The first annual “Caring for Kids in Care” conference, hosted by the WV Foster Adoptive & Kinship Parents Network, was held virtually on several evenings over the last two weeks. Over 200 families registered for the conference, indicating their interest in training and their desire to connect with other foster, adoptive and kinship families.
The conference agenda was centered around four keynote speakers and three distinct tracks of breakout sessions:
- Advocacy — how to advocate for children at individual and systems levels
- Parenting and resources — parenting techniques and resources to help on the journey
- Foster care system — programs, policies and challenges within West Virginia’s child welfare system
In the advocacy track, we heard from speakers who taught families skills for advocating at individual and systems levels. This track represents the Network’s goal of bringing families together to advocate for system improvements and to strengthen family voice in the child welfare system.
Since the founding of the Network, we have seen families become empowered and strengthened by lifting their voices and sharing their stories to help create change. This track supported their efforts by providing new tools and techniques to help parents advocate effectively. In their conference evaluations, many families shared appreciation for tools and strategies shared by Pamela Woodman-Kaehler, West Virginia’s foster care ombudsman, in her session about advocating for the children in your home.
The parenting and resources track was designed to support foster, adoptive and kinship families in their primary role as caregivers for children who have experienced trauma. While many parents have received training in what not to do when disciplining children in foster care, they often need additional information about specific techniques that are effective when trauma is a factor.
Jim Harris, associate director of training at the West Virginia Autism Center, provided information about these techniques and strategies and many parents felt the session was extremely helpful. Other speakers shared about resources related to foster care, neonatal abstinence syndrome and attachment issues for children in care.
No conference for foster, adoptive and kinship parents would be complete without acknowledging the added layer of complexity inherent in parenting within a large and highly regulated system. Navigating the child welfare system can be challenging even for professionals, and most parents need some guidance from time to time.
The third conference track addressed aspects of this system to help parents better understand various roles and structures they may encounter. Sessions included topics ranging from the role of the guardian ad litem to managing grief when children leave your home. In one session, Cindy Largent-Hill, director of the Division of Children and Juvenile Justice at the West Virginia Supreme Court, and Kristen Antolini, a guardian ad litem (GAL), shared about the role of a GAL appointed for a child in care and answered questions about the best ways for parents to contact and work with GALs.
Additionally, the conference included a focus on a significant shift happening in the child welfare system at the federal and state levels. Historically there has been an emphasis on families’ willingness to adopt children who are placed with them. However, over the last several years, the federal Children’s Bureau and several states have moved toward a model where foster parents are asked to partner with biological parents in support of successful reunification.
West Virginia is just beginning to embrace this model and implementing it will require a significant shift in culture and practice. During the conference, we laid the groundwork for this change with speakers who talked about children’s need to maintain connections with biological family and by hearing from West Virginia families who have successfully built these partnerships. Next month’s column will focus more on this shift, including the research behind it and tips for West Virginia families working to build relationships.
We wrapped up the conference with a “virtual pizza party” — a chance for families to connect and get to know each other. We played games and had fun while building community in an informal setting. Parents spent the last hour in one of six different support groups: New to Foster Parenting, Adoptive Families, Parenting Teens, Grief Support, Foster Care Book Club and Check In/Systems Updates. Many families have indicated a desire to continue attending these or other support groups offered by the Network. Most of our ongoing groups meet virtually and more information can be found at wvfosterparents.org.
One main goal of the conference was to build community, something that can be difficult to do virtually. At the end of the conference, several families indicated that they no longer felt alone and that they had found community. No one should undertake this journey alone and we are so grateful that people felt more connected as a result of this event. Other parents cited their intention to continue advocating, to support other families and to work to build more community.
Recordings of all conference sessions will be available in a week or two at wvfosterparents.org.
The WV Foster Adoptive & Kinship Parents Network is grateful to our sponsors and fiscal agents, the conference speakers and the many volunteers who made this conference possible. Knowing that families feel more supported and more aware of resources available to them is the best outcome we could ask for. Thank you to everyone who attended and we will look forward to next year’s conference and other special events. We are planning a picnic in July as a fun time for families to connect with each other. Check our website for more information as it becomes available.
Foster, adoptive and kinship families interested in joining the Network can search Facebook for “WV Foster Adoptive & Kinship Parents Network,” then answer the questions to be approved. This group is exclusively for caregivers. More information about the Network is available at wvfoster parents.org.
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