A Mixed Methods Evaluation of the Authentic Family Engagement and Strengthening (AFES) Approach

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Morgan Cooley, Ph.D., LCSW

Florida Atlantic University

PROJECT TEAM:

Marianna Colvin, Ph.D., Florida Atlantic

University

Vaughn Crichlow, Ph.D., Florida Atlantic

University

Corey Best, Mining for Gold, LLC

OVERVIEW

The Authentic Family Engagement and Strengthening (AFES) approach is a flexible, multi-faceted child welfare approach developed to address the needs of Black families impacted by child welfare services and reduce removals of Black children from their homes following a maltreatment investigation. The AFES approach was a product of a larger community-engaged racial justice project which included social service providers and administrators, community members, and families harmed by racial discrimination who engaged in purposeful conversation to identify a comprehensive and strengths-focused approach for empowering Black families. The AFES approach was piloted in Broward County, with results indicating a significantly lower number of removals when comparing a group of child maltreatment investigators who received racial justice and family engagement training and coaching compared to units who did not participate in training or coaching.

This mixed-methods study examines child welfare workers’ perceptions of the:

1. presence of systemic and racial discrimination in the child welfare system. 2. presence of workers’ racial justice values and the impact of these values on workers’ interactions with families involved in child welfare services.

3. impact of racial justice and family engagement training on workers’ interactions with families involved in child welfare services.

The secondary purpose of this research is to examine

the perceived effectiveness of targeted racial justice and authentic family engagement training and coaching with a small group of child welfare workers in:

1. promoting self-reflection and awareness of racial discrimination and systemic racism. 2. reducing racial discrimination when working with families.

3. prioritizing relationships over services when working with families impacted by the child welfare system. 4. empowering Black families who are involved in the child welfare system.

The current study includes child welfare workers from Palm Beach, Duval, and Alachua Counties, and a retrospective evaluation of investigators from Broward County in order to provide a multi-site sample. Research phases and products include developmental research (Phase 1), training curriculum development (Phase 2), and coaching guide development (Phase 3). CURRENT STATUS

Despite the researchers’ best efforts and continuous interactions with the DCF, they experienced several challenges in receiving approval for the original

project. The project team received encouraging feedback from the DCF that the proposal is realistic and feasible; however, the researchers grew concerned that they submitted a human subjects IRB application in February and are still waiting for approval as of September. In addition, based on some of their initial work to develop the training and continue the project, they identified potential avenues for creating a more meaningful or impactful project.

With this, the researchers approached the Institute in September 2022 regarding a substantial shift to the project. The new multi-pronged project will include:

1. A conceptual article on justice-centered child welfare practice, using initial data and ongoing data collection and research that has been compiled while waiting for DCF approval. 2. A participatory action qualitative research project promoting voices of those impacted by child welfare/foster care and child welfare professionals to derive recommendations for promoting justicecentered practice in a real-world setting. 3. A co-constructed community project or pilot using the voices of those with lived expertise and those in the child welfare workforce to promote or create a justice-centered shift in current child welfare practice (e.g., a community informationsharing campaign; a legislative proposal to formalize a shift in the language we use to talk about families impacted by child welfare services; a peer-support or diversion-type program as an alternative to court for families impacted by investigation and mandated to services).

This could be incorporated into work being done at the Institute’s Alliance for Workforce

Enhancement demonstration sites. 4. A letter of inquiry for WT Grant, Robert Wood

Johnson Foundation, or a similar organization to continue/expand this work and a commitment to submit to at least two different funding opportunities. 5. An Institute-hosted workshop or lunch-and-learn event to disseminate the process and findings. NEXT STEPS

Although the researchers were planning to submit their final report on September 30, 2022, the principal investigator has had trouble recruiting parents into the study and requested additional time to extend the data collection and analysis period. Institute leadership approved the researchers’ request to amend the project, which should have minimal temporal and financial impact. The researchers will provide a comprehensive updated plan to Institute leadership for review in October 2022. Project completion is still anticipated to occur in fall 2023.