Anne Holton, who has devoted her career to serving as an advocate for families and children, will deliver the opening keynote address at the University of Pennsylvania Field Center for Children’s Policy, Practice and Research’s sixth biennial conference, “One Child, Many Hands: A Multidisciplinary Conference on Child Welfare,” to be held at Penn June 7-9.

“Recently off the campaign trail alongside her husband, Sen. Tim Kaine, we are delighted that Anne will be able to share her vast expertise in and perspective on child welfare with conference attendees,” said Debra Schilling Wolfe, Field Center executive director.

Holton launched major reforms of Virginia’s foster-care system to connect more children with permanent families as Virginia’s first lady. She directed the nationally recognized program Great Expectations, offering support for youth from foster care on the campuses of Virginia’s community colleges. Holton was secretary of education for Virginia, serving until her husband’s vice-presidential nomination.

“The Field Center’s multidisciplinary focus is evidenced in its conferences and trainings,” said Schilling Wolfe. “This conference’s multidisciplinary approach mirrors the world children actually live in.”

The conference will bring together child-welfare practitioners, policy makers and administrators for three days of programming on pressing child-welfare issues.

Plenary sessions will be held on “The Great Unknown: Child Welfare in the Trump Administration,” “Reimagining a Broken System: Thinking Outside the Foster Care Box,” “Transforming #ChildWelfare Through Innovative Applications of Technology” and “Beyond Protecting Children: Keeping Caseworkers and CPS Agencies Safe.”  

Workshops will address topics including the child-welfare system and immigrant children, LGBT youth of color, mothers with opioid use disorders, and child sex trafficking.  

Information is available by contacting Jessica Enright at 215-573-9779 or fieldctr@sp2.upenn.edu.