NACAC Annual Conference Families Matter: Exploring Solutions in Adoption and Foster Care
North American Council on Adoptable Children's 43rd Annual Conference will be held July 20th – 22nd, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia, with a Pre-Conference Session on July 19th. The conference will be held at the Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotelin downtown Atlanta (210 Peachtree St). Adoptive, kinship, and foster parents; child welfare professionals; adoptees; foster care alumni; and other child advocates —this is the conference to attend! The sessions inspire, inform,and encourage all members of the adoption and foster care community.The conference offers 80+ sessions on topics such as core issues in adoption; post-adoption services; parenting children with disabilities and challenges; issues in adoption therapy;race, culture, and diversity; older children and youth; and recruitment and pre-adoption services.
On Wednesday, July 19, Heather Forbes, LCSW, will present “Beyond Consequences: Helping Children Heal.” This full-day session for parents and professionals will examine how stress and trauma affect a child’s ability to regulate their behaviors and how a history of trauma compromises a child’s ability to respond to and develop reciprocal relationships.
In Thursday’s general session on July 20, Heather Forbes, LCSW, will present “Helping Children Love Themselves: Overcoming Their Negative Belief Systems.”Many children whose histories include chronic and prolonged abuse, abandonment, or neglect can develop negative belief systems that drive them to self-sabotage, reject love, and create chaos. Ms. Forbes will discuss how to help children change negative beliefs into positive ones of self-love, self-acceptance, and self-confidence.
Friday’s keynote session, “Unpacking the No to Adoption,” moderated by Michael Sanders, MSW, LISW, features young adults who will share their expertise about why some young people say no to adoption and how workers and caregivers can help them understand the value of having a permanent family.
Barry Chaffkin, LCSW, chief executive officer of Fostering Change for Children, will give the closing session at Saturday’s luncheon prior to the awards ceremony, which honors the contributions of those making a difference in adoption.
Email conference@nacac.org or access an application from www.nacac.org/conference/advertiseexhibit.html.
