Center for Urban and Regional Excellence

Workshop Time: 10:45 AM to 12:00 PM

Workshop Summary: This session provides an opportunity to meet with, and ask questions of, the Director of the Lake County office of the Department of Child Services and the senior judge of the Juvenile Division of the Lake County Superior Court.  Ms. Stokes and Judge Stefaniak will review recent issues and trends in child welfare problems, services, policies, and practices in Lake County.  Discussion topics include parental involvement in child welfare decision-making, the relative roles and effectiveness of foster parenting, kinship care and residential care, and recent developments in the provision of prevention, post-intervention, and other services.

Workshop Objectives:

• Participants will receive an update on state policies.
• Participants will learn how to advocate for underserved groups.
• Participants will receive information on how to access local and state resources.

Presenter Bios:

Twan Stokes (MSW – Indiana University Northwest) is Region 1 Director (Lake County) of the Indiana Department of Child Services.  Ms. Stokes began her career with DCS as a Family Case Manager. She also served as a Practice Consultant and Supervisor and as deputy director of the Lake County office before assuming her present position.  Ms. Stokes is a “Journey” Fellow and has served as an adjunct professor for the IU Northwest School of Social Work.  Among her trainings is a YouTube video entitled "Increasing Kinship Placements to Expedite Permanency for Children of Color” for the Minority Professional Leadership Development Program at AdoptUSKids.

Judge Stefaniak (J.D., Valparaiso University) is Senior Juvenile Court Judge for the Lake County Superior Court.  In this position he is responsible for administering the court charged with adjudicating a wide variety of child and family legal matters in the County.  Appointed to the Superior Court in 2001, Judge Stefaniak transferred to the Juvenile Division in May of 2013 and has served as Chief Judge since that time.  Before his appointment to the Superior Court, he served as the (elected) Hammond City Judge (1995-2001). 

Workshop Time: 10:45 AM to 12:00 PM

Workshop Summary: Co-Care in foster care encourages an intentional relationship between parents and foster parents. Positive Co-Care relationships are beneficial for all involved and are in the best interest of the children. Parents are experts on their children’s needs and foster parents do all they can to provide the best possible care to the children while they are in their homes. Working together and maintaining connections leads to better outcomes. This session explores the background of the Indiana Co-Care Initiative, its principles and action steps, and implementation progress to date.

Workshop Objectives:

• Participants will learn about the origins of the Indiana Co-Care initiative.
• Participants will understand and learn the principles and required action steps of co-care (as developed by the Indiana team creating the initiative).
• Participants will learn about current training approaches, progress of the initiative, and lessons learned so far.

Presenter Bios:

Julie Villarreal is the Senior Regional Director of the Northwest and North Central Indiana Regions of The Villages. She also oversees the Telehealth Program which serves clients and families participating in all programs offered through the Villages. Julie received her master's in social work in 2002 from Indiana University Northwest, with honors. She has worked in Child Welfare in various capacities since 1995. She is a licensed clinical social worker who also holds a certification for working with youth experiencing sexually harmful behaviors.  Passionate about serving youth and families, Julie has served on the Planning Committee for the Annual Forum on Abuse and Neglect for the past eight years. Her career, spanning thirty years, has been focused on improving the lives of children and families. 

Nicollette Love has served in the child welfare sector for more than 15 years. She has served in various roles including Family Case Manager for the State of Indiana, teaching military families about the impact of child maltreatment and various other roles within foster care. She currently serves as a Regional Licensing Supervisor with The Villages of Indiana. Nicollette holds 2 master's degrees in Nonprofit and Management & Leadership and Public Administration. Nicollette is passionate about serving children and families in her community. She truly believes it is her calling to support families in learning to live in a healthy and thriving environment.

Workshop Time: 10:45 AM to 12:00 PM

Workshop Description:

This session delves into the neuroscience of connection and belonging to explore how these fundamental human needs are at the root of long-term well-being. It will explore the School Care Team's approach to creating the supportive frameworks that are essential for healing and growth. The session will address strategies to foster strong relationships and a culture of belonging to not only mitigate the impacts of trauma and adversity but also lay the foundation for long-term mental health. 

Workshop Objectives:

• Participants will develop an understanding of the neuroscience of connection and belonging.
• Participants will understand the School Care Team’s approach to creating frameworks for healing and growth.
• Participants will learn strategies for fostering strong relationships and a culture of belonging.

Presenter Bio:

Lani Kieft is a Program Manager at the Fort Wayne School Care Team with over 20 years of experience in education and child development. She holds a B.S. in Education from Indiana University and has worked as an educator, coach, and program developer. Since joining the School Care Team in 2023, she has supported schools across Indiana as a consultant, certified QPR instructor, and Level 2 WRAP facilitator. A suicide loss survivor, Kieft is dedicated to mental health advocacy and suicide prevention. She emphasizes the importance of connection and support in her work, using her lived experience to reduce stigma and foster safe, supportive environments for youth and adults.

Workshop Time: 10:45 AM to 12:00 PM

Workshop Summary:

Stewards ofChildren®, is one of the only evidence-informed, adult-focused child sexual abuse prevention trainings in the United States proven to increase knowledge and change behavior.  This workshop provides an introduction to the training and explores the Social Behavior Change framework which guides work in preventing child sexual abuse.  Social Behavior Change is a proven approach for enabling changes at individual, community, and societal levels to improve health and overall well-being. 

Workshop Objectives:

At the conclusion of this workshop, participants will:

• Become aware of the scope of the issue of sexual abuse
• Be able to take actionable steps towards both preventing and responding to abuse
• Understand how to create safer environments for children
• Learn and be able to implement the 5 Steps to protecting children from sexual abuse

Presenter bio:

Sara Hoyt is the Public Education Director for Dunebrook, Inc, (Michigan City). She has been providing abuse prevention education to Northwest Indiana schools for over 8 years. She has trained over 500 adults in the Stewards of Children Program and has presented Body Safety to over 100,000 students in her 13 years at Dunebrook. In addition to serving as the director for Public Education, Mrs. Hoyt sits on Indiana’s Prevention Roundtable, coordinated by the kNot Foundation to help generate awareness, initiate prevention strategies, and support restorative services to end sexual abuse, exploitation, and trafficking of children in Indiana.

Workshop Time: 10:45 AM to 12:00 PM

Workshop Summary:

This session addresses basic immigration law and administrative practices. Topics for 2025 include the legal issues facing immigrants and their families today; recent (Trump Administration) changes in laws, policies, and practices that affect documented and undocumented immigrants; the services available (and not available) to immigrants by law; and some local resources available to help them.

Workshop Objectives:

• Attendees will learn the definition of undocumented people and immigrants and be introduced to policies and practices that impact them.
• Attendees will understand the key changes in administrative practices initiated by the current federal administration and actions taken by legal advocates for immigrants in response.
• Attendees will be able to identify available resources within local communities for supporting undocumented persons and immigrants.

Presenter Bio:        

Sophia Arshad (J.D., Valparaiso University) is the managing partner of the law firm, Arshad, Pangere, and Warring LLP. Licensed to practice in state and federal courts, she deals with a variety of issues including estate planning, probate, family law, immigration matters, and citizenship. As part of her graduate work in law, attorney Arshad earned a joint Master of Arts degree in Psychological Foundations. She has taught immigration law and labor and employment law at Davenport University.

Workshop Time: 10:45 AM to 12:00 PM

Workshop Summary: This workshop will provide an overview of the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative. The Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative, (JDAI) was designed to support the Annie E. Casey Foundations vision that all youth involved in the juvenile justice system have opportunities to develop into healthy, productive adults. JDAI is now the largest juvenile justice system improvement initiative in the United States.

Workshop Objectives:

• Attendees of this workshop will learn of the latest research on the effects of detention on juveniles.
• Attendees will gain an understanding of the foundation for the creation of the Lake County’s JDAI and their initiatives and
• Attendees will participate in a discussion about the use of grant funding in youth programming both in and out of the Lake County Juvenile Center.

Presenter Bio:

Kevin Elkins has been an employee of the Lake County Juvenile Court for the past 29 years. Kevin has worked as a Detention Officer, Placement Probation Officer, Probation Supervisor, Deputy Chief of Juvenile Probation, and his current position as Chief of Juvenile Probation for the past five years. Kevin has helped to develop some of the Juvenile Court’s Community outreach programs such as the Flower Farm, Clothing give-away Room, Food Box Donations, and vocational programs. Kevin believes in the old adage of “It Takes a Village” and strives every day to make our community a better place for all. Kevin has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Indiana University Northwest, and a master’s degree in public affairs from Indiana University Northwest as well.

Workshop Time: 1:00 to 2:15 PM

Workshop Summary: 

This session explores the nuances of emotional dysregulation in children and how it manifests as "undesirable behaviors" in educational settings. It delves into evidence-based techniques for teaching coping skills, promoting self-soothing, and enhancing impulse control among students. The session reviews how insights into how different parts of the brain activate and communicate during emotional responses, shedding light on neurological needs that have historically been underestimated.

Workshop Objectives:

• Participants will understand the nuances of emotional dysregulation in children and how it manifests in educational settings.
• Participants will understand evidence-based techniques for teaching coping skills, promoting self-soothing, and enhancing impulse control.
• Participants will learn how different parts of the brain activate and communicate during emotional responses.
• Participants will acquire actionable tools to integrate emotional regulation practices into their interactions and teaching strategies for themselves and their youth.

Presenter Bio:

Rebekah Enzler brings over 30 years of experience in the non-profit sector as a therapist and social worker, focusing on improving youth lives through prevention and intervention with a trauma-responsive approach. As a collaborative systems thinker, she leads initiatives to create lasting change and ensure access to vital resources. Rebekah is deeply passionate about mental health advocacy, particularly for marginalized voices. Rebekah is part of the Fort Wayne School Care Team, a non-profit dedicated to equipping educators, care teams, and community organizations with tools to foster mental wellness. Their mission addresses rising trends in depression, anxiety, and suicide by creating supportive environments for growth, healing, and thriving.

Workshop Time: 1:00 to 2:15 PM

Workshop Summary:

The Strengthening Families Institute's Protective Factors Framework is a research-informed socioecological approach to child maltreatment prevention that embeds abuse and neglect within a greater context that extends beyond the home and into the greater community and society.  Protective Factors (social connections, concrete support in times of need, knowledge of parenting and child development, parental resilience, and social and emotional competence of children) are attributes and conditions that help to keep all families strong and on a pathway of healthy development and wellbeing.  This workshop focuses on the protective factors and how Dunebrook, Inc.  (Michigan City) has expanded upon the Healthy Families program model, adding community-based, low-stakes programming with play-based activities that encourage child development and enhance protective factors, particularly social connections and concrete support in times of need. 

Workshop Objectives:

At the conclusion of this workshops, participants will: 

• Understand child maltreatment from within a socioecological framework
• Identify risk and protective factors for child maltreatment
• Learn how protective factors prevent child abuse and neglect
• Become familiar with how Healthy Families of LaPorte County boosts protective families of participating families

Presenter Bios:

Amy Straka Wisor, BA, CBS. Amy brought her background in community organizing and communication consulting to Dunebrook to frame out a new role in Healthy Families, La Porte County— Outreach Coordinator. Her vocation is connection— extending Healthy Families’ signature reflective, strengths-based approach into the community with parent groups that are equal parts peer support, popular education, and pizza party.  Amy received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Purdue University North Central.  Amy is a Certified Breastfeeding Specialist, working to become an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant.

Sarah Johnson, MSW. Sarah is a Program Director at Dunebrook, Inc. for Covering Kids & Families and the Child Abuse Prevention Councils for both LaPorte and Porter Counties. With over 15 years of experience working with non-profits and in community organizing and program development in Northwest Indiana, Detroit, and Indianapolis, Sarah has most recently worked on bolstering protective factors to prevent child maltreatment in our community. She received her bachelor’s degrees in psychology and religious studies from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and her Master of Social Work from University of Michigan. Sarah resides in LaPorte County.

Workshop Time: 1:00 to 2:15 PM

Workshop Summary:

This session focuses on the rights of immigrants and their families in 2025 and the impact of the new administration’s policies and practices on families. Topics include the rights of immigrants in encounters with law enforcement, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, the Border Patrol and others; rights to legal representation; and the impact of new policies and practices on everyday life for immigrants and their families.

Workshop Objectives:

• Attendees will understand and be able to communicate to immigrants and their families their rights, including their right to legal counsel, when they encounter various law enforcement agencies (e.g., local police and ICE agents).
• Attendees will understand how the key changes in administrative practices initiated by the current federal administration have affected the daily lives of immigrants and their families.
• Attendees will be able to identify some resources within local communities for supporting immigrants and their families.

Presenter Bio:

Anthony Burrell (M.A., Psychology, Walden; BS, Psychology, IU Bloomington) is Founder and Executive Director of the Chicagoland Immigrant Welcome Network based in Hammond Indiana (2014 – present). His organization provides hosting and orientation programs for refugee and asylum-seeking families, a US Justice Department certified legal clinic for immigrants, and a special program serving Syrian refugee children and families.  He has been an accredited US Department of Justice Legal Representative since 2015. His training credentials include speaking engagements for the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities.

Workshop Time: 1:00 to 2:15 PM

Workshop Summary:

A panel of volunteers discuss a variety of issues related to sexual/gender identity.  Topics include common problems faced by families, best practices for working with families, updated language on these matters, and safe places to ask questions about sexual/gender identity. 

Workshop Objectives:

• Attendees will learn about the best practices in the field and gain information about the LGBTQAI + population.
• Attendees will be introduced to public policies that support families, and individuals in the LGBTQAI+ community.
• Attendees will gain knowledge about support groups and organizations.

Presenter Bio:

Natalie Lukich, LMHC (M.S. Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Purdue University Northwest) is LGBTQ Program Coordinator and Supervisor of Resource Family Support at Crown Counseling Services in Crown Point, Indiana. She is founder and co-facilitator of an affirming support group, Pride Initiative, which provides support and education for the families, friends, and allies of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning community. She is a trainer for the Department of Child Services and other social service organizations on issues related to LGBTQ youth.

Workshop Time: 1:00 to 2:15 PM

Workshop Summary:

This session reviews details about the Lake County Family Recovery Court (FRC), a program designed to assist families with substance abuse issues to achieve lasting sobriety.  It serves families whose child(ren) are involved with the Department of Child Services (DCS) through a Child in Need of Services (CHINS) case.  FRC helps parents by providing specialized support services promoting recovery and encouraging healthy lifestyle choices.

Workshop Objectives:

• Attendees will learn the “steps to sobriety” approach used by the Family Recovery Center.
• Attendees will be able to differentiate between different types of substance use and abuse.
• Attendees will learn about supportive community services that promote recovery from problems of substance use and abuse.

Presenter Bio:

Beth L. Rechlicz (pronounced Reck-lid-ge) is the Deputy Chief of Juvenile Probation and the Family Recovery Court Coordinator for Lake County, Indiana. With over 30 years of experience in child welfare, juvenile justice, and addiction recovery, she has spent her career helping people find second chances—sometimes before they even realize that they need one. A proud Purdue graduate with a Master of Social Work from Indiana University, Beth started her career investigating child abuse cases before moving to Juvenile Court, where she worked her way up to Deputy Chief. She also serves on the board of the Wahl & Holland Home, a nonprofit working to establish a recovery residence for women and children—proving she’s really bad at saying “no” to a good cause. In 2020, Judge Thomas P. Stefaniak, Jr. entrusted Beth with securing funding and launching the Lake County Family Recovery Court. Combining her professional expertise with her own lived experience in recovery, she built a holistic, strength-based program that helps parents overcome addiction and reunite with their children. Beth remains committed to advocating for those affected by substance use disorder, believing that everyone deserves a shot at recovery—no matter how many wrong turns they’ve taken.

Workshop Time: 1:00 to 2:15 PM

Workshop Summary:

Prevent Child Abuse America (PCA) has developed a new communications strategy under the leadership of this year’s Forum keynote speaker, Takkeem Morgan.  The basic strategy involves humanizing prevention by telling the stories of individuals who encounter child welfare system and other family-supporting human service providers. The session provides details on that strategy and how the life experience of Mr. Morgan influenced its development and implementation.

Workshop Objectives:

• Participants will understand the overall approach to child abuse prevention communications that PCA will employ in the coming years.
• Participants will understand how Mr. Morgan’s life experience influenced his approach to the communications strategy chosen.
• Participants will understand how and why story-telling works as part of a broader communications strategy.

PresenterBio:

Takkeem Morgan is Senior Director of Communications at Prevent Child Abuse America. His dedication to family support stems from his own experience with family separation during his childhood. Navigating complex government systems while striving to stay connected with his family inspired him to become a lifelong learner, leveraging his skills and firsthand experiences to transform these systems into engines for family support and recovery. His vision is a world where the government and community expect families to thrive and therefore foster an ecosystem that prevents destabilizing crises, including family separation.

Takkeem holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and an MBA with a focus on Marketing Strategy, both from Penn State University. His educational background has provided him with a robust foundation in strategic communication and marketing, which he has successfully applied throughout his career.

Outside of his professional life, Takkeem is a father, a friend, and an avid learner, currently enjoying the challenges of golf and bowling. His unique blend of personal experience, professional expertise, and visionary approach makes him a passionate advocate for families and a dynamic leader in the field of child abuse prevention.