Radiant Sunshine Training Site

From a services perspective, only 16% of adolescents in foster care in the United States in 2020 received mentoring (The Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2022).  Yet, a ten-year Harvard sponsored study has shown that the largest indicator of personal happiness is close relationships, something that is challenging to maintain for adolescents involved in child protective services due to disruptions in environment (Waldinger, R. J., & Schulz, M. S., 2023). Research has also shown that supportive relationships that allow teens to meaningfully contribute lead to lasting positive outcomes, and less reported symptoms of anxiety and depression (Simkin, D., & Scheid, J. 2022).  

The 1998 Adverse Childhood Experiences study (ACEs) sponsored by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and led by Dr. Anda and Dr. Felitti, continues to provide clear data that indicates a greater chance of adverse outcomes in adulthood if trauma from childhood and adolescence is not addressed (1998) . Adolescents within child protective services have reported trauma incidence rates as high as 90% and the trauma exposure is more likely to be recurring, creating toxic stress (Dorsey et al., 2012). 

A University of Pennsylvania sponsored study of the implication of ACEs on social, economic, and behavioral (SEB) outcomes of teens involved with child protective services found that mental health care alone did not lead to positive outcomes (Garcia, Gupta, Greeson Thompson, & DeNard, 2017).  Within child welfare, there is a need for an easy teaming playbook that can quickly be developed and implemented to facilitate successful outcomes for adolescents. This is true in schools, residential care, mental health facilities, and child protective services. Empowering the Traumatized Teen: It Takes a Village evaluates and discusses advances in our understanding of the development of the adolescent brain and epigenetics coupled with the social work perspective of the Family Systems Approach. Person-in-environment remains at the root and the village is a representative of the micro, mezzo, and macro systems that the teen interacts with. The goal of It Takes a Village is to recognize the teen’s supports, engage the teen as a leader, assess needs and goals, and continue to apply interventions to adapt to the teens' needs to enable a successful adolescent transition to adulthood.

Learning Objectives:

• Learning Objectives 
  Session One, 1.5 hours: Learners will be able to do the following: 
• Analyze the latest research regarding adolescent brain development
• Evaluate the implications of ACEs on teens
• Recognize and evaluate the historical and current disparities within adolescent case practice and the impact on adolescent trauma 
• Discuss family systems approach (FSA) and how it applies to child protective services and child welfare 
• Distinguish how FSA can inform case practice when Teaming with Teens 
• Discuss how family systems solutions (FSA) can be implemented in case practice with teens in child welfare 
• Differentiate between the needs of teens in child welfare and other age groups 
• Identify the reasons why it is important that teens are seen as leaders of the team 
• Appraise the It Takes a Village tools needed, including the interactive takeaway worksheets 
• Recognize the steps required to develop and facilitate teen team meetings 

Learning Objectives Session Two, 1.5 hours: Learners will be able to do the following: 

• Demonstrate It Takes a Village FSA system through role play of case study one 
• Discuss and Critique the demonstration of role play of case study one    
• Demonstrate It Takes a Village FSA system through role play of case study two 
• Discuss and Critique the demonstration of role play of case study two    
• Demonstrate It Takes a Village FSA system through role play of case study three 6.    Discuss and Critique the demonstration of role play of case study three
  

Outline:

1:45-1:55: Questions and Answers

1:55-2:00: Closing and Evaluation