National Adoption Association (NAA) 2026 National Conference - Boston

 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.