FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
November 13 , 2007

CONTACT:
Anita Owen
(317) 644-7230
anitao@family-service-inc.org

Family Service to Host Childhood Trauma Seminar

Indianapolis, Indiana (November 13, 2007): Gov. Mitch Daniels has proclaimed November 18-24, 2007 as Indiana Family Week. In addition to the Gov. Daniels’ proclamation, Mayor of Greenfield, Rodney Fleming and Mayor of Lebanon, James Acton have also issued proclamations. For the past 30 years, the week of Thanksgiving has been designated as National Family Week by the Alliance for Children and Families as a time when thousands of people and organizations across the United States celebrate the connections they have with their families and communities.

Groups across the country will host National Family Week celebrations in honor of children and families in their communities. This year Family Service is partnering with the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), and receiving funding from the Alliance for Children and Families, to offer a seminar on the topic of childhood trauma, focusing on its effects as well as interventions. The event will be held on November 20 th from 11:30am to 2:00pm at the American Red Cross of Greater Indianapolis located at 4410 E. 10 th Street.

Three local experts have agreed to speak on the subject. Dr. Gail Falaron, an associate professor at the Indiana University School of Social Work, has worked in both child welfare and mental health and has researched childhood trauma and brain development. Patty Scanlon, owner of PlayJourneys, Inc., a private counseling service for children, adults and families, specializes in working with children and adult survivors of abuse, trauma and divorce. Dr. Angela Tomlin is Clinical Assistant Professor and Coordinator of Psychology at the Riley Child Development Center, Indiana University School of Medicine.

There will be approximately 75 counselors and social workers who serve children in a variety of settings, such as public schools, daycares, community centers, social service agencies, and the Marion County Department of Child Services attending the seminar.

We will also be presenting the National Family Week Advocacy Award to a dedicated member of our community, Rhonda Allen, Marion County Director of the Indiana Department of Child Services. Ms. Allen has worked tirelessly to transform the culture and practice of the local child protection system from one that saves children from their families to one that saves families for children. She has wisely made believers and advocates out of her front line staff, many of whom have joined in leading this revolutionary change. Too often perceived as an agency that removed children from their families first and asked questions later, Ms. Allen has championed the use of Child and Family Teaming in which families are asked what they need and have real input into what they get. Their strengths and hopes for their families are recognized and valued.

National Family Week: Connections Count embraces the premise that children live better lives when their families are strong, and families are strong when they live in communities that connect them to economic opportunities, social networks, and services. These “connections” celebrated during National Family Week include access to reliable transportation, employment opportunities, education, child care, housing, health care, and support from community networks and institutions.

Sam Wiley, who was a teacher and administrator in Indianapolis, founded National Family Week in 1968. The Alliance for Children and Families, a nonprofit membership association representing child-and-family-serving organizations in the United States and Canada, has directed National Family Week efforts for more than 30 years. National Family Week is organized by the Alliance for Children and Families with generous support from The Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Visit www.nationalfamilyweek.org to learn more about National Family Week and get helpful hints for making Connections Count or call Family Service at (317) 634-6341 or visit www.family-service-inc.org.

 - # # # -