Wednesday, February 13, 2008

By TYESHA BOUDREAUX
The Daily Sentinel

The 11th annual Foster and Adoptive Training Conference will be held Friday and Saturday in the SFA Baker Pattillo Student Center.

Registration for the two-day conference begins at 8:30 a.m. Friday.

The purpose of the conference is to provide foster and adoptive parents, as well as child welfare professional, educational opportunities to increase knowledge and skills in support of child safety, well-being and permanency of placement, according to the conference brochure.

Although the conference targets those who are already licensed foster parents and social workers, information about fostering and adopting will be available for those interested in becoming adoptive or foster parents, according to Shari Pulliam, Texas Department of Family and Protective Services public information officer.

Pulliam said there is a shortage of foster and adoptive parents in the Nacogdoches area and across the state.

"We're in need for people to step forward to (become) foster parents and adoptive parents," she said. "There are over 4,000 children on any given day up for adoption. And, there are close to 850 children in foster care in Region 5 (which includes Nacogdoches County)."

A Heart Gallery, which includes life-size photographs of children available for adoption, will also be posted at the conference in order to create awareness about the many Texas children looking for "forever homes," Pulliam said.

Saturday's event will also include a Youth Leadership Conference and day care. The conference is for children who are currently in foster care. Last year, more than 100 children attended the youth conference, Pulliam said.

"This youth day is the only one currently held in the entire state," Pulliam said. "The whole day is full of activities for the children, and we will bring in motivational speakers to make them (the children) feel special."

The youth conference is scheduled to coincide with the conference workshops.

The topics to be covered at the different workshops include:

• Drug-endangered children.

• Faith and fostering.

• Parenting the sexually abused child.

• Working with CASA (court appointed special advocates).

• Working with the educational system.

• Psychotropic medications.

• Shaken baby syndrome.

• SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome).

The speakers for the event are Dr. Linda Morales, former SFA School of Social Word director, and Dr. Karyn Purvis, director of the Institute of Child Development. Purvis will also give the keynote address, which will focus on attachment disorder.

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Emphasis added by H4K Editor