Tentative Agenda

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2011

Conference Registration

SEMINAR SERIES A

A-I: Advocacy for Caregivers
Karen Grace-Kaho, California State Foster Care Ombudsman Office

A-II: Putting Yourself First in Selfishness
Betty Parks, Parks and Associates

Brown Bag Lunch

Buy your lunch, bring your lunch; here is your opportunity to meet and network with other foster youth caretakers from other counties.

SEMINAR SERIES B

B-I: Applying the Brain Science Research to Care for Babies and Toddlers in Foster Care
Jennifer Rodriguez, Youth Law Center

B-II: Kinship Center Education Institute

DIRECTOR’S RECEPTION/AWARDS/ENTERTAINMENT

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2011

Conference Registration

SEMINAR SERIES c

C-I: Attachment Issues in the Foster Home
(Repeats in Workshop Series E)
Gregory Manning, PsyD, Professional Trainer and Consultant
This workshop will help you identify the critical importance that a healthy attachment serves in the lives of all children, particularly youth in foster care. Participants will understand the connection between cognitive, emotional and behavioral symptoms of attachment challenges exhibited by youth in foster care. Additionally, you will also learn the relationship between grief and loss, identity formation, relationship building and resiliency as it relates to attachment work with youth in foster care.

C-II: Gang Awareness
Joseph Walker, Retired LAPD Officer
Do gangs affect your family? Why is jumping-in so attractive to youth? Mr. Walker will answer these questions and identify various gang involvements your teen may be associated with. You will also be taught how to discriminate between a gang and a group and find out what “gang mentality” and “gang culture” really mean.

C-III: The Role of the Foster Care Ombudsman—Foster Youth Rights
Karen Grace-Kaho, California State Foster Care Ombudsman Office

C-IV: The Medically Fragile Child
(Repeats in Workshop Series E)
Taunya Boykins, Riverside County Public Health Nurse
In this workshop, Taunya will discuss why documentation and communication is needed when caring for the medically fragile child.

C-V: Kinship Center Education Institute

WORKSHOP SERIES D

D-I: Grief and Loss: A Youth’s Journey through the Child Welfare System
(Repeats in Workshop Series F)
Gregory Manning, PsyD, Professional Trainer and Consultant
In this workshop, participants will identify the critical importance that permanency serves in the lives of youth in foster care, and be able to identify the nature of grief and loss issues for youth in foster care, as well as identify specific steps to assist in addressing this issue. Participants will understand the connection between cognitive, emotional and behavioral symptoms of grief and loss exhibited by youth in foster care. Additionally, you will learn the relationship between grief and loss, identity formation, attachment, relationship building and resiliency as it relates to permanency work with youth in foster care.

D-II: The Foster Parent as Healing Agent
Patricia Foerch, LCSW, Private Practice
This training will focus on the role of the foster parent as a healing agent in the lives of children and adolescents who have suffered from early separation, loss, abandonment, abuse, and neglect. Participants will learn the value of being actively involved in the therapeutic process and how they can foster the therapeutic goals in the home. Long-time foster parent Patricia Negus will be sharing her experiences with this holistic approach in the lives of the adolescent girls she has fostered over the past five years.

D-III: Mentor Homes: Living Better Together
(Repeats in Workshop Series E)
Janay Swain, California Youth Connection
With the monumental passage of AB 12, many foster parents and former foster youth are asking many questions. “How do I keep an adult in my home?” , “Can my foster mother withhold my belongings?” These are just two out of many! This workshop will provide the perspective of former foster youth and have a dialogue to examine ways in which we can all ‘live better together!!’

D-IV: Diabetes and Its Affects on America’s Children
Marla Law Abrolat, M.D., FAAP, Kaiser Permanente, Department of Pediatrics
Dr. Abrolat will be speaking on the affects of obesity and the possible consequences of developing diabetes in America’s children, including foster children and will answer questions from the audience.

D-V: Quality Parenting Initiative
Jennifer Rodriguez, Youth Law Center

WELCOME LUNCHEON

WORKSHOP SERIES E

E-I: Attachment Issues in the Foster Home
(Repeated from Workshop Series C)
Gregory Manning, PsyD, Professional Trainer and Consultant
This workshop will help you identify the critical importance that a healthy attachment serves in the lives of all children, particularly youth in foster care. Participants will understand the connection between cognitive, emotional and behavioral symptoms of attachment challenges exhibited by youth in foster care. Additionally, you will also learn the relationship between grief and loss, identity formation, relationship building and resiliency as it relates to attachment work with youth in foster care.

E-II: Transracial Parenting
Joe Kroll, Executive Director, North American Council on Adoptable Children
A parent who adopted transracially will share his personal and professional experiences. He will share NACAC’s Transracial Self Awareness tool and curriculum that helps parents self-assess whether they are prepared to parent transracially. Parenting techniques and resources that parent group leaders can share with other parents to help them successfully raise children adopted transracially will also be provided.

E-III: The Medically Fragile Child
(Repeated from Workshop Series C)
Taunya Boykins, Riverside County Public Health Nurse
In this workshop, Taunya will discuss why documentation and communication is needed when caring for the medically fragile child.

E-IV: Mentor Homes: Living Better Together
(Repeated from Workshop Series D)
Janay Swain, California Youth Connection
With the monumental passage of AB 12, many foster parents and former foster youth are asking many questions. “How do I keep an adult in my home?”, “Can my foster mother withhold my belongings?” These are just two out of many! This workshop will provide the perspective of former foster youth and have a dialogue to examine ways in which we can all ‘live better together!!’

E-V: Is Resource Parenting for You?
Janice Tamkin, LCSW, and Bernard Mathis, M.A., San Bernardino County Department of Children and Family Services
This workshop will focus on how care providers can evaluate themselves and know if they have the skills, patience, and most of all the commitment to care for hard to place kids. The goal of placement is to provide a young person with a positive environment that promotes a caring and positive relationship in order to repair damage done to the self by abuse and/or neglect. This workshop will inform caretakers of symptoms developed as a response to abuse/neglect.

WORKSHOP SERIES F

F-I: Grief and Loss: A Youth’s Journey through the Child Welfare System
(Repeated from Workshop Series D)
Gregory Manning, PsyD, Professional Trainer and Consultant
In this workshop, participants will identify the critical importance that permanency serves in the lives of youth in foster care, and be able to identify the nature of grief and loss issues for youth in foster care, as well as identify specific steps to assist in addressing this issue. Participants will understand the connection between cognitive, emotional and behavioral symptoms of grief and loss exhibited by youth in foster care. Additionally, you will learn the relationship between grief and loss, identity formation, attachment, relationship building and resiliency as it relates to permanency work with youth in foster care.

F-II: Parenting Outside the Lines
Bob Currey, Facilitator
Mr. Currey looks at compliant children vs. self-willed children and what works. Influence vs. control, sorting out behavior, encouragement, rewards vs. bribes, self-image, ladder of success and contracts are the topics of discussion. Finally, reviewing and troubleshooting a child’s behavior and our reaction will be addressed.

F-III: Understanding and Effectively Working with LGBTQ Youth
Nicole A. Hart, MSW, San Bernardino County Department of Children and Family Services
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning youth are an at risk population within the foster care system. Due to their circumstances, they are disproportionally subject to discrimination, hostility and abuse. By law, all children, including LGBTQ youth, have the right to fair and equal access to services, care, placement, treatment, and benefits. Many people have strong feelings regarding sexual orientation. The purpose of this workshop is not to change minds or value systems. The goal is to enable caregivers and service providers to provide appropriate care in accordance with the law. In this workshop, participants will receive basic information about the LGBTQ community including, terminology, definitions, and current information about LGBTQ youth in foster care.

F-IV: CA State Foster Parent Officers Training (Past, Present, and Future Officer Training)
California State Foster Parent Association
This workshop will review each official’s basic roles and responsibilities and answer your questions concerning the various chapter officer positions. You will learn how to control meetings, appreciate each officer’s role and responsibilities, and support each other for the benefit of the organization.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2011

WORKSHOPS SERIES G

G-I: Questions for and Answers from CCL
Florence Manos, CDSS Community Care Licensing
What are requirements of home inspections? What personal rights are foster children entitled to? These are just some of the topics Florence will discuss. Bring your questions.

G-II: The Effects of Fostering on Your Relationships with Others
Bob Currey, Facilitator
This class covers the concepts of a family and goes into what, so called, “land mines” we could encounter as we go about our daily lives. Also, understanding ourselves and those we have relationships with, either adults or children, will be explored. We look at ways for success and happiness for now and years to come.

G-III: Compassion Fatigue: the Cost of Caring
Beverly Kyer, The Kyer Group
This highly interactive training is designed to address the self care needs of those working with foster children. Participants are encouraged to verbalize their understanding and connectedness to the multiple aspects of this fatigue. By taking a self inventory, participants will see first-hand the level of stress they experience. The group will review several tools and techniques to circumvent the most challenging aspects of their compassion fatigue and to be able to regain a state of neuro-physiological (mind-body) regulation.

G-IV: California Department of Social Services: 2011 Updates
Lynette Stueve, California Department of Social Services
Lyn is the acting Manager of the Foster Care Support Services Bureau, Recruitment Network Development Unit that works on Recruitment and Retention of Foster Parents. Lyn will be here to answer questions and/or concerns and provide current updates to what is happening around CDSS.

G-V: Beyond Consequence, Logic and Control, Part 1
(Part 2 found in Workshop Series H)
Dana McKnight Flentroy, MSW
Beyond Consequences is a discipline program based on kindness and was created to educate and provide the resources for helping children with severe acting out behaviors. Many of these children have been previously diagnosed with reactive attachment disorder, bipolar, oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, and/or depression. Most traditional techniques accepted amongst nationally recognized professionals in this field are fear-based and child-blaming. While some of those techniques may seem to help in the shortrun, in the long-run, they create fear in the parent-child relationship, many times resulting in chaotic and unsafe homes. The Beyond Consequences Model has been shown over and over to help families find the healing that they have been looking for after years of “trying everything and nothing worked.”

WORKSHOP SERIES H

H-I: Understanding and Supporting the Process of Grief and Loss in Children and Youth
Beverly Kyer, The Kyer Group
Being separated from loved ones and being torn from home and everything familiar is devastating for children and youth. The resulting experience of loss and grief are profound and lasting. Because children have no choices in this experience, the impact for them is more severe than that for the adults in similar events. The pursuing grief forever shapes the internal working model and resultant behaviors for the child. Our role as caretakers and providers will be to help the child process, cope, and eventually integrate the overwhelming and persistent feelings they are struggling with.

H-II: Adoptions Assistance
Joe Kroll, Executive Director, North American Council on Adoptable Children
In this series, parents will receive basic information on benefits available to special needs children through California’s adoption assistance program. Topics include philosophy of program, which children are eligible, benefits children are eligible for, and how to negotiate with families. Changes in the adoption tax credit for 2010 and 2011 for special needs adoptions will be provided. NACAC has the most complete database of federal and all 50 state subsidy programs and can answer questions on interstate placements.

H-III: Beyond Consequence, Logic and Control, Part 2
(Part 1 found in Workshop Series G)
Dana McKnight Flentroy, MSW
Beyond Consequences is a discipline program based on kindness and was created to educate and provide the resources for helping children with severe acting out behaviors. Many of these children have been previously diagnosed with reactive attachment disorder, bipolar, oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, and/or depression. Most traditional techniques accepted amongst nationally recognized professionals in this field are fear-based and child-blaming. While some of those techniques may seem to help in the shortrun, in the long-run, they create fear in the parent-child relationship, many times resulting in chaotic and unsafe homes. The Beyond Consequences Model has been shown over and over to help families find the healing that they have been looking for after years of “trying everything and nothing worked.”

H-IV: How to Care for Traumatized Kids
Carolyn Spoerl, Parent, Foster Parent, Guardian
Carolyn has been a foster parent/guardian for the past 16 years. She is a dedicated advocate for the well-being of children. Carolyn has had firsthand experience in working with traumatized children, and is able, and willing to share her insights in order to try to heal the trauma, which has been laid upon the lives of our children.

LUNCHEON and Closing Remarks

Straight Answers from the Judge
Judge Garry T. Ichikawa, Solano County Superior Court
Learn how and why Judge Ichikawa makes decisions and when foster parents have the most impact.

GENERAL SESSION MEETING

CONFERENCE ADJOURNMENT