Marge Berglind, President & CEO, Child Care Association of Illinois
(Chicago, IL) — 1 September 2009. The Child Welfare League of America today convenes a regional round-table in Chicago to focus on the implementation new landmark federal legislation, the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008.
Participants, including Marge Berglind, President and CEO of the Child Care Association of Illinois, will examine implementation challenges in kinship care, youth aging out of foster care, educational provisions, tribal issues, and provisions to strengthen the child welfare workforce.
The act, signed by President George Bush on October 7, 2008, will help hundreds of thousands of vulnerable children find a safe, loving and permanent home by increasing opportunities for adoption and relative guardianship, according to a Casey Foundation Family Programs summary report.
The Casey Family Program summary also says the new law will improve critical education and health care services for children in foster care and better prepare older youth for adulthood by extending federal support for transition programs to age 21.
In addition to the Child Care Association of Illinois, roundtable participatns include:
- Child Welfare League of America
- American Bar Association
- American Academy of Pediatrics
- Illinois Department of Children and Family Services
- Former Foster Youth
The round-table will be held at the administrative offices of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services 100 W. Randolph, Room 2-025. The event begins at 9:00 a.m.
For additional information, contact Linda Spears at 703/412-3165 and visit the Child Welfare League of America website at www.cwla.org.
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