New York's 34th Annual Foster Care and Adoption Conference Returns with Hybrid Event in May

HYDE PARK, N.Y. - April 19, 2023 - PRLog -- Aimed at parents and professionals alike, the Foster Care and Adoption Conference  brings leaders in the child welfare field to New York during National Foster Care Month to offer a variety of topical workshops both in person and virtually.

This year's conference theme is "Community Connections and Courageous Conversations" and is the first in-person conference since the beginning of the pandemic with continued virtual options for parents for whom travel prevents attendance. Additional virtual workshops and events continue in the virtual conference community in the AFFCNY.Network; with recordings of the keynotes and speakers available for all on demand until August 31. The over thirty plus hours of education and training provided are especially geared towards adoptive parents, foster parents, relative caregivers, siblings, extended family, professionals, educators and service providers and with the goal of better understanding and services for children in care, fostered and those adopted.

Keynote speakers include Dr. Stacey Patton an adoptee, child abuse survivor, and former foster youth turned award-winning author, journalist and child advocate and author of Spare the Kids: Why Whupping Children Won't Save Black America and NYT bestselling author Stephanie Foo.  Workshop topics will include options and resources to better understand the legal rights in child welfare, race and bias, building openness and connections, navigating the systems, and much more.

The conference is funded in part through the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS). All in-person conference events are held at the Marriott Pavilion at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York with the virtual components are held in the AFFCNY.Network.
For a full schedule, descriptions and registration please see http://affcny.org/conference/.

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About the Adoptive and Foster Family Coalition of New York

Founded in 1975, the Coalition, at affcny.org, unites adoptive and foster parent groups, concerned agencies and individuals throughout the state. As a nonprofit organization, the Coalition represents the families' viewpoint and works to improve and expand the services available to children and families by uniting foster, adoptive and kinship care families, giving them a voice and providing support, information, training and advocacy.  By fostering communication and collaboration between families, agencies and concerned citizens, we seek to ensure the stability, well-being and permanency of all children touched by the child welfare system.
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