UA’s Annual Social Work Conference Scheduled Aug. 26-27

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama School of Social Work will host its ninth annual Fall Social Work Conference Aug. 26 and 27 at the  Paul Bryant Conference Center on the UA campus.

The two-day conference, “Helping Families Persevere: Child Welfare’s Role in Supporting Change,” will have speakers and presentations on programs and practices for all aspects of family life.

This year’s keynote address, “When Survival is Not Enough: Embracing Change and Supporting Resiliency,” will be given by Dr.  Evelyn S. Williams of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Social Work, and Ms. Barbara Leach, of  the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, Family Support Network.

Williams, a clinical associate professor at UNC Chapel Hill, teaches in the areas of family violence, discrimination and inequality, and macro social work practice. She is the principal investigator and director of the North Carolina Child Welfare Education Collaborative and principal investigator for the North Carolina Child Welfare Workforce Project funded by the Children’s Bureau.

Leach, coordinator with the OneStop for Strengthening Families Project, has more than 15 years of experience advocating for children with serious emotional/behavioral disorders and/or mental illnesses and their families.

The conference is jointly sponsored by The University of Alabama School of Social Work and The Alabama Department of Human Resources. Detailed conference information, including the registration form, is available on the School of Social Work website at http://socialwork.ua.edu/. For more information on conference registration, contact Sandy Wilson by e-mail, swilson@sw.ua.edu,or by phone, 205/348-3924.