National Adoption Association (NAA) 2026 National Conference - Boston

Welcome Students, Welcome Back Professionals: 
Summary of Day One Learnings by Kamilah Bunn CEO from the National Adoption Association

 1.0 CE (National Association of Social Workers – NASW)   
Speaker Panel: Susan Devan Harness, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (Author, Bitterroot: A Salish Memoir of Transracial Adoption),  Lorraine Brave, MSW Mohawk of the Turtle Clan- people of the Flint (Founder, Brave Transitions, Taylor McClellan, Sac and Fox, Bahkhoje and Mvskole (Independent Consultant and a Member of AdoptUSKids Speakers Bureau), Misty Flowers, Santee Sioux Nation and descendant of the Tlingit of Alaska from the National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA) and Melinda Kline, MSW from AdoptUSKids.[KB1]

Join us for a meaningful dialogue led by Native American elders, mothers, community leaders, and adoptees as they share their wisdom on the vital role of community cultural connections and reconnections. Through stories of mass separations, generational loss, resilience, and reconnections, we will explore what it means to rebuild community and identity in the face of historical trauma.
These sacred teachings from the Native Community will highlight important examples of ways to practice family connection work ethically and effectively today. Current, emerging and new child welfare leaders are invited to listen, learn, and seek guidance from the esteemed speakers on how to improve permanency practices by tapping into the collective wisdom and strength of the first peoples of this land.

This session highlights the unique partnership between a permanency recruiter and investigator as they bring together two very different professional lenses to strengthen permanency outcomes for children and youth. While it is not new to use investigative approaches in family search, Louie offers a distinctive blend of former law enforcement expertise and deep empathy -- skills that both uncover hidden connections and build trust with relatives and fictive kin. Paired with Shannon's extensive background in family engagement, the two demonstrate how complementary perspectives create a "special sauce" that goes beyond traditional recruitment.    
Through their collaborative process, participants will learn how investigative strategies can enhance kinship and birth family engagement, particularly in navigating complex family dynamics. The presentation illustrates how professionals with different skill sets can learn from one another, step forward at the right moments, and ultimately maximize opportunities to connect children and youth with safe, lasting family relationships.

1.0 CE (National Association of Social Workers – NASW)

This session will highlight the critical role of lived expertise in influencing permanency practices and outcomes. It will showcase real-world examples and best practices, including strategies for effective message development and sharing from experts in the AdoptUSKids Speakers Bureau.
Through targeted training and support, these voices can offer valuable insights that help child welfare professionals better partner with and support youth. Additionally, the workshop will explore ways to create more opportunities for incorporating these lived experiences into the work of child welfare systems.

1.0 CE (National Association of Social Workers – NASW)  

In this interactive session presenters from the National Center for Adoption Competent Mental Health Services and NTI Training will explore strategies for recruiting, preparing, and retaining a child welfare-competent and culturally responsive workforce sharing examples from state and tribal work. Participants will learn how technical assistance can help systems and tribes implement effective models of cross-system collaboration, develop local champions, and sustain trauma-informed and child welfare-competent services for children and families with complex needs.

1.0 CE (National Association of Social Workers – NASW)

In this workshop participants will be immersed in the 40-year journey of a social worker who navigated the landscape of multiple systems starting as a young inexperienced social worker and moving to being a leader in one of the largest child welfare systems in the country. The presentation will include examples of the challenges of living our social work values and some strategies for ensuring we hold to our vision of helping and not harming the people and communities we serve.

Recognizing outstanding practice, people and systems who are fulfilling the NAA philosophy, “adoption is addition, not subtraction. We will honor awardees, enjoy lively table conversation with peers, listen to emerging leader, Rimy Morris from the Collective who will serve as our emcee and hear from nationally recognized speaker, Jodi Hill-Lilly, about how to transform systems with “steady hands and a bold vision.” Plated lunch is provided. You will not want to miss this time to connect and celebrate our work completed and what is to be done!  

Awards Presentation Host: Rimy Morris
Lillian Lansberry Award Recipient: Name from the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families
Ujima Impact Award Recipient: Jacqueline Ford from the Connecticut Department of Children and Families
Loperena Excellence in Mentorship Award Recipients:
Maria Gagnon from the New England Association of Child Welfare Commissioners and Directors
Ricardo Franco from the Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange
Generosity of Spirit Award Recipient: Dr. Jacqueline Wilson
Former President, National Adoption Association Board of Directors, Former CEO, TRAC Services for Families

“Steady Hands, Bold Vision: Transformational Leadership in Changing Times” Jodi Hill- Lilly, MSW from the Doris Duke Foundation
Lead by former Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Children and Families who is now leading Child Well-Being efforts at the Doris Duke Foundation, this interactive keynote invites the audience to consider how to identify one's personal mission and how to not stray from it during changing times. Elevating the tenets of implementation science, Ms. Hill-Lilly will communicate how child welfare leaders should employ specific strategies to address barriers, engage stakeholders, and measure outcomes like feasibility, adoption, and sustainability. Using witty stories, compelling lived experience narratives from her own life's journey, Ms. Hill-Lilly will help attendees adapt to change and continue to transform systems on behalf of the children, youth and families we all serve. 
  

1.0 CE (National Association of Social Workers – NASW)

Young people who age out of the foster care system without a safe, stable, emotionally secure parenting relationship face an array of challenges that significantly affect all areas of their lives as they continue to emerge into young adulthood. In Massachusetts, young people can sustain a connection with the state Department of Children and Families (DCF) between the ages of 18-22, and at times through age 23. However, there is no real expectation that young people involved with DCF during this time will achieve or are expected to achieve legal permanency. There are indeed young adults who want to be adopted and can be adopted, even if the current practice norms and policy in our state are barriers.    
The Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange (MARE) and Plummer Youth Promise have partnered together to create an innovative solution that aims to assist transitional aged young adults in achieving permanency. This presentation will provide an overview of both agencies; the genesis of the collaboration; the role that each agency maintains; and the specifics of the actual permanency practice and procedures delivered to young adults who express an interest in Permanency Through Adoption. Youth and Family Voice/actual program participants will be incorporated into this presentation through assisting with the design of the presentation in addition to contributing to the delivery of the presentation.

For families and youth navigating the foster care system, access to consistent, holistic, and community-centered support can be life-changing. This session will explore how the Treehouse Foundation leverages cross-actor collaboration with public agencies, nonprofit partners, educational consultants, and arts organizations to create wrap-around supports that enhance stability, belonging, and opportunity for youth and families. 
Through partnerships with the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families, Treehouse provides a supportive environment for youth in foster care and their families. Collaborations with arts organizations have expanded creative, intergenerational programming that strengthens community bonds and nurtures identity. Partnerships with educational consultants ensure families receive no-cost, expert guidance for children with IEPs or school challenges, helping parents navigate complex education systems. In addition, alliances with Cradles to Crayons ensure that children’s basic needs—from clothing to school supplies—are met, while partnerships with Tickets for Kids provide enrichment opportunities that foster joy, connection, and new possibilities

1.0 CE (National Association of Social Workers – NASW)  

Lutheran Social Services of WI and Upper MI has provided adoption and foster care services for over 50 years.   As a provider in over 55 counties a need was identified around initial and ongoing support of Kinship and Like - Kin families.   The team did research, surveyed partners, and heard from families to create a service that is specific for Kinship and Like-kin families. 
Hear about the process, evaluation and development of LSS of WI and Upper MI went through to assure resources for families were available.  Data and tools related to kinship screening will be shared with attendees. A family will join the presentation to share their experiences.
 A key component in this shift of service provision is understanding the Child Welfare Transformational Change Wisconsin has been undergoing to assure families are the focus.  Attendees will learn how LSS supported the staff in this shift to better support kin and kin-like families.  

---

This interactive training strengthens the capacity of child welfare professionals to uplift and partner with youth in foster care by centering their voices, honoring their legal rights, and cultivating healing‑centered practices. Participants will examine ways to amplify youth voice, support young people in understanding and exercising their rights, and co‑create opportunities for youth to bring fresh vision and momentum to long‑standing systems. The session highlights how NAA intentionally integrates protégés—young adults with lived experience in foster care who are entering the workforce—into the Ujima Collective. This innovative model offers a forward‑thinking blueprint for succession planning and sustainable systems‑change leadership. Through real‑world scenarios, collaborative design activities, and youth‑centered healing approaches, professionals will gain practical methods for elevating young people as true partners in shaping their lives and transforming the systems designed to support them.

Welcome Students, join us and learn about careers in the adoption and permanency field by networking with Executives and Professionals. Bring business cards!