Seminar Descriptions

                                         There is no fee for training except for the local districts DSS *

Independent Living Core Curriculum (3 1/2 day Seminar)

This training is specifically geared for DSS Caseworkers.  It provides the necessary knowledge and skills for staff to help prepare adolescents in foster care to live successfully on their own in the community.

*Local district-The fee for this seminar is $14/day or $7/half-day for each local district trainee.  The NYS OCFS will collect this fee directly from local districts through a special State Share Settlement arrangement.

The following topic areas are covered:

-       Introduction to Self-Sufficiency: A Framework for Practice

-       Interpersonal Helping Skills

-       Adolescent Development

-       Identity

-       Emotional Issues of Youth in Care

-       Assessment

-       Case Planning & Implementation

-       Problem Solving & Decision-Making

-       Developing & Enhancing Supportive Relationships

-       Community Supports

                 Independent Living Toolbox (2 day seminar)

This seminar is appropriate for staff (IL Coordinators, Social Workers, Life Skill Educators) who provide IL skills training, either individually and/or in groups, to adolescents in care. Through this experiential-interactive training, participants will learn how to use the NYS OCFS- latest resource, -The Toolbox-.  This Toolbox is filled with creative, appropriate, enjoyable activities and resources to assist in teaching self-sufficiency skills to adolescents such as Daily Living, Work & Study Skills, Self-Care, Money Management, Housing, and Social Development. (Knowledge of the IL Core Curriculum or Working with Youth in Care is recommended.)

            Assessing Independent Living Skills (1/2 day seminar)

This seminar is geared for those Staff (IL Staff and Supervisors) who formally assess, document, and monitor the progress of IL skills. Understanding the need for formal assessment, as well as a review of current assessment tools will be provided.

Boundaries and Self-disclosure (1/2 day seminar)

This seminar is specifically geared for Child Care Staff and explores the importance of maintaining professional boundaries. Participants learn why people cross boundaries and understand the ways in which those transgressions impact youth.  Participants also consider the effects that abuse can have on a young person-s sense of personal boundaries. Discover the purpose of self-disclosure as a tool of intervention and healing. (This seminar can also be modified for Foster Parents).

          The Cycle of Unmet Needs: Understanding Results of Early Childhood Deprivation (1/2 day seminar)

This seminar, designed for Foster Parents, focuses on the understanding that negative behavior is a direct result of early childhood deprivation and abuse.

Emotional Issues: Understanding the Emotional Impact of Foster Care on Youth (1/2 day seminar)

This seminar is designed for all Child Care Staff and Foster Parents.  The focus explores strategies to understand and manage issues specific to children and youth in care. 

The following topic areas are covered:

-       Effective handling of loss and bereavement issues

-       Establishing or re-establishing trust

-       Developing healthy relationships and resolving attachment issues

-       Dealing with various behavior problems

Group Work (3 day seminar)

This training is designed for Child Care Staff who are currently or are planning to facilitate skill-building adolescent groups. 

Mental Illness & Youth in Care (1/2 day seminar)

This seminar is designed for Child Care Staff and Foster Parents.  It is a brief introduction to the most common illnesses found in youth and an exploration of symptoms, treatment, and interventions. 

The following topic areas are covered:

-       Exploration of mental illness and its correlation with youth in foster care

-       Definition and symptoms of most common illnesses found in adolescents

-       Treatment - An overview of medications and therapy

-       Interventions for working with mentally ill youth

           The New Staff Primer (1/2 day seminar)

This seminar is designed for New Child Care Staff and will cover the following:

-       Reinforce the purpose of child care staff jobs (therapeutic vs. disciplinarian)

-       Why child care staff cannot become -friends- with the youth

-       The importance of consistency

-       Testing limits (sometimes one needs to be a rule enforcer)

-       Making a contract with themselves

           Recognizing Opportunities to Teach Self-Sufficiency Skills (1/2 day seminar)

This training is appropriate for Child Care Staff and Foster Parents.  Participants will understand how the foster home or residential setting can provide the best environment for learning to become self-sufficient.

Staff Decisions: Helping Staff Handle Typical Conflicts with Youth (1/2 day seminar)

This seminar is specifically geared for group home and residential Child Care Staff.  It provides them with the knowledge and skills necessary to deal with common conflicts that arise when working with youth in these settings. Through the use of videotaped vignettes, appropriate conflict resolution skills are presented.  Participants are able to practice skills via role playing.

Issues covered include:

-       Aggressive or oppositional/defiant behaviors

-       Power struggles

-       Suicidal ideation

-       Sexually inappropriate behaviors

            Staff Retreat (1/2 or full day)

Help your Staff recapture the motivation and inspiration that led them to their jobs. Through team building, self-confidence building and self-esteem enhancing activities, the Child Welfare Training Program will help rejuvenate your staff.

            Stress Management (1/2 day seminar)

This seminar is appropriate for all Staff and Foster Parents.  It will help participants identify sources of stress in their lives, coping skills, and how to prevent these stressors from impacting upon their work with youth.

Supervisory Issues (2 day seminar)

This seminar is specifically designed for Supervisors of child care staff.  Supervising staff in residential care settings can be rewarding as well as challenging.  This seminar presents some of the many challenging and unique issues faced by supervisors in residential or group home settings.  It is intended to enhance participants- knowledge in order to help them become more efficient supervisors. 

The following topic areas are covered:

-       Motivation

-       Needs

-       Games of Supervision

-       Delegation

-       Leadership

-       Conflict and Power Struggles

-       Supervisory Styles

-       Effective Supervision

-       Evaluating Staff

-       Improving Staff Morale

 >            Working with Biological Parents (1/2 day seminar)

This training is for Foster Parents and explores the frustrations and challenges of working with the biological parents of foster children and youth.

Working with Youth in Care (3 day seminar)

This seminar is designed for Child Care Workers and Foster Parents.   It enhances participants- ability to form trusting relationships and improve their communication skills with adolescents in care. 

Topics covered include:

-       Interpersonal Helping Skills

-       Adolescent Development

-       Identity

-       Emotional Issues

-       Problem Solving & Decision Making