Partnership Connections – Details, episodes & analysis

Join us as we chat with Naomi Campbell, Director of the Legal Empowerment Program at the Right Question Institute. Naomi helps break down the "Question Formulation Technique and how it can be applied in child welfare, both with families and colleagues. For more on RQI, see their website here: RIGHT QUESTION INSTITUTE

Join us as we speak with Chris Dorval, Executive Director at Ocean State Recovery Center. Chris is a nationally recognized speaker, trainer and clinical consultant in the areas of addiction, trauma, and men’s health, as well as, having worked as a clinician and clinical supervisor in various levels of care in addiction treatment continuum. We discuss how substance use disorder impacts families involved in the child welfare system. 

Join us as we speak with Amanda Winn, Director of Training and Technical Assistance at the HOPE National Resource Center https://positiveexperience.org/

Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences (HOPE) is a framework that combines a public health approach to preventing child abuse with a broader understanding of how children grow to become strong, healthy, and resilient adults. 

Join us as we chat with Dr. Frederic Reamer about how artificial intelligence is impacting child welfare. AI is an often-controversial topic and its foray into child welfare is no different. Learn more about the risks and benefits, as well as what it might mean for you as this growing technology impacts work with children, youth, and families. 

Explore the 12 Core Concepts of Childhood Trauma with Guest Dan Harvey. A note on school changes: In Rhode Island, children and resource caregivers receive transportation support (via Statewide busing in partnership with RIDE) to reduce barriers to getting to home schools. 

Join us as we chat with Rhode Island Training School Executive Director Larome Myrick and Senior Community Development Specialist John Scott. They share powerful personal stories, challenge misconceptions, and highlight innovative community partnerships that support youth rehabilitation at the Rhode Island Training School. From urban gardens to historical cemetery projects, this conversation sheds light on how purpose-driven programs are transforming lives and building bridges between systems.

Join us as we sit down with Melissa Aguiar-Rivard, Chief of Strategic Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation at the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF), to unpack the agency’s five-year strategic plan. Melissa shares insights from DCYF's Listening & Learning Tour, revealing how staff, families, partners, and youth shaped the plan’s core pillars: Prevention, Accountability, Collaboration, and Engagement (PACE).

Here is the Stategic Plan in its entirety!

Join us as we chat with Ariana DeAngelis, Training Manager at The Autism Project, to explore the complexities of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and its implications for child welfare professionals. Ariana shares her deep expertise and lived experiences working with autistic individuals across the lifespan, offering practical strategies for supporting children and families impacted by ASD. From debunking common myths to navigating meltdowns, trauma, and elopement, this conversation provides essential tools and compassionate insights for anyone working in child welfare. Whether you're a caseworker, foster parent, or simply seeking to better understand neurodiversity, this episode is a must-listen.

Join us as we speak with Tricia Driscoll and Stephanie Manzi. Tricia is the Executive Director of the Center for Mediation and Collaboration of Rhode Island and Stephanie is a professor of criminal justice at Roger Williams University teaching courses in policing and criminology. They provide insight into generational diversity impacting the workforce and how to better understand these differences for better relationships, communication, and an overall work environment, with a particular focus on the child welfare workforce and environment. 

Join us as we speak with Christopher Margadonna, Senior Director of Training and Program Development at MENTOR RI about the concepts of both Growth Mindset and Mentoring Mindset. Christopher will help us define what both of these terms mean, why they are important, and what we can actually do to apply these to not just our professional lives but also in our own personal lives as well.