| CJA Task Force |
Larry Thorne
Chair
Valerie Milholland
Vice Chair
Roy Block
William Briley
Kriste Burnett
Cozette Bustamante
Cathy Crabtree
Audrey Deckinga
De Shaun Ealoms
Jon Evans
Joe Gagen
Tom Gaylor
Rolf Habersang
Denise Hyde
Joyce James
Randi King
Margaret Lalk
James Lukefahr
Chris Oldner
Daniela Ontiveroz
Daniel Powers
Fairy Rutland
Gerry Williams
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| CJA Staff |
Ginny Woods
Program Director
Heidi Penix
Grant Administrator
Colette Bonstead
Finance Associate |
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We're pleased to introduce the inaugural issue of Children's Justice News, the newsletter of the Texas Children's Justice Act (CJA) program. We plan to issue this newsletter on a quarterly basis and to include updates on CJA projects, grant and scholarship opportunities, as well as relevant news and information related to our priorities. Please contact us with your thoughts and feedback. We'd love to hear from you!
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First, Know Thyself
Texas CASA launches Knowing Who You Are (KWYA), a new initiative to address disproportionality in the child welfare system
Texas CASA held its first Knowing Who You Are (KWYA) training on January 20 and 21. The training engages participants in activities and conversations designed to educate child welfare workers and professionals in related fields about the relationship between healthy racial and ethnic identity (REI) development and positive outcomes for youth in care. The curriculum explores how professionals can first develop a healthy racial and ethnic identity in themselves and then help the youth they serve to do the same.
The National CASA Association and Casey Family Programs are working to bring this learning opportunity to the CASA/GAL network in order to increase staff, Board and volunteers' competency on issues of racial and ethnic identity development and to raise awareness of the serious challenges presented by the overrepresentation of youth of color in out-of-home care (disproportionality). Joyce James, Deputy Commissioner of the Department and Family Services, welcomed participants to this particular training and detailed some of the measures Texas has taken to overcome disproportionality, such as the KWYA training as well as Undoing Racism trainings for child welfare leaders.
The Texas CASA training was attended by CASA staff representing a variety of disciplines and backgrounds. Over the course of two days, attendees participated in discussions and exercises that increased their awareness and understanding of the importance of developing a healthy REI. The training culminated in the creation of personal and organizational plans to translate the learning into action.
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Taking It To The Next Level
Multidisciplinary team (MDT) leaders from across the state convene for Advanced Team Leadership Training
Children's Advocacy Centers of Texas (CACTX) held its annual Advanced Team Leadership training, January 26-28, at the CACTX Conference Center in Austin. This training is intended to provide a vehicle for addressing the evolving needs of established CAC multidisciplinary teams in an effort to strengthen these teams and to provide them with opportunities to learn from one another. The training brings together teams with similar challenges and shared interests to cross-train with peers from comparable CACs and communities.
Multidisciplinary teams from Belton, Plano, Pampa and Laredo attended the recent training. Each of these teams is associated with a well-established CAC that has endured previous challenges. Though all from strong centers, these teams were hoping to improve team functioning and/or weather a recent or upcoming change.
Each team consisted of representatives from law enforcement, criminal justice, social work, medical and mental health, as well as CAC executive directors and forensic interviewers. Individual participants represented the current and/or future leadership within their respective agencies and their specific disciplines.
During the course of the three-day training, teams participated in a variety of discussions and activities intended to promote team building and to enhance team leadership. Participants explored strategies for improving communication, working through change, balancing the competing agendas and various interests of individual disciplines and agencies, addressing team dysfunctions and managing conflict. The training concluded with team presentations in which each team performed an original skit to reflect the lessons learned throughout their three-day journey. Each team also took away from the training specific plans to address change and conflict within their respective multidisciplinary teams.
The Advanced Team Leadership training is modeled after the original Team Leadership training, which was first piloted in 2006 with CJA funding. The original training focused on building the skills of CAC multidisciplinary teams in their first three years of operation.
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| CJA Grantees Reach Out at Child Abuse Conference
Kids in Court (KIC), Texas Alliance for Drug Endangered Children (TADEC) present at Prevent Child Abuse Texas annual conference
 Recipients of CJA grants presented their CJA-funded programs at the recent Prevent Child Abuse Texas Conference, February 22-23. Becky Cunio and Jason Isham from the Children Advocacy Center of Smith County (CACSC) highlighted their Kids in Court (KIC) program. The KIC program was established in 2008 to help prepare children and their caregivers to deliver criminal courtroom testimony. The program utilizes an educational court preparation curriculum, a wooden diorama, as well as court accompaniment to reduce the anxiety of children called upon to testify in court. While Ms. Cunio just came on board as the KIC Coordinator in mid-February, she has already begun revising the KIC court preparation manual to include research from national and international court preparation projects. CACSC hopes the KIC program will become a model program for other children advocacy centers to implement across the state.
Courtney Pero and Natalie Baerwaldt from the Texas Alliance for Drug Endangered Children (TADEC) presented a two-part workshop that explored the importance of effective multidisciplinary team and community collaboration to assist children exposed to volatile drug environments. The TADEC program, established with CJA funding in 2004, advocates for intervention on behalf of children in volatile drug environments and assists communities in building collaborative, multidisciplinary Drug Endangered Children (DEC) alliances. TADEC offers training and technical assistance to maintain and promote existing DEC alliances, as well as to reach out to new communities interested in forming alliances. This year TADEC hopes to double the number of local alliances throughout Texas and will host the 2010 National Drug Endangered Children Conference.
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CJA Funding Opportunities
Crimes Against Children Scholarships
 CJA is offering a limited number of scholarships to attend the 22nd Annual Crimes Against Children Conference which will be held in Dallas, August 9-12, 2010. Awards are open to professionals and volunteers working in the child protection field within the state of Texas whose applications demonstrate the professional relevance of the training, as well as financial hardship. Awards are limited to $1,000 per person. Applications are due by Friday, June 25th. Click here for the scholarship application.
Child Abuse and Neglect Training for School Personnel
CJA has $25,000 available for the development of a training curriculum and implementation guide for use throughout Texas in providing child abuse and neglect training to school district personnel. Applications are due April 1, 2010. Click here to view program details and application instructions. |
Save the Date
2010 Texas Judicial Summit - May 24-26
The 2010 Texas Judicial Summit will offer a national perspective on child development issues faced in the justice system. Conference attendees will hear from groundbreaking foster and adoption researchers and other notable presenters. Presented by the TCU Institute of Child Development and sponsored by CJA and the Tarrant County Bar Association, the conference is open to all judges and child protection stakeholders across Texas. Click here to register.
2010 National Juvenile and Family Law Conference -Oct. 20-23
The 33rd National Juvenile and Family Law Conference, presented by the National Association of Counsel for Children (NACC) and sponsored by the Supreme Court of Texas Permanent Judicial Commission for Children, Youth, and Families (Children's Commission), is a multidisciplinary conference open to attorneys who represent children, parents, and/or the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) in child protection services (CPS) cases. A limited number of scholarships are available to eligible Texas attorneys on a first-come, first-serve basis, beginning March 1, 2010. To apply, visit the NACC conference link or the Texas scholarship page. | |
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Contact Us!
Finally, we'd like to hear from you! Simply reply to this email, and let us know what you think are the top 3 issues impacting child protection right now. Also, please share any promising practices going on in your area.
We will use your responses to help inform our CJA Task Force priorities and future grant programs.
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Texas Children's Justice Act Program
Texas Center for the Judiciary |
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