2013 NFPA Conference -- Day 6 -- Closing Session

Congratulations to all of our conference award winners! Lunch was fantastic and our awardees are a great group of people (look for the full listing and more photos upcoming in our NFPA News).

Well, our 43rd Annual National Foster Parent Association conference is coming to a close. We hope that you have enjoyed meeting up with old friends and gaining new ones, while enjoying the wealth of information provided by our workshop presenters and keynote speakers.

On our agenda today:

Registration Open
8 – 9 a.m.

Exhibits Open
8 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Morning Coffee

Closing Session
Advocacy 
Facilitator: Christine James-Brown, President and CEO, Child Welfare League of America Presenters: Irene Clements, President, NFPA; Eileen Mayers Prasztor, Professor, School of Social Work, California State University; David Sharp, Public Policy Chair, NFPA; and Rhonda Sciortino, Christian Speaker/Author
9 a.m. – Noon

Have a safe trip back home!

Why doesn't the press cover foster care?

by David Sharp

There is always rhetoric in the press about so many things, for now it is guns!! I wish the children living in our nation's foster care system could get this kind of press. There are no "sides" to take and no big disagreement on how to fix the problem ... no, this issue's only enemy is awareness. If all these pro- and anti-guns folks were asked if we should help innocent and helpless orphans and abused children, they would all say "yes."

However, this issue is not interesting enough to the press because most people believe they are unaffected by it.

Ben Franklin once said, "For change to occur the unaffected must be as outraged as the affected." That statement is true as demonstrated by most of the comments we've seen lately.

Speaking up and out about children in care

by David Sharp, NFPA Public Policy Chair

If you have witnessed the day to day challenges of our nation's child welfare system within the context of foster care and want to know how you can help, read on...

The National Foster Parent Association's public policy committee works with its member associations, state and Congressional leaders, and the Administration to monitor public and private sector policies and promote action that will benefit vulnerable children and youths, their families, and their communities.

Consumers, advocates, and legislators must all become informed and take action on pending national and state changes to virtually all public assistance programs for poor children and their families, including income assistance, Medicaid, and housing support.

The following are suggested strategies that you and your local foster and adoptive parent association may want to use on a short-, or long-term basis. Choose strategies that you can do and believe will send the most effective message. Most importantly, keep plugging away! 

Your voice can make a difference.