
Child Health and Welfare Summit
July 27, 2026
Join Us In Person or Online! Register today for this full-day hybrid workshop.
Unified Advocacy: Advancing Physical and Mental Well-Being for Children and Families
In today’s rapidly evolving landscape, the health and well-being of children and families face complex challenges that demand urgent attention and collaborative solutions. Social workers are uniquely positioned at the intersection of policy, practice, and community, advocating for the rights and needs of vulnerable populations. This conference aims to unite social workers, mental health professionals, educators, policymakers, and community leaders in a dynamic conversation about the critical role social work plays in advancing child and family well-being—both physically and mentally.
Through a series of workshops, panel discussions, and keynote presentations, participants will explore innovative approaches to promoting holistic care, addressing systemic barriers, and developing resilient communities that support children and families at every stage of life. We will spotlight best practices, emerging research, and real-world case studies that showcase the power of social work in improving outcomes for the most vulnerable members of our society.
Available Dates | July 27, 2026 |
Time | 8:30 am – 4:30 pm Central time (6.0 contact hours) |
Registration Fee | $35 |
Physical Location | Bryant Conference Center 240 Paul W. Bryant Drive Tuscaloosa, AL 35487 |
Online | The Zoom link will be sent one week before the event. |
Keynote Speakers | Linda S. Spears, MSW Dr. Brian S. Gannon, MD, FAAP Dr. Lindamarie Olson The Honorable Vernetta R. Perkins Walker |
Key Focus Areas
- Integrating physical and mental health care to support children and families
- Empowering individuals to advocate for policy changes that prioritize family well-being
- Addressing systemic inequalities and their impact on child and family health
- Trauma-informed care and resilience building for at-risk families
- Community-based solutions for mental health, housing, and education
- The role of social workers in promoting cultural competency and inclusivity in service delivery
This conference calls for action, insight, and collaboration to ensure that social workers continue to lead efforts that uplift and protect the future of our children and families. Join us for a powerful experience of learning, sharing, and mobilizing for change.
Agenda
2026 agenda coming soon!
2025 Child Health and Welfare Summit
Time | Session | Speaker(s) |
---|---|---|
8:00 – 9:00 am | Registration Check-in & Breakfast | |
9:00 am | Welcome and Announcements | Dr. Schnavia Hatcher, LCSW, PhD – Dean of The University of Alabama School of Social Work |
9:15 am | Overview of the Day | Dr. Courtney Chapman Thomas, The University of Alabama School of Social Work |
9:30-10:45 am | Keynote Address | Dr. Linda Spears, CEO, Child Welfare League of America |
10:45 – 11:00 am | Refreshment Break | Lacey Bacchus |
11:00 am-12:00 pm | Trauma-Informed Care and Resilience Building for At-Risk Families | Dr. Brian Gannon, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Clinic Director, FRESH Start Clinic for Children in Foster Care -The University of Alabama College of Community Health Sciences |
12:00-1:00 pm | Lunch | |
1:00-2:00 pm | Trauma-Informed Care and Resilience Building for At-Risk Families | Dr. LindaMarie Olson, Assistant Professor, The University of Alabama |
2:00-3:00 pm | Community-based Solutions for Mental Health, Housing, and Education | The Honorable Vernetta R. Perkins Walker, Judge, Dallas County Juvenile Court, Founder, Selma/Dallas County Children’s Policy Alliance |
3:00 – 3:15 pm | Refreshment Break | |
3:15-4:00 pm | Community-Based Rountables: Addressing Systemic Inequalities and Their Impact on Child and Family Health | Dr. Courtney Chapman Thomas & The Honorable Vernetta R. Perkins Walker |
4:00-4:15 pm | What's Next | Dr. Courtney Chapman Thomas |
4:15-4:30 pm | Closing Program Evaluations |

Meet Our Speakers
We are honored to welcome four dynamic speakers to the Child Health and Welfare Summit. Each keynote speaker brings invaluable insight into children’s health, child welfare, and justice reform, representing leadership across pediatrics, legal systems, policy, and research.
Linda S. Spears, MSW

Linda S. Spears Bio
Linda S. Spears, MSW, was appointed President and CEO of the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) in October 2023. CWLA is a powerful coalition of hundreds of private and public agencies that, since 1920, has championed better lives for millions of children and families who are vulnerable. Linda is currently leading a comprehensive strategic planning initiative that will chart a new course for CWLA focused on improving child welfare practice and policies, and addressing inequities that compromise the well-being of children, families, and communities.
Linda began her career in child welfare as a social caseworker for the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth, and Families. She is a veteran social worker and policy expert who returned to CWLA after serving as the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families Commissioner for over eight years. There, she led some 4,200 social workers and staff who served approximately 45,000 children with a budget of $1.2 billion. Shortly into her tenure, the administration entered an unprecedented partnership with social workers to initiate a system-wide transformation based on a 2014 quality improvement review conducted by Linda’s CWLA team. This reform supported comprehensive policy reforms and included the addition of 600+ new social workers and managers; a restructured foster parent and kinship family recruitment, licensing, and support operation; the Department’s first medical director, and medical social workers for all DCF offices; and expansions of clinical specialty services in domestic violence, substance use, and mental health. The work also included new policies on services to children and families who are LGBTQIA+ and those dealing with disabilities.
Linda also led the development of new user-friendly technology tools that included new mobile interfaces for social workers and foster parents, use of natural language processing tools to mine case records, and streamlined business processes that also supported the agency transformation.
Linda Spears attended the University of Rhode Island and holds a BA in psychology. She received her MSW from the University of Southern California and is pursuing a PhD in social work at Simmons University.
Dr. Brian S. Gannon, MD, FAAP

Dr. Brian S. Gannon Bio
Dr. Brian S. Gannon has been a board-certified general pediatrician since 1998, practicing in Tennessee and Kentucky before relocating to Tuscaloosa. He relocated to Alabama with his family in 2013 to join the Pediatrics faculty at University Medical Center (UMC) and the College of Community Health Sciences of the University of Alabama. He is also the Ambulatory Patient Safety Officer for University Medical Center.
As an adoptive parent of several special-needs children, he has both professional and personal experience dealing with special education, early intervention, and mental health resources. He and his wife were certified as a foster home for medically complex children when living in Kentucky from 2008-2013. During that time, Dr. Gannon was a frequent contributor to continuing certification courses for foster parents in Kentucky. He currently serves as the Alabama Chapter AAP Liaison to the Council on Foster Care, Adoption, and Kinship Care.
On July 1, 2016, he founded the FRESH Start Clinic, serving children in state custody across West Alabama. This clinic is a patient-centered clinic within the Pediatrics Department at UMC, with on-site support from social work and consultation from child psychiatry and psychology available as needed through the Betty Shirley Clinic. He has received extra training in managing the emotional trauma related to child maltreatment and prenatal exposure to drugs and alcohol. These experiences have given him insight into issues around health literacy and disparities, as well as the profound impact social determinants of health can have on families of infants and young children.
Dr. Gannon has a long track record of advocating for underserved populations, conducting clinical research into quality of care, particularly for children in foster care, those who have been adopted, children with special health care needs, and recent immigrants. At CCHS, he teaches medical students and family medicine residents about trauma-responsive care and its intersection with implicit bias in medical settings.
Dr. Lindamarie Olson

Dr. Lindamarie Olson Bio
Dr. Lindamarie Olson’s research focuses on intervening with at-risk youth to reduce their initial contact with the justice system and to limit their ongoing involvement in the system. Dr. Olson has conducted research examining the effectiveness of neurofeedback in treating trauma symptomatology among justice-involved adolescents in residential care. She was a National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Graduate Research Fellow and recipient of the Phi Kappa Phi Dissertation Fellowship. Dr. Olson has presented her research at national and international conferences and has helped write multiple state, federal, and international grants regarding mental health, child welfare, and juvenile diversion programs. Her intervention research will explore and examine the effects of trauma and neuroscience on cognitive, mental health, and behavioral change within this population. Research objectives include 1) building and expanding the state of knowledge in this field to address the interconnection of neuroscience, adolescent development, trauma, and juvenile offending, and 2) bridging the gap between research and practice to facilitate a more effective and responsive justice system for youth. Dr. Olson’s research is informed by her clinical experience working with at-risk children and adolescents in both the child welfare and juvenile justice systems.
The Honorable Vernetta R. Perkins Walker

Judge Vernetta R. Perkins Walker Bio
The Honorable Vernetta R. Perkins Walker is the District Judge in Dallas County, Alabama. She is the first female judge on the county bench in Dallas County history. Before becoming a judge, Mrs. Perkins Walker was a licensed attorney, practicing in Alabama for over 22 years, specializing in criminal law, education law, non-profit management, and project management.
Judge Perkins Walker formerly served as General Counsel for Montgomery Public Schools in Montgomery, Alabama. As General Counsel, she was responsible for all legal affairs of the board of education and the school district, while also serving as advisor to the superintendent and senior staff on strategic planning, public policy, community engagement, general compliance issues, and fiscal issues affecting the district.
Before coming on staff as the attorney for MPS, Judge Perkins Walker served as a full-time prosecutor for the Office of Ellen Brooks, District Attorney (15th Judicial Circuit), part-time homicide prosecutor for the Office of Michael Jackson, District Attorney (4th Judicial Circuit), and was a solo practitioner. In her solo practice, she handled juvenile court, family law, and general civil cases. She was also formerly an associate attorney with the Montgomery law firm, Davis & Hatcher, LLC.
Judge Perkins Walker is very active in her community and has served as a consultant on project management and strategic planning projects for various nonprofit organizations and community initiatives. She is also the founder of the Selma-Dallas County Education Foundation, a nonprofit created to organize alumni in raising funds for the local public schools.
Judge Perkins Walker is a product of Selma City Schools, graduating from Selma High School in May of 1993. She is also a graduate of Spelman College and the University of Alabama School of Law.
Summit Location
This year’s summer summit will take place at the Bryant Conference Center in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and will also be available online via Zoom.
The Zoom link will be sent one week before the event.
Directions
Parking Your Vehicle
Attendees can park at the Capstone Parking Deck, which is located across the street from the Bryant Conference Center. A limited number of handicap parking spaces are available in front of the Conference Center. Approximately one week prior to the conference start date, you will receive a parking permit. The parking permit will only be valid for the Capstone Parking Deck and the handicap spaces in front of the Bryant Conference Center.
Summit Registration
Register By Mail
Navigate to a printable version of the form.
Register by Phone
Our Registration Services Office is open Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. – 4:45 p.m. To register by phone or for inquiries regarding your registration, please call 205-348-3000.
For online registration, you will be taken to our online registration area. The screen will look different from this part of our website and will open in a new window. You will click on the year that you wish to register for. If you register more than one person, each must have an individual email address to utilize the online registration system.
Special Accommodation Requests
The University of Alabama is committed to complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Requests for accommodation of physical and/or dietary needs should be made at least 30 calendar days in advance of the program date. Please email your request to professionaldevelopment@ua.edu.
Need our STAARS Vendor Number? Please use VC000118827 for UA Office of Teaching Innovation and Digital Education.
A portion of the invoice amount for this program will go to the Capstone Lifelong Learning Foundation to support activities of The University of Alabama and the Office of Teaching Innovation and Digital Education.
Cancellation Policy
A cancellation charge of 100% of the registration fee will be assessed on cancellations occurring within seven (7) days of the start of this session. Refunds will not be granted after the program has begun. The University of Alabama reserves the right to cancel, postpone, or combine class sections, to limit registration, or to change instructors. Contact the Registration Services department at 205-348-3000 or registration_services@ua.edu to cancel your registration. View the OTIDE Cancellation Policy.
Questions about the summit?
Contact Doreena Mink for more information.
Our Mailing Address:
The University of Alabama
Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning
Box 870388
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0398
