About Us

Meet our staff

Who We Are

The Texas Institute for Child & Family Wellbeing (TXICFW) is proudly located within The University of Texas at Austin School of Social Work. With a team of dedicated researchers and practitioners, we work to develop and refine knowledge to improve how systems interact with children and families. We conduct research, evaluate interventions and programs, develop and administer trainings, and build program capacity in child welfare, adolescent health, and economic and social supports for families.

We envision communities & systems where all children and families thrive.

We Believe

  • Communities, children, and families should drive decision-making in their lives.
  • Services for children and families should focus on providing resources and encouraging families to voice their needs.
  • Communities should be empowered to develop and adapt practices so that they are relevant to their lives.

We Value

  • Relationships: We center the lived experiences of all individuals in our work.
  • Integrity: We act with honesty and in the best interest of promoting positive outcomes.
  • Openness: We engage in ongoing reflection to identify opportunities for improving how we engage with communities.

What We Do

TXICFW connects communities to research, training, and programs to promote family wellbeing and system change. Explore our theory of change to learn more.

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We provide research & program evaluation, capacity building, and programs to government agencies, nonprofit agencies, and foundations, as well as to social service professionals, alumni of foster care, and families involved in foster care. This increases skills & resources among social service providers & systems, integration of lived experience in program development & practice, understanding of programs & practices that advance child & family resilience, and knowledge of program effectiveness. So that support for children & families is relevant & meaningful, systems adopt policies & practices that increase fairness, and programs continuously improve & adapt to meet community needs — which leads to communities & systems where all children & families thrive.
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