Michele, Jennifer, and Lily led workshops at the Albany conference and hold pinwheels here to signify their participating in Child Abuse Prevention Month.
April was Child Abuse Prevention Month and TFC engaged in lots of exciting events and activities in order to share our knowledge about how we can keep children safe in their homes, schools and communities. From April 13th through April 15th, Family Center staff attended the Prevent Child Abuse New York Conference in Albany and conducted four different workshop presentations. The conference was sponsored in part by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services, which also partly funds The Family Center’s Early Support for Lifelong Success (ESLS) program. Family Center staff who presented include: Michele Favale, Lily Kim, Alicia Leporati, Jennifer Reeves and Florie St. Aime.
Florie, an ESLS child development specialist, presented a workshop at the conference entitled “Facing the Camera: Using Video to Promote Reflective Parenting.” Florie discussed how ESLS staff use the Keys to Interactive Parenting Scale (KIPS) to assess clients’ parenting skills, abilities, and growth. Florie especially focused on the ways that ESLS staff use videotaping to maximize the benefit of KIPS to clients and their children. Essentially, staff videotape parents and children playing together and then watch the video with the parent and discuss: “What were the things you did well?” and “What was something that you could do better?”
Florie presented KIPS videos during her workshop in Albany
Most exciting for workshop participants, Florie made the exercise real. She showed presentation attendees a list of the questions that ESLS staff review with clients after watching the KIPS videotapes. Then, Florie showed a video and asked those in attendance to consider what their answers would have been if they were the staff member involved, and also if they were the parent involved. Florie’s audience was so receptive and impressed with her presentation that she received an email from a program director in Upstate New York asking if she might share the reflective questions listed on her presentation slides. Of course, Florie was delighted to share her hard-earned knowledge.
The Family Center is proud of our staff, not only for attending the Prevent Child Abuse New York Conference and conducting presentations, but also -and most importantly- for all their hard work to prevent child abuse throughout the year.