around new policy initiatives, changes to existing policy and practice as well as various other duties.

Jennifer Miller
Jennifer graduated with a BA in Women Studies from The Ohio State University. She began her career in child protection with Franklin Children Services where she started as an ongoing caseworker and then a court liaison. Jennifer continued her career at Madison County as an ongoing caseworker and eventually a supervisor. She has 15 years of service between both agencies before coming to ODJFS to join the SACWIS bureau as a business analyst on the help desk. Currently, Jennifer is a member of the Children Services Training and Development team where she also is a key player in the development of trainings around new policy initiatives, changes to existing policy and practice as well as various other duties.


TRANS 101
Lo Denmon
Audience: Caseworkers, Supervisors/managers, Counselors/clinicians
Credits: 2 hours training certificate credit, SW, C, ethics

Workshop Description


Trans 101 is an informative, interactive workshop focused on transgender, non-binary, and gender nonconforming identities. This is an introduction to understanding some of the basics of transgender issues and identities. Participants will explore privilege, assumptions, concepts, and language in relation to trans communities. Further, those who go through the training will leave with knowledge of best practices and resources to help create trans-inclusive spaces.


Presenter Bio


Lo Denmon
Lo Denmon is a queer student affairs professional who works primarily with LGBTQ+ students in higher education. They have a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s Degree in Professional Counseling with an emphasis in College Student Affairs, both from the University of West Georgia. Lo has been involved with LGBTQ+ communities since their undergraduate years, leading the institution’s only LGBTQIA student organization and advocating for an institutionally supported LGBTQ+ Center and all-gender restrooms. In their time as a professional, Lo has worked with a diverse array of offices, supporting initiatives around body image, healthy sexuality, and representation of diverse identity in pop culture. They have developed Safe Space, Trans 101, and Asexuality workshops to provide education about LGBTQ+ identities, and they provided consultation for institutional partners on how best to develop inclusive policies for LGBTQ+ students, faculty, and staff. Lo’s particular area of interest is in working with LGBTQ+ folks in rural and southern communities, as these communities are often erased and ignored. Currently, Lo is the Assistant Director of Kent State’s LGBTQ+ Center.



September 21 Morning Session

INTEGRATION OF OHIORISE AND PCSA CASEWORK
Peggy Day, Lucy Gobble, Carolyn Hagopian
Audience: Supervisors/managers, Caseworkers
Credits: 3 hours training certificate credit, SW, ethics

Workshop Description


This session is an introduction to OhioRISE, the first phase of the Ohio Department of Medicaid’s Next Generation of Managed Care, and its impact on service provision and care coordination to youth involved with a PCSA. OhioRISE is a specialized managed care program that will provide behavioral health services to children involved in multiple state systems who have complex behavioral health needs. Aetna Better Health of Ohio serves as the single statewide OhioRISE managed care plan. The Ohio Department of Medicaid and the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Office of Family and Children will present on OhioRISE eligibility, including the CANS Assessment, the OhioRISE benefit package, and how OhioRISE can partner with PCSAs for better case planning and enhanced service provision for youth involved with a PCSA. Participants will leave the session with an increased awareness of OhioRISE eligibility, services, and care coordination, as well as, how an OhioRISE Child and Family Team can help support PCSA services and/or case plans or Semi-Annual Reviews.


Presenter Bios


Peggy Day
Peggy Day is the Medicaid Technical Assistance Section Chief within the Office of Families and Children (OFC) at the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. In this capacity, she and her staff answer Medicaid-related questions from billing to SACWIS spans. Peggy and her Medicaid TA staff also serve on the Multi-system youth (MSY) grant project. She has over 29 years’ experience in public service. Peggy worked at the Ohio Department of Medicaid for 10 years and has been in her current post as Medicaid Technical Assistance Section Chief at the Office of Families and Children for 5 years. She received her Bachelor of Arts from the Ohio State University and went on to obtain two graduate degrees.

Lucy Gobble
Lucy Gobble is the Intersystem Program Administrator within the Office of Families and Children (OFC) at the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. In this capacity, she often represents OFC in cross system initiatives involving other state systems. Much of her work is supporting multi-system youth. Lucy has over 20 years’ experience in child welfare beginning at the county level as both an ongoing case worker and ongoing unit supervisor and at the state level as a business analyst with the Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System (SACWIS). Lucy has experience in Title IV-E Foster Care Maintenance (FCM) and Adoption Assistance (AA) as a policy developer before her current position. In all of these capacities, child welfare and youth were at the front and center. Lucy received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and her Master of Education in Community Counseling from Ohio University. She continues to be a loud and proud Bobcat.

Carolyn Hagopian
Carolyn Hagopian is the Children and Youth in Custody Program Administrator in the Child and Youth Initiatives Section at the Ohio Department of Medicaid. In this capacity, she provides Technical Assistance to both Title IV-E agencies and the Multi-System Youth State Review Team when there are questions about Medicaid Coverage. Carolyn also serves as a liaison between Ohio Department of Medicaid and ODJFS’s Office of Children and Families. Carolyn works closely with the OhioRISE team at Medicaid to ensure that youth in custody have appropriate OhioRISE eligibility and access to OhioRISE services. Carolyn previously worked at Medicaid in Eligibility Policy as a Policy writer and the Office of Managed Care as a Contract Administrator. Carolyn received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology and her Master of Public Health from The Ohio State University.


INTERGENERATIONAL TRAUMA
This session is full.
Christy Daron
Audience: Caseworkers, Supervisors/managers, Directors/administrators, Counselors/clinicians
Credits: 2 hours training certificate credit, SW, C

Workshop Description


Intergenerational trauma (IT), also termed multigenerational trauma, is a process that transmits the direct impact of traumatic experiences from previous generations of families and communities on to subsequent families and communities, often causing a predisposition for further trauma. Objectives include: 1) define IT and other trauma subtypes that impact its evolution; 2) identify significant implications of IT on the child and family service systems; 3) identify the connection of ACEs to trauma transmission and ways to address it in program development; 4) identify the key elements research indicates can reduce the impact and prevent the transmission.


Presenter Bio


Christy Daron, MSW, LISW-S, CCISM
With over 20 years of extensive community and emergency psychiatric services experience in behavioral health and trauma treatment, Cristy Daron currently operates a full private practice in New Albany, Ohio, where she specializes in behavioral health treatment of children and adolescents and family education. She engages in community collaboration efforts to improve culturally competent treatment and elevate the conversations about making trauma-informed care a norm in behavioral health care. Her passion for trauma-informed care extends through fifteen years of consultation and therapy to law enforcement agencies across Ohio, and she currently serves as the area clinician for mental health consultation, therapy, and critical incident response to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in Ohio and Michigan. She earned a Master of Social Work degree from The Ohio State University where she also teaches graduate-level courses in the College of Social Work. She is a Licensed Independent Social Worker Supervisor (LISW-S) in Ohio, holds a certification in Critical Incident Stress Management (CCSM), and is a certified Chronic Care Professional (CCP) through the Health Sciences Institute.


MEET THE YOUTH AND FAMILY OMBUDSMEN!
Jenny Stotts, Jennifer Sheriff
Audience: Caseworkers, Supervisors/managers, Directors/administrators, Attorneys, Counselors/clinicians
Credits: 2 hours training certificate credit, CLE

Workshop Description


In response to overwhelming feedback and tireless advocacy efforts from stakeholders and constituents, Ohio lawmakers passed House Bill 4. Signed into law by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine in early 2022, the Youth and Family Ombudsmen Office opened on May 31, 2022. The Youth and Family Ombudsmen receive and review complaints from adults and youth regarding experiences within the children services system across Ohio. The ombudsmen work with individuals, agencies and stakeholders to resolve conflicts and work on behalf of Ohioans to make critical recommendations to improve the overall child welfare system. Join this session to learn more about the Youth and Family Ombudsmen Office. This session will include an overview of the office, what to expect when a complaint has been filed and examples of how the ombudsmen team works to manage and resolve conflict.


Presenter Bios


Jenny Stotts, MS, LSW
Jenny Stotts, MS, LSW (she/her) serves as Ohio’s Youth Ombudsman. Prior to accepting this appointment, she served as the Executive Director of the Athens CASA/GAL Program and the Regional Coordinator of CASA in Southeast Ohio. Her professional experiences include direct practice in child protective services as a caseworker and forensic interviewer. Stotts also served in the area of workforce preparation as part of the University Partnership Title IV-E Child Welfare Training Program (UPP). Stotts is a licensed social worker. Stotts is an accomplished public speaker and trainer having presented to audiences representing over 200 countries. Stotts’ work on trauma and resilience has been featured in national and international publications. Her volunteer work includes serving with Rotary International, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and the Child Conservation League.

Jennifer Sheriff
Jennifer Sheriff has served in the field of public interest advocacy for well over a decade. Sheriff first began acquiring practical experience in the child protection arena while working as an intern with the Lucas County Juvenile Court CASA/GAL Department. After graduating from law school in 2008, she spent the next eight years prosecuting criminal cases with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office ranging from misdemeanor shoplifting to first-degree murder where a complex trial caseload helped hone her diverse advocacy skillset. Beginning in 2016, she managed a challenging child abuse and neglect caseload as an Assistant Attorney General representing the Arizona Department of Child Safety, an experience that only bolstered her passion for amplifying the voices of all children and families impacted by the child protection system. Guided by the invaluable perspectives gained during her most recent role as Lucas County Child Protection Ombudsman, Sheriff is committed to effectively elevating all unmet needs of the most vulnerable among us.


PEER MENTORSHIP: THE POWER OF LIVED EXPERIENCE AND VOICE IN CHANGEMAKING
China Darrington
Audience: Caseworkers, Supervisors/managers, Directors/administrators, Attorneys, Counselors/clinicians
Credits: 2 hours training certificate credit, SW, C, CLE

Workshop Description


Peer Support has been included on innovative treatment teams for a while now, but what makes it work so effectively? Learn the “magic sauce” of including the power of lived experience to transform change and form positive multidisciplinary teams to support individual and family goals for success. When including peers on treatment teams, there is often some lack of understanding how to effectively supervise and support peers to be able to do their work efficiently. This training will touch on some of the necessary points of effective supervision and points to consider for the child protective field, including social workers and counselors.


Presenter Bio


China Darrington
China Darrington is a person in long-term recovery from many things: substance use disorders, mental health challenges and human trafficking, she came into recovery as a pregnant/parenting woman and is passionate about developing programs and systems that keep parents strong, kids safe and families connected. She’s been involved for the past 15 years in peer recovery support services and has developed a strong advocacy voice for recovery oriented systems of care. She is the Director of Advocacy and Public Policy for Thrive Peer Recovery Services and works at the local, state and federal level to raise awareness, fight stigma, increase understanding, reduce harm and change systems so that it’s easier to find the support and access the services and resources needed to improve lives and thrive in recovery.


THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS: YOUTH ENGAGEMENT STRATEGIES
Stephanie Beleal
Audience: Caseworkers, Supervisors/managers, Directors/administrators
Credits: 2 hours training certificate credit, SW, C

Workshop Description


Young people served by our collective agencies are restless- unable to rest or relax, in a state of unease. They are tense, anxious, and apprehensive, and who can blame them? Many have experienced not only the trauma that brought on our involvement, but also the loss of social and family connections, instability, but also the impact of higher-than-necessary levels of care, placement moves, caseworker reassignment, and the numerous ups and downs of children services involvement that only they experience. They are experts in our flaws. Even in the midst of our current workforce challenges, we can and should be continuing to improve our service to youth and their families including kinship connections. Let’s join together to lean into our values of focused youth engagement, increased kinship care, and enhanced practice. Those grandiose goals do not happen overnight, and they do not happen in large swoops, they are achieved through small deliberate actions by the collective team of an organization. During this session, we will examine concrete strategies we can use to move the needle of our practice in the areas of intentional youth involvement, navigating complex conversations, preparing youth and supports, and youth centered meetings. Let’s embrace ways we can persevere in our dedication to young people.


Presenter Bio


Stephanie Beleal, MSW, LISW
Stephanie Beleal, MSW, LISW, is a Program Director at Kinnect, an Ohio-based nonprofit that partners with PCSAs and community organizations to implement evidence-informed practices to help more children find permanency. She brings to this position more than fifteen years of passionate child welfare experience as a leader, case manager, trainer, curriculum developer, and data manager. Since joining Kinnect, Stephanie has directed the implementation of Kinnect Family in 27 sites, managed and expanded Ohio’s Youth Centered Permanency Roundtable initiative, developed innovated approaches to kinship work, curated and facilitated multiple statewide family finding events for Colorado, and co-presented mediation training to representatives of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Procedural Justice-Informed Alternatives to Contempt federal grant program. Stephanie earned a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Akron (OH) and a BA in Social Work from Malone University (OH).



Explanation of Training Credits

PCSAO is pleased to offer continuing education training credit to licensed social workers, counselors, attorneys, and E-Track users. Registration is not transferrable, and only those registered for the conference are eligible to receive credit. The following credits are offered for select workshops:

  • Social Worker, SW
  • Counselor, C
  • Ethics
  • Supervision
  • Continuing Legal Education, CLE

E-Track Users

Attendance will be tracked at each workshop. After the conference, E-Track training credit will be provided via an upload to your E-Track account as supplemental credit. (Note that supplemental training is different from approved OCWTP credit training, but still counts toward your annual ongoing training requirement.) You do not need to take any action in order for this training to appear in your account so long as you include your accurate E-Track login ID when you register. Confirm your E-Track login here. Please allow six weeks for the training credit to appear in your account.

Training Records

Training credit will be uploaded automatically to E-Track as supplemental training for conference participants who provide an accurate E-Track login ID. Social work and counselor CEU hours will be reflected where appropriate. Social workers and counselors must be sure to include their complete license number at registration to receive credit. If you are unable to locate your license number, you can look it up here.

Training Certificates

A PDF training certificate will be emailed to each participant reflecting the number of training hours and the number of social work or counselor CEU hours where appropriate. Continuing education credits for counselors and social workers will also be uploaded to CE Broker.

Non-E-Track Users

If you are not an E-Track user, a Certificate of Training Credit will be e-mailed to you within fourteen (14) business days of the conference.