Family Preservation Team Meetings (FPTM) are a core strategy to engage family and community members in safety and placement-related decision making, a critical aspect of child welfare work. These meetings aim to improve the agency’s decision-making process; to encourage the support and “buy-in" of the family, extended family and community; and to develop specific, individualized interventions to meet the unique needs of older youth. Family Preservation Team Meetings bring youth, family and community members to the table together with the professionals when the agency is considering removal of a youth from the home. The meetings focus on whether removal is warranted and, if so, where the youth would go. Facilitated by non-case carrying, experienced child welfare staff, the goal is to seek consensus on a plan that protects the youth and preserves family relationships. Today, more teens are coming into care for reasons not directly related to abuse and neglect. They are landing in child welfare placements because of parent-child conflict that threatens the youth’s safety and well-being. Because the family dynamics are not necessarily directly related to maltreatment, it suggests that an in-home or community-based response may be more appropriate in such cases. This 30 minute course is designed to prepare front-line DCFS workers and supervisors for their role and participation in Family Preservation Team Meetings. Staff will become familiar with the FPTM stages and process and will explore their role before, during and after the Meeting. The session emphasizes the values and benefits of engaging the family’s natural networks as resources for safety planning and when necessary, placement.

At the national, state, and local levels, there is increasing recognition of the importance of safe family relationships to ensure children's success and well-being. Recognizing the family's critical role, child welfare systems must strive to identify, locate, and engage kin to support children at all stages of the casework process. The search for relatives must begin without delay when taking protective action to manage child safety, whether that protective action is in-home or out-of-home. Involving family members can help prevent children from entering foster care, mitigate the trauma for children who are removed by increasing the likelihood that they will live with someone they know, or by supporting them while they are in state custody. Family Search and Engagement (FSE) is designed to locate, engage, connect, and support family resources for children. It is both a philosophy and a practice approach. FSE is built on the foundational values and beliefs of family and youth engagement and family-centered practice. FSE employs outreach strategies focused on gathering information and building relationships that can support a youth's fundamental need for safe, enduring family connections. This one-day training session examines the principles and values required for relative search to be effective and how these can be reflected and applied in everyday practice. Participants will be introduced to a variety of family finding strategies to uncover and explore a youth and family's natural network of relationships -including both maternal and paternal- who can offer a range of support and connection. The presentation focuses on in-the-moment skills, conversations and tools that assist in engaging family and helping youth establish or re-establish safe relationships, recognizing that permanent family connections are often closer than we realize!

The Form 5 Safety Assessment is a shared Worker-Supervisor comprehensive assessment completed in all child welfare programs to guide decisions that keep children safe. This training was designed to help DCFS staff become more familiar with completing the Form 5 Safety Assessment accurately. This training guides you through completing each section of the Form 5 Safety Assessment and specific policy expectations.

Discover the fundamental rights and protections afforded to foster youth in Louisiana with our comprehensive training on the Foster Youth Bill of Rights. This engaging course offers a deeper understanding of the legal framework surrounding foster youth. Whether you're a foster youth wanting to learn your rights, a child welfare professional, or a community partner dedicated to supporting them, this course can equip you with the knowledge and tools to navigate the system's complexities. Objectives of course ?Acknowledge the history behind the Foster Youth Bill of Rights and its development. ?Understand the key provisions outlined in the Foster Youth Bill of Rights. ?Recognize the common challenges and issues faced by foster youth every day. ?Learn what can happen when these rights are infringed on and the correct processes through that. ?Gain insight into the importance of trauma-informed care and cultural sensitivity surrounding these young people. ?Develop skills to effectively communicate and advocate for the rights of foster youth in the child welfare system.