4th Annual Rock County Foster Parent Conference

The Fourth Annual Rock County Foster Parent Conference promises to be both informative and engaging for all attendees. We are once again opening the Conference up statewide for ANY licensed foster parent (county licensed or tfc licensed).  The day will kick off at 7:45 a.m. with doors opening, registration, and morning refreshments. The Welcome and Opening Remarks will be given by Katarina Craig, Permanency Resource Supervisor. The morning Keynote address will be given by one of the 2026 honorees of the 19th Annual Rock County Sheriff’s Office Awards, Detective Luke DuCharme. As a member of the Wisconsin Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce, Detective DuCharme will speak about Internet Safety. Participants will then head to their pre-selected morning break-out sessions. We will come back together for a catered lunch from Mission BBQ . We will then participate in a group activity. Pre-selected afternoon break-out sessions will follow. Our afternoon will wrap up with a Keynote address given by nationally known adoptee and social entrepreneur, Isaac Etter. Isaac was transracially adopted at age two and uses his story and deep passion for foster care and adoption education to bring relevant, quality, and diverse resources to foster and adoptive parents.

**New this year….You will have opportunities throughout the day (breaks and lunch time) to observe “Hidden in Plain Sight,” which is an interactive drug awareness and prevention program. It simulates a teenager’s bedroom to help adults identify hidden signs of risky behavior, substance abuse, and everyday objects used as secret stashes or paraphernalia. **

The conference is a great opportunity to obtain 8 hours of training credit, network with other foster parents, and gain insights from experts in the field. Please see the entire schedule below, as well as more information about the speakers and their presentations.

• When:  The conference will be held on Saturday, November 7th, 2026
• Time:  Doors open at 7:45 a.m., conference starts promptly at 8:15 a.m.. and ends at 4:30 p.m.
• Where:  The conference will be held at the DWRC, 1717 Center Ave., Janesville (a block of rooms is available at the TRU in Janesville for stays on Friday night.  Just mention that you are with the Rock County Foster Parent Conference when you call to reserve a room….please note, participants are responsible for their own room fees.)
• RSVP deadline/information:  Friday, October 9, 2026; although break-out sessions will be limited to 14-20 participants each, so if there are sessions you absolutely want, RSVP soon!!  ****If you are needing the First Aid/CPR knowledge training, you MUST register for both the morning breakout and the afternoon breakout sessions to receive credit.****
• How to Register:  Select NON-Rock County Foster Parents when registering on Eventbrite.  Once on the registration link, you will be prompted to rank your top 3 breakout sessions for the morning and your top 3 breakout sessions for the afternoon.  This is where the attached PDF comes into play.  Please review this document before registering so that you know which breakout sessions you are interested in.

(When registering, you will need to rank your break-out sessions.  There is a morning breakout session with 5 different offerings and an afternoon breakout session with 5 different offerings.  Select your first, second, and third choice within each breakout session.  For example, in the morning breakout session, I really want to attend Grieving While Caring, so I would mark that #1.  If that session is no longer available, I would then want to attend the Understanding Regulation and I would note this as #2.  Lastly, if neither of my first two selections are available, I would want to attend the session on Supporting Positive Behavior, so I would note this as #3.)

• Questions:  Reach out to your Foster Care Coordinator or email/text/call Tricia Stilen at 608-728-6045 or tricia.stilen@co.rock.wi.us

Register