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Executive Director Testifies to
State Legislature
NYS Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs Executive Director Denise Miranda testified in front of the State Legislature in February.  Ms. Miranda highlighted important agency initiatives over the past 12 months including the development of collaborative trainings, enhanced engagement with family groups, and the elimination of a backlog of appeals.  In addition, Ms. Miranda discussed how the agency is using its five years of data to produce new prevention materials with the goal of stopping incidents of abuse and neglect before they happen.
Ms. Miranda testified "The agency was created to address serious concerns that some of our most vulnerable populations were suffering abuse and neglect at the hands of the staff charged with caring for them.  Today I can report those populations are safer than at any other time in the history of New York."
Following her testimony, Ms. Miranda answered questions from members of the Legislature on a variety of topics.
Watch testimony here
Justice Center Announces 
Regional Conferences
Mark your calendars!  The Justice Center will be hosting a series of regional conferences throughout the state starting in May.  The conferences are for provider agencies as well as individuals receiving services, families, peer advocates and other interested stakeholders under Justice Center jurisdiction.  Each of the five events will be an opportunity for stakeholders to learn more about the agency as well as get questions answered.  The first two hours of the conference will be agency updates including new data trends, agency initiatives, changes in business practices, and information on resources available to providers.  The second two hours will be an in-depth session of the participant's choice from a group of selected topics.  
There will be one conference per Justice Center region.  The agency's regional map can be found on the Justice Center website.  Dates, location, and registration information can be found at the link below.
More Information
Justice Center Reaches Milestone in
Criminal Background Checks
The Justice Center protects people with special needs in a variety of ways, including by running criminal background checks on prospective employees and volunteers. Providers under Justice Center jurisdiction are required by law to run these checks.  In January, the agency ran its 500,000th applicant through the system.  That means half-a-million prospective employees and volunteers have been screened through this process which is aimed at keeping known violent criminals away from both vulnerable populations and those who care for them.  Of those 500,000, more than 1,600 applicants have been denied approval because of criminal convictions including murder and rape.  
The Justice Center offers training for providers on fulfilling the requirements of the Criminal Background Check and Staff Exclusion List processes. Interested parties can contact the Justice Center's Criminal Background Check Director, Jim Buccini, at cbc@justicecenter.ny.gov or by phone at 518-549-0361.
Nominations are now open for the Justice Center's Code of Conduct Awards.  The honor is given to four individuals who embody the ethical standards outlined in the Code of Conduct for Custodians of People with Special Needs.  The Code provides a framework intended to assist staff to help people with special needs "live self-directed meaningful lives in their communities, free from abuse and neglect, and protected from harm."  Nomination forms are available here.  The deadline for nominations is Friday, July 12.
In-Person Code of Conduct 
Train-The-Trainer Sessions Offered
Want to become an expert in the Justice Center's Code of Conduct training?  Now you can!  The Justice Center is offering in-person train-the-trainer courses!  In partnership with the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals (NADSP), the agency has developed an interactive and robust curriculum designed to assist organizations in providing staff training.  The objective is to ensure that staff understand the importance of the Code and how it serves as a framework of professional conduct.  
Participants will be taught how to use this curriculum to teach the Code of Conduct to both new and seasoned staff through skill practice, group discussions, and other activities.  Participants can include agency trainers, human resource professionals, administrators, and anyone that will be able to bring this curriculum to life in their respective organizations/agencies.  
Classes for 2019 are full but classes for 2020 will be announced in eNews.  In the meantime, you can learn more about the sessions, review the training PowerPoint and Guide, and check out other tools all at the link below.
Code of Conduct Training
Surrogate Decision-Making Committee Offers Continuing Legal Education Trainings
The Justice Center's Surrogate Decision-Making Committee (SDMC) is offering Continuing Legal Education (CLE) classes for attorneys around the state.  Notably, the SDMC is in need of attorneys for its panels, which provide informed consent for major medical procedures for individuals with special needs.  The quasi-judicial hearings are held in all 62 counties of New York State and usually last between 15 and 30 minutes.  An attorney is one of four required panel members for a hearing.  Becoming a SDMC volunteer is not required to take the CLE course.  Upcoming CLE courses are scheduled in Albany at the Attorney General's Office on April 24th and May 23rd.  You can call the Attorney General's Office to sign up.
Learn More About Volunteering for SDMC
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