SCO Family of Services Holds 6th Annual Conference: Celebrating Connections: Bringing the Family Together

Event Attracts over 400 Clinicians, Educators, and Direct Service Professionals

Glen Cove, NY – SCO Family of Services, a provider of essential human services for nearly 125 years, hosted the sixth in a series of annual professional development conferences for staff working with children, youth, and adults with special needs and developmental disabilities. This year’s free SCO Conference, held October 22 and 23 at The Inn at New Hyde Park, attracted over 400 social workers, clinicians, case managers, educators, direct support professionals and other staff from SCO’s programs across New York City and Long Island.

SCO’s President & CEO Keith Little kicked off the event by thanking the attendees for providing support, guidance, and care to the children, youth and adults with developmental disabilities and special needs in our care.

Participants gained new insights to enrich their work and hone their skills during breakout sessions led by industry experts. Topics included Characteristics of Happy People, Implicit Bias, Trauma-Informed Interventions, Team Building, and Circle Time and Restorative Practices. The keynote address was presented by master motivator, Stephanie Staples, who reminded everyone of the importance of taking care of one’s self in order to best take care of others. Assembly Member Edward Ra, a strong advocate for youth served at SCO’s Westbrook Preparatory School, addressed the members of audience with words of gratitude, encouragement, and praise.

SCO is grateful to the Taft Foundation for supporting the annual SCO Conference and this year’s presenters and partners: Jim Ryan, Jim Ryan Talks; Elaine Gross and Ian Lesnick, Erase Racism; George Wurzer, Peter D’Amico, and Daniel Hoffman, ABPP – STYDD Center; and Mary Noto-Gilroy and Dr. Sara Hill, SCO Family of Services.

About the Direct Support Professionals Series
The SCO Direct Support Professionals Series (DSPs) is a unique professional development initiative for staff from SCO Family of Services who work directly with children, youth, and individuals with special needs at SCO’s programs located in Nassau, Suffolk, Queens and Bronx counties. SCO’s Direct Support Professional Series enhances staff skills and performance through educational and professional development activities and establishes a culture of performance excellence through consistent practice and interdisciplinary and collaborative approaches. Staff at all levels of service provision participate in an innovative and collective approach to staff and leadership development and program-improvement initiatives.

The DSPS utilizes classroom instruction, transfer of learning opportunities, online learning; and tuition assistance to enrich skills and knowledge and advances high-quality care for children, youth, and individuals with developmental disabilities and behavioral challenges, helping them reach the greatest degree of self-sufficiency, family engagement, and community integration possible. The DSPS is made possible through a grant from The Taft Foundation.

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