Tracy CrudoAs I look out from my office window in Peters Hall here at the University of Minnesota this sunny spring morning, I find myself in a reflective and contemplative mood, as one is apt to do in times of transition. As many of you may know, and some may not, today is my last day at the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare (no, this is NOT an April Fool’s joke). Coming to the decision to leave here and take the next step in my career was not easy.

I have loved my time at the University and am proud of all we have accomplished at CASCW in the eight years I have been here. We started our publication CW360° in 2008, and I remember at our first planning meeting wondering if anyone would agree to write for us. Earlier this week we received the printed copies of our 11th issue and have a broad national circulation (over 2000 print issues). We have worked with just about all of the top researchers and innovators in our field in the development of CW360° over the years, and I can’t wait to see what topics are tackled in the future.

One of the charges I was given at the time I was hired was to grow the Center’s involvement in issues of public policy related to child welfare practice. Since that time we have produced 8 policy briefs, 298 posts on our Child Welfare Policy Blog, and tracked Minnesota legislation for the last three legislative sessions. We have developed relationships with numerous policymakers and advocated for the use of research evidence in policymaking.

We have also taken to Twitter and Facebook to get our messages out in broader ways. As of today, CASCW has 1628 followers on Twitter (@CASCW_MN), and we have posted over 6,000 tweets on issues of child welfare practice and policy. We have 621 likes on our Facebook page, and our posts are reaching around 4,000 viewers every month.

Through all of this work, CASCW has grown to be a major contributor to the national dialogue about the current challenges facing the workforce and the future directions of the field. I am proud and fortunate to have been part of the hardworking team here at CASCW that has done this incredibly important work. It has been a labor of love, working alongside colleagues who have come to be family and who are driven by the mission to make the world a better place for vulnerable kids and their families. I swear not one day of it has felt like work.

So as I step out the front doors of Peters Hall today, with tears in my eyes to be sure, I will take comfort in knowing that it will not be for the last time. As I walk into my new role with the Minnesota Child Welfare Training System at the Department of Human Services, I know our work together will continue. If my time at the University has taught me anything, it is that amazing things can be accomplished through collaboration, and I’m excited to see what the future holds, not only for my career, but for our field and our continued work together on behalf of children and families in the child welfare system.