INSTITUTE INSIGHTS
Issue 16 | April 2021
MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR Happy Child Abuse Prevention Month! There are exciting things ahead. We are gearing up for our annual Research Dr. Jessica Pryce, director Symposium on Supporting Youth and Young Adults for Success, which is scheduled for May 26-27th. It will be a virtual event featuring dynamic speakers, impactful youth participation and a few more surprises. At the end of the Symposium, it is my goal that each of our attendees has gained motivation and momentum to truly engage in systemic change efforts for our child welfare system. In addition, our Institute released Season Two of our podcast and is now beginning preparation for Season Three, which will focus on the Family First Prevention and Services Act. Stay tuned, the first episode will premiere July 14th. If you have interest in our podcast project, please reach out. We are always looking to engage partners as we plan subsequent seasons. We are committed to co-creating our podcast content so that it is as useful and accessible as possible. We are looking forward to finalizing our strategic plan which includes a priority research agenda which focuses on teens and those who are aging out of our systems. We are awarding two grants for researchers to build evidence-informed and strengths-based research projects which aim to illuminate issues connected to this population and to translate the findings into policy recommendations. Awardees of these grants will be announced soon. We have also been actively engaged in Florida’s 2021 Legislative Session. We are closely following Senate Bill 92 and House Bill 1473 and are looking forward to the work ahead and an opportunity to contribute to meaningful change in Florida.
HIGHLIGHT: PREVENTION ADVISORY COUNCIL Chris Lolley, Director of the Prevent Child Abuse Florida (PCAFL), has convened Florida’s first Prevention Advisory Council. The Chris Lolley, Prevent Child Abuse Florida director goal of the council is to increase public understanding, ownership, and investment in child abuse prevention and advocate for needed resources to achieve the goals of preventing abuse and neglect, promoting child wellbeing, and strengthening families. The council will make recommendations to Prevent Child Abuse Florida related to strategic planning and implementation, advocacy, training, evaluation, and funding of PCAFL’s programming. Along with numerous other Florida stakeholders Marianna Tutwiler, Program Director of Administration, will serve on the Council to represent the Florida Institute for Child Welfare. This group of experts not only includes representatives from state agencies but critically, those of parents, of youth served by the system and of those closest to the people providing the services as well. Lolley’s desire is to have this group remain informed on the latest initiatives, plans and goals for pushing the envelope of primary prevention, equipping parents for the often difficult job of parenting and in guiding our efforts to transform our system of care into a “Child and Family Well-being” system as opposed to a Child Welfare system. FROM CHRIS: Prevention services exist in many forms across Florida. Secondary and tertiary prevention has been practiced in our state for years through the 4-E waiver, a special dispensation from the federal government that allowed our state to spend federal dollars on services to prevent children from entering foster care. Now, with the passing of the federal Families First Prevention
Services Act, all states, including ours, are being asked to think about their systems of care in different ways. How can states use available funds to not only prevent children from entering out-of-home care but how can we leverage those available resources both state and federal, to keep more children in their own homes…safely! With this thought in mind and the fact that more pending legislation in our state and at the federal level will encourage us to identify those families who may need help BEFORE they enter crisis, we, together with our partners at the Department of Children and Families and others across the state, have developed the framework for a group of experts to plot the course for PRIMARY prevention in our state! Our desire, is to have this group remain informed on the latest initiatives, plans and goals for pushing the envelope of primary prevention, equipping parents for the often difficult job of parenting and in guiding our efforts to transform our system of care into a “Child and Family Well-being” system as opposed to a Child Welfare system. OPPORTUNITIES AT THE INSTITUTE THE INSTITUTE IS HIRING! We are seeking applicants for a Postdoctoral Scholar Fellowship, which is designed to support early career scholars who have an interest in child welfare research and policy. Applicants must have received a Ph.D. in social work or a related field within the past five years. Click here for information about the fellowship and application instructions. Applications are due by May 12. We are also accepting applications from doctoral candidates for our Dissertation Fellowship. Preference will be given to applicants with a dissertation topic related to supporting foster youth and young adults for success. Click here for additional information and a link to apply. Applications are due April 20. Click here to learn more about opportunities at the Institute: JOIN OUR TEAM
SPECIAL TOPIC: CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION MONTH
LEGISLATION INFORMATION
April is Child Abuse Prevention month and the Institute is reflecting on how we can promote healthy child development, support families, and help prevent child neglect. There are many ways to become involved through the end of the month, and we hope that you join us and participate however you can to make a difference for the children and families in our state. Collectively, taking small steps will help create better, brighter futures for Florida’s children and families.
HB 1473 Children and Young Adults in Out-of-home Care: by Representative Busatta Cabrera (R-Coral Gables) revises and creates provisions relating to children and young adults in out-of-home care. It includes requirements for children transitioning into independent living after aging out of foster care. Addressing its first committee of reference, House Children, Families, and Seniors Subcommittee, Rep. Busatta Cabrera stated, “HB 1473 supports older foster youth by better preparing them for adulthood and improving permanency so that they do not stay in foster care until the age of 18” (source). The bill passed unanimously and is now in Health & Human Services Committee.
EVENT SPOTLIGHT: 2021 SYMPOSIUM
The Florida Institute for Child Welfare is pleased to host our 4th annual research symposium: Supporting Foster Youth and Young Adults for Success. It is vital that we provide programs, services, and resources to assist our youth and young adults as they transition to independent living after they turn 18.
Click here for bill summary
May 26: 12:00 PM — 4:15 PM EST
Click here to read The Children’s Campaign highlights
May 27: 8:30 AM — 12:00 PM EST Day 1 Theme: Building Relationships. Our speakers will discuss academic research and initiatives about relational permanency and the importance of having a consistent and committed adult in a young person’s life. Day 2 Theme: Getting Plugged In. An overview will be provided of the programs and services that are offered by the Department of Children and Families and community-based care lead agencies. In addition, we will share findings from using photo voice methods to conduct research with youth, a research project exploring the Unconquered Scholars Program. Both days will feature a panel of youth and young adults with lived experiences who will share their voices to provide the audience with key information for the participants to consider integrating into their work.
RESOURCES: •
A Proclamation on National Child Abuse Prevention Month, 2021— President Biden
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Child Abuse Prevention Month in Florida—Governor DeSantis
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Prevent Child Abuse Florida Chapter
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The Ounce of Prevention Fund of Florida
• Related Webinars and Podcasts •
Report Abuse: Call 1-800-96-ABUSE, Or Online
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Resource Guide, Data, and Publications—Child Welfare Information Gateway
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About the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA)
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Video—Prevent Child Abuse Florida:
EVENT EMCEE: Carol Edwards, Florida State University College of Social Work
Cal Walton, Youth and Young Adult Transition Services Specialist, DCF
Lexie Gruber, Author and advocate for foster care reform REGISTER FOR THIS FREE SYMPOSIUM BY MAY 10TH CLICK HERE
850-644-7201
Click here for bill summary Click here to read The Children’s Campaign highlights
The Children’s Campaign educates and engages citizens, stakeholders and experts in a non-partisan way to strategically initiate system change for Florida’s children and families. The documents linked above provide a summary of the bills and an explanation of their potential impact. TRAINING OPPORTUNITY
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS:
Pat O’Brien, Executive Director Adoptive and Foster Family Coalition New York
SB 92: addresses multiple administrative changes within the Department of Children and Families and community-based care agencies. It passed its second committee of reference, the Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human, Services with an amendment.
GET INVOLVED: •
The MANicure Movement: Polishing off Child Abuse
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Plant a Pinwheel Garden
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Get involved on social media! Use: #ChildAbusePreventionMonth, #WearBlue, #PinwheelsforPrevention #GreatChildhoods
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Ideas for Socially Distanced Events and Activities
FICW@FSU.EDU
FICW.FSU.EDU
The Institute for Justice Research & Development at FSU developed a five-part training series about the basics of identifying funding sources, preparing grant applications, developing new programs, conducting program evaluations, collecting high-quality data, and building an evidence base for your programs. These short trainings provide a good overview of these areas and could provide a better understanding of what is needed to prepare for implementation of the FFPSA. Learn more here. @FSUChildWelfare