The Better Project is working to expand training opportunities across the community.

PLEASE CHECK BACK FOR UPCOMING EVENTS!

The Better Child Welfare Training Academy (The Academy)

Research consistently shows that unmet mental health needs significantly increase the likelihood of placement in restrictive care settings. To improve outcomes for children and youth in foster care, a comprehensive and coordinated continuum of mental health services is critical. These services must be fully integrated with child welfare systems to ensure stability, reduce placement disruptions, and promote long-term well-being.

The Better Project addresses these concerns by providing the best possible mental health and wellness training and skills development opportunities to independent practitioners and organizational staff charged with serving Texas’s abused and neglected children. The goal is to empower key individuals and organizations with the skills and knowledge necessary to adequately meet the mental health needs of those we serve.

Standard workshops offered by The Academy

For Leaders/Organizations:

  • Trauma-Informed Guidelines for Organizations: Strategies for Hiring and Retaining Staff

  • Centering Child Welfare Staff to Improve Resident Outcomes

  • Practical Strategies for Residential Transformation

  • The Sanctuary Model

  • Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI)

  • Addressing Secondary Traumatic Stress in Child Welfare Practice

For Providers/Professionals/Staff:

  • Mental Health 101: An Introduction to Emotional/Behavioral Health Disorders and Serious Mental Illness

  • Understanding the Impact of Trauma

  • An Introduction to Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)

  • Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI)

  • Best Practices in Treatment Planning

  • Meeting the Mental Health Needs of Clients Who’ve Experienced Trauma

  • Addressing Secondary Traumatic Stress in Child Welfare Practice

  • Fundamentals of Trauma Processing

  • The Wounded Healer: Addressing Interpersonal Trauma to Promote a Healthy Workforce

***Specific presentation topics can be developed upon request and/or tailored to fit individual organization needs***