Professionals and community members fighting to improve Louisiana’s child welfare system meet every year in Lafayette in hopes of achieving a better system.

“Together We Can,” is an event for collaboration of an amount of children’s advocacy groups, academia, government and the Louisiana community. These people, including the university’s own faculty and students, attend this meeting in order to hone in on the professional standards in the field of child welfare. Presenter Sue Badeau, a nationally recognized child advocate, explained her hopes for the results of their efforts on the 2015 brochure. 

“During this presentation, you will be challenged, inspired and equipped to make a healing difference in the lives of children and their families,” said Badeau.

The last conference took place from October 13 to 15, 2015 at the Lafayette Cajundome. Two of the university’s Department of Health and Human Services faculty members presented at the conference Title IV-E Child Welfare Program Director/Assistant Professor Dr. Corie Herbert and instructor Tonyalea Elam.

According to Hebert who presented a three-hour workshop on social work ethics, five students attended the conference. According to a university press release on the event, alumni with careers in social work attended as well. 

The conference provides a platform for the latest possible information to be shared. Speakers from two national organizations, Penny Putnam-Collins from the Child Welfare Information Gateway and Rebecca Robuck from Child Focus Inc., came to speak at this last conference about the latest information on sex trafficking and new laws requiring states to inform the general public on the topic. 

Despite the efforts and improvements made by the people at the event there is still “much work to do to improve the system,” said Herbert. 

One of the challenges the Louisiana child welfare system has is getting people committed to pursuing a career in foster care. The federal government program funds Herbert’s efforts to recruit bachelors-level students into a career in foster care. There are seven public universities involved in the country, but it is still difficult to find people who would agree to the conditions social workers in child welfare face. 

“It takes a special person to do the job,” said Hebert. “Sometimes we lose children.”

The child welfare system’s difficulties can be reflected in the experiences of people who have been through it. Freshman social work major Brianna Lang shared her experience growing up in the foster care system, expressing the system’s dire need for a change for the better.

“I can send you a whole list of things I hated about the foster care system,” said Lang.

Lang changed families over 10 times and said not having permanent support after turning 18 left her feeling like her care was worthless. 

“Honestly, if it wasn’t for college, I don’t know what I would have done,” said Lang. 

People looking for more information on the “Together We Can Conference” can visit their website, latwc.com.