Training and Webinars

Motivational Interviewing Overview

This project is hosted by the Office of the State Courts Administration with content designed and developed by Jennifer D. Luther of Correctional Rehabilitation Services.

• PowerPoint Slides
• Training Evaluation

Attorneys who watch this webinar are eligible for CLE credit by contacting the Florida Bar and referencing course #2409320N. Approval period is from 08/26/2024 - 02/28/2026.

Judges may request CJE credit by contacting CJEMail@miyao2009.com and referencing course #24-119.

Dependency Law Update

Presented by Judge Jose Izquierdo and Avron Bernstein 

2023 Dependency Law Update, Juvenile and Family Law Amendments, Combined 2023 Laws 

This webinar is a presentation on legislative changes to dependency cases from the 2023 Legislative Session. The webinar was presented by Circuit Judge Jose Izquierdo from the 17^th Judicial Circuit and Avron Bernstein from the Office of Family Courts. In addition to new legislation, it also references the Florida Supreme Court’s 2022 amendments to the Florida Rules of Juvenile Procedure regarding the use of communication technology. 

Attorneys who watch this webinar are eligible for 0.5 hours (0.5 hours of certification in juvenile law) of CLE credit by contacting the Florida Bar and referencing course #2308300N. Approval period is from July 27, 2023-January 31, 2025.

Judges may request CJE credit by contacting CJEMail@miyao2009.com and referencing course #23-109.

Opioid Use Surrounding Pregnancy - Consideration for Courts

Presented by Dr. Anthony Kendle and Dr. Tanner Wright

Medical experts Dr. Anthony Kendle & Dr. Tanner Wright explain common use and caveats of opioids (morphine, fentanyl, remifentanyl, butorphanol, and oxycodone) in the care and management of patients.

Attorneys who watch this webinar are eligible for 1 hour of CLE credit by contacting the Florida Bar and referencing course #2210542N.

Embracing a Problem-Solving Mindset to Represent Parents in Child Welfare Cases

Presented by Professor Vivek Sankaran, University of Michigan Law School

The session explored how attorneys can shift from an adversarial mindset to a problem-solving approach to better serve families in the child welfare system. Specific advocacy techniques were discussed, along with systemic considerations, so that stakeholders can begin to build a system of advocacy that meets the needs of children and parents. As a result of the presentation, attendees should be able to: explain what high quality legal representation for parents looks like in the child welfare system; describe what makes advocacy in child welfare cases different than other cases; and discuss when attorneys should collaborate and when they should litigate.

About the presenter: Professor Sankaran directs both the Child Advocacy Law Clinic and the Child Welfare Appellate Clinic at the University of Michigan Law School through which law students represent children and parents in trial and appellate proceedings. Professor Sankaran has written numerous articles focused on improving the child welfare system and has litigated cases before the Michigan Supreme Court. In addition, he conducts state and national trainings and works on child welfare initiatives with various national groups, including the American Bar Association, Casey Family Programs, and the National Center for State Courts.

Virtual Visitation: What Courts Should Know

We know visits are critical to successful reunification, but the pandemic has upended typical visitation practices. There is an extensive body of research on the use of virtual visitation between children and their families in other populations that we can apply to the field of child welfare. This one-hour webinar, featuring Georgetown Professor Dr. Rachel Barr, summarizes existing research on how to sustain parent-child relationships through virtual visitation, with a focus on how dependency court orders grounded in research can promote meaningful virtual visitation.

Conditions for Return Judicial Training

In 2017, Conditions for Return was established in law. Through a collaborative effort with the Office of the State Courts Administrator, the Guardian Ad Litem Program, Children’s Legal Services, the Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel, Foster and Adoptive Parent Associations and many other strategic partners, the Strong Foundations team has developed training and tools to enhance the understanding of Conditions for Return so that it is applied consistently and appropriately across the state. The goal is to train each of the system partners in the area of Conditions for Return so that each party has the same core knowledge of the concept and the role it plays in reunification. As a result of attending this session, participants will be able to:

1. Explain Conditions for Return and how they evolve in a dependency case.
2. Describe the impact of a well-developed safety and transition plan in the reunification process.
3. List procedural and evidentiary requirements for reunification under Conditions for Return.
4. Describe the role each party to the case plays in the reunification process.

Note: To assist with grant requirements, please notify Embrace Families after viewing this session by emailing christy.fisher@embracefamilies.org.  

To claim 2 hour CLE credit after watching this video, please contact christy.fisher@embracefamilies.org.

Understanding Trauma in Children From the Bench

Young children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of trauma, especially when their relationships with their caregivers are affected.  Similarly, older children and adolescents also demonstrate concerning changes in functioning in response to experiences of trauma. Relying on specific examples of young children examined in Florida’s Early Childhood Court (ECC) system, Dr. Kimberly Renk and Judge Alicia Latimore examined the characteristics of trauma often seen in children and adolescents within the child welfare system.  They discussed various ways in which judges presiding over dependency cases can best encourage the efforts of high-risk parents to organize trauma-related feelings and behaviors in themselves and their children.  Additionally, valuable suggestions were given regarding evidence-based interventions that may be useful for remediating the effects of trauma for children, adolescents, and their families.

Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA): An Overview for the Judiciary

Presented by: Zandra Odum, Vanessa Snoddy, and Stephanie Zimmerman of The Department of Children and Families

The Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) of 2018 represented the most significant reform to federal child welfare policy in decades. FFPSA includes historic title IV-E funding reforms to help keep children safely with their families and avoid the traumatic experience of entering foster care, emphasizes the importance of children growing up in families, and helps ensure children are placed in the least restrictive, most family-like setting appropriate to their special needs when foster care is needed. FFPSA calls on states to fundamentally reconsider their approach to child protection and family support and move to a front-end prevention and child wellbeing system of care. Full implementation of the act will take several years for states to make a successful transition. During this presentation, participants will get an overview of FFPSA and learn how the federal legislation impacts the child welfare system of care, specifically the placement of children in foster care and service delivery to children in-home with their caregivers.

Resources: FFPSA Overview for Judiciary August 2021, FFPSA Overview of Provisions

Florida Dependency Court Information System (FDCIS) Demo

Presented by: George Roberts

The Florida Dependency Court Information System (FDCIS) is a web-based case management system that provides the judiciary with resources to ensure timeliness of court events, with a goal of achieving positive outcomes for Florida’s abused and neglected children. Created for judges, magistrates, and court staff to utilize, FDCIS provides uniform and reliable data to meet appropriate timeframes. The system utilizes data exchanges with various agencies to eliminate duplicate data entry and enriches the breadth and depth of dependency case knowledge. Participants attending this presentation will have an opportunity to view a live demonstration of the system and ask questions of the system administrator.

Resources: FDCIS User Access Form, FDCIS Overview