Had two great presentations at the 29th CNC (Children’s Network Conference) in Ontario, California. It’s always interesting to speak to a group of professionals representing organizations providing services to children and their families. Now I am off to host an exhibit table at the ICAN (Inter-agency Child Abuse and Neglect) conference in Universal City, CA. Looking forward to another busy day of interactions with people who care about the welfare of children.
When I attend these conferences I get highly encouraged and energized to find that there are a large number of trained professionals working for equally large number of care and service providers. Yet when I speak at schools I find that there are many young children around the country who clearly could use some of these services but are not receiving them. The good thing about these conferences is that there is an attempt to bring these provider organizations together so services can be better coordinated for the benefit of more children and their families.
For example, the specific goal of Children’s Network is to help at-risk children by improving communication, planning, coordination, and cooperation among youth-serving agencies. Children’s Network is focused on identifying gaps and overlaps in services, provide a forum for clarifying perceptions and expectations among and between agencies and the community. Children’s network also sets priorities for interagency projects and implements collaborative programs, public and private, to ensure better, more comprehensive services to children and youth.