AFCC-O Pre-Conference Instititue

Supporting Adopted Youth to Maintain Openness Connections with Birth Family and Communities

Elizabeth McCarty, Counsel, Office of the Children’s Lawyer;
Jennifer Gallagher, Counsel, Office of the Children’s Lawyer;
Pat Convery, Executive Director, Adoption Council of Ontario;
Maryanne King, Adoption Practitioner, Accredited Family Mediator (OAFM); and
Tara Noble, Registered Social Worker & Grief Counsellor.

Adopted children and youth benefit when they are able to maintain positive connections with their birth family members and maintain cultural connections. These relationships can be complex and difficult to navigate for youth and their adoptive and birth families. Everyone involved needs education, guidance and support along the way. The best defence is a good offence. This conference will review the benefits and challenges of openness arrangements and the legal framework of openness in Ontario. You will learn how to help families build supportive plans that can address
conflict resolution, grief and loss, social media and potential legal issues through an adoption lens. You will also hear directly from adopted youth as they discuss:
• the importance of children’s voices in openness planning; and
• the significance of continued connections to family and community for youth as they transition to adoptive homes.
Learn how you can transfer your clinical and legal skills gleaned from working with high conflict families to now assist in planning and providing guidance to families and youth trying to navigate these increasingly complex but important relationships.

Visit our 2018 AFCC-O 10th Anniversary Conference webpage for details and registration information