Conference and Convening to Highlight Prevention and System Coordination

The 31st Oklahoma Child Abuse and Neglect Conference will take place April 21-23, bringing together professionals from across the state to focus on preventing child maltreatment and strengthening the systems that support Oklahoma’s children and families. The Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth (OCCY) will lead multiple sessions highlighting collaborative efforts to enhance prevention strategies, improve oversight, and build stronger child and family well-being networks.

OCCY-Led Prevention-Focused Events

Oklahoma Post Adjudication Review Board (PARB) Annual Conference

Monday, April 21
9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Open to current PARB volunteers

The Oklahoma Post Adjudication Review Board (PARB) Annual Conference, led by Keith Pirtle, MSW, will focus on the role of volunteer review boards in overseeing child welfare cases. The session will provide an opportunity for volunteers to review procedures, discuss system improvements, and examine best practices in post-adjudication case reviews.

Strengthening Families Together Bi-Annual Convening

Monday, April 21
4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Free to all conference attendees

The Strengthening Families Together Bi-Annual Convening—hosted by OCCY, the Oklahoma State Department of Health, and Oklahoma Human Services—will bring together state leaders to discuss how cross-agency collaboration can enhance prevention efforts and ensure continuity of care for children and families. This event will focus on building stronger partnerships, streamlining services, and implementing effective strategies to reduce risks for vulnerable children.

Prevention-Focused Sessions Supported by OCCY

OCCY is supporting several key sessions that emphasize child maltreatment prevention, early intervention, and strengthening family support systems:

Main Session

Supporting Children & Families: An Overview of Parental Incarceration
Presenter: Hilary Cuthrell, MS, PhD

This session will explore how preventive approaches can reduce the negative impact of parental incarceration on children and caregivers. Topics include strategies for supporting children during separation, maintaining healthy family connections, and reducing the long-term effects of incarceration through early intervention.

Breakout Sessions

PARB 101 and the PARB Case Review
Presenters: Keith Pirtle, MSW, Malayna Hasmanis, Shelbi Tatarian

This session introduces Oklahoma’s 44 Post Adjudication Review Boards, which are critical in preventing child maltreatment by monitoring cases and making informed recommendations to courts and child welfare agencies. Participants will learn how to engage with PARB and contribute to stronger prevention-focused case decisions.

Level Up Your Parent Engagement
Presenter: Madison Wingate, MEd

Parent engagement is essential to prevention. This session will provide practical tools and evidence-based strategies for empowering parents, strengthening protective factors, and preventing family crises. Participants will experience the Be Strong Families Parent Café model and explore best practices for connecting with parents meaningfully.

Healing-Centered Care: Leveraging Love to Heal from Trauma
Presenter: Jasmine Bivar-Smith, BS, MA, ODYN

Creating supportive and healing-centered environments helps prevent future trauma and strengthen resilience. This interactive session will explore how nurturing relationships and community support can be integrated into prevention-focused child-serving practices.

Ethics - Parental Incarceration: Ethical Considerations & Promising Practices
Presenter: Hilary Cuthrell, MS, PhD

With an estimated 2.7 million US children experiencing parental incarceration, the need to provide children and families support during parental incarceration is imperative. Keeping children connected to their incarcerated parents has become a priority for many families entangled in the criminal legal system. This session will highlight contact and communication during a time of parental incarceration from the perspective of families, correctional staff, and community partners. The training will explore incarcerated populations, research centered on young children of incarcerated parents, ethical considerations when working with minor children of incarcerated parents, and emerging trends in family-centered approaches to correctional policies and procedures.

Other Conference Highlights

The Oklahoma Child Abuse and Neglect Conference will offer expert-led discussions on early intervention, risk reduction, and strengthening family support to prevent child maltreatment.

Additional topics include:

• Managing Secondary Traumatic Stress in Child Welfare Professionals – Tools for ensuring professionals remain resilient while working in prevention and intervention roles.
• Child Psychological Maltreatment and Medical Examinations – Identifying and addressing signs of psychological harm early to prevent further trauma.
• Best Practices in Child Representation – Legal strategies for protecting children’s rights and preventing system failures that lead to further harm.
• Enhancing Team Collaboration in Child Protection – Strengthening partnerships across agencies to ensure early intervention and effective prevention strategies.

Event Registration & Resources

Oklahoma Child Abuse and Neglect Conference
[Register Here]
[Event Brochure]

Strengthening Families Together Bi-Annual Convening
[Register Here]
[Registration Flyer]