TENTH ANNUAL HISPANIC FAMILY CONFERENCE CELEBRATES
DECADE OF OPENING HEARTS AND MINDS

SPRINGFIELD, IL, NOVEMBER 1, 1998 -- Illinois Department of Children and Family Services Director Jess McDonald today announced plans for the 10th annual Hispanic Family Conference. This year's conference, "A Decade of Opening Hearts and minds, " or "Cbriendo Corazones Fomentando Conciencia," will be held Nov. 19-20 at the Wyndham Hotel in Itasca.

The conference is an opportunity for professional enhancement, and offers a forum in which to hear national and local advocates who work with Latino children in the child welfare system. This year's keynote speakers are Juan Roberto Job, a trainer, consultant and author who has written books and manuals for workplace diversity, ethnic recruiting and cultural business protocol, and Ramon Nieves, DCFS Regional Administrator for Cook Central Region.

Highlights of the conference include workshops focusing on such topics as "Exploring Permanency for Latino Children," and "Empowering Latino Foster Parents as Members of the Child Welfare Team." During the conference, DCFS and the American Red Cross will have a booth available for individuals wishing to make donations to the victims in Honduras and Nicaragua who were devastated by Hurricane Mitch.

The conference will run from 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 19, and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Nov. 20. It is held in cooperation with the Second Legislative District Advisory Committee on Human Services, the Child Care Association of Illinois and Northern Illinois University. For more information, call the DCFS Office of Latino Services at 312-814-6852.

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