The New York State Citizens' Coalition for Children presents:

Adoption 2000
For the Love of Children

The 11th Annual Statewide Training Conference

May 12-13, 2000
Marriott Hotel
Albany, NY

Featured Speakers:
Richard Kagan, PhD     Deborah Hage, MSW     Robert G. Lewis, MEd, MSW, LICSW

About the Conference

In honor of NYS CCC's 25th anniversary, this conference is dedicated to all of the parents, professionals, and other advocates who have contributed to the success of the Coalition and supported its mission: a permanent, loving family for every child.

This 11th annual conference will continue to focus on the lifelong aspects of adoption and provide up-to-date information on some of the most important issues and concerns in adoption today. An understanding of the issues addressed will provide parents and professionals with tools to better serve adoptive and foster children and families.

This conference is for you if you are an adoptive or foster parent, prospective adoptive or foster parent, birthparent, adoptee, caseworker, administrator, mental health, legal, education, or mediation professional or volunteer, public policymaker, or other children's advocate. You will come away from the conference feeling energized, informed, and better able to meet today's adoption and foster care challenges.

Featured Speakers

Richard Kagan, PhD, has 24 years of post-doctoral experience as a consultant, teacher, therapist, and director of professional development programs in the field of child clinical and counseling psychology. Co-author of Families in Perpetual Crisis and author of Turmoil to Turning Points: Building Hope for Children in Crisis Placements, Dr. Kagan is an internationally-recognized speaker whose professional honors include two awards for distinguished achievement in child and family services. He is the Director of Psychological Services at Parsons Child & Family Center in Albany, NY, and the parent of three adult children.

Deborah Hage, MSW, is the director of Maine Adoption Placement Services (MAPS) of Colorado, a therapist with a specialty in bonding and attachment issues, an author of works on therapeutic parenting, and a lecturer whose nationwide audiences appreciate the personal experience she brings to presentations on how to make it more fun to be a parent and children more fun to be around. She and her husband have parented 14 children-- two birth children, seven adopted, and five as therapeutic foster parents. Most of the children entered their lives with emotional scars due to abuse and neglect and have been physically, behaviorally, and/or intellectually-challenged.

Robert G. Lewis, MEd, MSW, LICSW, an adoptive father and former foster parent who resides in Gloucester, Massachusetts, is a nationally-known consultant and trainer in innovative approaches to special needs adoptions. Mr. Lewis was the Executive Director of Special Adoption Family Services (SAFS) in Massachusetts for 20 years and is an expert in meeting the challenges of placing special needs children and youth with adoptive families. He has worked with the Family Builders Network for 13 years and his leadership was instrumental in the founding of Adoptive Families Together, which specializes in post adoption support and services.

Accommodations

The conference will be held at the Albany Marriott Hotel in Albany, NY. To make your reservation, telephone the hotel or send the Hotel Reservation Form to the hotel. Be sure to identify yourself as part of the CCC Adoption Conference so that you will be given the special conference rate of $95 for a single, double, triple or quad. Room rates are subject to applicable taxes.

The Marriott Hotel is located on Wolf Road just five minutes from the Albany County Airport. Complimentary airport shuttle is available. The hotel is adjacent to Interstate 87 near Exit 4, two minutes to I-87/I-90 Interchange, and six miles from downtown Albany.

Useful Information

• Extra copies of the conference program are available from the Coalition office.
• If you attend the conference with a friend, spouse or colleague, consider attending different workshops in order to multiply conference benefits.
• Temperature in conference rooms can vary, so be sure to bring a light sweater or jacket to ensure your comfort.
• A limited number of exhibit tables and tables to distribute Free resource materials are available. Contact the Coalition office for details and fees.
• Continuing Education credit is available for $8. See the Registration Form for more information.
• The conference will feature an adoption and foster care bookstore plus sales of popular CCC items. You will have the added treat of meeting and purchasing artwork from Sylvia Walker, the talented Pennsylvania artist and adoptive parent who donated the original painting on this program in honor of the Coalition's 25th anniversary.
• We are happy to offer for sale audiotapes of all of the conference proceedings, courtesy of Egami A/V of Ft. Worth, TX. This provides a wonderful opportunity to "attend" all of the workshops and to share them with others.

About the Coalition

The New York State Citizens' Coalition for Children is an advocacy organization of concerned individuals, agencies, and over 150 adoptive and foster parent groups throughout the state. We believe every child has the right to a permanent, loving family.

Schedule at a Glance

Thursday May 11, 2000 7:30 p.m. NYS CCC Quarterly Meeting For Parent Group Representatives and CCC members Friday May 12, 2000 8:00 a.m. Registration/Exhibits 9:00 a.m. Opening Session Welcome John A. Johnson Commissioner, NYS OCFS Keynote Address Richard Kagan Real Life Heroes	10:00 a.m. Beverage Break 10:30 a.m. Workshop Period 1 12:15 p.m. Lunch Plenary Address  Deborah Hage Parenting with Pizazz 1:45 p.m. Workshop Period 2 3:15 p.m. Beverage Break 3:35 p.m. Workshop Period 3 5:15 p.m. Reception 6:15 p.m. Dinner on your own	Saturday May 13, 2000 8:00 a.m. Registration/Exhibits 8:30 a.m. Workshop Period 4 9:50 a.m. Beverage Break 10:05 a.m. Workshop Period 5 11:40 a.m. Workshop Period 6 1:00 p.m. Lunch Closing Session Judith Ashton Executive Director, NYS CCC Closing Address Robert Lewis The Promise of Permanence

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