We are excited to tell you about a conference being held by Specialized Alternatives for Families and Youth of South Carolina (SAFY of SC) on August 31st. The theme of the conference is “SAFY’s Clinical Innovations in Family Services”. Ryan Estes, SAFY’s Chief of Clinical Innovation and Technology, also serves as the National Family Preservation Network’s Board Vice Chair.
SAFY works with children and families to reach their full potential and increase the well-being of every community served. Driven by their Preserving Families and Securing Futures mission for over 35 years, SAFY has constructed a comprehensive blueprint of services allowing families to receive varying levels of care without the delays, confusion and stress associated with having multiple service providers. Their Model of Care includes community-centered support services, therapeutic foster care, and behavioral health services. This structure offers the tools needed to develop and maintain stable mental, physical, and emotional foundations to help families overcome the storm where they are – at home, at school, work, or in the community.
SAFY’s all-day conference will offer 5.25 CEUs over four timely training topics. Their goal is to increase awareness of SAFY, to deepen their partnerships with like-minded organizations and referring partners, and to provide top notch training relevant to their work. Because of this, the conference will be free of charge and it will target professionals working in the child welfare space. Participants will hear from guest speakers Dr. Ebony Speaks-Hall (President of Ohio ACLU and Professor at U of Cincinnati, ED), Ali Knight (CEO of FLY), Mit Joyner, (President of NASW) and myself.
During Session 1 “Creating Anti-Racist Practices in the Service Delivery of Families Involved with the Child Welfare System” participants will learn how to implement culturally responsive and anti-racist approaches to better the care of children and families in our child welfare system. Participants will learn how implicit and explicit bias exist in systems, and how the helping profession must be at the forefront to drive change.
During session 2, I will present “Leveraging Data to Create the Golden Thread of Assessing, Treatment Planning, and Service Delivery” in which participants will learn how to use the NCFAS to enhance the service mapping of youth and families involved in care. Using a data-driven lens, potential strategies for supporting families, strengthening family preservation work, and quantifying outcome-focused services will be addressed.
During session 3 “Centering the Voice of those with Lived Experience” participants will be exposed to increasing awareness and best practice strategies of engaging those with lived experience into the system. Lessons will be drawn from the juvenile justice system and how those most proximate to an issue are often best equipped at identifying solutions that will help improve the care for future foster care youth.
Lastly, during session 4 “The Ethical Need for Self-Care Practices for those Working in the Child Welfare Field” participants will be exposed to the need for a greater emphasis on self-care practice and shifting organizational cultures that support sustainable careers in the helping profession.
To register for this exciting learning opportunity, please click the link below:
We hope to “see” you there!
Posted by Michelle Reines, NFPN Executive Director
NFPN News Notes 
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