Every Child Symposium Replay

CFC is pleased to partner with Hands of Hope to offer a local replay of the Every Child Symposium. The Church is God's plan for caring for vulnerable children, and we have many people that God is working through at CFC and in our community. Many dynamic speakers on a variety of topics participated. 

This event was held in Fishers, IN in March, and they want to share the information with foster parents and others caring for children in need across Indiana. We'll have video replays of the opening session, closing session, and 2 breakout sessions (with 3 choices each listed below) in between. We will offer water, coffee, and snacks throughout the morning. Foster Parents can receive 4 TRAINING HOURS for attending at the end of the event.

The cost is $10 per person, but if the cost is an obstacle, please let us know. 

Childcare for this event is now closed.

Sign up for the event HERE 
or text EVERYCHILD to 812-867-6464.

CHECK-IN 7:45-8AM (If you have registered for childcare, please arrive by 7:50)

Opening Session (will start promptly at 8AM)
We'll kick off the morning giving you encouragement that you aren't alone in this journey of caring for vulnerable children. Learn about a proven method of support and hear from Jamie Finn, author of bestselling book, Foster the Family. She's also the executive director of Foster the Family, the host of Real Mom podcast, and the founder and owner of Goods and Better. Her message is rooted in scripture and will remind you that God sees you.

Breakout 1 Session Options: (9:05 - 9:55)

1. Hard Conversations with Your Kids (Darren & Stacey Gagnon) 
Often, children who have experienced trauma face additional challenges and as they get older, they recognize that their lives don't look like their friends. They go to therapy, have caseworker visits, complicated biological family situations, difficulty in school, and experience things that trigger their behaviors. Navigating the questions, they ask about why their life looks different can be hard. Join us for a discussion on how to handle these questions in age-appropriate ways and walk with our kids through the grief that comes from experiencing trauma.

2. Understanding Your Legal Rights as a Foster Parent (Grant Kirsh)
Are you unsure what your legal rights are as a foster parent? Do you want to advocate for the child in your home but not overstep? Join us for this session where we will cover foster parents' rights as it relates to the CHINS, TPR, and adoption cases.

3. There's More to Success than Love & Jesus: Practical Tips for Bringing Children from Hard Places into Your Home (Mike & Kristin Berry)
So often caregivers are unprepared for the realities of trauma when they begin the foster or adoption process. And then reality hits. You love deeply but you need more than that. You need insights and strategies to successfully parent. In this session that's precisely what we're going to discuss.

Breakout 2 Session Options: (10:05 - 10:55)

1. The Impact of Trauma (Mike & Kristin Berry)
In this session we will dive into how trauma changes the brain, impacts behaviors, disrupts attachment, but most importantly, how caregivers can work to build a healthy attachment and cultivate a home of healing and restoration.

2. Risky Behaviors (Darren & Stacey Gagnon)
Scared kids do scary things, like lying, cutting, drug use, aggression, stealing, defiance, self-harm...does this raise your blood pressure? If so, this is the session for you. When we work with children from hard places, we will often see them act out in maladaptive behaviors. This session will explore where some of these behaviors come from and how best to handle them. If behaviors are a means of communicating a need, then we should be able to see past the behavior to the need.

3. Adoption is only the Beginning (Mike & Kristin Berry) 
Sometimes parents see finalizing an adoption as the end of a long process, but it's really just the beginning. In this session we will share insights and strategies caregivers need to know and implement postadoption.

Closing Session (11:05 - 12)

We'll wrap up the day with inspiration from Jacki Rodgers who is a former foster youth with an incredible story and then from Clarkston Morgan, a foster and adoptive dad and community leader with motivation for us not to give up.

See bios of the speakers (whose presentations at the March Symposium have been recorded for our event) HERE.