National eUpdate
August 2021
We hope to see you at the Child Welfare
Worker Recognition Event on 9/14
Join co-hosts NCWWI and the Children’s Bureau for a virtual Child Welfare Worker Recognition Event on September 14 at 3:00 p.m. EDT. This year’s speakers will talk about your ability to positively influence a life's trajectory through the heart, the head, and the hands. This event is all about celebrating you - the people who do so much to empower children, youth, and families facing a variety of life challenges and obstacles - so we hope you'll find time to join us! Learn more about our speakers below and use our Recognition Event Kit to plan your celebration!
Vernita Thompson, MSW and Kristy Colvin, MSW

Vernita Thompson and Kristy Colvin participated in NCWWI's grant program through the University at Buffalo School of Social Work. Thompson is a caseworker with Erie County Department of Social Services and Colvin works at Child & Family Services as a program supervisor.
Aysha E. Schomburg, J.D.

Aysha E. Schomburg is the associate commissioner of the Children's Bureau. Schomburg joined the Biden Administration in March 2021 after serving as the senior administrator for program oversight for New York City's Administration for Children's Services (ACS).
Adrian McLemore


Adrian McLemore has the unique perspective of growing up in the foster care system and later providing kinship care to his niece and nephew. He currently works for the Annie E. Casey Foundation in Maryland.
Sarah Crisafi, MEd. E-RYT

Sarah Crisafi has her Master's in Education and is an experienced, registered yoga teacher through Yoga Alliance. She specializes in providing trauma-informed techniques in classes for children, youth, families, and professionals.
To learn more about our speakers, visit the event website.
As part of this event, we will share a video with images from child welfare programs across the country. If you would like your workforce represented in this video, please send one or two photos to [email protected] by EOD August 31, 2021.
Trauma-Informed Yoga for the Child Welfare Professional 
This class will utilize research-based, trauma-informed yoga and mindfulness practices to address signs of secondary traumatic stress or nervous system dysregulation caused by stress or burnout. Your instructor will be Sarah Crisafi, a child welfare professional who uses yoga as a way to understand and relieve her stress response. The first hour will be geared toward learning, and the second hour will be spent putting that learning into practice (experiential learning through yoga). You'll also receive tools to take off the mat and into your work. No yoga experience necessary. All yoga and postures are optional; the focus will be on self-care and taking care of one's own body.

There are four class offerings to choose from:
  1. September 17 from 11 a.m.to 1 p.m. EDT (Floor Yoga with Chair Modifications)
  2. September 20 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. EDT (Chair Yoga)
  3. September 22 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. EDT (Floor Yoga with Chair Modifications)
  4. September 30 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. EDT (Chair Yoga)
Share Our Story Webinar: 9/2
Calling all professionals performing external public relations and communications! Join us September 2 at 2:00 p.m. EDT to discuss the impacts of improved communication, how to change the narrative for child welfare professionals, and pro tips on crafting and sharing your message.

All participants will receive a copy of the NCWWI Communications Guide: How to Advance Organizational Goals Through Effective Messaging, Storytelling, and Public Relations.
Child Welfare Virtual Expo: 9/23
The theme of this year’s Child Welfare Virtual Expo (CWVE) is advancing racial equity in child welfare. This important topic will address the racism and bias that continue to create disproportional representation in the child welfare system and disparities in outcomes for Black, American Indian/Alaska Native, and other children, youth, and families of color. These inequities lead to the unnecessary separation of families, cause trauma, and continue to prevent child welfare systems from effectively supporting the safety and well-being of all the children, youth, and families they serve.

During this event, NCWWI is co-hosting a session, Intentional Inclusion – Creating Equity in the Workplace. We hope you'll join us in the session and at the NCWWI booth in the Exhibit Hall and Resource Gallery.
New, State-of-the-Art, and Free: The National Training and Development Curriculum (NTDC)!
Is your site, country, tribe, agency, or territory in need of a free, state-of-the-art, rigorously evaluated training that provides prospective foster and adoptive parents with the information they need to prepare for their journey as well as opportunities for ongoing skills development? Join this webinar on September 29, 2021, at 3:00 p.m. EDT to learn about NTDC and how it develops knowledge, skills, and attitude competencies for parents who will be and/or are fostering or adopting a child who has experienced trauma, separation, or loss. The curriculum, funded through a five-year cooperative agreement with the Children's Bureau, uses layered content learning, experiential activities, podcasts, and videos that feature the voices of parents, professionals, and youth.
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