Navigating Child Welfare | CPS, Foster Care, Family Court, Adoption, Mandated Reporter, Burnout, Joy, Retention

In this episode, I’m talking with Lauren Welch, founder of Social Empowerment Texas, about what it means to support the people doing some of the hardest work in the child welfare and foster care system. Lauren is a foster and adoptive mom, and through both personal and professional experience, she saw a gap in support for CPS employees, case managers, investigators, supervisors, and support staff....

Before you quit, I want you to pause for a minute. In this episode, I’m talking to the people in social services, foster care, and the family and child welfare system who are tired, frustrated, overwhelmed, or wondering if their work is making a difference. I’ve been there. I’ve carried 100-plus families, I’ve felt the weight of burnout, and I know what it feels like to love the work while also wo...

In this episode, I’m talking about the deep connection between foster care and homelessness, especially for youth who age out of the child welfare and foster care system without a plan or without supportive family to lean on. I share why this should be a shared sorrow for all of us, and what shared success can look like when a community wraps support around families early and consistently. I also...

In this episode, I’m talking about shame in foster care and how powerful it is. Shame can stop people from getting help when they need it, and sometimes it keeps families quiet until a situation becomes an emergency. I share a moment from court that stuck with me, a grandmother in tears saying, “If I would’ve known, I would’ve done something.” That’s the thing about shame. People can be drowning a...

Helpers need encouragement too. In this episode, I’m talking directly to the people who carry heavy things for a living: child welfare professionals, social services staff, foster care partners, advocates, and anyone doing complex work with families. I share a few reminders I’ve had to learn the hard way: rest has to be built in, reflection keeps you honest about your pace and your impact, and rem...

A few years ago I made a post about motherhood, the Proverbs 31 woman, and the truth we forget: she had help. That same principle applies in foster care. No one can do this work alone, and pretending we can is a fast track to burnout. In this episode, I share what I learned leading a region of 400+ employees across five counties, why staffing challenges become a predictable burnout cycle, and what...

"One of the biggest threats to good outcomes in child welfare is not bad intentions…it is the broken or inconsistent communication between all the folks involved in a child's life." — Kellie Green   A true quote from our guest on the podcast today and it frames our discussion so well. In this episode of Navigating Child Welfare, I’m talking with colleague Kellie Green, who’s worked across child we...

Race has always mattered in America. The family and child welfare system is not exempt from history. In this episode of Navigating Child Welfare, I'm sharing what I've learned from creating Skin Deep and leading the Going Deep Together workshop, and why these discussions are essential for anyone serving families in the foster care and child welfare system and how to equip the next generation of fa...

On this episode of Navigating Child Welfare, I’m talking with Judge Karen Braxton and honestly… I loved this conversation. She describes judges as a catalyst for collaboration, and she actually shows up that way. We talk about the role a judge can play in reducing confusion in the family and child welfare system, why acronyms leave parents glassy-eyed, and what it looks like to lead a courtroom wi...

Episode summary I want you to sit with a real question: when are you ever in the room with the people who impact your work and the environment is actually collaborative? Not a courtroom. Not a crisis case. Just a room where everyone is trying to understand each other and work better together. In this episode, I talk about how easy it is for foster care and child welfare work to turn into assumptio...

When you’re involved in foster care and the child welfare system, adding special education on top of everything else can send everybody into a spiral.   In this episode, I’m talking with Krystal from The Advocacy Circle (through Kay Altman Law Firm) about practical support for IEPs and 504 plans. We break down what these are, how parents and caregivers can get started, and how their virtual advoca...

Reducing frustration in foster care starts with the stuff we don’t always name: trust, roles, and real partnership across the family and child welfare system.   In this episode, I share a story from a major project where we were stuck waiting on pieces outside our control. The shift was simple: I prepared everything I could control so we were ready the moment the missing pieces landed. That same m...

Beauty and harm can coexist in our history, and healing starts with honest reflection and shared action. This episode focuses centers on healing from racial trauma and why honest history is essential to repair. She traces how race has shaped American law and memory, then connects that history to daily practice in the family and child welfare system. From the Declaration and Constitution to the Civ...

Sometimes our help looks good on paper but doesn’t help in practice. In this episode, Shanelle names “fake help,” shows how to co-create real solutions with the people affected, and explains where 360° Family and Child Welfare Workshops solves a specific problem by strengthening partnerships and prepares a community for service in the family and child welfare system. You will learn: What “fake hel...

Shanelle and guest Steve Gonyea wrap up their conversation by digging into why many agency-run “support groups” have good intentions, but miss the mark, especially when supervisors or case managers are in the room. Caregivers, parents, and youth will not share real concerns when the people who evaluate them are listening, so the space is not actually supportive. The conversation covers what new an...

Shanelle sits down with advocate and long-time therapeutic foster parent Steve Goneya to talk about what is not working and what communities can build right now. Steve has welcomed 178 children through respite and high-needs care, fought for supports for high health needs children, and learned the hard truth about bureaucracy, turnover, and waitlists. Instead of waiting, he built solutions: an Aut...

What does partnership and collaboration look like in your organization? Often times we focus solely on our role and job- but in the family and child welfare system all the systems matter.   The 360º Assessment is HERE! Take it today to understand…   -Recognize where you fit on the 360º family and child welfare map -Determine how you work with other partners -Gauge how supported or overwhelmed you...

Episode summary A caseworker’s anonymous post about hard relationships with foster parents sparks a real conversation about communication, role clarity, and burnout. Shanelle explains why case workers (& no one!) cannot hold everything at once, how conflicting goals show up, and what it takes to align teams so families move forward. She also introduces the SYNCing Child Welfare approach, inclu...

Families need information fast, in plain language, and backed by real partnerships. In this episode of Navigating Child Welfare Shanelle shares what is coming in 2026 and how SYNCing Child Welfare will help parents, foster and kinship caregivers, and partners move through the family and child welfare system with less confusion and more confidence. She discusses prevention services that keep famili...

Episode summary Hair isn’t “extra.” For many youth in foster care, it’s identity, culture, memory and a daily signal of dignity. Shanelle talks with Aisha Walker, founder of The Walker Foundation, about why a lack of hair care can trigger bullying, low self-esteem, “hair depression” and how culturally competent care helps children feel connected and confident. You’ll hear concrete tips for foster/...

Episode summary We often describe foster care and CPS as broken—and then we work like nothing can change. In this episode, Shanelle challenges that reflex and asks a harder question: Do you even think better is possible? Drawing on a college-days story (learning to do things differently) and real child welfare dynamics, she outlines what families, volunteers, workers, and mandated reporters actual...

Shanelle has been listening deeply to parents, caregivers, youth, caseworkers, judges, and faith/community partners. The stories are hard: reports not read, workers demeaned, youth uninformed, and children disoriented by sudden moves. This episode names those triggers and charts a path toward being more connected so people aren’t navigating foster care alone. Shanelle also invites listeners to a 2...

Faith + Foster Care Child welfare can feel complicated and confusing—but families should never be asked to navigate it alone. In this episode of Navigating Child Welfare, I share how faith, prevention, and community supports surround families before, during, and after system involvement. We talk about opening our eyes (2 Kings 6) to the help already around us, reducing shame, and building natural...

Host Shanelle Dupree makes the case that no one can (or should) do this work alone. Drawing on courtroom moments and frontline advocacy, she surfaces the barriers to connecting well, like not understanding the multiple systems families must navigate and offers practical ways to help parents, youth, staff, and volunteers participate fully. Shanelle also introduces Syncing Child Welfare (SYNC), a 36...

Episode summary  In this episode of Navigating Child Welfare, host Shanelle Dupree makes the case for a third “C” that changes outcomes: connected. Through a story about attending a presentation in Spanish, Shanelle shares how knowing the language can help make you feel connected. Shanelle shows how child welfare jargon and acronyms quietly exclude parents, youth, volunteers, and even new staff. H...