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Welcome to PEI Provider News! Our weekly e-newsletter to providers combines provider resources, stories of interest, exclusive educational opportunities, and grant information. In this issue:
PEIRS Application Updates
- DFPS' Provider County Search will now update provider information automatically from the PEI Admin application in order to display search results. This will ensure that the most up-to-date information is provided to families trying to locate and obtain Prevention and Early Intervention services.
- PEI “Get Parenting Tips” Local Support Finder will now update provider information automatically from the PEI Admin application in order to display search results. This will ensure that the most up-to-date information is provided to families trying to locate and obtain Prevention and Early Intervention services.
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For providers who have concerns that their contact information on public websites is incorrect. Please contact your contract manager and cc: peidata@dfps.texas.gov to resolve.
- Fixed an issue on PEIRS “Enrollments List” page in which the system sometimes did not display “Srvc”, “Visit”, or “Data” hyperlinks in the Due column for each enrollment that had at least one relevant task or alert in due status.
Cybersecurity Training
All users of the PEIRS application are required to complete an IT cybersecurity training on an annual basis. To meet this requirement, PEI has created a GoToWebinar-base training approved by the Department of Information Resources. Visit the Cybersecurity Training Homepage for more information.
 Date: July 15th
Time: 10:00 A.M. - 11:00 A.M. CST
Register
Join DFPS Prevention and Early Intervention's Office of Child Safety to learn innovative strategies to prevent child fatalities.
During this webinar, you will hear from community partners that are doing great work to address water safety, safe sleep, and preventing abusive head trauma through support to parents from prenatal through infancy.
You'll learn engaging and effective ways to support child safety at home and in the community, with concrete examples and strategies to keep kids safe!
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
 The 21st Annual Partners in Prevention Conference will take place at the Renaissance Austin Hotel in Austin, Texas on November 2-4, 2021. Our hybrid conference is still evolving to align with social distancing and the safety of all presenters and conference goers.
Our 2021 theme is Forging Forward Together: Nurturing Communities and Families.
We seek to recognize the challenges of the past year and the power of coming together, carving out paths towards a future that supports prevention and early intervention professionals and the communities they support and partner with.
Feel free to share this message with others. Start the conversation on your social media accounts! #pipcon2021
For questions, please contact pipcon@austin.utexas.edu.
How Will You Attend PIP?
Partners in Prevention is planning a hybrid-model conference at the Renaissance Austin Hotel, with select conference sessions available virtually. Please help us get an idea of your preferred method of attending this year's conference by answering one question below. Thank you!
 Join us every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month as we explore current, relevant topics based on state trends, featuring PEI speakers and guest experts.
Summertime Child Safety Tips
Date: July 13th
Time: 2:00 P.M. - 3:30 P.M. CST
Register
It’s finally summer and for many this means children are home. Families are looking for ways to keep their young ones engaged and also spend quality time together. It is important to remember that there are possible dangers to children that are common in the summer months. This webinar will focus on summer child safety tips. Topics that will be covered during this webinar:
- Water safety
- The dangers of hot vehicles
- Extreme outdoor heat conditions
- Utilizing teens/pre-teens as caregivers
- Safe sleep
- Safety tips regarding social media use by the youth
Disability Resource Guide for Families in Texas
Date: July 27th
Time: 2:00 P.M. - 3:00 P.M. CST
Register
When a loved one receives a disability diagnosis, family usually feel overwhelmed by the news. They go through a grieving process, so this is the time when professionals must be prepared to help and provide them with the right tools to overcome the situation and reach the best outcome for the whole family. Come and learn how to tailor a list of resources to help and guide families in Texas.
 To take these courses: Type or paste the course names below into the search bar on the PEI Learning Hub:
- Click on the course and select “request”
- On your transcript select “launch” to begin
- When the video is complete, go to "completed" courses in your transcript
- Select "evaluate" to provide feedback
For questions, contact PEITraining@dfps.state.tx.us.
Office of Child Safety Presents: Teenager Safety
With the internet, technology and social media, teenagers are falling victim to a wide array of dangers. Teenage depression and suicide rates are on the rise and more teenagers are becoming victims of human trafficking. This webinar will discuss the increased dangers teenagers are facing, risk factors, teenage drug use, cyber bulling and the symptoms of a potential problem. We will also discuss popular social media apps teens are using to hide things from their parents/caregivers, how to engage a teen who may be in trouble and resources to address any concerns.
Achieve OnDemand: Basics of Home Visiting (Self-Paced Course)
Home visitors are committed to the best possible life for babies and their parents. During this course, you will learn how your strengths and motivations will help you achieve this goal and connect with families of all kinds. This course serves as an introduction or valuable refresher on fundamentals such as how to plan for home visits; set goals with families; and handle the unexpected challenges your job presents.
 Essentials of Home Visiting Webinars - Now Free for Grantees
Access the Essentials of Home Visiting Portal free of cost. Use this link to register.
Essentials of Home Visiting: Promoting Effective Parenting with Motivational Interviewing (Webinar)
Date: July 8th
Time: 12:00 P.M. - 1:00 P.M. CDT
Register by: July 7th at 12:00 P.M. CDT
Reflective practice is essential to providing high-quality home visiting services and engaging with families. The utilization of motivational interviewing in reflective practice can greatly enhance the effectiveness of services and improve relationships with families served. Motivational interviewing is a collaborative, person-centered form of guiding to elicit and strengthen motivation for change. This webinar identifies the fundamental elements of motivational interviewing and explores strategies for using motivational interviewing in home visiting. Note: This webinar complements the Basics of Home Visiting self-paced course.
Essentials of Home Visiting: Partnering for Change: Having the Conversation (Webinar)
Date: July 22nd
Time: 12:00 P.M. - 1:00 P.M. CDT
Register by: July 21st at 12:00 P.M. CDT
As a home visitor, how do you engage with families around the topic of substance abuse? This webinar explores strength-based strategies and conversation starters you can incorporate in your work with parents to successfully engage families around the issues of substance abuse and support the growth and development of their children. Note: This webinar complements Challenges in Home Visiting: Substance Abuse self-paced course.
Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health® Approved Training Opportunity
The Essentials of Home Visiting self-paced online courses and live webinars for family professionals count towards training requirements to earn and renew a Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Endorsement® from the Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health. The Alliance, a national organization with partner offices in more than 30 states, supports and approves Start Early’s Essentials of Home Visiting accredited online courses to support home visiting in any model.
Upon completion of these learning experiences, participants earn in-service training credits from First3Years Texas. Review this crosswalk, which details The Essentials of Home Visiting trainings that support each Endorsement Knowledge & Skill Area, as well as credit hours a professional may earn upon completion.
Perinatal Mood Disorders: Diagnosis, Treatment & Referral Grand Rounds
Date: July 7th
Time: 11:00 A.M. - 12:30 P.M. CDT
Register
This presentation will focus on the diagnosis and treatment of common perinatal mood disorders. This will include prevention, non-pharmacological interventions and pharmacological interventions, including medications safe during pregnancy and lactation. The presentation will include information about prescribing medications for perinatal mood disorders by primary care providers and obstetricians, and appropriate referrals. Presented by Sarah Wakefield, M.D., Texas Tech University Health Center
DSHS Grand Rounds is designed to expand understanding of the science and evidence-based practice of population health. Each session focuses on key challenges related to a specific health topic, and explores cutting-edge scientific evidence and potential impact of different interventions.
Free PAX Tools Training Opportunity
The Educational Service Center Region 13 is partnering with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to offer a free training on evidence-based PAX strategies. The nine-hour virtual training is appropriate for childcare and youth workers, juvenile justice staff, after-school and summer camp, behavioral health providers, coaches, youth ministers, and peer support providers.
Trainings usually cost between $225 and $600 per participant, but for a limited time, they are able to offer full scholarships to Texas organizations/providers working with youth and or families.
Participants who complete the training receive a lifetime certification and access to all members-only resources and materials, including live monthly advanced support calls with PAXIS Institute trainers and a substantial resource kit for their organization.
All scholarship trainings must be completed by August 31, 2021. Contact Donna Wasielewski for more information about this training.
 The 2021 Texas Fatherhood Summit has ended, but the presentations and resources are available year round! Visit the 2021 Summit Landing Page for recordings of panels and keynotes.
The Fatherhood Resource Hub has been refreshed with new tools to help organizations and communities work with fathers and families across Texas. Visit the Hub online at https://www.fatherhoodresourcehub.org/
Starting July 15, the new Child Tax Credit in the American Rescue Plan Act provides monthly benefits of $250 per child between ages 6-17 and $300 per child under age 6. The IRS has launched a simplified online tool which will allow families not automatically enrolled in the program to receive the Child Tax Credit – more information at ChildTaxCredit.gov. This new policy will help cut child poverty in half, but it’s only available in 2021. We need the American Families Plan so families can benefit for years and years to come.
Families should visit www.childtaxcredit.gov to learn more about this important benefit, and those that did not file taxes last year can use this tool provided by the IRS to sign up to receive benefits.
We encourage you to notify the families in your state and communities so that they can access this much-needed support for children.
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If you have any events or news that you would like to share in the next e-newsletter please email PEINews@dfps.texas.gov
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