Calendar

As we enter the remaining weeks of 2024, many of us are reflecting on the things that we are grateful for, such as: friends, family, and memorable moments. Some look forward to seeing the colorful fall foliage, while others get excited to experience their first taste of winter. Regardless of your preference, as one year closes out, another one begins.

Although this time of year can be filled with gift giving, decorative ornaments, and comfort food, there are other pieces that can be less pleasant: traffic, long shopping lines, and the remembrance of those no longer with us, to name a few. In many places, it is dark when you wake up for work and dark when you get out of work. Over time, these things can impact your mental and physical health overall. When these variables are coupled with challenging or high-stress work environments, it can be easy for anyone to become increasingly overwhelmed. This may show up in work performance, decision making, and with peer-to-peer relationships.

Based on popular demand and direct requests from colleagues working in the human services field, CWLA is happy to again offer the How to Succeed Against Compassion Fatigue training. This learning opportunity will encourage active participation and shared learning. The following areas will be discussed:

• Contributing factors that can create/exacerbate compassion fatigue in the workplace
• Examples of what compassion fatigue can look like for direct service staff, supervisors, and managers
• How compassion fatigue can impact agency morale, client relationships, and assessments
• Tips, strategies, and suggestions on ways to take a proactive approach to reducing compassion fatigue with early identification techniques that promote psychological safety

Trainer: Marcus Stallworth, LMSW, CWLA Director, Training and Implementation

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Description: In this session, participants will learn that sibling aggression is the most common form of family violence, but it is often minimized or dismissed. The first part of the session will focus on knowledge building. Participants will learn about four types of sibling aggression and abuse: physical, psychological, property, and sexual. A classification of sibling dynamics will be presented, distinguishing sibling rivalry and conflict from sibling aggression and abuse. Research will be presented showing that despite being viewed as harmless, sibling aggression is associated with negative impacts on mental and physical health and interpersonal relationships across the lifespan—and should be considered an adverse childhood experience. The second part of the session will focus on screening, intervention, and treatment. Strategies to help manage sibling conflict, aggression, and abuse will be reviewed. Case examples and excerpts from survivor narratives will be infused throughout the presentation.
Learning objectives:

1. Participants will learn about the prevalence of sibling aggression and abuse, variation in experiences among diverse groups, and impacts on mental and physical health and interpersonal relationships across the lifespan.
2. Participants will be able to explain cultural and institutional factors that make it difficult for children, parents, and professionals to recognize and respond to sibling aggression and abuse.
3. Participants will learn best practices to detect, address, and prevent sibling aggression and abuse to protect children and help survivors heal.

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This session will provide an in-depth look at the role of legal advocacy in child protection, presented by an experienced attorney. Participants will gain valuable insights into how the legal system can be leveraged to protect children from abuse and neglect. The session will cover the legal rights of children, the responsibilities of child welfare agencies, and how attorneys advocate for the best interests of children in court. Attendees will also explore the legal challenges and opportunities in child protection cases, including the importance of collaboration between legal professionals, social workers, and other advocates. This session aims to equip participants with knowledge of the legal tools and processes available to safeguard vulnerable children.

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What is race? What is racism? How do these concepts influence people’s perceptions of themselves and others? How has racism impacted the implementation of policies and procedures across our socio-economic systems?

This three-part training session explores these and other questions to understand the ways racism impacts socio-economic systems. Participants will learn about the origins of racism and engage in discussions about its four levels: internalized (within individuals), interpersonal (between individuals), institutional (within institutions), and structural (across institutions and society). They will review examples of each and evaluate how the practices of specific institutions – child welfare, education and criminal justice, to name a few – perpetuate disparate outcomes for impacted populations. Participants will also go on a historical journey from slavery and segregation to the violence, mass incarceration and voter suppression, to understand how internalized, interpersonal and institutional racism combine to create power structures that advantage some, while disadvantaging all others.

Through this historical perspective, participants will be challenged to evaluate the racist policies and practices that persist in their fields of work, and to start discussions about dismantling systems of oppression so that equity, inclusion and justice can prevail.

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