A four-part virtual conference examining some of

our biggest foster care challenges and building practical solutions

SESSION ONE

9:00AM PT – Friday, October 7, 2022

FOUNDATIONAL CHANGE: National legislation such as the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA – 2018), and state laws such as California’s Community Care Reform Act (CCR – 2015) were intended to improve child welfare. Today, these laws are creating anticipated successes and surprising challenges across the nation’s foster care landscape. Together we will learn from experts closest to these initiatives as we discuss viable solutions for those most adversely affected.

Guest Speakers

Rochelle Alley | Center for Strategic Partnerships | Consultant
Tyler Rinde | CA Alliance of Children & Family Services |  Deputy Director of Child Welfare
Becky Shipp | Becky Shipp Consulting | President
Angie Schwartz | California Department of Social Services | Chief Deputy Director
Lisette Burton, J.D. | Assoc. of Children’s Residential & Community Services, | Chief Policy & Practice Advisor
Charito Guerrero | Penny Lane Centers | Director of Resource Family Programs

SESSION TWO

9:00AM PT – Wednesday, October 12, 2022

THE NEW RECRUIT: As we move children and youth in foster care from congregate care to individual homes, our ask of resource parents have shifted. But have our caregiver recruitment and training techniques changed with this shift to finding homes for Transitional Age Youth, Intensive Services Foster Care, youth of color, sibling groups, and LGBTQ+ youth? In this session, we will consider foster parent recruitment, retention, and support techniques that may better match today’s needs.

Guest Speakers

Lauren Nichols | Executive Director | Pritzker Foster Care Initiative
Maggie Lin | Co-Founder & Executive Director | Foster Nation
Dr. Kate Messina | Founder & CEO | WisdomPath Way Institute
Jennifer Rexroad | Founder & Executive Director | California Alliance of Caregivers
Barb Clark | Parent Support & Training Specialist | North American Council on Adoptable Children
Dayna Freier | Director of Operations | Fostering UNITY

SESSION THREE

9:00AM PT – Wednesday, October 19, 2022

CSEC: Children and youth of the foster system are especially targeted by sex traffickers and are particularly vulnerable to exploitation. Together we will hear from former Commercially Sexually Exploited Children (CSEC) youth and professionals to explore the challenge of protecting our children, providing needed services to help those who have been victimized, and caregiver strategies for supporting them.

Guest Speakers

Angela LoBue | Senior Program Officer, Foster Youth | Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
Dr. Tamara N. Hunter | Executive Director | Los Angeles County Commission for Children & Families
Diana Redeemer | Saving Innocence, Los Angeles, CA | CSEC Advocate and Administrator:
CSEC Advocates: Navya Mackey | Jasmine McDonald | Jessica Midkiff | Stacy Cabrea | Maui Chacon
Landon C. Dickeson, MS, LPC | Executive Director | Ranch Hands Rescue & Bob’s House of Hope, Argyle, TX
Brittianna Robinson | Commissioner | Los Angeles County Youth Commission

SESSION FOUR

9:00AM PT – Wednesday, October 26, 2022

REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH: In this session we examine how the elimination of the federal constitutional right to abortion impacts how we approach reproductive health, rights, and support as related to foster care. Here we look at how to navigate challenges related to this decision, including: how to speak with teens in foster care and their caregivers about birth control and health options, how to support struggling birth parents, and what additional funding, policy, or practice changes may be necessary to address those challenges.

Guest Speakers

Jamole Callahan | QIC on Engaging Youth in Permanency Project Specialist | North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC)
Wendy Garen | President & Chief Executive Officer | The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation
Brisia Gutierrez | OYC Systems Change Project Coordinator | L.A. Opportunity Youth Collaborative
Rebecca Gudeman | Senior Director Youth Health | National Center for Youth Law

Luciana Svidler | Senior Policy Attorney | Children’s Law Center of California

Jamie Sabino | Attorney | Massachusetts Law Reform Institute
Alexis Obinna | LA RHEP, OYC Young Leader | L.A. Opportunity Youth Collaborative