In February 2009, the School of Social Work’s Children, Youth and Family Interest Group sponsored a collaboration event to examine both the lawsuit filed by Children’s Rights against Michigan’s foster care system and the Settlement Agreement.

This year’s Fedel F. and Iris M. Fauri Memorial Lecture — “Can Class Action Lawsuits be a Catalyst for Change in Child Welfare? What Can the Michigan Case Tell Us?” — will examine the progress toward Settlement goals.

The lecture will take place 2-5 p.m. Oct. 25 at the School of Social Work Building.

Using both information from the federal monitor’s reports and their experience, panelist members will provide an assessment of Michigan’s progress in implementing the Settlement Agreement. Panelists include Kathryne O’Grady, deputy director for the Michigan Department of Human Services; Sara Bartosz, senior staff attorney at Children’s Rights; Vivek Sankaran, clinical assistant professor at the Law School; and Kathleen Coulborn Faller, the Marion Elizabeth Blue Professor of Children and Families, School of Social Work.

The Fedele and Iris Fauri Memorial Lecture Series on child welfare is presented annually in recognition of former U-M Dean and Vice President Fedele Fauri and his wife. Fauri’s leadership and accomplishments in the field of child welfare spanned nearly 50 years.

For more information about the lecture, go to www.ssw.umich.edu/events/fauri.