[L.A. County Child Support Services] – Parents, social service professionals and community and government leaders from the U.S. and internationally will gather in Los Angeles on February 21-24 for the 13th Annual National Fatherhood and Families Conference at the Westin Hotel. The Los Angeles County Child Support Services Department is a co-chair of the conference with fifteen Los Angeles County non-profits and faith-based agencies with the Volunteers of America of L.A. County.

The Fatherhood and Families Conference is organized by the non-profit Fathers and Families Coalition of America Inc. and is dedicated to sharing information that will better communities by strengthening and improving programs serving fathers and families.  Conference speakers will come from across California and the nation representing academia, government service, the private sector, community organizations and family and fatherhood programs.

The conference involvement by L.A. County Child Support Services is part of the Department’s continuing effort to support families in L.A. County by working with mothers and fathers to address child support obligations.

“We are delighted to partner with the Fatherhood and Families Conference and lend our assistance to improving programs which help our families in Los Angeles County and beyond,” said Dr. Steven J. Golightly, Director of L.A. County CSSD. “We support the Fathers and Families Coalition in their work to help fathers become more involved with their families and in doing so to meet their child support obligations.”

The FFCA conference will feature plenary sessions and 60 workshops covering fatherhood programs, non-profit capacity building, child support, child welfare and parenting skill building for social workers and program professionals.  The conference is sanctioned by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) for continuing education units. Working with faculty from five nationally-recognized universities, FFCA will introduce a comprehensive national Fatherhood Practitioner Health Relationship Educator Certificate Program at the conference.

Information on the FFCA conference, registration and certification program can be obtained by going to the Fathers and Families website at www.fathersandfamiliescoalition.org or calling the corporate office at 602-254-5081.

Conference speakers include CSSD Director Dr. Golightly, Acacia Bamberg Salatti, Deputy Director of the Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,  Susan L. Taylor from Essence Magazine, and renowned family and community research experts Dr. Ronald Mincy of Columbia University and Dr. Obie Clayton from the University of Georgia. On Thursday, February 23, the conference will honor internationally recognized entertainer Cedric “The Entertainer” Kyles, Father Greg Boyle from Homeboy Industries in L.A. and Richard Claytor, fatherhood and child support expert with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Information about the free services provided by L.A. County CSSD can be accessed at the Department’s website at http://cssd.lacounty.gov or calling 1-866-901-3212.