This August, two major research reports focused on the need for mental health training on campus. The American Council of Education surveyed college presidents, and Barnes & Noble surveyed college students.

Read more the surprising link that these two groups have in common.

The Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs will be conducting a conference with multiple sessions throughout the day. Each session is targeted for different audiences including provider agency representatives under the jurisdiction of the Justice Center, individuals receiving services, families, peer advocates and other interested stakeholders.

Note: Location for October 4th Conference in Syracuse has been changed to allow more people to attend. See new location information below. If you have already registered, you do not need to sign up again.

Space is limited - sign up Today!

New Location - Friday, October 4th, 2019

Apex Entertainment

(Located on the 3rd Floor of the Destiny USA Mall)

9583 Destiny USA Mall

Syracuse, NY 13204

Click Here To Register For October 4th Afternoon Session.

Here are the lunch options at the Mall.

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Thursday, October 24th, 2019

Shirley A. Chisholm State Office Building

55 Hanson Place

Brooklyn, NY 11217

Click Here To Register For October 24th Afternoon Session.

Schedule:

10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. General Session

12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. Lunch (not provided - a list of options will be sent out prior to the conference)

1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Breakout Sessions ( list of topics )

Questions about registration?

Contact Jean Skanes at jskanes@welfareresearch.org or 518-713-4726 x 201.

The New York State Education Department's Office of Adult Career and Continuing Education Services-Vocational Rehabilitation (ACCESS-VR) will be holding public hearings to provide an opportunity for individuals with disabilities, families, advocates, vendors and businesses to provide feedback on the ACCESS-VR section of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Combined State Plan and to solicit feedback on several ACCESS-VR proposed policy updates.

The WIOA Combined State Plane outlines the strategies, goals, and activities that New York State workforce development programs work together on to better meet the employment needs of all New Yorkers. As one of the workforce development programs, ACCESS-VR is holding these public hearings to obtain feedback on its section of the WIOA Combined State plan and its four-year strategy for services.

Dates and locations:

Date: 09/11/19
Syracuse Library Central Office Branch
447 South Salina St. Syracuse, NY 13202
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
6:00 PM  –  7:30 PM

Date: 09/13/2019
Statewide Phone Conference
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
1-866-394-2346
Conference ID: 1359204987
OR
WebEx Toll Free number:
1-844-633-8697
Local number (518) 549-0500
Access code: 806 065 450

Date: 09/19/2019
Albany Public Library – Washington Avenue Branch
161 Washington Avenue Albany, NY 12210
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
6:00 PM – 7:30 PM

Date: 09/20/2019
Statewide Phone Conference
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
1-866-394-2346
Conference ID: 1359204987
OR
WebEx Toll Free number:
1-844-633-8697
Local number (518) 549-0500
Access code: 808 095 626

Date: 09/25/2019
ACCES-VR - Harlem District Office – Adam Clayton Powell State Office Building
163 West 125th St. 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10027
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
6:00 PM – 7:30 PM

Please  email to vrpolicy@nysed.gov (subject: Public Hearing) OR call 1-800-222-5627 to RSVP.

The U.S. Department of Labor Announces Funding

To Support Employee Policy Development For Youth With Disabilities

WASHINGTON, DC - The U.S. Department of Labor has announced the award of $4 million for a four-year cooperative agreement to operate a policy development center focused on youth with disabilities. The center will build on the work of the Department's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth.

During the performance period, the awardee – the Council of State Governments – will develop and manage the center. The center will conduct research, engage with the workforce system and its partners, identify effective policies and practices that support youth with disabilities, and provide resources and training to help support the transition of youth with disabilities to employment.

"The Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy is intent on making a difference in the lives of youth with disabilities," said Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Office of Disability Employment Policy, Jennifer Sheehy. "Using evidence-based practices and proven collaborative strategies with the Council of State Governments' management of the Center, we can develop policies that help these young people transition from school to adulthood and to make a valued contribution to the workplace."

Click here to learn more about ODEP and this cooperative agreement.

The NYS Home Visiting Coordination Initiative (HVCI) has scheduled webinars for September, October, November, and December. Please register today!

HVCI Upcoming Webinars:

NYS-AIMH (NYS Association for Infant Mental Health) Endorsement on Sep 9, 2019 10:00 AM ET.

Self-Care on Oct 21, 2019 10:00 AM ET.

Diversity and Inclusion on Nov 14, 2019 11:00 AM ET.

Perinatal Networks on Dec 10, 2019 10:00 AM ET.

HUD announced plans to launch a new Foster Youth to Independence Initiative that will offer Housing Assistance to Youth and Young Adults aging out of the foster care system.

2019 AMPLIFY-NY Youth Leadership Forum! (YLF)

Saturday, October 12-15, 2019

This 4-day building Leadership and Advocacy skills with fun activities event is Free for All New York State Youth age 12-24.

Meals, lodging and transportation assistance is paid for by Youth Power! (YP!).

Including with this event is the Foundations for Leadership - A Free Workshop Series for Caregivers!

Caregivers attend the workshop on the first and last days of the YLF and participate in both individual and joint sessions with Youth participants.

Foundations for Leadership also offers workshops in the community. These 1-2 hour workshops support caregivers in supporting Youth person on specific topics such as readiness to join the world of work, SSI and Work, and more. These workshops take place after a YLF has been held.

Registration deadline is September 15, 2019.

Note: Online Registration also available. You must download and completed this Application Signature Page, and upload it with your Online Registration. 

Please join us (Child Welfare League of America) for the webinar, The Promise of Adolescence: Realizing Opportunity for All Youth. Two of the members of the National Academies of Sciences (NAS) Committee that produced this recently released report—Leslie Leve, PhD, University of Oregon, and Sue Mangold, JD, Juvenile Law Center—will present report findings that relate most directly to children in the child welfare system.

Their presentation will be followed by a conversation between the presenters and the guest editors of a soon-to-be-released special issue of Child Welfare journal, "Twenty Years after the Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 (“Chafee”): What We Know Now About Meeting the Needs of Teens." Guest editors for this special issue are Cassandra Simmel, PhD, Rutgers University, and Victoria Kelly, PsyD, MSW, CWLA Board of Directors.

This is the first in a series of webinars on this topic. The second webinar will include the youth response to the findings of the NAS report and to the impact of the Chafee Act. The NAS report and report highlights are available for free download at The Promise of Adolescence.

Register now to reserve your seat today!

This program has been approved for one (1) CEU by the NASW Washington State Chapter.  Licensed Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists, and Mental Health Counselors are eligible. Provider number is #1975-176. There is a $20 fee for CEUs for non-members and a $10 fee for CWLA members.

If you are interested in CEUs, please e-mail memberservices@cwla.org for details.

The demand for psychiatric services is outpacing the availability of clinicians. But there is a solution to this escalating problem – telepsychiatry.

Telepsychiatry has proven to be an extremely effective solution for many organizations by providing psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners and licensed clinical social workers who connect with your patients through simple-to-use technology.

When you partner with innovaTel Telepsychiatry, you don’t get a “one-size-fits-all” approach to care. You will interview our clinicians and select the best fit for your team – a clinician who will seamlessly collaborate with your on-site staff and document concurrently in your electronic medical record.

And innovaTel has recently expanded their clinical team to even more states and will cover the cost to get providers licensed in additional states.

innovaTel Telepsychiatry, one of National Council for Behavioral Health’s strategic partners, is already providing telepsychiatry services to many National Council members and stands ready to support more. If you’re looking to hire additional clinicians, innovaTel’s telepsychiatry model could be the solution you’ve been looking for!

To learn more about how a telepsychiatry partnership could work for your organization? Check out the innovaTel, schedule a meeting to connect with a telepsychiatry expert or email Lauren Lashbrook, Director of Strategic Partnerships, at Lauren.Lashbrook@innovatel.com.

If you know of other agencies that are in need, innovaTel would love to connect with them.

New Free Tools Gives New York State Agencies and Schools the Ability to Assess Trauma-Informed Care Practices

TRUST (Trauma Responsive Understanding Self-Assessment Tool)  is a strengths-based organizational self-assessment tool that provides organizations with a point in time “snapshot” of where they are in their journey towards becoming trauma-informed. The tool employs the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) 10 Implementation Domains as a framework for guiding survey participants through a sequence of questions to assess implementation of trauma-informed care practices within their organization. TIC-OSAT allows organizations to view aggregated survey results from their leadership and staff and display these results within a concise, real-time report along with recommendations for bolstering Trauma-Informed Care practices. 

TRUST-S (Trauma Responsive Understanding Self-Assessment Tool for Schools) is a strength-based organizational self-assessment tool that provides educational settings with a point in time “snapshot” of where they are in their journey towards becoming more trauma-sensitive and informed.  The tool employs the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) 10 Implementation Domains as a framework for guiding survey participants through a sequence of questions to assess implementation of trauma-sensitive educational practices.  The TRUST-S allows schools and districts to view aggregated survey results from their administration and staff.  These results are displayed within a concise, real-time report that offers recommendations for bolstering trauma-sensitive practices. 

This assessment can be used for initial benchmarking, as well as repeated at selected intervals to gauge progress and identify next steps.

The survey takes about 12-15 minutes to complete and is anonymous to allow for authentic staff assessment of their organization.

If you already have a login account, click Here To Use These New Tools Right Now!

OR

Please contact us at training@ccsi.org for further questions.

More than 1.1 million low-income children across New York eat healthy school meals. Let’s make sure they get proper nutrition all summer, too.

When the school year ends, kids and teens can get healthy, no-cost meals and snacks in many communities across the state through USDA's Summer Food Service Program. Visit SummerMealsNY.org to find summer meal sites, learn about hosting one, and access resources to help spread the word, including:

USDA Summer Meal Site Finder Map
Use the interactive mapper on SummerMealsNY.org to find and refer to sites in your area. Check back often, as sites are added as they are approved. Site information is also available in a list linked below the mapper, and by phone:

• Call 2-1-1 (upstate) or 3-1-1 (NYC)
• Text “Food” or "Comida" to 877-877

Free Outreach Materials
Display and distribute outreach materials for families, including Flyers and Rack Cards available in English and Spanish. You can order these resources in bulk from New York State Education Department at no charge; click here for the order form.

Social Media Posts and Newsletter Articles
Share information with your networks using these sample posts and articles.

Web Button Graphics
Add a button linked to SummerMealsNY.org to your e-newsletter, social media channels, and website so families you serve can easily learn about nearby summer meals sites. Click here to view and download them.

For more information about becoming a meal site this year or in the future, visit SummerMealsNY.org or email Krista.Hesdorfer@HungerSolutionsNY.org.

Thank You for your interest in the June 20th Public Health Live!

The Health Impact of Tobacco Use among People with Disabilities

Please give us your feedback in the program evaluation. We use your input to plan future programs. The evaluation leads to a post-test for FREE CE credits.

If you missed the live webcast, access it on demand right now - Plus, view past programs with FREE CE.

Please Click Here for more Upcoming Topics!

Thank you for making us your ongoing resource for public health continuing education.

Coming Soon: Advancing Early Diversion Summer Series!

Please join SAMHSA’s GAINS Center this summer for the Advancing Early Diversion Summer Series! This four-session webinar event will explore practical strategies to implement an early diversion program in your community, with a focus on collaboration.

Advancing Early Diversion Summer Series Webinar Topics

• Webinar 1: Law enforcement and mental health joint responses to mental health crises
• Webinar 2: Follow-up strategies to enhance treatment engagement after an individual has experienced a crisis
• Webinar 3: Collaborations between fire departments, emergency medical services, and behavioral health providers to serve individuals in mental crisis 
• Webinar 4: Strategies for data collection and information sharing between criminal justice and behavioral health agencies

In each of these webinars, you will hear from national experts and local jurisdictional representatives. The presenters will provide guidance on best and promising practices as well as practical lessons learned, so you can design an early diversion program that fits the needs of your community.

In addition, each webinar will be immediately followed by a small group discussion, where audience members can engage directly with the presenters to learn more about the topics of discussion. 

Dates and registration information for these four webinars will be released in the coming weeks! Please contact SAMHSA's GAINS Center with any questions.

Family Peer Advocate 2 Day In-Person Trainings: More Dates Announced! 

The Parent Empowerment Program (PEP) is a training program that introduces new Family Peer Advocates (FPAs) to their role and to the skills they will need to effectively engage and empower parents.

This training is a combination of online modules, a 2 day, in-person training and 12 coaching calls.  Completion of the PEP training is a requirement for the Family Peer Advocate Professional Credential. Registration is open for additional Level 2 in-person trainings statewide. 

Registration forms and more information about the PEP training and FPA Credential can be found on the FTNYS website under the Workforce Development tab.

NEW Youth Peer Advocate Trainings: Registration Open!

The Youth Peer Advocate Training introduces new Youth Peer Advocates (YPAs) to their role and to the skills they will need to effectively engage and empower young people.

This training includes online modules, a 2-day in-person training, and a series of coaching phone calls. Completion of the YPA training is a requirement for the Youth Peer Advocate Professional Credential. We are excited to announce that registration for the Level 2 in-person training is now open in several regions.

Registration forms and more information about the YPA training and YPA Credential can be found on the YOUTH POWER! website under the Workforce Development tab.

Spend quality time with Recovery Champions
during the Annual Recovery Conference!
October 20-22, 2019

Our Annual Recovery Conference brings together the best of the best, providing unique educational and networking opportunities for the Recovery Community. Come celebrate Recovery with people in recovery, friends and family members and our allies in addiction prevention, treatment and recovery support services!

$175 prior to May 31st; $250 thereafter...

Click here for more details.

The Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs will be conducting a conference with multiple sessions throughout the day. Each session is targeted for different audiences including provider agency representatives under the jurisdiction of the Justice Center, individuals receiving services, families, peer advocates and other interested stakeholders. You may register for the morning General Session or the afternoon Breakout Sessions, or both morning and afternoon sessions. You will be asked to choose your sessions on the registration page.
A summary of the session topics is here.

Don't wait! Register Now for This Event!

This conference will be repeated five times during 2019 in various locations around the State. Information for other locations are available on the registration page.