Highlight
The 27th Annual CAP Recap
In July, Prevent Child Abuse Arizona hosted our 27th Statewide Child Abuse Prevention Conference, with the support of 14 sponsors, including NARBHA, Season for Sharing, the Governor’s Office of Youth, Faith and Family, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and First Things First. Approximately 650 attendees convened from counties across Arizona to share diverse perspectives and learn about new approaches to child abuse prevention. This year’s conference was guided by the theme “Cultivating Trust,” weaving the role of trust in creating a robust prevention system that connects families to what they need to nurture their children.
Over the past few years, Prevent Child Abuse Arizona has clarified our focus, vision, and purpose, which has helped guide the content we choose to include in our conference. One participant stated that “the quality of workshops and presenters blew me away this year compared to two years ago,” while another attendee shared, “Many of the presentations represented a crucial shift in mindset to a true prevention perspective.”
We believe the problem-solving process is just as crucial as the solution, and that we sometimes must diverge from past models to get it right. This conference presented perspectives that help us reimagine what is possible in how we serve and support children and families. Attendees agree that the most valuable aspects of the conference included “paradigm-shifting opportunities,” “different perspectives,” and “new concepts and ways of thinking.”
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Impact Story
Home Visitor Professional Development Leads to Stronger Families
Strong Families AZ, a network of free home visiting programs, supports home visiting professionals to positively impact the lives of Arizona’s pregnant women, families, and children ages birth to 5. As part of their systems-change work, Strong Families AZ increases home visitors’ access to training and professional development. This year, Strong Families AZ provided 10 scholarships to the Statewide Child Abuse Prevention Conference for home visitors who otherwise could not afford to attend.
The conference’s focus on systems-change helped one home visitor understand their critical role in the bigger picture: “Most of all, I was impacted by thinking about the child welfare system in a new way. My agency is attempting to revamp how we do things to focus on the strengths of families and their ability to parent their children in a way that does not require child welfare involvement. I will be doing several trainings of my staff to impart the new information I have with them.”
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Today in Prevention
Prevent Child Abuse America Virtual Conference
Next year, many conferences will return to in-person. While many of us are thrilled to re-engage with in-person gatherings, this year is an excellent opportunity to enjoy the benefits of virtual conferences: increased access, convenience, and affordability. From August 10-12, Prevent Child Abuse America is hosting its nationwide virtual conference for a registration fee of $175. Don’t miss out on your opportunity to learn from an inspiring line-up of national speakers and workshop presenters!
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Webinar Series Partnership with the ACEs Consortium
What Does Being Trauma-Informed Mean to You?
August 18, 2021 from 12 – 1pm
Presenter: Angie Burleson
Panelists: Claire Louge, Laura Wiggins, Yavapai College Chief of Police Jerald Monahan, and Judge Maurice Portley
Join us for an overview of what it means to be trauma-informed, and hear from a diverse panel discussing what the trauma-informed approach looks like in various sectors.
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Trauma-Informed Care Begins with You (It May Not Be What You Think!)
September 16, 2021 from 12 – 1pm
Presenter: Kelly Lubeck, MPH
This workshop presentation shows how being trauma-informed begins from within. You'll learn how building your own resilience and capacity for self-regulation are essential and transformative to the work you do in the world, especially if you want it to be trauma-informed.
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Applying the Trauma-Informed Approach to Our Relationships
October 27, 2021 from 12 – 1pm
Presenter: Rick Griffin
Learn more about how applying a trauma-informed lens can impact your interactions with yourself, your family, your colleagues, and your community.
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Journey of a Trauma Informed Organization
November 18, 2021 from 12 – 1pm
Presenters: TBD – we will be releasing a call for presenters for this webinar!
Join us for a deeper dive into what it looks like to be trauma-informed as a program, and how it impacts each level of an organization.
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Early Childhood System Performance Assessment Toolkit
It’s no secret that systems change and prevention efforts are challenging to measure. The Center for the Study of Social Policy hopes to make it easier with its Early Childhood System Performance Assessment Toolkit, updated this year. This toolkit includes guidance and tools for assessing how well a local early childhood system is working to improve the reach of early childhood services, promote coordination among those services, increase the community’s commitment to early childhood, and advance equity and parent engagement.
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Advocacy
Earned Income Tax Credit
The American Rescue Plan increased the Child Tax Credit (CTC) from $2,000 per child to $3,000 per child for children over the age of 6 and from $2,000 to $3,600 for children under the age of 6, and raised the age limit from 16 to 17. All working families will get the full expanded credit if they earn a maximum of $150,000 for a couple or $112,500 for a family with a single parent (also called Head of Household).
The Center for the Study of Social Policy and several other organizations call for a permanent expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit.
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Fundraising
Thank you, Blue Cross Blue Shield!
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona has deeply rooted values in doing the right thing, respecting every person, and speaking out against injustice. Blue Cross Blue Shield is not only committed to its values; it is committed to action. This year, Blue Cross Blue Shield provided $10,000 of sponsorship to the Statewide Child Abuse Prevention Conference. As a top-level sponsor, Blue Cross Blue Shield’s sponsorship also included 10 scholarships to deserving applicants.
Thank you, Blue Cross Blue Shield, for fostering change by supporting the gathering of more than 600 child welfare and family-serving professionals to prevent child abuse in Arizona. We are grateful you share our vision for a stronger Arizona.
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Director's Corner
The Urgency of Slowing Down
By Claire Louge, Executive Director
Have you heard the expression ‘we’re building the plane as we fly it’? What it usually means is that the work is so urgent, the process of doing the work is being created at the same time as doing the work.
But let me ask you this: Do you want to be on a literal plane that is being built as it is being flown?
Of course not.
The paradox of our field is that the needs of children and families are urgent, but to best meet those needs, it requires slowing down. Take these examples . . .
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Prevent Child Abuse Arizona is a chapter of Prevent Child Abuse America. As a 501(c)3 organization, Prevent Child Abuse Arizona is eligible to receive bequests. Please contact Rebekah Prieto at rebekah@pcaaz.org if you would like to discuss including
Prevent Child Abuse Arizona in your legacy.
Tax ID #86-0832901
Prevent Child Abuse Arizona can only accept donations from individuals, businesses, and foundations located in the State of Arizona.
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Prevent Child Abuse Arizona is dedicated to strengthening families and protecting children through collaboration, education, and advocacy. The organization provides research-based prevention services, education and training to help promote strong families and safe, healthy children. For more information, visit pcaaz.org. |
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