Association of Children's Residential & Community Services (ACRC) upcoming events

International Direct Care Summit (5 Nov 2026)

Thu, 05 Nov 2026 13:30:00 GMT

Registration Details:

ACRC Member - Global Influencer - $1,500 (includes "all-in" registration for your organization and a sponsorship to support the attendance of programs from developing countries.)
Non-Member - Global Influencer - $2,100 (includes "all-in" registration for your organization and a sponsorship to support the attendance of programs from developing countries.)
Global Champion Sponsorship - $5,000 (includes "all-in" registration for your organization; your organization will be highlighted for supporting the work of direct care professionals around the world and invited to participate in a welcome video for all attendees)

ACRC Member "All-In" Staff Rate - $850 (This allows for all staff, volunteers, board members, foster parents, and others in your organization to register at no additional cost, we will provide a code for your staff to register once the All-In has been purchased.)
ACRC Member Individual Attendance - $145 (one attendee)
Non-Member "All-In" Staff Rate - $1,250 (This allows for all staff, volunteers, board members, foster parents, and others in your organization to register at no additional cost, we will provide a code for your staff to register once the All-In has been purchased.)
Non-Member Individual Attendance - $185 (one attendee)

Email Sarah with any questions or for help with your registration.

Webinar - Trauma Prevalence in Direct Care Staff: Preliminary Results from the Staff Stress and Support Survey (13 Nov 2026)

Fri, 13 Nov 2026 18:00:00 GMT

Webinar Overview

Despite an increased understanding of how youths’ trauma exposure impacts their mental and behavioral health, less is known about direct care staffs’ early adversity and its impact on their ability to provide high-quality, trauma-informed care to youth. While staff with histories of early adversity often report high levels of motivation for this work, they are also at greater risk for work-related negative psychological outcomes, including secondary traumatic stress and burnout, which can increase the probability of critical incidents, restraints, and re-traumatization for both youth and staff. Coupled with nationwide reports of high turnover rates, a system’s understanding of and responsiveness to staffs’ history of adversity is now as important as any other component of trauma-informed care. However, to date, there has been no study evaluating the prevalence of adversity in a sample of direct care staff only. This presentation presents preliminary findings from the Staff Stress and Support Survey, a nationally representative study of direct care staff from US-based residential treatment centers. Data regarding ACE prevalence (using the Expanded Philadelphia ACE), Professional Quality of Life, and burnout will be presented. The presentation will conclude with a brief discussion of best practices for supporting staff who may be coming to their roles with elevated histories of adversity or trauma, highlighting innovative ways to build skills related to staffs’ self-awareness and self-regulation, as well as agency-level practices that build trauma-responsive cultures.

Attendance Certificates Available

*Must watch webinar LIVE to receive Certificate

*Each individual requesting a Certificate, must be registered and logged in to zoom under their own name.

If you have questions, please email Sarah.

Webinar - KinFirst Approach to Congregate Care Reduction through Cross-Sector Partnerships (3 Dec 2026)

Thu, 03 Dec 2026 17:00:00 GMT

Webinar Overview

Every young person deserves meaningful connections to their kin, community, and culture—regardless of their placement setting or the length of their involvement with child welfare. A KinFirst approach prioritizes intensive family engagement and service efforts, spanning prevention through permanent custody and beyond. This webinar explores an innovative, real-time implementation partnership designed to enhance family search and engagement for youth in congregate care settings, facilitating safe transitions directly to kin. Participants will gain insights into lessons learned from groundbreaking public-private leadership initiatives, cross-sector strategies, and family-centered approaches with families. Shared examples will highlight the critical role of a KinFirst philosophy across all facets of child welfare—workforce development, organizational practices, provider collaboration, and courtroom advocacy.

Attendance Certificates Available

*Must watch webinar LIVE to receive Certificate

*Each individual requesting a Certificate, must be registered and logged in to zoom under their own name.

If you have questions, please email Sarah.

Webinar - Who You Are Is The Work (7 Jan 2027)

Thu, 07 Jan 2027 17:00:00 GMT

Webinar Overview

While the many disciplines, approaches, and tools available to you are valuable, meaningful change happens through relationships. And the quality of those relationships depends largely on who you are as a person. This webinar explores the fundamental role of human connection, the importance of your character development, and why your personal growth is inseparable from your professional effectiveness. You'll be challenged to consider who you are becoming and recognize that investing in your own growth may be the greatest contribution you can make to the young people you serve.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this webinar, you will be able to:

1. Explain the science of human connection and why relationships are essential to human growth and development.

2. Recognize personal growth and character development as essential professional and ethical responsibilities in your work with young people.

3. Explore how your life experiences, the people you've shared them with, and your individual makeup shape who you are becoming.

Presenter Bio

Paul Meunier is a youth worker at heart and a passionate advocate for those who help young people. With a master’s degree in psychology, he began his career as a psychotherapist and now serves as President and CEO of the Youth Intervention Programs Association (YIPA).

His diverse experiences as a therapist, trainer, executive director, and even mayor have shaped his practical, authentic approach to people and life. A passionate speaker with decades of experience, Paul believes meaningful change happens through trusted relationships. Through his writing, training, and speaking, he inspires youth workers to invest in their personal growth, recognizing that who they are is the work.

Attendance Certificates Available

*Must watch webinar LIVE to receive Certificate

*Each individual requesting a Certificate, must be registered and logged in to zoom under their own name.

If you have questions, please email Sarah.

Webinar - Boomers to Zoomers: A Multigenerational Approach to Care That Works (14 Jan 2027)

Thu, 14 Jan 2027 17:00:00 GMT

Webinar Overview

Today’s care environments include up to five living generations, each shaped by distinct developmental, cultural, and historical experiences.

This workshop provides an evidence-based framework for understanding generational differences while avoiding stereotypes. Participants will learn how to tailor engagement, communication, and interventions to improve outcomes for children, adults, families, and systems impacted by multigenerational dynamics.

Learning Goals for Participants:

• Identify key generational influences that impact communication, trust, and help-seeking behaviors

• Apply evidence-based strategies to adapt care across generations without stereotyping

• Demonstrate at least two practical tools for bridging generational gaps in clinical or caregiving relationships

Attendance Certificates Available

*Must watch webinar LIVE to receive Certificate

*Each individual requesting a Certificate, must be registered and logged in to zoom under their own name.

If you have questions, please email Sarah.

Webinar - From Restriction to Readiness: Rethinking Technology Access in Residential Care (26 Jan 2027)

Tue, 26 Jan 2027 18:00:00 GMT

Webinar Overview

Phones and online access can introduce real risks for youth in residential care, ranging from unsafe contacts and triggering content to impulsive behavior and challenges maintaining treatment boundaries. Restricting access alone doesn't necessarily prepare young people to manage those risks when they return home.

So what should technology access look like during treatment, and how should it evolve as a young person builds skills and prepares for greater independence?

In this panel discussion, leaders from Caritas Family Solutions and The Barry Robinson Center will join Bark to share how they have approached these questions within their own programs. We'll explore how organizations can think through levels of access and supervision, identify readiness for greater independence, establish appropriate boundaries, involve families and caregivers, and prepare for the transition home.

Attendees will leave with practical questions and considerations they can use to evaluate their own approach to technology, from admission through discharge, and identify where their current model may need to evolve.

Attendance Certificates Available

*Must watch webinar LIVE to receive Certificate

*Each individual requesting a Certificate, must be registered and logged in to zoom under their own name.

If you have questions, please email Sarah.

Webinar - Strengthening Social Connections for Staff to Enhance Engagement, Job Satisfaction, and Work Performance (2 Feb 2027)

Tue, 02 Feb 2027 19:00:00 GMT

Webinar Overview

Social connection is essential to well-being, yet growing isolation and loneliness are increasingly affecting individuals and workplaces alike. In youth-serving organizations, these challenges can have a significant impact on staff engagement, job satisfaction, work performance, and relationships with the young people in their care.

This webinar will explore how organizations can intentionally foster meaningful connections among staff through a trauma-informed approach to workplace culture. Drawing on researcFeb 2 Webinar.pngh, staff feedback, and lessons learned through implementation, presenters will share strategies for creating staff appreciation and inclusion initiatives that strengthen relationships, promote emotional well-being, and help reduce burnout and turnover. Participants will explore how investing in staff connection can create a more supportive workplace, enhance employee engagement, and positively influence the quality of care provided to children, youth, and families. Ultimately, when staff feel valued, included, and connected, they are better positioned to build the authentic relationships that make healing possible.

Learning Objectives

Participants will learn about one organization's attempt to create a staff appreciation system that enhances meaningful social connections to colleagues to improve work-related performance and overall job satisfaction.
Participants will brainstorm ways that they can create a similar system of staff appreciation.
Participants will learn about a trauma-informed care model that emphasizes the role of staff well-being on mental health work.

Presenter Bio

I am a licensed clinical professional counselor, who has worked with youth and their families in various mental health settings. I have worked in the mental health field for 25+ years in various roles, including therapist, supervisor, and trainer and I have been with Catholic Charities for 20+ years. Our organization is a residential treatment center and special education school, providing services for children from all over the state of Maryland. My specialties include trauma informed care, training, supervision, and behavioral health programming development and implementation.

Attendance Certificates Available

*Must watch webinar LIVE to receive Certificate

*Each individual requesting a Certificate, must be registered and logged in to zoom under their own name.

If you have questions, please email Sarah.

Michigan Midday Meetups (3 Feb 2027)

Wed, 03 Feb 2027 18:00:00 GMT

Register & Select Your Dates

October 7, 2026 - Debriefing: Creating Cultures of Curiosity
November 4, 2026 - Supporting Your Workforce
February 3, 2027 - Trauma-Informed Practice
March 3, 2027 - Permanency/Family Engagement/Family Finding

Each session will be one hour, formatted as a drop-in discussion led by one of ACRC's expert consultants.

Webinar - From Youth Voice to Youth Governance: Building Systems That Learn From Lived Experience (4 Feb 2027)

Thu, 04 Feb 2027 17:00:00 GMT

Webinar Overview

Organizations increasingly recognize the importance of incorporating youth voice and lived experience into programs, policies, and system improvement. However, creating opportunities for participation does not always translate into meaningful influence over decisions.

This interactive session explores youth governance as a systems approach to moving beyond engagement toward shared influence and accountability. Participants will examine the organizational structures needed to ensure young people's perspectives consistently inform decision-making, including defined roles, authority, feedback loops, and pathways for action.

Through practical examples and guided reflection, participants will evaluate their own youth engagement practices and consider what happens after young people share their perspectives. How is their input used? Who is responsible for responding? How are decisions communicated? Participants will explore how embedding lived experience into organizational processes can strengthen accountability, drive continuous improvement, and create systems that genuinely learn from the young people they serve.

Learning Objectives

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

Differentiate youth participation, youth voice, and youth governance by examining how roles, authority, and access to decision-making shape the level of influence young people hold.
Identify structural gaps in existing youth and lived-experience engagement practices by assessing decision pathways, feedback loops, accountability, and organizational ownership.
Explain how youth governance can support organizational learning and quality improvement by creating consistent pathways for
Participants will leave with a practical framework for assessing whether their current engagement structures create opportunities not only for young people to be heard, but for organizations to listen, learn, respond, and improve.

Presenter Bio

Jaleshia "Jay" Brown is the Founder of Virtue Visionary LLC and a Youth Governance & Systems Change Practitioner specializing in the intentional integration of lived experience into organizational decision-making. Drawing from her lived experience in foster care, Jay designed, launched, and facilitated the Hamilton County Youth Advisory Board, a countywide platform connecting youth lived experience to policy, program design, and systems improvement. Today, she partners with organizations to build governance structures, decision pathways, and feedback loops that move lived experience beyond consultation toward meaningful influence and shared accountability. Her work spans child welfare, behavioral health, education, housing, and community systems, with a focus on strengthening organizational learning and implementation.

Attendance Certificates Available

*Must watch webinar LIVE to receive Certificate

*Each individual requesting a Certificate, must be registered and logged in to zoom under their own name.

If you have questions, please email Sarah.

Webinar - When the Unexpected Happens: Real-World Liability Claims and Lessons for Protecting the Mission (23 Feb 2027)

Tue, 23 Feb 2027 19:00:00 GMT

Webinar Overview

Liability insurance is more than an organizational expense; it is essential to protecting the stability, resources, and mission of organizations serving children, youth, and families. Yet leaders may not fully understand how their coverage responds until an incident occurs.

Through real-world claims scenarios from human service organizations, this interactive workshop explores what happens when risk becomes reality. Participants will examine cases where coverage responded as expected, policy limits proved inadequate, or coverage was challenged or denied. Together, they will explore the policy provisions, decisions, documentation, and reporting practices that influenced each outcome and what organizations could have done differently.

The session will also highlight emerging risk management strategies and practical approaches to preventing and reducing future claims. Participants will leave better equipped to evaluate coverage, engage insurance partners, strengthen organizational practices, and share responsibility for protecting the people they serve and the resources that sustain their mission.

Learning Objectives

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

Identify key liability policy provisions and coverage considerations that can significantly affect how an insurer responds when an incident becomes a claim.
Understand emerging liability and claims trends affecting child- and family-serving organizations.
Describe effective practices for incident documentation, claim reporting, and communication with brokers, carriers, legal counsel, and organizational leadership before and during the claims process.
Apply lessons from real-world claims and learn practical strategies that peer organizations are using to reduce the frequency and severity of incidents.
Recognize their own role in an organization-wide approach to risk, connecting everyday practice, leadership decisions, insurance coverage, and prevention to organizational sustainability and the protection of resources for children and families.

Attendance Certificates Available

*Must watch webinar LIVE to receive Certificate

*Each individual requesting a Certificate, must be registered and logged in to zoom under their own name.

If you have questions, please email Sarah.

Michigan Midday Meetups (3 Mar 2027)

Wed, 03 Mar 2027 18:00:00 GMT

Register & Select Your Dates

Each session will be one hour, formatted as a drop-in discussion led by one of ACRC's expert consultants.

2027 Annual Conference VIRTUAL Registration (22 Mar 2027)

Mon, 22 Mar 2027 05:00:00 GMT

Virtual Registration Rates

ACRC Members

Individual Rate - $200

'All In Staff Rate' - $1,100

Non-Members

Individual Rate - $275

'All In Staff Rate' - $1,500

The ALL IN staff rate allows for anyone in your organization - staff, foster parents, board members, volunteers, etc. - to join at no additional cost. (Note: CEUs are purchased per person.)

If you have any issues registering as a member, please contact: Dany

All keynotes and select workshops held in-person will be recorded or live streamed (and recorded) and placed on the virtual platform. Preconference's, Issues Lunches, Awards Lunch, & Policy Meetings will not be recorded.

To view a list of the current workshops CLICK HERE

2027 Annual Conference In-Person Registration (22 Mar 2027)

Mon, 22 Mar 2027 05:00:00 GMT

Early Bird In-Person Registration Rates

ACRC Members - $795

Non-Members - $995

+ $100 after February 2, 2027

please register early!

Any issues registering as a member, please contact: Dany

CONFERENCE WEBSITE

2027 Annual Conference Exhibitor Registration (22 Mar 2027)

Mon, 22 Mar 2027 14:00:00 GMT

ACRC EXHIBITOR REGISTRATION

Includes 1 conference registration, 1 in-person table

& participation in exhibitor bingo

$1,100 for Exhibitors that are ACRC Agency Members

$1,350 for Exhibitors that are non-member, non-profit, 501c3

$1,600 for Exhibitors that are non-members

$400 Additional Exhibitor fee per person for individuals NOT attending sessions.

Rates increase $200 after February 5, 2027 (Early Bird Cutoff)

2027 Annual Conference Sponsorship (22 Mar 2027)

Mon, 22 Mar 2027 14:00:00 GMT

ACRC SPONSORSHIP

$20,000 - Emerald City Includes 8 in-person registrations and virtual ‘all in’ registration for the entire organization. Also includes a half page ad.

$15,000 - Puget Sound Includes 5 in-person registrations and virtual ‘all in’ registration for the entire organization. Also includes a quarter page ad.

$10,000 - Pike Place Market Includes 4 in-person registrations and virtual 'all in' registration for the entire organization

$7,500 - Space Needle Includes 3 in-person registrations and virtual ‘all in’ registration for the entire organization

$5,000 - Mount Rainier Includes 2 in-person registrations and virtual ‘all in’ registration for the entire organization

$3,000 - Bainbridge Island Includes 1 in-person registrations and virtual ‘all in’ registration for the entire organization

$1,800 - Orca Includes 1 in-person registration or 3 virtual attendees

$500 VOICE Champion Sponsor the travel of our Youth Advocates