C.A.S.E. CEO Debbie Riley presented at Department of Education briefing

C.A.S.E. CEO Debbie Riley and other leaders across the adoption and foster care field delivered impactful presentations as guest panel speakers at the U.S. Department of Education’s briefing on The Impact of Early Life Trauma and Immigrant Children Adopted into American Families on November 30, 2015 for National Adoption Month.

This briefing addressed the need to increase awareness of the impact that trauma may have on these children, both in the family and school environment. In 2014, 6,441 children were adopted into American families from abroad. Statistics indicate that in 2013, almost 40% of these children were five years old or older and more than half were between the ages of one and four. With so many school-aged children arriving in the United States through inter-country adoption, there is a need to increase awareness of the impact that early life trauma can have on these children, both in the family and the school environment.

The event was co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education’s Immigration Working Group and Supporting ED’s Parents Affinity Group.

Additional guest speakers included:

• Dr. Nathan Fox, University of Maryland, Co-Principal Investigator, Bucharest Early Intervention Project
• Dr. Joan Gillece, SAMHSA National Center for Trauma Informed Care
• Chuck Johnson, National Council For Adoption