24th Annual Foster Care and Adoption Conference
Friday, May 10 – Saturday, May 11, 2013 • Albany Marriott
Child welfare is a challenging field, but one where the possibility of progress inspires us all – whether on the implementation of statewide policy to improve families’ lives or on the individual level where a child getting herself independently dressed for school can fill a parent with joy. The Coalition’s 24th annual conference, Possibilities!, offered participants an opportunity to become current on law and policy; learn new skills and strategies to work with families and children; and provide parents and professionals with tools and encouragement to explore possibilities for change.
The conference offered the most current research and practice information via dynamic, nationally known keynote speakers and experts in child welfare and related fields in 30 different workshop presentations.
2013 Conference Handouts
The following contains workshop descriptions and links to workshop handouts from the Coalition’s 2013 Foster Care and Adoption Conference. To order audio recordings of the speakers and workshop presentations, please click here.
1. So Much Anger! – Most children from foster care placed for adoption are filled with negative feelings. What is the common experience that all adopted children share and how can understanding those feelings help parents deal with inevitable acting out behaviors? Maris Blechner
2. Attachment in Regulatory Disorders – This overview of attachment will discuss the role of attachment in behavioral and regulatory disorders. Parents and professionals will learn strategies to strengthen the attachment relationship. Karyn Purvis
- Note: We are unable to post copyrighted materials from Dr. Purvis’ workshops, but hard copies can be obtained by calling Emmelie Pickett at 817-257-6970. Visit the TCU Institute of Child Development website to view videos featuring Dr. Purvis. Additional videos are available on Empowered to Connect.
3. Triangles of Change – This workshop focuses on the various life altering changes that the child, birth parents and adoptive parents must commit to making, in order for permanency to be achieved for the child. Rachel Gulley-Firorello and Latise Hairston
4. From Foster Care to Adoption: Navigating the Foster Care Adoption Process – Parents and agencies need to work in close collaboration to make the transition from foster parent to adoptive parent a timely, positive experience for kids. Jenai Belton Jones
5. Unadoptable is Unacceptable – Learn about the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption’s signature child-focused model to finding families for children waiting in foster care including the recently developed training curriculum. Jackie Wilson
6. Navigating the School-Age Special Education System – The special education referral, evaluation and placement process: relevant timelines; the law regarding consent for evaluations and services; key players and documents; and how to troubleshoot common problems. Emily Murphy
- Workshop Overview (pdf)
- Overview Special Education Referral Process (pdf)
- Purchase Workshop Recording
7. Brain Development in Regulatory Disorders – This workshop will center on understanding brain chemistry and neurotransmitter testing to enhance therapeutic approaches, including research-based insights on how to disarm fear that drives aberrant behaviors. Karyn Purvis
- Note: We are unable to post copyrighted materials from Dr. Purvis’ workshops, but hard copies can be obtained by calling Emmelie Pickett at 817-257-6970. Visit the TCU Institute of Child Development website to view videos featuring Dr. Purvis. Additional videos are available on Empowered to Connect.
8. Visit Coaching – This interactive workshop presents Visit Coaching, a method where staff partner with birth parents to focus on meeting children’s needs during visits. Erica Brunelle and Barbara Jaklitsch
9. Motherless Parenting – Many single men and many gay couples who adopt get emotionally and morally loaded questions about the absence of a mother for the child. Are there answers? Frank Ligtvoet
10. Respite Services: AdoptUSKids’ Lessons Learned from Mini-Grants – AdoptUSKids provided grants to 120 parent support groups over a five-year period for respite services. Come learn the characteristics of the 60+ grantees who have sustained the services after the grant period ended. Kathy Ledesma
- Sustaining and Creating Effective Respite Services: Lessons from the Field
- Purchase Workshop Rec0rding
11. The Healing Power of Stories – Cancelled
12. Behavioral Change in Regulatory Disorders This workshop will introduce Trust-Based Relational Intervention®, a holistic model that provides caregivers with powerful insights for understanding misbehavior and appropriately guiding their children to healthy, new behaviors. Karyn Purvis
- Note: We are unable to post copyrighted materials from Dr. Purvis’ workshops, but hard copies can be obtained by calling Emmelie Pickett at 817-257-6970. Visit the TCU Institute of Child Development website to view videos featuring Dr. Purvis. Additional videos are available on Empowered to Connect.
13. School Stability for Children in Foster Care – Why do children in foster care frequently switch schools even though OCFS, OCA and the State Education Department have published joint guidance on this issue? Learn why school stability is crucial to success and how you can advocate for kids to stay put! Emily Murphy
- Overview of Workshop (pdf)
- Laws and Regulations on Maintaining School Stability (pdf)
- Purchase Workshop Recording
14. Reaching Kinship Families: A Collaborative Approach – The presentation will describe a recently awarded federal demonstration project to link kinship families to local services in five upstate counties and how its success could lead to a replicable model. Gerard Wallace
15. Real Life Heroes and the HEROES Project – Participants will explore use of creative arts and the heroes metaphor in trauma treatment and Parsons HEROES Project, an integrated trauma and attachment-focused learning collaborative. Richard Kagan and Joanne Trinkle
- Caregivers Introduction to Traumatic Stress and Real Life Heroes
- Practitioners Introduction to Real Life Heroes
- Workshop Powerpoint Slides
- Purchase Workshop Recording
16. Transracial/ethnic Adoption: Honoring the Burden and Dignity of Difference – This workshop will focus on helping families nurture a healthy identity that moves beyond diversity to the achievement of authentic multicultural proficiency. Tara Linh Leaman
17. I’m Talking – Why Can’t You Hear Me? – Anything we accomplish happens because of communication. Come learn the ten commandments of communication parents and professionals can use together to open ears and possibilities for change. Maris Blechner
18. What About Dad? Creating Space for Birth Fathers in Adoption Stories – Come learn about the impact of fantasies about the unknown birth father on attachment and identity development, as well as how to co-create an adoption narrative that includes the fantasized birth father. Jeannine Zoppi
19. Reducing Trauma When Removals are Necessary – Explore the potential impact of trauma on children placed in the foster care system through a guided imagery experience and learn strategies for minimizing trauma and working with birth and foster families. Kelly Varamogiannis and Alisha Grant
20. Negotiating a Good Conditional Surrender – What terms should be included in the surrender of a child in foster care? What about the enforceability of terms? Margaret Burt
- Workshop Powerpoint Slides
- New York State Law on Conditional Surrenders
- Issues for Agencies to Consider in Conditional Surrenders
- Surrender Suggestions
- Advice for Foster Parents When Birth Parents Willing to Consider Surrender
- Sample Surrender Terms
- Current Case Law on Conditional Surrenders
- Purchase Workshop Recording
21. Financial Wellness for Adoptive and Foster Families – This workshop will provide parents with up-to-date information on tax regulations related to claiming foster or adoptive children, the adoption tax credit, financing college, and saving/investment basics. Carol VanValkenburg
22. Making Families Safe for Child Victims of Sexual Abuse – Learn about the signs, symptoms and treatment of child sexual abuse victims. What needs to be in a safety plan to keep the child safe from future abuse will also be discussed. Andres Torrens
23. Behavioral Medicine & Medication Therapies This presentation will review basic concepts of behavioral medicine and how medication therapies are used to m
anage many of the problematic symptoms associated with some of the more common diagnoses. Brian Cowles
24. Laughter for the (Mental) Health of it! In this workshop you will experience how laughter can bring joy and alleviate some of the stress, tension, and pain that life sometimes brings when parenting or working with children who have experienced trauma. Pat O’Brien
25. Help, I have been reported to the Hotline! Sometimes foster and adoptive parents are called into the CPS Hotline. Learn what parents should consider if this happens, and legal options when parents seeking helping services fear reports. Margaret Burt
26. Play to Your Family Strengths with Homemade Family Board Games – An introduction to positive relationship building and managing family dynamics as well as a hands on game building experience using a sample family. Be prepared to work with glue, paper, stickers, and other creative materials to create your own family game! Ida Jeltova
27. Understanding Boundary Issues with Children In Care – Boundaries enable us to distinguish where “I” ends and “you” begins both emotionally and physically. This workshop will explore why children in care often have trouble with boundaries and what we can do to help create healthy ones. Donna Cox
28. Adoption and Social Media: Keeping Communication Healthy -Social media is a new forum that can provide both positive and challenging experiences. Before using social media as part of your adoption journey, it is important that you educate yourself on the pros and cons of such a venture. Michelle Fried
29. Parent Group Cracker Barrel: 3 Sessions in One! – Learn from the experts! Parent group leaders from across the state will provide hands-on strategies your group can employ to inform and support foster and adoptive parents in your community. Linda Finerson, Karen Kelley, Erica Marquardt, and Paul Willenbrock
- Sample Pages from Nassau County FAPA website
- Overview of Nassau Count New Placement Folder
- One Size Does Not Fit All: Tips for Keeping Connectted with PG Members
30. Suspended Judgments in TPR Cases – Courts can order a suspended judgment on a termination case – a “second chance” for the birth parent(s). When this might be a good idea and what terms should be considered? Margaret Burt
- Family Court Act Section 633
- ACS/Agency /DSS Issues Regarding Suspended Judgements
- Case Law on Suspended Judgements
- Purchase Workshop Recording
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Want or need more information? Contact us at info@affcny.org or call our main office at (646) 688-4321.