Important Information

Upcoming Events

Jan
9
Thu
TBRI® Connecting Principles Day 2
Jan 9 @ 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm
TBRI® Connecting Principles Day 2

Parenting is challenging, particularly when you are parenting a child from a hard place. TBRI® Connecting Principles will provide and in-depth look at connection and attachment and will give you strategies and skills for helping children and families heal. This multi-disciplinary training is designed to give caregivers, volunteers, and professionals who serve children and families the knowledge and practical skills they need to bring hope and healing.

This multi-disciplinary training is designed to give caregivers, volunteers, and professionals who serve children and families the knowledge and practical skills they need to bring hope and healing. This live, online training has 4 video-conferencing modules, giving participants the opportunity learn in an interactive environment.

REGISTER HERE

Jan
10
Fri
TBRI® Intro and Overview Day 1
Jan 10 @ 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
TBRI® Intro and Overview Day 1

Parenting is challenging, particularly when you are parenting a child from a hard place. Children from hard places include children who experienced distress in the womb or during delivery, were hospitalized early in life, were abused or neglected, or experience trauma, whether natural or man-made. Trust-Based Relational Intervention® Introduction & Overview will focus on understanding the meaning of child behaviors, the brain chemistry of a child from a hard place, and how to help children and families heal and connect. This multi-disciplinary training is designed to give caregivers, volunteers, and professionals who serve children and families the knowledge and practical skills they need to bring hope and healing.

REGISTER HERE

Your Case, Your Rights
Jan 10 @ 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
Your Case, Your Rights

Presented by child welfare professionals with lived experience as former foster youth, this webinar will explore Your Case, Your Rights tools, a package of guidance and resources to help young people in the child welfare system learn AND exercise their rights across a wide variety of domains and scenarios – including cultural and heritage resources, housing, behavioral health, visitation, basic needs, and more. These evolving resources were developed by youth and child welfare professionals for use by youth and child welfare professionals independently or collaboratively. Attendees will engage in discussion, live interaction with the tools, and calls to action. Participants will take away immediately applicable tools and a model of lived-experience-led data collection and tool creation and distribution.

Presenters:

Gina Cabiddu, MSW – Lived Experience Expert, National Advisory Council on Children’s Legal Representation

Gina Cabiddu, MSW, is a former foster youth, adoptee, and social worker with 10+ years of service. Her work has spanned child protective services investigations, private nonprofit regional leadership, consultation services through her own LLC, successful statewide expansion of a model that has reduced youth boarding in emergency departments due to mental health needs, and working in Washington D.C. with Congress to develop policies, practices, and legislation regarding child welfare on the national scale. She serves as a current NACCLR member and Your Case, Your Rights Project Manager.

Parker, MSW – Lived Experience Expert, National Advisory Council on Children’s Legal Representation

Parker, a dedicated professional in the field of social work, holds an MSW from the University of Michigan. With a passion for transformative change, ze has found zir calling as a consultant with the University of California, Davis. In this role, Parker actively develops and facilitates training programs for various stakeholders, including counties, social workers, foster parents, and youth on a wide range of topics like Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Expression, wrap-around services, extended foster care, and more. With over a decade of experience working with system-impacted individuals, Parker has made a significant impact through zir efforts in policy, advocacy, and training. Zir unwavering dedication to social justice and equitable change has made Parker an invaluable asset to the communities ze serves.

REGISTER HERE

Jan
14
Tue
Dear Black Male Session 1: Historical View
Jan 14 @ 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Dear Black Male Session 1: Historical View

CWLA has partnered with Welcome2Reality, LLC to present the engaging four-part training series, Dear Black Male. We invite you to join us for a training that will provide an overview of the history and culture of African Americans with a focus on recognizing cultural mistrust, issues faced, and perceptions of Black males. Through lecture and discussion, participants will identity how efforts to adequately provide for Back males can be linked to the fight for larger social justice goals for themselves and their communities. Participants in this training will:

 

  • Develop an understanding of the importance of the role of the historian in interpreting African American history;
  • Expand their knowledge and awareness of the disproportionality of Black males who are institutionalized and the impact it has on communities;
  • Learn the most common mistakes professionals make when working with Black males and how to avoid them; and
  • Engage in dialogue to identify strengths-based practices and interventions that foster family health and resilience.

 

This training is open and welcome to everyone. The training format will incorporate lecture, discussion, video, and group activities. The following topics will be covered during the four (4) two-hour training sessions:

Trainers:

Anthony Gay, BA is the Director of Curricula Development at Welcome2Reality, LLC. Anthony is passionate about teaching and conducts research, develops training modules /curricula, and facilitates training. Anthony spent several years as a full-time trainer, developing or co-authoring training modules on fatherhood, professionalism, cultural competency, trauma, working with adolescents, family-centered assessment, and human trafficking. For over ten years, Anthony has been focused on improving communities by advocating for equality for fathers. Anthony is a member of a national fatherhood network that shares resources and ideas to improve fathers’ and families’ outcomes. Anthony is a leader in the realm of fatherhood in Connecticut and hosts numerous fatherhood themed events throughout the year, promoting positive fatherhood. As a result of his dedication, Anthony has received numerous awards recognizing his work with fathers and families.

 

Qur-an Webb, MSW is the Director of Operations at Welcome2Reality, LLC. Qur-an has been in the social work field for over 20 years and is the Connecticut Chapter Lead for Media Literacy Now, which focuses on education around media literacy. In this role, Qur-an was instrumental in getting Public Act No. 15-94 and Public Act No. 17-67 passed in Connecticut, which now mandates school systems to educate the safe use of social media and computer programming instruction, and in creating an advisory council related to digital citizenship, internet safety, and media literacy. He also works as an independent contractor and is an adjunct instructor. Qur-an is the vice president of the Association of Black Sports Officials. In this role, Qur-an advocates for the rights of and opportunities for Black sports officials and pushes for equality among officials. He also provides training and professional development opportunities domestically and internationally for the company.

REGISTER HERE

TBRI® Connecting Principles Day 3
Jan 14 @ 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm
TBRI® Connecting Principles Day 3

Parenting is challenging, particularly when you are parenting a child from a hard place. TBRI® Connecting Principles will provide and in-depth look at connection and attachment and will give you strategies and skills for helping children and families heal. This multi-disciplinary training is designed to give caregivers, volunteers, and professionals who serve children and families the knowledge and practical skills they need to bring hope and healing.

This multi-disciplinary training is designed to give caregivers, volunteers, and professionals who serve children and families the knowledge and practical skills they need to bring hope and healing. This live, online training has 4 video-conferencing modules, giving participants the opportunity learn in an interactive environment.

REGISTER HERE

Jan
15
Wed
Preventing Child Sexual Abuse: Strategies and Program for Education, Awareness, and Intervention
Jan 15 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Preventing Child Sexual Abuse: Strategies and Program for Education, Awareness, and Intervention

Child sexual abuse is a pervasive issue that requires coordinated efforts in prevention, education, and intervention. Join us for this month’s LCTF Coffee and Conversations seminar as we explore evidence-based strategies and programs designed to prevent child sexual abuse. This session will provide parents, educators, social workers, and legal professionals with the tools to recognize early warning signs, understand legal professionals with the tools to recognize early warning signs, understand legal obligations, and implement effective prevention programs. Guest speakers will address education and awareness, prevention strategies, and legal considerations and understanding mandatory reporting laws, legal responsibilities, and the role of the legal system in both prevention and response efforts.

Speaker

Stacie Schrieffer LeBlanc, JD, Med, a lifelong child advocate, co-founder of the Up Institute, President Emeritus of The American Professional Society on Child Abuse (APSAC), has served 34 years in the child maltreatment field. She led a child abuse felony prosecution program with a 94% conviction rate. During her 19 years at Children’s Hospital New Orleans, Stacie lead the Audrey Hepburn CARE Center and the Children’s Advocacy Center. She has published numerous articles and five books, and her legislative impact includes 11 successful amendments, earning her the title of Champion for Children. Recognized with numerous awards, such as a Lifetime Achievement Award, FBI Directors Award, and APSAC Outstanding Service, Stacie was also named Advocate of the Year by the American Psychology Association in 2022 for her work advancing No Hit Zones as a tool to combat child abuse. She chairs the National No Hit Zone Committee, overseeing the global expansion of No Hit Zones. Stacie remains dedicated to creating a safer world for children through her expertise, legislative influence, and innovative prevention programs. Stacie Schrieffer LeBlanc, JD, Med, a lifelong child advocate, co-founder of the Up Institute, and former APSAC president, has served 34 years in the child maltreatment field. She led a child abuse felony prosecution program with a 94% conviction rate. During her 19 years at Children’s Hospital New Orleans, Stacie led the Audrey Hepburn and the Children’s Advocacy Centers. She has published articles and five books, and her legislative impact includes 11 successful amendments. Recognized with numerous awards, such as a Lifetime Achievement Award, FBI Directors Award, and APSAC Outstanding Service, Stacie was also named Advocate of the Year by the American Psychology Association in 2022 for her work advancing No Hit Zones as a tool to combat child abuse. She chairs the National No Hit Zone Committee, overseeing the global expansion of No Hit Zones. 

Viola Vaughan-Eden, PhD, MSW, MJ is a Professor and the PhD Program Director with the Ethelyn R. Strong School of Social Work at Norfolk State University. She is also the President and CEO of UP For Champions, a non-profit in partnership with The UP Institute, a think tank for upstream child abuse solutions. As a forensic and licensed clinical social worker, she serves as a consultant and expert witness in child maltreatment cases – principally sexual abuse. She has evaluated and/or consulted on more than 3000 child abuse cases and provided expert testimony more than 700 times. She is also a Child Welfare Advisor to the National Family Violence Law Center at George Washington University. Dr. Vaughan-Eden is President Emerita of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children, President Emerita of the National Partnership to End Interpersonal Violence, and Past-President of the National Organization of Forensic Social Work. She lectures nationally and internationally on child and family welfare to multidisciplinary groups of professionals. She is co-editor of the 2012 and 2023 APSAC Practice Guidelines on Forensic Interviewing Children and is one of the editors-in-chief of the six-volume 2022 NPEIV Handbook on Interpersonal Violence. Dr. Vaughan-Eden is the recipient of several honors including the 2023 Outstanding Individual in Academia from the Congressional Research Institute for Social Work and Policy, the 2020 NOFSW Sol Gothard Lifetime Achievement Award, 2018 APSAC Outstanding Service Award, and the 2012 National Association of Social Workers-Virginia Chapter Lifetime Achievement Award. See www.violavaughaneden.com 

REGISTER HERE

Jan
16
Thu
Civil Rights Protecting for Persons With Disabilities Involved In Child Welfare
Jan 16 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Civil Rights Protecting for Persons With Disabilities Involved In Child Welfare

Child in Need of Care (CINC) cases often involve children and families with disabilities who may be protected under Federal laws from disability-based discrimination. Disability rights protections attach when an individual with a disability is eligible to receive services from state and child welfare agencies, child placing agencies, state courts, and community-based service providers that receive Federal grants and assistance (e.g., Title IV-E and B, Medicaid, State Court Improvement Program, etc.) from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in programs and activities that receive HHS financial assistance. Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 prohibits disability-based discrimination in child welfare programs, services, and activities administered by State and local government entities. An individual with a disability means a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a record of such an impairment, or is regarded as having an impairment. Substance use disorder is an example of a physical or mental impairment under Section 504 and the ADA.

Learning Objectives

  • Become familiar with the legal definition of a qualified individual with a disability.
  • Understand who is covered under federal disability laws and what entities must comply with the laws.
  • Hear examples of disability discrimination in the child welfare system.

Speaker

Carla Carter, JD, Associate Deputy Director for Enforcement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights

Carla Carter serves as an Associate Deputy Director for Enforcement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. In her role, Carla is responsible for developing civil rights enforcement strategies, policies, and guidance to clarify covered entities’ responsibilities under federal civil rights laws. Additionally, Carla provides technical assistance to federally assisted entities to ensure compliance with civil rights laws in health and human service programs. Before joining OCR, Carla served as legal counsel with the NYC Administration for Children’s Services and provided direct child welfare services to children and families in various roles including, as a child protection caseworker, family preservation caseworker, foster care supervisor, and independent living trainer. Carla holds a J.D. from the City University of New York Law School and has a B.A in Early Childhood Education from Lincoln University.

REGISTER HERE

Dear Black Male Session 2: Incarceration
Jan 16 @ 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Dear Black Male Session 2: Incarceration

CWLA has partnered with Welcome2Reality, LLC to present the engaging four-part training series, Dear Black Male. We invite you to join us for a training that will provide an overview of the history and culture of African Americans with a focus on recognizing cultural mistrust, issues faced, and perceptions of Black males. Through lecture and discussion, participants will identity how efforts to adequately provide for Back males can be linked to the fight for larger social justice goals for themselves and their communities. Participants in this training will:

 

  • Develop an understanding of the importance of the role of the historian in interpreting African American history;
  • Expand their knowledge and awareness of the disproportionality of Black males who are institutionalized and the impact it has on communities;
  • Learn the most common mistakes professionals make when working with Black males and how to avoid them; and
  • Engage in dialogue to identify strengths-based practices and interventions that foster family health and resilience.

 

This training is open and welcome to everyone. The training format will incorporate lecture, discussion, video, and group activities. The following topics will be covered during the four (4) two-hour training sessions:

Trainers:

Anthony Gay, BA is the Director of Curricula Development at Welcome2Reality, LLC. Anthony is passionate about teaching and conducts research, develops training modules /curricula, and facilitates training. Anthony spent several years as a full-time trainer, developing or co-authoring training modules on fatherhood, professionalism, cultural competency, trauma, working with adolescents, family-centered assessment, and human trafficking. For over ten years, Anthony has been focused on improving communities by advocating for equality for fathers. Anthony is a member of a national fatherhood network that shares resources and ideas to improve fathers’ and families’ outcomes. Anthony is a leader in the realm of fatherhood in Connecticut and hosts numerous fatherhood themed events throughout the year, promoting positive fatherhood. As a result of his dedication, Anthony has received numerous awards recognizing his work with fathers and families.

 

Qur-an Webb, MSW is the Director of Operations at Welcome2Reality, LLC. Qur-an has been in the social work field for over 20 years and is the Connecticut Chapter Lead for Media Literacy Now, which focuses on education around media literacy. In this role, Qur-an was instrumental in getting Public Act No. 15-94 and Public Act No. 17-67 passed in Connecticut, which now mandates school systems to educate the safe use of social media and computer programming instruction, and in creating an advisory council related to digital citizenship, internet safety, and media literacy. He also works as an independent contractor and is an adjunct instructor. Qur-an is the vice president of the Association of Black Sports Officials. In this role, Qur-an advocates for the rights of and opportunities for Black sports officials and pushes for equality among officials. He also provides training and professional development opportunities domestically and internationally for the company.

REGISTER HERE

TBRI® Connecting Principles Day 4
Jan 16 @ 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm
TBRI® Connecting Principles Day 4

Parenting is challenging, particularly when you are parenting a child from a hard place. TBRI® Connecting Principles will provide and in-depth look at connection and attachment and will give you strategies and skills for helping children and families heal. This multi-disciplinary training is designed to give caregivers, volunteers, and professionals who serve children and families the knowledge and practical skills they need to bring hope and healing.

This multi-disciplinary training is designed to give caregivers, volunteers, and professionals who serve children and families the knowledge and practical skills they need to bring hope and healing. This live, online training has 4 video-conferencing modules, giving participants the opportunity learn in an interactive environment.

REGISTER HERE

Jan
17
Fri
TBRI® Intro and Overview Day 2
Jan 17 @ 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
TBRI® Intro and Overview Day 2

Parenting is challenging, particularly when you are parenting a child from a hard place. Children from hard places include children who experienced distress in the womb or during delivery, were hospitalized early in life, were abused or neglected, or experience trauma, whether natural or man-made. Trust-Based Relational Intervention® Introduction & Overview will focus on understanding the meaning of child behaviors, the brain chemistry of a child from a hard place, and how to help children and families heal and connect. This multi-disciplinary training is designed to give caregivers, volunteers, and professionals who serve children and families the knowledge and practical skills they need to bring hope and healing.

REGISTER HERE