The Family SeeingTM paradigm organizes around a theory of change in Child Protection: Safety is temporary for children and families without healing. Therefore, parents, relatives, and naturally occurring community and cultural supports join Child Protection professionals to collaborate in the most critical work we can do for maltreated children and find the safety and healing they will need to live a good life.
This training is intended to be a Leaders Day for allied partners to gather around shared strategic priority and re-orient away from practice as usual and into defragmented approaches for the quality of justice for families. This time will provide an overview of the NEAR science or other orientation content for defragmentation and facilitated conversation and alignment work.
NEAR Science Informed
(Neuroscience, Epigenetics, ACEs, and Resilient Communities Theory)
Child protection and children's mental health have used Family Meeting Practices for decades as a planning and decision-making process narrowly focused on safety planning, placement decisions, and choosing permanent parents for children. A revolution in the Biological Sciences, Neuroscience, and Genomics over the past 30 years has created opportunities to rethink our ideas. We use Family and Community Meetings as a forum and process to catalyze, convene and facilitate. Action around family's work provides healing for children who have experienced disruptions in childhood development and parents struggling with their physical health challenges, addiction, and mental distress related to life circumstances. Family SeeingTM seeks to support families and live safely within relationships rather than medicalize or dismember families based on the idea that people insist on making "bad choices" or are somehow broken and without the possibility of repair. Instead, most families who encounter the child protection system are deeply affected by economic insecurity, social isolation, racism, and classism, all of which have had severe health consequences. The adult behavior which leads to child safety concerns is more accurately and justly seen as a consequence of living socially constructed unlivable lives. This change in viewpoint about the origins and resulting biological adaptation points to revolutionary opportunities to help parents and children heal and thrive.
Trainers: Kevin Campbell and Elizabeth Wendell
Kevin Campbell is an American Child Protection, Children’s Mental Health, and Health System Innovator and the founder of Center for Family Finding and Youth Connectedness. Kevin developed Family FindingTM and Family SeeingTM, a set of strategies now utilized throughout North America, Australia, and Western Europe to engage networks of family members and other important adults to promote the safety, healthy development, and healing of children and youth involved with government systems. Kevin has been an administrator, director, and vice president of private social service agencies for over 30 years.
Elizabeth Wendel, MSW, LSW is a Family FindingTM co-author and expert, and Family SeeingTM author. She brings extensive practice experience for both the provision of Family FindingTM and Family SeeingTM practice, training, and coaching as well as implementation and policy level work. Liz has expertise in the technical approach of practice at both micro (family) and macro (systems) levels and provides expert guidance for tool application, process-oriented approach, and outcomes measurement. Ms. Wendel uses creative content-building skills to share the learning of Family FindingTM and Family SeeingTM across the globe, for clients and online content.
Objectives
Large numbers of adult relatives and supportive community members can be found to support parents and provide care for children who cannot live safely with a parent.
Early experiences in childhood are the foundation of learning and life-long health, children develop for better or worse in the context of relationships.
Urgent identification of relatives and community members can create increased opportunities for safety and healing in families while protecting and promoting healthy development.
Caseworkers/leaders can develop new engagement skills which transform the quality of collaboration between parents, youth, and relatives through access to powerful facilitation tools which place families and youth at the center of creating solutions to the challenges that most affect their lives.
A capabilities approach rather than a needs and services design is the most evidenced methodology in supporting families to live socially, environmentally and economically secure lives which provide for the safety and well-being of children.
Content: 3 modules
Course Length: 2 hours
Level: Intermediate