Three days of workshops, keynotes, awards and networking concluded today as PCSAO wrapped up its 41st annual conference. "Resilient Together: Wellness in Child Protection" brought 700 participants, vendors, presenters and awardees to Columbus.

Keynotes

Amnoni Myers, bestselling author of You Are the Prize: Seeing Yourself Beyond the Imperfections of Your Trauma, kicked off the event Wednesday with a keynote address focused on "Wellness With Purpose: Protecting the Helpers Who Protect Children."

Jim Still-Pepper of Still Light Seminars presented Thursday's keynote on his SLOW approach to wellness and self-care. Ohio Department of Children & Youth Director Kara Wente delivered remarks on Friday before presenting the agency professional awards.

Highlights

My Very Own Blanket donated special blankets to all of the youth and family award winners, and sent more back to counties.

"Our workshops and keynote speakers were selected because we know that frontline workers and supervisors have one of the hardest jobs in county government and in human services," PCSAO Executive Director Angela Sausser said. "They keep children safe and help families heal, and this work comes with a lot of secondary traumatic stress. Our conference helped them walk away with actionable steps to improve their practice while returning home focused, rejuvenated and resilient."

The Bike Lady, Inc. marshaled volunteers and conference attendees to assemble more than 100 children's bicycles that caseworkers took back to their agencies for kids in foster care.

Awards

Annual awards were presented to advocates, partners, families, promising young leaders and agency staff. Learn more about all of the outstanding awardees for 2026.

Photos

Check back on our social media channels (linked below) over the next couple weeks to see photos from the event.

Thank you!

In addition to sponsors, PCSAO thanks the Conference Committee, chaired by Julie Gilbert and Lisa Dierling of Butler County Job & Family Services, along with all of the volunteer trainers who shared their expertise. Finally, thanks to everyone who attended. Please remember to complete your workshop evaluations in the Cvent app.