Presenters: Dale W. Bomberger, EdD, ACSW, Training Consultant, NHS Human Services, Harrisburg, PA; Abby Crowley, EdD, Director of Professional Development, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington, Washington, D.C.; Amy Lantz, BS, Training Coordinator, NHS Human Services, Hollidaysburg, PA; Samuel Skeba, MS, Training Coordinator, NHS Human Services, Pittsburgh, PA

Location: Basildon Room, Third Floor

PowerPoint Presentation(s):

- Enhancing Organizational Capacity Through Professional Development

A2. Sustaining Success in Challenging Environments

This workshop will provide participants with an overview of the extent to which external and internal changes can affect the stability of an organization and the role that accreditation plays in supporting stability and longevity, leveraging core competencies, promoting strategic planning, and encouraging strong partnerships between boards, staff, and external stakeholders.

Presenters: Donald C. Austin, Jr., Chief Program Officer, Starfish Family Services, Inkster, MI; T. Lindsay Joines, Jr., Quality Improvement/Compliance Officer, Eliada Homes, Inc., Asheville, NC; Ann Kalass, CEO, Starfish Family Services, Inkster, MI; Shawn Lamarche, MPA, Resource Development Coordinator, Children Services Administration Broward County, Fort Lauderdale, FL; Brenda W. LaVar, PhD, CAPP, Accreditation and Quality Improvement Director, Children Services Administration Broward County, Fort Lauderdale, FL

Location: Park Avenue Center/North Suite, Fourth Floor

PowerPoint Presentation(s):

- Sustaining Success in Challenging Environments

*A3. COA Accreditation: A Strategy to Promote Organizational Sustainability

Learn how your organization can use COA accreditation to effectively prepare for challenging environments by promoting ongoing planning, risk assessment, leadership capacity, and strong governance. This presentation will also provide participants with an overview of the new Milestone Timelines and the Focused Reaccreditation Process, as well as updates on our new and upcoming service standards. There will be a question-and-answer period at the end of this session.

Presenters: Richard Klarberg, JD, President & CEO, COA, New York, NY and representatives from COA’s Management Team

Location: John Jacob Astor Salon, Third Floor

PowerPoint Presentation(s):

- COA Accreditation (Richard Klarberg)

A4. Adoption Ethics: Conflicting Rights and Interests

How can ethical dilemmas be resolved when there are competing and conflicting rights and interests among triad members? If adoption practice is legal, is it ethical? Through examination of case scenarios, participants will focus on current controversial issues such as photo listings, access to birth certificates, birth fathers' rights, open adoption agreements, search and reunion, and recruitment of birth parents. An ethical framework will emerge that can help guide decision-making and inform case practice.

Presenters: Etta Lappen Davis, MAEd, Principal, Etsky Consulting, Bolton, MA and Karen K. Greenberg, Immediate Past-President, American Academy of Adoption Attorneys, Washington, D.C.

Location: Herbert Hoover Suite, Fourth Floor

PowerPoint Presentation(s):

- Adoption Ethics: Conflicting Rights and Interests

Handout(s):

- Adoption Ethics: Conflicting Rights and Interests

A5. Internet Networking Platforms: Exploring the Potential

Learn how online networking tools like social networks, community forums, online meetings, and wikis can benefit your organization--for free! This workshop will explore the many features that online networking platforms offer and, specifically, how they can be used as a means to gain a competitive edge in times of increased market competition and tight budgets. Participants will receive a resource list of various platforms, be invited to join a network that continues discussion about the information presented, and learn how to implement and begin using various platforms.

Presenter: Benjamin A. Wilcox, MBA, Planning and Evaluation Analyst, Family Central, Inc., West Palm Beach, FL

Location: West Foyer, Third Floor

PowerPoint Presentation(s):

- Internet Networking Platforms (Benjamin A. Wilcox)

A6. The Essentials of Corporate Compliance

Learn how your organization can benefit from the development of a comprehensive corporate compliance program. This session includes a basic plan for creating and implementing a successful corporate compliance program that incorporates COA’s Ethical Practice standards, federal guidelines, and other best practices.

Presenter: Martha Eagleton, Director of QI & Compliance, United Methodist Children’s Home of the West Ohio Conference of The United Methodist Church, Worthington, OH

Location: Conrad Suite, Forth Floor

PowerPoint Presentation(s):

- The Essentials of Corporate Compliance

A7. Small Successes

This panel discussion will provide an opportunity for small for-profit and nonprofit organizations to learn about strategies for organizational success. Discussion topics include succeeding in the accreditation process, developing and maintaining community partnerships between for-profit and nonprofit community and behavioral health organizations, and key elements for managing a successful small organization in 2009 and beyond.

Presenters: Steve Friedman, Executive Director, Bay Area Behavioral Services, Brandon, FL; Rochelle Haimes, ACSW, Consultant, Pittsburgh, PA; Ellen Tanenbaum, MA, Senior Accreditation Coordinator, COA, New York, NY

Location: Louis XVI Suite East, Fourth Floor

PowerPoint Presentation(s):

- Small Successes

A8. In Support of Accreditation

Attendees of this presentation will learn: 1. how the Severson Center, taps into its unique resources, including a one-of-a-kind database of sample policies and their member connections program, to assist human service organizations in identifying best practices and 2. how Catholic Charities collects and analyzes data, using simple information technology to incorporate it into a PQI system.

Presenters: Liz Caldwell, Librarian, Severson National Information Center, Alliance for Children and Families, Milwaukee, WI; Gayle Shank, MBA, BBA, Managing Director, Research & Quality Assurance, Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of St. Louis, St. Louis, MO

Location: Louis XVI Suite Center, Fourth Floor

PowerPoint Presentation(s):

- In Support of Accreditation (Liz Caldwell)
- In Support of Accreditation, Integrating Performance Quality Improvement & Information Technology

A9. Who Hid My Silo?

This workshop will be an interactive presentation on the strategic development, implementation, and evolution of the Colorado Collaborative Management Program: The Provision of Integrated Services to Multi-System Families and Children. Colorado child welfare agencies, families, judicial and education systems, mental health professionals, law enforcement, youth corrections, drug/alcohol service providers, and family organizations are learning that cross-system collaboration and a system-of-care approach are necessary to provide services that lead to strong outcomes for children and families. The presentation will offer the keys to success in defining and developing successful collaborative systems that blend agency and community efforts and funding streams to the benefit of families and children.

Presenter: Norman Kirsch, LCSW, Collaborative Management Program Administrator, Colorado Department of Human Services, Denver, CO; Marge Grimsley, Technical Assistance Coordinator, Colorado Federation of Families for Children’s
Mental Health, Denver, CO; Kelly Schramm, Executive Director, Weld County Juvenile Assessment Center Collaborative Management & Planning, Greeley, CO

Location: Park Avenue Suite South, Fourth Floor

PowerPoint Presentation(s):

- Who Hid My Silo?

A10. Logic and Methodical Work: Implementing & Sustaining a Comprehensive PQI Process

This presentation will examine the critical elements of a performance and quality improvement process for private and public agencies. Presenters will discuss how a comprehensive PQI program and culture supported by leadership can effectively address problems such as poor employee morale, lack of vision in today’s changing economy, decreased funding sources, and poor outcomes. 

Presenters: Herman R. Barber, PhD, Special Projects Coordinator, Office of Planning, Policy, and Program Support, Child and Family Services Agency, Washington, D.C.; Al Durgin, LCSW, Director of CQI, Spurwink Services, Portland, ME

Location: Jade Room, Third Floor

PowerPoint Presentation(s):

- Logic and Methodical Work: Implementing & Sustaining a Comprehensive PQI Process

A11.  A Child’s Right: In Support of Positive Social Environments

This workshop will provide an overview of two distinct approaches for creating positive social cultures that successfully support appropriate behavior in children who are seriously emotionally disturbed and behaviorally challenged.

The Children’s Home of Wyoming Conference will present their evidence-informed model for trauma-sensitive treatment, which includes restraint elimination and environmental restructuring. It also incorporates therapeutic techniques drawn from Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and the guiding philosophy of Brendtro, Brokeleg and Van Beckem's The Circle of Courage and Positive Psychology and Brendtro and Brokenleg's Beyond the Curriculum of Control.

Hillside Family of Agencies will present on the implementation of its Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports model (PBIS), a system that relies heavily on proactive and preventive techniques to establish effective and continued use of evidence-based interventions.

Presenters: Carol Aronowitz, MSW, Managing Director, Planning & Performance Improvement, Children’s Home of Wyoming Conference, Binghamton, NY; Kelly Clark, MSW, Day Treatment Director, Children’s Home of Wyoming Conference, Binghamton, NY; Thomas Kalke, Strategic Planning & Quality Assurance PBIS Project Manager, Hillside Family of Agencies, Rochester, NY

Location: Duke of Windsor Suite, Fourth Floor

PowerPoint Presentation(s):

- A Child's Right: In Support of Positive Social Environments

A12. There Really Is Accreditation After a Merger

Pursuing and successfully achieving COA accreditation only three years after merging four separate and distinct nonprofit organizations into one diverse, multi-service, $55 million organization was both a challenging and rewarding experience for Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington, Inc. Come join representatives from the agency for a candid and practical presentation on mistakes made, lessons learned, and the strategies, tips, and tools that your agency can use as you prepare for your own accreditation, including: how to negotiate the assignment of standards, staff training, pre-self-study evaluations, preparing the self-study, preparing for the site visit, celebrating your achievements, and practical follow-up.

Presenters: Geraldine M. Adair, Manager of Professional Standards, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington, Inc., Washington, D.C.; Christina M. Byrne, MSW, Director of Professional Standards, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington, Inc., Washington, D.C.; Denise A. Capaci, LICSW, Director of Adult & Family Services Division, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington, Inc., Washington D.C.; Kolleen Dorfzaun, MBA, Quality Officer, Wesley Spectrum Services, Pittsburgh, PA; Pamela Weaver, MA, Program Officer, Wesley Spectrum Services, Pittsburgh, PA; Tobi Murch, MS, Accreditation Project Manager & Canada Liaison, COA, New York, NY

Location: Louis XVI Suite West, Fourth Floor

PowerPoint Presentation(s):

- There Really is Accreditation After a Merger (Catholic Charities)
- There Really is Accreditation After a Merger (COA)
- There Really is Accreditation After a Merger (Wesley Spectrum)

B1. The Importance of Being Ready to Respond

Learn how COA accreditation can prepare an organization to effectively respond to and recover from a disaster. This workshop will provide an overview of COA’s Disaster Recovery Case Management (DRCM) standards, which identify best practices for ensuring that disaster-affected populations are able to obtain services, assessing and meeting the long-term needs of disaster victims, and addressing the unique challenges of providing services in disaster areas. Additionally, leaders from COA-accredited organizations will share their experiences in meeting the needs of the individuals and communities they serve.

Moderator: Samuel Sipes, LCSW, BCD, President and CEO, Lutheran Services Florida, Tampa, FL;

Presenters: Keith Liederman, PhD, Executive Director, Kingsley House, Inc., New Orleans, LA; Stephanie Pacinella, MA, Director of Standards Development, COA, New York, NY; Heather Gatlin, Vice President for Disaster Response, Lutheran Social Services of the South, Inc., Austin, TX

Location: Park Avenue Suite South, Fourth Floor

PowerPoint Presentation(s):

- The Importance of Being Ready to Respond (LSSDR)
- The Importance of Being Ready to Respond (Kingsley House)

B2. Promoting and Leveraging Your Organization’s Accreditation

Your organization spends too much time and energy to keep its achievement of COA accreditation a secret. Learn how to use your COA-accredited status to increase your visibility within your community and with donors, and to attract and retain qualified staff. This panel will offer suggestions on how to develop a successful strategy that utilizes your COA accreditation to reach out to your most important stakeholders and establish confidence in your organization’s integrity, credibility, and achievements.

Presenters: Richard Klarberg, JD, President & CEO, COA, New York, NY; Jorge Alberto Acosta, MS, Executive Director, Nuevo Amanecer Latino Children’s Services, Los Angeles, CA; Charles Caputo, MPS, CPHQ, Director Vincent J. Fontana Center for Child Protection, Training & Youth Development, The New York Foundling Hospital, New York, NY; Susan McDowell, MA, Executive Director, LifeWorks, Austin, TX; Jane Stenson, Senior Director for Poverty Reduction Strategies, Catholic Charities USA, Alexandria, VA

Location: John Jacob Astor Salon, Third Floor

B3. Using Quality Improvement to Meet CFSR Outcomes

This workshop will present a framework for the use of COA standards to help public agencies meet the federally mandated Child and Family Service Review (CFSR) outcomes and Program Improvement Plans (PIP). A tool and process will be presented that will incorporate the CFSR mandated outcomes into a model quality improvement plan. This plan will provide a structure for both complex state systems and smaller county systems to monitor and integrate CFSR outcomes into quality improvement systems, including case record documentation and reviews, staff meetings and supervision, and work with stakeholders and constituents.

Presenter: Reid Scher, MSW, Manager of Accreditation Operations, COA, New York, NY

Location: Louis XVI Suite East, Fourth Floor

PowerPoint Presentation(s):

- Using Quality Improvement to Meet CFSR Outcomes

B4. Developing, Demonstrating, and Succeeding: PQI for Small Organizations

This panel of experienced leaders and reviewers will present how a small organization ($3 million or less) can successfully meet COA's 8th Edition Performance and Quality Improvement (PQI) standards. Creative approaches using limited resources in developing PQI activities and systems will be discussed. Peer Reviewer panelists will discuss what differential evidence they look for in a small organization’s successful demonstration of PQI - from its support, use, and communication to transpiring meaningful difference in programs/services and in areas of management and administration.

Presenters: Margie Christopher, BA, Executive Director, Children’s Homes of Cleveland County, Shelby, NC; Rochelle Haimes, ACSW, Consultant, Pittsburgh, PA; Lynn Knezevich, MSW, Executive Director, Gwen’s Girls, Pittsburgh PA; Dale Peterson, MA, MDiv, Chief Operating Officer, Catholic Social Services, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Joseph M. Frisino, MSW, Training and Technical Assistance Consultant, COA, New York, NY

Location: West Foyer, Third Floor

This presentation will address major trends in government performance-based grants and contracts and strategies nonprofit agencies can use to better position themselves in a challenging environment. The presentation includes a case study based on the experiences of Pressley Ridge, a COA-accredited organization that provides educational, foster care, residential and community-based services to over 2,145 clients annually.

Presenters: Lawrence L. Martin, PhD, MSW, MBA, Professor of Public Affairs, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL; Art Ring, Jr., Pittsburgh, PA

Location: Louis XVI Suite Center, Fourth Floor

PowerPoint Presentation(s):

- Living with Performance-Based Grants and Contracts

B6. Maximizing on Volunteerism

This panel will focus on ways organizations can creatively and effectively use volunteers to reach their goals and attain their missions. Discussion topics will include ways to recruit and engage volunteers from varied professional backgrounds; the unique characteristics of Baby Boomers and their successful integration into an organizaton; and the importance of developing long-term goals for volunteer programs, fundraising, and marketing opportunities.

Presenters: Jennifer Flowers, MBA, Director of Volunteer Services & Accreditation Commission, COA, New York, NY; Jenni Frumer, LCSW, LMHC, NCG, Associate Executive Director, Alpert Jewish Family and Children’s Service, West Palm Beach, FL; Gajtana Simonovski, Project Director, Community Service Society, New York, NY; Tanisha Smith,
National Volunteer Director, Volunteers of America, Alexandria, VA

Location: Louis XVI Suite West, Fourth Floor

PowerPoint Presentation(s):

- Maximizing on Volunteerism (Gajtana Simonovski)
- Maximizing on Volunteerism (Jennifer Flowers)
- Maximizing on Volunteerism (Jenni Frumer)
- Maximizing on Volunteerism (Tanisha Smith)

B7.  Where is the Money?:  The Connection Between Funding & Accreditation   

During these challenging economic times funding streams are limited and competition is high. What provides an organization a competitive edge from a foundation’s perspective? This panel presentation will examine the critical areas that foundations focus on when evaluating grant applicants and the role that accreditation has in helping both foundations and organizations maintain quality services. Specifically, we will review how organizations can effectively demonstrate to funders that they are providing high quality services while being fiscally responsible, and the relationship that accreditation has in achieving this goal. Representatives from The Duke Endowment, The Kresge Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts will share their experiences, “lessons learned” and strategies for funding organizations with robust and efficient programs.

Moderator: Michael Schmidt, LCSW, ACSW, Chief Operating Officer, COA, New York, NY;

Presenters: Frazierita D. Klasen, Director, Pew Fund and Deputy Director, The Philadelphia Program, Philadelphia, PA; Rhett N. Mabry, Director, Child Care, The Duke Endowment, Charlotte, NC; Virginia L. Romano, MA, LPC, Program Director-Human Services, The Kresge Foundation

Location: Duke of Windsor Suite, Fourth Floor

B8. Quality Programs that POP!

Do you think that quality has to be dull and boring? Do you get tired, run-down, and listless poop out at parties when hearing about statistics? Are you unpopular because of your commitment to quality? The answer to all your problems is in this presentation, which will focus on helping you identify ways to build a successful quality program that is fun, gets everyone involved, and puts the Z-I-P into your P-Q-I. Presenters are from Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, whose PQI program has achieved the highest rating during its last two reaccreditation cycles. Learn to develop a quality program with passion by teaching others to understand its importance, relevance, and benefit—while having fun!

Presenters: Natalie M. Wood, MA, LPC, Director of Quality and Staff Development, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, Houston, TX; Michelle Mitchelle, MSW, Supervisor, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, Houston, TX

Location: Jade Room, Third Floor

PowerPoint Presentation(s):

- Quality Programs that POP!

B9. In Collaboration & Best Practice – Responding to Children & Youth in Crisis

Learn from the experience of a successful collaboration between state and county agencies, private organizations, families, and funders. This workshop will be an interactive session about the positive results achieved when families, two nonprofit children's agencies, three counties, two state agencies, and private donors decided to dissolve their respective silos in order to collaborate and meet the need for a community-based children and youth crisis intervention service.

Presenters: Sharon S. Cohen, LCSW-R, Supervisor, Parsons Child and Adolescent Mobile Crisis Team, Albany, NY; Richard P. Johnson, LCSWR, ACSW, Project Director, Parsons Child and Adolescent Mobile Crisis Team, Albany, NY

Location: Conrad Suite, Fourth Floor

PowerPoint Presentation(s):

- In Collaboration & Best Practice - Responding to Children & Youth in Crisis

B10. Effective Surveying: Do You Know How to Do It?

Learn how to create effective consumer surveys, successfully reach a diverse group of consumers, and increase response rates. This session will instruct participants on how to develop systems for gathering information, as well as provide them with the necessary tools to create an environment that encourages consumers to be actively engaged and provide feedback to improve service delivery. Staff from HeartShare Human Services and Legacy, Inc. will share their experiences in developing surveys and successfully surveying consumers, including those who are developmentally disabled, and COA staff will share its new telephonic survey system.

Presenters: Stanley Capela, MA, Senior Director of Quality Improvement, Heart-Share Human Services of New York, Roman Catholic Diocese Brooklyn, Brooklyn, NY; Nikki Nikruto, BA, MA, Policy and Procedure Specialist, Legacy, Inc., Austin, TX; Timothy Stockert, MBA, MSW, Director of Training and IT, COA, New York, NY; Julie Fulmer, ACSW, CPHQ, Director of Quality Services Management, COA, New York, NY

Location: Herbert Hoover Suite, Fourth Floor

PowerPoint Presentation(s):

- Effective Surveying: Do You Know How to Do It?

B11.  A Home Run: The Balanced Scorecard

Many organizations have difficulty developing and implementing their strategic plans as well as building and supporting organizational capacity. This presentation will address the use of a well-designed Balanced Scorecard System to assist organizations in attaining this end, successfully achieving and maintaining accreditation, improving corporate governance, and driving continuous quality improvement. 

Presenters: John Aitken, CPA, Chief Financial Officer, Kids Central, Inc., Ocala, FL; Shalonda McHenry-Sims, Director of Independent Living and Accreditation Services, Kids Central, Inc., Ocala, FL

Location: Park Avenue Suite Center, Fourth Floor

PowerPoint Presentation(s):

- A Home Run: The Balanced Scorecard

B12. An Evaluation of a JJ Reunification Program

This presentation will provide an overview of the development and initial process evaluation of a reunification program for youth referred from the juvenile justice system. Participants in this workshop will learn about COA’s service array for youth involved with the juvenile justice system; the program components of a reunification program for youth placed in out-of-home care; and the methods and results from an initial process evaluation of this program, as well as their implications on practice and research.

Presenters: Ronald W. Thompson, PhD, Associate Director of Program Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Father Flanagan’s Boys’ Home, Boys Town, NE; Mona Way, BA, Director of Contracts and Grants, Father Flanagan’s Boys’ Home, Boys Town, NE; Susan Russell-Smith, MPA, Senior Standards Associate, COA, New York, NY

Location: Park Avenue Suite North, Fourth Floor

PowerPoint Presentation(s):

- An Evaluation of a JJ Reunification Program
- An Evaluation of a JJ Reunification Program (Susan Russell-Smith)

B13. Workshop for International Guests

Please note that this session is by invitation only.

Location: Basildon Room, Third Floor

C1.  Diversify, Diversify, Diversify: A Key to Sustaining Success in a Challenging Environment

In today’s difficult economic environment, organizations need to be innovative in their search for new funding sources. This workshop will provide participants with tools and techniques to assess their organizational capacity, expand on core competencies, utilize the experience and expertise of staff, and encourage innovation in order to create social enterprise opportunities. Presenters from Children’s Home Society of Washington and Consumer Counseling Northwest will share their challenges as well as their successes in funding diversification. 

Presenters: Sharon Osborne, MA, MSW, President/CEO, Children’s Home Society of Washington, Seattle, WA; Charles Helms, BA, President/CEO, Consumer Counseling Northwest, University Place, WA

Location: Park Avenue Suite Center/North, Fourth Floor

PowerPoint Presentation(s):

- Diversify, Diversify, Diversify (Charles Helms)
- Diversify, Diversify, Diversify (Sharon Osborne)

C2. We're Accredited…So Now What?
 
Your organization successfully completed its accreditation process and has four years until the next site visit. You are thrilled, but at the same time you’re wondering: How do we now create a culture that sustains quality assurance and expands on accreditation? You know this is important but have no idea where to begin. Come, see, hear, and learn about the tools that COA provides to assist organizations in maintaining accreditation and new innovations in quality assurance and organizational culture. This will be a fun, interactive, and uplifting look at performance quality improvement.

Presenters: Bruce Hardy, PhD, MA, MEd, Faculty Member, Douglas College, New Westminster, BC; Joseph M. Frisino, MSW, Training and Technical Assistance Consultant, COA, New York, NY

Location: West Foyer, Third Floor

PowerPoint Presentation(s):

- We're Accredited...So Now What?

C3. Hop on the Talent Management System Bandwagon

Manage and prepare for executive and leadership turnover by investing in employee development now. Developing an employee’s full potential is a responsibility shared mutually by the employee and the employer. This workshop will explore Crestwood Children’s Center’s Talent Management System, which is used to develop an agency's future leaders.

Presenter: David Halpern, MS, Ed, Principal, Early Childhood Center, Crestwood Children's Center, Rochester, NY

Location: Duke of Windsor Suite, Fourth Floor

PowerPoint Presentation(s):

- Hop on the Talent Management System Bandwagon

C4. The Journey from Paper to Electronic

This presentation is designed to help organization leaders explore the process of moving from a paper case record system to a complete or partial electronic system. Participants will be walked through the steps of implementing an electronic case record system, while identifying issues that may present challenges to successful implementation. 

Presenter: Chatele' Chester, MEd, Director of Quality Performance, Gwinnett Children's Shelter, Inc., Buford, GA

Location: Park Avenue Suite South, Fourth Floor

PowerPoint Presentation(s):

- The Journey from Paper to Electronic

C5. The IARCCA Outcome Project: Using Research for Program Development

IARCCA, an association of children and family service providers, developed Outcome Project—a ten-year collection of over 100,000 cases of child welfare risk factors and outcomes (clinical, functional, placement, and customer satisfaction) across various services in Indiana and several other states. This ten-year perspective explores: Are youth and families different than ten years ago? Have outcomes changed? What are emerging trends? What are the policy and best practice implications? Outcomes are benchmarked to enable program improvement. 

Presenters: John W. Link, MS, LMFT, Executive Director, Crossroad Institute, Fort Wayne, IN and Jeannie Bellman, MSW, Outcome Project Coordinator, IARCCA, Indianapolis, IN

Location: Louis XVI Suite West, Fourth Floor

PowerPoint Presentation(s):

- The IARCCA Outcome Project: Using Research for Program Development

C6. Appreciative Inquiry – A Tool to Strengthen Organizational Development

Strengthening organizational development is critical with increasing pressure on nonprofits to do more with less during the current financial crisis.

To that end, Appreciative Inquiry (AI) has emerged as a viable method for organizational change, utilizing an asset-based approach. Appreciative Inquiry investigates, identifies, and develops an organization's best practices in order to promote future success. Participants will gain a tool that will assist with strategic planning, program development, and performance quality improvement processes.

Presenters: Ariana Brooks, MA, Quality Improvement Analyst, HeartShare Human Services of New York, Roman Catholic Diocese Brooklyn, Brooklyn, NY; Stanley Capela, MA, Senior Director Quality Improvement, HeartShare Human Services of New York, Roman Catholic Diocese Brooklyn, Brooklyn, NY

Location: Basildon Room, Third Floor

PowerPoint Presentation(s):

- Appreciative Inquiry

Today in the United States, millions of young people are unsupervised in the hours after school, before parents return home from work. In fact, the hours between 3 – 6 PM on school days (referred to by law enforcement officials as a "danger zone") are the prime time for violent juvenile crime and experimentation with drugs or alcohol.  Given these facts and in collaboration with the National AfterSchool Association, COA expanded its involvement in the accreditation of after-school programs.

This informational session will provide attendees with an opportunity to learn about the three distinct, yet inter-related, after-school recognition opportunities that COA is currently offering: Accreditation, Certification, and Registration. The eligibility criteria, cost, process, and applicable standards will also be addressed.

Presenter: James Murphy, After School Project Manager, COA, New York, NY

Location: Louis XVI Suite East, Fourth Floor

PowerPoint Presentation(s):

- What Are You Doing After School?

*C9. COA Accreditation: A Strategy to Promote Organizational Sustainability

Learn how your organization can use COA accreditation to effectively prepare for challenging environments by promoting ongoing planning, risk assessment, leadership capacity, and strong governance. This presentation will also provide participants with an overview of the new Milestone Timelines and the Focused Reaccreditation Process, as well as updates on our new and upcoming service standards. There will be a question-and-answer period at the end of this session.

Presenters: Richard Klarberg, JD, President & CEO, COA, New York, NY and representatives from COA’s Management Team

Location: Louis XVI Suite Center, Fourth Floor

PowerPoint Presentation(s):

- COA Accreditation (Richard Klarberg)

C10. An A+ Means You're Not Working Hard Enough!

This workshop will provide snapshots of the performance and quality improvement (PQI) process at two human service agencies, where PQI is part of an ongoing agency culture and not simply an annual report card. Staff from TFI Family Services will demonstrate how to use data to manage an agency in ways that engage staff and integrate CFSR indicators into daily PQI activities. Staff from Wayside Youth & Family Support Network will walk participants through the agency’s comprehensive PQI process, from both the agency and programmatic level.

Presenters: Shirley C. Dwyer, LMSW, Director of Reintegration Services, TFI Family Services, Overland Park, KS; Kameron Labahn, MS, Director of Care Management, TFI Family Services, Topeka, KS; Christine Paschal, LICSW, Director of Quality Management, Wayside Youth & Family Support Network, Framingham, MA; Andrea Salzman, LICSW,
Senior Program Director, Wayside Youth & Family Support Network, Framingham, MA; Brandy D. Tofel, MS, Care Management Manager, TFI Family Services, Lawrence, KS

Location: Herbert Hoover Suite, Fourth Floor

PowerPoint Presentation(s):

- An A+ Means You're Not Working Hard Enough! (Wayside Youth & Family Support Network)
- An A+ Means You're Not Working Hard Enough! (TFI Family Services)

C11. Hague, One Year In

The Departments of State & Homeland Security and COA will lead a panel discussion to clarify their roles, regulations, and responsibilities in the Hague intercountry adoption process. In addition, lessons learned during implementation and guidance on working within the standards for accreditation, services, and home studies will be presented.

Presenters: William J. Bistransky, Adoption Unit Chief, U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C.; Donna Campagnolo, Assistant Center Director for Customer Relations, USCIS National Benefits Center, Kansas City, MO; Jayne Schmidt, MSW, Hague Project Manager, COA, New York, NY; Miki Stebbing, Accrediting Entities Liaison, U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C.

Location: Conrad Suite, Fourth Floor

PowerPoint Presentation(s):

- Hague, Ony Year In

C12. Risky Business: The Many Facets of Risk Management
Risk management encompasses more than the avoidance of lawsuits. This presentation will address various aspects of risk management, including physical environment, billing, documentation, and federal laws affecting treatment facilities. In addition, high risk areas and ways to decrease risk will be identified through the use of COA’s 8th Edition Standards.

Presenters: Michelle Morgan Herb, RN, BSN, EJD, CPC, COA Peer Reviewer, New Haven, CT; Stephanie Pacinella, MA, Director of Standards Development, COA, New York, NY

Location: John Jacob Astor Salon, Third Floor

PowerPoint Presentation(s):

- Risky Business

* Indicates a workshop is repeated