This Children and Family Futures webinar, held on March 12, 2020, highlighted practical approaches and promising practices to help family treatment court (FTC) practitioners address housing instability for families affected by substance use disorders (SUDs). A stable, safe, affordable home is at the base of recovery and enhances public safety by minimizing the risk of parental involvement in the criminal justice system. Families must have a home in order to engage in treatment, employment, education and other activities so they can achieve stable recovery to care for themselves and their families. Attendees learned how various communities are forging essential partnerships to meet this critical need.

This September 16, 2020 webinar, hosted by the National District Attorneys Association in conjunction with OJJDP's NTTAC, provided an overview on the latest research around substance use disorders and recovery. Given the preventable and potentially chronic nature of problematic substance use and it’s correlation with offending, prosecutors in juvenile court have an important and influential role to play in both preventing and addressing use early on. The concept of recovery support was covered as well. To receive webinar related materials please contact the OJJDP TTA Help Desk at ojjdptta@usdoj.gov or 1-833-647-0513.

This September 17, 2020 webinar titled, "Safety Matters – Helping Families Affected By Substance Use Disorders and Domestic Violence Move From Survivors to Thrivers" hosted by Children and Family Futures in conjunction with OJJDP's NTTAC, explored the core principles and offer practical guidance for supporting families affected by domestic violence and substance use disorders. Addressing these co-occurring issues in an integrated, trauma-informed, and comprehensive manner will ensure that parents can focus on all domains of recovery so their families can thrive. Attendees learned how family drug court (FDC) teams are working together to meet the basic and complex needs of safety, protection, healing and recovery. To receive webinar related materials please contact the OJJDP TTA Help Desk at ojjdptta@usdoj.gov or 1-833-647-0513.

This July 8, 2020 webinar, hosted by the National District Attorneys Association and OJJDP's NTTAC, will cover the most recent findings regarding both child and adolescent development. Given the plasticity of the developing brain through these years, these are periods of incredible opportunity for prevention and early intervention efforts. It will also provide an update on the latest findings and admissibility around the adolescent brain studies. To obtain handouts and documents for this video, please contact the OJJDP NTTAC Help Desk at ojjdptta@usdoj.gov or by phone at 1-833-647-0513.

This July 30, 2020 webinar, hosted by Children and Family Futures and OJJDP's NTTAC, highlighted the importance of serving adolescent youth in your family drug court (FDC). Their development needs and social connections require an approach that emphasizes youth engagement and meaningful relationships with peers and adults. Special emphasis focused on building a strong voice and promoting active participation in planning their own lives to ensure that they will be equipped to successfully transition into adulthood and avoid involvement in the juvenile justice system. Key principles and strategies for prevention, quality substance use disorder treatment for adolescents, and recovery support were also highlighted. To obtain handouts and documents for this video, please contact the OJJDP NTTAC Help Desk at ojjdptta@usdoj.gov or by phone at 1-833-647-0513.

This September 29, 2020 webinar, hosted by the Western Regional Children's Advocacy Center in conjunction with OJJDP's NTTAC, is the first in a series of three webinars for professionals working with Children’s Advocacy Centers that focus on the effects of trauma on children and a trauma-informed approach to caring for children and families that have experienced trauma. This webinar will help build skills for professionals working with children that have experienced trauma and introduce terminology related to trauma and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). To receive webinar related materials please contact the OJJDP TTA Help Desk at ojjdptta@usdoj.gov or 1-833-647-0513.

This October 6, 2020 webinar, hosted by the Western Regional Children's Advocacy Center and OJJDP's NTTAC, was the second in a series of three webinars for professionals working with Children’s Advocacy Centers that focused on the effects of trauma on children and a trauma-informed approach to caring for children and families that have experienced trauma. This webinar helped build skills for professionals working with children that have experienced trauma and introduce terminology related to trauma and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). To receive webinar related materials please contact the OJJDP TTA Help Desk at ojjdptta@usdoj.gov or 1-833-647-0513.

This November 3, 2020 training, titled "Corroborating Evidence For Prosecutors, Law Enforcement, Forensic Interviewers and Multidisciplinary Team members," hosted by Zero Abuse Project and OJJDP's NTTAC, stressed the importance of corroboration and offered forensic interview techniques to increase details and facts gathered in the interview through considerations, sample language, and guidance for the multidisciplinary team approach.  Initial child abuse disclosures and children’s statements ascertained through the forensic interview are only one part of an entire investigation. Increasing relevant corroborative details in the interview will further support the child abuse investigation as a whole. To receive webinar related materials please contact the OJJDP TTA Help Desk at ojjdptta@usdoj.gov or 1-833-647-0513.

Held on February 3, 2021 by OJJDP's NTTAC in conjunction with the National District Attorneys Association, this webinar provided an overview of the importance of School Resource Officers and also included real-life examples of existing relationships and policies that help to achieve these goals. In order to effectively promote delinquency prevention and promote safe schools, Juvenile Court Prosecutors must work closely with School Superintendents and School Resource Officers. To receive webinar related materials please contact the OJJDP TTA Help Desk at ojjdptta@usdoj.gov or 1-833-647-0513.

Recorded on January 27, 2021 and hosted by the National District Attorneys Association and OJJDP's NTTAC, this webinar focused on the child welfare to juvenile justice pipeline. Youth with or at risk for child welfare involvement are also at risk for juvenile justice involvement. Specific areas of risk and tools in federal law that can be used to support children and intervene on risk at school were discussed. To obtain handouts and documents for this video, please contact the OJJDP NTTAC Help Desk at ojjdptta@usdoj.gov or by phone at 1-833-647-0513.

Held on April 15, 2021 by OJJDP's NTTAC in conjunction with the National District Attorneys Association, this webinar discussed children's language development to give prosecutors a better idea of how to speak and ask questions of child victims. The webinar provided a brief overview of the interviewing field, and factors which may affect children's reports. The webinar also provided practical guidance on how to discuss past abuse without leading/highly suggestive questioning to obtain important details and increase the chances of positive case outcomes. To obtain handouts and documents for this video, please contact the OJJDP NTTAC Help Desk at ojjdptta@usdoj.gov or by phone at 1-833-647-0513.

This June 2021 recorded webinar is for the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Programs (OJJDP) grantees to understand the revised performance measurement reporting requirements. Webinar Objectives: • Overview of the importance of performance measurement at OJJDP. • Introduce the organization of the performance measures. • Describe select measures that OJJP grantees must collect (Overall, Multiple-Program, Program Specific). • Identify when to Report. • List resources and tools are available to grantees.

Held on May 17, 2017 and hosted by OJJDP in conjunction with the National Juvenile Justice Prosecution Center, this presentation provided an overview of the roles and responsibilities of a juvenile prosecutor inside and outside of the courtroom. It encompassed procedural and ethical considerations along with an overview of the evolving and expanding role of the juvenile court prosecutor.

May 12, 2020 The Chronicle of Social Change’s “Who Cares” project aggregates and presents data about caregivers across the U.S. as never before. But we can and need to know so much more about the families and the support they need to provide quality parenting for youth experiencing foster care. This webinar will review the current information available on care providers and what we know about effective supports, and explore the questions that we can answer with additional data, better technology and improved engagement of families and youth. Panelists will also discuss how the process of foster parent recruitment and retention has been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and its many secondary effects on society. Moderator: John Kelly, Editor-in-Chief, Chronicle of Social Change Panelists: Jill Duerr Berrick, Zellerbach Family Foundation Professor, University of California-Berkeley Barrett Johnson, Director of Business Development, Binti. Jennifer Rodriguez, Executive Director, Youth Law Center (Quality Parenting Initiative and CHAMPS) Marissa Sanders, Director of the West Virginia Foster, Adoptive, & Kinship Parents Network (CHAMPS)

Who Cares Report 2020: fostercarecapacity.org Since 2017, The Imprint (formerly The Chronicle of Social Change) has been working to build the nation’s first public resource on foster care capacity. We collect data directly from each state, and combine that with federal reports to answer two critical questions: How many children and youth are in foster care today? And where and with whom are they living? Join us November 19 to learn about the findings in this year's report. We will reveal our 2020 estimate for the number of youth in foster care, assess trends in licensed foster homes and the use of relatives and group homes, and introduce attendees to our newest metric in the Who Cares report: Family Separation. This session will be hosted by The Imprint's senior editor, John Kelly, with help from Melissa Carter, executive director of the Barton Child Law and Policy Center, and Andy Barclay, founder of the Barton Center.

JANUARY 28 @ 10:00 A.M. PACIFIC / 1 P.M. EASTERN As we enter 2021, we are taking time to reflect on a turbulent 2020. Throughout the pandemic, calls for racial equity and deepening economic uncertainty upended child welfare practice as we know it, but 2020 was also a time for major pivots that will have long lasting, positive repercussions. Join Fostering Media Connections and Binti for a webinar where child welfare leaders will discuss how this transformational year has changed child welfare practice and policy. Our panelists: – David Hansell, Commissioner of the Administration for Children’s Services, New York City – Tom Rawlings, Director of the State Division of Family and Children Services, Georgia – Tony Lodge, Vice President, Sun Scholars – Barrett Johnson, Director of Business Development, Binti Moderated by FMC’s founder and president, Daniel Heimpel. Please join and share your learnings from 2020 with us as well! Learn about FMC here: fosteringmediaconnections.org Learn about Binti here: binti.com Read The Imprint here: imprintnews.org

Join Fostering Families Today and FMC's Youth Voice for a conversation with former foster youth who are sharing their lived experiences and wisdom gained after navigating the child welfare system. What are caregivers doing right — or wrong? What do youth see in the foster care system that caregivers don't? And how can caregivers help youth on the journey toward healing trauma? Event held: May 13, 2021 10:00 AM in Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Join us for a conversation with former foster youth and their caregivers and mentors about relationship building and reflection about their journey together. Event held: Jul 22, 2021 10:00 AM PST

Hear the viewpoints and experiences of parents whose children have entered the foster care system. We'll ask: What can foster, adoptive and kinship families learn from experiences of parents whose children enter foster care? What resources do families need to thrive? What does life look like after reunification? Sep 9, 2021 10:00 AM in Pacific Time (US and Canada)

In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, Youth Voice hosted a webinar to explore mental health and the impact it has on foster youth especially those who have experienced juvenile injustice & homelessness. They discussed topics related to how our panelists managed their mental health during their lived experiences; focus on PTSD and how to manage after emancipation; the pandemic effects on education; and lastly, we want to provide some resources to other current or former foster youth. Our panelists are young people who have personally had their mental health impacted by their time in foster care and other situations beyond their control. Moderated by Raquel Wilson, FMC's youth voice program manager. Event Held Oct 7, 2021 10:00 AM in Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Join us for a discussion with three women who came to state child welfare leadership from careers in the field of medicine and health. Our Panelists: Terry Stigdon, Director, Indiana Department of Child Services Deborah Shropshire, Director, Child Welfare Services, Oklahoma Department of Human Services Charlene Wong, Executive Director, North Carolina Integrated Care for Kids Moderator: Molly Tierney, Child Welfare Lead, Accenture This session is sponsored by Accenture. Event Held: Sep 21, 2021 04:00 PM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Kathleen Creamer, JD, Community Legal Services, Philadelphia Maggie Potter, MSW, Community Legal Services, Philadelphia

Advocates for parents, including their legal teams, have often had uneasy interactions with press: Parents and their allies can be demonized by press stories about horrendous child abuse and so may be reluctant to come forward to challenge that kind of narrative. Reporters can be frustrated by public agencies which will not discuss cases with them and by people on the ground who do not want to be quoted or involved in public discussions of issues or cases. However, there have been positive articles about parents succeeding to overcome challenges bringing them to the attention of child welfare systems. Recently, both crises of COVID and immigration at the southern US border have provided opportunities for new kinds of and sympathetic stories about families. Of course, those situations have also been reported as ones where parents are endangering children. The panelists will discuss tools for parents’ legal teams to drive the narrative to raise up the voice of parents living in poverty in the US who are entangled in the child welfare system. Panelists will offer advice about what works and what to avoid in interacting with media in telling a families’ story.

In 1997, the Adoption and Safe Families Act dramatically shifted the country’s child welfare policy by creating unprecedented incentives to terminate parental rights. In ASFA’s wake, over a million children have been permanently separated from their families and tens of thousands of those children have ended up legal orphans. As this pivotal law approaches its 25th year, directly impacted communities identify it as one of the most harmful components of the current foster system and family defense advocates are working to counter the conventional narratives that led to and support ASFA. The panel will discuss a variety of approaches to challenging ASFA at the state and federal levels. Advocates on the panel will describe efforts to develop and promote legislative change ranging from reform to repeal. Participants will be encouraged to consider how they might initiate or support challenge efforts.

This workshop explores the history, legal standards, and consequences of federally-mandated “reasonable” and “active” efforts by agencies to promote reunification of families. While “active efforts” may be elusively unenforceable in ICWA cases, it remains the gold standard for holding agencies accountable for promoting reunification. Presenters will invite participants to share innovative ideas and reimagine what particular efforts family defenders could be advocating for to effectively promote reunification. How do family defenders balance resistance to a racist compliance-based system and productively address issues that brought families into the system? Is it possible for “reasonable” and “active” efforts provided by government agencies to truly prevent removal, promote reunification, and even to counteract systemic racism? Or should we be asking on a more fundamental level whether it is the place of government agencies who regulate families to also be delivering services to address the causes of system intervention? If providing these efforts were not the agency’s role, whose role would that be? How might family defenders enforce accountability of government agencies without reasonable and active efforts being required of agencies? We will invite a trauma-informed and anti-racist lens to question and reimagine the design of a family regulation system that purports to help families while threatening and separating them.

This workshop will focus on how parent attorneys and others can engage stakeholders and policy makers in system level child welfare legislative reform.

This session focuses on tips and strategies for representing parents who are held in jails pre-trial and have a concurrent foster care case. It covers client relations, legal strategies to avoid court involvement, services, visitation issues, and termination defense.

Christine Bruno, JD, Center for Family Representation, NY Dr. Martin Irwin, MD, Clinical Professor, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, NYU Grossman School of Medicine

Brejea Colthirst, Senior Defense Parent Advocate, East Bay Family Defenders Alex Dutton, JD, Community Legal Services, Philadelphia Laila Halwani, LMSW, Legal Services of New Jersey

A webinar for foster care managers about Reunification Month to get them interested in honoring families in their states, and professionals who assisted them, throughout the year. This year's theme is "All in for Reunification 2021" and the goal is for every state to participate this year.

Judge Ernestine Gray discusses how to mitigate harm to children who face removal from their homes during child welfare system involvement. Watch the discussion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAKFjgxIxRs

Judge Ernestine Gray shares key takeaways from her CIP Talk on avoiding unnecessary removals of children involved in the child welfare system during the COVID-19 pandemic. Watch Judge Gray's CIP Talk: https://youtu.be/XxMVay9fsQY

This webinar highlights how lawyers, judges, magistrates, court staff, and others can use the ABA Center on Children and the Law’s new publication – THE FAMILY FIRST PREVENTION SERVICES ACT OF 2018: A GUIDE FOR THE LEGAL COMMUNITY – to help achieve the Act’s main goals of promoting family stability, reducing foster care entries and lengths of stay, and facilitating reunification and kinship placements.

Christine Kiesel, JD, Child Welfare Specialist for Legal and Judicial Issues

On Wednesday, Sept 23, 2020, the Family Justice Initiative hosted a webinar on prepetition legal representation for parents and youth in the child welfare system. Presenters discussed prepetition representation programs, including funding, getting started, relationship with the child welfare agency as a referral source, best practices and outcomes.

Vivek Sankaran, JD, Director, Child Advocacy Law Clinic, University of Michigan, discusses compassion as the foundation of reasonable efforts to reunify families in the child welfare system and it how improves attorneys' advocacy and families' outcomes.