Minnesota Children's Alliance

CornerHouse Winter Webinar Week: Grooming Strategies Regarding Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking of Youth
2023-12-12 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Chicago) | Online Webinar
Training Overview
The act of recruiting someone into trafficking is intentional, planned and criminal. Learn tactics and techniques used by traffickers including targeting, recruiting and the grooming process. Understanding the emotional/trauma bond between the offender and victim is imperative to break this connection intervene when a minor is targeted. Research regarding childhood trauma, victim risk factors, juvenile justice, homeless and missing youth will be discussed.
Learning Objectives

Identify the types of traffickers and how they recruit their victims
Understand the grooming process how it is used to gain compliance
Learn the links of trafficking to childhood trauma, homeless and missing youth as well as additional risk and vulnerabilities.

Register through CornerHouse

Protecting Children in a Digital Age
2023-12-12 | Online Webinar
Training Overview
National Criminal Justice Training Center (NCJTC) of Fox Valley Technical College is hosting a training opportunity for professionals such as community members, community correction officers, court system personnel, educators, emergency management, law enforcement and support, prosecutors, social workers, tribes/tribal partners, and victim service providers.
Technology plays a tremendous role in our children’s lives. Learn about the ways children are interacting online to create better understanding and open up meaningful communication. Increase awareness of opportunities to protect and connect with children while also gathering valuable information to mitigate threats posed by individuals who seek to exploit them. This day-long seminar is designed to educate a broad range of disciplines responsible for conducting investigations and safeguarding youth.
Upon completion of this training, you will be able to:

Understand the different types of technology used by children and teens, including devices and apps
Recognize the differences between the digital age and the world that adults experienced while growing up
Focus on a proactive approach to digital safety that includes communication, setting guidelines, and digital citizenship training
Understand the most common online issues that children and teens are likely to face such as cyberbullying, “sexting,” and online predators
Address the legal aspects of all of these topics and learn how to address each of these issues with best practices
Understand our role in helping victims navigate trauma after the incident has occurred, and learn what resources are available for you to aid in this process

About the Trainer
Dana Miller is an Associate with the National Criminal Justice Training Center of Fox Valley Technical College. Dana holds a master’s degree in criminal justice, and she has worked extensively in education and harm prevention surrounding technology in the state of Wisconsin. Dana is a former Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Commander; in her tenure with the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Dana managed the program operations for the ICAC Task Force, including managing Wisconsin CyberTips from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and collaborating with Wisconsin law enforcement regarding investigations, outreach, and training events. Throughout her career, Dana has provided online safety outreach to over 30,000 people. She is creator and co-creator of multiple Wisconsin online safety programs and initiatives that continue to be utilized, and she teaches online safety primary prevention and responding to sextortion classes throughout the nation.
Register through NCJTC

First Witness Mind the Gap: 2023 NCA Advocacy Standards Training
2023-12-11 12:30 - 15:30, 2023-10-04 08:00 - 17:00 | Online Webinar
Training Overview
Designed for advocates who have already completed a full 24-hour Advocacy Training, Mind the Gap adds to the fundamentals of victim advocacy as laid out in the 2023 Victim Advocacy Standard for Accreditation set forth by the National Children’s Alliance (NCA). This training has been approved by the NCA.
During the 3-hour training, advocates will learn about Victim Rights and Compensation, Cultural Responsiveness and Addressing Explicit Bias, Caregiver Resilience, Domestic Violence and Polyvictimization, and Referral methods. Trainers will teach participants how to put these principles into practice action through hands-on activities, real-life examples, and discussion.
First Witness’ 24-hour Training for Advocates Working with a CAC is available for advocates who have not yet received the fundamental advocacy training as laid out by the NCA.

Register through First Witness

Normal is Normal: Effective Use of Medical Evidence in the Prosecution of Child Sexual Abuse Cases
2023-12-08 15:00 - 16:30, 2023-12-08 11:00 - 12:30 | Online Webinar
Training Overview
Join us this December for the End of Year Prosecutor Webinar Series, brought to you by the Trauma-informed Prosecutor Project (TiPP), funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). Our December Prosecutor Institute promises to be an insightful journey, spanning three weeks and encompassing six crucial topics. To accommodate participants across different time zones, each topic will be presented twice on its designated day. Be sure to register separately for each training session you wish to attend.
This webinar will discuss the importance of pediatric sexual assault exams in cases of child sexual abuse and how to present the findings of that exam to a jury. A majority of the exams will be “normal” and that evidence can be used to corroborate a child’s statement using expert medical testimony. The testimony of the expert can also be used to explain anatomy which gives prosecutors medical evidence to argue issues of penetration.
Learning Objectives
Gain a comprehensive understanding of the process and protocol involved in conducting a pediatric sexual assault examination.
Utilize “typical” examination findings to validate and reinforce a child’s disclosure of sexual assault.
Cultivate expertise in preparing medical witnesses and effectively employing their testimony to establish the element of penetration in a sexual assault case.
About Presenter
Kathleen Nolan – Senior Attorney
Kathleen Nolan is a Senior Attorney with Zero Abuse Project. She joined the team in May of 2021. She brings over 15 years of experience as a Prosecutor in the area of Child Protection.
Kathleen previously served as the Chief of the Children’s Justice Division in the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office in Madison County, Illinois. She was appointed to that role in 2015 after joining the office in 2013. The Children’s Justice Division handled the charging and prosecution of all child victim cases in the county including physical abuse, sexual assault and child deaths. Her role as Chief of the Division also involved mentoring and training the attorneys she supervised. She also created and presented specialized trainings for members of the Madison County Multi-Disciplinary Team including police, forensic interviewers and Department of Children and Family Services workers.
Register through ZAP

NCAC Trauma-Focused Treatment for Children & Adolescents Via Telehealth: Advanced Topics and Techniques
2023-12-07 12:00 - 14:30, 2023-12-06 12:00 - 14:30 | Online Webinar
Training Overview
This 4.5-hour training will provide mental health professionals with an understanding of telehealth delivery of evidence-based trauma-focused treatment for children and adolescents. Topics covered will include: (1) specific tailoring of trauma-focused treatment for a telehealth delivery format, (2), demonstration of how to utilize electronic resources to deliver trauma-focused treatment via telehealth and (3) procedures and workflow considerations for telehealth delivery trauma-focused treatment.
Learning Objectives:

Participants will be able to describe modifications needed to implement trauma-focused treatment for children and adolescents via telehealth
Participants will be able to understand the ethics surrounding distance counseling
Participants will be able to describe techniques and resources to provide engaging trauma treatment for children via telehealth
Participants will be able to understand how to tailor electronic resources to fit the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse children

Register through NCAC
Pre-Requisite: Previous training In one or more evidence-based trauma treatments
Free for clinicians serving CAC Clients.

NCJTC FIT: Dynamics of CST Victim Interviews (Part 1 & 2)
2023-12-04 | Online Webinar
Training Overview
Learn the complex dynamics involved in a child sex trafficking interview. Gain an understanding of the impact of trauma bonding and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs as they relate to traffickers recruiting and controlling minors. Recognize why the CST business model is important and how adolescent development plays apart in both trafficking and the interview process.
This training is best suited for community members, community corrections officers, court system personnel, educators, emergency management, law enforcement and support, prosecutors, social workers, tribes/tribal partners, and victim service providers.
Upon completion of this training, you will be able to:

Define human trafficking and explain its dynamics
Explain and analyze the differences between adolescents and adults regarding language development, memory and suggestibility
Define types and patterns of disclosure
Identify strategies for overcoming common barriers and blocks that occur within a forensic interview

Register through NCJTC
This training contains two hours of instruction.

NCJTC What Are They Running From? Youth Trauma and Addressing Adverse Childhood Experiences
2023-12-04 - 2023-12-05 | Online Webinar
Training Overview
The latest research has successfully concluded that young people who run away from home are often victims of physical, sexual, or emotional abuse. They have also suffered trauma as a bystander to domestic violence, substance abuse in the home, the death of a loved one from an overdose or violent act, or when a parent or guardian is arrested. Also, many children of these children abuse substances and are at high risk of human trafficking. Community stakeholders such as police officers, educators, mental health professionals, and child protective service providers must work together to identify these young people and develop effective community wide plans in providing protective factors. During this training, you will learn how to develop an action plan and implement various proven tools to provide protective factors to this critically at-risk population.
Upon completion of this training, you will be able to:

Utilize the Runaway Risk Screening Tool to identify children that have runaway due to their exposure to adverse childhood experiences.
Identify young people who are most vulnerable to human trafficking recruitment
Establish a local “Youth Huddle” which is essential in preparing an individual youth action plan to help children exposed to violence and other adverse experiences
Utilize the Home Safety Worksheet and Children Exposed to Trauma Form to identify children that have been exposed to adverse childhood experiences
Enhance the safety of all involved in this effort including front line law enforcement officers, victims of domestic violence, and young people exposed to domestic violence
Initiate community-wide protective factors for children exposed to trauma including the arrest of a parent, witnessing a loved one pass away, or suffer a serious medical incident

This training is best for:

Community Member
Community Corrections Officer
Court System Personnel
Educator
Emergency Management
Law Enforcement
Law Enforcement Support
Prosecutors
Social Workers
Tribes/Tribal Partners
Victim Service Providers

About Trainers
Harry Earle – NCJTC Associate | Chief of Police, Gloucester Township Police Department, New Jersey – Retired
Harry Earle began his career with the Gloucester Township Police Department in 1987 and served in various positions throughout his career including Patrol Officer, Patrol Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain, and Deputy Chief before becoming Chief of Police in 2010 until his retirement from the police department in November 2019. He has implemented community and problem-solving policing models with a focus on crime prevention and community wellness by addressing social disorder with a focus on at-risk youth and vulnerable populations. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice, a master’s degree in Human Resource Development, and he is a graduate of the FBI National Academy. Harry is the current Chairperson of the International Association of Chiefs Police (IACP) Juvenile Justice and Child Protection Committee.
Michele Selfridge – NCJTC Associate | Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Michele Selfridge is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker Agent who worked extensively with the Gloucester Township Police Department. In coordination with Chief of Police, Harry Earle, she has created and facilitates juvenile crime prevention and diversion programs which are successfully lowering the juvenile recidivism rate in the community. Ms. Selfridge is the co-author of the GT Focus and Handshakes Not Handcuffs Curriculum, the Juvenile and Parent Risk Assessment Tools and the author of PAUSE, An Alternative to Suspension. She has presented on varied topics affecting youth including GT Vision initiatives, Adverse Childhood Experience and brain development, human trafficking, addiction, crisis management, adolescent mental health and effective parenting.
Register through NCJTC
This is a paid training program. The training program viewing is limited to only the paid registrant. Any recording of the program, sharing of the presentation or presentation link for live or recorded viewing, dissemination of course materials, or other use of the training event is strictly prohibited. Only the paid registrant for this course will receive a certificate of attendance/program completion.

We're Just Going To Talk: Presenting Your Case in Opening Statements and Closing Arguments
2023-12-01 15:00 - 16:30, 2023-12-01 11:00 - 12:30 | Online Webinar
Training Overview
Join Zero Abuse Project this December for the End of Year Prosecutor Webinar Series, brought to you by the Trauma-informed Prosecutor Project (TiPP), funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). Our December Prosecutor Institute promises to be an insightful journey, spanning three weeks and encompassing six crucial topics. To accommodate participants across different time zones, each topic will be presented twice on its designated day. Be sure to register separately for each training session you wish to attend.
In this workshop, students will explore the significance of employing effective strategies and themes for opening statements and closing arguments in child abuse cases. They will develop a persuasive theme for presenting their case and acquire specific arguments to convincingly demonstrate a child’s credibility. Additionally, students will gain the skills to refute common defenses often encountered in child abuse cases.
Learning Objectives

Develop a compelling theme for jury presentations.
Acquire a versatile set of arguments applicable to various child abuse cases.
Master effective strategies to counter common defense arguments.

About Presenter
Kathleen Nolan – Senior Attorney
Kathleen Nolan is a Senior Attorney with Zero Abuse Project. She joined the team in May of 2021. She brings over 15 years of experience as a Prosecutor in the area of Child Protection.
Kathleen previously served as the Chief of the Children’s Justice Division in the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office in Madison County, Illinois. She was appointed to that role in 2015 after joining the office in 2013. The Children’s Justice Division handled the charging and prosecution of all child victim cases in the county including physical abuse, sexual assault and child deaths. Her role as Chief of the Division also involved mentoring and training the attorneys she supervised. She also created and presented specialized trainings for members of the Madison County Multi-Disciplinary Team including police, forensic interviewers and Department of Children and Family Services workers.
Register through Zero Abuse Project

NJCTC Interviewing Bilingual and Immigrant Children
2023-12-01 | Online Webinar
Training Overview
Identify barriers to communication and examine tactics for engagement during a bilingual forensic interview. Learn how to engage the family by utilizing tactics or tools to overcome the barriers when you have a case with Spanish-speaking children or families. Gather new resources and learn the steps families can take to utilize support services. This training is best suited for community members, community corrections officers, court system personnel, educators, emergency management, law enforcement and support, prosecutors, social workers, tribes/tribal partners, and victim service providers.

Upon completion of this training, you will be able to:

Identify blocks to communication
Demonstrate new tactics for engagement
Utilize support services

Register through NCJTC
A certificate of completion will be generated at the end of this training.

Adverse Childhood Experiences & Comprehensive Trauma-Informed Care Training
2023-11-30 08:30 - 12:30, 2023-11-29 08:30 - 12:30 | Online Webinar
Training Overview
Zero Abuse Project is presenting a training opportunity that will help professionals who work with children and families to develop necessary skills to understand ACEs and trauma.
Studies have shown that adverse childhood experiences and traumatic events can have a lasting, negative impact on a person’s health and well-being. This training is designed to help you develop the unique skills needed to support individuals who have experienced adverse childhood experiences and traumatic events.
Part of an organization?
We understand that changing the environment and implementing policies on Trauma Informed Care (TIC) can be a difficult task. By sending a team to this training, your organization will have the benefit of multiple professionals receiving expert knowledge to bring back to your agency. We believe this is instrumental to agency change, therefore we are offering one FREE registration for every four registrations purchased.
What participants told us they learned:

TIC is a philosophical shift and not a diagnosis for PTSD
ACEs are prevalent across all economic levels
Trauma manifests into different behaviors than expected
Teachers should teach as if all students have ACE scores

Intended Audience
This training is designed for professionals who work with children and families, including educators and administrators, childcare providers, law enforcement, youth-serving organizations, health and human service providers, faith-based organizations, healthcare and victim advocates.
Objectives:

Increase awareness of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and impact on well-being.
Explain the physiological effect of trauma on the brain.
Improve knowledge on ACEs, Trauma, and Trauma-Informed Care.
Describe Trauma-Informed Care and its impact on your work.
Generate actionable ideas for applying knowledge to your work with youth and adults.
Enhance the community’s ability to prevent and respond to trauma.

Agenda
The training will be presented between 2 half-days:

Wednesday, November 29, 2023: 8:30am-12:30pm Central Time
Thursday, November 30, 2023: 8:30am-12:30pm Central Time

Register through Zero Abuse Project
To pay by credit/debit card
For registrations paying with a credit card, please select PayPal as your payment method – we use PayPal’s system to handle our credit card payments, but you DO NOT NEED a PayPal account to use this payment method. When you click “Place your Order”, you will be taken to a page that will allow you to pay by credit/debit card.
To pay by invoice
If you select this ticket option to register, you will be emailed an invoice within 2 weeks of your registration. There is an additional nominal charge to use this payment method.
To direct the invoice to be emailed to someone else in your agency, please email our Senior Program Manager, Suzanne Severson (suzanne@zeroabuseproject.org) with this information.
Cancellation Policy
A $75.00 cancellation fee will be imposed for cancellations made up to 3 working days prior to a scheduled training – no refunds are allowed less than 3 working days prior to a scheduled training. If available, a registration transfer to another scheduled training within 6 months may be made for a $25.00 administrative fee.

Beyond Behaviorism: Shifting the Lens When Assessing and Supporting Behaviors
2023-11-16 12:30 - 16:30 | Online Webinar
Training Overview
The Minnesota Association for Children’s Mental Health (MACMH) will present a live webinar with Connie Persike, MS, CCC/SLP, Speech Pathologist and Educational Consultant at Supportable Solutions. Many professionals are working tirelessly to shift the behavioral paradigm away from the traditional behavioral approach and toward what current relational and neuroscience research has taught us. When we know better, we do better! Let’s use that information to redesign tools we frequently use in schools and community settings today – functional behavioral assessments and positive behavioral intervention plans. If you are struggling with these processes and if they do not align with your current philosophy and belief system, then this workshop is for you! Participants will get a deep dive into how to make these common processes more trauma-sensitive, neurodiversity-affirming, and aligned with current research. The intended audience is for administrators, occupational therapists, speech pathologists, educators, clinicians, community support members, parents, schools, psychologists, and social workers.
Three Learning Objectives

Participants will describe what a functional behavioral assessment is and when it is needed.
Participants will describe the brief history of the functional behavioral assessment and positive behavioral intervention plan.
Participants will describe at least 5 shifts to align functional behavioral assessments and behavior support plans with current knowledge and research.

About the Presenter
Connie Persike is a highly experienced Speech Language Pathologist and Educational Consultant. As founder of Supportable Solutions, she brings 20+ years of experience in educational settings to provide insight, guidance, coaching, and support to school districts, agencies, and families across Wisconsin — and throughout the country. Connie holds a certificate in instructional coaching, positive education, and applied educational neuroscience. She created an innovative process to assess behavior, which deviates from the traditional behaviorism approach and aligns with neuroscience while maintaining a trauma-sensitive and neurodiversity-affirming approach. Connie works from the guiding mission that Connection + Collaboration = Endless Possibilities.
Register via MACMH
This training is approved for three hours of clinical content and is anticipated to be approved for one hour of ethics and three hours of cultural competency content.

Sensory Processing and Mental Health: A Trauma Informed Approach
2023-11-15 09:00 - 12:00 | Online Webinar
Training Overview
Minnesota Association for Children’s Mental Health (MACMH) presents a training opportunity with Jessica Villery, OTS, OTR/L, Occupational Therapist at PrairieCare and Instructional Support Staff at University of Minnesota. This training is suited for juvenile/restorative justice professionals, education professionals, Health Care professionals, and mental health professionals and will address working with children at six-years-old to adults.
Sensory Processing and Mental Health teaches participants the basics of sensory processing differences and how they impact daily functioning. These concepts will be related to various common mental health diagnoses, life circumstances, and impact on behavior. This presentation will promote an understanding of preventative strategies and optimize function for children with sensory processing differences and mental health challenges to create a positive and predictable environment. Participants increase their understanding of Winnie Dunn’s theory of sensory processing including eight sensory systems, realistic interventions to promote improvement in daily functioning, and the connection between sensory processing challenges and common mental health disorders. The information in this presentation aims to assist educators in reducing behavioral challenges rooted in sensory processing differences, improving their ability to anticipate the needs of students before behaviors become disruptive to classroom functioning, and build confidence in addressing sensory needs of all students.
Learning Objectives:

Understand The Trauma-Informed Mindset and How it Relates to Sensory Processing
Explore The 4 Sensory Processing Quadrants
Explore The 8 Sensory Systems
Discover Realistic Interventions
Understand Sensory Processing in Relation to Cognition
Understand Sensory Processing in Relation to Common Mental Health

About the Presenter
Jess is an occupational therapist who has worked in outpatient pediatrics, school-based practice, and currently in mental health, partial hospitalization and academia. Her areas of specialty include sensory processing differences, trauma informed care, challenging behaviors, mental health, neurodivergence, and program development. She is currently the occupational therapist at PrairieCare Mankato and provides instructional support for professional development and program development courses in the occupational therapy department at University of Minnesota on the Twin Cities and Rochester campuses. In her free time, she enjoys crafting (quilting, stained glass, and crocheting), gardening, spending time with her husband and pets, and spending time with friends.
Register through MACMH
This training is approved for 2.5 hours of clinical content and is anticipated to be approved for 0.5 hours of cultural competency content.

Criminal Connections: Child Exploitation Material and Child Sexual Abuse
2023-11-13 - 2023-11-14 | Firekeepers Casino Hotel, 11177E Michigan Ave, Battle Creek, MI, United States
Training Overview
The National Criminal Justice Training Center (NCJTC) of Fox Valley Technical College is hosting a training opportunity for professionals in law enforcement, prosecutors, social workers, Tribes/Tribal partners, and victim service providers.
Explore investigative strategies that address the relationship between child sexual abuse and child sexual abuse materials (child pornography) to supplement an investigation and corroborate victim statements. Gather new tools and resources for the most comprehensive case outcomes.
Upon completion of this training, you will be able to:

Understand current child pornography trends
Apply research discussing the relationship between contact offenses and child pornography
Consider current legal issues relating to child pornography and child sexual abuse cases
Leverage interview and interrogation techniques that maximize evidence discovery in sexual abuse cases
Understand ICAC task force’s role in investigating child pornography
Consider opportunities to enhance investigations through multi-disciplinary investigative strategies

About the Trainers
David Frattare – Director of State Investigations / ICAC Commander, Cuyahoga County Prosecutors Office, Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force
David Frattare currently serves as the Statewide Commander for the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office, Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. Commander Frattare is responsible for the investigation, coordination and supervision of investigations involving the sexual exploitation of children and serves as the national representative for the Internet Crimes Against Children program in Ohio. From 1997 to 2009, Commander Frattare was employed as a Special Agent with the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Child Predator Unit. Commander Frattare is a Special Deputy with the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office and a Task Force Officer with Homeland Security Investigations Cleveland. He is an Associate Instructor for the National Criminal Justice Training Center at Fox Valley Technical College, a Law Enforcement Trainer for The Innocent Justice Foundation, and a Senior Chaplain with the International Fellowship of Chaplains.
Pauline Renick – Retired Detective with the Bellingham Police Department, Bellingham, Washington
Pauline has been in Law Enforcement for 37 years. Currently, she is working as a crime analyst in the area of Internet Crimes Against Children. She also served as a Task Force Officer for the Department of Homeland Security Investigations. Her previous assignments included Mountain Bike Patrol, Patrol Division, D.A.R.E. Officer, High School Resource Officer, Field Training Officer and Master Patrol Officer. She has experience working cases of child sexual assault, child abuse and domestic violence related crimes. She also worked these types of cases during her assignment as a Special Agent for the US Army Criminal Investigation Division Command (CID). She is the only female recipient of the Medal of Valor in the history of her department. Pauline is also a child forensic interviewer and involved in the community providing educational information to teens, parents and specialized professions, regarding the topic of the Internet Crimes Against Children
Register through NCJTC
This training is held in-person at Battle Creek, MI. See here for more information on venue and lodging.
The registration fee includes 16 hours of training, program materials, and instructional costs. Participants are responsible for costs and arrangements related to meals, travel, and lodging.

Understanding Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: Facts, Strategies, and Personal Insights from Youth with Lived Experience
2023-11-09 12:30 - 14:30 | Online Webinar
Training Overview
Minnesota Association for Children’s Mental Health (MACMH) presents a training opportunity with Kendra Gludt, MPH, Director of National Programs at Proof Alliance, and Marissa Lang, a Senior Program Manager at Proof Alliance and a Proof Alliance Youth Panel member. This training is suited for every profession to join and will address working with early childhood to young adults.
This presentation will present information on fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), address common misunderstandings, and offer practical strategies. Learn how prenatal alcohol exposure impacts brain development and how to use this information to improve outcomes for individuals with FASD. Youth with FASD will also share their personal stories and advice based on their experiences.
Learning Objectives

Understand how prenatal alcohol exposure impacts brain development.
Acquire strategies to help individuals with FASD.
Learn approaches from FASD self-advocates with lived experience.

About the Presenters
Kendra Gludt, MPH, is the Director of National Programs at Proof Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to preventing fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) and supporting all those impacted. In the 16 years that she has worked at Proof Alliance, Kendra has worked with many partnering agencies including clinics, treatment centers, county systems, and social service agencies, helping them change their practices to recognize and respond to FASD. Kendra is currently on the faculty of the SAFEST Choice Learning Collaborative, a HRSA-funded program that aims to reduce prenatal alcohol exposure and improve outcomes for children with FASD.
Marissa Lang has over 20 years working in the field of FASD. She began her career screening adjudicated youth for FASD through a federal grant project at Hennepin County Juvenile Corrections in Minnesota, followed by 18 years at Proof Alliance. In her role as Senior Program Manager at Proof Alliance, she is responsible for the development and implementation of programming for individuals with an FASD, and their families. She is also involved in the public policy work at Proof Alliance to help create long-term systemic change. Marissa is passionate about empowering youth using a strength-based approach and providing families critical skills to support loved ones with an FASD.
Register through MACMH
There are two CEHs available for this training.

Addressing Bullying through Social Emotional Learning and Restorative Relationship Driven Practices
2023-10-25 12:30 - 15:30 | Online Webinar
Training Overview
Minnesota Association for Children’s Mental Health (MACMH) is presenting a training opportunity with Deborah Cavitt, MS, Project Director at MACMH. This training is a great opportunity for educators, parents/caregivers, and other professionals working directly with children and youth (early childhood to young adulthood).
Being bullied significantly harms a child’s ability to flourish both in school and in the community. This presentation examines the devastating harm impacting young people who are bullied, and offers prevention and intervention strategies to minimize bullying in schools and the community. Feeling safe and supported in school is essential to a child’s social, emotional, behavioral and academic development. Bullying threatens a student’s civil rights and is often a form of discrimination based on multiple factors such as race, national origin, disabilities, sexual orientation, gender identity, family income, and more. Schools should use an upstream approach to prevent and reduce the incidences of bullying and have a plan in place to address bullying. Prevention practices should include weaving social emotional learning into the curriculum. Bullying interventions must include positive behavioral expectations and restorative justice based on inclusion and respect.
Learning Objectives

To understand the nature of bullying, its effects on children’s mental health, and how to prevent bullying.
To incorporate social emotional learning to create safe and caring school environments.
To actively teach kindness, emotion regulation, and collaborative problem solving.
To create a school wide plan to eliminate exclusion and build positive social networks within schools.

About the Presenter
Deborah Cavitt is an advocate, trainer, and project director for Minnesota Association for Children’s Mental Health (MACMH). Cavitt gives presentations and works on projects with schools, children, youth, parents and professionals to increase understanding and reduce the stigma related to mental health disorders. As a parent coach and advocate, she helps families navigate systems on their journey of raising a child with mental health challenges. Deborah has a master’s degree in human services with specializations in mental health and substance use counseling and a bachelor’s degree in education. Before joining MACMH, she worked as a prevention specialist and grant coordinator for a substance abuse treatment agency in Iowa City. Preceding her mental health and substance use prevention work, she was a teacher for over twenty years, working on the White Earth Indian Reservation in Northern Minnesota.
Register through MACMH

NCA CFTSI Informational Call
2023-10-23 13:30 - 15:00 | Online Webinar
Training Overview
Interested in adding Child and Family Traumatic Stress Intervention (CFTSI) to your CAC’s menu of mental health services? NCA is offering a virtual CFTSI training for clinicians January 10-12, 2024. Senior CAC leaders and clinicians are encouraged to attend this call to learn about CFTSI, how it is delivered and the evidence-base that has shown that 73% of children are less likely to meet partial or full criteria for PTSD after CFTSI. CFTSI is delivered in 5-8 sessions soon after the forensic interview and has been shown to help CACs shorten client length of stay, reduce waiting lists, and allow CACs to serve more children.
Register through NCA Engage

Positive Discipline in Everyday parenting
2023-10-18 13:00 - 14:00 | Online Webinar
Training Overview
The American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (APSAC) is presenting a training event on Positive Discipline in Everyday Parenting with Dr. Joan Durrant.
In order to prevent physical punishment, we need to: 1) increase parents’ knowledge of child development; 2) help them manage their emotions; and 3) shift their lens from control to mentorship. Positive Discipline in Everyday Parenting (PDEP), a 9-week not-for-profit program, addresses each of these key factors. Parents learn how children’s emotions and brains develop from infancy through adolescence; recognize their stress response and learn techniques to manage it; and acquire skills in scaffolding children’s learning while keeping them physically and emotionally safe. Through interactive activities, parents come to understand behavior from the child’s perspective so that they can effectively support children’s learning, rather than punishing their mistakes.
About Trainer
A Developmental Psychologist, Dr. Joan Durrant has recently retired from a 33-year academic career at the University of Manitoba. She now focuses her time on the non-profit she founded to coordinate implementation of Positive Discipline in Everyday Parenting (PDEP) across Canada and in many other countries, including Korea, Mongolia, and the United Arab Emirates. Joan has dedicated her professional life to understanding why parents strike their children as punishment and how we can prevent it. She created PDEP to address the psychological factors and cultural beliefs that underlie this ‘everyday violence’ against children. In addition to publishing several books, Joan has published many academic articles on corporal punishment and has delivered addresses, workshops and trainings to governments and organizations around the world.
Register through APSAC
APSAC Members and The New York Foundling Staff General Admission: Free
1 CE Credit (Social Work & Psychology): $25.00
1 CE Credit (Social Work & Psychology) for APSAC Members and New York Foundling Staff: $15.00
*If you are in New York and would like social work, mental health or psychology CE credits please email FontanaCenter@nyfoundling.org
APSAC Members: You will receive your discount automatically when registering.
The New York Foundling Staff: Please email FontanaCenter@nyfoundling.org to request your entry code.

Victim Advocate and Mental Health Partnerships Peer Consultation Forums
2023-10-17 11:00 - 12:30 | Online Webinar
Training Overview
Western Regional Children’s Advocacy Center WRCAC is pleased to begin hosting virtual Victim Advocate and Mental Health Partnerships Peer Consultation Forums. Each forum starts in a large-group format with an introduction to the topic. Participants are placed in Zoom breakout rooms of five to six to allow for small group discussions and resource sharing and support. Participants are encouraged to share work experiences and challenges in small groups and solicit feedback from peers. At the end, participants are brought back together in one large group for a Q&A with the experts.
Targeted Audience
Support and partnerships between victim advocates and mental health staff can be critical elements in serving children and families seen at children’s advocacy centers (CAC). Victim advocates and mental health clinicians are encouraged to attend as a team to provide the best opportunity for joint learning and rich discussion in sharing best practices in the partnership role.
This forum is intended to support and inform those relationships with presentations and discussions on topics that impact both disciplines and help us to understand:

How is the work similar?
How is it different?
Where do things intersect to provide the highest quality and most efficient client care?

Participation is open to eligible clinicians throughout the US.
Facilitators

Amelia Siders, PhD, State Chapter Liaison, Western Regional Children’s Advocacy Center
Salli Kerr, Training Specialist, Western Regional Children’s Advocacy Center

Learning Objectives
As a result of this forum, participants will:

Receive informal peer consultation around issues of importance
Have the opportunity to share best practices with other advocates and clinicians and develop ways to be supportive of one another in their work
Gain resources and ideas from presenters, clinicians, and advocates to support their work with children and families

Schedule
The Victim Advocate and Mental Health Partnerships Peer Consultation Forms are scheduled as follows:

October 17, 2023 | 9:00am to 10:30am PT – Confidentiality Best Practices
January 16, 2024 | 12:00pm to 1:30pm PT – Screening and Assessment
April 23, 2024 | 9:00am to 10:30am PT – Topic TBD
July 16, 2024 | 12:00pm to 1:30pm PT – Topic TBD

*Please note times vary to accommodate participants from across multiple time zones.
Register through WRCAC
If you have questions regarding this event, contact Kelsey Roberts at kroberts2@rchsd.org.

41st Annual St. Louis County Health & Human Services Conference
2023-10-11 - 2023-10-13 | Duluth Entertainment Convention Center, 350 Harbor Drive, Duluth, MN, 55802, United States
Training Overview
The St. Louis County Health and Human Services Conference is celebrating 41 years! Their theme for 2023 is Courageous Connections: Leading with Curiosity & Compassion. This conference will feature Mónica Guzmán and Anne Bonney as keynote speakers and offer a variety of workshops:

Brain Injury Basics
A Father’s Place: The Importance of Male Involvement in Early Childhood Development
Finding Humor in Social Work
Media and Pop Culture: How Our Culture Impacts Perceptions of Child Abuse and Maltreatment
healing our Wounds: A While Family Approach to Fostering Resilience
Detox your Life – Escaping the Negativity Trap!
Unmasking the Mass Incarceration System
person Centered Employee Management and Retention
From Cell to Street: What Offenders Need When They Return to the Community
And so much more!

About Keynote Speakers
Mónica Guzmán is a bridge builder, journalist, and author who lives for great conversations sparked by curious questions. Her new book, “I Never Thought of it That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times” was featured on the Glenn Beck Podcast and named a New York Times recommended read. She’s Senior Fellow for Public Practice at Braver Angels, the nation’s largest cross-partisan grassroots organization working to depolarize America; founder and CEO of Reclaim Curiosity, an organization working to build a more curious world; and cofounder of the award-winning Seattle newsletter The Evergrey. She was a 2019 fellow at the Henry M. Jackson Foundation, where she studied social and political division, and a 2016 fellow at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University, where she researched how journalists can rethink their roles to better meet the needs of a participatory public. She was named one of the 50 most influential women in Seattle, served twice as a juror for the Pulitzer Prizes, and plays a barbarian named Shadrack in her besties’ Dungeons & Dragons campaign. A Mexican immigrant, Latina, and dual US/Mexico citizen, she lives in Seattle with her husband and two kids and is the proud liberal daughter of conservative parents.
Anne Bonney is a fun, energetic international keynote speaker and courage ignitor. She is an authority on Change Management, twotime author, host and creator of Dancing in the Discomfort Zone Podcast and an experienced virtual, in-person and hybrid workshop facilitator. After 20 years in highly successful corporate and nonprofit leadership positions, Anne, now uses her experience, education, and expertise to ignite YOUR ability to embrace the discomfort of change, courageous communication and emotional intelligence.
Register here!
Online registration ends Friday, September 30, 2023 at 4:00 p.m.

No registration refunds after Friday September 15, 2022.

Make your check payable
SLC Human Service Conference Fund
Mail checks to:
320 West 2nd Street
GSC 4 West, Attn: HHS Conference
Duluth, MN 55802-1495

NCA Perceptions & Practices of CACs and their Community Partners in Serving Children & Adolescents with PSB
2023-09-07 11:00 - 13:00 | Online Webinar
Training Overview
Kate Theimer, PhD, Erin Taylor, PhD, and Jane Silovsky, PhD, will present the results of a national NCA survey of CACs regarding children and adolescents with problematic sexual behavior.  Please join us to learn more about this joint collaboration between NCA and the University of Oklahoma’s Health Sciences Center. Originally done in 2019, the survey and its subsequent updates have helped direct NCA’s approach to providing guidance and support to CACs addressing the needs of this underserved population. Current policies, barriers to policies and practices, and recommendations regarding these will be addressed.  Current activities of the NCA Workgroup on Policies and Procedures will be shared.
Register through NCA

Zero Abuse Project Child Abuse and Maltreatment Training for the MDT
2023-08-31 | Beltrami County Administration Building, 701 Minnesota Ave NW, Suite 102, Bemidji, MN, 56601, United States
Training Overview
Join in-person at Beltrami County, MN for a full day of training on special topics on the systemic response to allegation of child abuse and maltreatment. This training will cover topics such as Dynamics of Child Abuse, Understanding Child Abuse and the CAC & MDT Response, and Your FIRST Response to Alleged Child Maltreatment.
This training is designed for child abuse multidisciplinary professionals and youth-serving professionals including, but not limited to, child protection workers, law enforcement officers, prosecutors, mental health workers, advocacy professionals, medical team members, guardian ad litems, supportive services workers, cultural liaisons, teachers, school staff and administrative professionals, child care staff, and youth programming professionals. We encourage you to share this opportunity with other professionals you feel will find it beneficial!
About the Trainers
Rachel Johnson is the Lead Forensic Interview Specialist with Zero Abuse Project. She most recently served as the Program Director for the Minnesota Children’s Alliance and has fourteen years of experience in work related to forensic interviewing, multidisciplinary teams, advocacy, child abuse, prevention education, and intimate partner violence, both domestically and abroad.
Prior to her work at the Alliance, Rachel served as a forensic interviewer and the Forensic Program Coordinator at First Witness Child Advocacy Center in Duluth, Minn. She is trained in multiple forensic interview protocols and received Bachelor of Science degrees in Public Service, Sociology and Spanish at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minn.
Rachel is passionate about working directly with children and families, supporting frontline professionals and improving the institutional response to victimization by centering the experiences of victims at all levels of consideration and decision-making.
Caitie Dahl is a Forensic Interview Specialist and Trainer with Zero Abuse Project. Prior to joining Zero Abuse, Caitie served as a Forensic Interviewer, Forensic Program Coordinator, Trainer, and Multidisciplinary Team Facilitator with First Witness Child Advocacy Center in Duluth, Minnesota.
Caitie enjoys working with children, and providing a trauma-friendly, and legally defensible opportunity for victims of abuse to share their experience. Additionally, she enjoys training professionals in the field to strengthen their response to reports of child maltreatment, and collaborate with other multidisciplinary professionals when working with children and families throughout the investigative process.
Caitie received a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Superior, where she also studied and conducted research on topics such as coercive interviewing, false confessions, wrongful convictions, and suggestibility and memory errors. Caitie also served as the Program Manager at the campus Gender Equity Resource Center, and is passionate about recognizing and addressing the unique needs of LGBTQIA+ youth who have experienced maltreatment.

Register through ZAP
Lunch: Lunch is not being provided.
This training is being conducted free of charge for participants under grant funding provided by the Minnesota Office of Justice Programs.
Certificates: A certificate of attendance will be provided for all attendees that complete the entire day of training.

Child Abuse: From Suspicion to Disclosure
2023-08-30 | Online Webinar
Training Overview
Learn the best approach with children who are alleged victims of child abuse in the initial phases of a case, after a concern has been identified. Develop the basic skills and techniques necessary to engage a child in such a way as to minimize suggestibility but still provide support, beyond what is taught in a First Responder Training. Review best practices in identification of a concern and learn to engage these children in a way that maximizes positive case outcomes and minimizes potential behaviors that can hurt cases.
Training Schedule
10:00 am – 5:00 pm Eastern Time
Upon completion of this introductory training, you will be able to:

Identify examples of suggestibility and the impact is has on cases.
Learn and/or improve foundational skills of engagement with potential child abuse victims to maximize positive outcomes of future cases.
Develop a plan of action to help you identify situations and strategize interactions that minimize suggestibility and maximize positive outcomes for children.

Is This Training For You?

Law Enforcement
Prosecutors
Social Workers
Tribes/Tribal Partners
Victim Service Providers

Register through NCJTC

Zero Abuse Project Keeping Faith 2-Day Basic Course
2023-08-28 08:00 - 17:00 | Online Webinar
Training Overview
This course empowers faith communities to recognize and respond to cases of sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect. Included are discussions detailing the impact of child abuse on a victim’s sense of spirituality and offering concrete suggestions for working with medical and mental health professionals to assist a child in coping with maltreatment. The course also discusses ideal child protection policies for a faith-based institution, including handling a situation in which a convicted sex offender seeks to join a congregation. A review of various child abuse case scenarios and a discussion on appropriate and inappropriate responses allows for real-life problem-solving and feedback.
*This training will be conducted virtually*
Why is this training important for every faith community?

93% of sex offenders describe themselves as being ‘religious’

20% of 2864 church leaders knew of at least one convicted sex offender who was attending or was a member of their church (Christianity Today 2010)
Child abuse Survivor Quote: “I went online to every faith community in my area trying to find a place in which I felt safe to worship. None of them gave me any information about safety policies in their community so I just gave up trying.”

Intended Audience
Clergy, chaplains, youth ministers, faith leaders, counselors and other members of a faith community who may work with children or families impacted by child abuse.
Presented by:

Victor Vieth, Chief Program Officer, Education and Research, Zero Abuse Project
Alison Feigh, Director, Jacob Wetterling Resource Center
Pete Singer, Executive Director, G.R.A.C.E.; Founding Director, Care in Action, Minnesota

Register through Zero Abuse Project!
To pay by credit/debit card
To pay for your registration by credit card, please select the first ticket option ( “Credit Card payment”), and then use the pay option “PayPal” – you DO NOT NEED a PayPal account to pay with a Credit Card. When you click “Place your Order”, you will be taken to a page that will allow you to pay by credit/debit card. If you need an invoice to issue payment, please select the 2nd ticket option (“Pay via an Invoice”).
To pay by invoice
If you select this ticket option to register, you will be emailed an invoice within 2 weeks of your registration. There is an additional nominal charge to use this payment method.
To direct the invoice to be emailed to someone else in your agency, please email our Senior Program Manager, Suzanne Severson (suzanne@zeroabuseproject.org) with this information.
Cancellation Policy
A $75.00 cancellation fee will be imposed for cancellations made up to 3 working days prior to a scheduled training – no refunds are allowed less than 3 working days prior to a scheduled training. If available, a registration transfer to another scheduled training within 6 months may be made for a $25.00 administrative fee.
***Group Discount: Buy 4 registrations get the 5th registration free. When selecting this option for purchase, the cost of 5 tickets is set to equal the cost of four full registrations and one free registration. Must purchase all registrations at the same time. Group registrations are not eligible for cancellation or refund (substitutions for registered participants may be made at any time).

Strategies for Child Sexual Abuse Prevention
2023-08-23 13:00 - 14:30 | Online Webinar
Training Overview
National Criminal Justice Training Center (NCJTC) of Fox Valley Technical College is hosting a training opportunity for professionals in law enforcement, prosecution, and related court officials with Detective Edward Merritt.
Learn new strategies to assist in the prevention of child abuse. The strategies taught will focus on the five different forms of prevention that will give a holistic approach in moving forward with a plan for the prevention of child abuse.
These five forms are

After the fact
Personal responsibility
Environmental design
Policy development
Addressing societal norms

About Trainer
Sally Kimel-Sheppard, Executive Director, Envision Athens and NCJTC Associate.
Sally is a clinically licensed social worker, working with survivors of child abuse and sexual assault through the Piedmont Judicial Circuit in Georgia. Her career began as a child therapist and forensic interviewer at The Tree House, Children’s Advocacy Center. After working with over 1000 children while at The Tree House, Sally became the Executive Director of The Cottage; a sexual assault center and children’s advocacy center in Athens, Georgia. During her 15 years at The Cottage, Sally developed programs and statewide standards for both sexual assault centers and children’s advocacy centers in Georgia. Sally also served at the Board of Directors Chairperson for the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Georgia. In 2022, Sally joined Envision Athens, where she works with governmental, non-profit and other agencies to address issues affecting the quality of life in Athens, Georgia. Sally has a passion in working with others to fight against child abuse.
Upon completion of this webinar, you will be able to:

Recognize ways to use tools to aid in child abuse prevention
Identify ways to teach children and caregivers to protect children
Demonstrate innovative ways to combine prevention strategies to lessen incidents of child abuse

Is This Training For You?

Community Member
Community Corrections Officer
Court System Personnel
Educator
Emergency Management
Law Enforcement
Law Enforcement Support
Prosecutors
Social Workers
Tribes/Tribal Partners
Victim Service Providers

Register through NCJTC

Training for Advocates Working with a CAC
2023-08-18 | Online Webinar
Training Overview
First Witness is presenting a training opportunity on training for advocates who are working with a CAC. This training meets all essential components in the National Children’s Alliance (NCA) Standard of Victim Advocacy.
First Witness Child Advocacy Center’s advocacy program bridges the gap between individual advocacy with one victim and system-based advocacy that creates change for many victims. This contrasts with more restrictive advocacy models that are based on delivering services identified by practitioners and systems rather than victims.
Through hands-on practice, participants will learn how to put advocacy principles into action, including: conducting a focus group to improve programming, changing organizations and systems and creating programs and interventions that meet victims’ needs.
Participants will practice skills for effective crisis intervention and advocacy, problem-solving and decision-making around the toughest issues in advocacy work.
Register through First Witness
