Sustaining the Work: Supporting Well-Being for Families and Social Workers
Friday, April 24, 2026
The 2026 Title IV-E Summit brought together diverse social work practices and experiences from across California. We are grateful to our sponsors, the California Department of Social Services and the National Association of Social Workers-California Chapter, whose generous support made this year's Summit a success. Thank you to all those who joined us as speakers and participants. We look forward to welcoming you at next year's Summit!
Program at a Glance
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 1:15-2:30 PM PST | Youth Rights and Workforce Well-Being: Ombudsperson Tools for Sustainability |
| 2:45-4:00 PM PST | Power-Sharing for Well-Being: Equity-Aligned Child Welfare Practice |
Full Program Details
- Youth Rights and Workforce Well-Being: Ombudsperson Tools for Sustainability (1:15-2:30 PM PST)
This session will be an interactive experience that teaches participants about the California Office of the Foster Care Ombudsperson (OFCO) and its role in sustaining children, families and social workers. Participants will learn about the Foster Youth Bill of Rights (FYBORs) and Reasonable and Prudent Parent Standards (RPPS) and how they work together to ensure that children have the supports to thrive in safe nurturing environments and that families are supported through the process. Participants will learn how the OFCO provides technical assistance to our social work partners, so they also feel valued and supported as they support children and families.
Presenters:
Kendra Jackson (MA): Kendra Jackson (she/her) serves as the Statewide Juvenile Justice and Education Specialist within the Office of the California Foster Care Ombudsperson. Kendra joined the office as a Graduate Student Assistant in 2019 and has advanced to her current role as a Manager I Specialist. While obtaining her BA in Social Work (2018) and her MA in Sociology (2022), Kendra worked for the Guardian Scholars Program as a Supplemental Instruction Leader where her work focused on helping foster youth, former foster youth and youth impacted by the juvenile justice system in reaching their academic goals. Kendra has proudly represented CSU as a Guardian Scholar, a Project Rebound Scholar, a Cooper-Woodson Scholar, a Ronald E. McNair Scholar and a Sally J. Casanova Pre Doctoral Scholar with a doctorate degree on the horizon. Kendra's MA research, Education, Intervention Strategies, and Juvenile Detention: A Closer Look at the School-to-Prison Pipeline, addresses the barriers that youth face in accessing education within the juvenile justice system and school-related influences that promote inequitable and disproportionate practices within both the educational and juvenile justice systems. Kendra is the first former foster youth to hold her position with the OFCO.
Presenter Handouts & Resources- Power-Sharing for Well-Being: Equity-Aligned Child Welfare Practice (2:45-4:00 PM PST)
- This workshop explores how an equity-aligned practice supports power-sharing engagements that strengthen family partnership while sustaining practitioner well-being. Join us as we explore how identity, bias and systemic inequities shape daily decision-making and emotional labor. Through reflective activities and practical tools, attendees will embrace strategies for sharing power with families and honor voice and choice that support collaborative and responsive relationships. This session offers sustainable approaches that support both family thriving and practitioner resilience.
Presenter:
Dionne Puckett (MSW): Dionne Puckett (she/her) is a visionary equity strategist, instructor, and organizational change consultant with over two decades of experience designing and delivering transformational learning experiences across public agencies, nonprofits and academic institutions. Adept at building inclusive environments, facilitating cross-sector collaboration and translating complex systems into accessible, actionable tools. Dionne is passionate about empowering diverse communities through education, coaching and equitable practice engagements.
Presenter Handouts & Resources
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Acknowledgements
The 2026 Title IV-E Summit would have been impossible without the hard work and dedication of our Student Planning Committee, comprised of IV-E students from across California. The Title IV-E Summit is generously sponsored by the National Association of Social Workers-California Chapter and is made possible with support from the California Department of Social Services.
We invite you to pause to honor ancestral grounds and support the resilience, strength, history, and traditions of Indigenous people worldwide. To learn more about Indigenous lands—perhaps where you were born, live, or have lived—we invite you to take a look at this useful resource: https://native-land.ca/.