2022 Louisiana CASA
Conference Sessions
The Louisiana CASA Conference was a dynamic, three-day event hosted on Sunday, April 10 through Tuesday, April 12, 2022. Hosted in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the conference offered CASA staff, volunteers, and stakeholders to come together for collaboration, celebration, training, and professional development. The conference brought our statewide network together for in-depth learning, networking opportunities and collaborative discussions about the issues that impact our work and the future of child welfare in Louisiana. The three day experience included three major events: the 2022 Louisiana CASA Conference Workshop Day, Awards of Excellence Banquet, and CASA Capitol Day.
Below you will find recordings from the keynote speakers as well as some of the breakout sessions.
Morning Keynote
Chief Justice John L. Weimer
Join us for a conference kick-off with Chief Justice John Weimer! We all know the value of CASA for the children we serve—we see it in their faces. Justice Weimer will address the value that CASA brings to the Louisiana court system and the communities that CASA represents.
Reinforcing Our Roots, Lunch Keynote
Dr. Wendy Ellis
What does it mean to build a resilient community? In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic this is an urgent question for children and families across Louisiana as communities grapple with unfathomable personal stressors due to death, economic strain and disruption in how our children learn. As guardians of child wellbeing across the state we have faced unprecedented challenges in ensuring the safety of children and equitable access to the supports needed to help communities and families heal. In this thought-provoking keynote, Dr. Ellis will help us consider the reality of child welfare in Louisiana and the possibilities in connecting across sectors to heal trauma, foster equity and ultimately build resilient communities where children and parents can thrive.
Implicit Bias, Breakout Session
Shekinah Davis, Maryland CASA
This training will discuss the many layers of implicit bias. Where does implicit bias begin, and where do we see it most frequently? What are the modalities of power and cultural ideologies that give way to our biases? Who can be implicitly biased, and how do cultural structures and societal communication styles affect it? These are some of the questions that will be addressed. Participants will leave with a more holistic understanding of implicit bias and the ways in shows up in our environments. Participants will learn practical strategies for identifying implicit bias within themselves and their surroundings, and when appropriate, how to interrupt it and intervene.
Educational Advocacy, Breakout Session
Dr. Barbara Ferguson, Attorney, Educator, Author, & Co-founder of Research on Reforms
Children in foster care face an uphill battle academically due to the impacts of trauma, lack of basic skills, frequent home and school placement changes and emotional upheaval. Understanding a range of education planning, monitoring, coaching and support services can help students in foster care experience success at school and have access to the resources they need to graduate from high school with a plan for their future. Participants will learn techniques and processes to work with schools, social workers, foster families and youth in foster care to resolve difficult issues and remove barriers to school success.
Personal Safety, Breakout Session
TFC Taylor Scrantz, Louisiana State Police
Learn proactive tips and steps you can take to enhance your personal safety taught by Louisiana State Police Trooper First Class Taylor Scrantz. Participants will learn to recognize Personal Safety Skills as an approach for increasing understanding of issues related to personal safety and building skills to help maintain personal safety. Scrantz will demonstrate the steps of guiding effective Personal Safety Skills, which include introducing the purpose, identifying safety concerns, discussing how to detect danger, identifying resources, and establishing strategies.