On June 28, 2016, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) co-sponsored a briefing on the child welfare workforce. This briefing entitled, Let’s Improve Child Welfare Outcomes: The Workforce Matters is part of on-going efforts to educate key policymakers in Washington and on Capitol Hill about the importance of a well-trained, educated and staffed workforce within child welfare. Visit this link for a blog post on this briefing. The videos of this event and a list of relevant resources are now available below.
The panelists included Jenny Wood, Chief Deputy, Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Helen Cahalane, University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work, Barry Chaffkin, Fostering Change for Children and Brandi Stocksdale, Baltimore City Department of Social Services. The opening remarks were given by Christine James-Brown, President and CEO of the Child Welfare League of America and the closing remarks were provided by Angelo McClain, CEO of NASW. Joan Levy Zlotnik, NASW Senior Consultant and child welfare workforce expert, served as moderator for this briefing.
The briefing was coordinated through the assistance of Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), the Senate Caucus on Foster Youth and the Congressional Social Work Caucus
Videos of briefing below:
Opening (9 minutes )
- Joan Levy Zlotnik, NASW, Introduction
- Christine James-Brown, CWLA, Opening remarks (begins at 04:06)
Joan Levy Zlotnik, NASW, (Overview and Introduction of Speakers), (03:45 minutes)
Helen Cahalane, Principal Investigator, Child Welfare Education and Research Programs, Clinical Associate Professor, University of Pittsburgh, School of Social Work, Panelist # 1 (14:40 minutes )
Jenny Wood, Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Panelists #2(08:45 minutes )
Barry Chaffkin, Fostering Change for Children, Panelist # 3 (12:39 minutes )
Brandi Stocksdale, Baltimore City Department of Social Services, Panelist # 4 (Video 1 (02:10 minutes);
Video 2 (08:13 minutes)
Angelo McClain, National Association of Social Workers (NASW), Closing remarks (13:27 minutes )
Resources:
More information about NASW’s efforts to improve the child welfare workforce can be found at: https://www.socialworkblog.org/advocacy/2016/02/president-obamas-budget-offers-opportunities-for-social-workers-in-child-welfare-behaviorial-health-early-childhood-home-visiting/
NASW Issue Brief: Strengthen Child Welfare Service Delivery to Enhance Child and Family Well-Being
Educating Social Workers for Child Welfare Practice: The Status of Using Title IV-E
Funding to Support BSW & MSW Education
NASW Standards for Social Work Practice in Child Welfare
CWLA’s Hot Topic: Strengthen and Increase the Child Welfare Workforce
CWLA’s Recommended Caseload Standards
Why the Workforce Matters (Infographic) – National Child Welfare Workforce Institute
Additional NASW child welfare related resources can be found at:
