SYF WEBINAR: Foster Care Panel: Experts with Lived Experience Discuss Best Practices in the Foster Care System

Thursday, May 16, 2024 | 1:00PM – 2:30PM EST 

Extended Access Available May 16 – June 15, 2024

Use coupon code LIVED at checkout to receive your free registration.

CEs for this webinar are also available, learn more.

Tony Hynes is a former foster youth and adoptee, was adopted by a same sex couple in the mid 1990’s. He writes about his experiences growing up as both an interracial adoptee and as a child growing up in a same sex headed household in his memoir “The Son With Two Moms.” Today, Tony is an advocate for families like his, having served on the Board of Directors for organizations that serve to highlight adoptive families from diverse upbringings, and working with individual families in both pre and post adoptive placements. A thought leader in the field of adoption, Tony has been invited to be a speaker at conferences on adoption and foster care throughout the nation, especially those involving interracial placements.

Tony completed his Masters thesis in Sociology on the psychology of children within the same sex headed household in 2013, and in the fall of 2017 was awarded a full scholarship to begin his PhD studies in Language, Literacy, and Culture at the Univ. of Maryland Baltimore County, where he has begun work on his dissertation, which focuses on social connectedness among interracial adoptees.

In his time as Training Specialist at Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E.), Tony has designed innovative training curriculums that help families and professionals respond to evaluation and assessment tools that encapsulate holistic pictures of adoptees and foster youth.

La Tika Jeffery is a former youth of care who has transformed her personal struggles into a platform for advocacy. Having aged out of foster care and adopted at 21, La Tika now dedicates her life to engaging, empowering, and educating others. Through her unique blend of personal experience and professional expertise, La Tika inspires positive change and champions the rights of children and youth in care. With a relentless passion for advocacy, La Tika continues to be a driving force in creating a brighter future for those navigating the complexities of foster care.

Chauncey Strong is the Executive Director of Strong Training and Consulting, LLC, providing training and consulting in child welfare. Chauncey’s work focuses on family engagement, youth voice, and permanency for children and youth in foster care. He is a motivational speaker, and committed child welfare advocate with 30 years of extensive experience in the private and public sectors. Mr. Strong has trained and consulted across the country and has served on many committees and local and national boards. As an adoptee with lived experience in foster care, Chauncey has dedicated his career to improving the outcomes of children, youth, and families involved in the child welfare system.

Ashley Garcia-Rivera is a Policy and Advocacy Fellow at the Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E.), where she advocates for the mental health needs of the foster care and adoptive community for adoption-competent therapy.

In 2013, she created a charity, Suitcases of Hope, dedicated to giving a large duffel bag to youth entering the foster care system. Ashley’s goal is to eliminate the use of trash bags. Since 2016, Ashley has been part of the Speakers Bureau for AdoptUSKids and the Ad Council. Ashley shares her foster care and adoption journey to inspire others to adopt older youth through foster care. This past summer Ashley completed an internship with the National Adoption Association and AdoptUSKids. Ashley looks to bring a fresh perspective from her lived experiences to our ever-changing welfare system.