Podcast appearances and mentions of Casey Family Programs

Learn about the transformative power of cultural responsiveness and reshape your understanding of how to apply this in your social work practice. In this episode of the Academy i3 podcast, Charlie Rodnuson is joined by Wanjiru Golly, Lisa Gilbert, and Roger De Leon Jr. to discuss culturally responsive services. The discussion explores the lifelong journey of understanding one's own culture and what that means for our interactions with others. Through personal anecdotes, the guests illustrate how cultural responsiveness can be integrated into social services to better serve diverse communities. Key themes include the importance of self-reflection, continuous learning, and effective communication in creating an inclusive environment.Episode Chapters:00:00 - Intro01:49 - Cultural Responsiveness Defined04:33 - Overview of Cultural Responsiveness Academy11:47 - Personal Experiences with Cultural Responsiveness21:42 - Transitioning from Personal to Professional Growth28:42 - The Power of Constant Learning30:46 - Facilitation Over Training33:00 - Modeling Cultural Responsiveness35:36 - Sharing Personal Biases40:04 - Navigating Difficult Conversations48:18 - Final Takeaways Learn about our guests: Dr. Wanjiru Golly, originally from Kenya, immigrated to San Diego in 1993. She holds a BA in Psychology and Sociology from the University of Guelph, Canada, and an MA and PhD in Psychology from United States International University, San Diego. After working in HR at Pepsi Bottling Group, she transitioned to the nonprofit sector in 2002, focusing on refugee resettlement and community building. She has held various roles, including Program Director at Alliance for African Assistance and Community Building Coordinator at Community Housing Works. Since 2016, Dr. Golly has been the Program Manager for the Cultural Responsiveness Academy at the Academy for Professional Excellence, where she develops training for public child welfare and behavioral health staff.Lisa Gilbert earned her BS in Psychology with a minor in Addictive Disorders from National University in 2001. She began working with preschool children in 1984 and shifted her focus to at-risk adolescents in 1996, working at Hillcrest Receiving Home and later Polinsky Children's Center. She also worked part-time at UCSD Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Services. Currently, Lisa is a Senior Protective Services Worker in Residential Services, with 17 years of experience at the Department of Health and Human Services. She developed the AWOL/Sexual Exploitation Specialist position for teens involved in human trafficking. Additionally, she leads a Foster Youth Mentor Ministry through her church, coordinating efforts with County staff.Roger De Leon Jr. is a dedicated father, grandfather, and husband of 22 years. He is a minister and advocate for children and families, working as an independent contracting instructor for various academies, including UC Davis and San Diego State University, where he delivers state-mandated trainings on child welfare and fatherhood engagement. Previously, he was a Parent Partner with Riverside County's Children Services Division, helping families navigate the system. De Leon serves on several advisory committees and collaborates with organizations like Casey Family Programs. He is also active in his community as an Assistant/Youth Minister.Subscribe for more cultural responsiveness content: https://www.youtube.com/@TheAcademySDSUFollow us on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/sdsuacademy#CulturalResponsiveness #SocialServices #WorkforceDevelopment

My guests are Sheila Evans-Trannum, former Associate Commissioner of Education for NY State Board of Education, former Chairperson of Casey Family Programs and Education Advisor to President G W Bush and Joyce Johnson, former Joseph E Seagrams Co executive, former Special Assistant to former Manhattan President Ruth Messenger and Executive Assistant to former NYC Board of Education Chancellor Rudy Crew.  This episode is full of surprises regarding "Six Degrees of Separation" of family and friends. Holman family and people who lives or lived in Fayetteville, NC and Charleston, SC...you will be surprised! It is a wonderful example of the theme of the show "Progress Despite Obstacles".It also answers the question of who and how a Democratic got to advise President Bush on 'No Child Left Behind" legislation enacted by Congress and signed into law by the President. A "must see' for parents with children in public school!  A formula of how Democrats and Republicans can work towards important goals despite differences. This episode is full of surprises regarding "Six Degrees of Separation" of family and friends. Holman family and people who lives or lived in Fayetteville, NC and Charleston, SC...you will be surprised! It is a wonderful example of the theme of the show "Progress Despite Obstacles".It also answers the question of who and how a Democratic got to advise President Bush on 'No Child Left Behind" legislation enacted by Congress and signed into law by the President. A "must see' for parents with children in public school!  A formula of how Democrats and Republicans can work towards important goals despite differences. Produced, directed, edited and hosted by Stephen E Davis

Guest: Sheldon Spotted Elk (Northern Cheyenne) This podcast episode features Sheldon Spotted Elk (he/him). Sheldon is Senior Director of Judicial and National Engagement of Casey Family Programs. Sheldon is also a graduate of University of New Mexico School of Law. Sheldon Spotted Elk is an agent of change, improving legal outcomes for children and families involved in the child welfare system. He works regularly as a strategic partner with over twenty Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) Courts. He and his two sons are Tsistsas (Northern Cheyenne). In this episode, Sheldon describes ICWA courts, their purpose, and how they impact tribal systems and families. Listeners will gain a deeper understanding of the five principles of ICWA Courts: judicial leadership; ICWA data collection; ICWA training (spirit and letter of law); tribal stakeholder collaboration; and gold standard lawyering and social work. The Children's Bureau, within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, funds the Capacity Building Center for Tribes. The contents of this website and the resources herein do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Children's Bureau. Full transcript: https://bit.ly/4drvqIO

My guests are Sheila Evans-Trannum, former Associate Commissioner of Education for NY State Board of Education, former Chairperson of Casey Family Programs and Education Advisor to President G W Bush and Joyce Johnson, former Joseph E Seagrams Co executive, former Special Assistant to former Manhattan President Ruth Messenger and Executive Assistant to former NYC Board of Education Chancellor Rudy Crew.  This episode is full of surprises regarding "Six Degrees of Separation" of family and friends. Holman family and people who lives or lived in Fayetteville, NC and Charleston, SC...you will be surprised! It is a wonderful example of the theme of the show "Progress Despite Obstacles".It also answers the question of who and how a Democratic got to advise President Bush on 'No Child Left Behind" legislation enacted by Congress and signed into law by the President. A "must see' for parents with children in public school!  A formula of how Democrats and Republicans can work towards important goals despite differences. This episode is full of surprises regarding "Six Degrees of Separation" of family and friends. Holman family and people who lives or lived in Fayetteville, NC and Charleston, SC...you will be surprised! It is a wonderful example of the theme of the show "Progress Despite Obstacles".It also answers the question of who and how a Democratic got to advise President Bush on 'No Child Left Behind" legislation enacted by Congress and signed into law by the President. A "must see' for parents with children in public school!  A formula of how Democrats and Republicans can work towards important goals despite differences. Produced, directed, edited and hosted by Stephen E Davis

Antoinette Malveaux, Managing Director at Casey Family Programs, joins Chanda to discuss leadership development, social justice, racial equity, and philanthropy's role in driving systemic change. They explore the importance of inclusive leadership, listening, and accountability in creating a more just and equitable world. www.smithbaker.co www.conversationswithchanda.com IG @chandasbaker & @conversationswithchanda Twitter: @chandasbaker

I remember learning about the 2020 Vision in 2007 when I started working in child welfare. It was a new national initiative with the goal of reducing the number of kids in foster care by 50% by the year 2020. I was working with kids aging out and watching the impact of growing up in foster care play out in front of my eyes. I remember being inspired by this initiative and hopeful about its impact. Today's guest is Susan Smith who led the data team at Casey Family Programs for 16 years and was responsible for tracking and reporting on the initiative's progress. As we know, the initiative did not ultimately succeed. Susan and I use the 2020 Vision as a jumping off point to a conversation about what we can learn from the successes and failures of past initiatives. There are a number of national initiatives right now with bold ambitions. What can history teach us about solving and measuring the right problems. You are invited to join the Proximity Podcast Club, a growing community of people supporting one another through their process of becoming who they want to be in this work. We meet every Monday morning at 9am est. Message me, Matt Anderson, on LinkedIn for the meeting link.Please connect with me, Matt Anderson, on LinkedIn - Matt Anderson | LinkedIn

My guests are Sheila Evans-Trannum, former Associate Commissioner of Education for NY State Board of Education, former Chairperson of Casey Family Programs and Education Advisor to President G W Bush and Joyce Johnson, former Joseph E Seagrams Co executive, former Special Assistant to former Manhattan President Ruth Messenger and Executive Assistant to former NYC Board of Education Chancellor Rudy Crew.  This episode is full of surprises regarding "Six Degrees of Separation" of family and friends. Holman family and people who lives or lived in Fayetteville, NC and Charleston, SC...you will be surprised! It is a wonderful example of the theme of the show "Progress Despite Obstacles".It also answers the question of who and how a Democratic got to advise President Bush on 'No Child Left Behind" legislation enacted by Congress and signed into law by the President. A "must see' for parents with children in public school!  A formula of how Democrats and Republicans can work towards important goals despite differences.

Show Notes: Rachel Berger and Will Bachman talk about Rachel's journey since graduating from Harvard. Rachel graduated with a degree in biochemistry and moved to New York City to attend Columbia medical school. She moved to Pittsburgh for her residency and ended up staying for 27 years. After completing her residency, she did a fellowship in general academic pediatrics in Braddock, Pennsylvania.  Rachel took  a job at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh in a new division for child advocacy as a child abuse pediatrician.  She eventually became board certified in the field when it became a subspecialty.  Rachel then advanced in her career to become a tenured professor in 2016. After nine years as the leader of the division of child advocacy, Rachel stepped down in September of 2022 and is now focusing on clinical research and advocacy for children.  Establishing the Child Advocacy Centre Child abuse work in the United States has been around since the mid-1970s, when laws were passed which mandated reporting of child abuse but it wasn't a subspecialty until 2009. Establishing this subspecialty and law to report was in response to the number of children who were abused and sent back into a situation that was often fatal. The Child Advocacy Center was set up at the hospital and  employed physicians, nurses, social workers and forensic interviewers to ensure that this would not happen again. The subspecialty combines expertise in pediatric and orthopedic medicine, as well as knowledge in communicating with criminal courts and family courts to help keep children safe. Unfortunately, it is the most underfunded and understaffed of any pediatric subspecialty in the country. However, there are fellowships and other resources available for medical students and residents interested in this field. Recognising and Reporting Child Abuse Rachel explains that there are several different paths a child may take to get to see a child abuse pediatrician. These may include being referred by a hospital, Child Protective Services (CPS) if the child turns up at the Emergency room. Schools are a major source of reports, as teachers often have a close relationship with the children they are supervising, and can be more likely to spot possible abuse. Sometimes a family member may reach out. If abuse is suspected, the school or other responsible body can call the child abuse pediatrician to access their expertise. Rachel talks about how the specialists determine if abuse is taking or has taken place but they put support and services in place that, hopefully, help the children and family. To help recognise whether a child is the victim of abuse, Rachel suggests checking the TEN-4 FACES P mnemonic to identify any signs of abuse that may be serious.  The Prevalence of Child Abuse While it is difficult to determine the number of abuse cases since most children don't or won't talk about it until they are adults, the official data states that around one in seven girls say they have been victim of sexual abuse before they reached the age of 18. She also states that there is a myth that you can “tell” the perpetrators of abuse, and that parents who abuse their children don't love them. Sometimes, it's anger control issues, or even discipline gone awry. Rachel also reflects on the importance of communication between medical experts and child protective services, social workers, attorneys, and police. This can be difficult because they don't understand the medical information.  She talks about how  the subspecialty of child abuse pediatrics had developed to advocate for children in court. It was seen as a combination of different elements, such as the increasing evidence base and the need for experts to advocate for children. However, there was a concern that other pediatrician reporters may become less involved if the subspecialty was created.  There is concern that this could lead to a dangerous precedent where the responsibility for reporting child abuse cases is removed from other pediatricians because they don't think it's their job to do so.  The advantages of having a child abuse pediatrics subspecialty is that there has been a growth in high quality research, and that the NIH has now funded a child abuse pediatric research network. However, Rachel is concerned that there are not enough people going into this field and that this could lead to a lack of access to people with expertise in this field. She suggests that the high bar of board certification might be discouraging people from people covering a small area of child abuse. Overall, they believe that the subspecialty has been a benefit to children and research, but that there is still a need for more people in this field. Rachel has focused her research on how to better identify physical abuse in its early and mildest forms to prevent catastrophic injury. She mentions the Child Abuse Pediatric Research Network (CAP-NET) as a resource for research and noted that it has numerous projects looking into better ways to identify risk, concerning injury,  and intervene in cases of physical abuse. Rachel explains how electronic records and machine learning can help track and identify cases of abuse across different hospitals, locations, systems, and services.  Socio Economic Factors in Child Abuse Rachel discusses policy surrounding child protection and laws established to do so. Research has proven that fatalities from child abuse are far higher than expected and this has led to the need for protective laws to be passed. She goes on to talk about the difficulty of creating laws that protect both the child and the family from maltreatment or misjudgement, and what she offers suggestions on how the systems could be improved.  She cites decreasing childhood poverty as the major factor in reducing abuse. She explains that 30% of kids in the United States are supported by Medicaid, but 70-80% of children involved in child welfare rely on it. While abuse does occur in wealthier families, it is much more common in lower socioeconomic classes, and neglect is the most common form of child maltreatment. To decrease child abuse, Rachel suggests using the earned income tax credit and housing vouchers as two ways to reduce the impacts of childhood poverty. Rachel shares examples of neglect, such as supervisory neglect, malnourishment, educational neglect, and medical neglect. She discusses physical abuse and sexual abuse, explaining that physical abuse often results in the child being admitted to the hospital for treatment, whereas sexual abuse is seen more often in an outpatient setting. Rachel also noted that sexual abuse often involves someone the child knows and trusts. Overall, the conversation highlighted the prevalence of different forms of child abuse and the need for society to address the issue. Working on The Obama Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities Rachel talks about her position as a research lead on the Obama Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities and why she was selected for the commission. The commission traveled to 17 places in the United States, including at least one Indian Reservation, and talked to different child welfare agencies, hospitals, police, and child advocacy centers. The commission's report focused on different types of child abuse and how communities respond to these situations. She was shocked to discover that communities were not seeking out information from other communities on how they were dealing with situations of abuse despite reports sent out from newspapers around the country about children who had died or nearly died of abuse.  The commission put together a public report at the end, but it wasn't implemented due to the change in presidential administrations. Some of the recommendations from the commission have been implemented by the Casey Family Programs.  Rachel reflects on how powerful the experience was, how it shaped the next step of her career, and how she learned a lot about politics and how it is involved in an area that should be beyond political machinations of the day.  Courses and Professors of Influence Professors mentioned by Rachel include Doug Melton.  Timestamps: 07:42 Child Abuse Referrals and Prevalence  15:15 Myths Surrounding Child Abuse and Navigating External Systems  15:39 The Challenges of Communicating Medical Information to Non-Medical Professionals  17:51 The Evolution of Subspecialty in Child Abuse Pediatrics  24:41 Research in the Field of Child Abuse Pediatrics  28:46 Potential for Machine Learning to Identify High Risk Kids in Medical Records  31:07 Exploring the Benefits of Electronic Health Records in Clinical Practice  34:28 Policy Changes to Better Protect Children from Abuse  39:19 Socioeconomic Distribution of Child Abuse  45:15 Child Maltreatment and Presidential Commissions  CONTACT INFO: rachel.berger@chp.edu Rachelpberger@gmail.com  

In honor of Women's History Month, we will air an encore of our interview with Melissa Merrick, Ph.D. Dr. Merrick is president and CEO of Prevent Child Abuse America (PCA America), the nation's oldest and largest nonprofit organization dedicated to the primary prevention of child abuse and neglect. She has more than 20 years of clinical, research, and leadership experience related to the etiology, course, and prevention of child abuse and neglect. Previously, Dr. Merrick was a senior epidemiologist at the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta. She is recognized as one of the country's foremost experts on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). In partnership with the US Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Child Abuse and Neglect, she served for eight years as the lead scientist for the ACEs study at CDC and is the lead author of CDC's Vital Signs: ACEs, the most nationally representative report on the topic. Dr. Merrick successfully leverages her significant clinical and research experiences to communicate and disseminate the critical public health importance of preventing early adversity to key stakeholders with diverse priorities, backgrounds, and knowledge, including legislators, business and civic leaders, and members of the academic and medical communities. She is one of the principal architects of Thriving Families, Safer Children: A National Commitment to Well-being, which aims to reshape child welfare in the United States by focusing explicitly on equity and prevention. Thriving Families unites PCA America, the Children's Bureau, Annie E. Casey Foundation, and Casey Family Programs, among numerous other local partners, to proactively create the conditions and contexts for strong families and communities across the country.

In honor of Women's History Month, we will air an encore of our interview with Melissa Merrick, Ph.D. Dr. Merrick is president and CEO of Prevent Child Abuse America (PCA America), the nation's oldest and largest nonprofit organization dedicated to the primary prevention of child abuse and neglect. She has more than 20 years of clinical, research, and leadership experience related to the etiology, course, and prevention of child abuse and neglect. Previously, Dr. Merrick was a senior epidemiologist at the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta. She is recognized as one of the country's foremost experts on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). In partnership with the US Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Child Abuse and Neglect, she served for eight years as the lead scientist for the ACEs study at CDC and is the lead author of CDC's Vital Signs: ACEs, the most nationally representative report on the topic. Dr. Merrick successfully leverages her significant clinical and research experiences to communicate and disseminate the critical public health importance of preventing early adversity to key stakeholders with diverse priorities, backgrounds, and knowledge, including legislators, business and civic leaders, and members of the academic and medical communities. She is one of the principal architects of Thriving Families, Safer Children: A National Commitment to Well-being, which aims to reshape child welfare in the United States by focusing explicitly on equity and prevention. Thriving Families unites PCA America, the Children's Bureau, Annie E. Casey Foundation, and Casey Family Programs, among numerous other local partners, to proactively create the conditions and contexts for strong families and communities across the country.

In honor of Women's History Month, we will air an encore of our interview with Melissa Merrick, Ph.D. Dr. Merrick is president and CEO of Prevent Child Abuse America (PCA America), the nation's oldest and largest nonprofit organization dedicated to the primary prevention of child abuse and neglect. She has more than 20 years of clinical, research, and leadership experience related to the etiology, course, and prevention of child abuse and neglect. Previously, Dr. Merrick was a senior epidemiologist at the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta. She is recognized as one of the country's foremost experts on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). In partnership with the US Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Child Abuse and Neglect, she served for eight years as the lead scientist for the ACEs study at CDC and is the lead author of CDC's Vital Signs: ACEs, the most nationally representative report on the topic. Dr. Merrick successfully leverages her significant clinical and research experiences to communicate and disseminate the critical public health importance of preventing early adversity to key stakeholders with diverse priorities, backgrounds, and knowledge, including legislators, business and civic leaders, and members of the academic and medical communities. She is one of the principal architects of Thriving Families, Safer Children: A National Commitment to Well-being, which aims to reshape child welfare in the United States by focusing explicitly on equity and prevention. Thriving Families unites PCA America, the Children's Bureau, Annie E. Casey Foundation, and Casey Family Programs, among numerous other local partners, to proactively create the conditions and contexts for strong families and communities across the country.

Heartwarming, funny yet tremendously informative episode with guest Joyce Johnson, formerJoseph E Seagram Co executive, Executive Assistant for the NYC Board of Education and political candidate and Sheila Evans-Tranumn, former Associate Commissioner of Education of the NY State Board of Education, Democratic Education Advisor to President George W Bush and Chairperson of Board of Casey Family Programs, one of the largest Foundation in the United States. Not only does the discussion revolves around educational policy, it is a lesson in "six degrees of separation"...you never know who your family members are! Produced, directed and hosted by Stephen E Davis.

Join leading social sector CEOs as they discuss the evolving role of their work as “communicator in chief” of their organizations. They'll reflect on lessons from the last two years of disruption and the power and need for effective communications. Panelists: William C. Bell of Casey Family Programs, Carmen Rojas of the Marguerite Casey Foundation, and Caryl Stern of The Walton Family Foundation. Moderated by and produced in partnership with Stacy Palmer of The Chronicle Philanthropy.

Melissa T. Merrick, Ph.D., is President and CEO of Prevent Child Abuse America (PCA America), the nation's oldest and largest nonprofit organization dedicated to the primary prevention of child abuse and neglect. She has more than 20 years of clinical, research, and leadership experience related to the etiology, course, and prevention of child abuse and neglect. Previously, Dr. Merrick was a senior epidemiologist at the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta. She is recognized as one of the country's foremost experts on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). In partnership with the US Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Child Abuse and Neglect, she served for eight years as the lead scientist for the ACEs study at CDC and is the lead author of CDC's Vital Signs: ACEs, the most nationally representative report on the topic. Dr. Merrick successfully leverages her significant clinical and research experiences to communicate and disseminate the critical public health importance of preventing early adversity to key stakeholders with diverse priorities, backgrounds, and knowledge, including legislators, business and civic leaders, and members of the academic and medical communities. She is one of the principal architects of Thriving Families, Safer Children: A National Commitment to Well-being, which aims to reshape child welfare in the United States by focusing explicitly on equity and prevention. Thriving Families unites PCA America, the Children's Bureau, Annie E. Casey Foundation, and Casey Family Programs, among numerous other local partners, to proactively create the conditions and contexts for strong families and communities across the country.

Melissa T. Merrick, Ph.D., is President and CEO of Prevent Child Abuse America (PCA America), the nation's oldest and largest nonprofit organization dedicated to the primary prevention of child abuse and neglect. She has more than 20 years of clinical, research, and leadership experience related to the etiology, course, and prevention of child abuse and neglect. Previously, Dr. Merrick was a senior epidemiologist at the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta. She is recognized as one of the country's foremost experts on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). In partnership with the US Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Child Abuse and Neglect, she served for eight years as the lead scientist for the ACEs study at CDC and is the lead author of CDC's Vital Signs: ACEs, the most nationally representative report on the topic. Dr. Merrick successfully leverages her significant clinical and research experiences to communicate and disseminate the critical public health importance of preventing early adversity to key stakeholders with diverse priorities, backgrounds, and knowledge, including legislators, business and civic leaders, and members of the academic and medical communities. She is one of the principal architects of Thriving Families, Safer Children: A National Commitment to Well-being, which aims to reshape child welfare in the United States by focusing explicitly on equity and prevention. Thriving Families unites PCA America, the Children's Bureau, Annie E. Casey Foundation, and Casey Family Programs, among numerous other local partners, to proactively create the conditions and contexts for strong families and communities across the country.

Melissa T. Merrick, Ph.D., is President and CEO of Prevent Child Abuse America (PCA America), the nation's oldest and largest nonprofit organization dedicated to the primary prevention of child abuse and neglect. She has more than 20 years of clinical, research, and leadership experience related to the etiology, course, and prevention of child abuse and neglect. Previously, Dr. Merrick was a senior epidemiologist at the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta. She is recognized as one of the country's foremost experts on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). In partnership with the US Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Child Abuse and Neglect, she served for eight years as the lead scientist for the ACEs study at CDC and is the lead author of CDC's Vital Signs: ACEs, the most nationally representative report on the topic. Dr. Merrick successfully leverages her significant clinical and research experiences to communicate and disseminate the critical public health importance of preventing early adversity to key stakeholders with diverse priorities, backgrounds, and knowledge, including legislators, business and civic leaders, and members of the academic and medical communities. She is one of the principal architects of Thriving Families, Safer Children: A National Commitment to Well-being, which aims to reshape child welfare in the United States by focusing explicitly on equity and prevention. Thriving Families unites PCA America, the Children's Bureau, Annie E. Casey Foundation, and Casey Family Programs, among numerous other local partners, to proactively create the conditions and contexts for strong families and communities across the country.

Today's podcast discusses the role of Parent Partners in the children's mental health system. According to United Parents, a nonprofit focused on the concept of “parents helping parents”, a Parent Partner is a “clinically supervised para-professional who has raised a child with a mental, emotional or behavioral disorder. They understand the frustration, being blamed, losing hope, losing patience and all the challenges that go with raising children with mental health needs”.  Casey Family Programs, a national nonprofit influencing policy change to better the lives of children, notes there is an inherent power differential between families served and those serving them. The power gaps are socioeconomic, educational and systemic in nature. The clinician or case worker will always hold more power in the relationship when only one side is sharing personal details and subject to mandated child abuse reporting, despite the best efforts of therapists to engage clients with empathy and authenticity. Casey Family Programs writes, “one innovative approach that has emerged over the past decade is the use of peer mentors, or Parent Partners, who serve to bridge the gap between … parents and a complex, often challenging, and overwhelming system”.  In this episode, Patricia speaks with two staff members of The Guidance Center, Irving Martinez, a licensed clinical social worker from our Compton Clinic and supervisor to The Guidance Center's team of Parent Partners and Arlene Escobar, a Parent Partner supporting families and engaging in client outreach from our Long Beach clinic.  In My Backyard is brought to you by The Guidance Center, a children's mental health agency in Long Beach, CA. In My Backyard is produced by Tricia Costales and Matthew Murray. Thank you to Jay Vincent B for original music. All other music licensed through SoundStripe. Thank you to our listeners and supporters. Please visit tgclb.org or text HOPE to 562-262-5689 to make a one-time donation or join our Hope and Healing Club to become a monthly donor today. And subscribe to In My Backyard on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.

WE GOT US NOW #KeepFamiliesConnected campaign series ⭐ WELCOME to Season 2 of the WE GOT US NOW Podcast series. For our 4th annual #KeepFamiliesConnected multimedia campaign series that runs from Mother's Day through Father's Day this year WE will highlight directly impacted advocates as well as allies in the work to reform the criminal legal system and create a fair and just society that seeks to keep families connected. S2 | EP 4: CHRISTINE NORBUT BEYER ~ POWERFUL FAMILIES, POWERFUL COMMUNITIES Christine Norbut Beyer, MSW has been Commissioner of the NJ Department of Children and Families since 2018. She is redefining the agency as a prevention-focused, child and family serving department, with a vision to help keep all New Jerseyans safe, healthy and connected. Under her leadership, the Department of Children and Families has reduced out of home removals and made historic investments in children's mental health. Some of her ground-breaking initiatives include, preventing maltreatment and promoting strong families pioneering constituent voices including amplifying youth voices, increasing kinship and familiar placements, supporting evidence-based, data-driven contracting; reducing staff safety incidents; evolving the integrated, inclusive system of care for children with behavioral and developmental diagnoses; promoting ACEs prevention, and transforming child welfare. Prior to her appointment, Ms. Beyer served as a Senior Director and Strategic Consultant at Casey Family Programs, a national child welfare foundation, focused on improving outcomes for children and families. In her capacity as a national child welfare consultant, she supported the efforts of public child welfare agencies, the judiciary and governors in creating better outcomes for at-risk children and families and had the opportunity to delve deeply into the areas of brain science, ACEs, and trauma-informed care and the intersection with child welfare. These are policy areas she continues to pursue at the Department of Children and Families. Commissioner Beyer and her staff at NJ DCF is an ally of WE GOT US NOW. #WeGotUsNow #ChristineNorbutBeyer #NJDCF #NJCommissioner #DepartmentofChildrenandFamilies #ChildWelfareSystem #PowerfulFamiliesPowerfulCommunities #FortheKids #FortheFuture #ChildrenwithIncarceratedParents #KinshipCare #ParentsBehindBars #WeGotUsNowCommunity #WeGotUsNowAllies #WeGotUsNowPodcast FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO www.WEGOTUSNOW.org | Instagram @WE_GOTUSNOW | Twitter: @WE_GOTUSNOW

May 27, 2022: A Note from Marguerita Cheng, CFP® Pro — I invite you to tune in for this week's episode of my podcast and video show, Margaritas with Marguerita, where for 15 minutes each Friday at 5:15 pm EST, we learn from industry experts how to flex our financial muscles live on Facebook.  Meet our guest: Elaine Chu, Senior Philanthropic Advisor at Seattle Foundation Today's Topic: Community foundations and collective impact Rita asks: How did you get involved in Seattle Foundation, and how did you become interested in philanthropy? What does the Seattle Foundation do? Are there benefits to someone opening a fund at a community foundation than just giving individually? How has COVID impacted the foundation? The community? About Elaine Chu: As Senior Philanthropic Advisor at Seattle Foundation, Elaine leads with a diversity, equity, and inclusion lens. She provides strategic consulting to  100+ impact-driven individuals and families to achieve their philanthropic goals, align their giving priorities, and develop trusted community relationships between nonprofits and donors.  She also manages the Foundation's Scholarships Program and Youth Grantmaking Board. Elaine started her career in nonprofit at a grassroots housing organization focused on providing workshops to educate tenants on their rights around evictions.  She has over 20 years of nonprofit experience in relationship building and development, focusing on youth development and education.  Before Seattle Foundation, she held positions with YouthCare, Seattle Housing Authority, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and Casey Family Programs. Elaine holds two Bachelor of Arts degrees (Business and Political Science) and a Master in Public Administration, both from the University of Washington.  Her volunteer and community work includes serving as Board of Trustees Chair for Green River College, a Governor appointed position and being on the executive leadership committee for the Washington State Opportunity Scholarship.   She was awarded the National Women's Political Caucus Heroine Award and Northwest Asian Weekly Foundation's Community Award. Click here to connect with Elaine on LinkedIn! Join us this and every Friday at 5 pm EST on Facebook Live: facebook.com/hopekatzgibbs Watch all of our episodes: www.MargueritaCheng.tv.

This week is Nurses Week – a time for all of us to reflect on the contributions that nurses make to our society. During this important time of observance for one of our most valued professions in caring for those most in need, we invited Dr. Sharrica Miller to join us for an important conversation.  Dr. Miller is a Cal State University, Fullerton nursing professor who teaches several nursing classes, including pediatrics, writing, research, and mentoring. But she brings more into her classroom than just her vast knowledge and experience in nursing; Dr. Miller also shares the 12 years she spent in the foster care system. This period left an indelible impression on her, and she decided that once she made it out of the foster care system, she would reach back and help others.  To that aim, she has become a national leader in helping nurses use their platform to advocate for vulnerable populations in the community. Casey Family Programs recently awarded Dr. Miller with the 2021 Casey Excellence Award, a national recognition for her work with foster youth in several organizations, including California Youth Connection. Dr. Sharrica Miller is not only a nurse educator, renowned public speaker, and DEI strategist --- she is a servant leader and advocate for the most vulnerable in our society.   Episode Bookmarks: 01:25 Reflections on Nurses Week and Introduction to Sharrica Miller, PhD, RN 02:25 National recognition for her service in helping children transition out of foster care 03:25 The hardship and instability of Dr. Miller's childhood and how she broke the intergenerational cycle of disadvantage 05:35 Determination to take control of her life once emancipated from the foster care system 06:20 A mission in service to others as an advocate began when gaining custody of her siblings as a young adult 07:30 Lessons in mentorship that inspired her to “speak for those who can't” and how COVID-19 impacted the foster care system 09:20 The promise of education in breaking the cycle of poverty and despair (“Education was my ticket to freedom.”) 11:00 How the learning environment and minority representation at Howard University propelled her to success 12:00 The importance of mentorship and creation of “safe spaces” on college campuses for minority nursing students 12:40 “Nursing programs need to be actively anti-racist to identify structural barriers.  It is not enough to just value diversity.” 14:00 Why representation from minorities is so important in Higher Education 15:00 Overcoming a victimhood mindset brought about by old emotional pain through hardship 16:30 “You must develop an internal locus of control.  You can either change your perspective of a problem or change your situation.” 18:40 Inspiration from Eckhart Tolle in overcoming a victim mentality by stopping "pain-bodies"that control our thinking. 19:40 The dangers of over-internalizing success or failure 21:30 “In preparing to lead transformational change, you must first do the work inside. That allows you to show up with the stamina to fail forward.” 23:20 Using failure as a learning opportunity to adapt one's approach to change management 24:30 The plight of racial injustice in our society and the disparities that are built into the American healthcare system 26:00 “Minorities are expected to be majority by 2050.  We need to think about this in preparing the healthcare workforce for tomorrow.” 28:00 “Teaching nursing students about Social Determinants of Health can actually do harm if we only teach at the surface level.” 29:00 “Racism is a social determinant of health.” 30:00 A recent study confirming that racism exists in nursing (63% of nurses have experience acts of racism in the workplace) 31:30 Dr. Miller discusses the history of racism in nursing and how leadership should addresses reported incidents of “Nursing while Black” 35:00 Addressing the “race card” response when attempting to...

Melissa T. Merrick, Ph.D., is President and CEO of Prevent Child Abuse America (PCA America), the nation's oldest and largest nonprofit organization dedicated to the primary prevention of child abuse and neglect. She has more than 20 years of clinical, research, and leadership experience related to the etiology, course, and prevention of child abuse and neglect. Previously, Dr. Merrick was a senior epidemiologist at the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta. She is recognized as one of the country's foremost experts on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). In partnership with the US Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Child Abuse and Neglect, she served for eight years as the lead scientist for the ACEs study at CDC and is the lead author of CDC's Vital Signs: ACEs, the most nationally representative report on the topic. Dr. Merrick successfully leverages her significant clinical and research experiences to communicate and disseminate the critical public health importance of preventing early adversity to key stakeholders with diverse priorities, backgrounds, and knowledge, including legislators, business and civic leaders, and members of the academic and medical communities. She is one of the principal architects of Thriving Families, Safer Children: A National Commitment to Well-being, which aims to reshape child welfare in the United States by focusing explicitly on equity and prevention. Thriving Families unites PCA America, the Children's Bureau, Annie E. Casey Foundation, and Casey Family Programs, among numerous other local partners, to proactively create the conditions and contexts for strong families and communities across the country.

Melissa T. Merrick, Ph.D., is President and CEO of Prevent Child Abuse America (PCA America), the nation's oldest and largest nonprofit organization dedicated to the primary prevention of child abuse and neglect. She has more than 20 years of clinical, research, and leadership experience related to the etiology, course, and prevention of child abuse and neglect. Previously, Dr. Merrick was a senior epidemiologist at the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta. She is recognized as one of the country's foremost experts on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). In partnership with the US Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Child Abuse and Neglect, she served for eight years as the lead scientist for the ACEs study at CDC and is the lead author of CDC's Vital Signs: ACEs, the most nationally representative report on the topic. Dr. Merrick successfully leverages her significant clinical and research experiences to communicate and disseminate the critical public health importance of preventing early adversity to key stakeholders with diverse priorities, backgrounds, and knowledge, including legislators, business and civic leaders, and members of the academic and medical communities. She is one of the principal architects of Thriving Families, Safer Children: A National Commitment to Well-being, which aims to reshape child welfare in the United States by focusing explicitly on equity and prevention. Thriving Families unites PCA America, the Children's Bureau, Annie E. Casey Foundation, and Casey Family Programs, among numerous other local partners, to proactively create the conditions and contexts for strong families and communities across the country.

Melissa T. Merrick, Ph.D., is President and CEO of Prevent Child Abuse America (PCA America), the nation's oldest and largest nonprofit organization dedicated to the primary prevention of child abuse and neglect. She has more than 20 years of clinical, research, and leadership experience related to the etiology, course, and prevention of child abuse and neglect. Previously, Dr. Merrick was a senior epidemiologist at the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta. She is recognized as one of the country's foremost experts on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). In partnership with the US Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Child Abuse and Neglect, she served for eight years as the lead scientist for the ACEs study at CDC and is the lead author of CDC's Vital Signs: ACEs, the most nationally representative report on the topic. Dr. Merrick successfully leverages her significant clinical and research experiences to communicate and disseminate the critical public health importance of preventing early adversity to key stakeholders with diverse priorities, backgrounds, and knowledge, including legislators, business and civic leaders, and members of the academic and medical communities. She is one of the principal architects of Thriving Families, Safer Children: A National Commitment to Well-being, which aims to reshape child welfare in the United States by focusing explicitly on equity and prevention. Thriving Families unites PCA America, the Children's Bureau, Annie E. Casey Foundation, and Casey Family Programs, among numerous other local partners, to proactively create the conditions and contexts for strong families and communities across the country.

Melissa T. Merrick, Ph.D., is President and CEO of Prevent Child Abuse America (PCA America), the nation's oldest and largest nonprofit organization dedicated to the primary prevention of child abuse and neglect. She has more than 20 years of clinical, research, and leadership experience related to the etiology, course, and prevention of child abuse and neglect. Previously, Dr. Merrick was a senior epidemiologist at the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta. She is recognized as one of the country's foremost experts on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). In partnership with the US Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Child Abuse and Neglect, she served for eight years as the lead scientist for the ACEs study at CDC and is the lead author of CDC's Vital Signs: ACEs, the most nationally representative report on the topic. Dr. Merrick successfully leverages her significant clinical and research experiences to communicate and disseminate the critical public health importance of preventing early adversity to key stakeholders with diverse priorities, backgrounds, and knowledge, including legislators, business and civic leaders, and members of the academic and medical communities. She is one of the principal architects of Thriving Families, Safer Children: A National Commitment to Well-being, which aims to reshape child welfare in the United States by focusing explicitly on equity and prevention. Thriving Families unites PCA America, the Children's Bureau, Annie E. Casey Foundation, and Casey Family Programs, among numerous other local partners, to proactively create the conditions and contexts for strong families and communities across the country.

This podcast interview focuses on product innovation that has the power to make change to the effectiveness and fairness of our justice system. My guest is Jacqueline Schafer, Founder, and CEO of ClearBrief.Jacqueline began her career as a litigation associate at the New York law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton, & Garrison, and spent the majority of her career as an Assistant Attorney General in the Washington and Alaska Attorney General's Offices, where she specialized in appellate practice and complex litigation. Before joining the startup world, Jacqueline also served as in-house counsel for the national nonprofit Casey Family Programs, where she negotiated agreements with state courts across the country and managed impact litigation. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania and cum laude from Boston University School of Law. Today she's the Founder and CEO of Clearbrief, a legal tech startup that's on a mission to transform the legal writing process and create a fairer justice system.And that inspired me - and hence I invited Jacqueline to my podcast. We explore what's broken in the legal tech market. That the focus is too much on the process, and not on the outcome - a more just legal system. Jacqueline shares her vision for the Justice system and how she's carefully architecting a product that's both sticky for its users, has strong network effects, and an ability to create a fairer justice system for all of us. She talks about the biggest hurdles she had to overcome - and what's been critical in her eyes to create a remarkable software business that has staying power. Here are some of her quotes:"I was doing a pro bono asylum case, representing a woman and her toddler, and in those cases, it really comes down to a final hearing, and it's life or death for these individuals. And so, there was a moment at that hearing where I saw the judge was not inclined to find in favor of my clients. But I pointed him to a sentence in my brief, which was a 50-page intense legal document. That was what convinced the judge. He looked at the evidence, he looked at that report, in the context of my argument, and we won the case." During this interview, you will learn four things:Why you should develop a strong evidence skill and avoid taking shortcuts in finding product-market-fit. How to build a product that has staying power with its core users and put a smile on their face - every single day.Why it's key to connect the dots to the larger impacts we're aspiring to understand the true problem we're solving.How to introduce meaningful change to an industry that's not changed in decades.For more information about the guest from this week:Jacqueline SchaferWebsite ClearbriefSubscribe to Value Inspiration on Friday'sA weekly musing on how to shape the B2B SaaS business your customers just keep talking about.Learn from the most inspiring ideas I've encountered or explored this week that could help you find new ways to stand out, eliminate the need to compete on price, and make tangible progress in creating a SaaS business your customers would miss if it were gone.Subscribe here See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to our podcast. This episode will take a closer look at this week's child welfare blog post, focused on why public policy goals should be set through democratic processes, not by private foundations, such as in 2011 when Casey Family Programs unilaterally established a national goal to safely reduce the number of children in foster care by 50%. Since then they have spent $193.1 million to promote this and their related objectives, including $5.3 million in Minnesota. How do we know when foster care can be avoided safely, and is 50% the right number? Join us for this important discussion on foster care and public policy decision-making. Please call in or comment with your thoughts or questions. Safe Passage for Children's mission is to strengthen the Minnesota child welfare system so children are safe and can reach their full potential. If you know someone who cares about children, be sure to share this podcast with them. This week we held our annual fall fundraising event, this year a virtual gathering. View the presentation and find out more here: https://safepassageforchildren.org/events/fall-fundraiser-virtual-gathering-2021/ Visit our website: www.safepassageforchildren.org --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/safe-passage-for-children/message

Coming hot off of a $3.5M fundraising round, Jacqueline Schafer joined LegalTechLIVE to share her experience as a practicing lawyer turned #legaltech founder. Here's a little background on the impressive pedigree of Jacqueline Schafer: Jacqueline began her career as a litigation associate at the New York law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton, & Garrison, and spent much of career as an Assistant Attorney General in the Washington and Alaska Attorney General's Offices, where she specialized in appellate practice and complex litigation. Before joining the startup world and founding Clearbrief, Jacqueline also served as Senior Director, Program Counsel for the national child welfare nonprofit Casey Family Programs, negotiating agreements with courts across the country and managing litigation and amicus efforts in impact litigation. Jacqueline was recognized by VentureBeat as one of four semi-finalists for the 2020 Women in AI Rising Star award for founding ClearBrief, as well as for her Dec 2020 law review article describing how AI and natural language processing (NLP) will transform courts and government social services. We won't tell you the story that changed how Jacqueline started to think about clarity and facts that led to the creation of Clearbrief... you'll want to catch that story in in the episode. Clearbrief allows you to know the record inside and out. The only tool that instantly finds and links to the best record documents (facts and evidence) to support each sentence in the brief, while you write! All while using #NLP. More about Jacqueline Schafer & Clearbrief: Jacqueline Schafer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackiesch.... Jacqueline Schafer on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jackiegschafer. Clearbrief on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Clearbriefai. Clearbrief website: https://clearbrief.com/. #startups

The Black Fundraisers' Podcast was founded in 2021 by Kia Croom, a 20-year nonprofit fund development professional and DEI champion. Learn more about Kia Croom at www.kiacroom.com. Email the Black Fundraisers' Podcast at Blackfundraiserspodcast@gmail.com for show ideas, inquiries, advertising and more. Subscribe to the Black Fundraisers' Podcast wherever podcasts are available Connect with us on IG & Youtube @Blackfundraiserspodcast ABOUT THIS EPISODE'S GUEST The Honorable Regina B. Schofield is Director of Corporate Engagement and Education Outreach for Battelle. Prior to her position with Battelle, Ms. Schofield was employed with Casey Family Programs and transformed Casey's approach by integrating policies and data from state-level stakeholders with broader, national public policy objectives at the federal level. Before joining Casey, Ms. Schofield was nominated by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as Assistant Attorney General (AAG) for the Office of Justice Programs at the U.S. Department of Justice. As AAG, she served as the nation's AMBER Alert Coordinator and instituted Wireless Amber Alerts and Amber Alerts in Native American Communities. She oversaw a range of federal programs, including Project Safe Childhood, the Prisoner Reentry Initiative, and the White House Initiative on Helping America's Youth, among many other programs. Before her appointment as Assistant Attorney General, Ms. Schofield was Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and White House Liaison at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In this dual capacity, she served as the Secretary's senior advisor on all state, local, and tribal issues regarding HHS policies and programs, and she was the primary personnel link between HHS and the White House. She received her MBA from Jackson State University and her bachelor's degree in business administration from Mississippi College. This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

The drive to reshape child welfare in the United States into a system with a greater focus on prevention and equity can not—and must not—involve the child welfare system alone. Stronger community partnerships and leadership at all levels are crucial to promoting family and community well-being. The Children’s Bureau, Casey Family Programs, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and Prevent Child Abuse America have joined with parents, youth, and community organizations in their new initiative called, Thriving Families, Safer Children: A National Commitment to Well-Being. The goal of this partnership, which spans the public, private, and philanthropic sectors, is to assist jurisdictions in creating a more just and equitable child and family well-being system that benefits all children and families and breaks harmful intergenerational cycles of trauma and poverty. This episode is the second in a two-part series featuring conversations with leaders of the national organizations partnering with the Children’s Bureau. It focuses on implementing the Thriving Families, Safer Children effort, including guidance for how agency leaders can review their policies and tactics to evolve toward a more just and equitable child welfare system.

The drive to reshape child welfare in the United States into a system with greater focus on prevention and equity cannot—and must not—involve the child welfare system alone. Stronger community partnerships and leadership at all levels are crucial to promoting family and community well-being. The Children’s Bureau, Casey Family Programs, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and Prevent Child Abuse America have joined with parents, youth, and community organizations in their new initiative called, Thriving Families, Safer Children: A National Commitment to Well-Being. This episode is the first in a two-part series featuring conversations with leaders of the national organizations partnering with the Children’s Bureau. The episode includes a deeper description of the Thriving Families, Safer Children effort; discusses the characteristics that lead to successful partnerships; and emphasizes the important role family voice has in shaping change.

Today’s show features Khush Cooper, MSW, Ph.D. Dr. Cooper (or simply, Khush) is an adjunct professor of social work at UCLA and the CEO of Implematix, a firm committed to changing the human services landscape by providing innovations that cause people, organizations and communities to thrive. Khush’s work is driven by her commitment to support “children on the margins” to lead, including children in foster care and LGBTQ youth. In today’s engaging discussion, Khush and Dr. Fred share insights on:The tangible expression of Khush’s commitment to supporting humanity’s evolutionWhat it means to work with children “on the margins”—including what happens when they thriveHow young transgender children regard gender differently than adults (including trans adults)What foster youth “see” about the construct of familyLinguistics as a tool to connect with others, and to create new worldsKhush’s reorienting shift from a focus on accomplishment to commitment Moving from “us vs. them” to an inclusive “we”Leadership as a practice, rather than a positionWhat Khush sees that’s working in the worldEpisode Length: 00:46:52 DR. COOPER’S RESOURCESLinkedIn >  www.linkedin.com/in/khush-cooper-msw-ph-d-74b10620/Dr. Khush Cooper’s Bio > see bottom of post ALSO MENTIONED ON TODAY’S SHOW > Quote > “At the edge of chaos, unexpected outcomes occur. The risk to survival is severe.” —Michael Chrichton, The Lost WorldArticle by Dr. Fred > Global Madness: What Must Happen To Unite? WELCOME TO HUMANITY RESOURCESPodcast Website >  www.welcometohumanity.net/podcast PURCHASE DR. FRED’S BOOK (paperback or Kindle) > Creative 8: Healing Through Creativity & Self-Expression by Dr. Fred Moss www.amazon.com/Creative-Healing-Through-Creativity-Self-Expression/dp/B088N7YVMG FEEDBACK  > welcometohumanity.net/contact DR. KHUSH COOPER’S BIO >Khush Cooper, MSW, PhD. is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs as well as a consultant to public child welfare systems and private child welfare organizations in the areas of foster care reform, LGBTQ youth in systems, implementation science, and leadership. Dr. Cooper teaches Child Welfare Research, Leadership, Public Policy for Children and Youth, and Macro Practice at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs at UCLA and is a foster care subject matter advisor to the UCLA Williams Institute, a nationally renowned LGBT research and policy analysis center. She received her MSW (2000) and PhD (2010) in Social Work from Luskin. On the consulting side, as a social entrepreneur and specialist in implementation science, Dr. Cooper is the CEO of Implematix, a firm which assists government and private agencies to become agile in the ways in which they conceive, plan, execute and measure their innovation work in a rapidly changing world. She has cultivated long-standing relationships with policymakers, leading practitioners, and consumers to shield and guide California’s child welfare organizations, both public and private, through reform initiatives. Her credibility in the child welfare field is further enhanced by her years of direct practice experience in foster care, residential treatment and community adolescent service settings. She has deployed performance management systems for large multi-site child welfare and mental health provision organizations; designed practical implementation support and readiness initiatives with regard to state and federal legislative mandates and currently is an adjunct member of the Implementation Collaborative within Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago as well as CQI subject matter expert utilized widely by Casey Family Programs.

Maria Cristina Fuentes was already used to changing the world after six years in Washington, D.C. where she served President George W. Bush in the U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Department of Justice. She also served in the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, working to help states across the country develop and establish their own faith-based initiatives. Following that, she worked at Casey Family Programs to provide and improve -- and ultimately prevent the need for -- foster care. This all prepared her for her current position as Director of the Arizona Office of Youth, Faith and Family, where her team works with issues ranging from substance abuse prevention to human trafficking, sexual & domestic violence, juvenile justice, and child well-being. GOYFF also serves as the Governor's faith-based office and administers the state's AmeriCorps program. Learn how she is leading the effort to strengthen the health and safety of Arizona's communities. Original air date: November 19, 2020 To learn more about the Governor's Office of Youth, Faith and Family, click here: https://goyff.az.gov/content/about-goyff See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meet Margie Hunt of Casey Family Programs. In this conversation, we'll talk all about how the relationship between foster parent and biological parents can transform the foster care experience for a child and the simple steps you can take to start building the bridge. For more information, please visit: https://tidewaterffc.org/fcanextsteps/ Presented by Tidewater Friends of Foster Care In partnership with The Barry Robinson Center Hosted by Audra Bullock and Erin Lindstrom

Elspeth Kirkman is responsible for BIT’s work on health, education, and local government. Prior to this role, she oversaw the establishment and growth of BIT’s North American office from New York. She has taught behavioral science at Harvard, acts as an expert advisor to a number of global institutions, and serves as a Senior Fellow for Casey Family Programs, advising on the applications of behavioral and decision science to child welfare systems. Prior to joining BIT in 2013, Elspeth was a management consultant working with government clients around the world. Due to some technical challenges, we weren’t able to record a full hour of conversation. However, in the time we had available we discussed how important models can be in helping us solve problems, especially the COM-B model. (COM-B focuses on three aspects of behavior change and they are Capability, Opportunity and Motivation.) We also discussed the central pillars for good application of behavioral science. Elspeth used words like, “context” and “pragmatism” and “actual impact” and it made us happy to hear those words. Finally, we talked about the future of behavioral science and Elspeth laid out a couple of important themes. On one hand, she suggested we study behavioral sciences in order to integrate the findings into the mainstreams of business and government policy. On the other hand, she imagines a future with more crossover of behavioral science with fields like AI and how Quantitative and Qualitative tools might work better together. We hope you enjoy our conversation with Elspeth as much as we did! © 2020 Behavioral Grooves   Links Elspeth Kirkman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elspethkirkman/ And…https://www.bi.team/people/elspeth-kirkman/ Co-Author with Michael Hallsworth: “Behavioral Insights” book: https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/behavioral-insights Katy Milkman Episode # 99 “Behavior Change for Good”: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/katy-milkman-behavior-change-for-good/ EAST Framework: https://www.bi.team/publications/east-four-simple-ways-to-apply-behavioural-insights/ COM-B Model: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3096582/     Musical Links Joni Mitchell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAxjPfWOiqI Smashing Pumpkins: https://www.smashingpumpkins.com/ Violent Femmes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHapDS2fcFE James Taylor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfJWqjoekow Rolling Stones: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kl6q_9qZOs Paul Simon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fmf9ZJ_Yn0A David Bowie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZ_wnJSRFso Michael Jackson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOnqjkJTMaA U2 “Achtung, Baby”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdXczOeDVbw U2 “Joshua Tree”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AOQysQKE8A

COVID-19 Impacts on the Kentucky Child Welfare Community: A Public Health Crisis Meets a Vulnerable System This week on our Advocate Virtual Forum, we share report findings and facilitate conversations on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the child welfare system. In the spring, Kentucky Youth Advocates, in partnership with Casey Family Programs, set out to get a better understanding of how the public health crisis was impacting young people who are foster or kinship alumni, biological parents, kinship caregivers, foster parents, and service providers that interact with the child welfare system through a series of interviews, focus groups, and online surveys.

For this episode, we have the beautiful and fearless woman in our studio, Louise Grasmehr. Louise is a powerful business woman and an impactful influencer in her area of work. She currently heads LMG Public Relations, LLC, a strategic communications consulting firm in Los Angeles. Her firm specializes in crisis communications and messagingfor public and agency policy, as well as branding, change management, executive coaching and communications strategy.Louise herself is a National Strategic Consultant for Casey Family Programs, the country’s largest operating foundation focused on safely reducing the need for foster care across America. Louise assiststhe foundation and agencies throughout the country with its mission to provide, improve, and ultimately prevent the need for, foster care. Prior to starting out on her own, Louise previously served as the Director of Communications for the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, the largest child welfare agency in the country. She has over 25 years of experience in journalism and communications, working in newspapers, magazines, Fortune 500 corporations, government, and non-profit organizations. Her career includes 17 years working in the field of national child welfare, helping organizations and executives with advocacy, strategic communications and thought leadership. On her spare time, Louise also is a social media influencer with an engaging blog and Instagram handle known as “Cursing Ballerina”.From her blog name, you can guess, Louise also has a passion for ballet as well as giving women over 40s fun fashion and lifestyle advice. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

During this episode, Sue Badeau and I discuss: ways to build a positive relationship with birth families, how to work with difficult bio families and how to prepare our kids for reunification.  Susan Badeau (Sue) writes and speaks extensively on topics related to children, particularly those with special needs and is a frequent and passionate keynote speaker and workshop leader at state, regional and national conferences.  Sue and her husband, Hector, are the lifetime parents of twenty-two children, two by birth and twenty adopted (three, with terminal illnesses, are now deceased).  They have also served as foster parents for more than 50 children in three states, and as a host family for refugee youth from Sudan, Kosovo and Guatemala.  Recently, their 35th grandchild and fourth great-grandchild were born.  They have won numerous awards for their work, including being recognized by President Clinton with an ?Adoption Excellence? award, and receiving an ?Angels in Adoption? award from Congress ? both of these awards were for their work on behalf of adoption and children in foster care.  The Badeau family children come from many ethnicities and personal backgrounds. Some children were adopted at birth; others were teenagers when they joined the family. Some are from the United States; others are from countries around the world. Some have mental, physical, intellectual, or emotional challenges.  Active in Summit Presbyterian church, Sue and Hector have always found the motivation, strength and guidance for their life and work in their faith, particularly in Matthew 18:5-6, James 1:27,  and Luke 18: 6-7.  In addition to their own children, Hector and Sue have served as surrogate parents for countless neighborhood and church children. Hector was recently named one of West Mt. Airy (Philadelphia) Neighbor's 50 Good Neighbors because of his charitable work in the community and with the youth of the community.  Active in community efforts on behalf of children and families with special needs at many levels, Sue has particular passion and expertise around a number of topic areas, including the impact of trauma on children?s development, the importance of respite and self-care for caregivers and professionals alike, achieving permanence for older adolescents, the importance of the sibling bond, the lifelong value of birth family connections for foster and adopted children.  In addition, she has a strong belief that the multiple systems and the community supports in which children and families become involved ? child welfare, courts, education, mental health, physical health, developmental disabilities, schools, churches, neighborhood organizations,  etc ? must learn to better communicate and collaborate to best serve children and families.   Susan Badeau has a degree in Early Child Development and Elementary Education from Smith College.  She has worked in child-serving fields as a professional for thirty three years working in adoption, foster care, juvenile justice, children?s mental health and education in both public and private agencies.  She has developed curricula on many topics used to prepare professional child welfare staff, adoptive and foster parents, judges, attorneys and youth.  Past positions have included serving as Director of the Cross Systems Integration team within the Knowledge Management department of Casey Family Programs, as a Senior Fellow within the Department of Justice, Executive Director of the Philadelphia Children?s Commission (focused on all aspects of children?s health and well-being in the city of Philadelphia) and as the Deputy Director of the Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care. In addition, she had been a policy consultant for public and private agencies, universities and court systems.  Sue serves on national boards of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN), the North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC), National Center for Youth in Custody, All Children, All Families, and Justice for Families. As a speaker and writer she is a member of the Advanced Speakers and Writers Association (AWSA) and the Christian Communicators Conference (CCC). Sue Badeau's Website Sue Badeau's Books

This episode celebrates the work of John Emerson, Casey Family Programs.

Reasonable Efforts: A Judicial Perspective (2014, hardcover, 461 pages) by Judge Leonard Edwards, publication made possible by the generous support of the Casey Family Programs and Philanthropic Ventures Foundation. To view on a PC, download the free Adobe Digital Editions.

JANIVA MAGNESS returns to WoodSongs on the heels of FOUR major Blues Awards for 2011 including: BB King Entertainer Of The Year, Album Of The Year, Contemporary Blues Female Artist Of The Year, and Contemporary Blue Album Of The Year. Although Magness is now a bona fide blues star, her rise to the top was far from easy. She has been performing for almost three decades, logging thousands of miles on the road and appearing 150 nights a year at clubs, theaters and festivals all over the world. Janiva and her full band will be supporting her latest CD on Alligator Records called "The Devil Is An Angel Too." In addition to her musical accomplishments, Magness is reaching out to help others. She is a National Spokesperson for Casey Family Programs (her fourth consecutive year), promoting National Foster Care Month. THE HONEY DEWDROPS make their home in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Charlottesville, Virginia. Laura Wortman and Kagey Parrish have been playing music in some capacity for over 15 years, but honed in on their natural duet abilities 7 years ago when they met for the first time in college. It was their love of folk music that brought them together and has since taken them out on the road to tour fulltime as the award-winning duet they are today. After their appearance and first place win on a 2008 talent show broadcast of NPR's "A Prairie Home Companion", the Dewdrops began their careers as songwriters and have since released two critically acclaimed albums.

In this episode, Joyce James of the Texas Department of Family Protective Services and Carolyne Rodriguez of Casey Family Programs' Texas State Strategy systems improvement initiative discuss how their collaboration is addressing disproportionality statewide through promising practices and innovations in undoing racism trainings, values-based leadership development, and community engagement strategies.

This week's playlist: • You Cured My Blues by Kenny "Blues Boss" Wayne, from Can't Stop Now (2008), available from Electro-Fi Records and the iTMS. Visit KennyBluesBoss.com for more information. • Mornin's Breakin by Tom Malafarina, from Less Is More (2008), available from the store at Tom's site and CD Baby. Visit TomMalafarina.com/BMT.html for more information. • Down In The Neighborhood by Marcia Ball, from Peace, Love & BBQ (2008); available from Alligator Records and the iTMS. Visit MarciaBall.com for more information. • Hypnotized, by Eddy Clearwater and Ronnie Baker Brooks, from West Side Strut (2008), available from Alligator Records and the iTMS. Visit this page at the Alligator Records site and this page at the Blind Pig Records site for more information. • Less And Less Of You, Wasn't That Enough and That's What Love Will Make You Do by Janiva Magness. Less And Less Of You and Wasn't That Enough are from Bury Him At The Crossroads (2004), available from the store at Janiva's site, NorthernBlues Music, and the iTMS. That's What Love Will Make You Do is from What Love Will Do (2008), available from the store at Janiva's site, Alligator Records, and the iTMS. Visit JanivaMagness.com for more information. • Kokomo Blues by David Jacobs-Strain, from Ocean Or A Teardrop (2004), available through the discography page at David's site, and from NorthernBlues.com and the iTMS. Visit DavidJacobs-Strain.com for more information. • Godfather Of The Blues by Albert Castiglia, from These Are The Days (2008); available from Blues Leaf Records. Visit Blues Leaf Records and AlbertCastiglia.com for more information. • Bogart Bounces Again by JW-Jones, from Bluelisted (2008); Available by mail (and autographed, if you ask) from the store at JW-Jones.com; also from NorthernBlues Music and the iTMS. Visit both JW-Jones.com and this bio page at NorthernBlues Music for more information. Mentioned during this show: I neglected to mention two groups for which Janiva Magness is a tireless advocate: Casey Family Programs and Foster Care Month; also - a Youtube video of Alejandro Escovedo and Bruce Springsteen performing Alejandro's new single "Wasn't I Always A Friend" live in Houston. Excellent online resources for more information about the blues: The Blues Foundation and the Delta Blues Museum; and be sure to download and listen to the DBM's top-notch (and free) podcast, the Uncensored History of the Blues. Be sure to read Today's Chicago Blues by Karen Hanson, an excellent guide to all things blues in present-day Chicago. (Music on Murphy's Saloon #128 courtesy of the artists and the Podsafe Music Network, the PROMONET program of the Independent Online Distribution Alliance, Download.com or Garageband.com)