Episode 20 - Rising to the Challenge of Covid-19

03/11/21 • 31 min

Teresa Huizar, Executive Director of the National Children’s Alliance, explores how the CAC Movement has risen to meet the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic and what opportunities have arisen that may prove beneficial in the future.

EPISODE SUMMARY:

When the Covid-19 pandemic struck, Child Advocacy Center’s and Multidisciplinary Teams were forced to pivot the way they were providing services to children and families in the community. As the crisis continues, the CAC movement is learning that some of the innovative changes they have made may prove to be beneficial when the pandemic is behind us. In this episode, I speak with the Executive Director of the National Children’s Alliance, Teresa Huizar. Teresa has dedicated her career to the CAC movement serving in leadership roles at the local and regional level and for the past 14 years as the Executive Director of the National Children’s Alliance. During our conversation, Teresa shares her thoughts on the various ways CAC’s and MDT’s across the country have pivoted to meet the challenges posed by this pandemic all while continuing to serve children and families who have suffered the trauma of abuse.

Topics in this episode:

Resilience of the people in the CAC Movement
Accelerated use of technology
Tele-Health
Case Review
Workforce challenges and opportunities
Strategies to address vicarious trauma and secondary traumatic stress

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES:

National Children's Alliance: www.nationalchildrensalliance.org
One in Ten Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/280046
NCA Learning Center COVID-19 Resources for CACs, Partners, and Caregivers: https://learn.nationalchildrensalliance.org/covid

For more information on the Northeast Regional Children’s Advocacy Center, visit our website at www.nrcac.org.

Disclaimer: This project was sponsored by NRCAC from Grant Award Number 2019-CI-FX-K005 and CFDA #16.758 awarded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, OJJDP or NRCAC.

EPISODE SUMMARY:

Topics in this episode:

Resilience of the people in the CAC Movement
Accelerated use of technology
Tele-Health
Case Review
Workforce challenges and opportunities
Strategies to address vicarious trauma and secondary traumatic stress

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES:

National Children's Alliance: www.nationalchildrensalliance.org
One in Ten Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/280046
NCA Learning Center COVID-19 Resources for CACs, Partners, and Caregivers: https://learn.nationalchildrensalliance.org/covid

For more information on the Northeast Regional Children’s Advocacy Center, visit our website at www.nrcac.org.

Previous Episode

Episode 19 - Dr Anthony Orsini

EPISODE SUMMARY:

The professionals responding to child abuse allegations in their communities are routinely placed in situations where they need to have difficult conversations with children, parents, and caregivers. Whether working with a family in crisis or breaking bad news to a family in disbelief, good communication skills can go a long way in helping that child and family process and heal from the trauma they have faced. In this episode, I speak with Dr. Anthony Orsini who is a practicing physician in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Winnie Palmer Hospital in Orlando Florida and author, and speaker on the topic of compassionate communications. During our conversation, Dr. Orsini shares his proven communication techniques that help professionals build rapport and quickly form trusting relationships with clients.

GUEST:

Dr. Anthony Orsini is a practicing physician, author, and frequent speaker on the topic of compassionate communication in medicine. He is the Level II Medical Director at Winnie Palmer Hospital in Orlando which is one of the largest Neonatal Intensive Care Units in the world. He also serves as

Chief of Patient Experience and Palliative Care Liaison for his neonatal practice.

Profoundly impacted by an early career experience and the discovery that even the most successful and well-respected physicians often struggled with their communication skills, Dr. Orsini has spent the last 25 years developing proven communication techniques that help doctors build rapport and quickly form trusting relationships with their patients. In 2011, he founded The Orsini Way, a company that provides communication training to healthcare and business professionals. Through his interactive workshops and unique coaching, he has trained thousands of senior physicians, nurses, and practitioners on how to enhance their patient’s overall experience and become more fulfilled with their own lives.

Dr. Orsini has authored several papers on the topics of communication in medicine, enhancing the patient experience and delivering tragic news. His recently published book titled “It’s All in the Delivery – Improving Healthcare Starting With a Single Conversation” is now available on Amazon. He is a frequent keynote speaker at medical and business events, including an upcoming TEDx presentation entitled-Improving Healthcare Starts with a Single Conversation.

His weekly podcast “Difficult Conversations – Lessons I Learned as an ICU Physician” hit the Top 100 podcasts on Apple in just 1 week.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES:

For more information on the Northeast Regional Children’s Advocacy Center, visit our website at www.nrcac.org

Next Episode

Episode 21 - Forensic Interviewing Skill Development

EPISODE SUMMARY:

In the last five years, over 1 million children have received forensic interview services at Child Advocacy Centers across the United States. In the first of four episodes dedicated to this topic, Rita Farrell, Director of ChildFirst® for Zero Abuse Project, discusses the value of peer review and how forensic interviewers can continually enhance their skills through coaching, mentoring, and program development.

Forensic interviewers are dedicated professionals passionate about helping the children and families they serve. Like any other professional skill, forensic interviewing skills can deteriorate if not developed. Forensic interviewers should continually work on enhancing their knowledge and skills in an ongoing effort to do their job effectively. In this episode, NRCAC Training Specialist Tony DeVincenzo speaks with Rita Farrell, Director of ChildFirst® for Zero Abuse Project about ways interviewers can receive additional training, identify gaps in their skill development, and make a plan to hone their skills to remain effective in this critical MDT role.

GUEST:

Rita manages the ChildFirst® Forensic Interview Training Program, ChildFirst® Arkansas state program, and the development of advanced training courses and programs for forensic interviewers. She is a certified law enforcement instructor and provides training and technical assistance for child protection professionals. Rita currently conducts forensic interviews and has interviewed more than 2,500 children. She serves as an expert witness on child sexual abuse, authored many peer-reviewed articles specific to forensic interviewing and continues to champion the cause of child advocacy and the field of forensic interviewing.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES: