The National Adoption Competency Mental Health Training Initiative (NTI) provides foundational knowledge and skills on assessment, support, and therapeutic intervention that promote permanency and improve well-being for children and youth and their foster, adoptive and guardianship families. This engaging webinar features examples of how state and local child welfare agencies have promoted the integration of NTI within their training array and collaborated with mental health professionals to improve child and family stability and well-being. Presenters, Dr. Garry James and Dr. Shanee Moore, will share their experiences emphasizing building partnerships and promoting a shared language between child welfare and mental health professionals to enhance day-to-day practice to support permanency.

Presenters: 

Dr. Garry James serves as the Training Director of the S.C. Department of Social Services Staff Development and Training Division.  In this role, he is responsible for the professional development of the agencies staff to include Child Welfare, Economic Services and Adult Protective services.  Dr. James has worked in children’s services with four state government agencies and has served in the pastoral ministry for 15 years.  Along with his responsibilities as Training Director, he is also the executive director of Oikos Community Development and the newly founded Social Reform Network.  As an author, he wrote “Drying Silent Tears,” a Biblical perspective of child maltreatment prevention and is co-authoring a second book that addresses racism in Christianity.  Dr. James holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology, a Master of Divinity degree, and a Doctor of Ministry Degree Revival and Social Reform with an emphasis on preventing child maltreatment.

Dr.  Shanee Moore is the Child Welfare Training Director with the South Carolina Department of Social Services, Staff Development and Training Division (SD&T).  She has had the privilege of working with children and families in child welfare, mental health, substance abuse, juvenile justice, and domestic violence for over 20 years. She has shared her expertise and knowledge in varying organizations in Virginia, Texas, and South Carolina. She served as Director of Operations at the Associated Marine Institute, Inc. where she provided rehabilitative services to youth adjudicated in the juvenile justice system. While at South Carolina Department of Social Services, she served therapeutic foster care service coordinator and an investigator in the Out of Home Abuse and Neglect (OHAN) Unit.  Dr.  Moore also served as a training and development director for the Center for Child and Family Studies at the University of South Carolina.  She later served as a Program Manager:  Child Sex Trafficking Trainer for the Children’s Law Center, University of South Carolina, School of Law.  Dr. Moore is committed to improving service delivery systems for the benefit of youth and families.