Center for Excellence Webinar Series

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Our California kin partners, Think of Us, in collaboration with the Government Performance Lab, developed a kin-first webinar series highlighting six actionable strategies that child welfare agencies can use to move the needle on increasing placements with kin and strengthening caregiver supports within their jurisdictions — no matter where they are on their journey to build a kin-first system.
 

Implementing a Kin-first Framework: Kin-first Policy Guide Toolkit

September 27, 2024, 9:00 am – 11:00 am (PST)

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• About the webinar and presenters
• Join us for an overview of the Kin-First Policy Guide Toolkit, a practical implementation guide for a Kin-first System framework, with an emphasis on upfront family finding and engagement practices, navigating emergency placements and supporting legislation. This toolkit features effective practices from agencies that have successfully placed over 70% of children with kin as their first placement. This webinar will highlight the legal requirements, optimal staffing strategies, funding opportunities, cross-system collaboration, and a step-by-step process to establish a kin-first approach. 
  
  Don’t miss this opportunity to gain the knowledge and tools needed to prioritize kin placements and improve outcomes for children and youth in care!   
  
  Presenter
   

  Brian Blalock is a senior staff attorney at the Youth Law Center, focusing on juvenile justice, mental health services and legal support for homeless youth. He has led initiatives in Tennessee, Louisiana, Idaho and California, leveraging Medicaid for community-based therapeutic services. Previously, Brian directed public sector R&D, managed child welfare and juvenile justice systems and was a teacher in the Bronx. As a legal aid lawyer, he founded a youth law practice in Oakland and San Francisco. He co-founded YExLS, a youth-focused social change simulation, and holds degrees from Harvard, Columbia and Stanford, where he's been a visiting law lecturer. 

Kin-first Models and Approaches to Creating Systems Change

January 9, 2024, 10am-12pm (PST)

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• About the webinar and presenters

• The Center for Excellence recognizes the many efforts of programs to keep children, families and communities together. In this insightful session, our expert panelists will share their unique perspectives and insights on the kin-first philosophy. This webinar will delve into the power of Kin-first Culture and the transformative programs that are redefining family connections. This engaging session will shed light on how agencies can form meaningful partnerships, helping children and youth stay connected with their family, extended family, and community.

  The Center for Excellence has vetted the following model programs as experts in family finding, engagement and support. Each of the model programs are highlighted in the Family Finding Literature and Landscape Review which provides information on promising practices and systems change.

  Panelists include leaders from the following model programs:

  -- Cultural Brokers Inc.

  -- Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption/Wendy’s Wonderful Kids

  -- Kinnect to Family

  -- Family Finding

Creating a Kin-first Culture Through Partnerships with Service Providers: presented by Seneca, Wayfinder, and Family Builders

November 14, 2023

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• About the webinar and presenters
• This special webinar will be a panel presentation focusing on the potential for child welfare and probation to partner with service providers. Seneca, Wayfinder, and Family Builders will share information about how they have team to keep children and youth connected to their families, communities, and tribes.

Partnering with Kin to Foster Belonging: presented by Amelia Franck Meyer and Alia Innovation Partners

October 25, 2023

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• About the Webinar and presenters
• It is human nature to have an intense need for an uninterrupted sense of belonging. For children and youth in child welfare and probation, this sense of belonging is central to their thriving and even survival; however, our systems and practices are not set up to help children meet this vital need. 
  
  Join Amelia Franck Meyer from Alia Innovations as we explore a child’s fundamental need for and right to their family, culture, and community. In this engaging workshop, we will critically consider the myth of equating removal and placement of children with safety and explore alternative solutions to our current practice—both on the individual child level and the systemic level. Together, we will explore how to build a better partnership with youth and their families to foster belonging.  
  
  Presenters 
  Amelia Franck Meyer, Ph.D., LISW, is the founder and CEO of the national non-profit, Alia: innovations for people and systems impacted by childhood trauma. Amelia and Team Alia are working with parents and partners to create a national movement to keep children safe with, not from, their families.   
  Team Alia’s work falls into two categories: Evolutionary—building the capacity for change in people and systems and Revolutionary—co-designing new ways to keep families safely together.

Transforming Child Welfare Toward a Kin-first Culture: presented by Dr. Kenneth Hardy and Kevin Campbell

September 14, 2023

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• About the Webinar and presenters
• Join us for a powerfully insightful conversation with Dr. Kenneth Hardy and Kevin Campbell as they discuss how transforming child welfare toward a kin-first culture requires us to go beyond the family-finding process and shift how we see families' capabilities, dignity, and worth.  
  
  This webinar will illustrate how the work of cultivating a kin-first culture is grounded in race equity, and the importance of developing a racial, culturally responsive, and trauma-informed lens as it pertains to the work of seeing, doing, and being in partnership with children, youth, and families in child welfare. Key topics will include:  
  
  - Adopting a philosophy, mindset, and values that cultivate a Kin-first
  - Culture- Exploring the gap that often exists between what we are prepared to give as providers and what families who are disenfranchised and marginalized actually need 
  - Transforming the quality of collaboration between parents, youth, and relatives, within culture, utilizing a capabilities framework to create solutions to the problems that most affect people's lives 
  
  This webinar is open to all individuals and professionals invested in child welfare, probation, social work, family law, community development, and anyone passionate about creating a kin-first culture. Whether you are in the legal profession, a policymaker, or a community advocate, this discussion will provide valuable insights to empower families and ensure every child's right to a safe, supportive, and loving environment. 
  
  Presenters 
  Dr. Kenneth V. Hardy is a clinical and organizational consultant at the Eikenberg Institute for Relationships in New York, NY, where he also serves as director. He is also the founder and president of the Eikenberg Academy for Social Justice. He provides Racially Focused Trauma Informed training, executive coaching, and consultation to a diverse network of individuals and organizations throughout the U.S. and abroad. He is a former professor of Family Therapy at both Drexel University in Philadelphia, and Syracuse University in New York, and has also served as the director of Children, Families, and Trauma at the Ackerman Institute for the Family in New York, NY. 
  
  Kevin Campbell is an American Child Protection, Children's Mental Health, and Health Care innovator and the co-founder and CEO of Pale Blue. Pale Blue is a collaboration that seeks to disseminate learning and participatory methods which explore the intersection of Equality, Economics, and the Environment as the foundation for human health, flourishing and justice. Kevin developed Family FindingTM and Family SeeingTM, a set of strategies now utilized throughout North America, Australia, and Western Europe to convene, catalyze and facilitate families, communities, and governments in their work to respond to the problems which most affect our lives and futures. 

Cultivating a Kin-first Culture Through Family Engagement

August 29, 2023

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• About the webinar and presenters
• Join us for an inspiring fireside chat with three esteemed guests - Dr. Jessica Pryce, Judge Bill Thorne, and Karan (Kolb) Thorne- as they delve into the crucial topic of fostering a Kin-first Culture and promoting family-centered equity work. This webinar promises to be an enriching experience, exploring the significance of engaging children and families within diverse communities. 
  
  Key topics will include: 
  - The transformative potential of a kin-first culture 
  - Creating inclusive and supportive systems for families 
  - The role of kinship care on children’s and family’s well-being 
  - Strategies for involving families in decision-making processes and engaging their support networks 
  - Strategies for sharing power with families 
  
  This webinar is open to all individuals and professionals invested in child welfare, probation, social work, family law, community development, and anyone passionate about creating a kin-first culture. Whether you are in the legal profession, a policymaker, or a community advocate, this discussion will provide valuable insights to empower families and ensure every child's right to a safe, supportive, and loving environment. 
  
  Presenters 
  Jessica Pryce, Ph.D., is a research professor at Florida State University's College of Social Work. Over the past 15 years, she has worked on the frontlines of child welfare in direct services, conducted primary research, been a policy advisor to Florida’s legislature and taught graduate level courses in child welfare. She has published on child welfare topics, including training and education, racial disparity, and anti-poverty practices and has presented her research nationally and internationally. Her TED Talk on Implicit Racial Bias in Decision Making has since been viewed over 1.3 million times. In 2019, Pryce received a 5-year appointment to the Advisory Board of the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute. She also currently sits on the Florida Dependency Court Improvement Panel, alongside judges and advocates who are working towards a more trauma-informed approach within the judicial system. To learn more about her work please visit: www.jessicaprycephd.com. 
  
  Karan (Kolb) Thorne is a member of the Rincon Band of Luiseno Indians. She recently retired after 30 years with Indian Health Council Inc. working up the ranks to the position of Director to oversee the Tribal Family Services department who implemented the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) program for a seven Tribe consortium. Thorne has over 33 years of experience working with Tribal Governments and families in the areas of child welfare, family preservation, court advocacy, mental health, and domestic violence programs.

Funding Success Strategies: Excellence in Family Finding, Engagement and Support Program Implementation

July 24, 2024, 9:00 am – 11:00 am (PST)

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• Learn more about the webinar

• Join us for another session to learn how to make the Excellence in Family Finding, Engagement and Support (EFFES) program work for your county!

  Building on the groundwork laid in our previous webinar "Making the Local Match Work”, this session will offer deeper insights and practical examples to enhance counties' understanding of successful match implementation. Additionally, this session will offer methods to identify the match, including using current expenses for staffing and other allowable existing family finding and engagement efforts. We'll discuss key factors for consideration in the planning and decision-making process for your county’s funding plan, and explore ways to utilize funding effectively to develop and expand your county’s family finding, engagement and support efforts toward a kin-first culture.
  
  What sets this session apart:

  •  Extended duration, allowing for more in-depth discussion, including ample time for questions with our panel of experts.

  •  A Peer-to-Peer learning opportunity featuring San Joaquin County and Merced County. 

   - San Joaquin will be sharing insights and decision-making processes behind their EFFES plan development.

   - Merced County will be sharing information about their claiming process.

  •  A diverse panel of presenters, facilitating comprehensive dialogue and exchange of best practices.
  
  Don't miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights and tools to advance your EFFES program effectively!

Making the Local Match Work

January 30, 2024 2-3pm (PST)

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• About the webinar and presenters.
• Join us to hear about how to make the Excellence in Family Finding, Engagement, and Support (EFFES) Program work for your county! This webinar will clarify the specifics of the local match requirement and offer considerations that include staffing and existing family finding and engagement efforts allowable to meet the funding match requirements.  Factors for getting your certification and funding plan approved will be discussed, along with ways to utilize the dollars to develop and expand your county’s EFFES program toward a kin-first culture.

Kin-first Model Program Series: Cultural Brokers Inc.

April 25, 2024, 10-11am (PST)

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• Learn more about the webinar
• Join us for a compelling webinar that explores the vital role of Cultural Brokers in the child welfare system. In this webinar you will learn how Cultural Brokers, embedded in the communities they serve leverage relevant lived experiences to increase the overall well-being for at risk children and families by providing culturally congruent services, support with navigating various government agencies and programs and efforts to reduce disproportionality and disparities with the Child Welfare system. Cultural Brokers play a critical role in ensuring that children who do need to be removed from a home can be placed with family members rather than into traditional foster care.

Kin-first Model Program Series: Alia Innovations

April 16, 2024, 1-2pm (PST)

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• Learn more about the webinar
• Established in 2015, Alia works to equip and transform child welfare systems to create conditions for children to thrive within their families and communities. Join us for an informative webinar of Alia’s Intensive Permanence Services (IPS), an innovation award-winning service designed to reestablish permanent familial connections for resource intensive, long-staying youth. The session will outline the components of IPS, including healing relational trauma for youth and their families, exhaustive search and connection, and family engagement and healing.

Kin-first Model Program Series: Catholic Community Services of Western Washington

March 12, 2024, 1-2pm (PST)

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• Learn more about the webinar
• Join us for an insightful overview of the Catholic Community Services of Western Washington, Family Search and Engagement (FSE) program. Facilitators will share their values and mission driven work with a belief for family connection; the FSE set of practices are designed to locate, engage, develop and support family resources for youth based upon their commitment of connection to family. FSE partners with child welfare services in expanding beyond family finding efforts, focusing on engagement and finding solutions to barriers with the intent to increase identity, belonging, permanency, community and long-term commitment.

Kin-first Model Program Series: Family Finding

March 5, 2024, 1:00pm - 2:00pm (PST)

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• Learn more about the webinar
• Join our upcoming webinar to explore Family Finding™, a recognized Level 3 (Promising Research Evidence) by the California Evidenced Clearing House. Family Finding™ is a transformative framework by Kevin Campbell designed to enlist the support of relatives and concerned individuals for children, youth and parents within child welfare, children’s mental health and juvenile justice systems. In this session, you will learn how implementing Family Finding™ is supported with in-person, virtual and online access to practice manuals and the development of internal staff and community partners who become licensed as Family Finding™ Coaches and Mentors.

Kin-first Model Program Series: Kinnect to Family Overview

February 27, 2024, 1-2pm (PST)

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• Learn more about the webinar
• Join us for an overview of Kinnect to Family, a program of Kinnect that involves intense specialized family search and engagement strategies, and kinship supports. Kinnect to Family is dedicated to timely kinship connections and inclusive support networks for children, young people and families. Facilitators will share outcomes of their program and highlight their success in identifying on average 150 extended family members per child. 

Kin-first Model Program Series: Wendy’s Wonderful Kids Overview

February 8, 2024, 11am-12pm (PST)

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• Learn more about the webinar.

• Join us for an informative review of the eight key components of Wendy’s Wonderful Kids (WWK) evidenced-based child-focused recruitment model while discussing the importance of engaging biological family and others already known to the youth.  Facilitators will review the outcomes of the five-year rigorous evaluation of the Wendy’s Wonderful Kids recruitment model conducted by Child Trends and explore how partnering agencies are successfully embedding this important child welfare practice across the United States and Canada.

  Presenters

  Jennifer Justice currently serves as the senior vice-president of strategic program development for the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption (DTFA) and has more than 26 years of child welfare experience. She is a member of DTFA’s senior management team with oversight of the organization’s Wendy’s Wonderful Kids program, including driving program planning, development, and implementation nationally. Prior to coming to the Foundation, Justice served as Ohio’s child welfare director for five years.

  Andrea Williams has been in the child welfare field for 20 years. She currently serves as the senior director of training for the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, where she is responsible for the development and delivery of curriculum involving the child-focused recruitment model, and other related foster care adoption topics, to child welfare professionals, legal professionals and other stakeholders across North America. 

Supporting Early Childhood in Child Welfare: LA County's Birth to Five Policy and Program

October 30, 2024, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm (PST)

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• About the webinar and presenters

• Join us for an overview of Los Angeles County’s Children Aged Birth to Five Policy and Program, which emphasizes the critical role that family and close connections play in a child’s development.  Children experience the most brain development during their early years, with 80% of a child’s brain development by age three. The goal of this policy is to strengthen practice guidelines around the unique needs of children aged birth to 5, and their caregivers, by looking at the child and caregiver(s) together as a unit. The policy provides social workers with enhanced guidelines to engage, assess and support children ages birth to five and help their parents and caregivers to better understand and meet their children’s physical, emotional and social wellbeing.  This webinar will also explore the development, implementation and success of the Children Aged Birth to Five Policy and Program. 
  
  Presenters
  
  Laura Andrade, Ph.D., is a children's services administrator at Los Angeles County's Department of Children and Family Services, where she has worked for 23 years in several capacities. She leads efforts to implement best practices for children aged birth to five and their families through a Learning Collaborative model that incorporates learning, reflecting and collaborating with community partners to support the daily case work of children’s social workers. As a manager in the Continuous Quality Improvement Division, she focuses on enhancing casework practices for better child safety and wellbeing. Andrade is also an experienced infant mental health clinician and researcher.

  Danielle Rivera, LCSW, is a children’s services administrator and social worker at Los Angeles County's Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), with 13 years of experience supporting children and families. She is passionate about mentoring social workers and has been recognized for her work in early child development, specializing in children aged birth to five. A UCLA Master of Social Work graduate, Rivera has participated in multiple fellowships and developed policies for young children. She is an alum of the UCLA + DMH Early Childhood Fellowship and the Napa Parent-Infant Mental Health Fellowship, and is a current Zero to Three Fellow. 

Peer Learning Webinar: Los Angeles County's Upfront Family Finding Model, Part 2

May 7, 2024, 1:00pm - 2:30pm (PST)

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• Learn more about the webinar
• Los Angeles (LA) County first began implementing Upfront Family Finding in 2016, and since then have made great strides in increasing kinship placements – both first and predominant placements with kin. Building on the first webinar they hosted in January (access recorded presentation), the LA County team will continue their presentation and share more about strategies they’ve used in implementing the Upfront Family Finding (UFF) program. 
  
  In this webinar, we'll discuss the following key topics: 
  - Decision-making processes and best practices for documentation. 
  - Effective engagement strategies to enhance family involvement and support. 
  - Insights into program structure and organizational frameworks. 
  - Utilizing data for informed decision-making and program evaluation. 
  
  Don't miss this opportunity to gain invaluable insights and learn from the firsthand experiences of LA County's UFF implementation experts. Join us as we take another step forward in advancing family-centered practices and achieving positive outcomes for children and families. 

Peer Learning Webinar: Los Angeles County's Upfront Family Finding Model

January 31, 2024, 2:30-3:30pm (PST)

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• Learn more about the webinar
• Los Angeles County first began implementing Upfront Family Finding in 2016, and since then have made great strides in increasing kinship placements – both first and predominant placements with kin. During this one-hour webinar, the LA County team will share their transformative journey and implementation strategy for their Upfront Family Finding (UFF) program. This includes an overview of stakeholder involvement, particularly the courts, and an overview of their kin-first firewall. Their innovative approach has amplified family placements and strengthened familial support for children and families.