Save the Date!
Check back here for information on Speakers, Breakout Sessions and how to Register as it becomes available.
Exhibitor Opportunities: Click here for the Exhibitor Guide (PDF) and click here to register as an Exhibitor for the 2025 CIP Children's Summit.
Nominations for 2025 Children's Summit Awards: Click here to nominate someone for the 2025 CIP Children's Summit Awards.
Michael Offner Memorial Award for Judicial Leadership
This award is named in memory of the Honorable Michael Offner, 10th judicial district judge from 2001-2014. Judge Offner was instrumental in establishing National Adoption Day in his region and was honored for judicial system improvement by the Nebraska Supreme Court. Judge Offner’s advocacy for youth is the basis of this award, which highlights juvenile court judicial leadership.
Resilience Award
This award recognizes a youth or family with lived experience in the child welfare and/or juvenile justice system. This youth or family has shown resilience and determination in overcoming difficult obstacles.
Team Award for Excellence
This award honors a Through the Eyes of the Child team that has made a significant impact on their community through their juvenile court systems work. This team award is based on activities, outcomes and achievements in the last 3 years.
Distinguished Service Award
This award recognizes an individual who has meaningfully engaged and served children and families in the child welfare system. This individual demonstrates dedication and skill in furthering a high level of excellence in the advocacy and treatment of children and families.
Keynote Speakers (tentative):
Andrew Bridge
Andrew Bridge spent 11 years in Los Angeles County foster care, before earning a scholarship to Wesleyan University and graduating from Harvard Law School. He is a Fulbright Fellow and a Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Writing Resident. His work has garnered coverage in The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Showtime, The Observer, The CBS Early Show, NBC Nightly News, Time Magazine, PBS, Psychology Today, NPR, and Observer Magazine. He began his legal career representing children against the State of Alabama. His work resulted in the closure of one of the most notorious psychiatric institutions in the country, the Eufaula Adolescent Center.
Angela Pharris, Ph.D., MSW
Dr. Pharris is an Assistant Professor in the Anne & Henry Zarrow School of Social Work at the University of Oklahoma, Director of the Center for Child Welfare Training and Senior Research Fellow at the Hope Research Center. Her research is focused on the application and implementation of hope-centered and trauma-informed practices that impact human service programs. Angela’s current research is in child welfare and human service organizations and the application of Hope Centered and Trauma-Informed framework. Hope is a psychological strength and a buffer to stress, adversity, and burnout and a hopeful mindset that improves organizational and individual outcomes.
Tentative Agenda
Tuesday, September 23
8:00-9:00am Sign In/Registration Pre-function area
9:00-9:15am Welcome Crystal Ballroom
9:15-10:45am Keynote Crystal Ballroom
10:45-11:00am Break
11:00am-12:15pm Breakout 1 Diamonds 1-10
12:15-1:15pm Lunch Crystal Ballroom
1:15-2:30 Breakout 2 Diamonds 1-10
2:30-3:00pm Break
3:00-4:15 Breakout 3 Diamonds 1-10
6pm Coordinator Dinner
Wednesday, September 24
8:30-9:45am Breakout 4 Diamonds 1-10
9:45-10:00am Break
10:00-11:15am Breakout 5 Diamonds 1-10
11:15am-12:30pm Lunch and Awards Crystal Ballroom
12:30-1:45pm Breakout 6 Diamonds 1-10
1:45-2:15pm Break
2:15-3:45pm eynote Crystal Ballroom
6pm Judge’s Dinner