CASCW Connect

CASCW Connect newsletter

Everything in the world of CASCW

Welcome to CASCW Connect, the flagship bi-weekly newsletter of the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare at the University of Minnesota. CASCW Connect features the latest in child welfare practice, research, and policy news from Minnesota and the nation.

Issue 75: October 9  How I Connect featuring Patra Siedlecki, Spotlight on Intimate Partner Violence Awareness Month, information on the National Indigenous Women's Resource Center, 2024 Esther Wattenberg Policy Forum announced, Episode 5 of The Practice Space

CASCW Connect Archive

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2024 editions

Issue 74: September 25  How I Connect featuring Renee Banas, Spotlight on Kinship Care Month, Webinar opportunity on Disenfranchised Grief, Episode 4 of The Practice Space

Issue 73: September 11  How I Connect featuring Mary Lennick, Spotlight on Child Welfare Worker Appreciation Week, The Practice Space podcast series, relatable research

Issue 72: August 28  How I Connect featuring Janine Lukes, Spotlight on Child Welfare and Korean Americans in Minnesota, resources for back to school, relatable research

Issue 71: August 7  How I Connect featuring Beth Mitchell, Spotlight on the 2024 Be@School Conference, The Practice Space podcast series, New Recovery modules

Issue 70: July 24 How I Connect featuring Amy Krentzman, Spotlight on New Support for Recovery video modules, Disability Pride Month

Issue 69: July 10 How I Connect with Stacy and Sara Remke, Spotlight on BIPOC Mental Health Awareness Month and National Purposeful Parenting Month, The Practice Space podcast series.

Issue 68: June 26 How I Connect with Dr. Ndilimeke Nashandi, Spotlight on National Reunification Month, ICAR-8 summit

Issue 67: June 11 How I Connect featuring second-year student Zamzam Jama, Spotlight on Pride Month and Juneteenth, Be@School Conference scheduled for August 1.

Issue 66: May 29 How I Connect featuring Dr. Lynette M. Renner, CASCW to Support Child Welfare Center in Namibia, Spotlight on American Indian Month in Minnesota, Be@School Conference scheduled for August 1.

Issue 65: May 8 Spotlight on National Foster Care Month, Mental Health Awareness Month and Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. 

Issue 64: May 8 How I Connect with Leah Lindstrom Rhea, Spotlight on Child Abuse Prevention Month, CASCW at the Capitol.

Issue 63: April 11 How I Connect featuring Sookyoung Park, Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s WorthIt App, Spring Conference Registration, PLX Cohort applications, PACC applications, Child Protection Supervisor Roundtable, Welcome new staff Julia Lodge, CASCW at the Capitol.

Issue 62: March 27 How I Connect featuring Kaylo Brooks, Women’s History Month, Child Welfare Information Gateway Podcast, Parenting in Racially, Culturally, and Ethnically Diverse Adoptive Families Fact Sheet, 2024 Spring Conference registration, Minn-LInK Brief 64, CASCW at the Capitol.

Issue 61: March 14 How I Connect featuring Nora Lee, Celebrating Social Work Month: Empowering Social Workers: Inspiring Action, Leading Change, Spring Conference Registration, CASCW DIrector of Research and Evaluation Public Presentations, Somali Experiential Learning Day, CASCW at the Capitol.

Issue 60: February 28 How I Connect featuring Erin Bernardy, 100 Year Review of Research on Black Families, Award nominations, CASCW at the Capitol.

Issue 59: February 14 How I Connect featuring Nadia Marron & Casey DeLima Child Welfare Policy Updates, Spring Conference Save the Date, PLX curriculum author call, Welcome new staff Matt Dooley and Emily Hest.

Issue 58: January 17 How I Connect featuring Julie Rohovit, Human Trafficking Prevention Month, CWIG Podcast Resource on Interagency Collaboration to Address Human Trafficking, Legislative Task Force on Child Protection, Permanency Services Resource Hub.

Issue 57: January 4 2023 Year in Review

2023 editions

Issue 56: December 13 How I Connect featuring Katie Erickson, PLX registration, ICWA/MIFPA podcast and Esther Wattenberg Policy Award Breakfast.

Issue 55: November 29 How I Connect featuring Ann Bailey, National Adoption Month, Child Development for Child Welfare Website,   Institute of Child Development Virtual Info Session, Star Tribune articles, CASCW Podcasts.

Issue 54: November 8 How I Connect featuring Amy Wilkerson, National Adoption Month, Native American Heritage Month,  Expanding Our Knowledge Blog Series, 6-part Video Series Highlighting the Front-line  Perspectives of Indigenous Child Welfare in Minnesota, Star Tribune story on child fatalities.

Issue 53: October 25 How I Connect featuring Carrie Owen, ICWA/MIFPA podcast and New Vistas For Telling Stories of Adoption: A Conversation with Angela Tucker and Shannon Gibney event.

Issue 52: October 12 How I Connect featuring  Melissa Batalden Mendez, CASCW Title IV-E Partnerships, Indigenous Peoples’ Day and Infographics for Supporting Hmong Families in the U.S.

Issue 51: September 20 How I Connect featuring Kari Gloppen, National Recovery Month, Kinship Care Month,  MSW Orientation, CASCW new hire, Permanency & Child Welfare Fall Conference registration for Greater MN professionals, New Vistas For Telling Stories of Adoption: A Conversation with Angela Tucker and Shannon Gibney event.
 

Issue 50: August 30  How I Connect featuring Jon Hollister, Cannabis Legalization in Minnesota and Child Welfare, Afghan Refugee video, Be@School Conference, and CASCW podcasts.

Issue 49: August 9 How I Connect featuring Will Carlson, Afghan Newcomers to Minnesota Video Project, Permanency & Child Welfare Fall Conference call for presentations, 2023 Be@School recap,  and CASCW podcasts. 

Issue 48: July 19 How I Connect featuring Will Carlson, Afghan Newcomers to Minnesota Video Project, Permanency & Child Welfare Fall Conference call for presentations, 2023 Be@School recap,  and CASCW podcasts.

Issue 47: June 28 How I Connect featuring Matthew Witham, 2023 MN Legislative Session Ends, ICWA Upheld, Permanency & Child Welfare Fall Conference, 2023 Be@School Conference, and CASCW podcasts.

Issue 46: Jun 14 How I Connect featuring Evelyn Vee, June is Pride and Reunification month, honoring Juneteenth and Fathers Day, CEED and CASCW launches new child development resource website, 2023 Be@School conference, and CASCW podcasts.

Issue 45: May 31 How I Connect featuring Ariana King, CASCW’s professional certificate programs, Infant Mental Health training for child welfare professionals, and CASCW podcasts

Issue 44: May 10 How I Connect featuring Renee Armstrong, CASCW 2023 awards, CASCW annual May conference, and CASCW podcasts.

Issue 43: Apr 26 How I Connect featuring Eric Grumdahl, CW360º, registration for PACC and PLX, and CASCW podcasts.

Issue 42: Apr 5 How I Connect featuring Maddison Kissner Child Abuse Prevention month, CASCW’s annual May conference, ECE participation for children in foster care, Traci in the press, and CASCW podcasts.

Issue 41: Mar 22 How I Connect featuring Mimi Choy-Brown, Developmental Disabilities Awareness month, CASCW’s annual May conference, MSSA Conference, and CASCW podcasts.

Issue 40: Mar 8 Welcome by Traci LaLiberte, How I Connect featuring Jessica Mclain, National Social Work Month, CASCW’s annual May conference, award nominations, NASW-MN Diverse Workforce Initiative Cohort application, a policy blog on child welfare at the state capital, and CASCW podcasts.

2022 editions

Issue 35: Dec 7 Welcome by Liz Fronsoe, featuring a resource bundle on working with youth, information about a PACC webinar, and a spotlight on the Foster Children Bill of Rights.

Issue 34: Nov 23 Welcome by JaeRan Kim, featuring a resource bundle on adoption and child welfare, information about our 2022 Esther Wattenberg Policy Forum, and a spotlight from MNAdopt.

Issue 33: Nov 9 Welcome by Justice Anne K. McKeig, featuring a resource bundle on working with Native families, a new Minn-LInK brief, CASCW’s virtual forum on Haaland v. Brackeen, and a spotlight on frontline perspectives of child welfare professionals working with Indigenous communities.

Issue 32: Oct 26 Welcome by Marjorie Aunos and Traci LaLiberte, featuring a resource bundle on disability in child welfare, and a spotlight on the upcoming ICWA Supreme Court Hearing.

Issue 31: Oct 12 Welcome by Lynette Renner featuring a resource bundle on domestic violence/intimate partner violence (IPV), a new module on IPV and child maltreatment, and a spotlight on Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention Month.

Issue 30: Sept 28 Welcome by Kristy Piescher, featuring Part 2 of a resource bundle on Workforce Development and the needs and experiences of child welfare workers, results from the 2019 MN Child Welfare Workforce Study, and spotlight on kinship care.

Issue 29: Sept 14 Welcome by Liz Snyder, featuring Part 1 of a resource bundle on Workforce Development and supporting the child welfare workforce, photos from CASCW’s booth at the State Fair, and a spotlight on the grand opening of the Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy.

Issue 28: August 31 Welcome by Amanda Harrington, featuring a resource bundle on education and child welfare, a new brief from Minn-LInK on dual debt, and a spotlight on the annual Be@School conference.

Issue 27: August 17 Welcome by Julie Rohovit, featuring a resource bundle on substance use, Dr. Amy Krentzman’s new module on positive recovery journaling, the first episode of Parenting Done Differently: Parenting with Disabilities, and a spotlight on August as Wellness Month.

Issue 26: July 27 Welcome by Patricia Shannon and Will Carlson, featuring a resource bundle on working with refugee and immigrant populations, Minn-LInK’s latest brief on the impacts of Minneapolis’ The Choice is Yours program, and a spotlight on July as Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month.

Issue 25: July 13 Welcome by Jeffrey Waid, featuring a resource bundle on sibling relationships in child welfare, a new module on out of school suspension, and a spotlight on gun violence prevention and awareness.

Issue 24: June 22 Welcome by Shawn Powell, featuring a resource bundle on supporting parents in child welfare, the 2022 edition of CW360: Supporting Collaborative Birth and Foster Parent Relationships, and the first episode of a PACC podcast on lifebooks.

Issue 23: June 8 Welcome by Ryan Berg, featuring a resource bundle on supporting LGBTQ+ youth, a new module called Strengthening Sibling Relations for Youth in Care, and a spotlight on June as Pride Month.

Issue 22: May 25 Welcome by Sue Abderholden, featuring a resource bundle on mental health and child welfare, two guest policy blogs, and a new Minn-LInK brief on the relationship between community-level supports and student school attendance.

Issue 21: May 4 Welcome by Amelia Franck Meyer, featuring a resource bundle on supporting youth in care, two guest policy blogs, and a spotlight on Asian American and Pacific Island (AAPI) Heritage Month.

Issue 20: April 20 Welcome by Ann Masten, featuring Part 2 of a resource bundle on child maltreatment, prevention, and resilience, two guest policy blogs, and a spotlight on April as World Autism Acceptance Month.

Issue 19: April 6 Welcome by Chris Bray, featuring Part 1 of a resource bundle on child maltreatment, prevention, and resilience, CASCW Executive Director Traci LaLiberte’s presentation at CEHD’s Scholar Spotlight series, a new Minn-LInK brief on the effectiveness of drop-in centers for youth experiencing homelessness, and a spotlight on National Child Abuse Prevention Month.

Issue 18: March 23 Welcome by Kristy Piescher, featuring a resource bundle on crossover youth, a new podcast and fact sheet on neoliberalism, a new module on the intersection between homelessness and CPS, and a spotlight on Black Women Social Workers.

Issue 17: March 2 Welcome by Jessica Toft, featuring a resource bundle on the field of social work, an update on the Anti-Trans legislation in Texas, and a spotlight on March as Social Work Month.

Issue 16: February 16 Welcome by Jodi Dworkin, featuring a resource bundle on technology and social media, and details on CASCW’s annual conference: Supporting Collaborative Birth and Foster Parent Relationships in Child Welfare.

Issue 15: February 2 Welcome by Priscilla Gibson, featuring a resource bundle on disparities in child welfare, and a spotlight on Black History Month.

Issue 14: January 19 Welcome by Traci LaLiberte, featuring a resource bundle on child development, and a spotlight on National Human Trafficking Prevention Month.

Issue 13: January 5 Welcome by Traci LaLiberte, featuring a 2021 year in review of awards, podcast series, webinars, publications, modules, and blogs.

2021 editions

Issue 12: December 15 Welcome by Kate Walthour, featuring a spotlight on supporting children in care around the holidays.

Issue 11: December 1 Welcome by Traci LaLiberte, featuring a spotlight on December as Universal Human Rights Month and the Heart of Supervision podcast.

Issue 10: November 17 Welcome by Kristy Piescher, featuring a spotlight on November as Native American Heritage Month and PACC participants as well as MNAdopt webinars.

Issue 9: November 3 Welcome by Traci LaLiberte, featuring a spotlight on November as National Adoption Month and podcast episodes on Early Development and Child Welfare.

Issue 8: October 20 Welcome by the CASCW Outreach Team, featuring revisions in MN DHS Best Practice Guidelines and a spotlight on October as National Substance Abuse Prevention Month and misconceptions about substance use disorder.

Issue 7: October 6 Welcome by Traci LaLiberte, featuring a new training module on reducing disparities through Indigenous Social Work education, a new episode of the Disability and Child Welfare podcast, and a spotlight on Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Issue 6: September 15 Welcome by Liz Snyder, featuring a spotlight on National Child Welfare Workforce Development Month, a recognition of September as National Suicide Prevention Month, and a new training module on parents with disabilities who are involved in CPS.

Issue 5: September 1 Welcome by Traci LaLiberte, featuring a spotlight on the 2021 edition of CW360: Confronting Racism, Engaging Partners, Finding Solutions and a domestic violence courts training manual.

Issue 4: August 18 Welcome by Kristy Piescher, featuring a study done by SSW faculty on Child Maltreatment Re-reporting, Recurrence, and Foster Care Re-entry in Hennepin County, and the Mindfulness Monday podcast.

Issue 3: August 4 Welcome by Stacy Gehringer, featuring a spotlight on the Permanency and Adoption Competency Certificate (PACC) program and a new module on Gossip Addiction in Rural Communities.

Issue 2: July 21 Welcome by Kate Walthour, featuring a spotlight on July as BIPOC Mental Health Awareness Month.

Issue 1: July 7 Welcome by Traci LaLiberte, featuring a spotlight on the Phoenix Learning Xchange program and modules on refugee communities in Minnesota, the Family First Prevention Services Act, key barriers to for engagement with prevention services, and moral injury.