We’re peeling back the curtain on foster care and adoption! Amara’s Speaking of Change series of free webinars breaks down common assumptions and misconceptions about foster care and adoption highlighting the voices and stories of people engaged with child and family welfare including families, advocates, and caregivers. We invite our entire community to join us in challenging what we think we know and hear directly from those most impacted. These webinars are an opportunity for anyone to learn more about foster care and its impact on kids and families in our communities and how you can be a part of positive change!
Past Events:
Speaking of Change: The Power of Community-Centered Program Design
March 31, 2023
Amara convened an expert panel of live-experience experts for a deep-dive conversation about the importance and benefits of involving people with lived experience in designing programs, and what it looks like to do this work both before a new program launches and after. Our panel included parents and caregivers who have experienced the foster care system, Amara program leads, and Dr. Angelique Day, researcher and Associate Professor at the University of Washington School of Social Work. It was a rich conversation that gave community of supporters insight into our new programs and the “Why” behind them.
Watch the full event here.
Speaking of Change: How Parent and Caregiver Partnerships Can Help Children Thrive
November 3, 2022
Amara hosted a virtual panel discussion about partnerships between parents and foster/kinship caregivers to help families and kids heal and thrive. We explored how authentic connection and partnership between parents and caregivers can help reduce the stress kids experience when placed in out-of-home care.
Watch the full event here.
Speaking of Change: Transforming Foster Care
March 30, 2022
Amara convened an important conversation about the role of foster care and foster caregivers in our collective work to restore and heal families in our communities. We took a deep dive into what our foster care program actually does for kids and families, what makes Amara’s approach unique, and what we’ve learned as we’ve transformed our approach over the past decade.
Watch the full event here.
Speaking of Change: How Can Kinship Care Advance Racial Equity In Child Welfare?
This event was the first of many conversations with community members about kinship care (when a family member steps in, whether formally or informally, to provide short-term care for a child with the hopes of reunification with parents, or to adopt the child) and how supporting kinship caregivers, who are more often Black and Indigenous, is a necessary step toward racial equity within child welfare. Our panelists were:
June 7, 2021
- Marcus Green, The Seattle Times and South Seattle Emerald
- Girmay Zahilay, King County Councilmember
- Trey Rabun, Associate Director of Kinship & Community Services, Amara
- Geene Delaplane, Program Manager for Kinship Care & Guardianship, Department of Children, Youth, and Families
- Jennifer West, Kinship Caregiver
Watch the full event here.
Speaking of Change: What Does Openness In Adoption Mean?
March 24, 2021
In this first event of the series, we shared a first look at the inclusive family support video, an animated short about defining the categories of openness for Post-Adoptive families. We also heard from the creator of this model and former Director of Post-Adoption Services, Angela Tucker; author and adoptive parent Lori Holden, Writer; foster and adoptive parent, Katie Biron; and post-adoption caseworker, Kara Andersen who have worked tirelessly towards helping increase open relationships between adoptees, adoptive families, and birth families.
Watch the full event here.
Support This Work
We are grateful for the generosity of our donors who make it possible for us to provide innovative programming to support kids and families impacted by foster care and adoption, and to host events like this for our community at no cost. Kids thrive when they have a large network of love and support – and so does Amara! You can offer your support by:
- Making a gift today at www.amarafamily.org/donate.
- Following us on Facebook and Instagram and sharing content that inspires you
- Learning more by watching, reading, or listening to Amara stories and news