Relationships First: Building Connections to Advance Placement Stability

Welcome to the Placement Stability Conference!

Join us for a day filled with inspiring discussions and insightful workshops to equip you with actionable tools and resources to enhance the stability and well being of children receiving foster care services. Whether you work in foster care, child welfare, behavior health, or are a resource caregiver, this event is designed to inspire, equip, and build connections.

Our lineup of speakers includes individuals with lived experience as well as seasoned practitioners who will share their experiences and best practices. You'll have the opportunity to network, exchange ideas, and gain valuable insights to enhance your work. There will be personal enrichment injected into our day as well with an optional chair yoga opportunity (capacity 30), and a low key fun hands on resilence building activity in the afternoon for all.

We will discuss ways to improve placement stability, strengthen relationships, and enhance collaboration between child welfare and behavioral health systems.

Come be a part of this engaging conference and take your knowledge and skills to the next level. We look forward to seeing you there!

8:15 AM - Registration & Breakfast

9:00 AM - Opening Remarks & Keynote Session - 1.5 CEUs

11:00 AM - Conference Workshops (choose ONE out of five choices) - 1.5 CEUs

12:30 PM - Lunch & Resource Tables

1:20 PM - Chair Yoga (capacity 30)

1:45 PM - Plenary Session - 2 CEUs

3:45 PM - Closing Remarks & Door Prize Drawing

This conference is made possible thanks to a Venture Grant awarded to Bethanna by The Pew Charitable Trusts.

The Crisis Acess Link Model (CALM) is an innovative collaborative intervention launched by the Philadelphia Health and Human Services, Philadelphia Department of Human Services, Community Behavioral Health, and the Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services.

This event is co-sponsored by Bryn Mawr College Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research (GSSWSR) for a maximum of 5 credit hours. Bryn Mawr College GSSWSR, as a CSWE accredited School of Social Work, is a pre-approved provider of continuing education for Social Workers, professional counselors, and marriage and family therapists (LSW, LCSW), LPC, LMFT) in PA and many other states.

We are committed to making this conference accessible and welcoming for all participants. If you require accommodations (such as dietary needs, mobility assistance, or other supports), please let us know during registration or email us at [email protected]. We encourage you to submit requests by 10/14/25 so we can best meet your needs.

There will be a door prize drawing for various self care items at the conclusion of the confrence. You must be present to win.

Confrence Vision: To foster collaboration, innovation, and informed practice among child welfare and behavioral health professionals serving children and youth receiving foster care services by presenting models of service that promote stability, resilience and healing centered interventions as well as sharing key findings from year one of implementation of the Crisis Access Link Model designed to support placement stability for youth in out-of-home care, ultimately improving outcomes through strengthened services and supports.

Confrence Goals:

1. Inspire Hope: Inspire individuals serving children, youth, and families through the presentation of the principles of Love over Ego, Love over Fear, and Communication over Conflict developed by Freddy Jackson of the Love No Ego Foundation.

2. Disseminate Data and Insights: Share critical findings and lessons learned from the implementation of the Crisis Access Link Model, an innovative collaborative intervention launched by Philadelphia Health and Human Services, Philadelphia Department of Human Services, Community Behavioral Health, and the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services.

3. Promote Best Practices: Highlight effective strategies and evidence-based interventions that improve stability and well-being for youth in care and family stability.

4. Strengthen Cross-System Collaboration: Facilitate dialogue between child welfare and behavioral health professionals to encourage integrated service approaches.

5. Celebrate Resilience: Learn from the lived experience of youth, parents, and caregivers who overcame stability challenges through perseverance, partnership and courage.

6. Empower Service Providers and Caregivers: Equip frontline professionals and resource caregivers with actionable tools, practices, and resources to support youth and families effectively.

Info: Sign in for the day, then enjoy time viewing exhibits on the first floor of the Academy of Natural Sciences while you mingle with colleagues over light breakfast refreshments of fruit, pastries, coffee, tea, and water. No food is permitted inside the Auditorium so come during the open hours if you would like to enjoy breakfast with us!

Info: 1.5 CEUs available Love…No Ego, Heart-Led Engagement and Leadership demonstrates and promotes the benefits of heart-led behaviors personally and professionally, and its relation to producing at an optimal and holistic level. It prioritizes authentic human interactions to help remove egotistical behavior that limits productivity, suppresses courage, diminishes resiliency, and of course, stunts individual and collective success. Attain the pillars, principles, and strategies to experience personal and professional fulfillment and success.

Info: 1.5 CEUs available

Info: The Crisis Access Link Model (CALM) Approach: Rapid Response to Promote Youth Placement Stability (Capacity 30) Equip participants with the knowledge, strategies, and practical tools of the Crisis Access Link Model (CALM) to rapidly respond during youth placement transitions, providing targeted supports that stabilize resource and kinship homes, address emotional and psychological safety for youth, connect them to essential services, and prevent both escalation to higher levels of care and placement disruptions.

Info: Building Bridges to Placement Stability: The Power of Collaboration Between Child Welfare and Behavioral Health Professionals (Capacity 30) This presentation will explore the critical role of collaboration between child welfare and behavioral health professionals in improving placement stability outcomes for children and youth in foster or kinship care. Drawing from evidence-based practices and real-world examples, we will provide insights into the challenges and opportunities for these systems to work together to address the complex needs of children in care. Participants will gain actionable strategies to enhance cross-system communication, establish shared goals, and foster integrated service delivery, ultimately supporting stable placements and positive outcomes for children and families.

Info: Evidenced Based Therapy Models that Promote Child/Youth Stability (Capacity 30) This presentation will explore the benefits and importance of the use of evidenced based therapy models when proving care for children/youth effected by trauma. An overview of the referral criteria, treatment components and fidelity measures of each model will be presented along with case examples and collaboration that led to successful outcomes. Information to promote access to care will be shared, including a list of certified providers in the Community Behavioral Health network.

Info: Strengthening the Village Through Protective Factors (Capacity 30) The Five Protective Factors are a nation-wide, research-informed, strengths-based framework focused on the well-being of all families and helping families identify and build on their own protective factors. This breakout group will discuss the Five Protective Factors and ways in which they can be used to strengthen families.

Info: Building Bridges: Parental Engagement and Placement Stability (Capacity 30) High-quality engagement between parents and child welfare services, including resource parents, is crucial for achieving positive outcomes like reunification and placement stability while children are in care. When parents are actively involved in their child’s case planning and feel supported, it leads to a more stable and positive environment for the child.

Info: Lunch Menu: Grilled Chicken, Grilled Tofu, Grilled Veggies, Rice, Cookies, Water, Cold Tea, Lemonade (Vegan and Gluten Free options, including vegan cookies available)

Info: Recharge your body and mind with this gentle, accessible chair yoga session led by yoga instructor Tina Thomas. In just 20 minutes, participants will enjoy simple stretches, mindful breathing, and seated postures designed to ease tension, improve circulation, and restore focus. Perfect for all levels, no special attire or equipment is required—just come as you are and leave feeling refreshed and energized for the rest of the day.

Info: 2 CEUs available. This Plenary Session, beginning with a hands-on exercise demonstrating a tool to promote emotional regulation, will synthesize the learning from the conference. We will hear from individuals with lived experience in a facilitated panel discussion about how they overcame relational challenges and experiences of trauma to create stability in family relationships. Their courage and resilience will inspire you with practical insights and tools to apply when working with youth and families to stabilize the permanency of relationships. Reflections, from guest speaker Staci Morgan, will underscore the importance of engagement, and collaboration in fostering resilience; reinforce the themes shared by the panel; and highlight work being done in Philadelphia to achieve youth and family well-being.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, United States