UMFS Partnership Featured at International Conference

Six UMFS staff members from Richmond recently visited Germany for the 15^thGerman Child and Youth Welfare Congress in Berlin,  Europe’s largest congress and exhibition in the field of child and youth welfare. Since 2003, UMFS has partnered with Diakonie-Rosenheim, an organization operating in Germany, with which UMFS has hosted staff exchanges, collaborated to share strategies, and explored cultural norms.

At the conference, UMFS President and CEO Greg Peters and Rolf Negele, the head of the youth division of Diakonie-Rosenheim, spoke about their 11-year partnership to develop international solutions that strengthen both organizations and their services.

Erik Laursen, VP of Research and Development and Executive Director of UMFS’s Charterhouse School, also spoke at the Congress about creating innovative public/private partnerships for high-risk youth. He discussed the types of children served and their use of the Circle of Courage for treatment in various programs.