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  • Child Abuse Prevention Month Outreach Toolkit 2024 - National Child Abuse Prevention Month: April 2024 Whether by proclamation, through social media, with graphics, or through other means, spreading the word about child abuse prevention lets your community know they can take action to strengthen families and help them … Read More
  • Child Welfare Law Specialist Certification - Child Welfare Law Specialist (CWLS) certification is a professional achievement that signifies an attorney’s specialized knowledge, skill, and verified expertise in the field of child welfare law. The specialization area is defined as “the practice of law representing children, parents … Read More
  • LA Benchbook Louisiana CINC Benchbook - The Court Improvement Program of the Louisiana Supreme Court, Louisiana Judicial College, and Pelican Center for Children and Families is delighted to announce the publication of the Louisiana Child in Need of Care Benchbook for Juvenile Judges. The Benchbook project is a … Read More

Upcoming Events

Apr
2
Tue
Trauma-Informed Parenting for Adoptive Parents (Part 2)
Apr 2 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Trauma-Informed Parenting for Adoptive Parents (Part 2)

Join us for a continued look at trauma-informed parenting, through the lens of complex trauma. This workshop-style webinar will look at the characteristics of Complex PTSD, behaviors and conditions that can develop after exposure to traumatic stress, and the ways this may present itself within an adoptive parent-child relationship. We’ll provide strategies for parenting through challenges related to maintaining trust, repairing self-worth, and regulating complex emotions. This presentation will explore ways to understand and meet the needs of children as they move toward adolescence, a phase where the brain’s developmental progression may present additional challenges for those who have experienced significant interpersonal trauma.

Registration is open until the webinar begins. To participate in this webinar, attendees must have the Zoom application downloaded to their device. For more information on this webinar and continuing education credits please follow the links below.

REGISTER HERE

Apr
7
Sun
42nd Annual Protecting Our Children Conference
Apr 7 @ 8:30 am – Apr 10 @ 4:30 pm

Each year, NICWA hosts the largest national gathering on American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) child advocacy issues. With over 1,600 attendees—and growing every year—this three-day conference has become the premiere national event addressing tribal child welfare and well-being. Keynote speakers range from federal officials at the highest level of government to youth with lived experience in child welfare systems.

New this year! For those who can’t make it to Seattle, we have a virtual option. All three of our amazing general sessions with over a dozen wonderful speakers will be broadcast virtually. If you can’t make it in person, consider being a virtual attendee.

NICWA provides meaningful programming to conference attendees, creating a space where participants can learn about the latest developments and best practices from experts in the field and from one another. Participants represent a cross-section of fields and interests including child welfare, mental health, and juvenile justice service providers; legal professionals; students; advocates for children; and tribal, state, and federal leaders.

UPDATE: NICWA’s 42nd Annual Protecting Our Children Conference is officially sold out for in-person attendance. You can still join the excitement by registering as a virtual attendee! If you have any questions, contact us at training@nicwa.org and we’ll be happy to assist you.

REGISTER HERE 

Apr
9
Tue
ABA Center on Children and the Law Spring 2024 National Conferences @ The Ritz-Carlton in Tysons Corner
Apr 9 @ 8:00 am – Apr 12 @ 4:00 pm
ABA Center on Children and the Law Spring 2024 National Conferences @ The Ritz-Carlton in Tysons Corner

Join us for the ABA Center on Children and the Law Spring 2024 National Conferences designed to train, engage, and provide opportunities for networking and dialogue among child welfare professionals.

As of 2/20, the ABA National Conference on Parent Representation has reached capacity. As of 2/29, the Full conference has reached capacity. If you are seeking to register for either conference, we can put your name on a waitlist.

For those seeking to attend only the Access to Justice Conference, we will leave that registration option open until it reaches capacity.

REGISTER HERE

Autism Language Development: Gestalt Language Processing | Jessica Creed, SLP
Apr 9 @ 12:00 pm – 12:45 pm
Autism Language Development: Gestalt Language Processing | Jessica Creed, SLP

Register today to join us virtually for this free 13-part webinar series. Click on title below to register online. Professionals will share their knowledge and evidence-based strategies to further support children and encourage positive behavior function.

REGISTER HERE

Apr
10
Wed
Supporting Your Child’s Literacy Development in Preschool
Apr 10 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am
Supporting Your Child's Literacy Development in Preschool

Dr. Beth McLean of the National Center for Improving Literacy will explain evidence-based strategies, tips, and activities you can use to support your child’s literacy development from an early age.

REGISTER HERE

Apr
13
Sat
AMCHP Annual Conference
Apr 13 @ 8:30 am – Apr 16 @ 5:30 pm
AMCHP Annual Conference

This year, the 2024 AMCHP Annual Conference falls during Black Maternal Health Week (BMHW). BMHW is a week-long, annual campaign founded and led by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance and takes place April 11-17. It is a celebration and annual crescendo in the reproductive justice movement and a time of deep solidarity, creativity, visioning, and action.  

The co-occurrence of the AMCHP conference during Black Maternal Health Week was not intentional, and we wish we acknowledged it sooner. We will ensure that AMCHP conference activities include time, space, and acknowledgment for attendees to participate in virtual events hosted by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance and partner organizations. We will maximize the opportunity presented by AMCHP 2024 and convening maternal and child health leaders from across the country to raise awareness of this critical movement, to honor Black maternal health leaders, birthing people, and families, and to make deep commitments to using our collective power to transform systems for reproductive justice and racial justice.  

We look forward to providing more updates on how we will celebrate Black Maternal Health Week at AMCHP 2024 through our conference newsletter and forthcoming detailed agenda.

REGISTER HERE

Apr
16
Tue
The Role of Foster/Resource Parents in Dependency Hearings
Apr 16 @ 11:30 am – 1:00 pm

Licensed non-relative family placements are crucial for the well-being of children in dependency cases and are integral to achieving permanency for families. In this webinar, we will delve into:

  • Assessment of foster parent support for established case permanency goals;
  • Effective strategies for court presentation and consideration of foster parent involvement in achieving permanency; and
  • Advocacy surrounding the varying levels of foster parent involvement in dependency proceedings.

Shannon Felder, JD, CWLS, NACC Training Director

Shannon Felder joined NACC in February of 2024. Shannon works to ensure legal professionals have the resources they need to provide high-quality representation of children, parents, and agencies, and manages NACC’s training department. Shannon previously served as a Managing Attorney for the South Carolina Department of Social Services for ten years. In this role Shannon collaborated with child welfare stakeholders, ensured high-quality legal presentations in abuse and neglect actions, provided case consultations to social work team members in complex cases, provided timely, frequent, and responsive training and supervised over 40 legal professionals. Shannon is also a member of the South Carolina Bar Children’s Law Committee and the South Carolina Black Lawyer’s Association.

Shannon became involved in the child welfare legal system serving as a volunteer Guardian ad Litem for CASA while in law school. After a judicial clerkship, Shannon entered private practice as a civil litigator focusing on personal injury, including nursing home abuse and neglect. While in private practice, she served as a contract attorney for the Guardian ad Litem program in South Carolina. After fourteen years in litigation, Shannon joined the South Carolina Department of Social Services.

Shannon earned her law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law where she was a Carolina Legal Scholar, member of the South Carolina Law Review and President of the Black Law Students Association. Shannon is certified by NACC as a Child Welfare Law Specialist. She is currently licensed to practice law in South Carolina.

REGISTER HERE

Apr
17
Wed
Child Welfare League of America – National Conference @ Washington, DC
Apr 17 – Apr 19 all-day
Child Welfare League of America - National Conference @ Washington, DC

CWLA’s conference will bring together solutions from all sectors of child welfare and its related systems, furthering the shift toward an integrated, accessible, culturally responsive services continuum that advances family and community well-being.

Creating Meaningful Change

2024 National Conference

April 17-19, 2024 in Washington, DC

Apr
18
Thu
The Importance of Inclusion Part 1
Apr 18 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am
The Importance of Inclusion Part 1

Why is inclusion of children with disabilities in schools, classrooms, and communities important? This webinar explores what inclusion is and what it is not, and who is involved in making meaningful inclusion successful.

REGISTER HERE

Feeding Tips and Tricks | Anne Elise Nicoladis, SLP and Margaret Powell, PhD
Apr 18 @ 12:00 pm – 12:45 pm
Feeding Tips and Tricks | Anne Elise Nicoladis, SLP and Margaret Powell, PhD

Register today to join us virtually for this free 13-part webinar series. Click on title below to register online. Professionals will share their knowledge and evidence-based strategies to further support children and encourage positive behavior function.

REGISTER HERE