Continuing Education
Resources

1in 6 of the children reported missing who had run away were likely child sex trafficking victims. This startling figure demonstrates the safety risks and vulnerability facing children who are leaving home or foster care placements. Hear from our presenter, Melissa Snow, to learn more about how we can work together to locate missing children, and how a trauma-informed and youth-centered recovery plan has the power to impact running behavior.

Through telling their stories and by hearing from professionals in the field, the film explains how children enter the foster care system, what happens while they are there, and especially what it's like as they transition out of it. Many of the hardships these youth face come to light as they allow unfettered access into their current situation and provide candid recollection and insight into their past. Along the journey of telling these unbelievable stories, the documentary shows how individuals, organizations, and communities work to improve the lives of these young adults – and how YOU can make a difference!

The Vera Institute of Justice, an independent nonprofit national research and policy organization hired by Justice Matters, recently presented its research findings to the Douglas County Criminal Justice Coordinating Commission.

The Executive Summary can be found here.

Truancy Roundtable 2022

Supplemental Video on Truancy Referral Process

Slides for Supplemental Video on Truancy Referral Process

1006 Form (fillable pdf)

Truancy Reporting Checklist

‍

October 2022 CASA hosted

Presentation will highlight key concepts for ending generational cycles of familial abuse, explore how concepts from initiatives to end generational cycles for other public health issues are also relevant, explain the importance of working at this issue from both directions (separate but equally effective programs for victims and perpetrators) and identify key areas of intervention for family violence professionals (law enforcement, court systems, animal welfare, education, medical, faith-based, etc.) in efforts to end abuse in the home. Ending generational cycles of familial abuse not only results in improved health outcomes for all humans and animals who currently reside in the home, but for the generations who follow as well.

11/2/2022 10:00 AM – 1:00 P.M.

See Registration to sign up for Zoom OR In-person @ Wyandotte Co. Service Center 402 State Ave. KC, KS 66101

Article attached, recommended reading prior to attendance.  – Please track reading time and turn into HKM with feedback on the session.

By the end of training, participants will understand:

• the Centers for Disease Control-Kaiser adverse child experiences study, including what adverse child experiences are and how they function as population-level indicators; and
• why children who suffered impacts of toxic stress are at a higher risk of juvenile justice system involvement.

‍

Some presenters include: Natalia Pesado and Cindy Riddell

Exploring more into what PSB is and how children with PSB interact it allows us an understanding of how we can best interact with them to benefit them and others.

Early intervention specialist and CASA volunteer Barbara Kramer will introduce videos and resources that we can share with our families, and ideas on how to start conversations about dealing with toddlers’ big emotions, the importance of play, and common parenting concerns, such as toilet training.

Parenting is difficult, but it can be easier if caregivers provide good information.  CASA volunteers can share well-researched information from reputable sources with caregivers and offer incentives to caregivers who make use of the materials or engage in conversations about parenting struggles.  

‍

Truancy Roundtable 2022

Supplemental Video on Truancy Referral Process

Slides for Supplemental Video on Truancy Referral Process

‍

 All KVC in-services from 2022 and 2021 are available as well as 2022 08 31 The O’Connell Children’s Shelter Truancy

‍

*Meeting ID: *867 9462 7406
*Passcode:* 564887

‍

Hosted by the KU School of Social Welfare 

Register yourself online and send a reflection e-mail to Heather to receive credit 

‍https://kusurvey.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bl47h4I388csVEO

email: hkrase@douglascountyks.org

‍

Meeting ID: 897 0315 2201  Passcode: 983569

This zoom will be published for those that missed it

e-mail Heather after with confirmation of attendance/take-aways (hkrase@douglascountyks.org)

‍

Fall Symposium

Event Overview: Community trauma including discussion on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), poverty, political/racial divisiveness, mass shootings, pandemic, violence and more. The goal of the symposium is to focus on how trauma can be shared broadly, and the accumulation of the resulting individual traumas can have an impact on broader community mental health.

The agenda for the Fall Symposium is:

8:30-9:00am – Registration
9:00-9:15am – Welcome
9:15-10:45 – Keynote: Marsha Morgan, MPA
10:45-11:00 – Break
11:00-11:45 – panel (to include)
Marsha Morgan, MPA, Dr. Marvia Jones, Erik Erazo, Darren Ivey
11:45-12:00 – closing

Where and When?

Tuesday, October 18
9am to noon
Lodge at Ironwoods
14701 Mission Road
Leawood, Kansas 66224

‍

Guest Speakers: 

Marsha Morgan

Dr. Marvia Jones

Erik Erazo

Darren Ivey

Meeting ID:* 896 0385 2522 *Passcode: *205066

Tuesday, Sept 13th from noon - 1 pm. Learn about highly sensitive kids with Dr. Ann-Louise Lockhart *Join Zoom Meeting* https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84087198255?pwd=czJaSE9SYUlYTDlZVWloQm5HY2VGdz09*Meeting ID: *840 8719 8255 *Passcode: *167500

Sunflower CASA is hosting a panel of educators (one each from elementary, middle, and high school level) on *Thursday, September 29 from 7-8:30 pm* - they need you to RSVP by 9/15 (yes or no) for this session. Send RSVPs to jmorrishardeman@gmail.com. *Meeting ID: *846 0870 7840 *Passcode:* 482397

Neurobiological systems may be particularly susceptible to deleterious impact of childhood trauma, and the impact of childhood trauma on development and subsequent functional outcomes across the lifespan has been well-documented. The current review addresses the neurobiological impact of exposure to interpersonal trauma in childhood in the context of executive function, emotion regulation, and dissociation/interoceptive awareness. Subsequent risk for PTSD and depression is also discussed. The pathway of risk from childhood trauma to these cognitive, emotional, and psychiatric outcomes is addressed in terms of potential structural and functional alterations within the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and amygdala resulting from chronic or repeated activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and its interaction with and influence on genetic and epigenetic processes during sensitive periods of development. Implications for practice are discussed.

Presented by Dr. David Schonfeld, MD. Supporting Children, Staff, and School at Times of Crisis and Loss. Crisis and loss are common in the lives of students, whether due to a crisis involving a student’s individual family or one that affects the entire school community. This webinar will help school professionals learn basic skills in how to talk with and support individual students or the entire class/school as they struggle to understand and cope with a crisis and loss in their lives.

A  look at why the lives of high school graduate and GED test takers'  lives vary so drastically when their test scores are roughly equal.

‍

A story about doubt: how it germinated, spread, and eventually took hold of an entire community, with terrible consequences. A collaboration with The Marshall Project and ProPublica. A story from "This American Life" from Feb 26, 2016 and about the story of a girl who was raped and not believed and the subject of the Neflix series "Unbelievable."

‍

The stories we tell about ourselves — stories of success and stories of failure — often have their beginnings in the distant past. Sometimes, they start in our childhoods. Sometimes, before we were even born.

This idea may sound poetic, but when it comes to economic mobility, there's evidence to back it up. Raj Chetty, an economist at Harvard, is responsible for some of the most powerful evidence, drawing on data from many millions of Americans.

Raj has found that early variables in your life, from the quality of your kindergarten teacher to the neighborhood you grew up in, can have lasting effects. And those effects often result in dramatically divergent outcomes in different parts of the country.

"People ask... is the American dream alive or not today? And I actually think the question itself is sort of ill-posed," Raj says. "The term 'the American Dream' --really we should think of it as 'the Iowa Dream' or 'the Atlanta Dream' or 'the California Dream' because there's so much variation within this country."

Today we ask some questions that carry big implications: can you put an economic value on a great kindergarten teacher? How is it that two children living just a few blocks from each other can have radically different chances in life? What gives Salt Lake City an edge over Cleveland when it comes to offering people better prospects than their parents? The state of your American Dream, this week on Hidden Brain.

‍

This memoir, which tells the story of Machado’s abusive relationship with another woman, is an act of personal and formal bravery.

‍

Snyder highlights an epidemic of unacknowledged violence. Fifty women a month are shot and killed by their partners, and she explores the problem from multiple perspectives: the victims, the aggressors and a society that turns a blind eye.

In her unstinting memoir — a portrait of working-class poverty in America — Land scrapes by on $9 an hour cleaning houses to support herself and her young daughter.

‍

In this deeply researched and fast-moving narrative, Kendi chronicles the entire story of anti–Black racist ideas and their staggering power over the course of American history.

Despite the nature of its title, Kendi has gifted us with a book that is not only an essential instruction manual but also a memoir of the author's own path from anti-black racism to anti-white racism and, finally, to antiracism.

‍

In powerful poetry and prose, Saeed Jones recounts his experiences growing up as a young, black, gay man in rural Texas. In powerful poetry and prose, Saeed Jones recounts his experiences growing up as a young, black, gay man in rural Texas.

‍

Oluo guides readers of all races through subjects ranging from intersectionality and affirmative action to "model minorities" in an attempt to make the seemingly impossible possible: honest conversations about race and racism, and how they infect almost every aspect of American life.

A book-length letter from Ta-Nehisi Coates to his son, Samori. In it, Coates explains to Samori what it means to be a black man in America.

‍

Details how federal housing policies in the 1940s and '50s mandated segregation and undermined the ability of black families to own homes and build wealth.

Whether we are overwhelmed by work or school; our families or communities; caretaking for others or ourselves; or engagement in social justice, environmental advocacy, or civil service, just a few subtle shifts can help sustain us. Laura van Dernoot Lipsky, bestselling author of Trauma Stewardship, shows us how by offering concrete strategies to help us mitigate harm, cultivate our ability to be decent and equitable, and act with integrity. The Age of Overwhelm aims to help ease our burden of overwhelm, restore our perspective, and give us strength to navigate what is yet to come.

This book is written for anyone who is doing work with an intention to make the world more sustainable and hopeful—all in all, a better place—and who, through this work, is exposed to the hardship, pain, crisis, trauma, or suffering of other living beings or the planet itself. It is for those who notice that they are not the same people they once were, or are being told by their families, friends, colleagues, or pets that something is different about them.

The Kansas City Star has examined what happens to kids who age out of foster care and found that, by nearly every measure, states are failing in their role as parents to America’s most vulnerable children.

Trauma is a widespread, harmful and costly public health problem. It occurs as a result of violence, abuse, neglect, loss, disaster, war and other emotionally harmful experiences. Trauma has no boundaries with regard to age, gender, socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, geography or sexual orientation. It is an almost universal experience of people with mental and substance use disorders. The purpose of this paper is to develop a working concept of trauma and a trauma-informed approach and to develop a shared understanding of these concepts that would be acceptable and appropriate across an array of service systems and stakeholder groups. SAMHSA puts forth a framework for the behavioral health specialty sectors, that can be adapted to other sectors such as child welfare, education, criminal and juvenile justice, primary health care, the military and other settings that have the potential to ease or exacerbate an individual’s capacity to cope with traumatic experiences … The desired goal is to build a framework that helps systems “talk” to each other, to understand better the connections between trauma and behavioral health issues, and to guide systems to become trauma-informed" (p. 2-3). Sections of this publication include: introduction; purpose and approach—developing a framework for trauma and a trauma-informed approach; background—trauma—where we are and how we got here; SMAHSA's concept of trauma; SAMHSA's trauma-informed approach—key assumptions and principles; guidance for implementing a trauma-informed approach; next steps—trauma in the context of community; and conclusion

All kids make dumb mistakes. But depending on your zip code, race, or just bad luck, those mistakes can have a lasting impact. Mass incarceration starts young. In Caught: The Lives of Juvenile Justice, hear from kids about the moment they collided with law and order, and how it changed them forever.

How can child welfare agencies, Federal partners, judicial and legal entities, and community organizations shift both the perception and application of foster care to one that supports families? Dr. Jerry Milner explains his support for systemic change across child welfare systems: where foster care is viewed as a last resort for families facing challenges in maintaining safe and stable homes for children and youth.

In this episode, Dr. Milner explains the Federal Government’s role in facilitating community-based collaboration to support families. The conversation also focuses on increasing awareness of the needs of children, youth, and families involved in foster care, along with the value of ensuring foster care is used as a support for families instead of a substitute for parents.

Topics discussed include the following:

 Changing the misconceptions regarding children, youth, and families impacted by foster care

 The importance of Title IV-E Reimbursement for legal services for parents, children, and youth

 How the Federal Government supports community-based prevention efforts

 The issues and trends State and local child welfare agencies are sharing with Dr. Milner

The Color of Law :  Richard Rothstein

Details how federal housing policies in the 1940s and '50s mandated segregation and undermined the ability of black families to own homes and build wealth.

Between the World and Me: Ta-Nehisi Coates

A book-length letter from Ta-Nehisi Coates to his son, Samori. In it, Coates explains to Samori what it means to be a black man in America.

So You Want to Talk About Race: Ijeoma Oluo

Oluo guides readers of all races through subjects ranging from intersectionality and affirmative action to "model minorities" in an attempt to make the seemingly impossible possible: honest conversations about race and racism, and how they infect almost every aspect of American life.

How We Fight for Our Lives: A Memoir: by Saeed Jones

In powerful poetry and prose, Saeed Jones recounts his experiences growing up as a young, black, gay man in rural Texas. In powerful poetry and prose, Saeed Jones recounts his experiences growing up as a young, black, gay man in rural Texas.

‍How To Be An Antiracist: A Memoir: by Ibram X. Kendi

Despite the nature of its title, Kendi has gifted us with a book that is not only an essential instruction manual but also a memoir of the author's own path from anti-black racism to anti-white racism and, finally, to antiracism.

Stamped from the Beginning: by Ibram X. Kendi

In this deeply researched and fast-moving narrative, Kendi chronicles the entire story of anti–Black racist ideas and their staggering power over the course of American history. ‍

Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay and a Mother’s Will to Survive: by Stephanie Land

In her unstinting memoir — a portrait of working-class poverty in America — Land scrapes by on $9 an hour cleaning houses to support herself and her young daughter.

No Visible Bruises: by Rachel Snyder

Snyder highlights an epidemic of unacknowledged violence. Fifty women a month are shot and killed by their partners, and she explores the problem from multiple perspectives: the victims, the aggressors and a society that turns a blind eye.

In The Dream House: by Carmen Maria Machado

This memoir, which tells the story of Machado’s abusive relationship with another woman, is an act of personal and formal bravery.

Follows the year in the life of a high school that has radically changed it's approach to disciplining its students, becoming a model for how to break the cycles of poverty, violence and disease that affects families.

Samantha Mungai, an immigrant from Kenya, left her child alone while she went to work in July of 2017. This is the story of what participants in this case, and those who work in the system, say that parents who are Black, low income, or immigrants can face as they try to be reunited with their kids.

The curriculum, Integrating Adolescent Brain Development into Child Welfare Practice with Older Youth, was created by NASW to train child welfare workers to incorporate this information into their practice. Social workers, as well as others who work in child welfare, parents and foster parents may find this information valuable. In addition, practitioners working with adolescents in behavioral health, health, juvenile justice and school settings may benefit from the information contained in the curriculum. Social work faculty may find the information provided useful to infuse into courses on child welfare practice, working with adolescents, and human behavior and the social environment, among other courses. The curriculum combines findings from brain science research and knowledge related to trauma, implicit bias, and building social capital to promote strategies for practitioners to more effectively work with older youth who experience the child welfare system.

This presentation will review current science related to cannabis use, with an emphasis on findings relevant on college campuses.  Lessons learned after legalization in Washington State is discussed, as will suggestions for prevention efforts.

‍

‍