This month's fatality video webcast involves an 11-month-old who died as a result of natural causes from premature birth. No identifying or confidential info. so there are no restrictions on who can view- you can use it in whatever way you think is useful.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nKfv9gQjgU

Stacie Bladen
Office of Family Advocate
Department of Human Services
235 S. Grand Avenue, Suite 1512
Lansing, MI 48909
bladens@michigan.gov
(517) 335-3475; FAX (517) 241-8125

We have a sensational line-up of faculty this year including…

Mr. Daniel Beaty - Award-winning actor, singer, and writer performing his “Spoken Word.” Mr. Beaty will also be presenting a workshop titled “Pain to Power-One Man’s Journey". Read more about Mr. Beaty on his website at www.danielbeaty.com

Mr. Steve Garagiola – Back by popular demand our Master of Ceremonies for 2012 is Local 4 DetroitAnchor, Steve Garagiola. Steve is the son of Major League Baseball Catcher Joe Garagiola.

Mr. Vander Green – Mr. Green is a Fatherhood Program Specialist for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Ms. Denise DeVaan – Ms. DeVaan is a Senior Consultant with ICF International.

Dr. Randall Turner – Dr. Turner was Vice-President of the National Fatherhood Initiative and is currently a Senior consultant with ICF International.

Mr. Joseph Kozakiewicz – Mr. Kozakiewicz is the Director of the Chance at Childhood Program at Michigan State University.

Mr. Colbert Williams –Mr. Williams is the Site Supervisor with ACMH (Association of Children with Mental Health) Colbert is the father of 2 sons Nathan and DJ. sontoafather.com

Ms. Zenell B. Brown – Ms. Brown is the Wayne County Friend of the Court.

Mr. Kurt Faust - Mr. Faust is the Men’s Outreach Coordinator at Mid-Michigan Pregnancy Outreach Center.

Ms. Amanda Burch – Ms. Burch is a CPS Investigatory Supervisor with the Eaton County Michigan Department of Human Services.

Mr. Terry Keller – Mr. Keller is Assistant Professor of Social work at Lourdes University.

Ms. Joyce Wright – Ms. Wright is the Director of Training for the Michigan Domestic Violence Prevention and Treatment Board.

Mr. Duane Wilson – Mr. Wilson is a National Training Consultant and Master Trainer for the Nurturing Fathers Program and Vice President & co-founder of the Michigan Fatherhood Coalition.

College Goal Sunday for Foster Youth is scheduled on Sunday, February 19th in Fairlane Center South. While our official hours are from 1:00-4:00 p.m., our families arrive as early as noon. We ask that volunteers arrive by 12:30 p.m. and sign in at the volunteer table. Other than your name tag picked up at the volunteer registration table, no special attire is required.

The University of Michigan-Dearborn sponsors the only College Goal Sunday for Foster Youth in the state. In addition to helping foster youth complete the FAFSA online, there is a special program with panelists from state, agency and non-profits who provide information on financial support available to foster youth attending college. In addition, we have a group of Seita Scholars (former foster youth) from Western Michigan University who speak about their foster youth and college experience. It is pretty inspiring. By the way, we are the only college in Michigan with a Foster Youth College Goal Sunday. The link to our campus website is http://www.umd.umich.edu/wwwumdumichedufinancialaid/.

If interested, volunteers can register at http://portal52.dnn2.host1.dynamitedashboard.com/Volunteers/Register.as . The Dearborn Foster Youth Program is listed last. Additional information will be provided to volunteers from EduGuide (coordinator of the Michigan College Goal Sunday effort).

Light refreshments will be available in Dining Area D. Both School of Education computer labs will be open.

Adoption Tax Credit Awareness Day—February 13

We are asking everyone in the adoption community to take part in the first grassroots Adoption Tax Credit Awareness Day. Unfortunately, many adoptive families are still not aware that this tax credit exists. It is our goal to help ensure that all adoptive families who are eligible to receive this benefit are informed about how to claim the credit.

We are asking everyone, including professionals, advocates, state agencies, families, and others to help broadcast the existence of the adoption tax credit on one given day—February 13. You can either copy this text into an e-mail or print flier you share with others or download a flier to distribute.

Save the Date: Plan now to be part of the Adoption Tax Credit Awareness Day on Monday, February 13, 2012—a national effort highlighting the federal tax credit available to adoptive families.

Play Your Part: Join with adoption organizations, state agencies, adoptive families, advocates, and other interested parties to raise visibility of the adoption tax credit. Help spread the word collectively, through website postings, e-mail blasts, newsletters, social media, and other informational outlets, so eligible families that may not be aware of this benefit can be sure to access the credit. Families who adopted as far back as 2005 may still benefit if they haven’t already. Be sure to include non-internet based strategies since some adoptive families do not have access to the internet.

The Facts:
Since 2003, families who adopted a U.S. child with special needs from foster care could claim a federal adoption tax credit even if they had no adoption expenses (as long as their income was below the fairly generous income requirements).

Children who receive adoption assistance/subsidy benefits are considered children with special needs. Even families who receive a deferred subsidy ($0 per month but medical coverage through the subsidy program) are eligible.

The 2012 Michigan Teen Conference registration is open!

Workers are encouraged to begin talking with foster youth, caregivers and caseworkers about attending the 2012 Michigan Teen Conference Take Charge of Your Journey! Youth In Transition funds can be used to cover costs for youth attending and a portion of the chaperone costs. Get requests for the funds in early and save $$!

The Teen Conference will be held at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, MI.

Find the announcement and registration form to download below, along with details about Sponsor Options. Sign up today!

Doors open at 7:00 PM Friday, February 17, at the Woodside Bible Church, 6600 Rochester Road, Troy (North of Square Lake Road). This special Comedy for a Cause features comedians Anthony Griffith and Ron Pearson and raises funds to benefit long-time Federation Member Promise Village Home for Children.

Download the attached flyer for more information.

The DHS Office of Family Advocates' Stacie Bladen and Seth Persky present a video case review of a child fatality. This month's example involves a 5 month old who died as a result of accidental suffocation. In addition to reviewing areas of interest in this fatality, they reinforce infant safe sleep practices.
To view the video click here.

The DHS Office of Family Advocates' Stacie Bladen and Seth Persky present a video case review of a child fatality. This month's example involves a teen male who died as a result of suicide. To view the video click here.

Stacie Bladen
Director, Office of Family Advocate
Department of Human Services

Detroit News— It was just a few months ago that LaKeisha Johnson and her small children slept in a car when they couldn't count on a relative or a friend to provide them with a place to stay.

On Thursday, Johnson, 24, showed off her new two-bedroom apartment at Oakman Place Apartments, part of a program to house young, homeless adults, as well as those who have aged out of the state's foster care system.

"This is beautiful," said Johnson, as she showed off the expansive ground floor apartment, fully furnished with new furniture. "It doesn't seem real."

The 24-unit, three-story complex on Oakman Boulevard near Woodrow Wilson includes gated parking and a washer and dryer in each apartment.

The $5.1 million development is the result of a partnership that includes Lutheran Child & Family Service of Michigan, Focus:HOPE and Michigan State Housing Development Authority MSHDA.

Robert G. Miles, president and CEO of Lutheran Child & Family Service of Michigan, said the Oakman Place program provides adequate housing and other support services for homeless youth and those who "age out of the welfare system."

"Very few of our own children make the transition into adulthood without ongoing support and supportive services," Miles said. "Through this development, we have become more sensitized to the number of families who are challenged to find adequate, safe and affordable housing."

Miles said Thursday he hopes the residents will "love each other, support each other and become a community."

Selecting the first families to live in Oakman Place was a difficult task for social worker Carolyn Rayford, the deputy regional director for Lutheran Child & Family Service.

Based on a True Story: Best Practice for Child Welfare Professionals
March 14, 2012 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Hall of Justice, Lansing, Michigan

This training presents best practices for child welfare professionals. The training curriculum is based on an actual Michigan case about a child who was placed in care based on incomplete medical evidence. Facilitators will highlight various stages of the legal process to demonstrate what each child welfare professional involved in the case could have done differently to return the child home earlier. The facilitators will use videotaped interviews of the family involved in the case to illustrate the consequences to families when decisions are made based on incomplete medical information.

Target Audience: Judges, referees, attorneys for children and parents, and caseworkers for the Michigan Department of Human Services, tribes, and private agencies.

Self-Care for Child Welfare Professionals: Avoiding Burnout
March 16, 2012 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Hall of Justice, Lansing, Michigan

This half-day workshop is designed to help child welfare professionals identify the behavioral, psychological, and physical symptoms of their personal and professional stressors. Professionals in this field are intimately exposed to the grief and loss that children experience. The workshop presenter will discuss tools for managing stress by recognizing how our personal needs are met by the work we do, setting clear boundaries, and committing to the goal of self-care. Participants will have opportunities to identify their own signs and symptoms, to exchange ideas with others, and to problem-solve on how to reduce stress and increase well-being.

Target Audience: Attorneys working in child welfare, Child Protective Services and Foster Care caseworkers for the Michigan Department of Human Services, tribes, and private agencies.

MSU School of Social Work, in conjunction with the other six Michigan graduate Schools of Social Work and the support of the Michigan Department of Human Services, is pleased to announce FREE training opportunities to DHS Child Protective Services, Foster Care, and Adoption Workers and DHS-contracted private agencies’ foster care and adoption workers. The title of this collaborative project is Child Welfare In-Service Training.

Multiple human service, health, and education professionals who also serve the families involved with the child welfare system may find the workshops of interest; many of the workshop topics will have applicability beyond child welfare practice, thus a LIMITED number of FOR CHARGE spaces are available for interested professionals who work outside of DHS and the contracted private agencies. All courses offered are eligible for Social Work CECHs.

Early registration is encouraged. Registrations are nontransferable; if you register but are unable to attend, please contact the appropriate University at your earliest convenience so they might offer your unused space to someone else.

To learn more specifically about the MSU CW In-Service Training programs, you may view descriptions, objectives, faculty information, location, and pricing as well as registration instructions and tools by visiting: https://socialwork.msu.edu/ceu/catalog.php.

Programs are listed under Child Welfare In-Service trainings.

A catalog of all of the courses available statewide can be downloaded below.

The MSU School of Social Work Continuing Education Spring 2012 Catalog has been issued, featuring courses related to:

• Adoption Certificate Program
• Advocacy/Leadership/Social Justice
• Aging
• Children, Youth, & Families
• Clinical Practice
• Ethics
• Mental Health
• Pain Management
• Online Programs
• Supervision in Child & Family Services Certificate
• School Social Work Competency Series

We would like to draw your attention to the April 26 session, "Helping the Judge Make the Right Decision: Effective Courtroom Testimony," which will be held in Grand Rapids, led by attorneys Joe Kozakiewicz and Delanie Pope of MSU's Chance at Childhood program.

Also of note, numerous experts from within MichFed member agencies are among the presenters of the 26 in-person course offerings:

• Jean Niemann, national training director at Spaulding for Children, leading "Family Assessment & Preparation for Adoption Professionals"
• Kevin Roach, CEO of Whaley Children's Center, leading "Identifying & Leading Change within Your Organization"
• Sarah Bretz, clinical supervisor at Judson Center, presenting "Understanding Autism: Beyond the Basics"
• Emily Besecker, behavior services supervisor at Judson Center, presenting "Behavioral Supports & Interventions for Individuals with an ASD"
• Michael Reiffer, clinical social worker at Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services, presents "Motivational Intereviewing with At-Risk Youth & Families & Substance Abuse"
• Sean deFour, COO at Judson Center, leading "Supervision Certificate #6: Recruiting & Selecting the Right Staff"

Teens in foster care face considerable individual and family challenges that place them at an elevated risk of becoming a teen parent. Child Trends has released a new research brief, Teen Parents in Foster Care: Risk Factors and Outcomes for Teens and Their Children, which reviews existing research literature on teens in foster care and examines analyses of primarily regional data to assess the extent to which teens in foster care are at risk of teen pregnancy and parenting. Existing studies suggest that teens in foster care have higher rates of teen pregnancy and parenthood than youth not in care. More than 160,000 of the children in foster care were over 12 years old in 2009.

On the basis of the research highlighted in this brief, Child Trends identifies several challenges to reducing rates of pregnancy and childbearing among teens in foster care and to preventing negative outcomes for these teen parents and their children. With this brief, we hope to increase understanding of this high-risk population; to inform strategies to reduce teen pregnancies in foster care and support teen parents in foster care and their children; and to identify issues that need further research.

This research was supported by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

The Federation is pleased to present its Annual Report to the Membership • September 2011. Please see the attachment below.

Twenty slots are open for this special four-day train-the-trainer event on March 7-10, 2012, in Ann Arbor. Completion of this training will earn Instructor Certification by the National Institute for Healing and Wellness, certifying you to assist parents and professionals and educators struggling with the most difficult behaviors displayed by children with trauma histories. This boot camp will review components of groundbreaking approaches and provide tools to assist you in instructing successful classes. This intensive training utilizes proven brain-based wellness approaches with stressed and traumatized children, adolescents and adults by implementing a revolutionary and non-traditional method that incorporates body/mind research, neuro-relational research, resilience approaches and trauma-informed care. Read all about it at this link: http://www.healingtheinsidechild.com/bootcamp.php

Application approval for 24 SW CECHs is pending.
A special offer—$100 coupon—is downloadable as an attachment.