LWV Forum: Santa Barbaras Foster Youth: Are We Providing What They Need to Succeed?

The League of Women Voters believes that taking care of all our communitys children is vitally important. We believe that early intervention and prevention measures are effective in helping children reach their full potential. The goal of this forum is to inform and raise awareness of foster care reform. An overview of Santa Barbara Countys Foster Care system will be presented by Gwyn Lurie who chaired the Santa Barbara County Child Welfare Safety Net Task Force and served for eight years as a member of the Montecito Union School Board, and Wendy Read, an attorney with local and state experience in foster care advocacy. An expert panel of speakers will be discussing Santa Barbaras foster cares challenges, trends and hopeful solutions, including:Kim Davis, Executive Director of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Santa Barbara County Steve Elson, Ph.D., CEO of Casa Pacifica Centers for Children & Families Suzanne Grimmesey, MFT, Chief Quality Care and Strategy Officer, County of Santa Barbara, Department of Behavioral Wellness Lillian Pipersburg, Retired Probation Officer, Foster Parent to over 200 children Rochelle Trochtenberg, MSW, California Foster Care Ombudsperson The community forum is cosponsored by the Santa Barbara Public Library and Santa Barbara TV. Sound provided by Gary Atkins Sound Systems. Live streaming is available on Facebook at @ LWVSB.Videos of this forum can be viewed at www.lwvsantabarbara.org on YouTube Channel as soon as available. FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC QppAccessible parking is available at the public garage accessed from Anacapa Street next to the Library. Simultaneous Spanish translation provided by TransilPro.