Doing the Best for our Children: sharing what I have learned

Tuesday, June 25, 2024, Noon to 1:30 p.m.

Our speaker, Beth-Ann McConnell, School Interagency Coordinator and Social Worker·Capital Area Intermediate Unit, is back again this year to talk to us about being a family member, adoptive parent, and more, to share her experience and great resources available throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. She will help with the first steps to take when getting help and resources for youth and young adults and share her online resources that she keeps up to date for everyone to use. She will also guide you through what you need to know to take care of yourself so you can care for your family.

Recording:

 

Beth-Ann McConnell, School Interagency Coordinator, and Social Worker·Capital Area Intermediate Unit

 

Beth-Ann McConnell, Wife, Mom, Social Worker, and Advocate Beth-Ann and her husband, Todd, are the parents of two children. They adopted their oldest son, now 27 years old, and gave birth to their youngest son in 2004. Beth-Ann is a Capital Area Intermediate Unit, School Interagency Coordinator, and Social Worker who has worked as a foster care caseworker, hospital social worker, social service worker for adults, and therapeutic staff support.

Beth-Ann is a current Board Member of CPARC (Arc of Cumberland and Perry Counties), a committee member of their Education and Community Advocacy Committee, and a family member representative for the State Leadership and Management Team. Her history of human services work has been an asset for her family but also a source of frustration. As a social worker, she knew what resources could be beneficial but found that those resources and support for her son were often limited and challenged at the time of the adoption and years after.

Searching for the right or best support drove her to become a Family Member of the State Leadership Management Team.

Beth-Ann and her family's history with different child-serving systems has given her the ability to voice what changes may benefit adopted children or families in need of extra system support.

The State Leadership and Management Team membership allows Beth-Ann the opportunity to help effect change on the state level. It allows Beth-Ann to take everything she has learned and experienced personally and professionally and make a difference for children and their families going through a similar journey.