“It feels accessible, doesn’t take a lot of time, and fits with what I came to do as a social worker.”

- Pale Blue. Community Member, Together for Children, United Kingdom

Courage.

To protect telomeres.

To stand beside this mother always.

To ask “how did you survive this” with awe.

To listen and hear.

To be a team and do it together.

To take action.

To build hope, hold hope, and be hopeful.

To appreciate capability and freedom are both required.

To always respond, to always protest injustice.

To do but also to be … human.

- Poem of Workshop Reflection, Antwerp, Belgium 2023

“This learning has given life to my work. It is the oxygen and nutrients I needed…”

— Participant, East Riding of Yorkshire Council, United Kingdom

“It is essential to get people to put the training into practice. I think it was a fantastic idea to have time to try out those lessons and then come back and discuss what went wrong and what went well. That's a great idea on how to bridge the gap between knowledge and putting knowledge into practice.”

— Participant, Metis CFS, Manitoba, Canada

“Families hold solutions. We have to remember that. Every day, all every, in every decision.”

— State Administrator Strategy Session Participant, Kentucky, United States

“My work with H.E.E.R.O. continues to be inspired by the work of Kevin Campbell and Elizabeth Wendel. Both demonstrate unwavering efforts to educate and motivate the field worldwide in our collective responsibility to own why ‘different’ is needed… to focus on children and youth ‘belonging’ and having a place/community/group to whom they belong. To urgently identify and mobilize important people who are, have been, or could be involved in supporting young people, and better yet to prevent the young person from entering care by activating these important networks… [Hands] down the leaders of change and health promotion in child welfare, youth and family serving communities.”

-Dan Martin, H.E.E.R.O. Model Author and Expert, Ontario, Canada

“By the end of the week, I couldn't wait to get to work with the tools they had provided.”

— Bootcamp Participant, Manitoba, Canada

“Kevin and Elizabeth are both extremely knowledgeable and passionate about the work they do and their belief in the model really kept me engaged and eager to take on board and process what they were explaining. They were able to clearly explain the intentions of the model and the background to give context and I found their analogies really helpful to aid understanding and their 'bumper sticker' phrases thought-provoking and carried the intended messages well.”

— Workshop Participant, West Virginia, United States

“Elizabeth's passion was infectious. She spoke with such love and kindness about families and she explained things in such simple but insightful ways. Kevin's knowledge was inspiring. The way he related each point to science/history - or a bumper sticker! was great and gave the learning the context that made it make so much sense.”

— Bootcamp Participant, North Yorkshire, England

“[I am committed to] moving our staff to conveners and facilitators the family has the solution.”

— Leader’s Event Participant, Antwerp, Belgium

“I really liked how engaging the session was despite it being virtual- I have been involved in some online training during the pandemic and have found myself getting lost. However, this boot camp kept me engaged for the full 4 days. Liz and Kevin were so knowledgeable and inspiring!”

— Bootcamp Participant, Kentucky, United States

“It is my wish that family finding becomes the way to guide every family. I will surely try to inspire other colleagues. I'm sure it will be a process to integrate this into my work. But the boot camp gave me enough material to jump and go for it. I'm very grateful.”

- Bootcamp Participant, Belgium

“Having the opportunity to work directly with Liz and Kevin over the last few years, they continue to support my professional growth… learning better ways to work with families every day! What continually amazes me is the passion and courage they have to stop admiring the problem and challenge Child and Family Welfare leaders to disrupt “business as usual.” They are innovative in their approaches to professionals working directly with families and are at the forefront of system transformation across the globe!”

~ Jennifer Brummet, LPC, Child and Family Subject Matter Expert

“I have made a rule that I will say the word "love" at least once a day in my practice. It’s working! Finding a network is now the first thing I do - and I spend time on it. it used to be a box I would tick on the assessment... but now it is the foundation to all the other support I do. when I am writing my action plans, I sit back and think "where can I stand where I can do the most good?”

— Coaching Participant, North Yorkshire, England

“Just wanted to drop a note to you and Liz to say thank you for bringing family seeing into my world - it hasn’t only changed my practice, it has given me a new lens to see all the people in my life, interactions with my family and those I encounter daily ... thank you.”

— Bootcamp Participant, North Yorkshire, England

“I had a telephone conversation with a mum where I asked her the 'love questions' to identify her and her children's support network, with who she has so far been reluctant to involve. This led to a powerful conversation about healing.”

— Bootcamp Participant, North Yorkshire, England

“Because of this learning, I am committed to urgently gathering families. I am a catalyst for this, and I feel strong to stand with families in a very different way now.”

- Metis CFS and Michif CFCS Participant, Manitoba, Canada