Lessons From Within Our Reach: A Cross-Sector Conversation on Child and Family Well-Being

This virtual convening is:

• Tuesday, Nov. 4 from noon-3 p.m. ET
• Wednesday, Nov. 5 from noon-3 p.m. ET

Join us for a powerful, cross-sector conversation rooted in the latest lessons from the Within Our Reach report on preventing child maltreatment fatalities from maltreatment.

Over two half days, this interactive virtual convening will bring together professionals from pediatric care, juvenile justice, child welfare, law enforcement, education, and community-based organizations to reflect on what’s working—and what must change—to create systems that are responsive, equitable, and family-centered. These leaders and lived experts reflect the truth that family wellness is not the responsibility of one system alone—it is a shared, community-wide commitment that calls for aligned action, empathy, and investment across many touchpoints in a family’s life.

With a focus also on building a shared safety culture, we will explore how systems can shift their thinking and action to proactively support families before a crisis occurs. Participants will explore how policy change, lived experience, and community-driven strategies can prevent child harm, reduce family barriers to wellness, and build trust across sectors.

Takeaways

• Build a Shared Safety Culture: Learn how integrating safety-focused mindsets within and across agencies—alongside staff wellness—can reduce system-driven trauma and better support family resilience.
• Expand the Definition of Family: Examine how elevating the lived voices of fathers, grandparents, kin caregivers, and youth leads to policies and practices that reflect real-life caregiving networks.
• Strengthen Cross-Sector Collaboration: Gain concrete tools for breaking down silos and strengthening interagency partnerships to better coordinate supports for families, especially in moments of vulnerability.
• Advance Equity Through Policy & Practice: Explore key policy strategies, such as reducing family financial burdens and embedding protective factors in service delivery, that help stabilize and empower families.
• Translate Report Lessons into Local Action: Leave with actionable ideas, data-informed decision-making, and equity-aligned investments that can be applied at the local, state, or system level.

Presenters

Tuesday, Nov. 4

• Romero Davis, senior director of practice excellence, Social Current
• Kelly Martin, director of practice excellence, Social Current
• Kimberly Heard, senior program manager of practice excellence, Social Current
• Jody Levison-Johnson, PhD, president and CEO, Social Current
• Michael Cull, PhD, associate director, Center for Innovation in Population Health and associate professor, Department of Health Management and Policy, University of Kentucky
• Karen Johnson, senior director of Change in Mind, Social Current
• Kara Georgi, MSEd, lead senior associate of parent partnerships, Children’s Trust Fund Alliance
• Regina Dyton, MSW, consultant, R.S. Dyton Associates
• Parent and community voices

Wednesday, Nov. 5

• Churmell Michell, creator of Emotions You Know, and founder, A Father’s Voice Matters
• Blair Abelle-Kiser, senior director of government affairs at Social Current
• Scott Allen, executive director of community engagement, Cordata Healthcare Innovations, Inc., and criminal justice senior adjunct instructor, Curry College
• Rachael J. Keefe, MD, MPH, FAAP, associate professor of pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine
• Parent partners (Birth Parent National Network)

Who Should Attend

• Educators and school support staff
• Pediatric and behavioral health providers
• Law enforcement and public safety professionals
• Juvenile justice, child welfare, and youth-serving agencies
• Policymakers, funders, and system leaders
• Community-based organizations and advocates