December 2020 Infographic — The Year In Review

2020 The year in review

The Institute and our affiliates worked hard on many exciting projects this past year. As we look forward to the new year, we reflect on our accomplishments in 2020. Here are some highlights!

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Hosting a Human Trafficking Webinar with Voices for Florida The Institute and affiliate Chris Groeber (University of South Florida College of Behavioral and Community Services) partnered with Voices for Florida to host a webinar: Multi-Level Intervention for Human Trafficking of Florida Youth.

Evaluating Kinship Care In preparation for implementing the Families First Prevention Services Act, Dr. Anna Yelick and Donna Brown, MSW, worked with Children’s Home Network and Kids Central, Inc on evaluation efforts of their kinship navigator programs.

Addressing COVID-19 The Institute adjusted our way of working during the pandemic, including offering COVID-19 resources on our website. In addition, Florida State University affiliates Drs. Dina Wilke and Melissa Radey, along with Institute staff Dr. Lisa Magruder, Dr. Anna Yelick, and Bushra Rashid, explored the impacts of COVID-19 on health and human service workers, including those in the child welfare field.

Production of "Brieflits"

As part of our efforts to offer accessible evidence to our stakeholders, the Institute, in collaboration with our affiliates, launched “Brieflits,” brief literature reviews on child welfare topics and relevant best practices. Two Brieflits are currently available on the Institute website: Attachment Problems in Young Children: Effective Interventions for Repairing Young Child Trauma by Drs. Heather Agazzi, & Kimberly Renk and Addressing Teen Pregnancy and Early Parenting among Youth in Foster Care by Dr. Marleen Milner.

Families First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) Workgroup The Institute convened the FFPSA workgroup to contribute to Florida’s preparation for FFPSA implementation in September 2021. The workgroup is working closely with the Department of Children and Families to develop technical assistance strategies for 2021. The workgroup consists of staff and affiliates: Dr. Shamra Boel-Studt (FSU), Dr. Michael Campbell (Saint Leo), Chris Groeber (USF), Dr. Hui Huang (FIU), Khalilah Louis-Caines (Saint Leo), Dr. Lisa Magruder (FICW), Dr. Jessica Pryce (FICW), Marianna Tutwiler (FICW), and Dr. Riaan van Zyl (USF).

Partnering with Families Webinar Series In September, the Institute sponsored and hosted  Partnering with Families, a three-part webinar series. Recordings of the webinars, with speakers Victor Sims, Jamie G. Averett and Daniel Burns, and Dr. Amelia Franck, are now available to watch online!

Keynote Speaker Institute Director Dr. Jessica Pryce served as a keynote speaker at the Family Focused Treatment Association’s virtual conference. In her talk, Dr. Pryce offered concrete strategies to address racial disparity and discussed the role of courageous leadership in developing anti-racist and anti-oppressive polices and procedures. Click here for more information!

One Voice Impaact Evaluation Planning Institute staff are working with the Selfless Love Foundation to develop an evaluation plan for One Voice Impaact (OVI), a youth engagement initiative for youth transitioning from care. OVI aims to provide opportunities for these youths to meaningfully participate and be heard regarding foster care policy and practice.

Council on Social Work Education Participation This year’s Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Annual Program Meeting went virtual! Several of our Institute affiliates and staff presented their work, including Drs. Shamra Boel-Studt (FSU), Marianna Colvin (FAU), Thomas Felke (FGCU), Nairruti Jani (FGCU), Lisa Magruder (FICW), Yolanda MachadoEscudero (UNF), Karen Randolph (FSU), and Diane Scott (UWF).

Racial Equity and Inclusion Training As part of our commitment to racial equity and inclusion, the Institute engaged with experts to provide education and formal opportunity for reflection. Dr. Shanna Kattari conducted two webinars on recognizing and addressing microaggressions. Dr. Zuleka Henderson conducted an intensive workshop with the Institute to engage staff in critical self-reflection and promote the development of strategies for re-imagining an anti-racist organizational culture.