NRCCFI at FCN offers a number of onsite trainings and consultations on a variety of important topics for people working with children or families of the incarcerated. No travel is required – we bring these services to you. The content can be tailored to meet your organization’s specific needs.
Contact our office at fcn@fcnetwork.org or 215-576-1110 to discuss how we can help you.
Topics Include:
General Training on Children of the Incarcerated
- Who are the Children of Incarcerated Parents?
- Understanding the Impact of Trauma and Attachment Disruptions on Children of Incarcerated Parents
Mentoring Children of Incarcerated Parents
Bill of Rights for Children and Families of the Incarcerated Training
Mentoring Children and Youth in the Juvenile Justice System
“I have been waiting since 1993 for a training on working with the children of incarcerated parents. This training helped to put into perspective the impact that having a parent in prison has on children. I will start a support group for the children in my school because their needs must be addressed and their voices must be heard. Thank you for such an informative training!”
-Social Worker, Chicago Public Schools
General Training
New! Understanding the Impact of Trauma and Attachment Disruptions on Children of Incarcerated Parents
The goal of most programs for at risk children is to provide supportive relationships that acts as a protective factors in the face of multiple risk factors. While there are no studies that actually conclude that children of the incarcerated are at higher risk for criminal behavior than their peers, we do know that these are children who are at risk for a host of negative outcomes. Nowhere in the literature, however, do we see causal patterns clearly described.
This training will explore a framework for working with children of the incarcerated that builds on new research which examines the experience of parental incarceration in the context of current studies on brain development, trauma and stress. The information presented will train, prepare and inspire staff of programs serving children of incarcerated parents and other at risk youth to better understand the feelings, behaviors and challenges that result from attachment trauma.
This training will combine an agency specific needs assessment with experiential activities and research discussions designed to give participants up to date background information as well as practice in applying this information to a variety of service delivery models through a series of stories/situations from the field.
Ann Adalist-Estrin will present current research and data related to the connection between attachment, trauma, stress, and brain development from the Harvard University Center on the Developing Child and The Adverse Childhood Experiences Study, and illustrate the implications of these data to effective programs for children of the incarcerated and other children/youth at risk. Issues to be covered include: the impact of stress and trauma on the developing brain, behavioral patterns resulting from attachment disruptions and traumatic experiences, the importance of the parent–child relationship as a buffer from trauma, jealousy and competition between parents/caregivers and mentors, the significance of self reflection and perspective shifting as crucial skills for staff, and the importance of including family strengthening practices in agency protocols.
This training is designed to include expert guest speakers from the National Resource Center on Children and Families of the Incarcerated Speakers Bureau such as adult children who survived trauma, parental incarceration and/or domestic or community violence and who will address the role of programs, practices and policies as protective factors contributing to their successes in life. These appearances may be in person or video /web based.
Training Objectives
Participants will:
- Examine how attachment, trauma, and brain development theories provide a framework for understanding the impact that adverse childhood experiences such as parental incarceration and community violence has on children and families
- Understand how to utilize theories of attachment, trauma, and brain development in designing intervention protocols for program staff
- Assess the staff/agency capacity for providing high quality relationship building services to children and families reacting to trauma and attachment disturbances
- Hear directly from adult children, who have survived parental incarceration and other risk factors, what they needed from programs, services and program staff.
- Discuss, apply and practice supervision strategies that will help staff effectively respond to children at risk and their families to minimize difficulties, frustrations and disappointments for the children, families and program providers.
Ann Adalist-Estrin is Director of the National Resource Center on Children and Families of the Incarcerated at the Family and Corrections Network in Philadelphia and a Child and Family Therapist, in Jenkintown, Pa. Ann is also adjunct faculty at Boston University Medical School/Healthy Steps for Young Children Pediatric Training Program where she teaches courses on the impact of parental/adult caregiver behaviors on child development and attachment.
She is an Author, Speaker, and Consultant to a variety of agencies serving children and families with many workshop topics, keynote presentations and trainings delivered nationally and internationally. She has recently presented on “Attachment, Trauma and Cycles of Incarceration” at the Centerforce Summit in San Francisco (October 2009) and the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting in Philadelphia (November 2009).
Ann’s article entitled “Reframing the Cycle of Incarceration: Trauma, Attachment and Race” is due to be published in a forthcoming special Issue of Social Work in Public Health. Ann’s other publications include: CHANCE – Caregivers Helping to Affect and Nurture Children Early: A Training Curriculum on the Impact of Domestic Violence on Children for Early Childhood Program Staff (Institute for Safe families, 2005), Mentoring Children of Prisoners: A Curriculum for Training Mentors (CWLA, 2004); Responding to Children and Families of Prisoners: A Community Guide (FCN, 2003), Mentoring Children in the Juvenile Justice System ( Maryland Mentoring Partnership, 2005) and The Children of Incarcerated Parents Library on line at www.fcnetwork.org. Since May of 2004, Ann has used the Mentoring Children of Prisoners Curriculum to train 105 community agencies in 46 states across America.
Understanding the Impact of Trauma and Attachment Disruptions on Children of Incarcerated Parents is a 1.5 day training and includes:
3 hours of follow up consultation by conference call
2 guest speakers in addition to the trainer
2 DVDs
Fee: $2350.00 plus travel expenses.
Who are the Children of Incarcerated Parents?
Training Objectives:
- To learn the developmental and circumstantial influences on a child with an incarcerated parent.
- To learn about family dynamics in families of the incarcerated
- To learn the typical feelings of children of the incarcerated
- To learn risk factors and their impact on children of the incarcerated
- To increase awareness and understanding of the impact of race, class and ethnicity on children and families of the incarcerated
- To encourage self-reflection and insight related to reactions and perspectives on families involved in the criminal justice system
- To explore options for connecting with the incarcerated parents
- To apply this knowledge to individual relationships and situations
This one day training will engage participants in a series of activities, and discussions that will increase their awareness and sharpen their skills in working with children with incarcerated parents.
Duration: 1 day training
Fee: $1,500 plus expenses
Mentoring Children of Incarcerated Parents
Train the Trainers
Mentoring Children of Prisoners Train the Trainer
The Mentoring Children of Prisoners Curriculum is designed to prepare mentors to have the kind of meaningful relationships that can contribute to the coping process for children of incarcerated parents and their families. The goal is to build a base of understanding and awareness that includes information about the impact of parental incarceration on child development, family dynamics and parent-child relationships by giving trainers/staff of the contracting agencies a variety of training tools, activities and strategies for focused and effective trainings.
Duration: 2 day training
Fee: $2,500 plus expenses
Match Support
Sustaining Matches: Match Support Technical Assistance Training for Mentoring Children of Prisoner Program Staff
The Match Support Training and workbook were developed to help agency staff navigate the complexities of typical child and adolescent development when it combines with the impact of parental incarceration on the child and the match.
Duration: 6 hour training session given in one day
Fee: $1,500 plus expenses
Policies and Procedures
Structuring Your Program for Success
This session identifies and discusses policies and procedures that are necessary for a successful MCP Program. The session also provides suggestions for implementing these policies and procedures with staff and boards.
Duration: 6 hour training session given in one day
Fee: $1,500 plus expenses
Schools and Childcare
Working with Children of Incarcerated Parents in Schools and Child Care Programs
Children of incarcerated parents are in every school district and Child Care Program in America. Sometimes they are known to the teachers, caregivers and counselors; often they are not. This training provides those that work with children in care and education environments with information and activities designed to increase their capacity to respond to the needs of children of the incarcerated in classrooms, child care, after school programs and school counseling settings.
Duration: 6 hour training session given in one day
Fee: $1,500 plus expenses
Reentry
NEW! When Parents Come Home: The Impact of Parole on Children of Incarcerated Parents and the Programs that Serve Them.
This workshop is designed to explore the issues that arise for children of incarcerated parents when that parent returns from prison. The training will focus on typical reactions to the release of a parent from prison- for children, caregivers, paroled parents, the community and the service delivery agency. This training will include strategies for responding to the needs of paroled parents and their children, address issues and concerns in identifying and implementing promising vs. evidence based practices.
Duration: 6 hour training session given in one day
Fee: $1,500 plus expenses
Bill of Rights Implementation Training
NEW! The Bill of Rights for Children of Incarcerated Parents: A Framework for Agency Advocacy.*
(* Information on the Bill of Rights for Children of Incarcerated Parents is available from the developers at the San Francisco Children of Incarcerated Parents Partnership; see www.sfcipp.org)
This new FCN training is directed to practitioners and advocates in the field of children of incarcerated parents, and includes their families. Dee Ann Newell will offer a set of skills specifically developed to improve practice and policies impacting children and families of the incarcerated. These include:
- Strategy Development for Practitioner Advocacy
- Bringing the Right People to the Table
- “All Politics is Local:” The Impact of Local, Regional, State, and Federal Policies on your Local Program Implementation
- Creative media and Press Strategies: Story-Telling Approaches for Advocacy Efforts
- Who Speaks for the Children of Incarcerated Parents?
- Assessing Agency Policy versus Public Policy
- Tools and Outcome Measures for Effective Advocacy by Agencies and Practitioners
- Sustaining Your Agency’s Advocacy Efforts Over Times
Duration: 6 hour training given in one day
Fee: $1200.00 plus expenses
Mentoring Children and Youth in the Juvenile Justice System
NEW! Moving To Independence: Youth Mentoring Curriculum
This Train the Trainer designed by AAE for the Maryland Mentoring Partnership was piloted with adjudicated youth throughout the state of Maryland in 2007-2008 and is now available through NRCCFI. This training provides information and strategies for training mentors to develop strong and effective relationships with youth involved in the juvenile justice system to prepare them to assist in transitioning or reentry.
Duration: 2 day training
Fee: $3,000 plus expenses
To find out more about bringing an onsite training to you, contact us at fcn@fcnetwork.org or 215-576-1110.