Presented by child welfare professionals with lived experience as former foster youth, this webinar will explore Your Case, Your Rights tools, a package of guidance and resources to help young people in the child welfare system learn AND exercise their rights across a wide variety of domains and scenarios – including cultural and heritage resources, housing, behavioral health, visitation, basic needs, and more. These evolving resources were developed by youth and child welfare professionals for use by youth and child welfare professionals independently or collaboratively. Attendees will engage in discussion, live interaction with the tools, and calls to action. Participants will take away immediately applicable tools and a model of lived-experience-led data collection and tool creation and distribution.
Presenters:
Gina Cabiddu, MSW – Lived Experience Expert, National Advisory Council on Children’s Legal Representation
Gina Cabiddu, MSW, is a former foster youth, adoptee, and social worker with 10+ years of service. Her work has spanned child protective services investigations, private nonprofit regional leadership, consultation services through her own LLC, successful statewide expansion of a model that has reduced youth boarding in emergency departments due to mental health needs, and working in Washington D.C. with Congress to develop policies, practices, and legislation regarding child welfare on the national scale. She serves as a current NACCLR member and Your Case, Your Rights Project Manager.
Parker, MSW – Lived Experience Expert, National Advisory Council on Children’s Legal Representation
Parker, a dedicated professional in the field of social work, holds an MSW from the University of Michigan. With a passion for transformative change, ze has found zir calling as a consultant with the University of California, Davis. In this role, Parker actively develops and facilitates training programs for various stakeholders, including counties, social workers, foster parents, and youth on a wide range of topics like Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Expression, wrap-around services, extended foster care, and more. With over a decade of experience working with system-impacted individuals, Parker has made a significant impact through zir efforts in policy, advocacy, and training. Zir unwavering dedication to social justice and equitable change has made Parker an invaluable asset to the communities ze serves.