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Jun Jun 25 27
  • In-Person Event

How Can States Help Prevent Child Maltreatment?

  • Sunday, June 25, 2023
    • In-Person Event
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NCSL's Child Welfare Fellows meeting in Nashville.

Child welfare systems are undergoing a sea change throughout the United States as policymakers and researchers explore how to shift focus and resources to proactively preventing child abuse and neglect rather than primarily reacting when it does occur. This meeting will introduce fellows to essential concepts in an interactive peer-learning setting.

This program is designed to help you achieve the following goals:

  • Strengthen your knowledge of child welfare and child maltreatment
  • Explore options to prevent child maltreatment and mitigate the consequences when it does
  • Foster new relationships among fellows, faculty and NCSL
  • Develop an individual legislative action
  • Identify opportunities for NCSL to support your individual action

This meeting will be co-located with NCSL’s Youth Homelessness Fellows and shared learning will take place through crossover programming with the Youth Homelessness Fellows. Please visit your cohort page for all session materials and additional resources.


This meeting is made possible through grants from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Pritzker Children’s Initiative. The CDC support is part of a financial assistance award totaling $363,000 with 50% funded by CDC/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, CDC/HHS or the U.S. government.

Sunday, June 25

5 p.m.

Registration Opens

Pick up your name tag and meeting folder.

5 – 6 p.m.

Networking Reception

Gather for informal networking and mingle with other Child Welfare Fellows and Youth Homelessness Fellows, faculty and NCSL staff.

6 – 7:30 p.m.

Welcome & Dinner

Enjoy dinner with Child Welfare Fellows and Youth Homelessness Fellows.

Monday, June 26

8 – 9 a.m.

Breakfast and Networking

Start the day with breakfast and networking with other fellows, faculty and NCSL staff.

9 – 10 a.m.

Joint Opening Plenary

Melissa Merrick will share her organization’s vision and the important role you as lawmakers and NCSL policy fellows play in child, youth and family well-being. We will consider the continuum of prevention strategies and opportunities for parents and other caregivers to create better outcomes for their children.

Presentation

Moderators: Tahra Johnson and Wade Fickler, NCSL

Speaker: Melissa Merrick, Ph.D., president and CEO, Prevent Child Abuse America

10 – 10:15 a.m.

Break and Room Change

10:15 – 11 a.m.

Program Welcome and Introduction: Child Welfare Fellows Cohort

Meet more Youth Homelessness Fellows, faculty and NCSL staff. Prepare for the experience of working together to achieve the goals of the program.

Moderators: Tahra Johnson and Jenna Bannon, NCSL

11 a.m. – 12:30

p.m.

Setting the Stage: A New Era for Child Welfare

National experts will provide an overview of the current federal and state child welfare policy landscape, including a look back at the historical moments that laid the

groundwork for today’s system and a look ahead at the shift toward prevention.

Presentation

Speakers:

  • Krista Thomas, Ph.D., senior policy fellow, Chapin Hall
  • Amy McKlindon, MSW, research scientist II, Child Trends

12:30 – 1:45 p.m.

Joint Lunch and Networking

Lunch will be provided by NCSL.

1:45 – 3 p.m.

Rethinking the Child Welfare System: From Child Protection to Child and Family Well- Being

This session will examine how and why families enter the child welfare system and the elements of a well-functioning system, including an array of economic and concrete supports. Two agency directors will share how they changed the course of their agencies in partnership with their legislatures and discuss the critical role of policy in shaping child welfare systems.

Presentation

Speakers: David Hansell, J.D., senior advisor for child welfare policy, Casey Family

Programs and Terry Stigdon, MSN, R.N., former director, Indiana Department of Child Services; CEO, American Red Cross Indiana Region

3 – 3:15 p.m.

Break

3:15 – 4:30 p.m.

Financing Child Welfare and Prevention Systems

This session will focus on federal and state financing strategies for child welfare and prevention and make sense of the “alphabet soup” of funding streams and promising practices.

Presentation

Speaker: Kristina Rosinsky, MPP, research scientist II, Child Trends

4:30 – 5 p.m.

Debrief and Group Photo

5 p.m.

Dinner on Your Own

Venture out on your own or with others to enjoy Nashville’s food scene.

Tuesday, June 27

8 – 9 a.m.

Breakfast and Check Out of Hotel

9 – 10 a.m.

Upstream Strategies: Pregnancy and Newborn Supports for New Parents

Voluntary home visitation is an upstream strategy that supports pregnant women and new parents. Gain a deeper understanding of this bipartisan strategy and learn about Healthy Family America, one of an array of evidence-based home visiting models.

Presentation

Speakers:

  • Lynn Tiede, Healthy Families America public policy deputy, Prevent Child Abuse America
  • Tara Gordon, program officer, Nurture the Next
  • Hannah Davis, family support specialist, Nurture the Next

10 – 10:15 a.m.

Break

If you have not already checked out of your hotel room, please do so now.

10:15 – 11:15 a.m.

Policy Workshop

Join the speakers you’ve heard from over the past two days in small group discussions.

With rotating roundtables, come prepared to ask questions and discuss ideas you have for child welfare and child maltreatment prevention policy in your state.

11:15 – 11:30 a.m.

Action Planning

11:30 a.m. – 12:15

p.m.

Closing and Final Reflections

Fellows will reflect on the past few days of learning and determine action steps to put your new knowledge to use. Please also share your feedback on ways that we can improve our programming.

12:15 – 1:30 p.m.

Networking & Learning Lunch

Enjoy lunch with child welfare and youth homelessness experts and fellows.

Graduate Nashville
101 20th Ave N., Nashville  

Sponsors
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