SFTI: Strengthening Families Training Institute
Every year the Idaho Children’s Trust Fund convenes the Strengthening Families Training Institute (SFTI) which brings together over 200 child advocates, prevention practitioners, educators, and parents from throughout Idaho to learn how to prevent child abuse and neglect from national and local experts and to share their experiences with each other.
2026 SFTI Wrap-Up
Theme: The Power of Connection
Idaho Children’s Trust Fund’s 2026 Strengthening Families Training Institute (SFTI) took place Tuesday, March 10th and Wednesday, March 11th, 2026 at the Riverside Hotel in Boise, ID.
The meeting format stayed the same: an opening keynote, followed by a workshop hosted by the keynote, 5 parallel workshop sessions and a final panel discussion. Finally, the conference closed with an awards ceremony where several organizations were commended for their contributions to preventing child abuse and strengthening families in their Idaho communities.
Junlei Li, PhD delivered the keynote “From Protective Factors to Early Relational Health – Finding Our Shared Active Ingredient.”
2025 SFTI Wrap-Up
Theme: Strong Families Need Strong Communities
The meeting format was very familiar to previous SFTI attendees: an opening keynote, followed by a workshop by the keynote, 5 parallel workshop sessions, a final panel discussion, and the conference culminated in an awards ceremony where several organizations were commended for their contributions to preventing child abuse and strengthening families in their Idaho communities.
Charlyn Harper Browne delivered the keynote “Expanding Our Understanding of Protective Factors”
Protective factors are often viewed as conditions that reduce the impact of risk factors and are primarily the responsibility of the individual. This view places the locus of solutions to problems mainly on the individual and exonerates communities and the larger society from their responsibility to deal with adverse social conditions. An expanded understanding of the Strengthening Families protective factors emphasizes the need to con-sider conditions and circumstances across all levels of the social ecology—societal, community, relational, and individual—that impact the lives of children, youth, parents, and families and help to build or undermine well-being.
Charlyn Harper Browne, PhD, is a former Senior Fellow at the Center for the Study of Social Policy where she contributed to the research, theoretical, and training components of various projects related to children and families. Prior to joining CSSP, Dr. Browne served as a college and university administrator and professor in departments of psychology and counseling. Her educational background includes extensive post-doctoral coursework in clinical child and family psychology after earning a doctoral degree in early childhood education. Her publications focus on promoting healthy development and well-being in children, youth, and families.
The Ed Van Dusen Legacy Award
The Ed Van Dusen Award for Exemplary Practice in Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention, or The Ed! for short, is presented each year to a program selected by the Idaho Children’s Trust Fund‘s Board of Directors, which exemplifies deep commitment to and successful practice in preventing child abuse and neglect. This year we celebrated the work of the Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children.
Idaho AEYC helps communities build quality programs and provide early learning opportunities to Idaho’s children through various initiatives and collaboratives. Our work allows us to continue expanding vital resources to communities across Idaho to provide quality early learning resources and education opportunities to our children.
The Pinwheel Awards
In 2016, the Idaho Children’s Trust Fund Board began a new tradition to recognize people and groups who have made significant contributions in the past year. The Pinwheel Awardees for 2024 -2025 are:
Casey Family Programs—Casey Family Programs have been instrumental with the Thriving Families, Safer Children coalition in Idaho. These efforts are working towards creating a more just and equitable child and family well-being system in Idaho. Through the support of Casey Family Programs, Thriving Families endeavors are working to build trusting relationships at the community, state, and national levels to enhance child and family well-being.
Susan Bradford, MD—Susan retired last year after an amazing career as a pediatrician in Idaho. Child abuse prevention has been a passion for Susan, and she served on the states Child Mortality review team. Dr. Bradford was in the first cohort learning to practice parental ACE screening. Children in the state of Idaho have been safer under Susan’s eye.
The Communities of Idaho’s West Central Mountains— The communities of Idaho’s West Central Mountains are recognized for their foresight and perseverance in creating ongoing support for the youth of the region. The Planet Youth Movement, Ignite Idaho Family Resource Center and Assessment Center, the Youth Advocacy Coalition, the area’s Early Learning Collaborative, St. Luke’s com-munity health, the Community School in Cascade and more have created an aligned system of supports for youth and their families .
The Community of American Falls— The community of American Falls is being recognized for its comprehensive focus on strengthening families and children in the com-munity through aligning local government, education, the juvenile justice system, business and other community organizations with a shared mission: Read Talk Play Everyday—that has turned into a movement. Although the initiative began through a com-munity collaborative focused on developing early childhood education, it has extended across the childhood spectrum through its community school and other community institutions.
Lutheran Community Services Northwest—LCSNW plays a unique role in the Treasure Valley by providing support for families facing short term crises to keep families together and avoid un-necessary involvement with the child welfare system. Through creating a network of safe families and connections with other community resources, they can provide day and evening childcare combined with wraparound extended family-like support for parents who might other-wise be facing involvement with the child welfare system.
IdahoSTARS— IdahoSTARS has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to child abuse and neglect prevention through various impactful initiatives. By housing the Pro-fessional Development System IdahoSTARS equips early childhood educators with the tools and training necessary to create safe, nurturing envi-ronments. Their development and delivery of training and coaching support under the Strengthening Families Framework exemplifies their dedication to fostering family resilience and reducing risk factors for abuse and neglect.
KEYNOTE
“The American Falls Experience”
Tennille Call, Jamie Garza, Randy Jensen and panel
Our closing session is highlighting the community of American Falls. This panel brings together leaders and advocates from various sectors in American Falls to explore collaborative strategies that strengthen families and prevent child abuse and neglect. Each panelist represents an authentic voice in areas such as education, healthcare, social services, law enforcement, and nonprofit support. Together, they’ll share insights on the progress, challenges, and impact of their community-driven initiatives. By weaving together their unique perspectives and resources, these com-munity members work toward building a safer, more supportive environment for children and families.
Presentation Materials:
IDAHO’s 2025 SFTI Keynote Presentation
HOPE 101 Slides Royale Lockhart
SFTI Presentation community schools
HOPE 101 Handouts Royale Lockhart