Foster Care Training

The past few years have brought significant changes in federal and state statutes and case law relevant to the provision of behavioral health services for system involved youth. This update and review of ethics and law will assist those who support system involved youth in maintaining currency regarding such changes, while keeping a focus on foundational ethical principles, guidelines, and methods of enhancing decision-making and judgement. The workshop will begin with a discussion of challenges to and methods of addressing the quality of ethical decision making, with an emphasis on steps to reduce judgements in decisions, generally. The course then will turn its focus to a particular kind of bias– racism and barriers to equity for traditionally marginalized communities in mental health care–and will present models to help increase access and equity. Confidentiality, it’s limits (e.g., case law and statutory developments in the California duty to protect (e.g., Turner v. Rivera, 2021) and our child abuse reporting law and elder/depending adult abuse reporting developments) will be discussed, as will the implications of the Information Blocking rule and the No Surprises Act Issues related to privacy and it’s limits in providing substance abuse services will also be addressed. Issues regarding the (one hopes) post-COVID impact on remote care will also be explored. This workshop will conclude by assisting professionals in navigating work with high conflict, system-involved families, whether with individual adults embroiled in, or children and adolescents affected by, such situations. If time permits, we will discuss preventing and managing licensing board complaints.