PEI Grantee News Volume 8, Issue 17

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PEI Grantee News
A PEI Newsletter Vol. 8, Issue 17

Welcome to PEI Grantee News!

Our weekly e-newsletter to providers combines provider resources, stories of interest, exclusive educational opportunities, and grant information. In this issue:

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Free Get Parenting Tips Calendars and Activity Books

Parenting Tips Calendars

Order your 2022 Get Parenting Tips Calendars
and Activity books today. 

The Get Parenting Tips Calendar is filled with helpful tips for parents and caregivers of children of all ages. It’s available in English and Spanish, and endorsed by The Texas Pediatric Society. Calendars are shipped for free in quantities of 100 calendars per box. 

The Get Parenting Tips Activity Book features 28 pages of fun for every child. Download a copy here or order a box for the children in your community below. 

Order Today

 

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Mileage Reimbursement Rate Increase

Effective January 1, 2022, DFPS increased the mileage reimbursement rate for using a personal vehicle for business travel from 56 cents to 58.5 cents per mile. This new rate reflects the Comptroller’s and Internal Revenue Service’s standard mileage rate.

You and your supervisor are responsible for choosing the most cost effective means of travel after considering all circumstances. When at all possible, and especially for planned trips, you are required to use a rental car if it results in savings for the State. 

Remember that you must use the Rental Vehicle vs. Mileage Reimbursement Calculator when planning each trip.

Please contact your program specialist if you have any questions. 

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Partners in Prevention Webinar Series

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Partners in Prevention: Parent Engagement Panel webinar

Date: January 19th
Time: 10:00 A.M. - 11:00 A.M. CST
Register

Join PEI for a virtual panel discussion on how parent involvement has helped PEI and our partners better their services within their respective communities.

Our panelists from Presbyterian Children’s Homes & Services (PCHAS), United Way Metropolitan Dallas (UWMD), and Housing Authority City of Austin (HACA) will share their experiences on how they got to where they are, challenges they experienced, and talk about the importance of engaging fathers and their value to the work we are doing with parent engagement.

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Parent Café Enhanced Technical Assistance Webinars

Are you a trained and/or certified Parent Café host?

My Health My Resources (MHMR) of Tarrant County will be hosting Parent Café Enhanced Technical Assistance and skill building webinars for all providers who have participated in virtual Parent Café training.

Webinar Topic: Taking the Conversation Deeper

Date: January 21st
Time: 11:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M. CST
Register

This webinar will cover the roles of the room host or table host conversation and how to take the conversation to a deeper level.

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Connect with the PEI Learning Hub

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To take these courses: Type or paste the course names below into the search bar on the PEI Learning Hub:

  1. Click on the course and select “request”
  2. On your transcript select “launch” to begin
  3. When the video is complete, go to "completed" courses in your transcript
  4. Select "evaluate" to provide feedback

For questions, contact PEITraining@dfps.state.tx.us.

Supervising Home Visitors. (Self-Paced Course)

Supervision plays a vital role in keeping home visits centered on parent-child relationships and the content focused on the achievement of outcomes. Supervisors know, however, that home visitors routinely work with families whose complex needs go beyond what home visits alone can address. This course offers practical strategies new and experienced supervisors can use to make the most of their interactions and time with home visitors to meet these challenges. Explore best practices to ensure your team achieves success with families with your critical support as their supervisor. Note: This Achieve OnDemand learning experience qualifies for .3 IACET Continuing Education Units (CEUs).

Build Your Team Like a Pro: Partners and Employees

Learn methods to help you select and develop your team, find your strategic partners, and watch your business grow.

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Essentials of Home Visiting Courses

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Grantees can now download a complete list of upcoming trainings on the PEI Learning Hub

Did you know?

Essentials of Home Visiting Trainings:

  • are approved training opportunities for multiple credentials;
  • are IACET accredited (International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training); 
  • 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.

Upon completion of the Essentials of Home Visiting 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.

Access the Essentials of Home Visiting live webinars through the Essentials of Home Visiting Portal free of cost. 

Use this link to register for any webinars from Start EarlyTM


Understanding Substance Abuse through the Family Lens

Date: January 11th
Time: 12:00 P.M. - 1:00 P.M. CST
Register by: December 10th at 12:00 P.M. CDT

As a home visitor, how do you intentionally respond to situations where substance abuse is present in the families you support? This webinar discusses ways to recognize a family's values and strengths which can help guide you approach when working with a family impacted by substance abuse. We will also explore how substance abuse affects family dynamics. Note: This webinar complements Challenges in Home Visiting: Substance Abuse self-paced course.

Essentials of Home Visiting: Exploremos los valores y las creencias sobre la crianza de los Niños y las niñas

Date: January 12th
Time: 12:00 P.M. - 1:00 P.M. CST
Register by: January 11th at 12:00 P.M. CST

Todos participamos con nuestras propias creencias sobre la crianza de los hijos. Este ciber seminario, cubre la manera de reconocer y monitorear tales creencias, y aborda la forma en que nuestras creencias, influyen en el trabajo que hacemos con las familias. Este ciber seminario, complementa el curso autodidacta: Fundamentos de la Práctica de la Salud Mental Infantil en la Visita a Hogares.

Reflective Supervision

Date: January 14th
Time: 10:00 A.M. - 11:00 A.M. CST
Register by: January 13th at 12:00 P.M. CDT

The reflective supervision model offers supervisors and staff an opportunity to engage in a collaborative process that involves shared power, clear mutual expectations, and free-flowing communication. This webinar examines the reflective supervision model as a process between the supervisor and staff member that differs from administrative supervision. Administrative supervision is about “the work you do,” and reflective supervision is about “what the work is doing to you.” As a result of this webinar, you will more prepared and confident when participating in reflective supervision with your staff. Note: This webinar complements the Supervising Home Visitors and the Impact of Trauma in Supervising Home Visitors self-paced courses.

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Free Training Resource for Providers

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Institute of the Advancement of Family Support Professionals

The Institute offers family support professionals everywhere the opportunity to learn new skills and grow their careers. Through engaging, online modules and a personalized learning map feature, professionals take charge of their growth and advancement.

All Institute modules and the career compass are based on the National Core Competency Framework. Supervisor modules are based on the National Supervisor Competency Framework .

Access the Institute of the Advancement of Family Support Professionals Home Visiting Modules through the Learning Institute Portal free of cost.

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Youth and Domestic Violence Webinar

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Youth and Domestic Violence: Needs, Services, and Impact

Date: January 27th
Time: 12:00 P.M. - 1:30 P.M. CST 
Register (1.5 CEUs will be offered for attending this online discussion)

Youth who have experienced domestic violence in their homes have many psychosocial needs. Community-based domestic violence programs help address these needs through programs like counseling, childcare, and mentoring which helping with family stabilization and healing, but more support is needed. Join the Center for Violence Prevention and the Texas Institute for Child & Family Wellbeing for an online discussion of our recent statewide study, "Children Exposed to Domestic Violence: Understanding the Community Service Response and Needs in Texas." The research team and a panel of practitioners will discuss study findings and next steps to enhance the service response to youth and families experiencing domestic violence.

Presenters:

  • Dr. Leila Wood, Ph.D., MSSW - Director of Evaluation for the Center for Violence Prevention
  • Maggy McGiffert, MA - Senior Research Associate for the Center for Violence Prevention
  • Dr. Monica Faulkner, Ph.D. LMSW - TXICFW Director and Co-Principal Investigator
  • Anna Wasim, MSSW - TXICFW Lead Research Coordinator
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Register for Baby Day 2022

BabyDay2022

Date: February 6-12, 2022
Register

Baby Day invites 0-3-year-olds and their caregivers to join us for a week of bonding and delight! The virtual celebration will include live-streamed and on-demand baby and toddler activities such as; music, art, yoga, reading, caregiver classes and resources, and more! This year, Baby Day has a specific focus on early childhood professionals with new offerings of free caregiver continuing education opportunities and programming geared toward professional development.

Registration is FREE, and the first 500 registrants will receive a complementary educational package with a free book!

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Children's Crisis Services Survey

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Background

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) has developed a brief survey about children’s mental health services. Specifically the survey is looking at the needs and gaps related to state psychiatric hospital services and community-based services that may reduce the need for state psychiatric hospital services. HHSC will use the survey results to help in future planning for crisis mental health services and service delivery for children up to age 18.

Your expertise is requested

The survey should take less than 10 minutes to complete. Survey responses will remain anonymous. Pursuant to state law, parental consent is required for certain minors to complete the survey. HHSC encourages you to share the survey link with staff, local stakeholders and members of your local communities.

To complete the survey go to:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/T37GMF8

The survey will remain open through January 14, 2022

If you have questions about the survey email BHSOMD@hhs.texas.gov or HHS_SHS_Questions@hhs.texas.gov.

For more information about HHSC State Hospital Services click here.

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Funding Opportunity

AmeriCorps

AmeriCorps Texas Planning & Operating Grants Now Available for 2022-2023

Apply for resources to launch & operate an AmeriCorps Texas program in 2022. Grow the reach & impact of your nonprofit, school, or agency by leveraging the power & resources of national service! We are offering new funding opportunities for organizations interested in launching an AmeriCorps program in Texas. Grants are available to support organizations in either planning & development or launching & operating new AmeriCorps programs that engage individuals in direct service to address critical needs across Texas. Notice of Intent to Apply form is due Thursday, March 3, 2022.

Planning Grant Notice of Funding

Planning Grant recipients receive financial support up to $75,000 and OneStar training & resources to develop an AmeriCorps program from September 2022-August 2023. Planning grantees are expected to be better prepared to compete for an AmeriCorps operating grant in the 2023-2024 grant cycle. Apply now.

Operating Grant Notice of Funding

Operating Grant recipients should be prepared to launch an AmeriCorps program with AmeriCorps members starting service in September 2022. All AmeriCorps members must serve solely within Texas. Grant amount awarded is based on the number of AmeriCorps members serving with your program. Apply now.

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Job Opportunities

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Come Work for PEI!

The Prevention and Early Intervention team is hiring for several positions! Posting search tips: use key words “prevention and early intervention” and select DFPS under agency. 


Visit the State of Texas Jobs Portal


Office of Court Administration Liaisons

Early Intervention Court Liaisons will develop and nurture relationships withcommunity resources and services that provide support to families, to create and maintain a community system of care for young children and their families. These positions will support the local child protection court and help develop prevention service capacity in targeted communities through connection to local referral networks to better connect and inform families of services available. 

There are three Early Intervention Court Liaison positions available, one in each of the following counties: Bell, Galveston, and Lubbock.

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COVID-19 Information and Resources

It is easier than ever before to get a vaccine, booster, or test. COVID-19 vaccinations and tests are free and require neither identification nor insurance. Sites are busy due to the holidays so tests or vaccines may need to be scheduled ahead of time. 

Residents can locate providers in their area using Vaccines.gov or texting their zip code to 438829 (822862 in Spanish) to find a nearby clinic. Residents can also call 3-1-1 (512-974-2000) for more information regarding COVID-19 testing and vaccinations. 

Visit the Texas DSHS and HHSC websites for more updated statewide COVID-19 information and resources.

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Share Your Work!

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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