A1 - "A Community Based Approach, Building a Culture of Well-Being”

Laura Sanders, Director of Advocate Supervision, CASA Kane County

Jim Di Ciaula, Executive Director, CASA Kane County

This presentation will be showcasing a local community initiative whose goal is to reduce the number of children in foster care with a shared vision to strengthen families before a crisis happens with emphasis on prevention and early intervention. We will share an approach for connecting children and families with well-being resources, through a cross-county community effort.

​

A2 - “The Cost of Poverty”

Jessica Petty, Assistant Director of Professional Development, Illinois Association of Community Action Agencies

Poverty is more than a number on an income chart. It is a set of costs that compound across every area of a person’s life. In this interactive session, participants become the Johnson family: a working household living paycheck to paycheck and navigating real decisions. Through each scenario, we explore what poverty actually costs and why the choices families make are almost always the most rational ones available. Participants leave with a deeper, more empathetic understanding of the families they serve and the pressures shaping every decision those families make.

​

A3 - “The Digital Diary :  Translating Youth Social Media into Clinical Insight”

Brittany Watson, MSW, LSW, Egyptian Public and Mental Health Department

For generations, young people have hidden their thoughts in diaries or journals. Today, those entries often appear as TikTok videos, memes, and other types of social media posts. Rather than framing social media solely as a risk factor or protective factor, this workshop explores how online content can function as a form of emotional expression, much like a traditional diary. Participants will learn how to interpret the digital self-disclosure youth share in sessions, and translate these moments into clinically meaningful insight using trauma-informed approaches.

​

◊◊ A4 - “A-4  “Impact- the Effects of Domestic violence on Children”

Ronald Homann, Director of Prevention & Outreach, Sojourn Shelter & Services, Inc.

Jocelyn Piper, MA, Domestic Violence Child Welfare Advocate, Sojourn Shelter & Services, Inc.

When people hear the words ‘domestic violence,’ they usually picture one victim. In reality, there are often many victims in the home. Children don’t just witness domestic violence—they experience it.

​

++ A5 - “Listen Up: Listening Styles for Our Best Work”

Jess Jobe, Senior Technical Assistance and Training Specialist, Start Early

Listening is a core function of all aspects of home visiting – from visits with families and collaboration with colleagues to supervision. Each of us has tendencies towards certain listening styles, even when we may not be aware of them. In this workshop, we’ll explore the four core listening styles and begin to build awareness of how to build skill with each style and use for the situations that we encounter in our work with families and co-workers.

 

++ A6 - “Home Visiting & Well Child Visits: CQI Project.”

Abby Snow, CQI Research Program Coordinator, Center for Prevention Research & Development

Amanda Erisgen, Research Program Specialist, Center for Prevention Research & Development

Chrissi Guarnieri, Research Program Specialist, Center for Prevention Research & Development

Well Child Visits (WCV) are essential to the health of children and their families. Home visitors funded by IDHS-DEC and MIECHV participated in a 1-year Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) project focused on helping more families attend their WCV. This included helping families overcome barriers to attend WCV, building connections with primary care offices, and making process changes. This workshop will share lessons learned from the WCV CQI project and provide time for audience participation.