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Course Information
Looking Inside: Considerations and Approaches to Understanding and Implementing Normalcy through the Congregate Care Lens
The Child Welfare Virtual Expo: Building Capacity to Address Sex Trafficking and Normalcy (Virtual Expo) is an online conference designed to support child welfare agencies, courts, and Tribes in meeting the mandates of the Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act of 2014 (P.L. 113-183). The Virtual Expo focuses on strategies for addressing three critical issues addressed in the legislation: (1) Protecting the safety and well-being of children and youth in child welfare who are victims of sex trafficking or are at risk of becoming victims. (2) Promoting normalcy and developmentally appropriate activities for children and youth in foster care. (3) Improving permanency outcomes for youth in out-of-home care.
Presenters include recognized leaders from national and State programs, sex trafficking survivors, and young adults formerly in foster care who share insights and effective practices.
Five of the six Virtual Expo sessions have CEUs available. The CEUs can be purchased separately for each session.
This session provided an opportunity to learn about research, policies, and practices related to overcoming barriers to normalcy in the least home-like environments. A young adult formerly in congregate care discussed his experience while a State representative shared practice insights.
Presenters
James Lister
James joined the Plummer Home as its Executive Director in 2005. Under his leadership, Plummer Home has opened several programs, including a supported apartment for youth in state care who are on track to become adults with no permanent family and a community apartment program for the same population. Most recently, Plummer Home opened a foster care program, stepping into the shoes of Casey Family Services when that program closed. During James’ tenure Plummer Home has revised its outdated and politically-controlled board appointment structure; adopted its first strategic plan; more than tripled its fundraising results; and stabilized its finances. In 2010, James led the organization in the design and piloting of a practice model to help teens in group care connect or reconnect with permanent families. Among the first in the country to be doing this work with group-care teens, James was selected to present Plummer Home’s model at the national conference of the American Association of Children’s Residential Centers in April 2012. He has since been invited back for the April 2013 conference to share lessons learned. Prior to coming to Plummer Home, James worked with Family Continuity, first as the Assistant Director of an independent living program for foster children and later as a Program Director at an acute mental health residential program for children and adolescents. James started his career in human services as a social worker for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. James earned his BA in Criminal Justice from the University of MA at Lowell, and later his MBA from the same institution. He currently serves on the board of directors of the Salem Rotary Club and on the executive committee of both the Children’s League of Massachusetts and the American Association of Children’s Residential Centers.
Brandon Schlosser
Bernard Schlosser’s statement: “I am a passionate and outgoing person who likes to put others before myself in most situations. I love a good challenge. I am analytical yet personable. Others have told me that I am easy to get along with and that I create an environment that feels safe and supportive. I believe that origin does not determine endpoint. In other words, where someone comes from does not determine their future. Everyone deserves a chance to be who they are, to not feel ashamed or embarrassed, and to be happy. I love writing and meeting new people. I have been working in government for a few years now. I began working with the State of New York and have now been working with the Capacity Building Center for States as a consultant for over a year. I plan to continue following a career path as a Federal worker in areas such as human services and national security.”