Penn State’s Child Maltreatment Solutions Network is hosting a conference at The Hintz Family Alumni Center on Thursday, Oct. 5, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The conference, “Supporting Crossover Youth Involved with Child Welfare and Juvenile Court Systems”, will feature nationally renowned speakers Denise Herz, Joseph Ryan and Macon Stewart, who will present their research and engage in conversations about policy actions related to crossover youth. Additional speakers will include Network faculty and state, regional and local agency leaders from both Child Welfare and Juvenile Court Systems. The agenda will also incorporate a panel discussion by crossover youth.
Christian Connell, director of the Child Maltreatment Solutions Network, emphasized the importance of this conference, stating, “youth who become involved with multiple systems, such as child welfare and juvenile justice, are often shown to experience more restrictive or punitive consequences following these contacts or more adverse outcomes with respect to health or wellbeing.”
“It’s also possible that these youth can ‘fall between the cracks’ in terms of each system’s responsibility to provide for their needs effectively due to challenges in multi-system coordination,” Connell said. “The purpose of this conference is to highlight what is known about the needs and experiences of ‘crossover’ youth involved with child welfare and juvenile justice – from a national and state-level perspective, and to bring together a diverse audience to discuss effective practice and policy responses to better support youth at the intersection of these systems.”
This conference is also an opportunity to connect a diverse audience with experts including researchers, practitioners, and caseworkers to gain insights on the needs and solutions to navigate the child welfare and juvenile justice system.
Breakfast, lunch and refreshments will be provided, and participants can register to attend this event virtually or in-person here.