California Title IV-E Summit

About the Title IV-E Summit

The Title IV-E Summit, a child welfare conference, is the largest statewide event for the Title IV-E Education Program. It is planned by a statewide collaborative involving a rotating group of 35 Title IV-E Student Representatives and Title IV-E Staff. When in person, the Title IV-E Summit convenes 200-350 attendees hailing from California Title IV-E schools, counties, and Tribes. Following COVID-19 travel and gathering restrictions, this event pivoted to a virtual platform in 2021, and took on a hybrid format in recent years. The live and virtual sessions have been viewed on YouTube by over 3,000 child welfare stakeholders.

The goals of the Summit are for attendees to:

learn from a variety of statewide perspectives
hear from a spectrum of counties and field instructors
gain a richer understanding of the child welfare landscape

2027 Title IV-E Summit:

The 2027 Title IV-E Summit will take place April 22-23, 2027 in Southern California. This year's Summit will focus on the theme, Together we Thrive: Trauma-Informed Practice for Families, Communities, and the Workforce: Trauma-informed child welfare practice requires care for both the families’ receiving services and the professionals providing them. This theme examines how trauma, identity, workplace conditions and systemic challenges affect children, families and social workers. It emphasizes culturally responsive practice, workforce well-being, and practical strategies that can be applied at the individual, organizational, community, and policy levels.

More details to be announced soon!

2026 Title IV-E Summit:

For 2026, the California Title IV-E Summit focused on the theme, Sustaining the Work: Supporting Well-Being for Families and Social Workers and was held Friday, April 24 in Burlingame, California. Plenary sessions were recorded and are now available for viewing via YouTube.

2026 Title IV-E Summit Gallery

Two young women at an outdoor fire-pit table; one smiles while the other writes.

Smiling woman with glasses and name tag holding paper, chatting with peers at outdoor table

Four people chatting around a tall cocktail table outdoors, eating under orange umbrellas

Two smiling women, one with glasses, at an outdoor social gathering

Three smiling staff behind NASW California table at outdoor outreach booth

Two women chat at an outdoor networking event, one in a red jacket smiling

Two women smiling and talking at an outdoor networking event with people in background

Small group of diverse adults smiling and reading papers at an outdoor networking event

Group of nine adults smiling on a sunlit courtyard patio, casual business attire

Adults conversing on rooftop patio at dusk; man gestures, woman with glasses holds wine.

Diverse women laughing and chatting outdoors, holding plates and drinks

Two women — a graduate in gown and a nurse in scrubs — smiling and holding hands on outdoor sofa

Students around an outdoor campus table, filling forms and talking

Smiling man wearing glasses in white shirt chats with diverse group under orange umbrellas

Two women smiling and chatting outside, one in white shirt, one with long braids (photo)

Smiling woman in white blouse at a standing table, mingling crowd in indoor lobby

Four smiling adults around a high-top table at an outdoor networking event, photo.

Five smiling women outdoors by a building, wearing casual clothes and name tags

Group photo of seven smiling adults around a tall table at an outdoor reception

Four smiling women with name tags standing in a courtyard at an outdoor networking event.

Hotel conference hallway with "Title IV-E Summit" sign and people at registration

Conference registration table with staff talking to attendees in hotel hallway

Students at registration table in a school hallway, staff member assisting (photo)

Two staff at a blue info table speaking with visitors in a bright indoor fair

Conference registration table with smiling staff in hotel hallway

Five smiling women indoors, posing together and holding blue circular event signs

Three smiling women in lobby holding papers and a blue folder beneath geometric wall art

Three women smiling and posing at a lit photo booth, two holding props

Two laughing Black women in conference hallway; one holds a camera, the other coffee and papers

Smiling presenter gesturing beside projected slide to seated audience in conference room

Woman in purple jacket speaking at podium with microphone in conference room

Conference audience raising hands toward speaker at front of room

Three smiling women at an indoor networking event, one making a peace sign (photo)

Smiling colleagues in office holding coffee, man with sweater vest and long hair, candid photo

Smiling women at a conference, two front-row attendees flashing peace signs

Two women speaking at a podium beside a projected slide, audience seated

Smiling speaker at a lectern addressing an audience, slide projected on screen

Crowded conference room, attentive diverse audience facing speaker (photo)

Attentive conference attendees seated in a hotel meeting room, some taking notes

Auctioneer at podium, attendees raise yellow bidding cards in a conference room

Woman smiling as she presents slides to a seated audience in a conference room

Woman speaker smiling while addressing seated audience in a small conference room

Woman presenting at conference, smiling and holding up a tablet, photograph

Woman presenter with glasses standing at wooden podium, holding phone, smiling

Three women smiling and talking by a wood and blue wall; one points, another holds envelope.

Presenter at podium addressing seated audience in small conference room with projection screen.

Two women smiling in a conference room while another woman photographs them

Four panelists at table speaking to audience, blue geometric wall backdrop

Conference panel of five women seated at a long table, engaged in discussion with audience foreground

Man in blue suit pointing during meeting, blonde woman and others listening

Two panelists at a conference table—man speaking, woman listening, audience in foreground

Five smiling panelists (four women, one man) seated at a table before a blue geometric wall

Six women panelists at a long conference table, audience members visible in foreground

Conference room with gift display table, two women presenting, and scattered cards on carpet

People gathered around colorful cards arranged on carpet during a workshop

Woman smiling in foreground, hotel meeting room photo with people mingling

Teacher leading students in arm stretches in a bright classroom (photograph)

Woman raises hand while speaking at microphone, audience and slide presentation behind

Woman presenter with short hair and glasses speaking before projected screen to seated audience

Woman presenter at podium addressing seated audience, projector screen and yellow notes

Two presenters at front of conference room pointing to projected slide, audience seated

Conference attendees facing presenter and sign-language interpreter by projection screen

Presenter speaking at a podium to a small audience; yellow sticky notes on the wall

Presenter speaking to a seated audience during a slide presentation in a conference room

Woman speaker with arms outstretched addressing seated audience in conference room

Woman speaking to seated audience in a conference room with a projector screen

Black woman pointing while presenting to seated audience with projected slide

The 2026 Title IV-E Summit was made possible thanks to the generous support of the California Department of Social Services and the National Association of Social Workers-California Chapter.