FL Child Welfare

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 youth with lived experience.

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 the evaluation team.

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 member with lived experience turning 18 in care.

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 Lead, Molly Tierney, on the inner workings of these innovations, as well as Kellee Hicks's firsthand experience with the software utilized in Mecklenburg County.

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 Stabilify, about the impact this technology has on the workforce.

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 University.

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 Advocacy Council, and Keri Flynn, Embrace Families' Director of Youth Services.

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.

S3E4 - Collaborating in order to meet the evaluation criteria of the Title IV-E Clearinghouse by FL Child Welfare

S3E3 - Revisioning Residential Care Services for Children and Youth: FFPSA and the GCQSA by FL Child Welfare

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.

In this episode, Ginger Griffeth will discuss the exciting opportunities that Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) provides to rethink how Florida's system of care can provide safe, early prevention services to children at risk of entering foster care. She will also discuss placement array development that prioritizes the utilization of kinship navigation, the establishment of a network of caring and trauma-informed foster families, and specialized residential treatment programs to provide a safe place for children who are removed.

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.

What does it mean to be color-conscious? Corey Best helps us understand how our own biases and beliefs about individuals can be in conflict with personal and organizational values. Putting the facts in the context of the family and community strengths and resources is necessary to reach the best decision for the child.

Join Kim Purinton and Dr. Pryce as they discuss how maternal depression can affect a mother’s relationship with her child. You will also learn the different behaviors that may indicate that the parent is struggling with depression.

Listen in to learn how to use the tenants of Motivational Interviewing (MI) to engage parents who are ambivalent about changing their behavior. Using the “Spirit” of MI will help you build a collaborative relationship as well as compassion for the families you work with.

Listen to Dr. Cynthia Lietz, developer of the strength-based supervision model, share strategies for both supervisors and front-line case workers to engage in “courageous conversations”. Utilizing both crisis supervision opportunities and scheduled in-depth supervision meetings can improve the supervisor-direct report relationship and thus case management practices and outcomes.

This episode discusses the child welfare workforce - what it is like to work in the system with families in crisis while managing and juggling competing priorities and decisions. Listen to Dr. Dina Wilke, a child welfare workforce researcher and Timothy Morris, a child protective investigator, discuss the “impossible imperative”. They speak frankly about caseload severity, challenges in decision making, and distinguishing between present danger and impending danger. Some suggestions for self-care are also offered.

Hear Terri’s wise offerings of advice based on her experiences as a teenager currently in the system. Her suggestions seem simple and logical, but all too often are infrequently used in our interactions with children and youth with whom we work.

When helping hurts. The emotional and psychological risks associated with providing direct social work services to vulnerable populations are real. But they are referred to by so many different labels. What’s the difference between burnout, compassion fatigue, and having vicarious trauma? April Lott explains the correct terminology and provides suggestions on how to protect yourself and heal.

Listen to a victim advocate and researcher discuss the co-occurrence of child maltreatment and intimate partner violence and provide concrete recommendations on ways you can improve your collaborations with other community professionals on cases that involve both.