Children’s Network Will Host Annual Conference

Children’s Network will host its 27th Annual Conference at the Ontario Convention Center on Sept. 18 and 19. Nearly 50 workshops will provide training opportunities for those who work with children including parents, foster parents, kinship providers, teachers/preschool teachers, counselors, health care and mental health professionals, social workers and law enforcement personnel. There will be sessions on adverse childhood experiences, trauma-informed therapy, domestic sex trafficking in minors, mentoring, Internet safety and drug trends among adolescents. The conference will feature Steve Pemberton, child advocate and author of “A Chance in the World.” Pemberton’s story chronicles his difficult path through foster care and his determined search for his family. He is the chief diversity officer and divisional vice president for Walgreens, the first person to occupy this role in the historic company’s century-long history. His relentless journey to overcome obstacles, find his home, locate his biological family and right the wrongs of his parents’ past continues to touch audiences worldwide, inspiring young people, teachers, executives, and caregivers to embrace adversity and believe in possibility. The second day of the conference will feature Dr. Richard Gelles, Dean of the School of Social Policy and Practice at the University of Pennsylvania, where he also holds the Joanne and Raymond Welsh Chair of Child Welfare and Family Violence. He is Director for the Center for Research on Youth & Social Policy and Co-Director of the Field Center for Children’s Policy Practice & Research. Gelles is an internationally known expert in domestic violence and child welfare and was influential in the passage of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. In his most recent book, “The Third Lie: Why Government Programs Do Not Work and a Blueprint for Change,” Gelles points to what does not work, what does work and how successful elements of effective programs can be incorporated into future social policies and programs. This conference is made possible with the support of First 5 San Bernardino, San Bernardino County Children and Family Services, Children’s Fund, San Bernardino County Department of Behavioral Health, IEHP, Kaiser Permanente, San Bernardino County Preschool Services Department, and Molina Healthcare. Please contact Children’s Network at 909-383-9677 for more information or visit our website hs.sbcounty.gov/CN/.