Join us for a conversation about the complicated relationship between poverty and neglect, and how new research aims to disentangle them to improve the well-being of families. Experts Clare Anderson and Luke Waldo discuss the importance of shifting support for parents to a prevention approach and offer data-informed suggestions for best practices.
Researcher Elizabeth Curley discusses novel interventions for supporting parents and caregivers during incarceration, such as the recently developed INTER program, in this episode.
This episode explores ways to better support foster parents. Adoptive parent and former foster parent Dr. Vivian Mills shares preliminary findings from the Institute’s first foster parent survey and implications for supporting foster parent partners. Dr. Taylor Dowdy-Hazlett discusses findings from her research regarding foster parent retention.
A new partnership between Florida universities is helping child welfare professionals enhance services for mothers with substance use disorders. In this episode, experts Ellen Piekalkiewicz and Dr. Heather Howard share insights from their work with mothers with substance use disorders, including data-driven best practice recommendations for supporting these mothers.
Parents for Parents (P4P) is an innovative parent support program in the Southwest region. In this episode, GROW Center Advisory Committee member Nathan Scott explains more about the program, and Dr. Kathy Moore shares the approach to evaluation and how it can inform the next steps for the program.
During the 2022 Florida Legislative Session, the Florida Department of Children and Families was tasked with contracting for the development and implementation of the Responsible Fatherhood Initiative. Specifically, Florida Statute 409.1464 reads, in part, “The initiative must provide an opportunity for every father in the state to be able to obtain information and inspiration that will motivate and enable him to enhance his abilities as a father, recognizing that some fathers have greater chall...
In this episode, Drs. Melissa Radey and Lenore McWey discuss their research project Power of Parents in Child Protection, including the impetus for the study, the challenges encountered, and the joys of collaborating with parents on policy-driven research. Devin Coleman, fatherhood support advocate, also shares his perspective as a member of the study’s advisory committee.
Youth participatory action research is one way in which child welfare scholars can engage youth with lived experience throughout the research process. In this episode, Dr. Lisa Magruder talks to a team that used Photovoice methodology and performance art to collect, analyze, and disseminate findings related to youths’ perspectives on the transition to independent living. Learn about the Institute-funded study, its findings, and lessons learned from the research team about meaningfully engage you...
HOPE Court (HOPE stands for Helping Older Teens Powerfully Engage) brings restorative justice-based court hearings and circles to youth in foster care throughout the year leading up to their 18th birthday and beyond, resulting in more community connection and increased hopefulness for our youth as they become adults. The Florida Institute for Child Welfare is currently funding an evaluation of HOPE Court in Broward County. In this episode, to Listen to Dr. Magruder discuss the exciting work with...
For a teen in care, turning 18 can be daunting, especially when they don’t feel adequately prepared for adulthood on their own. Caregivers and child welfare professionals are meant to support youth in developing independent life skills needed for success in adulthood. As part of SB80 in 2021, the Insitute was mandated to evaluate Florida’s approach to life skills development for youth in care. . In this episode, Dr. Lisa Magruder interviews the two lead evaluators, as well as an evaluation team ...
For youth in the foster care system, especially transition-age youth, establishing relational permanency can support youth beyond their time in care. The Selfless Love Foundation is currently piloting a relational permanency initiative, Follow the Love (FTL), with support from the Institute In this episode, Dr. Lisa Magruder interviews the FTL pilot evaluators, as well as a child welfare professional participating in the pilot in Northeast Florida.
Although Maternity homes are a small fraction of the child welfare system, they are vitally important to young mothers in care, or with nowhere else to turn. In this episode, Dr. Lisa Magruder interviews the researchers leading the Institute-funded Maternity Homes research study, a professional in the maternity homes system, and a young mother with lived experience in maternity homes.
A cornerstone of child welfare research is including the lived experience perspective, but there are many factors to consider when collaborating with those sharing their experiences. In this episode, Dr. Lisa Magruder, the Associate Director of Research at the Institute, speaks with child welfare research experts, as well as a mother with lived expertise, to learn about ways to engage, respect, and properly value those willing to share in research studies.
High turnover in child welfare has been called a “national crisis,” with many leaving the industry because training did not prepare them for reality of the difficult work. Using state-of the-art virtual reality trainings based on real case scenarios, Accenture, an information technology services company, provides realistic training opportunities to better prepare child welfare professionals to work with families in need. In this episode of Season 5, hear from Accenture’s Child Welfare Industry L...
In child welfare, collaboration among all involved parties is required, and time is of the essence. Delays in communication can be disastrous for families and workers in the child welfare system. In this episode of Season 5, hear about Stabilify - a software company working to improve efficiency in child welfare. We spoke with the President of Stabilify, Jackie Gonzalez, about their streamlining efforts. We also interviewed Esther Jacobo of Children’s Home Society, a recent partner with Stabilif...
Working in child welfare can be challenging, especially when up to 80% of case managers’ time is spent on paperwork and other office tasks. This takes away valuable time from the children and families in need. Listen to hear about a new time saving innovation - the CaseAIM app. In this episode of Season 5, hear from Morgan Ryan and Brianna Kobayashi of Children’s Home Society about the positive impact of this new technology.
Listen to this episode of the Get Plugged In series to gain wisdom and insight on accessing healthcare services so that former foster youth are better equipped to maintain their physical and emotional well-being. Diamond Whitley, OVI’s Youth Engagement Specialist, and Jenn Edgson, Healthcare Consultant with Community Based Care Integrated Health, share some tips. https://ficw.fsu.edu/
All young people with lived foster care experience and child welfare professionals listen up! This episode of the Getting Plugged In series is one you don’t want to miss. Get tips on getting food assistance through ACCESS Florida from Rayla James, President of the Brevard Youth Leadership Council, and Patti Grogan, Director of Policy and Programs with the Office of Economic Self-Sufficiency.
That’s right! Young people with lived foster care experience may be eligible to have their postsecondary education tuition covered. Listen to this episode of the Get Plugged In to learn how to access this incredible benefit available to former foster youth. Get the facts from Dina Santos, a member of Passport to Leadership Youth Advisory Board and sophomore at Florida State College at Jacksonville, and Lisa Jackson, Senior Program Director of Academic Support & Engagement at Florida State Un...
You gotta’ know about the resources available through Florida’s independent living programs before you turn 18. Listen to this episode of the Get Plugged In series to learn about Extended Foster Care (EFC) and Postsecondary Education Services and Support (PESS). Get the scoop on how remaining in foster care after 18 and taking advantage of PESS can assist young adults in reaching their transition goals, preparing for self-sufficiency. Hear from Demarco Mott, Chair of the Citrus FCN Youth Advocac...
Psst…if you haven’t already heard, young people can cash in on the Division X Chafee federal funds. These funds were made available to states to help with the pandemic relief efforts. Hear from John Watson, Youth Council Specialist with OVI, and Brandie McCabe, Director of Youth Initiatives with Selfless Love Foundation, on the educational incentive money and additional financial assistance available to eligible former foster youth.
If you are a young person with lived foster care experience on the journey to becoming a self-sufficient adult, get the low down on why Life Skills Reimagined is the most innovative curriculum and should be available to all transition-age foster youth. In this episode of Getting Plugged In, hear what Kaitlynn Hanson, a member of Camelot’s Tampa Bay Youth Empowerment Board, and Stephanie Savely, Founder of LYFT Learning, have to say about this easily accessible and very engaging online platform.
This episode explores the Kinship Caregiving and Kinship Navigator Programs. Michelle Mongeluzzo and Dr. Anna Yelick discuss the Kinship Navigator Program at Kids Central, Inc., a community-based care lead agency in Florida and the evaluative work the Florida Institute for Child Welfare has been contracted to complete. Hear the guests discuss the importance of collaboration in this type of research work, specifically, the buy-in needed from the agency-level and the support the research team need...
Join us as we discuss recent federal and state child welfare policies and their implications for the future of residential group care. We will exam the FFPSA and how it affects the availability of federal dollars to specific residential care settings and places limits on placement timeframes. Dr. Pryce will speak with Dr. Shamra Boel-Studt and Ms. Zandra Odum to learn about Florida's efforts to implement the FFPSA and the new mandated accountability system.
Listen to Chris Groeber and David DeStefano discuss how the FFPSA will change the way frontline staff will work and how the Act will ultimately improve outcomes for families.
Listen to a lively discussion with child welfare expert Morgan Ryan from the Florida Children’s Home Society. You will hear about the groundbreaking case management software and system called CaseAIM. In this podcast, we discuss how CaseAIM is blazing a new path for child welfare workers across Florida.
Tune in to this episode to learn how technology is impacting the child welfare system. Dr. Randolph explains how social media advances are changing social work dynamics and empowering caseworkers to communicate more effectively with parents and youth on their terms.
Join us as we take a deeper look into Community Participatory Action Research (CPAR). In this episode, Dr. Campbell and Tiffany Csonka share the groundbreaking work they are doing in Broward County. This episode provides a rare view of how parents are treated in and affected by the child welfare system in Florida.
Join us as we have an in depth discussion about how the Assessment Response Team uses strategies to give case managers more time to provide direct service to children and families in need. Our guest Miranda Slaughter, Senior Child Protective Investigator for DCF, discusses how ART helps caseworkers reduce the red tape in order to focus efforts on those families in crisis.
This episode explores the impact of cutting-edge technology on the child welfare system. Join us as we have a riveting discussion with Leah Dienger about the new technological advances she and her company, IBM, have developed to assist social workers in the field. Leah's work is groundbreaking and has the potential to impact children's lives throughout Florida and globally.
