Child Welfare

Host Kristina Finch, Associate Director of Professional Development at the Florida Institute for Child Welfare, leads a series of conversations in this podcast, “Innovation at the Frontline: Supporting the Workforce.” In this episode, learn why leadership development is currently crucial in child welfare. KT Sherrod, assistant director of organizational development programming, and Byrony Escobar,...

Host Kristina Finch, Associate Director of Professional Development at the Florida Institute for Child Welfare, leads a series of conversations in this podcast, “Innovation at the Frontline: Supporting the Workforce.” In this episode, Kristina discusses the well-being practices and innovations being implemented for child welfare professionals in Florida. Learn more about the mission to enhance the...

Host Kristina Finch, Associate Director of Professional Development at the Florida Institute for Child Welfare, leads a series of conversations in this podcast, “Innovation at the Frontline: Supporting the Workforce.” In this episode, Kristina discusses how simulation is being incorporated into preservice training for child welfare professionals in Florida. Her guests explain what kinds of simulat...

Host Kristina Finch, Associate Director of Professional Development at the Florida Institute for Child Welfare, leads a series of conversations in this podcast, “Innovation at the Frontline: Supporting the Workforce.” In this episode, Kristina takes a closer look at virtual coaching and how it’s being used to help child welfare professionals better understand their own strengths and how best to em...

Host Kristina Finch, Associate Director of Professional Development at the Florida Institute for Child Welfare, leads a series of conversations in this podcast, “Innovation at the Frontline: Supporting the Workforce.” In this episode, Kristina discusses with her guests the value of instructional design in child welfare training—why it matters, how training is shaped by the way people learn, and wh...

Host Kristina Finch, Associate Director of Professional Development at the Florida Institute for Child Welfare, leads a series of conversations in this podcast, “Innovation at the Frontline: Supporting the Workforce.” In this episode, Kristina explores with her guests how virtual reality is transforming child welfare training for students and professionals across Florida. They are developing valua...

Host Vivian Ko, Assistant Director of Professional Development and Worker Well-Being Research & Evaluation at the Florida Institute for Child Welfare, explores how Florida’s foster parents serve as frontline partners in prevention, what approaches support positive outcomes for children, and where systems can be improved. Vivian, an adoptive mother and former foster parent, talks with foster and ad...

Chris DelMarco, Attorney, Legal Services of North Florida Domestic violence (DV) and intimate partner violence (IPV) affect individuals across all demographics. Human services and law enforcement responders often encounter IPV cases and must collaborate to support survivors. Despite their shared goal of ensuring safe families and communities, these collaborations can be challenging due to differin...

Domestic violence (DV) and intimate partner violence (IPV) affect individuals across all demographics. Human services and law enforcement responders often encounter IPV cases and must collaborate to support survivors. Despite their shared goal of ensuring safe families and communities, these collaborations can be challenging due to differing priorities, processes, and responsibilities. Juan Carlos...

E4: Case Management and Survivor Support: Bridging Systems Sarah Tedder, Case Manager, 4 Sisters Solutions Domestic violence (DV) and intimate partner violence (IPV) affect individuals across all demographics. Human services and law enforcement responders often encounter IPV cases and must collaborate to support survivors. Despite their shared goal of ensuring safe families and communities, these...

E3: Law Enforcement and Domestic Violence: A Collaborative Approach Dep. Chief Maurice Holmes, Tallahassee Police Department Domestic violence (DV) and intimate partner violence (IPV) affect individuals across all demographics. Human services and law enforcement responders often encounter IPV cases and must collaborate to support survivors. Despite their shared goal of ensuring safe families and c...

Domestic violence and intimate partner violence (IPV) affect individuals across all demographics. Human services and law enforcement responders often encounter IPV cases and must collaborate to support survivors. Despite their shared goal of ensuring safe families and communities, these collaborations can be challenging due to differing priorities, processes, and responsibilities. In this episode,...

Domestic violence and intimate partner violence (IPV) affect individuals across all demographics. Human services and law enforcement responders often encounter IPV cases and must collaborate to support survivors. Despite their shared goal of ensuring safe families and communities, these collaborations can be challenging due to differing priorities, processes, and responsibilities. In this episode,...

Content & Support Disclaimer: This episode features in-depth discussion of human trafficking involving children and young adults. While essential for awareness, some details may be distressing or triggering. Listener discretion is strongly advised. In this episode, Lauren Herod speaks with three guests who lead efforts to prevent human trafficking and help victims of commercial sexual abuse in Flo...

Content & Support Disclaimer: This episode features in-depth discussion of human trafficking involving children and young adults. While essential for awareness, some details may be distressing or triggering. Listener discretion is strongly advised. In this episode, Dr. Joan Reid, professor of criminology at the University of South Florida and director of the USF Trafficking in Persons Research Lab...

Content & Support Disclaimer: This episode features in-depth discussion of human trafficking involving children and young adults. While essential for awareness, some details may be distressing or triggering. Listener discretion is strongly advised. In this episode, Dr. Charrita Ernewein, assistant professor at the University of Tampa and director of community education for the ⁠FREE Network⁠, join...

Join us for a conversation about the complicated relationship between poverty and neglect, and how new research aims to disentangle them to improve the well-being of families. Experts Clare Anderson and Luke Waldo discuss the importance of shifting support for parents to a prevention approach and offer data-informed suggestions for best practices.

Researcher Elizabeth Curley discusses novel interventions for supporting parents and caregivers during incarceration, such as the recently developed INTER program, in this episode.

This episode explores ways to better support foster parents. Adoptive parent and former foster parent Dr. Vivian Mills shares preliminary findings from the Institute’s first foster parent survey and implications for supporting foster parent partners. Dr. Taylor Dowdy-Hazlett discusses findings from her research regarding foster parent retention.

A new partnership between Florida universities is helping child welfare professionals enhance services for mothers with substance use disorders. In this episode, experts Ellen Piekalkiewicz and Dr. Heather Howard share insights from their work with mothers with substance use disorders, including data-driven best practice recommendations for supporting these mothers.

Parents for Parents (P4P) is an innovative parent support program in the Southwest region. In this episode, GROW Center Advisory Committee member Nathan Scott explains more about the program, and Dr. Kathy Moore shares the approach to evaluation and how it can inform the next steps for the program.

During the 2022 Florida Legislative Session, the Florida Department of Children and Families was tasked with contracting for the development and implementation of the Responsible Fatherhood Initiative. Specifically, Florida Statute 409.1464 reads, in part, “The initiative must provide an opportunity for every father in the state to be able to obtain information and inspiration that will motivate a...

In this episode, Drs. Melissa Radey and Lenore McWey discuss their research project Power of Parents in Child Protection, including the impetus for the study, the challenges encountered, and the joys of collaborating with parents on policy-driven research. Devin Coleman, fatherhood support advocate, also shares his perspective as a member of the study’s advisory committee.

Youth participatory action research is one way in which child welfare scholars can engage youth with lived experience throughout the research process. In this episode, Dr. Lisa Magruder talks to a team that used Photovoice methodology and performance art to collect, analyze, and disseminate findings related to youths’ perspectives on the transition to independent living. Learn about the Institute-...

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 HOP...