Welcoming Children Home Conference:

November 2nd, 2024 | 8:30 AM - 4 PM

Grace Central Coast SLO Campus
1350 Osos St. San Luis Obispo, CA 93401

Cost: $25 (Includes lunch and breakout sessions)

Vision:

Keynote Speaker:

Breakout Sessions:

Breakout DESCRIPTIONS:

Breakout Session 1

Nearly half of new foster parents quit fostering after the first year, but having consistent support significantly improves the longevity of licensed families. Becca Lenz, a former foster parent now supporting foster families, and Lindsey Clark, a current foster parent, will discuss the specific needs of foster parents and how YOU can come along and support them. Everyone can do something! Together we can work towards finding a home for every child and support for every home!

*If you would like to become an official Support Friend through Foster the Central Coast this breakout session will count as your Info Meeting requirement! However, everyone interested in supporting foster families and children is welcome at this session! 

During this workshop we will explore unique challenges and opportunities faced by couples who have chosen the path of foster care and adoption, and how to strengthen their marriage through these experiences.
In this supportive and informative workshop, foster and adoptive parents will come together to share their stories, insights, and strategies for building a resilient and loving partnership while navigating the complexities of caring for children from diverse backgrounds.  This workshop will provide a safe and nurturing space for couples to explore Biblical principles, communication techniques, self-care practices, and relationship-building exercises tailored to their specific needs.

Through engaging discussions, interactive activities, and heartfelt sharing, participants will gain practical tools and resources to deepen their connection, enhance their teamwork, and foster a sense of unity and purpose in their marriage. Whether you are in the midst of the adoption process, facing challenges in your foster care journey, or simply seeking support and guidance, this workshop is designed to offer encouragement, validation, and empowerment to couples on this unique path. Join us as we come together to honor the sacred calling of foster care and adoption, strengthen the bonds of marriage, and create a loving and stable home environment for children in need of love and stability. 

Adopting a child is a journey filled with love, hope, and challenges. To navigate this journey we need to build strong, resilient families that can endure various emotional terrains. Post-Traumatic Growth (PTG) is a concept that helps families find benefits in the pain and transformation forward after trauma.

Have you thought about fostering or adopting a child but have so many questions? Come get your questions answered by an experienced foster and adoptive mother. The presenter is a TBRI practitioner who has had 40 placements including teens, sibling groups, and medically fragile drug exposed infants. This will be a small group, roundtable style,  where you can ask anything.

Breakout Session 2

In this workshop, we will discuss mindsets, goals, and practices to help us invest in the home with purpose and intentionality.

Burnout and compassion fatigue is a growing problem in today’s world. This is especially true for families that have experienced trauma. Learn how to recognize the signs of burnout, find practical tools to manage it, and develop a toolbox of skills to burn bright with more faith, hope, and love.

Welcome to the explosive world of ANGER, an ever-changing space that is as unknown to the child as it is to the parent. When our child reacts, our expectation of a safe home seems out of control and blown apart. This presentation will address a hope-filled dismantling of your child’s explosive and implosive anger.  Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the BIG FEELING of ANGER facing today’s volatile child, teen, (and parent), coupled with practical suggestions of how to help us cope and change those behaviorally challenging times.     

Sometimes it feels like a heavy burden for churches to think  about stepping up to connect with foster care and adoption in their local community. Adoptive families or those families fostering children often have challenges to overcome and often need extra support.  What can this support look like in your church? How can believers provide community for families who are adopting or fostering children? Bring your questions and come ready to discuss how you can step up in your congregation to answer this important Biblical call.

Breakout Session3

With so many options when it comes to infertility, it’s difficult to wade through the myriad of possibilities and what is best for your family.  Many folks want to begin or continue expanding their quiver of children but for one reason or another cannot have more or any children of their own.  Simultaneously, Christ-honoring families often turn to invitro-fertilization as an option for growing their families and can be left with the difficult and gut-wrenching decision of what to do with the remaining embryos when they feel the Lord instructing them to not have any more children. There is an often overlooked option for these situations and others, through the process of embryo adoption.  Rob and his wife Katy have been led by the Lord through an amazing experience involving embryo adoption, and he is excited to share how it happened as well as give information on how you too can be blessed by the process, either as a potential parent, embryo donor, or prayer warrior for the smallest of God’s children waiting for a forever home! 

Description: It's hard to parent teens in our world, but parenting teens who come from hard places is especially tricky. We must be willing to work on ourselves and dive in with COURAGE, while also ACCEPTING that we can't change other people, including our kids. Learning to balance this need for courage and action while accepting who our child is and what they are going to struggle with, can make us feel pushed and pulled every which way. Believe it or not, this struggle is actually a part of good parenting, and courage and acceptance don't have to be at war! This workshop hopes to provide practical concepts and skills to help you as you parent your teen while reminding you that God is the one who CAN change their hearts!

Does your child get easily triggered by loud noises, smells, tastes, etc? Do they often spin, do cartwheels, hang upside down, or refuse to participate in PE or recess? Does your child chew things, refuse to eat certain foods, have to touch everything, bump into people, or constantly get out of their seat at school? Do you notice he/she having behavioral meltdowns just from getting bumped by others? 

Approximately 80% of children who have experienced complex trauma will have sensitivities in the way they process sensory information. In this breakout session, you will learn why your child is more likely to have sensory needs that interfere with their daily functioning than their peers and why they are easily dysregulated. You will walk away with tools to respond in the best way possible to meet these needs.

Are you considering fostering or adopting but having reservations about working with the biological family? Are you currently fostering and needing encouragement in this area? This will be a small group Q&A with OFR/ISFC foster parent, Lindsey Clark, who has mentored the birth parents of many of her foster placements. We will discuss why as Christians we are called to radical grace, why relationship with our kids’ first families matter, and the wide spectrum this grace and relationship can look like. But most of all, this Coaching Table will be catered to you and your questions! Grab a cup of coffee and come chat!

Speakers:

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