Families Rising

09/02/2026

Our next Lunch-N-Learn is coming up quick! Register today for:

BEYOND THE BORDER: SUPPORTING UNACCOMPANIED IMMIGRANT YOUTH IN CHILD WELFARE
With Phoenix Santiago, LMSW
September 16, 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM CST
https://tinyurl.com/d44fbfz3

Learn how to provide trauma-informed, culturally responsive care to youth who arrive in the United States without caregivers. Get practical tools, resources, and strategies to transform your practice—and the lives of the youth you serve.

By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:

- Describe the federal child welfare infrastructure serving unaccompanied immigrant youth and the roles of key agencies.

- Identify the intersecting social, legal, cultural, and mental health needs of youth who arrive without caregivers.

- Apply trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and language-access practices when serving unaccompanied immigrant youth.

- Identify strategies to strengthen family and kinship connections across national borders and adapt services to be culturally relevant, plus recognize advocacy opportunities to uphold youth rights.

09/01/2026

Often overlooked, kinship care is one of the most impactful ways to support a child. Kinship caregivers (like grandparents, aunts and uncles, adult bio siblings, and others) provide a sense of belonging and identity for kids through their first/bio family connections.

This month, stay tuned for ways YOU can support a kinship family near you — there's more of us out there than you might think, and they need support.

08/31/2026

Our new course is up on the Academy! As caregivers, we know children and teens who have been adopted, in foster care, or in kinship care often face unique challenges in school. And well-meaning teachers and administrators might not understand. How can we be a strong support system for our kids while helping teachers be able meet their needs?

Start learning today: https://trainings.wearefamiliesrising.org/courses/back-to-school-practical-strategies-for-a-strong-start

By the end of this course, students will:

- Identify common challenges children who have experienced trauma, foster care, adoption, or kinship care may face during the transition back to school.

- Use practical strategies to establish routines, reduce anxiety, and support emotional regulation before and during the first weeks of school.

- Strengthen communication and collaboration with teachers and school staff to better support their child's academic, behavioral, and emotional needs.

- Locate school and community resources available to help children and families throughout the school year.

You've got this, parent!

08/27/2026

Good news! We've extended our Early Bird rates so that even more caregivers and professionals can take advantage of our lowest conference rates in years.

Register now through FRIDAY: https://wearefamiliesrising.org/families-rising-adoption-and-foster-care-conference/

And if you register with a group of 5 or more, your discount can be stacked! Get 10% off the Early Bird rate with code GROUPA10.

08/25/2026

Check out our National Training Manager Jamole Callahan on the right! Join a great movement to spread awareness and change outcomes for people with FASD.

Join us and help improve outcomes for people with FASD.

Real change happens when our community comes together. At National FASD Impact Week, people with living experience, families, advocates, researchers, clinicians, and professionals will connect, share their expertise, and take action toward a stronger future for the FASD community.

Your voice. Your experience. Your presence. They all make an impact.

📍 Washington, DC
📅 September 27–30, 2026
🔗 Register FREE at FASDUnited.org

Image Description: National FASD Impact Week 2026 graphic featuring a diverse group of FASD community members standing together, many wearing black FASD awareness shirts and red shoes. Text reads, “Join us & improve outcomes for people with FASD. September 27–30. Washington, D.C.”

08/25/2026

Don't miss our lowest conference rates in years. Early Bird rates end TOMORROW, so register before they're gone!

Explore rates and register today: https://wearefamiliesrising.org/families-rising-adoption-and-foster-care-conference/

(Psst: Ask us about our group rates, too! Groups of 5 or more can get a 10% discount. Use code GROUPA10 at checkout.)

08/24/2026

Your child's school district can be an amazing partner — if you know how to ask for what you need. Navigating meetings with school admins and teachers isn't as straightforward as it might appear. But we can help!

Sarah Benson, M.S., LSC, NCC, has worked as a school counselor, case manager, AND she's a kinship caregiver herself. In this course, Sarah will teach you:

- How to communicate intentionally with staff and faculty
- When and how to schedule a meeting with the school
- How to navigate differing perspectives on your child's needs

WATCH NOW: Fostering Healthy Relationships Between Home and School
https://trainings.wearefamiliesrising.org/courses/fostering-healthy-relationships-between-home-and-school

08/21/2026

Use our GROUP RATE to get 10% your conference registration. Groups of 5 or more can use code GROUPA10 at checkout for a discount!

The Families Rising Adoption & Foster Care Conference is definitely about learning, but it's also about fellowship and connection. So invite your adoptive, foster, or kinship caregiver friends, coworkers, or fellow lived experts to attend with you this year! Mix and match your group — we need community now more than ever.

And right now, our discounts are STACKED during our Early Bird season.

Learn more and register here before our Early Bird rates are gone!
https://wearefamiliesrising.org/families-rising-adoption-and-foster-care-conference/

08/20/2026

We don't want you to miss out. Early Bird rates for the 2026 virtual Adoption & Foster Care Conference are only available through August 26! Register now to get the best rate, which has been significantly lowered to make this conference as accessible as possible for all our communities.

Explore rates and register today: https://wearefamiliesrising.org/families-rising-adoption-and-foster-care-conference/

(Psst: Ask us about our group rates, too! Groups of 5 or more can get a 10% discount. Contact [email protected] for more info.)

08/18/2026

It's not too late to get ready for the school year — register for TOMORROW'S Lunch-N-Learn! Sometimes kids who have been adopted, in foster care, or in kinship care need extra support during back to school season. Our support specialists Carissa and Julie will teach us trauma-informed strategies to help them make the transition smoothly: https://trainings.wearefamiliesrising.org/products/live_events/back-to-school-strategies

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

- Identify common challenges children who have experienced trauma, foster care, adoption, or kinship care may face during the transition back to school.

- Use practical strategies to establish routines, reduce anxiety, and support emotional regulation before and during the first weeks of school.

- Strengthen communication and collaboration with teachers and school staff to better support their child's academic, behavioral, and emotional needs.

- Locate school and community resources available to help children and families throughout the school year.

Come join us for lunch! Register here:
https://trainings.wearefamiliesrising.org/products/live_events/back-to-school-strategies