WASHINGTON,
D.C. — Directly in line with a recommendation by
the Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care, First Star
has recently announced its plans to establish the First
Start Multidisciplinary Centers of Excellence (MCE) for
the teaching of child advocacy. The Pew Commission report, "Fostering
the Future," specifically recommends “high-quality,
multidisciplinary, cross-system training” for all
parties charged with protecting vulnerable children.
“Multi-disciplinary, cross-system training provides an opportunity for people to understand each other’s roles and how they each fit into the system. Clarity about respective roles and responsibilities enables each party to ask the relevant questions and provide the pertinent information for everyone to do their jobs well, with the ultimate benefit of improving services to children and families.”
The First Star MCEs will provide comprehensive training in and ongoing support for best practices for those professionals responsible for the welfare of abused and neglected children across the United States, including doctors, judges, lawyers, nurses, social workers, teachers and police officers. The Centers are a partnership between First Star and the School of Law at the University of San Diego. With focused education and the insight of the full continuum of professionals who work on behalf of vulnerable children, child welfare jurisdictions can provide a holistic, integrative approach to the child's situation, needs and interests. Child victims should no longer be the only people who experience their situation in a multidisciplinary fashion.
In addition to the call for multidisciplinary training, First Star strongly supports the Pew Commission's emphasis on interagency communication and appropriate information sharing; the critical need for skilled and knowledgeable advocates for all children who are involved in legal proceedings; and the adoption of best practices at both the state and local levels.
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