Members of the WV Foster, Adoptive & Kinship Parents Network, an organization that serves more than 1,300 parents statewide, will gather virtually on Zoom for the organization’s annual conference over several evenings beginning June 21. The goals of this four-day event are to provide an opportunity for foster, adoptive, and kinship parents from across the state to connect with each other, hear from leaders in child welfare, and gain valuable skills and resources to support them in providing care for children living away from their biological parents. Currently, there are over 6,000 West Virginia children in foster or kinship care, with significant increases in the past few years.
The conference will be held over four evenings from 7:00-9:00 p.m. on June 21, 23, 28, and 30. Each day will consist of a keynote presentation followed by three simultaneous workshops. Conference workshops are organized into three tracks: Advocacy, Parenting & Resources, and System & Processes.
Speakers include:
Lynn Johnson, President and Founder of ALL IN Fostering Futures and former Assistant Secretary for US Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families
Barb Clark, Parent Support & Training Specialist with the North American Council on Adoptable Children
Members of the Children’s Trust Fund Alliance Birth and Foster Parent Partnership (BFPP)
Deena Shelton, Associate Professor of Counseling – Concordia University Irvine
Sky Kershner, Assistant Professor in Psychiatry at WVU School of Medicine, Charleston Division
The first 100 foster, adoptive, or kinship families who register will receive a box of resources and tools to support them in caring for children. People interested in becoming foster or kinship parents are also welcome to attend. Registration is free and attendees will be eligible to receive a certificate they may use to request annual training hours to meet their certification requirements.
When asked about last year’s conference, Rebekah Whitlow, a foster parent in Kanawha County said, “As a newer foster parent, last year’s conference gave me the opportunity to connect with foster families with similar lived experiences and learn together how to best support our kids. I’m looking forward this year to being a “seasoned” foster parent and helping those who are new to our community.”
Elizabeth Mobley is a foster parent in Berkeley county. She said, “Last year’s conference was thoughtful, well produced and, since it was virtual, super user friendly! I appreciated the opportunity to hear from experts in the field as well as parents and caregivers that have been participating for quite some time, choosing to share their wisdom and hearts with us. Foster care, kinship, adoption is not an easy journey. So having a conference such as this, geared towards the adults created an experience I’ll never forget and honestly look forward to the next one! “
This conference is made possible by generous support from The Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation, Binti, and Aetna Better Health.
Interested families should visit www.wvfosterparents.org for more information and to register for the conference.
