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Register Now for Virtual Training in April The collaboration between AFCC-MN and the Mediation Center continues! Registration is now open for the Custody Evaluation Training, starting April 20, 2022. This is a comprehensive 43-hour course, which addresses everything from developing an evaluative protocol to addressing the complexities of the evaluation process. Karen Irvin and Jennifer Joseph lead this hands-on training, using lecture, interactive discussion, and application of concepts through various simulations. It’s one of the Mediation Center’s more popular courses, and we’re honored to make it more widely available. Please note the training is LIVE (via zoom). More information available here Registration available here

The Minnesota Chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC) presents its annual conference The Intersection of Culture with Custody and Parenting Time Decisions in Family Court. A week or so ago, we shared what the morning sessions of the conference would provide. The last two learning objectives of the conference are: Explain how consideration of culture is required in Minnesota custody law and to practice applying culture as a best interest factor in custody cases. Justice Anne McKeig and former Judge Jessica Ryan will discuss how they approach their roles as Judges through the lens of their Native culture. Cynthia Mabry-King, our Keynote speaker, and Zak Chesson will facilitate the consideration of some hypotheticals designed to bring out the issues of addressing culture in custody cases as lawyers, ADR providers, mental health providers, custody evaluators, and Guardians ad litem. Justice Anne McKeig The Honorable Anne McKeig was appointed to the Minnesota Supreme Court on June 28, 2016. A descendant of the White Earth Nation, she is the first American Indian to sit on any state’s highest court in all of the United States. Prior to her appointment, she was a District Court Judge in 2008 and served as Presiding Judge in Family Court in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She is a former Assistant Hennepin County attorney, where she worked for over 16 years handling child protection cases and adoption matters with a specialty in cases that fall under the provisions of the Indian Child Welfare Act. Jessica Ryan Ms. Ryan is an enrolled member of the Brothertown Indian Nation, where she also serves as an elected Tribal Council member. Ms. Ryan has clerked for State and Tribal Court Judges and currently represents Indian Bands and Tribes in both state and tribal court proceedings. Ms. Ryan recently started her own law firm, where she is committed to working with Indian Tribes and families, to help restore balance and harmony. Ms. Ryan is admitted to practice law in Minnesota and several Tribal Courts and has served as a Tribal Court Judge. She is active in legislative policy analysis affecting Indian families and collaborates with various tribes, counties and states to develop policy and practice that better serves American Indian families. Ms. Ryan was actively involved in collaborating to revise the Tribal/State Agreement; participated in developing the Judge Judge’s Juvenile Protective Benchbook – ICWA Chapter; and has served on numerous Supreme Court Committees, including the Race Bias Task Force, the Minnesota Tribal Court/State Court Judges; and the Juvenile Protection Rules Committee. Ms. Ryan helped establish the Hennepin County ICWA Guardian ad Litem panel and subsequently served as a Guardian ad litem for ICWA cases for several years. She has served on the Board of Directors for a number of American Indian non-profit organizations. Zak Chesson Zak Chesson has been an evaluator/mediator with Hennepin County Family Court Services since November 2017. Prior to Family Court Services, Mr. Chesson was Coordinator for the Ramsey County Guardian ad Litem program. From 2006 to 2017, Mr. Chesson was an ICWA certified Guardian ad Litem in Hennepin County working with both Juvenile and Family Court. Zak has been on the Board of the Minnesota Chapter of AFCC since 2014, and he is also a member of the Legislative Committee. He offers consultation services to local organizations on a variety of topics regarding the intersection of race/culture and the courts. Cynthia Mabry-King The keynote speaker is Cynthia Mabry-King, a court mediator with the Fourth Circuit of the United States Court of Appeals where she has facilitated settlement discussions in hundreds of complex disputes. In 2019, Ms. Mabry-King was selected as the Top Mediator of the Year in 2019 by the International Association of Top Professionals. Ms. Mabry-King has authored two published articles on the topic of evaluating culture and custody in child custody disputes. Mabry-King was a volunteer mediator for the Superior Court of the District of Columbia’s Multi-Door Dispute Resolution, Family Division for thirteen years. She is a member of the Supreme Court of the United States Bar, the District of Columbia Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and the International Society of Family Law. The Conference will be held on July 29, 2021 at the Wellstone Center in St. Paul. This will be a hybrid event with both live and virtual attendance options. We have applied for Elimination of Bias credits. Members of an affinity bar or non-profit/government may register at the AFCC member rate. https://afccmn.org/event/annual-conference-2021/. A Message Regarding Covid-19 Creating an atmosphere that is conducive to learning and engagement is tantamount to this conference experience. This is achieved not only through the great content, but by keeping everyone’s health at the forefront. With that in mind, regardless of your vaccination status, as guests of The Wellstone Center, all conference-goers are expected to follow the facility’s COVID-19 protocols as they appear at the day of the conference, including wearing a face mask in all common areas where children may be present (i.e. hallways, atrium, lobby, restroom). Once participants reach the conference room(s), vaccinated participants are not required to wear their masks. Per local guidelines, all unvaccinated participants should continue to wear their face mask throughout the conference. If you forget your mask at home, a disposable mask will be provided. Soap and water, as well as hand sanitizer, will also be available. Remember, let’s spread kindness and not Covid as we gather together once again with old friends and as we meet new ones. Please stay home if you feel unwell and enjoy the conference from the comfort of your home. Please contact afccmn@gmail.com if you require a change in your attendance status. For additional tips on how to stay safe as an unvaccinated participant in attendance, please refer to the Center for Disease Control for the most up to date information:https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/large-gatherings.html

RESCHEDULED – Date October 26 Register Now for Virtual Training in October The Custody Evaluation Training, offered by Karen Irvin and Jennifer Joseph, is being rescheduled to October 26, 27, 28, 29, and November 3,4, and 5, 2022. Registration is still open, so sign up now and plan ahead for the fall! The collaboration between AFCC-MN and the Mediation Center continues! Registration is now open for the Custody Evaluation Training, starting October 26, 2022. This is a comprehensive 43-hour course, which addresses everything from developing an evaluative protocol to addressing the complexities of the evaluation process. Karen Irvin and Jennifer Joseph lead this hands-on training, using lecture, interactive discussion, and application of concepts through various simulations. It’s one of the Mediation Center’s more popular courses, and we’re honored to make it more widely available. Please note the training is LIVE (via zoom). More information available here Registration available here

Please join AFCC-MN for a special 2-day event, July 28-29, 2022! For our Annual Conference, we are teaming with Overcoming Barriers to present “What To Do When a Child Resists or Rejects a Parent: Building a Tool-Kit for Professionals.” MORE…

Annual Conference Sponsorship Goal BECOME A SPONSOR! REGISTER TO ATTEND 2022 ANNUAL CONFERENCE!!

The AFCC community lost a beloved member earlier this year. Our good friend and valued colleague, Jessie Ware, left a lasting impact on many Minnesota families dealing with conflict. Her infectious humor and generosity of spirit will be missed by many of us in the family law community. Jessie Ware, age 62, died August 19, 2022 while hiking in Oregon. Raised in Mt. Vernon, Iowa, Jessie graduated from Oberlin College and William Mitchell College of Law, and clerked for MN Supreme Court Justice, Rosalie Wahl. While raising three boys, Jessie began a distinguished 20-year career as a mediator and parenting consultant. She could be relied on for fairness and compassion with her clients, and for insightful, unvarnished truth laced with humor with her colleagues. She loved laughter, all things musical, pontoon rides, hummingbirds, watching the Lynx, Pawley’s Island, adventure travel with a deeply treasured group, and spending time with her many, many dear friends. She leaves behind a lasting legacy of integrity, kindness, caring and wit.

AFCC-MN recently received some information from James Tuft (yes, that James Tuft), regarding the new law in Minnesota that provides for bonus pay to eligible COVID-19 frontline workers. According to James, many AFCC-MN members may be eligible for this bonus pay, as it applies to employers and employees in broad range of industries that include: public health, social service, and regulatory service courts and corrections childcare According to James, the application period will be open from June 8 through July 22 and employers in the identified frontline sectors must provide a notice to employees. Eligibility criteria for Frontline Worker Pay are set forth in the law and there are many nuances and details included as well. Erik Hinz and Jessica Roe of The Horton Group will present a webinar on June 15, 2022, at 2 pm to discuss the announcement and answer your questions. If you think you may be eligible, and wish to learn more, please register . LINK:  https://www.thehortongroup.com/events/minnesota-frontline-worker-pay The webinar is free. AFCC-MN is not affiliated with the Horton Group. We are providing this information as it may be helpful to our members.

As many of you know, we have been working to create a benefits package that will be available to all AFCC-MN members. The advantage of creating a medical offering through AFC-MN is that it will give smaller companies and individuals access to larger group rates which are generally much less expensive. Our goal is to also offer benefits such as short-term and long-term disability insurance as well as life insurance. The company or individual will be responsible for the premium, however the rates themselves are likely to be lower than what most members currently have access to. As we begin the process of setting up these offerings, we need to get a head count of those that would be interested. If you have any interest about accessing these benefits, please complete the survey below. This is important even if you completed the survey that was sent out to members last year. Thanks for your participation. Please feel free to share this link with others who may be interested in joining AFCC. AFCC Benefits Survey

YOU CAN’T MAKE ME GO Understanding and Intervening in Resist/Refuse Cases Virtual CLE Benefiting LAOC CLE Event – Legal Assistance of Olmsted County Please join Legal Assistance of Olmsted County in supporting their annual fundraising CLE virtual event: You Can’t Make Me Go-Understanding and Intervening in Resist/Refuse Cases. This course will educate the family lawyer, therapist and social worker to better handle resist and refuse issues in family law cases. There is a a stellar line up of speakers, including AFCC MN members and board members. This event is on Thursday, May 26, 2022, 8:15 am – 4:30 pm. Credits applied for: 6.75 CLE, CEU, and CE, including 1 ethics* and 5.75 general credits. Link to register

Please let us know your thoughts! As things start to return to normal(ish) AFCC-MN is considering the best way to deliver programming. Your responses to this poll will help our education committee plan future events. Thanks in advance! Click here to respond.

For more information or to REGISTER NOW! Be sure to sign up today for AFCC-MN’s Spring Half-Day conference:  Supporting transgender and gender diverse youth and their families: medical, social and legal considerations Professionals who work with families involved in legal matters are finding discussions and decisions around gender diversity and transgender youth surfacing more and more in their cases. In this Spring AFCC Half Day Conference, we have two honorable professionals, Dr. Jenifer McGuire and Dr. Angela Goepferd, providing education, resources, and tools to best support healthy family environments around gender and sexual identity. This is a virtual presentation, so there is still time for you to be part of this important conversation. For more information or to REGISTER NOW! AGENDA 8am Registration 8:30-10:00 Part 1 – Support Without Steering:  Gender Identity Development in Children, and Talking with Kids & Families about Gender 10:00-10:15 q&a 10:15-10:30 Break 10:30-11:30 Part 2 – Evidence Based Approaches to Parenting Transgender and Non-Binary Kids 11:30-11:40 q&a 11:40-11:50 Break 11:50-12:50 Part 3 – Gender Identity Issues in the Context of Co-parenting

January 2022 I am delighted to announce that Mediation Center and the MN Chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation courts are collaborating to provide the highest quality family ADR training for family professionals to improve the lives of MN children and families through conflict resolution.  Mediation Center has been a recognized leader in ADR for more than 30 years.  Our partnership will ensure deep interdisciplinary knowledge and thoughtful adult learning design. Our first joint class will be Rule 114 Certified 40 Hour Family Mediation Skills on January 27 – 29 and February 3 – 5, 2022 from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, on Zoom. Our online events are live and interactive. We have designed them to maximize online engagement. Registration for the class is now open. To register or for more information, follow this link: https://mediationcentermn.org/training/ If you have already taken training, please help integrate and strengthen the ADR community by sharing this information with a colleague who may be interested. Look for AFCC MN to host other Family ADR Training in 2022! ~ Kent Kodalen, PhD, LP AFCC-MN President