WHAT: Second Annual DC Family Celebration Day 
 
WHERE: The ARC of DC - 1901 Mississippi Avenue, SE    

WHEN: Saturday, June 16, 2012, 11:00AM-2:00PM 
 
WHO:  Family Court Presiding Judge Zoe Bush; Child and Family Services Agency Director Brenda Donald; Reunited families 
 
To honor families that have been successfully reunited, the DC Superior Court’s Family Court and the DC Child and Family Services Agency will o-host Family Celebration Day. Elected officials, community-based organizations, and local providers of services to children and families will be on hand to help the families celebrate their accomplishments.  
 
Celebration Day will honor families that were able to stay together, rather than have children remain in foster care. Families that have been reunified throughout the year will be present at Celebration Day.   
 
The annual event raises awareness about the importance of family reunification, the preferred outcome for children removed from their parents’ homes and placed in foster care. Reunification takes work, commitment, and investment of time and resources by parents, family members, social workers, attorneys, courts and the community. 
 
On June 16, the Court and CFSA will celebrate the accomplishments of families who have overcome an array of challenges to reunify safely and successfully.  The goal is to inspire other parents – particularly those going through the recovery process – that it is possible to overcome the issues that led to separation.  The event recognizes the vital role that community partners – mental health and substance abuse providers, foster parents and others – play in helping to reunify, strengthen and support families. For more information on National Reunification Day, see http://www.naccchildlaw.org/?Reunification  
 
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