July/August 2010Vol. 11, No. 6Updates From the T&TA Network

The Children's Bureau's Training and Technical Assistance (T&TA) Network continues to produce resources that can help States and Tribes in their work with children and families. Some recent resources are listed below:

• Child Welfare Information Gateway has launched a new website section: Management and Supervision. This section addresses child welfare agency administration and management, ethical practice, client rights, program evaluation, disaster preparedness, funding, information systems and data, practice improvement, supervision, system reform, training, and strategies to enhance the child welfare workforce.
  www.childwelfare.gov/management
  Information Gateway also launched a new Adoption section tailored for adoption professionals, Preplacement Adoption Casework Practice, which includes information on cultural competence; recruiting, retaining, and preparing parents; preparing children and youth for permanency; working with expectant parents; interjurisdictional placement; and other relevant topics.
  www.childwelfare.gov/adoption/preplacement
  Also new on the site is an updated version of the factsheet Domestic Violence and the Child Welfare System:
  www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/factsheets/domestic_violence  (1,362 KB)

• The National Abandoned Infants Assistance Resource Center has posted the audio presentation and accompanying slides for two teleconferences.
  • Part I: The Incidence and Impact of Child Abuse and Neglect in Families Affected by Substance Abuse
  • Part II: Safety Assessment and Planning for Children of Families Affected by Substance Abuse
    http://aia.berkeley.edu/training/teleconference/teleconference_series_2010.php

• The National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare (NCSACW) has developed an online Child Welfare Training Toolkit. The six modules include training scripts, PowerPoints, case vignettes, handouts, and other materials and cover the following topics: Access the Child Welfare Training Toolkit on the NCSACW website: www.ncsacw.samhsa.gov/training/toolkit/default.aspx
  • Understanding the Multiple Needs of Families Involved with the Child Welfare System
  • Understanding Substance Use Disorders, Treatment, and Recovery
  • Understanding Mental Disorders, Treatment and Recovery
  • Engagement and Intervention with Parents Affected by Substance Use Disorders, Mental Disorders and Co-Occurring Disorders
  • Developing a Comprehensive Response for Families Affected by Substance Use Disorders, Mental Disorders and Co-Occurring Disorders
  • Understanding the Needs of Children of Parents with Substance Use or Mental Disorders

• The National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement (NCROI) has a Facebook page:
  www.facebook.com/pages/National-Child-Welfare-Resource-Center-for-Organizational-Improvement/146469998750?ref=ts
  NCROI will host a webinar July 15, "Working Across Systems to Improve Outcomes for Young Children," to explore strategies for identifying and addressing the pressing developmental needs of young children in child welfare systems. Register here:
  http://tatis.muskie.usm.maine.edu/pubs/teleReg.asp

• The National Child Welfare Workforce Institute (NCWWI) has produced a white paper that describes its dissemination planning and activities based on review of literature on dissemination practices and on the Dissemination Needs Assessment Survey of 150 child welfare practitioners that NCWWI conducted in 2009.
  www.ncwwi.org/dissemination.pdf (937 KB)

• The National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections (NRCPFC) has posted an April teleconference on its website: "Running from Treatment: The Problem of Youth Who Run From Residential Care." The teleconference included a discussion of best practice guidelines, policy, and procedural recommendations concerning youth who run away from residential care.
  www.hunter.cuny.edu/socwork/nrcfcpp/teleconferences/index.html#4-21-10
  NRCPFC has also compiled factsheets on foster care that include data for each State as well as a listing of State foster care contacts:
  www.hunter.cuny.edu/socwork/nrcfcpp/info_services/fact-sheets.html

• The National Resource Center for Recruitment and Retention of Foster and Adoptive Parents at AdoptUsKids has launched a newly reorganized NRCRRFAP homepage, which includes updates for the Publications for Professionals webpage and other features:
  www.adoptuskids.org/professionalResourceCenter/aboutTTA.aspx

• AdoptUsKids also offers free online training to social workers, site members, and anyone who wants to learn more about its website's features and capabilities. Training is every third Wednesday of the month at 11 PST/2 EST. Visit the website for more information:
  www.adoptuskids.org/AUKTutorial/websiteTraining.aspx 

• The National Resource Center on Legal and Judicial Issues has produced a booklet designed to help lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth in foster care. It's Your Life is also an attempt to improve the legal system's approach to LGBTQ youth in foster care.
  www.abanet.org/child/docs/itsyourlife_book.pdf (6,489 KB)

• The National Technical Assistance and Evaluation Center for Child Welfare Systems of Care Grantees (NTAEC) is sponsoring a series of webinars on child welfare systems of care. On July 29, the topic will be "Developing the Infrastructure for a System of Care," and on Sept. 21, the topic will be "Meaningful Family Involvement: Beyond the Case Plan." The 90-minute webinars begin at 2 pm ET and are limited to 125 participants. Users can participate by phone and request presentation materials in advance by contacting NTAEC at 703.225.2270 or cmurphy@icfi.com. Transcriptions of the webinars also will be available.
  Also, the NTAEC website URL has changed! New URL:
  www.childwelfare.gov/management/reform/soc/communicate/initiative/ntaec.cfm