Coming up Next:

Presented by Sarah Goad & Brina Williams

Youth experiencing foster care have rights that policy requires case managers share with them and their caregivers when they enter care, annually, and when changing caregivers. It is important that youth are aware of their rights and what they can do if they feel that their rights are not being observed. The Children’s Services Administration has been working on updating the rights documents, most notably removing responsibilities, in collaboration with a team of lived experts. in this session we will review the rights, policy regarding sharing with youth, and the process we’ve engaged in to update the documents and develop dissemination plans.

After attending this session you will: 

• Be able to identify where to find the Foster Youth Rights.
• Have an understanding of policy related to Foster Youth Rights.
• Have an understanding of the recent changes to these documents and the youth centered process we
  engaged in.

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Meet the Speakers:

Sarah Goad has worked in the child welfare field for 30 years through direct service provision and supervision, advocacy, training, consultation, and administration; both in the public and private sector. She received her Bachelors of Social Work from Saginaw Valley State University and her Masters of Social Work from the University of Michigan. Sarah has presented nationally and internationally on various child welfare topics. Currently, Sarah is the State Administrative Manager for Foster Care, Older Youth, and Education Programs at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

Brina Williams, is a nationally recognized child welfare advocate, consultant, and social worker. They are a two-time alumna of Western Michigan University, where they earned their Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Social Work, with a minor in Political Science and a concentration in policy, planning, and administration. They are currently serving as the Children and Youth Engagement Coordinator (CYCE) for the Team with Lived Experience (TLE) for the Quality Improvement Center on Engaging Youth (QIC-EY) in Finding Permancey, in addition to being Project Coordinator for Educate Tomorrow and Fostering Success Michigan’s Changemakers. Brina has been a devoted advocate for the last decade, committed to changing the systems and perceptions of foster care, mental health, LGBTQIA2S+, and many others. Brina has been the President of Ingham County’s Michigan Youth Opportunities Initiative since 2019 and previously served on the Continuous Quality Improvement Focus Group for Foster Care in Ingham County. They served on the Board of Directors for the Association of Children’s Mental Health from 2019 to 2023, are a member of Michigan’s Statewide Youth Advisory Board for foster care, and are a member of the Leadership Corps for the National Foster Youth Institute Michigan Chapter. They have also served previously as an FSM Ambassador. Most recently, Brina joined the Fostering Success Coaching  Institute (FSCI) Advisory Council as a Youth Representative and is working towards their Level 1 Coaching Certification through the FSCI.

 Brina is also an alum of FosterClub’s AllStar Internship, where they focused on further developing their
relationship-building and leadership skills in the summer of 2023, and continues to partner with FosterClub, the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA), and Youth Villages as a Lived Experience Leader. They hope to use their lived experience to develop emerging leaders and advocates who are passionate about helping people and creating change.