JANUARY ADVANCED TRAINING

The next Peer Parent Advanced Training will be held Thursday, January 19th @ 5:30 p.m. at the Provo DCFS Office, 150 E Center Street, 5th Floor.

We will have a presentation on lesson development by fellow peer parent, Elizabeth Drew.

And then Lujean Marshall, from the Turning Point at UVU will train on the following:

-Conflict resolution
-Rules for time-outs (self)
-Setting and maintaining boundaries
-Saying "No"

I think these will both be great presentations and hope that everyone can make it.

Remember this is a potluck, so please bring something to share. Also, the building closes at 5:00, so please come a little before 5:30 and I can let everyone in and get you up the elevators!

NOVEMBER ADVANCED TRAINING DETAILS

Thank you to all of those who came to the training. It was very informative and I appreciate the trainers we had.

First we had Susan Capell, peer parent, train on time managment. She gave us some very good tips on how to teach our clients to manage our time. And how important it is for them to learn to do the "big" things first (doctor's appointments, court, therapy, etc.) and save the smaller things or less important tasks for later. If we are always doing the smaller, less important tasks first, we never seem to have time for the bigger, more important tasks.

Here are the following links to her training handouts:

www.timemanagementhelp.com/tips.htm
www.effective-time-management-strategies.com/family-goal-setting.html
www.effective-time-management-strategies.com/goal-setting-forms.html
www.effective-time-manaement-strategies.com/time-management-survey.html

We then had Kristen Betts, Nebo School District Board Member and Amy Bond, Maple Mountain High School Counselor speak to us about "The School Game". How to help children succeed in school from early childhood education up to high school.

Here are the handouts:

School Game
Influence of a Mother on College
Influence of a Father on College
Influence of College Prep

Amy Bond also handed out a book about Utah Colleges and Universities, Student Guide 2011-2012. This can be picked up at your school's counseling offices.

NOVEMBER ADVANCED TRAINING

I have scheduled the next Peer Parent Advanced Training for Tuesday, November 15th at 5:30 p.m. in the Provo DCFS office; 150 E Center Street. Because the office hours have changed, they lock the building at 5:00 p.m., however, I have a key that can get us in the building and up the elevator...please meet in the lobby of the building at 5:30 sharp and I can then get everyone up to the training room! Contact me on my cell phone if there are issues, my number is 801-735-7939.

I am super excited about this training...we will have one of our very own Peer Parents, Susan Capell, training us on a peer parent skill.

We will then have Kristen Betts, who is a Nebo School Board Member. She will be helping us navigate the school system, from getting children the help they need to helping teenagers navigate the college applications/scholarship process! I really think this will be helpful for both our client's children and our own children!!

Please remember this is also a potluck, bring something to share :)

I really hope to see you all there, please remember that peer parents are required to complete at least two of these trainings per year. This will be the last training of the year!!

September Advanced Training Details

Thanks to everyone who attended the training last Thursday. Keena Gallop, a Resource Family Consultant with DCFS, presented to us on how to deal with difficult teens. Here are her handouts:

Teens Packet

Please take the time to review this packet, as it had really great information on building relationships with teens, praise, rules, discipline, etc.

Also, I announced at this training that I will no longer be the coordinator. Angie Bleggi will take over as the coordinator, effective today. Angie is AWESOME and you will love working with her! Her email address is ableggi@utah.gov and her phone number is (801) 371-1119. Please direct all questions and documentation to her.

And, I will still be around (just a new job assignment), so stop by and say hi. I have LOVED working with each of you and I am very grateful for your hard work! You are the best!!

September Advanced Training Info

Our next Advanced Training will be on Thursday Sept 15 from 5:30-7:30 pm in the Provo DCFS office (150 E Center St 5th floor) in the conference rooms. We will have a presenter, Keena Gallop, present on Parenting Difficult Teens. I am sure this is something that we could all learn more about to help our clients. Susan Capell will also present on Time Management.

I will also be making a VERY important announcement and would like to have as many of you there as possible. PLEASE make every effort to be there (change your schedule, get a babysitter...do what you can, please!).

As always, we will have a potluck dinner/treat buffet, so bring something to share if you can!

RSVP at the right if you haven't! Thank you guys for all you do! See you ALL there on Thursday Sept 15!

July Advanced Training

Hello everyone and Happy Fourth of July!! I hope most of you are out having fun with family and friends!!

I wanted to get this out while I am thinking about it. I have been trying to get a specific training booked for over a month now and I finally got it nailed down (which is why we missed the June training and are doing it in July).

Our next Advanced Training will be Thursday, July 14 at 5:30 pm in the Provo DCFS office. Our presenter will be Heidi Whitaker, who is the Nebo School District Volunteer Liaison for educators/parents who teach or raise children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. She will be presenting on Parenting Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. She is also bring a panel of parents with have first hand experience. This is going to be a GREAT training and one that we can all benefit from. We seem to be getting more and more requests for services for parents with autistic children, so I would like us all to be more aware of how we can help these families. I know summer is a busy time, but please make an effort to be at this training!

We are going to do the Skills training section a little differently this time. I won't tell you exactly what we are doing, but come prepared for some summer fun! :)

As always, we will have a potluck dinner/treatfest so bring something to share (if you would like).

Summer Skills Group for Autistic/Aspergers Teens

This looks like a really great group and could be something really helpful for families with this need:
“Super Skills”

Social Skills Group

Ages 11 to 15

· Asperger Syndrome

· High Functioning Autism

· Related Disorders

Starting June 13^th to August 15^th

At

American Fork Family Clinic

801-763-5010

Intake Calls

DCFS has centralized their intake, which means SLC takes all calls (instead of the regions like before). The new number to call is 855-323-3237. Please make note of this (it will always be on the right side of the blog) if you need to make a referral or call someone afterhours.

April Advanced Training

We had a great Advanced Training last week. You never know what to expect from our presenters and this one was no exception. It was, however, very informative. Detective Melissa Stout from the Utah Co Sherriff's office presented on Recognizing Drug Use Symptoms. Please take the time to read through the following handout:

Recognizing Drug Use Symptoms

Some other points from her presentation that I wanted to point out so you could pass them along to your clients or in working with them:

*Legally, you cannot drive on ANY controlled substance (including Xanax and Loratab). Cops will generally not do anything about it unless you are impaired, but you still shouldn't be driving while taking them.

*Drugs are absorbed through mucus membranes (such as through snorting).

*"Eyes Don't Lie" Always look for constricted or dialated pupils for signs up drug use (see handout for which drugs do which).

*If you see a pill and you don't recognize it, you can make note of the size, shape, color and any letters or numbers on it. Poison Control can help you identify it (but I would just make note of it and let the caseworker look into what it is).

Did anyone else at the training take away anything that I missed? If so, leave it as a comment to this post.

Ilene Barton gave us a WONDERFUL presentation on Happiness and Communication. I personally learned alot and am grateful for her training. To read through her handout, click on the link below:

Happiness Handout

Thanks for taking the time to go through this information and for those who attended. See you at the next training in June!

Meals Matter- Resource

Susan shared a great website with me, MealsMatter.org, and I think it would be a great tool for you to use with your families. Click here for the link or on the picture above.

The site has a lot of information on healthy meal planning, recipes, setting healthy eating goals, and tips for meals for busy families.

April Advanced Training 4/28

Our Advanced Training for April is all set! We will be meeting on Thursday, April 28 from 5:30-7:30 pm in the Provo office. Our presenter will be Detective Melissa Stout with the Utah Co Sheriff's Office. Det. Stout is the area drug recognition expert and will be presenting on topics such as:

-Recognizing drugs and paraphernalia (she is bring samples of confiscated drugs, as well as the latest devices used by drug users)

-Recognizing when someone is under the influence and what they might be taking (She will present this info so that you can recognize this in clients, as well as teach our clients how to recognize it in their own families.)

-General drug usage information specific to our area

This is an EXCELLENT training, which I have attended in the past and found really helpful. It is one of the most memorable trainings you will go to! Det. Stout will be providing handouts for you to use with clients! Good stuff!

Also, we will have a presentation from a peer parent on a skill from the STEPS book, as well as talk about program announcements (i.e.- the budget situation for the rest of the fiscal year).

I hope everyone can come to hear this vital information! This will help you be a better observer when working with clients, as well as help them deal with drug issues in their families. Please come and please be on time!

As always, we will have a potluck dinner/ snack buffet, so please bring something to share! Please RSVP at the side of the blog! Thanks!

Parentified Children

I had a request for some more information on parentified children (children who are put in the role of parents). Here are some good articles on this: Harming Your Child by Making Him your Parent Have you Parentified your Child? Parentification and the Imposter Phenomenom If any of you have any other articles or books you have found on this subject, let me know!

Validation

This is a cool video that Pam Warren shared with me. Check it out!

February Advanced Training 2/24 Notes

Thanks to everyone for coming to the training last week. We had a great turn out, which made me really happy because the info at the training was REALLY HELPFUL! It wasn't working out for me to do a video of the training like I had planned (maybe next time), but I did try to take as many notes as possible. If you weren't able to come, please take the time to read through this information.

Peer Parent's Role in Court/ Child Welfare Law- Alan Sevison, Assistant Attorney General

Questions you could be asked as part of a trial (so you should be prepared to at least answer these types of questions if you are subpoenaed for a trial):

-How were you assigned to the case? (describe process)
-Are you a parent yourself? (not relevant, but they could ask you this- be honest)
-What are your credentials?
-What training have you had?
-How long have you been a peer parent? What other experience do you have in this industry?
-Have you ever testified on behalf of a client? (as a witness for the defense, not for DCFS)
-What are the deficiencies in the parents' skills?
-When did peer parenting start? How long did you work together? When did it end?
-What is the nature of the curriculum?
-Was any part of peer parenting successful? Was any part unsuccessful?
-What is your opinion on their ability to parent their children?

General Tips in Court:
-Adapt an attitude of neutrality or objectivity. State facts and do not appear to be on either side. -Your role is not to advocate for a certain side (such as whether or not the parents should get their children back).

-It is usually best to bring notes such as your documentation, a timeline of your meeting together or any other items that have specifics to which you can refer. Talk to the AAG about how they feel about you bringing notes. Alan encourages you to bring as much as you will need.

-If another attorney asks for anything from you (such as copies of your reports), talk to the AAG about it and they can release it to them. They may not be privy to certain information (such as information about the referent on a case) and the AAGs office would need to take that info out.

-For regular review hearings (which is what most of your will attend during a case), you should come expecting to speak and present update on the case (not evidence, but information).

-During court, if someone asks you a question you don't know (meaning you don't have direct knowledge of), you can say "I don't know."

-Court Room Etiquette: You should sit in the benches. Do not raise your hand, roll your eyes, or make side comments. If you have something you want to say, get up and talk to the caseworker or the AAG and they will decide if it should be brought up (this isn't up to you).

Skills Training: Discipline- Shane Christensen

Shane gave us a great training on discipline. He started out by handing us the following crossword puzzle, but without the words at the bottom:

Discipline Crossword Puzzle

We weren't sure what we were supposed to do with it and had to ask him. The point of this exercise was to say that we need to give kids clear directions and expectations. This could be a great exercise to do with your clients. He also proved this point by giving us a nut and bolt puzzle (which Stevie ultimately figured out).

He also shared many great other points, which can be found in the following outline:

Discipline Outline

Please review this information. I personally found this training really helpful and a good reminder of what to do with my naughty three year old! :) Great job, Shane! Thanks again!

February Advanced Training 2/24

We will be having our February Advanced Training next Thursday, Feb 24 from 5:30-7:30 pm at the PROVO DCFS office (150 E Center St 5th floor) in the main conference rooms. This will be an EXCELLENT training on the peer parent's role in court. Alan Sevison, Assistant Attorney General, will be presenting to us. This is one training that I would love as many people as to attend. If you cannot attend, you will be responsible for the material presented (which I will post afterwards).

As always, we will be doing a pot luck dinner if you would like to bring something to share.

Please RSVP for the training at the right! See you all there!