Our Service Provider Education session, which took place on February 26, 2026, featured three members of the Never Too Late (NTL) community: Charlene April, coordinator for the Lived Expert community; Mary Scott, a Lived Expert Specialist; and Wendy Hayes, Lead for Data, Communications and Partnerships. Wendy moderated the discussion which focused on what the panelists found helpful with service providers they encountered during their interactions with the child welfare system; and what could have been different. Panelists were also asked to reflect on discussions their workers had (or did not have) about permanency.   

The Wendy’s Wonderful Kids (WWK) program through the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption offers a unique and highly successful approach to finding permanency connections for children and young people in and from the child welfare system. In a November session for Service Providers, three WWK recruiters, Nikki Holland-Green, Kerry Milligan, and Cynthia White shared their experiences as child focused recruiters, offering many examples and providing guidance on how to engage older youth for considering the possibility of adoption.

Lived Experts may interact with Service Providers in various roles at organizations providing various services. A comprehensive understanding of the living experience of child welfare systems and permanency journeys can help professionals do their best work. In 2024, we began to build on our work with Service Providers by creating a training and peer-support opportunities. L was part of a group of nine service providers from six different organizations that participated in the Service Provider Training Pilot.