OPSC 20th Annual Symposium

Objectives: 
- What is Human Trafficking
- Maryland's Response to Combat Human Trafficking
- Identifying & Reporting
- Survivor Services (Regional Navigator Program)

Description: Family treatment court (FTC) collaboratives frequently ask about ways to effectively respond to participant behavior. How can teams: 1) respond to individual circumstances, 2) support meaningful behavior change, and 3) promote stable recovery and family well-being? FTCs use responses such as child safety interventions, treatment adjustments, complementary services modifications, incentives, and other accountability methods. This session will explore family engagement strategies that improve well-being and ensure child safety while promoting parent accountability. Presenters will invite the audience to explore potential causes of participant behavior and how our responses affect the participant, their family, and their engagement.
 Learning Objectives:

1. Explain behavior change research associated with recovery and court processes
2. Describe the array of responses available to improve and support parent, child, and family functioning through behavior change
3. Learn key strategies to support behavior change associated with long-term recovery and family well-being  

Description: Recovery is more than treatment completion. Families in the child welfare system—and affected by SUDs—have complex needs. Studies show that, among mothers with SUDs (who are also in child welfare), four socioeconomic risk factors (single parent, yearly income of less than $15,000, unemployment, and severe housing issues) significantly decreased the likelihood of reunification while increasing the time children spent in foster care. On the other hand, while poverty and economic hardship are risk factors, they do not equal neglect. Yet families living in poverty, especially those of color, are more likely to be investigated and have children placed in out-of-home care. Explicit and implicit biases affect how families are treated at every child welfare decision point. Supporting families in need—without casting blame and punishing families for not being able to meet their children’s basic needs—remains “the path forward.” Research is clear that in addition to high quality SUD treatment, families require a comprehensive array of community services to sustain recovery. Social determinants of health (SDOH) provide a framework for professionals to select strategies that create the conditions where families can thrive. This session will explore the court’s role in: 1) improving how systems respond to structural inequities, and 2) facilitating practice-level strategies to improve SDOH and better support families who lack resources.
Learning Objectives:

• Understand how poverty and economic hardship influence child abuse and neglect, child welfare involvement, and outcomes for families affected by SUDs
• Review a framework for understanding the problem and selecting strategies that create conditions where families thrive
• Discuss innovative strategies that improve how systems respond to poverty

The transition from active duty to civilian life can be overwhelmingly difficult for veterans to navigate. The most common struggles they face relate to employment, finances, legal matters, substance use disorders, mental health, relationships, and homelessness. This session will explore the overall veteran population, their needs, military culture, benefits, behavioral health challenges and resources available.

Objectives

Learn more about the veteran population and military culture

Gain insight on the difficulties that take place during the transition from serving to civilian life

Learn about the common substance use and mental health challenges veterans face

Increase knowledge on resources available for veterans surrounding health care, treatment, benefits, employment, and housing