Episodes

  • Overloaded: Understanding Neglect - Trailer

    Overloaded: Understanding Neglect - Trailer
    Sep 16 2022
    Announcing Overloaded: Understanding Neglect, a new podcast series from the Institute for Child and Family Well-being. Neglect is a complex and wicked problem, but it’s one that we believe is preventable if we work together to reimagine how we support families overloaded by stress. Neglect is a public health crisis, as it’s the most common reason that children are separated from their families by the government. 1 in 3 of all US children experience a Child Protective Services investigation, 1 in 10 have a confirmed allegation of maltreatment, and children of color are disproportionately represented in foster care. Nearly 7 in 10 children in foster care are separated from their families due to neglect. The Overloaded: Understanding Neglect podcast represents the important first step of building a shared understanding of the problem and will serve as a foundation for future innovations in practice, policy, and systems change. Join host Luke Waldo, Director of Program Design and Community Engagement at the Institute for Child and Family Well-being, as he explores these issues with research and policy experts Tim Grove (Wellpoint Care Network), Jennifer Jones (Prevent Child Abuse America), Bryan Samuels (Chapin Hall), and Dr. Kristi Slack (University of Wisconsin), Lived Experience expert Bregetta Wilson (Wisconsin Department of Children and Families) and five of his colleagues from Children’s Wisconsin’s child welfare and child maltreatment prevention programs. Through these conversations, we developed a compelling narrative that seeks to build a shared understanding of the realities of overloaded families, so that we might find solutions that reduce family separations for reasons of neglect. Join the conversation on Wednesday, September 21st when we premiere the first episode of Overloaded: Understanding Neglect wherever you listen to your podcasts. Then tune in each week on Wednesday to listen to the rest of the series.
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    4 mins
  • Understanding Neglect

    Understanding Neglect
    Sep 21 2022

    Today’s episode included the following speakers (in the order they appear):

    Host: Luke Waldo

    Experts:

    • Jennifer Jones – Chief Strategy Officer, Prevent Child Abuse America
    • Bryan Samuels – Executive Director, Chapin Hall
    • Dr. Kristi Slack – Professor, University of Wisconsin; Founder, Prof2Prof; Affiliate, Institute for Research on Poverty
    • Hannah Kirk – Healthy Start Supervisor, Children’s Wisconsin
    • Theresa Swiechowski – Family Support Supervisor, Children’s Wisconsin
    • Ashlee Jackson – Family Support Specialist II, Children’s Wisconsin
    • Bregetta Wilson – Lived Experience Coordinator, Wisconsin’s Department of Children and Families
    • Tim Grove – Senior Consultant – Wellpoint Care Network
    • Dr. Julie Woodbury – Family Preservation and Support Manager, Children’s Wisconsin

    :31 – Luke Waldo – Introduction to Overloaded: Understanding Neglect podcast and Strong Families, Thriving Children, Connected Communities initiative. 

    • Strong Families, Thriving Children, Connected Communities

    3:33 – Luke Waldo – Child neglect and abuse statistics. How is child neglect defined?

    • Wisconsin Out-of-Home Care Report (2020)

    4:56 – Jennifer Jones – Definitions of neglect differ across the country. Wisconsin’s definition of neglect, which specifically includes “for reasons other than poverty”.

    • Wisconsin Department of Children and Families
    • Wisconsin’s Definition of Neglect
    • Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA)

    7:51 – Bryan Samuels – Child neglect national and state statistics. Why neglect is the primary reason for family separation in child welfare systems.

    10:43 – Dr. Kristi Slack – Child neglect and poverty. Systems’ failures that lead to overloaded families.

    12:51 – Luke Waldo – Introduction of Lived Experience and Direct Practice experts.

    13:12 – Hannah Kirk – Defining child neglect.

    13:40 – Theresa Swiechowski – Defining child neglect.

    13:55 – Ashlee Jackson – Poverty and neglect. 

    14:22 – Bregetta Wilson - Defining child neglect.

    14:31 – Hannah Kirk – Mental health and substance use challenges.

    15:44 – Theresa Swiechowski – The gray areas of neglect.

    17:54 – Luke Waldo – Complexity of neglect. Introduction of stories about individuals and families that experienced neglect.

    18:48 – Bregetta Wilson – Social determinants of health. Story about an 18 year old young man who had been involved with the child welfare system for much of his childhood. Story about a mother who went to the system to ask for help, but then had her children taken from her.

    • Social Determinants of Health

    24:00 – Tim Grove – Story about a 3 month old child that experienced neglect. Trauma as an underlying root cause. Trauma statistics in the child welfare system.

    30:23 – Luke Waldo – How families become overloaded by stress.

    30:54 – Dr. Julie Woodbury – Mental health and stress piling on overloaded families.

    32:18 – Bryan Samuels – The intersection of poverty and neglect. 

    32:54 – Luke Waldo – 3 Key Takeaways. 

    35:21 - Closing Credits and Gratitude.

    Join the conversation and connect with us!

    • Visit our podcast page on our ICFW website to learn more about the experts you hear in this series.
    • Subscribe, rate our show and leave feedback in the comments section.
    • Sign up for our Strong Families, Thriving Children, Connected Communities initiative and our quarterly newsletter.
    • Follow the Institute for Child and Family Well-being on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
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    36 mins
  • Understanding Neglect: Trauma and Systemic Oppression

    Understanding Neglect: Trauma and Systemic Oppression
    Sep 28 2022
    Today’s episode included the following speakers (in the order they appear):Opening quote: Tim Grove – Senior Consultant – Wellpoint Care NetworkHost: Luke WaldoExperts:Jennifer Jones – Chief Strategy Officer, Prevent Child Abuse AmericaBregetta Wilson – Lived Experience Coordinator, Wisconsin’s Department of Children and FamiliesTim Grove – Senior Consultant – Wellpoint Care NetworkBryan Samuels – Director, Chapin Hall0:04 – Tim Grove – Opening Quote on Trauma and Equity:52 – Luke Waldo – Introduction to root causes of neglect – trauma and systemic oppression.3:23 – Luke Waldo and Jennifer Jones – Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Adverse Community Environments. Wendy Ellis.Pair of ACEs - Adverse Community Experiences 5:41 - Bregetta Wilson – Dorothy Roberts’ Torn Apart reading and the structures of bias built into child welfare systems. Torn Apart:  How the child welfare system destroys Black families–and how abolition can build a safer world by Dorothy Roberts8:25 – Luke Waldo – Importance of facing the realities of inequities and generational trauma in our society.9:05 - Tim Grove – Impacts of ACEs, trauma, and equity. Original ACEs study  Dr. Joy DeGruyDr. Maria Yellow Horse Brave HeartSam SimmonsFran Kaplan & Reggie JacksonCenter for Community Resilience13:01 – Bregetta Wilson – How are we educating the system actors like mandated reporters? Generational trauma from generational child welfare involvement. Bias.15:46 – Luke Waldo – Prevalence of ACEs. ICFW ACEs studies. Disproportionality statistics.ICFW Adverse Childhood Experiences’ studiesWisconsin Out-of-Home Care Report (2020)Wisconsin child population demographics: US Census Quick Facts (2020 Estimates)17:48 – Luke Waldo and Jennifer Jones – Systemic oppression and disparities. Addressing the Root Causes of Neglect ArticleChange in Mind Institute21:39 – Bryan Samuels – Child welfare disparities. Hispanic and African-American families in child welfare system.Illinois Department of Children and Family Services StatisticsNational Child Maltreatment Data from the Administration for Children and Families24:39 – Gabe McGaughey – How might data better inform us?25:29 – Bryan Samuels – How data might more effectively inform the child welfare and child maltreatment prevention systems.27:56 – Luke Waldo – What would families change about the child welfare system?28:24 – Bregetta Wilson – Let families lead. 29:19 – Luke Waldo – Closing introduction to speakers.29:45 – Jennifer Jones - The legacy of systemic racial trauma. Positive Childhood Experiences.Examining the Association between ACEs, Childhood Poverty and neglect, and physical and mental health:  Data from two state samples Positive Childhood Experiences and Adult Mental and Relational Health in a Statewide Sample: Associations Across Adverse Childhood Experiences Levels34:44 – Bryan Samuels – The real challenges of the child welfare system.  39:36 – Luke Waldo – 3 Key Takeaways41:58 – Closing Credits and GratitudeJoin the conversation and connect with us!Visit our podcast page on our ICFW website to learn more about the experts you hear in this series.Subscribe, rate our show and leave feedback in the comments section.Check out our upcoming events.Sign up for our Strong Families, Thriving Children, Connected Communities initiative and our quarterly newsletter.Follow the Institute for Child and Family Well-being on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
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    43 mins
  • Understanding Neglect: Poverty

    Understanding Neglect: Poverty
    Oct 5 2022

    Today’s episode included the following speakers (in the order they appear):

    Opening quote: Jennifer Jones – Chief Strategy Officer, Prevent Child Abuse America

    Host: Luke Waldo

    Experts:

    • Dr. Kristi Slack – Professor, University of Wisconsin; Founder, Prof2Prof; Affiliate, Institute for Research on Poverty
    • Bryan Samuels – Director, Chapin Hall
    • Jennifer Jones – Chief Strategy Officer, Prevent Child Abuse America
    • Bregetta Wilson – Lived Experience Coordinator, Wisconsin’s Department of Children and Families
    • Tim Grove – Senior Consultant – Wellpoint Care Network

    0:03 – Jennifer Jones – Opening statement on systemic challenges and poverty.

    00:59 – Luke Waldo – Introduction to another root cause of neglect - poverty.

    • Dr. Jerry Milner and David Kelly article: It’s Time to Stop Confusing Poverty with Neglect.

    4:47 – Kristi Slack – Child welfare statistics and disparities. Impact of poverty and housing instability on families and child welfare involvement. Economic safety net’s impact on child maltreatment prevention. 

    • Institute for Research on Poverty article: Preventing Child Maltreatment and Neglect in the United States: Opportunities for Change

    9:07 – Gabe McGaughey and Kristi Slack – Poverty is a constellation of issues. Poverty compounding other risk factors. 

    13:07 – Luke Waldo – Family vulnerability as a consequence of systems’ failures.

    14:15 – Bryan Samuels – Economic loss, unemployment, and housing instability as the most likely predictors of child welfare involvement. Financial benefits, childcare, housing stability, and employment as a social safety net. 

    16:12 – Jennifer Jones – Child well-being system to support overloaded families. Economic and concrete supports reduce risk of child welfare involvement.

    • Prevent Child Abuse America article: Addressing the Root Causes of Child Neglect

    21:01 – Kristi Slack – Complex, multi-faceted nature of neglect. Class-action lawsuit that led to the Norman Fund for overloaded families living in poverty.

    • Norman Fund

    23:32 – Kristi Slack – Challenges that arise when families are experiencing housing instability. 

    25:26 – Luke Waldo – Complicated relationship between poverty and child neglect. Introduction to social capital.

    26:53 – Bregetta Wilson – Self-efficacy. The stress and impacts of poverty.

    30:33 – Gabe McGaughey and Tim Grove – The impact of trauma and social capital on economic mobility.

    • Raj Chetty Atlantic article
    • Scaling Wellness in Milwaukee (SWIM)

    34:02 – Bregetta Wilson – The impact of planting seeds on self-efficacy.

    35:37 – Luke Waldo – 3 Key Takeaways

    38:07 – Closing credits and Gratitude

    Join the conversation and connect with us!

    • Visit our podcast page on our ICFW website to learn more about the experts you hear in this series.
    • Subscribe, rate our show and leave feedback in the comments section.
    • Check out our upcoming events.
    • Sign up for our Strong Families, Thriving Children, Connected Communities initiative and our quarterly newsletter.
    • Follow the Institute for Child and Family Well-being on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

     
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    39 mins
  • Overloaded Families

    Overloaded Families
    Oct 12 2022
    Today’s episode included the following speakers (in the order they appear):Opening quote: Ashlee Jackson – Family Support Specialist II, Children’s WisconsinHost: Luke WaldoExperts:Bregetta Wilson – Lived Experience Coordinator, Wisconsin’s Department of Children and FamiliesSoua Thao – Home Visitor – Children’s WisconsinHannah Kirk – Healthy Support Supervisor – Children’s WisconsinTheresa Swiechowski – Family Support Supervisor – Children’s Wisconsin0:00 – Ashlee Jackson – “Just because one rose grew through the crack in the concrete is great, but if we took off that block of concrete, how many would grow?”00:11 – Luke Waldo – Introduction to how root causes of neglect – trauma and systemic oppression – overload families.2:58 – Bregetta Wilson – Shares her lived experience with the child welfare system when she was a child, her mother’s struggles, and her sister’s support and influence.5:15 – Luke Waldo and Soua Thao – The challenges that Hmong families experience with language barriers.6:17 – Hannah Kirk – Culture differences and the need for cultural competence in the child welfare system. 8:14 – Hannah Kirk – The mistrust that often exists between the families and professionals that work together in the child welfare system.9:43 – Ashlee Jackson – Mistrust with the systems that should be there to support families – schools, healthcare, etc. – as there is fear that they will be reported to child welfare. 11:34 – Luke Waldo – While overloaded families face many challenges, they also aspire to overcome them.12:35 – Theresa Swiechowski – Families struggle with mental health and substance abuse, and have limited resources to support them. These challenges lead to financial and housing instability.16:11 – Soua Thao – Housing and financial instability. Lack of resources to support families with childcare, mental health, and housing. Soua tells a story about a family that was recently evicted.19:30 – Luke Waldo – How do we start to recognize that we too often punish children for their parents’ past?20:16 – Hannah Kirk – The impacts of segregation and bias. 20:42 – Luke Waldo – How these many challenges pile on and overload families.21:36 – Luke Waldo – How might we change our systems and empower families, so that they may overcome these complex challenges?22:17 – Bregetta Wilson – Shares more of her story when she was a child in the child welfare system, and when she asked her case worker, “Can you help my mom?”24:40 – Hannah Kirk – Talks about how families are strong and the importance of seeing families through their strengths. “What has happened?” versus “What did you do?”27:14 – Ashlee Jackson – Shares her lived experience with the child welfare system and the need to advocate for herself.28:29 – Theresa Swiechowski – Talks about her a-ha moment early in her career when she first understood that an overloaded mother was doing the best she could for her daughter by sending her to camp all day.31:04 – Luke Waldo – If we walk in the door asking what families need rather than what families did, it would change our approach of how we work with families.31:30 – Soua Thao – Discusses the importance of cultural traditions and family support. Hmong American Center34:05 – Hannah Kirk – Making a point to talk about families’ strengths. 36:48 – Ashlee Jackson – The power of resilience, resourcefulness and building a network.37:54 – Theresa Swiechowski – Resilience is a superpower. The strengths and challenges of family involvement. 39:41 – Soua Thao – Parents’ enthusiasm for learning how to become better parents.40:47 – Theresa Swiechowski – “Strong, funny, optimistic people doing their best.” 42:40 – Ashlee Jackson – “They love their kids.” 43:14 – Soua Thao – Parents want the best for their kids.43:53 – Luke Waldo – Gratitude and 3 Key Takeaways47:30 – Closing CreditsJoin the conversation and connect with us!Visit our podcast page on our ICFW website to learn more about the experts you hear in this series.Subscribe, rate our show and leave feedback in the comments section.Check out our upcoming events.Sign up for our Strong Families, Thriving Children, Connected Communities initiative and our quarterly newsletter.Follow the Institute for Child and Family Well-being on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
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    49 mins
  • Systems Change: Understanding the Problem

    Systems Change: Understanding the Problem
    Oct 19 2022
    Today’s episode included the following speakers (in the order they appear):Opening quote: Julie Woodbury – Family Preservation and Support Manager, Children’s WisconsinHost: Luke WaldoExperts:Ashlee Jackson – Family Support Specialist II, Children’s WisconsinJennifer Jones – Chief Strategy Officer, Prevent Child Abuse AmericaTheresa Swiechowski – Family Support Supervisor – Children’s WisconsinDr. Kristi Slack – Professor, University of Wisconsin School of Social WorkBryan Samuels – Executive Director, Chapin HallTim Grove – Senior Consultant – Wellpoint Care NetworkBregetta Wilson – Lived Experience Coordinator, Wisconsin’s Department of Children and FamiliesHannah Kirk – Healthy Support Supervisor – Children’s Wisconsin0:00 – Julie Woodbury – “It’s not somebody else’s problem, it’s everybody’s problem.”00:14 – Luke Waldo – Introduction to the child welfare system’s organizing principles, systems change and its drivers – policies, practices, resource flow; relationships and power dynamics; and mental models.How the Child Welfare System Works – Children’s BureauThe Water of Systems Change - FSG4:36 – Ashlee Jackson – Addressing mistrust by clarifying child welfare’s role and goals for the families it serves.5:50 – Jennifer Jones – Racial disparities in child welfare and access to community supports.6:35 – Theresa Swiechowski – “Parents don’t wake up and say, ‘Man, I just can’t wait to have mental health issues today…to have my car break down today....to be in a system.” Navigating our systems is really hard, and it can lead to people feeling shame, isolation, and shutting down.8:23 – Dr. Kristi Slack – The experience of being reported to or investigated by the child welfare system can be traumatic. “If there were other ways to help families that didn’t need to be there, then we should pursue those other strategies.”  8:58 – Luke Waldo – How might we divert overloaded families that may not need child welfare intervention to supportive services that keep their families together and help avoid the trauma and mistrust that comes from family separation? Introduction of next speakers that discuss the challenges presented within our policies, practices and resource flows. 9:44 – Jennifer Jones – Considering the complex relationship between race, poverty and neglect, “by putting an actual bigger emphasis on addressing poverty, we should see, without a doubt, a decrease in neglect cases in the U.S.” We spend $33 billion federally on our child welfare system and only 15% of that on prevention programs. Invest more in anti-poverty and prevention community-based resources.The Social Welfare Policy Landscape and Child Protective Services: Opportunities for and Barriers to Creating Systems Synergy – Dr. Megan Feely12:55 – Theresa Swiechowski – Introduction to Children’s Northern Wisconsin child welfare programs. Families are in crisis when she first meets them.Children’s Wisconsin’s Child Welfare programs14:37 – Ashlee Jackson – Policies change when their impacts are felt closer to home. How might we treat the impacts of trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences like we have treated the opioid crisis?15:50 – Luke Waldo – How might we change how policymakers and systems leaders see overloaded families, so that they implement policies that strengthen families and keep them together? Introduction of next speakers that discuss our society’s role with our policies, practices and resource flows. 16:47 – Bryan Samuels – Policy impacts practice. Policy changes need to be made to enable the work at the community level. “Shift resources, shift power, and then ultimately, change outcomes.”18:25 – Dr. Kristi Slack – If you change policies, change outcomes. Cognitive load makes it more difficult for parents to care for their children. What part of that is society’s responsibility? Economic safety net as a child maltreatment prevention strategy.Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)CDC’s Essentials for Childhood FrameworkCenter for the Study of Social Policy’s (CSSP) Protective Factors Framework22:33 – Luke Waldo – It’s striking to hear Dr. Slack talk about the social safety net, a concept that assumes individuals or families will fall, as a set of supports that too often barely gets overloaded families above the meager poverty line. Introduction of next speakers that discuss accessibility of social safety net and the impacts of relationships and power dynamics on mistrust between systems and communities.23:49 – Dr. Kristi Slack – Accessibility of social safety net programs such as WIC and SNAP. Tax credits and direct cash assistance can have sizable impacts on families. Community response such as Family Resource Centers can divert families from the child welfare system.Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)Supplemental ...
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    46 mins
  • Systems Change: Understanding the Drivers

    Systems Change: Understanding the Drivers
    Oct 26 2022
    Today’s episode included the following speakers (in the order they appear):Opening quote: Bryan Samuels – Executive Director, Chapin HallHost: Luke WaldoExperts:Tim Grove – Senior Consultant, Wellpoint Care Network Jennifer Jones – Chief Strategy Officer, Prevent Child Abuse AmericaDr. Julie Woodbury – Family Preservation and Support Manager, Children’s WisconsinBregetta Wilson – Lived Experience Coordinator, Wisconsin’s Department of Children and FamiliesHannah Kirk – Healthy Support Supervisor, Children’s WisconsinDr. Kristi Slack – Professor, University of Wisconsin School of Social Work0:00 – Bryan Samuels – “We often miss the opportunity to recognize that the relationships that are needed to get into communities and to successfully leverage the assets that exist there requires trust-building and power-sharing.”00:24 – Luke Waldo – Introduction to the child welfare system’s organizing principles, systems change and its drivers – policies, practices, resource flow; relationships and power dynamics; and mental models.How the Child Welfare System Works – Children’s BureauThe Water of Systems Change - FSG5:04 – Tim Grove – We too often celebrate individual efficiencies and productivity in child welfare rather than lowering caseloads and addressing systemic issues. We risk burnout. Explores the impacts of Pair of ACEs and equity on the cycle of healing people and sending them back into combat. Dr. Wendy Ellis – Pair of ACEs8:26 – Jennifer Jones – Address systemic and community-level inequities to improve family well-being.Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire – Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University9:48 – Bryan Samuels – To understand what communities need, there must be authentic engagement and trust building, which often conflict with system timelines.11:16 – Luke Waldo – If our systems face a trust deficit, then we must address them by better understanding and often challenging mental models. Flip the waterfall, turn the tables as Julie mentioned in the last episode.12:01 - Dr. Julie Woodbury – What are the top issues in your community? What could we do about it? “We judge others on their behaviors, and ourselves on our intentions.” 13:23 – Bryan Samuels – Engaged community residents to promote healthy development. Community is a powerful lever in changing the day to day lives of people. Systems Transformation framework. There are already assets in communities to leverage.Systems Transformation Framework – Chapin Hall14:56 - Tim Grove - Address bias to promote equity.16:54 - Luke Waldo – Building trust requires that we authentically engage communities, share power, and give them leadership and ownership opportunities. 18:12 - Bregetta Wilson – We make up the system. How do we level the playing field? 19:25 – Bryan Samuels – California Endowment funded a number of community engagement efforts throughout California and had varying outcomes.Building Healthy Communities – California Endowment20:40 - Hannah Kirk – Building formal and informal supports in child welfare programs. Children’s Wisconsin’s Child Welfare programs21:36 – Bregetta Wilson – The importance of consistency from child welfare professionals. The power dynamics that exist within our court system. The power of language in building relationships and trust. 24:24 – Luke Waldo - Changing population level outcomes requires policies, practices and resources to address the underlying root causes that we’ve discussed. 25:38 - Bryan Samuels - Community Pathways, Family First Prevention Services Act, Home Visiting, and Family Resource Centers to provide support to overloaded families when they need it most.Family First Prevention Services Act – Chapin Hall ToolkitHome VisitingFamily Resource Centers28:14 - Dr. Kristi Slack –Community response for deflected populations so that they receive actual engagement from supportive services such as Family Resource Centers. 29:12 - Jennifer Jones - Cutting short TANF benefits led to increase in child maltreatment reports.Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)29:57 - Bregetta Wilson – What if we gave families the opportunity to buy a home and then wrapped supportive services around them to build self-efficacy and address poverty? Evicted by Matthew Desmond32:20 - Luke Waldo – Systems collaboration must become normalized if we are to prevent family separations for reasons of neglect.32:52 - Dr. Kristi Slack – Systems integration conversations have been happening for a long time. Risks and benefits of systems integration and collaboration. Siloed systems need better coordination.35:40 - Bryan Samuels – Policies that impact cross-systems collaboration through an example of Medicaid and Child Welfare. Flexible funding and time are needed to reform our child welfare system into a more integrated child well-being system.Medicaid and Child Welfare40:09 - Luke Waldo – 3...
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    44 mins
  • Moving Upstream

    Moving Upstream
    Nov 2 2022
    Today’s episode included the following speakers (in the order they appear):Opening quote: Jennifer Jones – Chief Strategy Officer, Prevent Child Abuse America Host: Luke WaldoExperts:Dr. Kristi Slack – Professor, University of Wisconsin School of Social WorkTim Grove – Senior Consultant – Wellpoint Care Network Dr. Julie Woodbury – Family Preservation and Support Manager, Children’s WisconsinSoua Thao – Home Visitor – Children’s WisconsinAshlee Jackson – Family Support Specialist II – Children’s WisconsinTheresa Swiechowski – Family Support Supervisor – Children’s Wisconsin00:00 – Jennifer Jones – “Investing in prevention not only keeps kids safe and in their own families and communities, but it also creates significant savings in our systems. We will see savings in healthcare, we will see savings in corrections, and we will obviously see savings in the child welfare system.”  00:22 - Luke Waldo – How might we move further upstream to prevent overloading families with stress and the potential for neglect? Building Better Childhoods – Prevent Child Abuse America and Frameworks Institute4:38 - Jennifer Jones – Our country needs to invest way more in prevention. $33 billion spent on federal child welfare each year, but only 15% is spent on prevention. We need to invest more in Home Visiting, Family Resource Centers, and anti-poverty programs such as economic concrete supports. Access to these services and supports shouldn’t be impacted by where you live, but we know that it does for too many overloaded families.Home VisitingFamily Resource Centers6:20 - Dr. Kristi Slack – There are not a lot programs or services designed specifically to address neglect. What about parenting needs to change if we are to prevent neglect? We need to get better at assessing what it is that parents need to prevent neglect. We are not likely to see significant reductions in neglect unless we treat it at a structural level, particularly in the area of financial instability and poverty. 1. It’s not one size fits all. 2. We need to learn more about what prevents neglect specifically. 3. We need to focus on systems and structural issues and how they contribute to conditions that lead to neglect.8:54 – Jennifer Jones - Families too often get the support that they need once entering the child welfare system, which is too late. We need a child maltreatment prevention system that supports families once problems begin to occur to prevent child welfare involvement and family separation. We need to think about prevention differently that includes housing, anti-poverty programs, and addressing systemic discrimination.11:02 - Luke Waldo – Early Intervention Services as a potential prevention investment for child welfare system. In this next segment, we discuss the challenges we face with a well-intentioned, but often overloaded workforce that frequently experiences secondary trauma or an empathy overload due to the many work-related and community-based experiences. We also are influenced by our mental models, our beliefs and biases, which can limit our ability to best serve overloaded families or deliver programs with the efficacy and compassion that is needed. Early Intervention Services12:30 - Tim Grove – Discusses the 3 month old child from previous episodes. If there was evidence of physical abuse, the child welfare caseworker would have to take the child to a Child Advocacy Center. This can be overwhelming for the child welfare case worker and manifest as secondary trauma. People that go into the helping fields have a disproportionate rate of their own trauma. This can make them more vulnerable to triggers and reenactment. Between pandemic times and high caseloads, there is greater risk of burnout. This can make it even harder to show compassion to clients. Organizations need to find balance in accommodating staff while still meeting clients’ needs.Child Advocacy Centers – Children’s Wisconsin16:33 - Dr. Kristi Slack – Community Response models can support families that had been deflected from Child Protective Services. Worked with Social Development Commission’s Project Gain to provide greater access to better economic situations in Milwaukee. Through trainings and conversations with staff, discovered biases and beliefs as to why families were poor. Those mental models could impact how model was delivered. It’s interesting to see the differences between what people believe causes poverty and what research shows causes poverty. Changing mental models and cultures of our systems and organizations can improve these programs as families will feel more accepted and outreach will improve.Wisconsin Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention BoardCommunity Response Model and Project Gain study – Berger, Collins and SlackSocial Development Commission19:29 – Luke Waldo – How might we become more trauma-informed? We can address these challenges by shifting our mental models...
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    48 mins