Forward Together: Community Voices for Child Wellbeing

One in seven children has experienced abuse and/or neglect in the past year. (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration). The greater St. Louis region leads Missouri in Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline reports. In 2021, there were 12,221 reported incidences of child abuse and neglect affecting 16,984 children (Missouri Department of Social Services, Children’s Division).

Children who are at risk cannot wait. Together, we can help meet the increasing mental health needs among some of the most vulnerable children in the region. We can strengthen their families and create a more resilient community.

Join us and hear directly from those on the front lines of child welfare about how we can work together to understand and dismantle systemic barriers to child wellbeing.

A continental breakfast and refreshments will be available.

Meet the Experts

Judge Darrell Missey, Director of Children’s Division

Judge Missey brings with him extensive knowledge, experience, and expertise in family and juvenile court matters. Judge Missey was elected Associate Circuit Judge in Jefferson County in 2002 and was assigned the juvenile docket, which mostly involved foster care cases. He continued to handle juvenile cases involving foster children after he was elected Circuit Judge in 2014, until he became Presiding Judge and Administrative Judge of the Family Court in 2016. Judge Missey has also provided statewide leadership in the area of child welfare.

Sharon Skidmore Stern, MSW, LCSW, Chief Program Officer

Sharon has more than 20 years of experience in clinical and administrative work with children and families. As Chief Program Officer at FamilyForward, she is responsible for the administration and oversight of all client programs. Sharon has extensive training in play therapy and is Phase I, II, and III certified in the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics^TM (NMT). She serves as the NMT Site Coordinator for FamilyForward and is the only individual in Missouri to have achieved Phase III/mentor level certification.