Foster Care Conference Round-Up

I spent the year traveling to as many foster care events as I could. I learned a lot and have many lessons to share with the readers of Foster Focus. Here's a sample of my experiences.

Some look forward to it each year. Some find it tedious. Some do it for their job. Yet, one way or another, if you are involved in foster care you will inevitably
attend a foster care conference. I spent the better part of my year attending these events in the hopes of coming away with a better understanding of foster
care. I poured through my options of specific conferences I would attend. I wanted an eclectic mix of events to show the diversity in care. What I found was an
eye opening experience, filled with moments of pride, moments that led to curiosity and moments where I felt out of place. Overall I had a crash course on the
people and places that make foster care what it is today.

I set out to initially become ingratiated in the entire conference process. From exhibit set up to the last box leaving the venue, I wanted to be a part of it all. The
first thing you need to know about conferences is they all have names in addition to the name of the conference holder. With that in mind, my first stop was the
Child Welfare League of America’s Making Children Priority: Leading Change (see what I mean about the names). The CWLA conference was the first in a lot
different ways. It was the first time I had a table at an event, the first time I rubbed elbows with the foster care elite and the first time I got to know the folks from
the industry.

A day in the life…

The CWLA conference was held just outside of our nation’s capital at the Hyatt Regency in Crystal City, VA from February 26-29 of 2012. My home base in
central Pennsylvania puts me less than four hours from each major east coast cities. In the early morning hours of a brisk end of winter morning I loaded my
car with magazines galore, a few books from some of the magazine’s contributors and my clothes for the next few days before taking to the road, headed south.

A veteran of foster care conference would know that trying to squeeze the trip, table setup and accommodations in the same morning without looking like a
sweaty mess is a near impossible task. A veteran would know that, not a first time participant. The list of things I didn’t know when I left foster care is endless, a
few of these things showed themselves as I navigated the world of conferences. For instance, never in my life did I use a parking garage. That doesn’t sound
like a big deal but for someone who is unfamiliar with concept of paying for parking. Parking meters I understood, parking garages never came into play. So
after a brief tutorial on how that worked I was ready to set my display and begin wowing the masses.

There is very little time to interact with the other exhibitors when you do everything the morning of, another piece of veteran knowledge. When the doors
opened the first thing you notice is the enthusiasm of the attendees. With sleep just an hour old memory; there are smiles and enthusiastic head nods. It truly
surprised me, the level of enthusiasm, there was a genuine thirst for new information and strategies they can apply to their day to day work.

And the CWLA delivered. Software demonstrations, dozens of workshops, speakers on a number of different topics and access to some of the most powerful
people in foster care fulfilled the expectations of those attending. From the moment an attendee walked in the door it seemed there were activities, booths and
workshops for them to engage.

The sheer size and volume of the CWLA conference was truly overwhelming for a first timer. The first day alone I attended nearly twenty different workshops.
While my purpose was to snap photos of all the happenings, the professionals in these workshops were learning things like health and nutrition, interacting with
the court system, mental health issues, compromise, management of gay and lesbian youth in the system, as well as, cross agency collaboration, kinship care,
permanency, helping youths become advocates and a class to help understand the federal budget as it pertains to child welfare. From an outside perspective
it felt as if they wanted to cover everything while they had the industry professional’s attention. They may have accomplished that goal. The presenters of
these workshops were engaging, helping the classes of child welfare workers grasp the subject matter.

The first day ended with an awards dinner. The CWLA presents the Anna Quindlen Award for Excellence in Journalism each year to recognize journalists
whose coverage of child welfare issues advances the knowledge and understanding of the state of vulnerable children and families in America. The winner of
the award was Vivian Nereim, who was nominated by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette where she served as a print/online reporter. Her three-part series “A Long
Road to a Safe Place” about the injury risks of children in state-licensed residential programs demonstrated her skill and persistence as a journalist. Author
and noted speaker Lucas Boyce told of his time in the care, his adoption, his chance meeting that led to a position at the White House and his current
position with the NBA’s Orlando Magic. His words inspired the crowd to continue their enthusiasm for the remainder of the conference.

The remainder of the conference was a whirlwind of introductions, more workshops, an advocacy day at the capitol all culminating in an end of conference
dinner where the keynote speaker, William Bell the CEO of Casey Family Programs excited the crowd with a stirring speech that left the crowd rejuvenated
and ready to apply all that they learned back at their chosen profession.

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Foster Care Conference Round-Up
That's only the first conference! My 2012 was filled with a half dozen more foster
care events. More conferences, a summit of international foster youth, a gala and a
stop on the Congressional Caucus on Foster Care's listening tour. Click below and
read the rest of my year long journey.