Plenary Sessions & Speakers

OPENING PLENARY
Monday, April, 27, 2015
9:00 am – 10:30 am

Advancing Excellence in Child Welfare
Excellence in child welfare means achieving the vision that all children will grow up safely, in loving families and supportive communities, with everything they need to flourish.  At this session you will hear from CWLA’s President and leadership, child welfare leaders in the region, and representatives from our national conference planning committee on what it takes to achieve this vision through shared learning. A key aspect of this is a focus on prevention and family/community strengthening, which will be addressed by James Hmurovich, President & CEO, Prevent Child Abuse America.

PLENARY: POLICY BRIEFING
Monday, April 27, 2015
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm

Advocating for Excellence for Children
CWLA advocates for best policies and practices and encourages building strategic alliances that result in improved outcomes. In this session, you will receive a comprehensive briefing from CWLA’s policy team about key legislative issues that will impact our field as we strive to advance excellence for the children and families that we serve.

CLOSING PLENARY
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Achieving Excellence through Innovation and Collaboration
CWLA encourages and supports innovative approaches and multi-system collaborations that improve the well-being and success of children, youth, and families who are the most vulnerable. In this session, you will hear from motivational speaker Richard Price, a former youth in care and adoptee and who was ultimately reunited with his family, about the importance of innovation and collaboration to achieve excellence for children and families.