In North Carolina, we face a variety of disaster threats, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, mudslides, cyber and ransomware attacks, and extreme weather, just to name a few. These events can have a significant impact on local child welfare agencies, staff, and clients, and can occur anywhere North Carolina. This 90-minute webinar explains what child welfare agencies are required to include in their disaster plans and offers suggestions and resources related to disaster preparation and response.
Permanency Planning
Responsible Individuals List: The How and the Why
Use of the Responsible Individuals List (RIL) is required by North Carolina statute. Agencies must follow law, rule, and policy when using the RIL. The RIL is in place to ensure anyone who has caused harm or maltreatment to a child is not placed in a position giving them access to children. This 90-minute webinar explains the how and the why of the RIL and provides guidance to help agencies ensure they are using the RIL correctly.
NOTE: In the webinar a presenter stated minor parents cannot be placed on the RIL. This is incorrect. Minor parents can be listed on the RIL.
NOTE: The DSS-5104A has been revised in the following fields: Field 12 – Date Notice delivered to alleged perpetrator/ ex parte order entered. The instructions have also been revised to include the following: Enter the date (in the eight-digit numeric MMDDYYYY format) that the notice to the responsible individual was delivered. This date cannot precede the Date of Case Decision listed in Field 10 on the DSS-5104. If the responsible individual is unable to be located, enter the date ex parte order entered.
Timely Notice of Hearings: Why It Matters and How to Make it Happen
In this webinar, presenters from the NC Division of Social Services and North Carolina’s Child Welfare Family Advisory Council discuss:
- The importance of providing notice of hearings to foster parents, kinship care providers, & pre-adoptive parents
- The benefits of this important process, and
- How to make it happen in your county.
This presentation is of particular interest to directors and child welfare program managers, program administrators, and supervisors from NC county DSS agencies.
Introduction to the Permanency Planning Review
During this webinar, representatives from the NC Division of Social Services and North Carolina’s Child Welfare Family Advisory Council provide an overview of the Permanency Planning Review (PPR), guidance on incorporating family-centered practice, and strategies for using PPRs as a forum to engage youth and families.
ICPC Overview: Improving Outcomes for Children
The Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) is an important tool for ensuring safety, permanency, and well-being for children with potential caregivers who do not reside in the same state. During this webinar representatives from the NC Division of Social Services provide an overview of the ICPC process and offer strategies to North Carolina child welfare professionals for avoiding errors and responding to common ICPC challenges.
Using the Data Profile to Support Your Agency’s Diligent Recruitment Efforts
This 90-minute webinar explores Diligent Recruitment and Retention Data Profile – Program Planning Tool, which is part of our state’s new Diligent Recruitment and Retention (DRR) plan and provides practical examples for agencies of all sizes on obtaining and using data to inform recruitment and retention of resource families. Information, resources, and strategies outlined in this webinar directly support efforts to achieve timely permanence and other outcomes we seek for children and families served by the foster care program.
Talking with Young People in Foster Care about Adoption
When young people in foster care tell us they don’t want to be adopted, what should be our next step? How do we make them feel heard, respect their views, and still do our utmost to help them achieve permanence in a timely way? This 90-minute webinar profiles effective child-focused adoption preparation activities in use in North Carolina today and teaches concrete strategies for what to say, and what to try when young people say “no” to adoption.
NC’s New Plan for Recruiting (and Retaining!) Families for Children in Foster Care
North Carolina is in the process of transforming the way it recruits—and retains—families for children in foster care. This 90-minute webinar walks you through the state’s new diligent recruitment and retention plan, making it clear what the next steps will be at the state and local level and what the concrete implications and requirements are for public and private agencies.
Efficiently Licensing High-Quality Foster Parents
This 90-minute webinar describes what the NC Division of Social Services is doing to enhance the foster home licensing process and to support Supervising Agencies, and it shares effective strategies agencies are using to speed up licensing of families while maintaining an emphasis on quality and mutual assessment.
NC’s Foster Care 18 to 21 and Guardianship Assistance Programs: What You Need to Know
This 90-minute webinar offers an overview and implementation tips for two North Carolina programs designed to expand permanency options for young people in foster care: the Foster Care 18 to 21 Program and the Guardianship Assistance Program. Audience: (1) foster care social workers and supervisors from NC county DSS agencies; (2) social workers and supervisors from private child-placing agencies in NC.
Distinguishing Safety and Risk in the Real World: A Key Skill at Every Stage in Child Welfare Work
This practice-focused webinar uses real-world examples to show how accurately distinguishing between safety and risk benefits families, workers, and agencies. Audience: Child welfare professionals in ALL roles from NC County DSS agencies (directors, program administrators/managers, supervisors, and line staff in every child welfare service area).
Human Trafficking: What Child Welfare Agencies Should Know
This 90-minute webinar gives an overview of labor and sex trafficking of minors, emphasizing how child welfare professionals can identify and respond to victims. Audience: Directors, child welfare program administrators/managers, and all child welfare staff from North Carolina county child welfare agencies.
Creating “Normalcy” for Young People in Foster Care
For years, young people in foster care have been prevented from participating in everyday activities essential for their development and for a successful transition to adulthood. Recent federal and state laws address this problem. This webinar considers why “normal” experiences are so important and explores implementation of North Carolina’s new “reasonable and prudent parent standard.” Target audience: youth in DSS custody, foster parents, kinship parents, group home staff, LINKS coordinators.
Concurrent planning and Making Medical Decisions
In 2015 there were a number of legislative changes affecting child welfare practice in North Carolina. Two of the most significant relate to concurrent planning and the way medical decisions are made for children in foster care. In this webinar we answer questions about these changes and explore what they mean for child welfare professionals, their agencies, and families and children.
Promoting Normalcy for Children and Youth in Foster Care
North Carolina’s new “Family Foster Care Act” makes it easier for young people in foster care to engage in commonplace activities enjoyed by other children and youth. This webinar considers why “normal” experiences are so important and explores implementation of the “reasonable and prudent parent standard.” Target audience: child welfare professionals from NC’s public and private child-placing agencies and Guardian ad Litem (GAL) program staff, volunteers, and attorneys.
Tips and Strategies for Successful Out-of-State Adoptive Placements
The larger your pool of prospective families, the more likely you’ll find an appropriate adoptive match. Yet placing children for adoption out of state can seem complex and intimidating. In this webinar, representatives from North Carolina’s adoption exchange program, NC Kids, and its ICPC (Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children) team discuss ways to overcome barriers, prevent problems, and successfully manage interstate assessments and adoptive placements so we can achieve timely permanence for all waiting children.
Video Series: Visitation
Visitation Part 1: “Parent-Child Visits Matter”
In this short video, UNC-Chapel Hill faculty member and child welfare trainer Rodney Little explains why visits between children in foster care and their parents are so important.
Visitation Part 2: “Why Parents Sometimes Skip Visits”
While parent-child visits can be tremendously helpful, they can also be uncomfortable and even painful. In this short video, UNC-Chapel Hill faculty member and child welfare trainer Rodney Little explains why parents sometimes skip visits and suggests ways child welfare professionals can help.
Visitation Part 3: “Improving Parent-Child Visits”
Visits between children in foster care and their parents are a fabulous way to maintain family connections and help families reunify safely. In this short video, UNC-Chapel Hill faculty member and child welfare trainer Rodney Little offers research-based suggestions to help child welfare professionals get the most out of parent-child visits.
Documentation in Child Welfare: Effective Practices for County DSS Agencies
Clearly and accurately documenting our efforts can help improve decision-making and outcomes for children and families. This webinar explores common challenges and best practices related to documentation in the areas of CPS, foster care, and adoption. It does not cover specific North Carolina forms or instruments. Instead, it focuses on key things practitioners, supervisors, and agencies can do to ensure documentation is timely, effective, and “court ready.”
Engaging Families Affected by Domestic Violence
Domestic violence is a common trauma faced by children in the child welfare system. To keep children safe and help their families heal and prosper, child welfare professionals must have a wide variety of skills. This webinar focuses on two of the most important: (1) identifying and engaging batterers and (2) crafting effective family service agreements with families affected by domestic violence.
Video Series: Getting Ready for Court
Getting Ready for Court Part 1: “Tips for Child Welfare Professionals”
Angie Stephens, an Assistant Attorney General for Child Welfare with the NC Department of Justice, explains the child welfare worker’s role in court and offers suggestions on preparing to testify in court.
Getting Ready for Court Part 2: “Tips for New Social Workers”
Angie Stephenson, an Assistant Attorney General for Child Welfare with the NC Department of Justice, offers advice for child welfare worker who are new to testifying in court.
Getting Ready for Court Part 3: “Tips for Child Welfare Supervisors”
Angie Stephenson, an Assistant Attorney General for Child Welfare with the NC Department of Justice, offers suggestions for ways child welfare supervisors can improve collaboration with agency attorneys and help their workers be successful in court.
Video Series: Trauma and Behavior
Trauma and Behavior Part 1: “How Trauma Effects the Brain”
Educational Specialist Laura Phipps describes the effect of trauma on the brain, and what this often looks like in terms of children’s behavior.
Trauma and Behavior Part 2: “Why Does the Cookbook Approach Not Work for Many Behavior Problems?”
Educational Specialist Laura Phipps explains why traditional parenting approaches often don’t solve the behavior problems of children with a history of trauma.
Trauma and Behavior Part 3: “The Importance of Relationship”
Educational Specialist Laura Phipps explains the importance of building a positive, trusting relationship as the foundation for changing any behavior, and gives examples of how to do that.
Trauma and Behavior Part 4: “Advice for Struggling Caregivers”
Educational Specialist Laura Phipps provides suggestions and encouragement for parents and caregivers struggling with serious behavior problems.
The Top 10 Issues in Adoption Review & Indexing
This online seminar is an opportunity to hear directly from experts on the administrative and legal intricacies of foster care adoptions in our state. Topics covered include a concise review of adoption process and timeline and the top 10 barriers that delay or interfere with the adoption process and how to avoid them. (Event Date: 12/11/2012)
Video Series: Shared Parenting
Shared Parenting Part 1: “What is Shared Parenting for Children in Foster Care?”
Foster parent and trainer Donna Foster defines shared parenting in the context of foster care and explains how this how this practice benefits children and facilitates family reunification.
Shared Parenting Part 2: “Overcoming Common Barriers to Shared Parenting”
Foster parent and trainer Donna Foster describes how to overcome some of the common barriers foster parents experience when trying to engage in shared parenting with birth parents.
Shared Parenting Part 3: “Advise for Foster Parents”
Foster parent and trainer Donna Foster offers advice to foster parents about how to successfully engage in shared parenting.
Enhancing Your Foster Home Licensing Skills
Gives NC foster home licensing professionals a chance to review selected sections of the new foster home licensing policy manual and hear directly from the NC Division of Social Services’ Regulatory and Licensing Services Unit.
