In this issue
- Community Response to Child Abuse Conference on October 8
- Touchpoints recordings are available
- Court Improvement Program training on August 26
- Join our team
New format. Same important mission. Registration is open
The Community Response to Child Abuse Conference is now a focused one-day experience.
Join us on October 8, 2026, in Sioux Falls. You can earn 7 or more continuing education hours, choose from a range of breakout sessions, hear from keynote speakers and connect with peers.
Keynote sessions
The conference includes three keynote presentations.
Resilience and redemption: The power of determination and the spirit of a child
Derek Clark shares his personal journey and lessons about resilience, determination and growth after trauma.
Post-traumatic growth: What the dolphins taught me
Frank Grijalva reflects on his service with the United States Navy Marine Mammal Program. He shares what working with dolphins taught him about trust, attachment, communication, behavior and personal growth.
Resilience and adaptability: Strategies to thrive through change
Mike Kutzke shares strategies to help professionals adapt, stay focused and remain effective as funding, priorities, technology and expectations change.
Nominate someone for the Outstanding Service Award
The Center for the Prevention of Child Maltreatment presents the Outstanding Service Award each year during the Community Response to Child Abuse Conference. The award recognizes a person who has made a significant contribution to preventing or responding to child abuse in South Dakota.
A nomination may recognize a person who has:
- Made an outstanding effort to support work related to child maltreatment.
- Made a substantial contribution to the center’s 10-year plan to end child maltreatment in South Dakota.
- Made a significant contribution to research on child maltreatment.
- Shown extraordinary dedication and skill while supporting children and families through child protection, law enforcement, mental health, education, legal, medical or related work.
- Made an outstanding contribution to preventing child maltreatment.
- Made an outstanding contribution to South Dakota’s response to child maltreatment.
Past award recipients
Past recipients include Hollie Strand, Pennington County Sheriff’s Office; Teresa Nieto, Bureau of Indian Affairs; Tifanie Petro, Children’s Home Society of South Dakota; Virgena Weiseler, Department of Social Services; Deb Soholt, State Senate; Chief Justice David Gilbertson, Unified Judicial System; Carole Cochran, South Dakota Kids Count; and Special Agent Cameron Corey, Division of Criminal Investigation.
SD ECCS
Touchpoints Webinars
Explore the recordings of previous Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems webinar recordings on our training library.
Recent sessions include:
- Eliminating Child Lead Exposure: The South Dakota Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program
- Connecting Families to Care: Maternal & Infant Health Resource Promotion and Mapping in South Dakota
- Strengthening the Prenatal-to-Three System: Policy and Governance Strengths and Opportunities for all South Dakota Children
Court Improvement Program
The June session, 2026 Legislative Session Review, is now available to view.
Join us for upcoming CIP Trainings:
- August 26 | 12-1pm CT; Child Welfare Proceedings and Courtroom Practice presented by Nicole Laughlin, Laughlin Law
- October 28, 2026; Ethics in Child Welfare Representation presented by Nicole Laughlin, Laughlin Law
Join Our Team
The Center for the Prevention of Child Maltreatment (CPCM) at the University of South Dakota is seeking a highly organized and mission-driven Foster Care Licensing and Placement Specialist to help children in need find safe, supportive foster care homes.
In this full-time role, you will work closely with the Department of Social Services and a distributed CPCM team to facilitate placement requests and match children with foster families who meet their needs. You’ll use your problem-solving skills, quick judgment, and strong communication to facilitate timely placements, while maintaining detailed documentation and ensuring compliance with all state requirements. This position is perfect for someone who thrives in fast-paced work environments and finds meaning in supporting vulnerable children and families. You will also help recruit, license, and retain foster care families in South Dakota.
As a Foster Care Licensing and Placement Specialist you will:
Coordinate timely and effective foster care placements, ensuring that each child is matched with a home that considers sibling bonds, cultural context, proximity, and special needs.
Maintain clear, ongoing communication and strong collaborative relationships with DSS Child Protective Services, DSS Office of Licensing & Accreditation, foster families, and fellow CPCM team members.
Assist with recruitment, support, licensure, and retention of foster and potential adoptive families.
Accurately track, document, and report licensure and placement-related data, meeting DSS and OLA compliance requirements.
https://yourfuture.sdbor.edu/postings/48397
Become a Permanency-Adoption Competent Professional
The National Center for Adoption Competency Mental Health Services (National Center) works to improve mental health outcomes for children and families impacted by the child welfare system by:
Strengthening collaboration between child welfare and mental health systems
Building and enhancing workforce competency
Expanding access to permanency-adoption competent services
Whether you are a child‑serving professional looking to strengthen your practice through training and resources, or you are seeking hands‑on technical assistance to support your State, Tribe, or territory, the National Center offers tools and support to help you build adoption competent skills—grounded in understanding the impacts of loss, trauma, relationships, and identity on children and families.
To support your learning, you can build your skills through training with NTI and deepen your understanding with additional resources available through the National Center’s Knowledge Hub.
The National Adoption Competency Mental Health Training Initiative (NTI) is a practical no-cost training resource designed for professionals supporting children, youth, and families involved in foster care, adoption, guardianship, and kinship care.