CASCW and its partners are pleased to offer these resources for you to incorporate in your practice. If you would like laminated cards or copies of these materials, please reach out to [email protected].
Booklets and Guides for your practice
Improving Racial Identity Data Collection: A Guide for Child Protection Case Workers
Johara Suleiman, MSW, LICSW, PhD Candidate, Mimi Choy-Brown, PhD, MSW
Date Published: July 2025
Improving Racial Identity Data Collection: A Guide for Child Protection Case Workers is a guide intended to support the accurate collection of racial and ethnic identity data.
This project was supported, in part, by Grant Contract (GK302) from the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth and Families.
Supporting Sexual Development: A Guide for Child Welfare Workers
Author: Center for Practice Transformation
Date Published: June 2025
Supporting Sexual Development: A Guide for Child Welfare Workers is a guide developed to support child welfare workers in their practice with youth. It includes helpful information on core values, how to define sex and sexuality, as well as communication tips and reminders.
This project was supported, in part, by Grant Contract (GK302) from the Minnesota Department of Human Services, Children and Family Services Division.
Nurturing Resilience: Sustenance Amid the Suffering
Author: Center for Practice Transformation
Date Published: August 2023
Nurturing Resilience: Sustenance Amid the Suffering is a worker wellness guide, is for the benefit of the worker themselves. It includes tools for professionals to evaluate their own burnout, secondary traumatic stress and other related experiences as well as compassion satisfaction with validated tools and exercises. This tool is not intended to be used with clients, children or families.
This project was supported, in part, by Grant Contract (GK302) from Minnesota Department of Human Services, Children and Family Services Division.
Integrating Motivational Interviewing in Case Planning with Youth in Foster Care
Integrating Motivational Interviewing in Case Planning with Youth in Foster Care
Authors: Richmond, A., Borden, L. M.
Motivational interviewing (MI) is an approach that can be used to promote the characteristics and skills that contribute to youth’s resilience and positive outcomes and can be helpful when youth struggle with completing tasks or engaging in behaviors that support a successful transition from foster care. This quick reference card was developed to help child welfare professionals integrate MI in their everyday day practice.
This resources was published by the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare (CASCW), School of Social Work, College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota. This resources was supported, in part, by grant #GRK129722 from Minnesota Department of Human Service, Children and Family Services Division. This work is/was supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Hatch project MIN-55-030. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Center, School, College, University or their funding source.
Understanding the Minnesota Foster Care Sibling Bill of Rights
Author: Jeffrey Waid, PhD
The Minnesota Foster Care Sibling Bill of Rights, passed in 2018, is a series of legal provisions designed to preserve and maintain sibling family relationships for youth in foster care. The Bill provides specific permanency planning recommendations which include prioritizing sibling co-placement whenever possible and preserving the sibling relationship when foster care separation does occur. This quick reference card was developed to help child welfare professionals understand this new legislation and includes practice tips for supporting siblings in foster care.
Co-occurring Disorders and Child Welfare Quick Reference Booklet
Co-occurring Disorders and Child Welfare Quick Reference Booklet
There is hope for recovery for individuals managing co-occurring mental health and substance disorders. With the right support networks, integrative treatments, and community resources an individual living with a co-occurring disorder (COD) can parent effectively and meet the needs of their children. When working with families coping with a COD, it is important to acknowledge the incredible resilience and strength displayed by all members of the family. Always remember, it takes courage and trust for families to engage with child welfare professionals. By working together, with grace and mutual respect, we can support Minnesota families living with CODs.
This booklet includes valuable information and practice considerations to inform your work with families in which parents or caregivers have both a COD and need for child welfare services.
Download Co-occurring Disorders and Child Welfare Quick Reference Guide
Guide to understanding the use of medications for children with mental illness in the child welfare system
Guide to understanding the use of medications for children with mental illness in the child welfare systems
Authors: Rattenni, A., Bray, C., Frank, S., Realmuto, G., Barry, K., LaLiberte, T.
This guide is intended to provide child welfare workers with a quick reference for accessing additional information about medications they may hear or read about when reviewing a child or adolescents’ file. This resource is not intended to provide medical advice or medication guidance.
Suggested Citation: Rattenni, A., Bray, C., Frank, S., Realmuto, G., Barry, K., LaLiberte, T. (2018). Guide to understanding the use of medications for children with mental health disorders in the child welfare system [medication resource]. Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare. University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN.
Funding for this project: These resource cards were published by the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare (CASCW), School of Social Work, College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota. This project was supported, in part, by grant #GRK%80888 from Minnesota Department of Human Services, Children and Family Services Division. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Center, School, College, University or their funding source.
Download Guide to understanding the use of medications for children with mental illness
Creating a Permanence Driven Organization: A Guidebook for Change in Child Welfare
Authors: Annette Semanchin Jones, MSW, Traci LaLiberte, MSW, PhD, & Amelia Franck Meyer, MS, MSW, LISW, APSW
Date Published: 2013
Anu Family Services in partnership with CASCW created this guidebook to assist organizations who are interested in increasing their permanency outcomes.
The guidebook will support agencies and jurisdictions who are targeting the goal of developing permanency practices and seeking to limit unnecessary out-of-home placement in temporary, stranger foster care and residential or group care.
Like a recipe book, the guidebook is a tool any agency or jurisdiction can utilize no matter where they are at in the process of implementing practices that address grief, loss and trauma and enhance permanency outcomes for children and families in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems.
Download Creating a Permanence Driven Organization: A Guidebook for Change in Child Welfare