2024 International Virtual Conference: A Call to Action to Change Child Welfare October 7-10, 2024.

The Audacity of Art- a word search – a search for words

October 8, 2024 @6:45am MST/8:45am EST

presenter:

Cheryl Smith The Child Welfare TRUTH-Telling Collective: Founding Member 

abstract: Those who have the 'audacity' to attend this interactive workshop will engage in the creation of a poem with the presenter regarding their combined experiences in child welfare while also hearing a variety of poems written by the presenter. The poems by the presenter are immersed in experiences of child welfare beginning as a wee tot, and continue to this day as an adult working in the system. The hope for the work shop is to open a door to share and connect with others regarding their experiences with the child welfare system and in doing so facilitate a community, break the code of silence and resulting isolation often experienced in the system while, perhaps most importantly, honouring our shared humanity and hope.

Resisting Risk: What we do when risk assessment outcomes don’t align with family need.

October 10, 2024 @12:15pm MST/2:15pm EST

Presenters:

Sarah Tremblett PhD student Wilfrid Laurier University, Friend of The Child Welfare TRUTH-Telling Collective and

Nancy Freymond The Child Welfare TRUTH-Telling Collective: Founding Member

abstract: Risk assessment protocols are entrenched in child welfare practices. Despite substantive critique there has been minimal focus on what it’s really like to navigate the risk paradigm in the everyday work. In our experience, we relied on a mix of analytic decision-making, critical thinking and intuition -- followed by creativity when our assessments were at odds with risk assessment results. We invite diverse, possibility minded people to discuss if and how we can fulfill the requirement to work within the risk paradigm and simultaneously resist its negative impacts. How do we understand and manage risk? What do we internalize? What are the implications of resistance? We will focus on actions that chip away at the stronghold of risk assessment and move us toward more just practices.