1:00 - Introductions and Overview - Getting to Know You

• Welcome and Overview of Agenda
• Participant Introductions

1:30 - Thinking Differently about Problems

Lecture and Discussion: "Believing Impossible Things"

• Thinking Outside The Box - It’s all how you look at it (Perspective)
• Frame Games illustration
• Change - the first big problem
  • Deciding what to change
  • Courage to effect and accept changes &emdash; stepping outside the comfort box
  • Recognizing change when you see it
• You can effect change because:
  • You are a professional - defining professionalism
  • You have skills, knowledge, experience and resources
  • You have discretionary power
    • You always have choices i.e. action vs. inaction
    • How you choose to view and present yourself
    • What you choose to learn or become expert at
• Any problem can be made just a little bit better with:
  • An inquiring and discerning mind -
    • Willingness to think outside the box,
    • Knowing how and when to ask questions,
    • Defining discerning
    • Using your own common sense
  •  A little help from my friends -
    • Know your resources,
    • Working with others to knock down walls
  • Empathy, genuineness, and respect -
    • Honesty and full disclosure,
    • Assertiveness vs. aggressiveness
  • Commitment to action and change &emdash; it’s up to you

 2:30 - Break

 2:45 - Thinking Differently About Relationships and Resources

• Whose needs are we meeting? - Child Centered Practice
  • Communicating with Professionals
  • Foster Families and Leadership, Joining the team
  • Getting to Yes, Defining your BATNA and Separating the person from the problem.
• Group exercise to practice using your "inquiring and discerning mind" and illustrate resources available with "a little help from my friends".

3:45 - Your Choice of Activity

Thinking Differently About Possibilities - Building and Using the LINK Family Network to inform and support foster parents commitment to action.

Thinking Differently about Birth/ Foster Family Relationships &emdash; Roundtable discussion of real life experiences in shared parenting roles and responsibilities.

5:00 - Adjourn

8/13/03