Child Watch 2025 will bring together youth leaders, advocates, and policy experts to explore bold solutions for California’s foster care system.
Media Contact: John Henry, jhenry@childrensdefense.org, Media Relations Manager, 708-646-7679
LOS ANGELES, CA—Next week, Children’s Defense Fund–California will host Child Watch 2025 at the California African American Museum in Los Angeles. The event will spotlight the current state of foster care in California and explore the solutions needed to better support young people with lived experience in the system.
This year, Child Watch will feature a panel discussion with the Radical Imagination Fellows, a group of former foster and transition age youth. Over the past six months, the Fellows have engaged in policy research and storytelling to examine the challenges facing young people in the system. Their work to develop bold, community-rooted solutions has been supported by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
Child Watch will also feature Dr. Charity Chandler-Cole, author of Stranger Danger and Founder and President of CARE (Child Advocacy & Reunification Engine), an AI-powered tech company reimagining child welfare through culturally grounded, strengths-based technology. Dr. Chandler-Cole also serves as the Vice Chair for Los Angeles County Commission for Children and Families.
Children’s Defense Fund–California Director Jaren Sorkow said Child Watch will also feature conversations with adults who have lived experience in foster care, along with leaders in youth justice and education equity.
“Child Watch offers a valuable opportunity for youth and foster care advocates to better understand how policy decisions directly affect the lives of children and young people involved in the system,” Sorkow said. “That’s why this event intentionally centers the voices of young people in the conversation. We want to hear directly from them about their needs, particularly around housing, mental health, and access to education. Our goal is to provide them with that platform where they can directly address people with power to make change.”
Child Watch 2025
California African American Museum
600 State Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90037
September 25, 2025
10:00 am