A NEW PATH FOR THE
FLORIDA INSTITUTE FOR CHILD WELFARE
S
ince the Florida Institute for Child Welfare was established in 2014, it has focused on interdisciplinary research, policy analysis, and program evaluation to fulfill its mission to promote safety, permanency, and wellbeing for the children and families of Florida, particularly those in the child welfare system. The institute has achieved this by developing effective relationships and collaborations with government and community-based organizations and through the development of its statewide Affiliate Network, comprised of faculty and research stakeholders. Director Jessica Pryce has led the institute for the past four years to establish a body of evidence-based research that ensures accountability and assurance that services provided to Florida families are relevant and effective. She has also supported longitudinal child welfare workforce research, creating a trajectory of systematic change in Florida. In 2020, the Florida Legislature passed Senate Bill 1326 outlining the institute’s responsibility to execute three strategies to create change within the child welfare workforce. The overall goal was to transform the pathway into child welfare so every professional working with children is prepared with the highest standard of knowledge, skills, and compassion. Senate Bill 1326 has created the opportunity to make career opportunities in child welfare prestigious and highly desirable to the best and brightest minds in the profession. To this end, an appropriation of $10 million was given to the institute to prioritize this professional development. “The 2021 appropriation will significantly expand the institute’s scope and mission with opportunities for interdisciplinary education, specialized professional certification, and targeted consulting to improve well-being for child welfare organizations,” said Dr. Pryce.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION STRATEGIES FOR CHILD WELFARE The first strategy entails redesigning curriculum at the Florida State University College of Social Work to more effectively educate students on child welfare, incorporating child welfare as an essential component of all courses. Problem-Based Learning (PBL) pedagogy, an empirically-established teaching approach, will be used to contextualize child welfare within highly complex systems of care that includes health care, law, business, and other areas. Under the second strategy, the appropriation funding will provide resources for the institute to develop and implement a statewide professional development network, which will
DR. JESSICA PRYCE “Our institute is looking forward to enhancing the workforce so our child welfare professionals are equipped and supported as they work to strengthen vulnerable families.” provide ongoing, accessible support and resources to child welfare professionals. “This professionalization of the child welfare workforce will create an overarching mission for the perpetuation of excellence in child welfare professional development, practice and service outcomes,” explained Pryce. The final strategy, the Alliance for Workforce Enhancement (AWE) initiative, entails the institute consulting with organizations by providing specialized capacity-building technical assistance. Each AWE site will work with a team of institute consultants to work on their specific workforce challenges. The institute will implement these three new strategies while concurrently increasing its examination of child welfare issues such as the validation of a Human Trafficking Screening Tool and the evaluation of Florida’s Early Childhood Courts and Kinship Care services. Other institute resources will be ongoing, including its popular podcast series, webinars and trainings, the development of an interactive library, and expansion of its annual research symposium. “The institute has a unique opportunity to initiate systematic change throughout Florida,” emphasized Dr. Pryce. “We are committed to addressing longstanding issues within our workforce so that child welfare professionals have the support and resources they need to strengthen vulnerable families throughout our state.”
FICW.FSU.EDU 2020–2021 Communitas Magazine 11
