Learning Session "A" - Monday June 27, 2022
1:45 pm - 3:00 pm 

A1     Fostering ICWA through Cultural Humility (repeated in "C" group of workshops)
Kimee Wind-Hummingbird, ICWA Technical Assistance Consultant
Christina C. Bell Andrews, JD, MPH, MBA, MA,  ICWA Technical Assistance Consultant

This interactive workshop will provide attendees with foundational knowledge on the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). ICWA is considered to be the “gold standard” in terms of serving families and keeping children connected to family, culture, and community. This session will highlight aspects of ICWA through an interactive presentation that offers insight to: History of ICWA; Protections provided for families under ICWA; and the Significance of ICWA today, in Tribal communities. Additionally, through open discussion, presenters will illustrate ways to engage Indian families in a way that honors their diverse cultures, values and belief systems. Upon completion of this workshop, participants will have a better understanding of ICWA, engaging Indian families and the importance of cultural humility while walking alongside Indian families.

​A2      Innovative methods in which Resource Parents were supported during COVID-19 and how we are adjusting to our new "normal"
Pedro "Pete" Martinez, RFA Ombudsman
Michelle Macias, RFA Supervisor
Tulare County HHSA-RFA

COVID-19 forces us to think “outside of the box” in order to provide creative practices that meet the needs of Resource Families and Children in Care during the pandemic. It brought about sudden changes and challenges in the ways we provided services to the resource families. Come hear how we learned to collaborate with the Office of Education, Community Partners and Churches to assist resource families.  This gave us opportunities to discover new resources and innovative ways to connect with resource families in ways that had not been done before such as through technology. Join us in a discussion about what other counties have done and discuss the challenges and what worked well for others.

​A3     County and FFA Partnership Working with Relatives and the Pre-approval Process
(repeated in the "C" group of workshops)
Donna Ibbotson, LCSW, Program Director Lilliput/ Wayfinder
Cathi Johnson, Program Manager, Sacramento County DCAF

Join us for a discussion on a county/FFA program supporting relatives that have been placed with kin youth through emergency placements and completing the RFA process. Sacramento County and Wayfinder/Lilliput have been successfully working together to assist relatives placed with kin, complete the RFA process to continue to provide care for the youth. You will learn about the process of referring the relatives to FFA's and what supports and services the FFA and county provide, what the outcomes have been over the past 3 years, and benefits to county and FFA of the program.  We will save time for  a question and answer section to answer any questions you have.

​​A4     Child & Family Services Review Round 4 Overview: A Conversation About Resource Family Approval, Recruitment, & Retention
Shahla Craggs, Bureau Chief, Child Welfare Learning & Evaluation Bureau
Jonathan Pearson, Manager, CQI Unit
Stevie Rodgers, Manager, Reporting, Planning, & Monitoring Unit
California Department of Social Services

Workshop participants will receive an overview of California's upcoming participation in the fourth round of the federal Child and Family Services Review (CFSR) and how their work contributes to the review. You will learn about the history of the CFSR, its purpose in enhancing the safety, permanency, and well being of children, families, and caregivers in California's child welfare system, and have an opportunity to engage in conversation and provide stakeholder feedback in an information gathering process to inform the current state of resource family approval, recruitment, and retention in California.

​A5     Family Urgent Response System (FURS) (Repeated in "B" group of workshops)

Rikki House, FURS Policy Analyst
Colin Williams, Associate Governmental Program Analyst
California Department of Social Services

The Family Urgent Response System is an innovative program designed to offer support 24/7/365 to current and former foster youth and their caregivers during situations of instability, regardless of whether the situation meets criteria for typical mental health or law enforcement intervention.  FURS combines a statewide hotline with a county-level mobile response system to provide immediate assistance to those who seek help.  We look forward to sharing more about the program and its early success!

A6     CWS-CARES Pilot: RFA Application Submission, Review and Approval Process
(repeated in "B" group of workshops)
Jeff Dent, Service Manager, CA Department of Social Services
Dennis Maxwell, Product Delivery Lead, OSI

This breakout session will provide a demonstration of the pilot release of the Resource Family Approval (RFA) Application Submission, Review and Approval process as part of the Child Welfare Services California Automated Response and Engagement System (CWS-CARES).  The demonstration  will share the developed functionality for the RFA application process, an overview of the collaborative software development lifecycle used with State, County, and Tribal stakeholders and a question and answer session, as time permits.

​A7     AB 686-Integrating the Indian Community Standards into RFA
California Department of Social Services Staff

Chaptered in 2020, AB 686 enhanced the RFA process for tribal families by requiring the Indian Community Standards be incorporated into the RFA process for families wanting to care for specific children. This workshop will walk through what this looks like in policy and practice.