University Training Consortium (Breaking the Cycle)

Over the last 10 years, experts in child welfare, education, developmental psychology, medicine (particularly in child psychiatry and pediatrics) and mental health have contributed to a dramatically-expanding knowledge base regarding families and children. Research increasingly supports the critical nature of early child development and the importance of healthy parent-child attachment and the long-term effects of abuse and neglect. This new information is critical for the staff of the Department of Community- Based Services (DCBS) to grasp. It will impact the ways in which they intervene with families they serve. In the end, it will provide some of the keys to breaking the cycle of child maltreatment and neglect. In recognition of the need for expanding training in these and other areas, the DCBS of the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, in conjunction with the University Training Consortium Project, will provide a specialized training and consultation program. This program will provide consultation to current and new DCBS staff in an ongoing, intensive manner. Training will be provided in scheduled didactic presentations and in a case-specific fashion (consultation). The case-specific training will be provided “in the field” to DCBS staff as requested. It will be coordinated by Regional Clinical Associates at the discretion of the Service Region Administrators or their designees (SRA’s). A significant portion of this training will be centered on a case at hand and will be ongoing as the issues in the case evolve and the interventions are carried out. This training will be provided on-site in DCBS field offices, and on-site at the CATS project. This type of problem-based learning has been shown to effectively teach specific knowledge, but has also been shown to enhance communications skills and improve staff problem-solving skills. These new skills can then be applied in that staff’s daily work. BTC consults will attend monthly RCC conference meetings as requested in Southern Bluegrass and will provided consultation to other regions of the state as requested. An annual report will document the case consultation list, along with the region served. Specific content of training will include skill development in recognition and intervening in families who are facing a variety of challenges such as domestic violence, alcohol and drug, trauma, addiction and other chronic stressors. Training/consultation will focus on identifying known risk factors for poor long-term outcome and interventions to minimize the long-term sequelae of abuse and/or neglect. It will include specific skills that will promote healthy and stable attachment relationships for the 4-E eligible child. By conducting training in direct collaboration with local staff, an assessment of training needs for staff can be undertaken and recommendations to DCBS leadership can be made. This assessment can serve as a basis for developing curriculum. DCBS staff need training in determining what levels of intervention should be implemented to ensure the best outcomes. Some of this involves knowledge of developmental variations in how children normally cope in stressful situations. What is normal at one age may be a marker calling for more intense interventions at another level. Through training and consultation, staff can more effectively provide services and better function as advocates for the needs of the 4-E eligible children they serve. This training and consultation will be provided by Ginny Sprang, Ph.D. (PI), TBN Faculty, Adrienne Whitt-Woosley, LCSW and Debra Katz, M.D. Ginny Sprang, Ph.D., LCSW is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, Executive Director of the Center on Trauma and Children, and has over 25 years of clinical experience with children and families. Dr. Sprang is recognized as an international expert on the assessment and treatment of child maltreatment and child traumatic stress, and is executive director of CTAC. Adrienne Whitt-Woosley, LCSW is licensed clinical social worker with over 12 years of clinical experience assessing and treating abused and maltreated children, and providing consultation on issues related to children’s mental health. Debra Katz, M.D. is board certified in Pediatrics, Neurology with special qualification in Child Neurology, Psychiatry, and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Dr. Katz has extensive mental health consultation, workshop, and clinical supervision experience with community mental health and social service providers. All four have a combined 100 years of experience providing mental health consultations, workshops, and clinical/medical training serving DCBS, community mental health, and other social service providers.