New Jersey Adoption Resource Clearing House

We thought it would be valuable to design a conference that would allow opportunities for social
work practitioners, clinicians, researchers, educators, policymakers, judges, advocates, and parents
to: 1) Hear six successful and competent speakers who were formerly in foster care and BEAT THE
ODDS, 2) Respectively engage in courageous dialogue related to race, racism, class, power, and
privilege, 3) Think about strategies to effectively address these issues, and 4) Identify ways to improve our social work practice with children and families of color and “Do No Harm”.
It is our hope that you will find the conference’s general session, luncheon keynote address,
workshops, and panel discussions informative and that you will find the program to be an excellent
professional development experience. In addition to participating in the formal conference program,
we hope you will take advantage of the networking opportunities that are provided to promote cross-systems relationship development.