Conference Workshop Materials

Session 1A: Preventing Suicide among Foster Care Youth
presented by The Jason Foundation

While suicide is a significant public health crisis for the general population, the risk for suicidal ideation and behavior increases for youth in care because of the complex circumstances they often face.

· At any given time, there are estimated to be approximately 400,000 youth in care.
· Youth in care may have complex medical, mental, and behavioral health concerns stemming from a trauma history.
· Children who are adopted wait an average of almost three years.
· Youth in care may struggle with separation anxiety.

This training discusses facts, myths, and signs regarding suicide risk for youth involved with the child welfare system and specialized topics such as trauma and adverse childhood experiences. Material is presented by a professional speaker and people with lived experience (former foster youth, foster and adoptive families, and experts in the field). Suggested protective factors and recommendations are provided for caregivers.

This training will be held Friday, September 8, 2022, from 9:30 am to 12:00 pm Central/10:30 am to 1:00 pm Eastern. Participants will receive 3 credit hours for this training, which fulfills both trauma-informed and therapeutic training requirements.

All foster parents in the state of Tennessee must complete Preventing Suicide among Foster Care Youth by June 30, 2024. This workshop fulfills this requirement. If you are unable to attend this workshop, you can complete the training online. Visit the Suicide Prevention webpage and follow the guide to access the training and complete the quiz to receive training credit.

https://www.tn.gov/dcs/program-areas/training/spotlight/suicide-prevention.html

Session 1D: The Basics of Understanding Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
presented by the Papillion Center

According to the CDC, 1 in 20 school-aged children have been prenatally exposed to alcohol creating lifelong effects. Participants will learn the impacts of prenatal exposure to alcohol. We will increase the awareness around FASD and understand the physical and emotional impacts associated with prenatal exposure to alcohol.

This training will be held Saturday, September 9, 2023, from 9:00am to 12:00pm Central/10:00am to 1:00pm Eastern. Participants will receive 3 credit hours for this training, which fulfills the therapeutic training requirement.

Click here to download supplemental material for this workshop.