Pennsylvania’s Child Welfare Education and Research Programs conduct numerous research and evaluation activities to improve the child welfare workforce, enhance services for children and families, and provide valuable contributions to the field of child welfare.
Through the CWEB/CWEL programs and the Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center, our recent research and evaluation activities include:
The effect of additional support for Title IV-E undergraduates as they enter the child welfare workforce
- The Benefits of the Foundations Training
- Effective Supervision
- Experiences of Newly Hired Caseworkers
- Positive Family Interactions
The exploration of the variability of emotions in the day-to-day work of child welfare professionals. This project examined how emotional competencies, such as mindfulness, empathy, and emotional awareness, were associated with the quality of work-related interactions, as well as professional quality of life and commitment to the field. Findings from this project will inform the development of trainings to help cultivate emotional competencies in child welfare professionals.
The exploration of emotional labor and gendered racial microaggressions in Black female child welfare professionals and their relationship with elements of emotional health, professional well-being, and commitment to the field. Findings from this project will be used to develop trauma- and racially-informed supports and interventions for the workforce.
The perception of core competencies of child welfare casework in Title IV-E undergraduates
Information regarding this ongoing project is available in the CWEB/CWEL Annual Report
Intensive Family Coaching. In partnership with the Allegheny County Office of Children, Youth and Families and Wesley Family Services, this project aimed to enhance collaboration between child welfare and behavioral health providers and engage families with young children in an intervention to increase positive interactions. Informational materials included:
- Importance of Play
- Adult Directed Interaction
- Autism
- Managed Care
- Collaboration Between Child Welfare and Behavioral Health
- Developmental Delays
- Healthy Start
- Engaging Parents with Mental Health Challenges
- Parent Directed Interaction
- Teaching P.R.I.D.E Skills
- Impact of Trauma on Early Brain Development
Some of our past research and evaluation activities include:
- The implementation and effect of Early Developmental Screening for children under the age of five involved in child welfare services.
- Child welfare caseworkers’ Use of Mobile Technology
A Child Welfare Demonstration Project which increased family engagement, utilized a standardized assessment instrument, and recommended families for evidence-based services.