Rhonda Sciortino, author of Succeed Because of What You’ve Been Through, was in the child welfare system until she emancipated at 16 years of age. She credits a brief stay with a wonderful foster family for teaching her that there was a better way to live. Rhonda Sciortino used the coping skills from her childhood survival to start her own business of protecting and defending the good people and organizations that care for abused children. Over the decades of that work, Rhonda and her team analyzed the ways that foster children and caregivers get injured or killed. The Preventing Tragedy in Foster Care training includes the insights that Rhonda learned over 30 years.

Through her speaking, writing, EMPOWERING RESILIENCE podcast, and videos, Rhonda shares how others can use the obstacles in their lives as stepping stones to a great future.

www.rhonda.org

Debbie Ausburn is an attorney who defends youth-serving organizations. Before attending law school, she served as a social worker with a juvenile court in metro Atlanta. While attending law school, she served as a house parent at a local group home. In the years since, she has served as a criminal prosecutor of crimes against children, a Board member with youth-serving organizations, and a foster parent. She is the author of the forthcoming book, Raising Other People’s Children: What Foster Parenting Taught Me About Bringing Together a Blended Family. She blogs about parenting issues at www.OtherPeoplesChildren.org, and about legal issues at www.YouthServicesLaw.com.