LAYFS Gathering Draws Lasallians; Upstate NY Child Welfare Professionals

Br. Brian Henderson reminds the Lasallian professionals gathered that even though their work is not easy, they are called to give “love and compassion as part of their professional obligation in this Lasallian educational mission.”

Albany, NY – On Thursday, March 26th, Brother Brian Henderson, FSC, former Director of St. Gabriel’s Hall, outside of Philadelphia, spoke about shared Lasallian Mission with The District of Eastern North America’s Lasallian Association of Youth and Family Service (LAYFS) agencies’ leadership and staff, kicking off their conference day at La Salle School in Albany.

La Salle School hosted over 70 fellow Brothers and Lasallian Partners from Martin de Porres Schools (Elmont, NY), Ocean Tides School (Narragansett, RI), St. Gabriel’s System (Philadelphia, PA), Tides Family Services (West Warwick, RI), and faculty from St. Mary’s University (Winona, MN).

The LAYFS conference day for Lasallians included sharing on ministry activities, Br. Brian’s presentation, a brief history of Lasallian Child Welfare work since its start with the Founder at St. Yon, France, and a research presentation on the effectiveness and impact of the Lasallian-relationship model of care as used at Ocean Tides Schools.

There was also a dinner and social for all involved with La Salle School board members, Albany County family court judges, and other local government representatives, as well as the headline presenters for the following day’s Symposium.

The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Symposium, hosted by La Salle School along with their partners at the State University of New York (SUNY) Albany, on Friday, gathered over 500 child and family care professionals, advocates, SUNY Albany students, Lasallians, and others professionals involved in child welfare work in the upstate NY area, on the topic of Trauma informed care for children, drawn from neuro-science and research on the impact of adverse childhood experiences. Lead ACEs researcher, Dr. Robert Anda, La Salle School Clinical Director David Wallace, and Raymond Schimmer, former CEO of Parsons Child and Family Caring Center each reported their findings. A discussion panel followed, with all three professionals engaging the audience gathered.

: The LAYFS gathering began with prayer.

: The LAYFS gathering began with prayer.

: Ms. Maryann Donohue-Lynch from the DENA office was the MC for the gathering.

: Staff from all five agencies introduced themselves…

: …and had the opportunity to meet each other…

: …during fast-paced ice breakers…

: that shared interesting facts about themselves.

: Br. Brian keeps the LAYFS gathering energetic with his presentation.

: “Children and families are at the heart of what we do, what gets Lasallian educators out of bed, to accomplish God’s mission!”

: Dr. Grebstein shares the research done at OceanTides school, showing that residential care is statistically effective. “The unique thing about OceanTides is its work directly in family homes. Other agencies don’t even look to work there.”

: Dr. VanWyk provides more information on the research at OceanTides. “I had not imagined when I started this research how effective OceanTides’ work was.”

: Tasty treats provided by La Salle School.

: Skip Gaus provides a brief history of youth and family service work in the Lasallian mission. “There are youth and family programs around the world that have their start with De La Salle and first Brothers.”