April 4, 2023 Volume 2, Issue 4
 April is Child Abuse Prevention Month
April is Child Abuse Prevention (CAP) Month! A symbol often used for CAP month is the blue pinwheel. The blue pinwheel represents innocence and reflects the bright future all children deserve. It is a positive emblem of the effect we can have when we work together to prevent child abuse.
Here are some ways you can get involved:
Season 2, Episode 4: Child Abuse Prevention Month
In this episode of the We are Children's Division podcast, Director Missey and Deputy Director Corley is joined by a group of passionate Children's Division team members to include Haylee Musso, Liz Teitsort, and Elaine Casteel. Also participating in this conversation is Denise Cross of the Missouri Coalition for Children. This team covers all things prevention from current fatality trends in the STAT report to the new culture and direction of the Missouri Children's Division which emphasizes prevention.
We hope you enjoy this episode! Don't forget, you can earn education credits for listening to the podcast through your ESS portal. To ensure you get credit enter the name and date of the podcast in the, "my development screen." Be sure to share with your colleagues and subscribe so you never miss an opportunity to be at the table and hear first hand of the great things happening at Children's Division.
LISTENING TIP: The podcast is available on most popular podcast apps and you can listen and subscribe wherever you like to listen to podcasts at this link.
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Bonus Episode: Meet Your Deputy of Permanency Angie Swarnes
In this episode, Darrell introduces Deputy Director of Permanency, Angie Swarnes. Learn about her career, her passion, and her experience at Child Advocacy Day. Angie is incredibly passionate and driven to make Missouri a better place for families and children in care. The passion and dedication in Angie's voice is undeniable.
Listen to the Bonus Episode now
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Update to FACES
An exciting update to FACES will make it easier to find voluntary and involuntary Termination of Parental Rights (TPR). This will make it easier for staff to have a full look at families prior history and to be able to discuss prior history and what’s changed with the family for all reports.
This information can now be found on the CAN1/REF1 in the initial, resubmitted, review, and final reports. The information can also be found on the Call/Case Prior History Search screen under TPR Information function. The function will show the information below for the TPR.
Call/Case #: The call/case number associated with the TPR information will display as a Hyperlink which will navigate to the Court Information for the specific TPR hearing.
TPR Child: The name of the child on the TPR Hearing will display.
TPR Parent: The name of the parent on the TPR Hearing will display.
TPR Status: The status of the TPR Hearing will display if equal to “2 - Voluntary TPR Granted by the Court” and “5 - Involuntary TPR Granted by the Court”.
Date: The date of the TPR Hearing will display.
Circuit Court: The Circuit Court selected on the TPR Hearing will display.
 Medicaid Annual Renewals Beginning This Month
Beginning April 1, 2023, Missouri will again be required to complete Medicaid eligibility renewals, or annual renewals for short. More than 1.4 million Missourians currently have healthcare coverage through MO HealthNet and will be impacted by this change. It is important that the Department of Social Services takes every opportunity to notify our families of this critical update. The nature of the work of Children’s Division often allows our team members to have regular contact with Missourians who might need this information. Please be aware of this as you are in the field and provide this flyer to families we serve when appropriate. For more information about annual renewals, please visit mydss.mo.gov/renew.
As a reminder, children currently in foster care, covered under adoption or legal guardianship subsidy, and former foster care youth eligible for coverage up to age 26, do not need to participate in the annual renewal process as they are automatically eligible as a result of being in the state’s care.
National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare (NCSACW) Resources
Parent and family engagement, understanding obstacles individuals with substance use disorder face and having a general knowledge of the impact of SUD to child welfare is critical in our work. The National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare (NCSACW) has several tip sheets and educational material that can be great learning tools and resources for Children’s Division and families. Please see the tip sheets below that are aimed at helping us navigate SUD and the impact is has to our work and the families we serve.
Show Me Healthy Kids (SMHK) Support to Case Managers
Medical Records Collection and Provider/Prescriber Consultations
Show Me Healthy Kids is collecting past medical records on children who enter care starting 2/20/23. These records are uploaded to the child’s SMHK HealthPassport. To obtain these records, or to request SMHK’s assistance when experiencing difficulty obtaining subsequent health records, please work with your local Health Information Specialist and refer to Practice Alert PA23-CM-01 for more information.
SMHK can also support staff by initiating peer-to-peer clinical consultations with prescribers of psychotropic medication. Requests for consultations must go through your local Health Information Specialist. Please see Practice Alert PA23-CM-02 for additional information.
Please direct any questions to Jill.M.Pingel@dss.mo.gov or Melissa.L.Kenny@dss.mo.gov, Health Information Specialist Unit Managers.
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The Call to Foster Podcast: "I got into foster care for my heart to be broken."
Season 1, Episode 3
In this episode, Jessica and Shasta talk to Stephanie Reese, a passionate single parent fostering in Missouri. Stephanie confronts the issue of attachment, reunification, and debunks the myth that foster parents have to be married or stay at home parents. As a full time employee herself, Stephanie has adopted two children and continues to foster children in her area in hopes to break the cycle of trauma for the children in her care.
Be sure to subscribe on your preferred podcast platform and use this as a resource when speaking with anyone interested in foster parenting! Feel free to leave a review so this podcast can reach a larger audience and help recruit more foster parents.
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May is Foster Care Month
This year's national theme is "Strengthening Minds. Uplifting Families." Find more awareness and outreach tools on the Child Welfare Information Gateway website.
In preparation for Foster Care Month, we would like to get staff testimonials from anyone who has participated in the foster care space. We are hoping to tell the WHOLE story and are gathering testimonials from foster parents, foster children, biological parents, ambassadors and everyone in-between. If you'd like to share your story through a video testimonial or even just a quote for social media, please reach out to Melissa Selsor or Ashton Kever.
Save the Date
2nd Annual KIN Conference
June 12-14, 2023 | Free | Osage Beach, Margaritaville
The 2nd Annual KIN Conference put on by the Central Missouri Foster Care and Adoption Association (CMFCAA) is a free (lodging is covered and childcare is provided) event open to relative and kinship families. The conference will be held June 12 – 14, 2023 at the Osage Beach Margaretville. Registration is currently open. Use the button below to pre-register.
2nd Annual R.E.A.L. (Resources, Education, Advocacy and Love) Conference
July 24-26, 2023 | Free | Osage Beach, Margaritaville
The 2nd Annual R.E.A.L. (Resources, Education, Advocacy and Love) Conference put on by CMFCAA is a free event open to foster, adoptive, and kinship families. The conference will be held on July 24-26, 2023 at the Osage Beach Margaretville. Registration will be opening soon. To learn more, email info@mofosteradopt.com.
 Check out the "I Am a Foster Parent" Webpage
Recently, the "I Am a Foster Parent" webpage got updated with a few new features and new pages! All foster parent training is now available on the "Foster Parent Training" page. This new page will make it easier for foster parents to see what courses are available and access them independently.
In addition, there is now a "Treatment Foster Care" webpage. This page is all about Treatment Foster Care, who is involved or can get involved, and where the State of Missouri currently has (or doesn't have) services.
Scholarship and Grant Opportunities for Social Workers
The Fast Track Workforce Incentive Grant is a financial aid program that addresses workforce needs by encouraging adults to pursue a certificate, degree, or industry-recognized credential in an area designated as high need.
Another helpful resource for finding scholarships is available at this website. BestColleges has many articles about ways to make furthering your education easier and more affordable.
 Upcoming Recruitment Events
Do you know someone who would be a great fit for Children's Division? Send them to one of these recruitment events to learn about the job, talk with CD employees in their region, and - at some events - even apply and interview on-the-spot! Another option is to send them to our job openings page.
Keep an eye on DSS social media for more information and to share these events with people you know. Check the DSS Event Calendar and the FSD Job Opportunity Calendar for more information.
We are trying to build our presence at local universities and community events – please let us know of upcoming/future events in your area that you think would be a great way for us to connect with the community and build our brand! Share any ideas for recruitment with Christine Steele at Christine.e.steele@dss.mo.gov.
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April 3 12:30pm - 4:30pm
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CD Reps at University of Central Missouri
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Warrensburg, MO
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April 5
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University of Central Missouri Job Fair
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Warrensburg, MO
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April 12
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Statewide Job Fair
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Jefferson City, MO
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April 26 9:30am - 3:00pm
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St. Charles CD Hiring Event
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St. Charles County Children's Division
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*Dates and locations are subject to change. Contact Christine.Steele@dss.mo.gov if you have any questions.
CCU would also like to thank everyone that calls in for their patience while we are managing our extremely high call volumes. We are loving that you all are calling CCU to staff your safe cases so that we can free up your supervisors to help you manage those families that need the extra attention. However, we have noticed that we are spending a lot of time screen out calls that are not appropriate for CCU and that ends up increasing our call wait times. CCU is working to get some information out there to staff that is short, sweet, and to the point, so it is clear which cases are appropriate for CCU and which cases need to be staffed locally. So stay tuned!
Just please remember that cases for CCU need to be cases were all victim children are seen by CD (not just MDT), and are determined to be safe with no interventions being put in place by CD to keep them safe. Please also remember that the following situations need to remain staffed at the local level: if there is a safety plan implemented at any time during the case; if there is enough information at the time of staffing to make a POE; unable to locate reports; case were a child under four is diagnosed with physical abuse by a SAFE-CARE provider; CA/N present perpetrator unidentified or deceased; harassment reports; “grey” cases; or cases where formal services (IIS, FCS, AC) are being opened, those cases must be staffed at the local level.
You all have helped make CCU a success and we are listening to everything that is being brought to our attention and using that information to continue improving our process. We are dedicated to helping make caseloads more manageable in order to improve staff’s work/life balance and to expedite the process for families where there are no safety concerns so that Children’s Division isn’t involved in their lives if we do not need to be.
CCU Shining Star Dylan Klingeman
CCU would like to congratulate this month’s shining star, Dylan Klingeman! Pictured here with rock legend Brett Michaels!! Unfortunately, Brett Michaels does not work for CD. Dylan started with CD in November 2022 and began taking cases January 2023. In the short time that he has been with the agency, he has really gotten the hang of using CCU to keep his caseload manageable. He does very thorough investigations/assessments and always asks the right questions. He seems to really understand his role and how to ensure children and families are safe. He is really digging in with the families and getting to the root cause of issues. He is also very pleasant to talk to and always forthcoming with information. Dylan received his bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Science from Southeast Missouri University. He said that he joined Children’s Division as an investigator because it was something entirely new that he had never done before and was an opportunity to learn. He hopes to be a pediatrician someday and he said that working with CD has allowed him to learn a side of things that he never would have seen otherwise. He said that he is motivated by being able to work with and make a difference in his local community families. He said that CCU has been a massive help for closing out and staffing on cases. He said that everyone that he has met from CCU has been professional and kind.
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April Lunch and Learn: Voluntary Termination of Parental Rights
Join Legal Aspects for our April Lunch and Learn on April 4th at 12. This month we will be discussing Voluntary Termination of Parental Rights. If you have questions you would specifically like to see addressed during the lunch and learn please email Meaghan Forck or come prepared with any questions you may have!
Please register in the ELC for the class as well, course code: CD000782. If you have trouble registering please feel free to reach out with questions, but you may also attend regardless of registration status. You may also attend without registering using this webex link.
Do you have a Lunch and Learn topic you’d like to see? Please feel free to email them to Meaghan Forck.
Upcoming Training Schedule
The following is the Legal Aspects schedule and other relevant trainings for the rest of the year. To access the trainings, click on the course ID or links listed below.
NOTE: If you are a supervisor, please take a moment to register for one of the supervisor courses below. They are required to be taken by new supervisors within 6 months of employment. Openings in both are currently available!
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Date
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Course
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Details
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April 4
12:00 - 1:00 PM
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Lunch and Learn: Voluntary Terminations of Parental Rights
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CD000782
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April 12-13
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Legal Aspects of Investigations
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CD000153
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April 19-20
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Legal Aspects of Family Centered and Adoption Cases
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CD000171
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May 3-4
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Legal Aspects of Investigations
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CD000153
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May 10-11
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Legal Aspects of Family Centered and Adoption Cases
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CD000171
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May 31 - June 1
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Legal Aspects 360
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CD000604
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June 14-15
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Legal Aspects of Investigations
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CD000153
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June 28-29
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Legal Aspects of Family Centered and Adoption Cases
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CD000171
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July 5-6
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Legal Aspects of Investigations
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CD000153
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July 19-20
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Legal Aspects of Family Centered and Adoption Cases
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CD000171
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July 26-27
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Legal Aspects of Family Centered and Adoption Cases
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CD000171
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If you have trouble enrolling in a legal aspects course, please contact CD.latrainingteam@dss.mo.gov. For trouble enrolling in other courses please contact, Sandra.F.Brame@dss.mo.gov.
We Want to Hear From You!
If you have something you would like to share in the next newsletter issue, please email Ashton Kever at ashton.kever@dss.mo.gov.
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