Governor's Conference

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Relational health (ERH) has galvanized the discussion of a paradigm shift for practitioners, policymakers, and early childhood advocates in child health, early childhood systems and child welfare, by harnessing the power of positive, strong, and nurturing relationships for growth, protection, and healing. These sessions will expand on the concept of RH for system change, advance the growing knowledge of best practices for promotion, prevention and healing, and provide an opportunity for attendees to envision a future for KA’s child serving systems to accelerate the future wellbeing of child, families and youth.

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This will be a thought-provoking, interactive workshop designed to emphasize how we can mobilize around relational health to prevent contact with the child welfare system and dramatically improve the experiences of children, youth, and their parents when contact is necessary. The workshop will demonstrate how inclusive, community-driven approaches create alternatives to child welfare responses and inform better ways to ensure the long-term health and well-being of families/children. The facilitators will utilize different techniques to underscore the need for different thinking and different methods to achieve different results. Participants will hear, feel, and discuss why radical change is needed nationally and in Kansas, what needs to change and how they aspire to get there together. The workshop will also include video segments that speak to the harm caused by current approaches to child welfare including vignettes from individuals with lived expertise who must guide the way.

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The DSM describes several anxiety disorders, which are based on the characteristics of the anxious response or a stimulus that magnifies the perception of fear. Due in part to pandemic isolation, a decrease in interpersonal connection and increased dependence on social media, we are seeing a rise in youth and young adults seeking treatment for Anxiety and Depression type symptoms. Sometimes individuals might have a constant feeling of anxiety or “unease” without really understanding where the feeling is coming from. In this session we will discuss types of anxiety disorders and examine some best practice techniques for diagnosing and treatment. Following this presentation, participants will be able to identify diagnostic criteria for anxiety disorders combined with effective therapeutic interventions. Participants will also be able to identify and utilize effective short-term objectives which will support the long-term goals of a client’s treatment.

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This collaborative workshop will focus on individual and organizational development of adaptive leadership skills and effective communication strategies to analyze and resolve challenges faced by child and youth services professionals focused on the prevention of child maltreatment throughout the State of Kansas. Key workshop objectives will include: • Learn, practice, and apply fundamental leadership principles and competencies to real-world challenges of organizations and their staff and stakeholders • Apply new critical thinking skills to identify and deeply diagnose individual and enterprise-wide opportunities and challenges. • Build a “smart experiment” mindset to seize opportunities and solve problems faster.

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Families experiencing domestic violence often interact with many different community service providers, including domestic violence advocates, while also navigating the child welfare system. By making concerted efforts to build collaboration across systems, safety and services for survivors are enhanced and offender accountability is increased. Building an effective partnership between child welfare professionals and domestic violence advocates enhances the communication among collaborative partners. Maintaining these partnerships can help break down the barriers that survivors encounter. By attending this institute participants will learn the key components to building an effective collaboration; gain knowledge of the different systems domestic violence survivors interact with; understand the different confidentiality and mandatory reporting requirements of child welfare professionals versus domestic violence advocates; and become familiar with the different services provided by domestic violence advocacy organizations in Kansas.

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Although Amber Jewell experienced extreme neglect, abuse, and long-term trauma as a child, which crept well into sectors of her adult life, her story never ends there! Rather, Amber focuses on the lessons of hope and resiliency that were taught to her through her child welfare experiences. Now as an experienced social worker, foster/adoptive parent, and therapist, Amber shares her three prong-perspective in a way that brings light to the true impacts those in child welfare play to help children and families find hope. Her story is entwined with research and humor to revive hope in services that address child abuse and neglect.

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These past three years have taken a toll on our mental and physical health. One way to improve overall well-being is to engage communities in supporting family-friendly workplace policies and practices. These strategies are in the best interest of employers, and benefit everyone in the community. Join us to learn about the Pathways to a Healthy Kansas model, and how to make your community and your company a healthier place to live and work.

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Student perception data is gathered annually from 6th, 8th, 10th, and 12th graders through the Kansas Communities That Care (KCTC) Student Survey, asking questions about topics like substance use, school climate, bullying, depression & suicide. This session will highlight trends and insights from 2023 data and orient participants to their local results. Join this session to learn more about how KCTC Student Survey results can inform community strategies and provide access to relevant and meaningful data over student perceptions in your community. Preview kctcdata.org and come equipped with questions and feedback.

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Myself and 2 incarcerated Mothers along with 1 previously incarcerated mother will attend. I will present the WALC Program to the audience, letting them know about my program at TCF and how the incarcerated Mothers and Grandmothers my continue to have an active relationship throughout their incarceration through participation in the WALC program, or in some cases, establish a relationship with their children/grandchildren through the WALC Program. My program is for Mothers and Grandmothers with and without active CINC Cases. I will explain how those affected by foster care can still maintain a thriving relationship with their children and how they can work their case plans successfully and achieve reintegration. The panel of women who will present with me share their stories of foster care either while in the system themselves as children or with their own children now.

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The DCF Independent Living (IL) Program provides services and supports to youth and young adults as they transition from foster care to adulthood. IL staff work to support youth’s educational and employment goals and embrace opportunities to teach youth skills necessary for navigating life, including self-advocacy, accessing community resources, daily living skills, and efficiently managing financial resources. IL Program services include Basic Chafee, Subsidy, Start-Up Costs, Vehicle Repair and Maintenance, Education and Training Voucher (ETV), Kansas Foster Child Education Assistance Act (Tuition Waiver), and Aged Out Medical. During this year’s Governor’s Conference session, IL staff will discuss the program’s purpose, services, and outcomes, including the National Youth in Transition Database. Presenters will provide an update on the implementation of the Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood provisions included in the Family First Prevention Services Act and the Supporting Foster Youth and Families through the Pandemic Act.

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This workshop will explore the nationwide trend of prevention services in addressing safety concerns within families; identify the risks to children in removal; lay out the elements of great safety planning that include parent and child voice, natural support systems, reasonable expectations, how to handle near misses, creating an alternative plan, relapse prevention; and include a walk-through of potential barriers such as unwillingness & the need of resources. Distinguish the continuum of risk for common safety concerns such as domestic violence, caregiver substance use, suicide, run aways, and unhealthy living environments. Throughout the workshop, safety planning will be viewed as a process requiring ongoing assessment, making goals and plans. “Safety Planning is a journey not a product.” Explore terminology that is important to the process, how words such as danger, harm, past, & future are important to the process. Recognize the importance of including triggers, predictable stressors, and strategies prior to events.

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Title: Supporting Kansas Youth: Implementing the Crossover Youth Practice Model in Kansas Workshop Description: This workshop will explore the national level research on crossover youth and will discuss the Crossover Youth Practice Model (CYPM). Presentation of the CYPM will include an overview of the goals and values of the Model, an exploration into the phases of the Model, and a discussion of CYPM evaluations and outcomes. The workshop will then turn to the specific CYPM efforts of Kansas. The presenters will discuss team composition, purpose and goals, target population, and current progress and activities of the Kansas State Policy Team. The local CYPM efforts in Montgomery, Shawnee, and Sedgwick counties will also be reviewed. The workshop will explore additional ways in which crossover youth can be supported in Kansas Proposal: Presenters will include at least one, if not all three, of the following; Department for Children and Families (DCF) Crossover Youth Coordinator, Office of Judicial Administration (OJA) Crossover Youth Coordinator, and Kansas Department of Corrections-Juvenile Services (KDOC-JS) Crossover Youth Coordinator. It is possible that at least one staff from Georgetown University’s Center for Juvenile Justice Reform (CJJR) will also present. Content Outline: • Who is CJJR? • National data, characteristics, and outcomes of Crossover Youth • A multi-systems approach: What is the CYPM? • Kansas Crossover Youth State Policy Team • Pilot sites and local initiatives • Q&A with session participants Primary Presenter’s Biography: Names and bios will be submitted at a later date.

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Utilizing recent medical imaging techniques, this presentation will demonstrate how meditation and neural feedback can significantly impact the mental health of individuals participating in a structured program. New scientific evidence on the causal factors for emotional instability will be demonstrated. Additionally, suggestions on how to implement a meditation program locally or via telemedicine systems will be explored. In addition to providing research from scientific papers sophisticated neural fMRI and diffusion tensor MRI imaging will also be presented.

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This training will help participants understand the risks and long-term impacts for children that are associated with parental and caregiver substance misuse and drug activity. This course will identify factors that create an environment where substance use endangers the health and well-being of children. It will also discuss recommended best practices for working with families in which substance use disorder is a factor. The course will also discuss methods for community collaboration to provide and ensure safe environments for children and their families. The training will discuss the importance of early identification and intervention for families and the importance of multidisciplinary cooperation to help these children. It will help attendees understand that they have opportunities to change the trajectories of the lives of drug endangered children and break multigenerational cycles. Personal lived experiences will also be shared to help attendees learn from their experience and perspective.

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Human trafficking impacts individuals, families, and communities. Certain populations are disproportionately at-risk including individuals who have experienced, or been exposed to, other forms of violence, such as child abuse and maltreatment, interpersonal violence and sexual assault, and community violence. Individuals disconnected from stable support networks, youth experiencing homelessness or housing instability, children and youth in foster care are at greater risk. Research supports that children and youth who are missing, or have run away from, foster care have a greater likelihood of experiencing adverse outcomes, including substance use, academic underperformance, and involvement with the juvenile justice system and increased vulnerability for experiencing sexual exploitation and human trafficking. Children and youth who run from foster care placements are a growing concern for child welfare and foster care systems. Running from care is the most common “pathway” to sex trafficking victimization. The Special Response was created in 2019 due to the rising number of missing/runaway youth in care in the state of Kansas. The Special Response team is made up of 12 members across the state of Kansas covering different catchment areas. Being a member of The Special Response team not only entails locating youth missing from care, but also our collaboration with local Law Enforcement and other state agencies. As a Response Team Specialist our efforts also include prevention, through building relationships with the youth to prevent further running behaviors.

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The Racial Equity Collaborative team will use instances of poverty, racism, and neglect to facilitate a conversation on how we interact with families involved in the child welfare system. Specifically, we will explore how our personal, professional, and ethical values can determine families’ experiences involved in helping systems. We will explore how racism, poverty, and neglect confusion leads to greater involvement in the child welfare system. We will examine ways to minimize agency contact and increase natural supports.

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Child Welfare services are essential, valuable, and yet…challenging! In a field that entails a lot of crisis work and intense services, it is crucial that parties involved practice ways to manage their own well-being. Many professions within child welfare even have an ethical obligation to practice self-care. More than that, the level of self-care that providers practice influences the children and families they work with. In this session, we are going to explore tools for self-care, calming techniques, and share stories where self-care played a role.

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Opioid use remains an ongoing threat to families and children. Through the Kansas Overdose Prevention Strategic Plan, Kansas is actively working on evidence-based prevention initiatives across the state to lower the burden of fentanyl and other opioid misuse. Participants will learn about current data pertaining to nationwide fentanyl trends and how it is affecting communities in Kansas. Participants will gain insight on the impact fentanyl is having on Kansas youth and how the state plan is working to combat the dangerous impacts of substance use and misuse. Discussions regarding the Kansas Alliance for Drug Endangered Children and other evidence-based initiatives will take place to encourage participants to engage in local coalitions and taskforces throughout the state. Join the DCCCA Prevention Team in discussing fentanyl, naloxone, the state opioid plan and how to get involved in combating this public health crisis.

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This session is based on the book by Vicki Hitzges 10 Rules for staying positive, adaptations for Early Childhood professionals are made. A set of guided questions for the participants to answer will be used. After attending this session participants will have a set of tools to help modify and enhance their attitudes. Rule #1 Wait to Worry Anxiety begets anxiety. Rule #2 Keep an Attitude of Gratitude Remember to say “Please” and “Thank You.” Rule #3 Your Health is your Wealth. If you have your Health, you have Everything. Rule #4 The Serious Benefits of Belly Laughs Laughter is the shock absorber that eases the blows of life. Rule #5 Joy Boomerangs Happiness is a by-product of living generously. Rule #6 Losing the Fight? Write Rule #7 Keep the Faith, Baby My job is to take care of the possible and trust God with the impossible. Rule #8 Learning to say “No” Graciously When you turn people down…Build them Up Rule #9 Understand the Power of Discipline Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.

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The social work code of ethics is the guiding document of social work practice in the world. However, the high rate of burnout in the field, especially in the recent challenging days and an uncertain future ahead, illuminates the importance of re-engaging our identity and reawakening hope. This presentation will seek to bring a chorus of voices from thinkers and poets to create renewed vision for the future of social work.

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More than 20,000 young people exit the foster care system each year without a permanent and supportive family. They want and deserve connection to family relationships, community, culture and support so they may thrive. Designed and developed by young adults with experience in foster care, the proposal seeks to expand permanency options on the same continuum as adoption, legal guardianship, and reunification. The proposed SOUL Family permanency option would create a circle of caring adults who provide support, opportunity, unity, and legal relationships for young people ages 16 and older, as they move from foster care to adulthood. Presenters will include young people with lived experience and a demonstration site representative (to be named).

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The perinatal period (pregnancy through 12 months postpartum) can be a complex time for care professionals and the populations they serve. Substance use during the perinatal period can bring up a variety of questions for professionals related to mandated reporting requirements and making appropriate and timely referrals to support services. This training will present an abridged overview of Kansas mandated reporting requirements, especially as they relate to the perinatal population, and review risk factors for abuse and neglect in the perinatal period. Additionally, this training will introduce a newly created perinatal provider workflow, focused on Pregnant Women Using Substances, intended to increase access to treatment and connection to community support services. Participants will learn from case examples taken from the perinatal period and have the opportunity to ask questions of DCF representatives.

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Working with youth can be challenging given the generational patterns of trauma, poverty, incarceration, etc. So, it’s essential for social service and mental health providers to understand generational trauma and how to work with foster youth from a generational perspective. Without this perspective, we can have unrealistic expectations for youth and their families and encounter barriers to engagement. Providers will learn strategies to support youth with generational patterns of trauma within their families.

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During this workshop, we will take a look at the concepts that both families and schools need to increase student success. The specific concepts to be explored are Grace and Accountability. Grace is the unconditional relationship that adults must provide for children given in three steps: 1. Boundaries, 2. Connections, and 3. Predictability. Each of these areas will be explored on how to provide these both personally as well as coach families on these areas. Accountability has five levels 1. I did it, 2. I’m sorry, 3. Its a problem in my life, 4. I accept consequences, and 5. I accept and need help. We will explore these five levels in more depth in order to increase adult competence while guiding children toward sustainable transformation. Additionally, the concept of early intervention will be presented as well as the why behind assisting families in providing clear boundaries so that out of bounds behavior can be addressed and redirected prior to emotion driving the interactions. During this session we will provide participants with samples of a tiered system of support while working with families in home in the areas of boundaries and structure, language to increase partnerships and skills to guide children through accountability. The concepts presented are trauma informed and will support the opportunity for both self regulation and increased accountability. We will also look at the success rate that exists when coaching parents in home for up to 6 months. The ultimate goal is to help parents enhance or modify their skill set to decrease the number of displacements in foster care as well as increase partnerships between schools and homes. Additionally, the presenters will provide information on a unique newly developed partnership with a local school district that is assisting in the endeavor to increase school/home partnerships in order to create more consistency of care for children both in foster care and in biological homes. There will be time for both role play and question/answers. Upon the conclusion of the workshop, participants will have action based items to put in place on a daily basis as well as ideas to consider for increased community partnerships.

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The social work code of ethics is the guiding document of social work practice in the world. However, the high rate of burnout in the field, especially in the recent challenging days and an uncertain future ahead, illuminates the importance of re-engaging our identity and reawakening hope. This presentation will seek to bring a chorus of voices from thinkers and poets to create renewed vision for the future of social work.

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The Kansas Youth Advisory Council (KYAC) is comprised of current and former foster youth ages 14 to 26. KYAC serves as the voice of youth and young adults who have experienced the Kansas child welfare system. KYAC works to educate child welfare professionals, foster parents, and community partners on the needs of youth and young adults in Kansas. KYAC also advocates for changes to programs, child welfare policy, and legislation to serve the best interests of youth and their families. During this year’s Governor’s Conference session, KYAC members will perform a skit that acts out the barriers they faced as they transitioned out of foster care and into adulthood. The skit will start with how the situation went in the moment and will be followed up with a skit about how it should have been handled. Past session topics have included Belonging, The Power of Positivity, the KYAC Five-Year Work Plan, and KYAC’s collaboration with Kansas Strong for Children and Families. Presenters will be members of the Kansas Youth Advisory Council. If needed, the primary presenter may Hannah Gremillion, KYAC Co-chair & KS Chafee IL youth advisor; Cory Seller, KYAC Co-Chair, Ascelin De Angelo, KYAC Board Member, and Lindi Zoeller, KYAC Board Member.

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Over the last decade, child welfare policy makers and field practitioners have engaged in efforts to improve service provision and outcomes for system-connected youth by partnering across organizations that include child welfare, juvenile justice, political/legal stakeholders, behavioral health, and education. Efforts to reduce criminalizing vulnerable youth have placed strains on the foster care system, ultimately impacting foster youth by oversaturating some services and causing detriment to foster placements, furthering placement instability issues. In addition, youth placed in foster care have increased mental and behavioral health issues and diagnoses, greater risk of criminal justice involvement, higher rates of adolescent pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) as well as substance use problems and are at higher risk for further abuse, sexual violence and exploitation/human trafficking as compared to youth in the general population. Foster youth often miss opportunities for educational growth and skill development needed in adulthood as home placements cannot be secured or are often disrupted. These risks and vulnerabilities can endure throughout the lifespan when youth experience delay or altogether miss reaching developmental milestones, especially with persistent gaps in services and recovery interventions. These macro level issues have illuminated the need for additional focus on youth experiences, healing, and development under state custody as the risks and vulnerabilities have not been shown to be mitigated by their going into foster care. As child welfare workers help foster youth with a myriad of daily living tasks and future planning, identity exploration, coping and communication skills, development of healthy behaviors, and goal setting – often the interactions can be difficult, especially if workers do not feel comfortable or equipped with knowledge and resources to best respond to youth needs and behaviors. Ultimately, youth in care may suffer and regress in their development. Borrowing from educational interventions and teaching methods of Montessori, TEACCH, TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) and tactile/kinesthetic and visual learning incorporation, this training supports practitioners and caregivers through building knowledge, confidence, and skills of adults to have trauma-informed methods for communicating with youth, responding to difficult behaviors, and providing interventions. Through the use of simple environmental adaptations and sensory aids, practitioners can assist youth in reaching developmental milestones, adjusting to changes, teaching and modeling self-regulation; and engaging youth in a positive and productive way that has the potential to facilitate healing and growth. Adaptations are appropriate for congregant care and day environments as well as within parental and foster home settings. This training supports practitioners as they consider their own biases, history, and knowledge base, and affirms that education is an integral piece of child welfare work. Topics in the training include practical learning and healing methods, neurodivergence and trauma, difficult behaviors and de-escalation, environmental adaptations, older youth in foster care, self-regulation, complex trauma, mental/behavioral health, and protective factors. This training includes knowledge-sharing, skill-building, practical application, and audience participation.

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Join us for a facilitated conversation to deconstruct and unpack the knowledge we’ve learned from the mandated reporting to supporting families shift within the state. Come to this facilitated workshop ready to share ideas and brainstorm creative ways of improving our systems for better while supporting children and families in Kansas.

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Kinship caregivers experience complex and unique needs that require increased quality training and comprehensive support. Through extensive stakeholder engagement and qualitative and quantitative data analysis, the Children’s Alliance of Kansas developed A Model Approach to Kinship Caregiving. This model includes a variety of training components, peer support caregiver groups, and child welfare workforce development that supports meeting kin caregivers where they are.

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Mental health leaders in Johnson and Wyandotte Counties, in partnership with TeamTech, creators of the Remarkably Resilient® brand, have launched a resilience awareness campaign, Remarkably Resilient Together™. This campaign is designed to show those who may be experiencing the effects of trauma or day-to-day stress that they are not alone; that their community can Connect with them, help them find the Courage to heal, remind us of the importance of taking Care of ourselves, and share ideas for helping us each stay Calm. We call these the Four C’s of Resilience. We believe, and research backs us up, that individuals experiencing the effects of trauma and daily stress – including veterans, helping professionals, children who experience abuse, and communities of color that experience racism and poverty – benefit greatly from positive, healthy relationships with members of the community and from recognizing their own regulation, dysregulation, and the importance of self-care and healthy relationships. Please join us for the interactive presentation where you will have the opportunity to learn and practice the importance of regulation, self-care, and healthy relationships. Experience how you and your organization, community group, and family can participate. We will share the campaign’s Four C’s of Resilience in playing card format along and provide an overview of the Reflective Journal that accompanies the Remarkably Resilient Together playing cards.

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Microaggressions happen everywhere, including at work. This session will define microaggressions and make individuals aware of the negative impact that subtle or unintentional comments or actions towards members of marginalized groups can have on others and the workplace. Additionally, you will learn strategies for recognizing and mitigating biases.

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• Seasoned veterans with burnout-how they can prevent this • New staff disillusioned-what is really means to be a teacher good, bad, ugly, great, etc. • What do they do or need to be doing to take care of themselves? • Don’t sweat the small stuff. • What do you do when you feel yourself being burned-out? • Etc. etc. etc. • Keep Your Mind Fresh • Try to Keep Work at Work • Try Something New • Get Professional Development • Lean on Your PLC (Professional learning communities)

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What is a Family Resource Center? What do they do? What type of impact have they had in other communities across the country? This program will define what a Family Resource Center is and how they assist in lowering Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) in the communities they serve. Each Family Resource Center is unique as they are made by and for the communities they serve utilizing parent advisory committees and staff with lived experience. Staff at Family Resource Centers are trained in the Standards of Quality for Family Strengthening & Support, which is now offered through the Kansas Family Support Network. This training utilizes two key frameworks in the family support field, the Principles of Family Support Practice developed by Family Support America and the Strengthening Families Framework and Approach developed by the Center for the Study of Social Policy, and applies them together programmatically.

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In 2017, Angela Glover Blackwell, founder of PolicyLink, coined the term ‘Radical Imagination’. In the Haywood Burns Institute’s work to establish a paradigm of belonging and equity, radical imagination requires us to imagine a future rooted in our well-being while resisting oppressive realities. In this session, we will introduce our approach to operationalizing Radical Imagination. This will be an interactive, fun session where there are no wrong answers and there will be space for our dreams and creativity. We will engage some futures design practices and tools to identify harmful structures that need to be dismantled and provide space to consider the types of alternative structures we need to support our collective well-being. Join us!

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