By Barbara Ball, Ph.D., LPC-AT School connectedness is an important protective factor for youth and refers to their relationships with school personnel and peers; their commitment to learning; and participation in school activities. Some studies show that a sense of connectedness in school may allow youth in foster care to more effectively navigate challenges and… Read more »
Every few months we’ll be updating you on the progress made on the Texas Youth Permanency Study (TYPS) conducted by UT Austin, in partnership with Upbring and sponsored by The Reissa Foundation and The Simmons Foundation. This study is a 5-year longitudinal study following 500 foster youth who are 14 – 21 years old at time of recruitment. Participant recruitment occurs at child… Read more »
Welcome to our April 2021 News from the Field monthly feature! This is an extension of the bottom of our newsletter. We will be providing you with some of the latest news, resources, and local & national professional development opportunities. If you haven’t already, sign up to get our monthly e-newsletter in your inbox. This month,… Read more »
Executive Summary This Needs Assessment report is part of a three-year contract between the Texas Institute for Child & Family Wellbeing (TXICFW) and the Texas Department of State Health Services for TXICFW to develop a best practices case management model specific to serving families with children with special health care needs (CSHCN). To better understand… Read more »
School social workers have a unique multi-level perspective and are equipped with skills to address individual student mental health, family support and crisis intervention, while also keeping their eyes open to the systemic barriers that students face. While many social workers are practicing in Texas schools, their roles and responsibilities vary widely by position and… Read more »
Spark, which provides support to college students who were in the foster care system, has been selected to fundraise through UT Austin’s 40 for Forty blitz fundraising campaign. This is a big deal for Spark and for foster youth across the state of Texas. Spark’s 40 for Forty campaign goal is to raise $20,000 for… Read more »
We recently caught up with Cassandra Mendoza, one of our newest TXICFW team members, to learn a bit more about her! Cassandra is the new Curriculum & Training Specialist, and is currently developing the “The TX Social Work Child Welfare Academy,” the capacity building arm of the Texas Permanency Outcomes Project (TXPOP). We are so… Read more »
We recently chatted with Corey Granstrand, one of our newest TXICFW team members, to learn a bit more about him! Corey is the Research Operations Coordinator for the institute, and we couldn’t be more excited to have him on board. Hi Corey! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? I received my culinary… Read more »
Welcome to our March 2021 News from the Field monthly feature! This is an extension of the bottom of our newsletter. We will be providing you with some of the latest news, resources, and local & national professional development opportunities. If you haven’t already, sign up to get our monthly e-newsletter in your inbox. This month,… Read more »
Check out these short research summaries from other experts in the field + learn their implications for practice! “We are kind of their parents”: Child welfare workers’ perspective on sexuality education for foster youth (2020) Harmon-Darrow, C., Burruss, K., & Finigan-Carr, N. Youth in foster care face many barriers when it comes to communicating effectively… Read more »