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Policy&Practice
August 2016
38
NAPCWA Hosts 2016
Symposium, Health
Children, Empowered
Families,Thriving
Communities
The National Association of
Public Child Welfare Administrators
(NAPCWA) 2016 Symposium was part
of APHSA’s 2016 National Health and
Human Services, Inspire, Innovate,
Impact! Summit. The meeting
opened on Saturday, May 21 with a
presentation and discussion on the
University of Tennessee’s (Knoxville)
longitudinal study on the correla-
tion of organizational culture and
climate on outcomes. This opening
dialogue on the core components of
an organization’s patterns and norms
provided the right context for the
remaining sessions. Sunday, May 22
began with an informative discus-
sion of the National Commission to
Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect
Fatalities’ (the Commission) report,
“Within Our Reach.” The session was
led by Dr. David Sanders, chair of the
Commission; Susan Dreyfus, com-
missioner; and Amy Templeman,
former acting executive director to
the Commission. Dreyfus and Sanders
reviewed the national data on child
fatalities, presented the report’s recom-
mendations, highlighting next steps
for Congress and the Administration
to address this issue. Templeman
facilitated a conversation on the newly
established Within Our Reach office
(a division of the Alliance for Strong
Families and Communities) and the
near term and longer term objectives
to advance the Commission’s push for a
21st Century Child Welfare System.
Following their presentation,
Jenny Wood, chief deputy at the
Administration on Children, Youth
and Families, provided an overview
of the Administration’s latest
actions, including finalizing a set of
regulations critical to child welfare
association
news
(including the Comprehensive Child
Welfare Information System and the
Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and
Reporting System). Wood also identi-
fied priorities for working on LGBTQ
issues, partnering with the Housing
and Urban Development agency on
youth homelessness, and promoting
implementation of the Every Student
Succeeds Act. The symposium’s
luncheon panel focused on worker
safety and resilience. Cindy Walcott,
deputy commissioner of the Vermont
Department for Children and Families,
discussed how her agency handled
the murder of Lara Sobel, a Vermont
social worker, including addressing
secondary and tertiary trauma for
those connected to Lara and imple-
menting protocols for caseworkers.
Terri Howard, senior director at FEI
Workforce Resilience, discussed work-
place safety, with a focus on exterior
enhancements and employee training.
The symposium concluded with a
session led by Neil Bomberg, APHSA
director of Policy and Government
Affairs, who provided a policy update
on child welfare and other human
service programs, the current political
climate, and election highlights.
NAPCWA Honors Child
Welfare Champions with
the Rosenbaum and
Forsythe National Awards
NAPCWA honored three outstanding
champions in child welfare during
APHSA’s 2016 National Health and
Human Services Summit. Cindy
Walcott, deputy commissioner of the
Vermont Department of Children
and Families (Rtd.) was honored
with the
Betsey R. Rosenbaum
Award for Leadership in Public Child
Welfare.
Walcott was honored for her
courage and tenacity in supporting
her employees and continuing her
agency’s mission after Lara Sobel, a
Vermont social worker, was murdered
by an individual involved in one of
her cases. Walcott’s leadership and
resilience during this tragedy was felt
across our community. APHSA and
NAPCWA thank her for her dedica-
tion and years of support, serving as
secretary on the NAPCWA Executive
Advisory Committee. NAPCWA
By Christina Crayton
Cindy Walcott, second from left, Deputy Commissioner, Vermont Department of Children and
Families, receives the 2016 Betsey R. Rosenbaum Award for Excellence in Public ChildWelfare
Administration.