The Conference
The 2024 PCCYFS Conference features:
Wednesday Keynote – Gerardo Lopez, former MS-13 gang member will share his experiences and story of survival.
Thursday Panel Discussion – PA Department of Human Services (DHS) Deputy Secretaries Jennifer Smith and Laval Miller-Wilson will discuss topics relevant to providers who service children, youth and families via contracts and/or agreements with schools, county child welfare, juvenile probation and Behavioral Health Managed Care Organizations (BH-MCOs). The audience will be invited to participate in a Q & A session following prepared remarks.
Sessions during the conference include a variety of education and topical content with many qualifying for Continuing Education Units (CEU’s).
The event also has numerous opportunities for networking including a sponsored evening mixer and wine tasting.
The Venue
This year’s conference will be held at the Best Western Premier, 800 E. Park Drive, Harrisburg. Take advantage of discounted room pricing by booking under the PCCYFS room block by clicking right here. Reserve your room before the hotel sells out again!!!
If you’d prefer to make reservations over the phone, you may call 717-561-2800, choose option #4 and then option #1. Remember to ask for the PCCYFS discounted group rate!
*Pennsylvania Council of Children Youth and Family Services (Provider #SWPR004114) is approved by the Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors as a provider of continuing education for social workers, professional counselors, and marriage and family therapists in Pennsylvania and many other states. PCCYFS maintains responsibility of this program.
Gerardo Lopez
Former Gang Member
Gerardo Lopez grew up in gang territory in Los Angeles, California and was just 14 years old when he joined MS-13, the notorious Salvadoran gang. Why did he join and why did he leave? Gerardo “Clever” Lopez has worked in gang intervention for over two decades. Gerardo escaped gang life and now ensures that at-risk youth from making the same mistakes. He is Executive Director of the Denver chapter of Homies Unidos, a nonprofit dedicated to ending violence and promoting peace through gang intervention and prevention.
Gerardo presently serves as a Mayoral appointee, Commissioner for the Denver Office of Strategic Partnerships.
Jennifer Smith
PA DHS Deputy Secretary for the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS)
Jennifer (Jen) Smith currently serves as the Deputy Secretary for Pennsylvania’s Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. She took this role in January 2023 immediately following her tenure as Secretary for Pennsylvania’s Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs. Her experience in the behavioral health field will prove invaluable as she works with partners to continue improving access to and quality of all behavioral health services across the state.
Laval Miller-Wilson
PA DHS Deputy Secretary for the Office of Children, Youth and Families
Laval Miller-Wilson joined the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) on March 13, 2023, as the Deputy Secretary for the Office of Children Youth and Families (OCYF), which supervises the county-operated child welfare and juvenile justice systems. Mr. Miller-Wilson, an attorney, is deeply committed and passionate about ensuring that vulnerable populations get the care they need and deserve.
Prior to joining OCYF, Miller-Wilson had been the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Health Law Project (PHLP), a non-profit that protects and advances health care rights through free legal services, community education, and systems advocacy. At PHLP he worked to make the health industry and policymakers more attuned to what people want and need—and more accountable for making it happen. He was lead counsel for Medicaid enrollees on Pennsylvania’s Medical Assistance (Medicaid) Advisory Committee, which advises the Commonwealth on the impact of current and proposed Medicaid policies and practices. He delivered consumer-informed perspective about the state’s implementation of the Affordable Care Act, performance of Medicaid managed care plans, and determinants of health.
Prior to joining PHLP, Miller-Wilson worked for 14 years at Juvenile Law Center (JLC) representing children in the child welfare, juvenile and criminal justice systems. At JLC he led their 2008 petition to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to ensure accused youth in Luzerne County had the right to counsel (subsequently known as the “Kids for Cash” scandal), and federal litigation to improve the delivery of basic and special education to children in the criminal justice system. He was also the lead author of a 2003 assessment of children’s access to counsel and the quality of representation they receive in Pennsylvania’s juvenile justice system that required surveying and visiting juvenile courts across the Commonwealth.
Wednesday, April 10
7:30-9
Registration & Hot Breakfast
7:30-5
Exhibit Booths Open
8:30-9
Welcoming Remarks
9-10
Keynote: Gerardo Lopez
Gerardo Lopez grew up in gang territory in Los Angeles, California and was just 14 years old when he joined MS-13, the notorious Salvadoran gang. Why did he join and why did he leave? Gerardo “Clever” Lopez has worked in gang intervention for over two decades. Gerardo escaped gang life and now ensures that at-risk youth from making the same mistakes. He is Executive Director of the Denver chapter of Homies Unidos, a nonprofit dedicated to ending violence and promoting peace through gang intervention and prevention.
Gerardo presently serves as a Mayoral appointee, Commissioner for the Denver Office of Strategic Partnerships.
10-10:30
Break, Please Visit Our Exhibitor Booths
Session 1
10:30-12
Harmony in Healing: Integrating DEI Principles into Trauma-Informed Practices
Speakers: Shawn Mack, Lisa Weingartner, (1.5 CEUs)
This workshop is designed to deliver a meaningful and actionable experience, equipping participants with the knowledge and skills to integrate healing-centered, trauma-informed care principles into their work with a specific focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion with specific examples as to how Valley Youth House has integrated the interconnectedness of both of these concepts.
Leadership & Navigating Change
Speaker: John Amato
Learn how to lead an organization or team effectively amid significant change. The typical response to this transformation is resistance on the part of employees and leaders can inadvertently add to this resistance. This session will provide leaders with the skills to promote organizational and team change by focusing on the ‘people side’ of change. The ADKAR model for managing the process of change will also be presented and discussed.
Vision Boards in Therapy: A Creative Approach to Empowerment and Goal Setting
Speaker: Jennifer Mongi, (1.5 CEUs)
This workshop aims to introduce social work professionals to the effective use of vision boards as a therapeutic tool to empower clients, facilitate goal setting, and enhance the therapeutic process.
12-1
Networking Luncheon
Session 2
1-2:30
Charting Your Course: Unleashing Data-Driven Strategies through Your EHR Initiative
Speaker: Chris Parry
Electronic Health Records Systems (EHRs) are the essential systems/tools for Health and Human Services Agencies seeking to ensure Regulatory Compliance, improve Operational Efficiencies, and transform into fully data-driven organizations.
To realize the benefits of data-driven care, agencies must approach EHR implementation and adoption as strategic initiatives that embrace a guided process of organizational change management.
Led by Chris Parry (CEO, enkompas Technology Solutions) and featuring Jessica Fenchel (Senior VP & COO, Access Services, Inc.), as well as Theresa Yera & Christi Beck (Senior EMR Consultants, enkompas), this interactive session will provide a roadmap for successful EHR initiatives. Our presenters will help you discover how to structure your EHR program for superior workflow integration, staff buy-in, data quality, and analytics readiness.
In this 90-minute session, we’ll discuss:
- Successful models for agencies at various levels of EHR implementation/optimization readiness that can be scaled to agencies of all sizes. Even those who do not have an EHR will gain insight and value.
- The key milestone phases along the journey to becoming a data-driven organization:
- Vision – Clarifying what we want to accomplish.
- Team – Identifying your key players, including super-users.
- Planning – Creating a roadmap that clearly details and measures success at every step in the process
- Support – Ongoing project management and project communication.
- How Organizational Change Management (OCM) begins at the top, is owned at the top, and is communicated throughout the project from the top
- Case Studies and Measured Transformational Outcomes directly from an agency executive.
- Architecting technology environments that support emerging analytics needs
Join our session for insights into launching EHR initiatives that fuel improved care delivery and outcomes, workflow efficiencies, increased revenues and cash flow, and data-driven decision making.
Human Trafficking: From Prostitute to President – An Educational Study of Healing and Survival
Speaker: Joseph Birli, (1.5 CEU’s)
The presenter will offer a global and Pennsylvania state perspective of familial Human Trafficking that includes definitions, types, perspectives of criminality, how young people are targeted and groomed over generations, concepts of sextortion, therapeutic interventions and shared experiences of victims trafficked that have survived to live successful lives.
Sharing of current state statistics and the PA grading scale, legislative and counseling advocacy for human trafficking, and assessment tools used by the Department of Human Services for Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children and A Guide to Screening LGBTQ Clients for Trafficking will be reviewed.
Through the delivery of an educational presentation of a clinical case study, a review of the personal and professional journey of a familial
human sex trafficking individual will be shared and discussed for a greater understanding of awareness, use of therapeutic interventions for counselors, sensitivity to special populations, and how grooming has changed through the decades (with use of technology) introducing
sextortion. Further exploration into the need for advocacy in the state for funding organizational services, legislation of safe harbor laws and
the need for prevention programs, and training opportunities for counselors in assessment and treatment will be discussed. After attending this session, participants will have encountered the lived experience of an individual that has survived the life of a youth trafficking victim through a familial trafficker.
Participants will hear the journey of horror and healing, and how counselors can use impactful therapeutic interventions for trafficking
trauma, allowing for individuals to not remain captive to their trafficking experiences.
Session Disclaimer: The stories and case study for this session include some graphic and disturbing material, therefore, participants should
be aware prior to attending for potential trauma triggers and take precautions for self-care.
Put Me in Coach! Strengthening the Frontline Through the Caseworker Field Coach Program
Speakers: Amanda Wagner, Sean Lazarus
This presentation provides information about JusticeWorks YouthCare, Inc.’s field coach program, its inception, and its benefits. Based on the philosophy that skilled, experienced, and knowledgeable child welfare caseworkers foster an environment that is ripe for retention, the field coach program helps to enrich caseworkers’ critical thinking, reflective practice, engagement, understanding of vulnerable populations, and other soft skills via the creation of SMART goals. This presentation will explore how the field coach program benefits caseworkers individually and agencies as a whole via individual sessions in the field with the field coach, self-assessment exercises, coaching questions, group work, and more. Presenters will provide information about solution-focused and reflective practices that are encouraged in the program and how these practices can support caseworkers’ professional development in addition to traditional supervision methods.
2–3
Exhibitor Networking Ice Cream Social
Session 3
3-4:30
Restoring and Repairing Relationships: From the Child to the CEO
Speaker: Stacy Mae Taylor
The presentation will review research-based theories and practices for organizational transformation that is person-centered, data-driven, and strengths-focused. Participants will review common knowledge, new insights, and practical application. They will experience collaborative conversation, information/strategy sharing, and time to strategize action plans.
Creative Strategies to Addressing Former Foster Youth Housing Insecurity
Speakers: Laura Morris, Alyssa Weinfurtner
Youth exiting formal child welfare services are more likely to experience homelessness – up to 46% according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness. Parenting youth face even more barriers to sustaining safe and affordable housing given the complexities of maintaining time sensitive childcare resources and the demands of employment as a new parent.
Philadelphia County, in partnership with PA DHS, local philanthropy, county leadership, and community based partners have four unique programs for youth and parenting youth with lived child welfare experience that have launched with braided funding over the last four years, three of them during the pandemic which could not have been more timely.
During this presentation, we will introduce the basic data around former foster/youth homelessness and share the a case example from the co-presenter as a direct connection to the story behind the national and local homeless data.
We will share how community led social safety nets provide the most creative and responsive housing approach, particularly during this period of inflated housing costs in our local community. Finally, we will outline some of the systematic discrimination that occurs with youth aging out of formal child welfare system and the pitfalls that system, of which leaders and direct workers should be aware.
Debriefing Critical Incidents
Speakers: Christopher Rahn, Michele Stagmer, (1.5 CEUs)
Debriefing is an important part of crisis management; however, reports from the field indicate it may be the most neglected part of the crisis management process. It is important to improve the consistency in implementing the debriefing process – especially considering the traumatic impact critical events can have on individuals and staff. Debriefing gives individuals and staff a chance to share their feelings, thoughts, reactions, and perspectives about the crisis incident in which they were involved. This dialogue is the foundation of the debriefing process – and gives the person doing the debriefing interview an opportunity to assess the status of the individual or staff, address immediate issues that those involved may be experiencing, assess the need for follow-up, gather information about the incident, develop or modify a support plan, and help the person achieve a sense of psychological resolution regarding the incident, which will reduce repeated behaviors of concern.
Specific to this session, participants will engage in an on-going tabletop exercise to provide them relative experience and resources to conduct effective debriefing within their respective organization. In addition to responding to guiding questions focused on logistics and policy, participants will role play a debriefing scenario designed to guide participants through the entire debriefing process.
5-6
PCCYFS Board Meeting
6
Dinner On Your Own But Not Alone
Join a group of your choice.
6-10
Networking Events – PCCYFS Mixer at Sunken Bar and Wine Tasting in the Heritage Room
Thursday, April 11
7:30-9
Registration & Hot Breakfast
7:30-3:45
Exhibit Booths Open
8:30-9
Welcoming Remarks
9-10
Panel Discussion with PA Deputy Secretaries
PA DHS Deputy Secretaries Jennifer Smith and Laval Miller-Wilson will discuss topics relevant to providers who service children, youth and families via contracts and/or agreements with schools, county child welfare, juvenile probation and BH-MCOs. The audience will be invited to participate in a Q & A Session following prepared remarks.
10-10:30
Break, Please Visit Our Exhibitor Booths.
Session 1
10:30-12
Educational Stability: Helping Youth Remain on the Path of Academic Success
Speakers: Scott Weller, Angela Work, (1.5 CEUs)
This session will be tailored towards service providers who appear before the juvenile court. The panel will introduce foundational information regarding the importance of educational stability and its role in successful outcomes for youth. Additionally, best practices in educational stability commonly used by juvenile courts throughout Pennsylvania will be presented. The panelists will include a juvenile court judge, a juvenile probation officer, a representative from a service provider, and a justice-involved youth. The panelists will offer their perspectives on specific experiences, knowledge, skills, strategies, and tools that service providers may use to best support youth’s educational stability throughout the youth’s involvement with the service providers.
Anxiety: How Much is Too Much?
Speaker: Elizabeth Coyle, (1.5 CEUs)
When does the level of anxiety become counterproductive? When does fear, worry, and anxiety “cross the border” into a diagnosable disorder that requires specific interventions? This workshop builds awareness and provides guidelines for recognizing the types of anxiety disorders diagnosed in children and adolescents. Participants will identify specific do’s and don’ts for intervention, and learn how to utilize a four-step approach to support children who experience high levels of anxiety at home and school. Special emphasis will be placed on Separation Anxiety Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Social Anxiety Disorder.
Within child-serving systems, it is typical for a youth to cycle in an out of treatment programs multiple times. When excluding detention and shelter facilities, youth average two placements at residential facilities, with roughly one-in-four kids sent to three or more residential placements.
1. Youth who are removed from their homes spend an average of over three years under court supervision; one-in-four spend four years or longer.
2. When youth cycle through multiple placements it has a significant impact on their social, emotional, and physical well-being. Unnecessary and repetitive placements result in a youth spending more time away from their families and communities, the disruption to those family and societal bonds can result in a youth developing an “institutionalized” mentality; which would make their transition back into their community likely to be unsuccessful. Youth inevitably experience more trauma when cycling through placements; hindering the efforts of true trauma informed practices. Their physical and mental health may be affected; their education is interrupted, special education needs may not be immediately recognized and credit transfer issues are not uncommon for youth moving from placement to placement. Multiple placements is also costly to the system.
The use of predictive analytics has the potential to catalyze monumental change in the juvenile justice, child welfare, and behavioral health fields. This presentation describes how agencies can develop and implement a tool to help them identify the most appropriate program for a child the first time. Through artificial intelligence and machine learning, the predictive factors of each youth is compared to the historical outcomes of a program that achieved success with youth that presented with the same or similar predictive factors. A report is provided to identify each youth’s likelihood of program completion and remain-out-of-care, along with other desired outcomes. Data-driven approaches create a more scientific admissions process that can work in tandem with existing structured decision-making tools.
Leveraging Data to Compete, Sustain Your Business, and Grow
Speaker: Tricia Zerger, Jessica Halpin and Jen Gray (1.5 CEUs)
We live in the era of data, and healthcare is no exception. Whether you’re providing value-based care, trying to grow your organization, or simply striving to compete in today’s market, data is key to your success. It drives productivity, leads to new evidence-based standards, transforms clinical outcomes and helps you benchmark your services. In this webinar, Tricia Zerger, Senior Director of Human Services Strategy at Netsmart, will sit down with an industry expert to discuss how data-driven technology and culture can provide you with business intelligence, employee satisfaction, improved operations and growth.
12-1
Networking Luncheon
Session 2
1-2:30
Family Digital Wellness: Keeping Kids Safe Online
Speaker: Justin Donofrio, (1.5 CEUs)
Parents and caregivers today are among the first generation to raise children in a physical and digital world simultaneously. In many instances, we have parents and caregivers who were raised with little-to-no exposure to digital technologies as youth,and are now raising children with the most exposure and access to digital technologies and environments than any generation before them. While we tend to focus on the many benefits of digital technologies, there is no doubt that we are beginning to see the negative impacts that can accompany a child or family’s unhealthy use of digital technologies.
Early data and trends are beginning to show us the negative impacts technology can have on today’s youth, producing higher levels of mental health concerns, stress, and anxiety. These negative impacts, along with the growing challenges that parents and caregivers are facing related to balancing the use of digital technology, can become risk factors for child abuse and neglect. Band-aid methods such as limited screen time and parental controls are no longer sustainable approaches to healthy digital use and interactions. A more comprehensive, strengthening, and preventative approach is needed going forward.
Family Digital Wellness is a framework which addresses online safety for children through a family-strengthening and prevention scope. Pennsylvania Family Support Alliance (PFSA) aims to educate, support, and strengthen families and professionals who interact daily with digital technologies.
In this session we will review the impacts and trends of digital technologies related to child safety and we will also dive into the precursors and risk factors of child abuse and neglect, and how these can be accelerated in the digital environments. Finally, we will explore the importance of ‘Family Digital Wellness’ and how this framework can have a positive role in strengthening families in the digital era and how professionals and providers working directly with families can leverage these tools to help keep kids safe online.
Using Clinical Modalities in Case Management
Speakers: Ellie Ettman, Kayla Jasper, (1.5 CEUs)
This presentation will discuss the effectiveness of using evidence based clinical modalities in the provision of case management services. Participants will learn about several clinical modalities and how they can be appropriately used in case management. Attendees will have an opportunity to present cases and receive feedback about which modalities may be appropriate.
Wellness in the Workplace: Protecting and Promoting Staff Well-Being
Speakers: Lauren Hansen-Flaschen, Leslie Slingsby
Although there are general personnel shortages and concerns across various sectors, given the emotionally exhausting nature of victim services work, hiring and retention are particularly difficult. Turnover is notoriously high as individuals burn out or move on to other organizations, further taxing the remaining staff.
The COVID-19 pandemic upended daily life and escalated disparity. Three years later, the impact of the pandemic is still being felt. Individuals working in the social services sector, who encounter trauma each day, are especially at risk of experiencing burnout and heightened secondary trauma. Within this context, the importance of staff wellness has become an even higher priority for many organizations, evidenced by it becoming a top strategic pillar of their multi-year strategic plans. Organizations recognize that prioritizing the wellness of their team members is crucial to protecting them, supporting quality services and a healthy work environment, and reducing turnover.
In 2023, Mission Kids Child Advocacy Center partnered with Schultz & Williams, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit consulting firm, to conduct a three-year strategic plan. During the planning process, Board, staff, multi-disciplinary partners and other stakeholders were engaged, and elevating staff wellness was identified as a core strategic pillar for the organization.
Three years later, Mission Kids has fully leaned into this goal and made extraordinary steps in supporting staff wellness. This includes the creation of a wellness committee, self-care days, free therapy sessions (paid through Mission Kids), appreciation days, yoga classes, financial wellness seminars, meditation sessions, and recognition strategies.
The presenters will share how Staff Wellness as a key pillar grew out of the strategic planning process, what Mission Kids has implemented thus far, and why and how these have been incorporated into the organization to foster a more robust staff wellness plan. In addition, during a facilitated discussion, attendees will have the opportunity to share their struggles with enhancing or maintaining staff wellness. They will also create personalized mini wellness plans to take back to their organizations for further development.
2:30-2:45
Break – Please Visit Exhibitor Booths
Session 3
2:45-4:15
Current Adolescent Drug Trends and Culture
Speaker: Matthew Null, (1.5 CEUs)
Today’s students are not just drinking beer and smoking a little weed. Are you aware of what waxing, boofing, and robotriping are? If you see writing on the bathroom stall from a student looking for Molly, they are not looking for a girl named Molly. If you were a student looking for drugs, where would you try to get them? In this session participants will learn to identify current trends in illicit drug use in the adolescent populations. They will also learn to recognize the difference with experimental use and escape use.
All schools are seeing a large percentage of their students engaged with vaping. This training will educate participants on the current vaping devices and how easy it is to hide them and use them in school. Second, this training will address, “what are they vaping”. It is not only nicotine.
THC is rapidly increasing in use. This is not the pot from years ago. It is critical we learn about the changes in THC and how it is being used. Many schools are experiencing THC overdoes and THC psychosis in their buildings.
Many students are wearing clothing that is designed to hide substances or promote substance use. This training will provide examples and indicators of these items.
Premier
Brown and Brown
Brown & Brown provides risk management solutions to help protect what our customers value most.
Gold Level
Enkompas
enkompas is a leading consultancy that provides organizations with the technology guidance and support that drives organizational efficiencies, resiliency, cost control, and revenue improvements.
Binti
Reinvent child welfare with us. Grounded in extensive research with youth, families and social workers, Binti’s mobile friendly platform promotes partnership, drives better outcomes and saves social worker time.
Silver
Bethany Children’s Home
In our unique and specialized programs, youth have access to a variety of therapeutic, spiritual, and cultural services in addition to recreational activities. Youth reside on campus in one of our historic cottages with a family comprised of house parents, support staff and resident advisors. Explore the tabs above to learn more about Bethany Children’s Home, how we support local youth, and how you can help us help youth succeed in their goals to be reunified in the community!
Cove Prep
There is hope for youthful sexual offenders if they receive intensive multi-faceted treatment that targets their individual patterns and needs. Cove PREP is committed to providing that treatment..
Children’s Home of Reading
The Children’s Home of Reading (CHOR) is a multi-faceted social service nonprofit offering specialized residential, educational, and community-based programs to help both at-risk children and their families.
Bronze
Harborcreek Youth Services
Harborcreek Youth Services is a trauma-informed behavioral healthcare agency that provides a wide range of residential and in-home services to children and their families from across Pennsylvania.
CAI
As a privately held company with a global footprint, our 8,500+ associates have the freedom and the focus to do what’s right for our clients, colleagues, and communities. We have a 40-year history of combining our dual strengths of talent and technology to deliver lasting results across the public and commercial sectors. And for nearly a decade, we’ve been national trailblazers in bringing neurodiversity to the enterprise. Let’s explore how we can power the possible—for you.
The Academy
The Academy Schools is a proud network of award-winning schools for at-risk youth. Established in Western Pennsylvania and managed by leaders and innovators in the field of juvenile justice, these schools are both community-based and residential, serving both local and out-of-state students.
Lamb
Lamb is dedicated exclusively to nonprofits and human service organizations. We provide property, casualty, and risk management solutions to organizations of any size and budget. Your protection is our mission.
Northwoods
We build cloud-based human services software designed to make workers’ lives a little bit easier. The result? More time to focus on mission-critical work so clients get the help they need.
Copper
Valley Youth House
Valley Youth House is more than a non-profit organization—it’s a promise. We believe every young person deserves a place to belong. When youth come to us, they are guaranteed access to all the resources, support, and aid we can provide to help them live well and be seen.
DTAC
DTAC’s vision is to be the premier provider and leading innovator of child and adolescent mental health treatment through assessing community needs, allowing us to grow and evolve with the changing demands of the individuals we serve. Through integrity, kindness, empowerment, and respect, we are changing the lives of individuals in our community.
Elevated Youth Services
Elevated Youth Services (EYS) seeks to inspire youth to find a healthy path of purpose, mastery, and contribution. EYS provides services that assist each young person in grappling with the pain of serious emotional distress, mental health disabilities and disorders, and trauma. Treatment is designed to take each person’s pain and find wisdom in their experiences. It is the objective of Elevated Youth Services’ treatment model that our clients are whole people. This awareness must be imparted to the youth with whom we work, their families, other service providers, and the community.
NetSmart
At Netsmart, we believe providers and organizations need capabilities that extend beyond relying solely on an EHR solution and software. We are dedicated to digitizing your enterprise, helping your organization successfully thrive in today’s healthcare landscape.
Willetts Tech
We’re the only IT services firm that understands the unique challenges, needs and workflow of a Human Services Organization and can put in place solutions to increase billable hours, lower IT support costs, dramatically increase productivity and support your hectic, crazy-busy work schedule. We are proud to serve the human service industry and play a role in the work they do. We understand that social workers, case managers, therapists, and the like are on the
Specialty Sponsor
Enkompas
enkompas is a leading consultancy that provides organizations with the technology guidance and support that drives organizational efficiencies, resiliency, cost control, and revenue improvements.
Blockhouse
Durable, Functional, Customizable Furniture That Performs Time and Time Again. From a True Partner That Stands With You.
Room Sponsor
Generative Consulting Partners
Generative Consulting Partners is a consulting firm committed to co-creating effective operational and leadership programs for social sector leaders and organizations. We serve as a trusted advisor for early-stage ventures, nonprofits, foundations, social impact organizations, and governmental agencies. Our goal is to curate solutions tailored to the nuanced environment and business goals of our clients. Our mission is to enable leaders to build stronger relationships with key constituents and funders to grow and sustain their organizations.
Children’s Home of Easton
We believe all children deserve compassion and respect. Given the right tools and support system, those children can reach their full potential.
Bruce Fagan
Since 1994, Bruce Fagan Promotions has been dedicated to enhancing the marketing, development, public-relations, and branding of businesses, non-profit organizations, and institutions. We strive to provide the highest quality promotional marketing products, printing, and design services while maintaining affordable pricing.
In 2007, Bruce Fagan Promotions became an authorized dealer of Kaeser & Blair, Inc. (K&B), a “Top 20” company and home of the largest independent dealer network in the promotional products industry. K&B is a solid, hard working, third generation family-owned business,
Tote Bag Sponsor
George Jr. Republic
George Junior Republic is dedicated to changing the lives of at-risk youth through a broad continuum of programs that engage the entire person and support the mental, physical and emotional needs while teaching responsibility, citizenship and skills that will help them grow into productive members of society.
Trivia Night Sponsor
Turning Points for Children
Turning Points for Children envisions a thriving community for all. A place with stronger families and brighter futures.
Our work is built on the foundations of wellness, safety, diversity and collaboration and we strive to bring social and health services to vulnerable people. We are committed to providing a holistic, client-centered approach to delivering services by a team of care experts who customize care around clients’ needs.
We believe in the power of resilience and possibility.
Wifi Sponsor
Turning Points for Children
HUB International offers employee benefits, business, and personal insurance products and services.
Student Sponsorship
Tabor Services Inc.
We aim to ensure that the services we provide families are the least restrictive as possible as we link them with resources for support with in their community and culture. Extended family members with safe homes are the best resources for children who can not remain with their own parents. Preparation for youth independence begins at the onset of service delivery and includes planning the steps that will lead to emancipation from the child welfare system. Permanency and independence are key objectives for all service consumers.
Gemma Services
Offering Residential Treatment and community based programs.
To sponsor or for more information contact Kim Yakowski, PCCYFS Director of Communications and Marketing at kimberlyy@pccyfs.org or 717-460-6813.
Your favorite networking events are returning this year! On Tuesday, early arrivals may join PCCYFS staff at the hotel bar/restaurant for Tuesday Trivia Night. PCCYFS will host trivia from 7 to 9 pm and award prizes. Play individually, as your own group or at the PCCYFS “group” table reserved for our use. It’s sure to be a good time!
On Wednesday, PCCYFS will host its popular evening networking mixer from 6:30 to 10 pm, sponsored by enkompas and Binti. From 6:30 to 9 pm there will be a Wine Tasting in the Heritage Room, sponsored by enkompas! Listen to live music as you delight your palate with a selection of red and white wines and delicious hors d’oeuvres.
Sponsorship Opportunities are still available but selling fast! Contact Kim Yakowski at kimberlyy@pccyfs.org for details.
Registration – NOW LIVE!!
You can now register for the 2024 conference.
Simply select your one or two day ticket based on your member, non-member, or full-time student status. Click the “+” sign next to each ticket to identify how many of each ticket you would like to purchase, and then click the blue “Get Tickets” button at the bottom of the page.
To complete the ticket purchase, you will need each individual’s name, e-mail, organization, and title (for their conference name tag). You will select each person’s sessions for the conference days, however you will be able to change your mind later. Counts for each session are important for assuring large enough rooms are allocated for the sessions at the conference.
At the end of the checkout, you can select to pay via PAYPAL, or you can select INVOICE ME to have an invoice sent to you. Note: you do NOT need a PayPal account to pay via PayPal. PayPal allows use of a credit card to complete the purchase without a PayPal account. If you select PayPal, you will be taken to their secure website to complete the transaction.
Is the conference in-person? Where is it being held?
We are pleased to offer the PCCYFS 2024 Conference in-person at the Best Western, 800 E. Park Drive, Harrisburg, PA 17111.
How do I access the group room rate information?
Make your reservations online here.
Or call 717-561-2800, choose option #4 and then option #1. Then ask for the PCCYFS group rate.
Where can I reserve a room if the hotel is full?
The Hampton Inn at 4230 Union Deposit Road, Harrisburg, PA 17111. Or call 717-545-9595.
The Comfort Inn and Suites Harrisburg-Hershey West, 1001 Briarsdale Rd, Harrisburg PA 17109, 717-558-8535
The Fairfield Inn and Suites by Marriot Harrisburg Hershey, 1018 Briarsdale Rd, Harrisburg PA 17109, 717-412-4326
Do I have to be a PCCYFS member to register?
No!!! Members and non-members are welcome to attend the conference.
Where do I direct questions about my conference registration?
Questions can be emailed to hbgoffice@pccyfs.org. During the event, you may also stop by registration and PCCYFS staff will help you.
What is the registration fee?
The registration fees vary. Find them here.
What methods of payment do you accept?
You may make your reservation using a credit card, PayPal or request to be invoiced. You do NOT need to create a PayPal account to use a credit card.
Are the sessions eligible for Continuing Education Units (CEUs)?
Yes, many of our sessions are eligible for CEUs. Their eligibility is indicated by the course description in the program. Credits are $10 per day..
Are there any networking events?
Yes, this year’s conference offers many opportunities for networking.
Your favorite networking events are returning this year! On Tuesday, early arrivals may join PCCYFS staff at the hotel bar/restaurant for Tuesday Trivia Night. PCCYFS will host trivia from 7 to 9 pm and award prizes. Play individually, as your own group or at the PCCYFS “group” table reserved for our use. It’s sure to be a good time!
On Wednesday, PCCYFS will host its popular evening networking mixer 6:30 to 10 pm, sponsored by enkompas and Binti, along with a new offering. From 6:30 to 9 pm there will be a Wine Tasting in the Heritage Room, sponsored by enkompas! Listen to live music as you delight your palate with a selection of red and white wines and delicious hors d’oeuvres.
How do I cancel my registration?
All requests for cancelling registrations must be e-mailed to HbgOffice@PCCYFS.org by the end of the day on Wednesday, April 3. All non-cancelled no-shows will not be eligible for a refund.
How can I sponsor the 2024 Conference?
Contact Kim Yakowski at kimberlyy@pccyfs.org.
How do I become a member of PCCYFS?
How can I offer feedback or ask a specific question?
Email the PCCYFS office at hbgoffice@pccyfs.org or call 717-651-1725.
Can I use social media at the conference?
Yes.
Social media guidelines and best practices
We welcome social media use at PCCYFS’ Annual Conference, including live tweeting. Use includes all public settings such as the exhibit hall and receptions, and presentations and keynotes.
Use the appropriate meeting hashtag, e.g. #PCCYFSCon2024 for PCCYFS Annual Conference 2024.
Employ commonly used hashtags that relate to the content to increase engagement.
Treat all participants, attendees, staff, and vendors with respect and consideration, valuing a diversity of views and opinions.
Credit (identify) presenters by name.
Do not take or share photographs of individuals under 18 on social media without explicit verbal or written permission of a parent or guardian.
Photography guidelines and best practices
Photography by individuals for personal use and for social media is allowed at social events, in the Exhibit Hall and in public spaces throughout the PCCYFS Annual Conference.
The presenter must be identified by name when a photograph of the presenter, presenter’s slides, or poster is shared on social media or elsewhere.
Attendees should be respectful and considerate of others. Do not use flash, block attendees view of presenters when capturing photos, or otherwise disrupt presentations.
Do not photograph individuals under 18 years of age without explicit verbal or written permission of a parent or guardian. If in doubt, ask.
