Nurture Network Presents | trauma competent education

Welcome to Nurture Network Presents where we are dedicated to educating Professionals, Parents and the Community about the trauma experienced by children in foster care and those who have been adopted. We provide workshops, speaking engagements, and valuable resources to support you in making a difference in these children's lives and see how you can incorporate being trauma informed into your profession and everyday lives.

About

OUR SERVICES

Nurture Network Presents is committed to being a comprehensive resource and information hub for trauma and adoption competent education. Our mission is to empower individuals with training and insight from seasoned professionals in the field.

Trauma, Adoption & Foster Care Education
Live and Online Workshops for:
- Staff Development
- Parent Training
- Schools
- Social Services
- Medical Professionals
- Law Enforcement
- Treatment Centers
- Everyone!
Keynote Speakers
Adoption & Foster Care Advocacy
NTDC Training

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Features

Explore Our Workshops

Our Workshops are designed to meet the needs of many different environments. Workshops can be custom tailored for your particular organization. Discover the range of services and resources we offer to support the fostering and adoption community. From educational workshops to professional training, we are here to make a difference.

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Workshop Title	Description	Format
From Trauma to Connection: The Power of Human Relationship	Participants will examine how past experiences shape a young person’s ability to trust and connect, and how adult responses especially in difficult moments can either strengthen or weaken that connection.	Virtual & In-Person
Neuro-When Trauma and Neurodiversity Overlap	Explores how trauma intersects with neurodiversity, including conditions such as ADHD and autism, and how these differences impact a young person’s ability to process, regulate, and respond to their environment.	Virtual & In-Person
Understanding Trauma, Identity, and Belonging	Explore how trauma, identity, and belonging are deeply connected. Participants will gain insight into how these experiences shape behavior, relationships, and self-perception and how adults can respond in ways that foster connection, safety, and a true sense of belonging.	Virtual & In-Person
Building Safety, Empowerment & Resilience—Supporting System-Impacted Youth Beyond Survival	Explores how safety, empowerment, and resilience are deeply connected, and how adults play a critical role in helping youth move beyond survival and toward stability, confidence, and self-worth. Participants will examine how resilience shows up in system-impacted youth, how it is often misunderstood, and how adult responses can either strengthen or unintentionally undermine a young person’s sense of safety and empowerment.	Virtual & In-Person
Compassionate Care for Foster and Adopted Youth—Supporting Youth in Healthcare Settings	This workshop helps healthcare professionals better understand how foster care and adoption impact a young person’s experience in medical settings, and how provider interactions can either support or unintentionally hinder a sense of safety and trust.	Virtual & In-Person
Creating Belonging at School for System-Impacted Youth	This workshop explores the critical role belonging plays in student engagement, regulation, and learning. Educators will gain insight into the unique challenges system-impacted youth face and will be provided practical, relationship-centered strategies that help create classroom environments where students feel seen, supported, and valued.	Virtual & In-Person
Beyond a Child’s File: What Every Educator Should Know About System-Impacted Youth	Introduction to the experiences of system-impacted youth and exploration of how foster care involvement can affect learning, behavior, and a child’s sense of belonging in school. Participants will be invited to move beyond a child’s file to better understand behavior through a trauma-informed, child-centered lens.	Virtual & In-Person

Adoption & Foster Care Advocacy

Let Us Be Your Advocate

We have many years of professional & personal experience participating in:

Adoption from Foster Care
Reviewing Background Documents
Advocating with Schools

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FREE
Parent Training Workshops

Nurture Network Presents believes that trauma informed parents lead to better outcomes for their children. Parents develop a parenting style that focuses on nurturing and healing the child. These parents are also able to better advocate for their children in the world.

Upcoming FREE Workshops

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National Training and Development Curriculum (NTDC)

Agencies can contact Nurture Network Presents to learn about contracting with our experienced NTDC Trainer.

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Meet the Team

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Nicole Cava

nicole@nurturenetworkpresents.com

Owner & Presenter

Nicole Cava co-founded Nurture Network Presents LLC after over 10 years' experience in the foster care and adoption field as a Trainer, Homefinder, Senior Permanency Coordinator, and Family Support Specialist.

She became involved in the adoption and foster care field when she adopted her two kids as older children from foster care. Nicole has seen the need for trauma informed professionals while working with other families as well as in her professional life.

In her professional career she used her engaging speaking style as the lead parent trainer. She also acted as the matchmaker
for all families, case planner, as well as event planner. She also provided support to families before and after adoption. Nicole takes great pride in the families that she helped create, as it resulted in children in foster care finding forever homes. She forms tight connections with families that carry on long after the adoption date.

Nicole holds a trainer certification in National Training & Development Curriculum (NTDC), Model Approach to Partnership in Parenting (MAPP), and Deciding Together. She is Association for Mental Health & Wellness Mental Health First Aid – Youth Module Certified. She has presented at the AFFCNY Conference and is on AdoptUSKids.org’s Speaker’s Bureau. BINTI presented Nicole with the “Put the Child First” Advocate of the Year Award in 2022.

In addition to her work with Nurture Network Presents, Nicole works with Adoptive & Foster Family Coalition of New York as a Family Support Specialist providing one on one support to adoptive & kinship families.

Nicole holds a Bachelors of Science degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

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Renee Damon

renee@nurturenetworkpresents.com

Owner & Presenter

Renee Damon, co-founder of Nurture Network Presents, LLC, is a seasoned human services professional, trainer, and speaker with more than 30 years of experience supporting youth and families impacted by trauma, foster care, and systemic inequities. Her work spans foster care, residential treatment, addiction recovery, and youth permanency, with a steadfast focus on advocacy, connection, and healing.

Renee began her career as a case planner, walking alongside families through some of the most difficult moments of their lives, removals, reunifications, and the fragile spaces in between. She later worked in residential treatment with youth often labeled “hard to place,” where she witnessed firsthand the resilience of young people too often misunderstood as broken.

Her work is grounded in decades of direct practice within the child welfare system and a deep commitment to helping professionals better understand the experiences of youth impacted by trauma, foster care, and systemic barriers.

A compelling storyteller and natural educator, Renee has spoken at high schools, universities, and professional conferences, encouraging audiences to examine bias, challenge assumptions, and respond to youth with greater empathy and understanding. Through her work with Nurture Network, she helps educators and professionals move beyond behavior and labels to better understand the lived experiences of system-impacted youth.

Renee’s work is grounded in one simple truth: young people do not need saving-they need to be seen, heard, and believed.