Advocating for Young Children

Participants will learn the importance and value of a quality Protective Custody Hearing. We will discuss how to implement this hearing through the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges' Enhance Resource Guidelines: Improving Court Practice in Abuse & Neglect Cases. Participants will understand why and how the law requires reasonable efforts services and mandatory findings which benefit both child and parent and hold all stakeholders accountable. The first hearing is the responsibility of all involved. It sets the direction and is predictive of the permanency outcome.

his session will be an open discussion on the important topics you need to understand to advocate for young children with disabilities under Part B of IDEA including parent rights, child find and evaluation, eligibility, Individualized Education Programs (IEP), Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE), child records, Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) and extended school year. The implications of two other federal laws – Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act – will also be discussed.

This training is designed to help professionals in the helping fields understand how to work with an interpreter. Participants will learn what the skill of interpretation entails, what is the role of the interpreter in different situations and helpful tips to improve the flow of communication.

Intended Audience

Mental Health Providers, Law Enforcement, Child Protective Services, County Attorneys, Education Professionals, Youth Care Agencies, Non-Profit Agencies, Day Care Providers, Church Leaders, and anyone who works with children and families.

The presenter of this session will discuss practical strategies that professionals can use to support children with autism in early childhood settings (e.g., childcare, home, classroom). Attendees will be asked to identify situations, with children they support, where strategies may be helpful. At the end of the session, the presenter will share several resources for individuals interested in learning more about autism in early childhood.

Intended Audience

Childcare providers, teachers, foster care workers, and other early childhood professionals.

Navigating conversations with families involved in the child welfare system can be complicated and difficult. Trauma histories often impact their ability to regulate their emotions and retain information. Making it even more complicated, parents often interpret their surroundings and interactions, as a threat, whether real or perceived, due to dysregulated stress response systems. This session will help professionals learn how to navigate these difficult conversations through the following strategies:

The presenter of this session will discuss practical strategies that professionals can use to support children with autism in early childhood settings (e.g., childcare, home, classroom). Attendees will be asked to identify situations, with children they support, where strategies may be helpful. At the end of the session, the presenter will share several resources for individuals interested in learning more about autism in early childhood.

Intended Audience

Childcare providers, teachers, foster care workers, and other early childhood professionals.

Representing children who are unable to tell you what they need presents a unique challenge for every advocate. This session will focus on important observation techniques to identify the needs of young children and provide specific examples of how to draft recommendations for court to adopt.

Intended Audience

Attorneys, Guardians ad-litem, and providers.

Participants will learn the importance and value of a quality Protective Custody Hearing. We will discuss how to implement this hearing through the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges' Enhance Resource Guidelines: Improving Court Practice in Abuse & Neglect Cases. Participants will understand why and how the law requires reasonable efforts services and mandatory findings which benefit both child and parent and hold all stakeholders accountable. The first hearing is the responsibility of all involved. It sets the direction and is predictive of the permanency outcome.