2nd Quarter Newsletter

December 31, 2023

As 2023 comes to an end, we are grateful for a year full of change, growth, and opportunities. In 2023, Florida's CAC Movement has continued to evolve through collaboration, expansion, and innovation. As we reflect on the last twelve months we find gratitude in the communities of our state that have established new satellite offices. We applaud the determination of our members actively seeking full accreditation from the National Children's Alliance. We find pride in the two members, CAC of Osceola and the Ruth E. Handley CAC of Highlands County who have led the way by being awarded re-accreditation by the National Children's Alliance 2023 Standards of Accreditation.

For 2024, we look forward to continued success for our members and their multidisciplinary team partners. The FNCAC will continue to support CACs, helping to enhance services to children in our state.

Thank you to our stakeholders, members, funders, and supporters. Without your encouragement and belief in our mission we wouldn't be able to do what we do. We look forward to continued growth and collaboration for years to come.

January is Poverty Awareness Month

Check out some resources below:

Child Poverty

Currently, 18% of all children in the United States — nearly 13 million kids total — are living in poverty. Child poverty occurs when a child lives in a household where the combined annual earnings of all adults falls below a federally set income threshold. This threshold varies by family size and composition. In 2018, a family of two adults and two children were officially living in poverty if their household earnings fell below $25,465 annually.

Poverty elevates a child’s risk of experiencing behavioral, social and emotional and health challenges. Child poverty also reduces skill-building opportunities and academic outcomes, undercutting a young student’s capacity to learn, graduate high school and more.

Learn More

Save the Date!

The annual Krimes Against Kids Conference returns to sunny Orlando, FL, July 24-26, 2024!

Full conference information to be released in January 2024!

Did you know? OVC Offers Scholarships!

OVC is offering Professional Development Scholarships for service providers to attend trainings and conferences to grow their skills. Eligible applicants include service providers from any organization, public, nonprofit, or faith-based, who provide direct victim services within the United States, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Scholarship funds are available for reimbursement of expenses of up to $1,000 for individuals, $2,500 for individuals traveling to or from the contiguous United States, and up to $7,500 for multidisciplinary teams.

OVC TTAC must receive the completed Individual or Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) scholarship application(s) at least 60 calendar days in advance of the event start date, no exceptions granted.

Complete an application here.

Victim Advocate and Mental Health Partnerships Peer Consultation Forums

The Western Regional Children's Advocacy Center is pleased to begin hosting quarterly Zoom-based peer consultation forums to provide a safe space for victim advocates and mental health staff who partner together in serving children and families seen at children's advocacy centers (CAC). This forum is intended to support and inform those relationships with presentations and discussions on topics that impact both disciplines.

January 16, 2024 | 3:00pm to 4:30pm ET

Topic: Screening and Assessment

April 23, 2024 | Noon to 1:30am ET

Topic: Engaging Families of Color

July 16, 2024 | 3:00pm to 4:30pm ET

Topic: Court Support for Victims and Families



Each forum will run 90 minutes and is topic-specific (see above). Registration for each forum will open separately, 3 weeks before the forum date.

Website for More Information

Resources for Parents & Families

Parents Program Culture

Culture Reframed understands how daunting it can be to raise kids in a culture where they are bombarded with sexual images, including porn.

That’s why we have created our Parents Programs — two comprehensive, online courses that will give you the skills and knowledge you need to raise porn-critical tweens and teens.

• Understand the harmful effects of hypersexualized media and porn.

• Teach healthy sexuality and strengthen resistance to porn culture.

• Understand how the use of porn affects the brain and can lead to habituation and addiction.

• Support and guide your adolescent every step of the way.

• More confidence. Gain knowledge and skills through a step-by-step toolkit.

• Better conversation skills. Learn how to talk to your adolescent about difficult topics, using our detailed conversation scripts.

• Develop a strategy. Learn how to approach your adolescent in ways that forge trust and mutual respect.

Culture Reframed offers courses for parents of tweens (ages 9-12) and teens (ages 13-18) that are:

• Backed by decades of rigorous, peer-reviewed research, evidence, and scientific data

• Self-paced and easy to understand

• Divided into digestible modules that provide educational videos, conversation scripts, and resources

• Free and available on-demand after registering

www.culturereframed.org

James (Jim) Jolley

 Statewide Projects & Training Coordinator

Florida Network for Children's Advocacy Centers

RECENT CHILD WELFARE PROJECTS

Child Advocacy Studies Training (CAST); Project FORECAST; problem-based learning simulation; secondary traumatic stress evidence-based clinical training.



COLLABORATIONS WITH OTHER UNIVERSITY FACULTY OR RESEARCH ENTITIES

FSU; USF; FIT; FAMU; Project FORECAST; Child Advocacy Studies Training (CAST)

WHAT SONG OR ALBUM COULD YOU LISTEN TO ON REPEAT?

Simon and Garfunkel’s Greatest Hits

Jim Jolley is the statewide projects and training coordinator for the Florida Network of Children’s Advocacy Center and is responsible for the Krimes Against Kids Conference. Jim has an undergraduate degree in Speech Communication and Theater Education from the University of Central Florida and a master’s degree from Florida State University in Instructional Systems Design. Jim earned the Exemplary Service Award from the North Florida Chapter of the American Society of Public Administration in 2005. He has nearly five decades of public service experience as a teacher, counselor, and supervisor of the Florida Abuse Hotline; served as Florida Part H Coordinator for Infants and Toddlers; and was Business Process Owner for Workplace Learning and Performance Process at Revenue. After retiring from public service, Jim designed an online undergraduate child welfare social work program for Thomas University and developed curricula for the Florida Coalition Against Sexual Violence to train law enforcement and prosecutors to investigate rape in a trauma-informed way. He is a certified True Colors trainer of trainers and holds a certificate from the University of Chicago in Business Process Management and Improvement.