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

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

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

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

During the 2022 Florida Legislative Session, the Florida Department of Children and Families was tasked with contracting for the development and implementation of the Responsible Fatherhood Initiative. Specifically, Florida Statute 409.1464 reads, in part, “The initiative must provide an opportunity for every father in the state to be able to obtain information and inspiration that will motivate and enable him to enhance his abilities as a father, recognizing that some fathers have greater challenges than others and would benefit from greater support.” In this episode, Secretary Shevaun Harris discusses the Department’s recent and planned efforts to support fathers.

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

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

HOPE Court (HOPE stands for Helping Older Teens Powerfully Engage) brings restorative justice-based court hearings and circles to youth in foster care throughout the year leading up to their 18th birthday and beyond, resulting in more community connection and increased hopefulness for our youth as they become adults. The Florida Institute for Child Welfare is currently funding an evaluation of HOPE Court in Broward County. In this episode, to Listen to Dr. Magruder discuss the exciting work with the evaluation team.

For a teen in care, turning 18 can be daunting, especially when they don’t feel adequately prepared for adulthood on their own. Caregivers and child welfare professionals are meant to support youth in developing independent life skills needed for success in adulthood. As part of SB80 in 2021, the Insitute was mandated to evaluate Florida’s approach to life skills development for youth in care. . In this episode, Dr. Lisa Magruder interviews the two lead evaluators, as well as an evaluation team member with lived experience turning 18 in care.

For youth in the foster care system, especially transition-age youth, establishing relational permanency can support youth beyond their time in care. The Selfless Love Foundation is currently piloting a relational permanency initiative, Follow the Love (FTL), with support from the Institute In this episode, Dr. Lisa Magruder interviews the FTL pilot evaluators, as well as a child welfare professional participating in the pilot in Northeast Florida.

Although Maternity homes are a small fraction of the child welfare system, they are vitally important to young mothers in care, or with nowhere else to turn. In this episode, Dr. Lisa Magruder interviews the researchers leading the Institute-funded Maternity Homes research study, a professional in the maternity homes system, and a young mother with lived experience in maternity homes.