Dr. Traci LaLiberte speaks with Dr. Jessica Toft to introduce a three part series on Neoliberalism.  Dr. Toft provides an in-depth introduction to Neoliberalism, Social Work and Child Welfare Work.  The series will feature research and interviews describing how it relates to Social Work.

jtoft@umn.edu, @jessica_toft
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-toft-27336014a/
https://experts.umn.edu/en/persons/jessica-e-toft

Additional Resources:
https://www.aliainnovations.org/

Theoretical Underpinnings in Child Welfare: Introduction to Neoliberalism and Child Welfare

Dr. Toft and PhD candidate, Ruti Soffer-Elnekave dive into what neoliberalism actually is and why it matters in social work practice. They discuss  transactional interaction and exchange, social contracts and social provisioning,  marketization and the important connection to social service providers and non-profit work.  The hosts also discuss the complexities of the social work profession as it relates to client engagement, risk assessment, and prevention.

RESOURCES and transcript available at:
https://cascw.umn.edu/portfolio-items/theoretical-underpinnings-in-child-welfare-podcast-series/

Episode 1: What is Neoliberalism…and Why Does it Matter for Social Work?

In this episode Katherine Nulicek, MSW interviews Steve Carlson, PsyD from the Center for Practice Transformation to discuss the importance of putting a person-centered philosophy into practice when working with individuals with substance abuse disorders and mental health and the implications it can have on child welfare professionals and decision making.

Additional Resource:
https://practicetransformation.umn.edu/clinical-tools/how-person-centered-is-my-practice/

Chemical and Mental Health: Importance of a Person-Centered Philosophy

Faith Eidson, LMSW interviews Dr. Marva Lewis to discuss the impact of early caregiving relationships on a child’s ability to self-regulate.

RESOURCES:
http://www.psychology.sunysb.edu/attachment/online/inge_origins.pdf
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258144317_Attachment_and_Culture

Attachment and foundations of self-regulation

Christine Cole, LCSW, IMH-E interviews Kristin Irrer, IMH-E to discuss how recognizing the various developmental needs of children is crucial for Child Welfare workers in order to appropriately engage with youth and families.

Applying a developmental lens to child welfare work

Christine Cole, LCSW, IMH-E and Dr. Kathleen Thomas delve into the topic of early brain development and its reliance on adult interaction.

RESOURCES:
Davies & Troy (2020) Ch. 2 Brain Development - pp. 43-50
Davies & Troy (2020) Ch. 2 Brain Development - subsection - Risk and Protective Factors influencing brain development --Specific focus on pp.51-53
Harvard Center for the Developing Child Videos U of M
https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resourcecategory/multimedia
https://icd.umn.edu/

Early Brain Development

Kate Walthour, MSW, LISW talks with Anna Paulson, M.Ed. and Janell Schilman to discuss the referral and evaluation process when there are concerns about a child’s development and when screening is required through the Child Protection and Treatment Act (CAPTA).

RESOURCES:
Help Me Grow Minnesota 
https://vimeo.com/596213650/abcefc7f10
Pacer Center-Champions for Children with Disabilities
https://www.pacer.org/
Help Me Connect
https://helpmeconnect.web.health.state.mn.us/HelpMeConnect/

The importance and process of early childhood screening

Kristin Johnson, MSW interviews Professor Daniel Berry to explore the interactions between genetics and the environment on a child’s brain development.

RESOURCES:
Institute of Child Development:
https://icd.umn.edu/
Childrens Emotional Development is Built into the Architecture of Their Brains
https://cascw.umn.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Childrens-Emotional-Development-Is-Built-into-the-Architecture-of-Their-Brains.pdf

Applying a neuroscience lens to child welfare work

In this first episode of the Heart of Supervision podcast, Mimi Choy-Brown (host) talks with Christina Haddad Gonzalez, MSW, LICSW who is a leader both teaching clinical supervision practice to future and current supervisors at the UMN SSW and supervising youth mental health services today.

Remembering What Supervision is All About- with Christina Haddad Gonzalez

In this episode of the Heart of Supervision podcast, Mimi Choy-Brown (host) talks with Dr. Alyssa Meuwissen from the Reflective Practice Center at the Center for Early Education and Development at the UMN about the basics of what reflective supervision is and how it could be an important tool for the child welfare workforce.

RESOURCES:
https://ceed.umn.edu/reflective-practice-center/
https://ceed.umn.edu/reflective-practice-center/reflective-interaction-observation-scale-rios/

The Reflective Supervision/Consultation Model with Dr. Alyssa Meuwissen

Dr. Jessica Toft and PhD candidate Ruti Soffer-Elnekave discuss survey findings from a scoping review they conducted in which they summarized the literature that discussed what neoliberalism actually is and how it interfaces with social work, specifically working conditions. The hosts examine the impact on child welfare social workers in Minnesota.

RESOURCES and transcripts available at:
https://cascw.umn.edu/portfolio-items/theoretical-underpinnings-in-child-welfare-podcast-series/

Episode 4: Survey Findings of Licensed Social Workers in Minnesota

Marjorie invites us all to stay open to possibilities and reflect on our own positioning and values. She then introduces us to the world of Parents and Parenting with Disabilities.

Introduction: Parenting Done Differently

Reflections on what becoming a mom with a physical disability has changed in my perspective as a researcher & practitioner who works with parents with intellectual disabilities.

SHOWNOTES & RESOURCES available at:
https://z.umn.edu/parenting-done-differently

Episode 1: Once Upon A Time…

Gwynnyth Llewellyn takes us on a journey that starts with the first few researchers focused on parents with intellectual / learning disabilities and how they chose to work together for the benefits of science and parents.

SHOWNOTES & RESOURCES available at:
https://z.umn.edu/parenting-done-differently

Episode 2: A Parenting with Disability Masterclass

In this episode, Stacy Gehringer, Director of Outreach at CASCW, hears from Sharon Kollar from the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute (NCWWI) about the resources offered by the organization to strengthen child welfare practice. She also provides important results from the Comprehensive Organizational Health Assessments (COHA), a tool to better support the child welfare workforce.

SHOWNOTES & RESOURCES available at:
https://z.umn.edu/oxygenmask

Putting on your oxygen mask while helping others

In this episode, Marjorie interviews researcher Dr. Susan Collings. Dr. Collings has met with several school-aged children of parents with intellectual disabilities. She brings forward their perspective in her research and reminds us that children feel connected to their family. Empowering families is thus supporting children.

SHOWNOTES, RESOURCES, and Transcript available at:
https://z.umn.edu/parenting-done-differently

Episode 6: Children of Parents with Intellectual Disabilities

In this episode, Marjorie speaks with Marja Hodes, a clinical psychologist from the Netherlands with extensive experience working with parents with intellectual disabilities. Her frame of mind is about finding appropriate ways to support parents and continuously staying open to their lived expertise. Together with her colleagues, Marja developed a toolkit “Talking About Children” (and earned a national award). This toolkit supports future parents with intellectual disabilities to think carefully about the consequences of having and raising a child.

SHOWNOTES, RESOURCES, and Transcript available at:
https://z.umn.edu/parenting-done-differently

Episode 11: Advocacy & Support

This episode describes the process of Inquiry and how it is considered an active effort. Local social service agencies and private licensed child placement agencies are responsible for finding out if a child has Indian heritage. This episode will also answer frequently asked questions and share best practices regarding Inquiry.

A Guide Through ICWA & MIFPA Episode 1: Inquiry

In this final episode of a Guide through ICWA & MIFPA, the hosts discuss placement preference and considerations that child welfare workers must make according to state law. The order of preference is discussed as follows: 1) A member of an Indian child's extended family 2) A foster home or license approved or specified by an Indian child's tribe 3) Indian Foster home licensed, approved by a authorized non-Indian license authority and 4) an institution for children approved by an Indian tribe, or operated by the Indian organization with a program suitable to meet the Indian child's needs. Hosts respond to FAQs and best practices as well. 

We hope you have enjoyed this podcast series! Please share widely!

A Guide through ICWA & MIFPA Episode 6: Placement Preference

There is a movement of energy in, through and around each of us. Meditation can be an incredible tool to help us respond to these energies. People who enter into professions such as child welfare tend to be sensitive and empathetic, and are naturally more impacted by the energy of others. Finding ways to address these energies and messages can be profoundly helpful. This initial episode of The Practice Space offers an introduction to the meditation skills that can help us to build resistance and better sustain ourselves in practice.

Episode 1: Creating Space In and for Ourselves in Practice: An Introduction

In this episode of The Practice Space, learn about ways to navigate the intense energies associated with trauma that you may be exposed to in your work. Gently clearing your own energy space helps to create spaciousness for others while allowing them to find their own resilience. This episode shows us how to redirect energy and to be compassionate in a more holistic way.

Episode 2: Removing Clutter: Clearing and Grounding through meditation practices

In this episode of The Practice Space, learn about ways to retain your neutrality and openness as you navigate challenging energies and intense emotional situations. Hear about some simple daily habits that you can use to ground yourself to be present and encounter each unique situation as it is, not as you might imagine or prefer it to be. 


Episode 3: Finding the Well: Replenishing Ourselves Through Practice

In this episode of The Practice Space, learn about the importance of developing skills to guide human interactions, especially in practice settings that may be uniquely challenging. Some professional arenas can include chronic stress for workers (such as with child welfare and palliative care), and we can also experience isolation and difficulty talking about our experiences with others. Caring for yourself includes cultivating human connections where you can talk about and deal with tough and complex issues, together.

Episode 4: Rocks and Hard Places: Developing skills for sustaining ourselves in practice

Energy exchange is happening all the time, all around us. Your own personal, emotional space that you carry with you wherever you go accumulates finished and unfinished interactions, and these can sit in your space and create discomfort. In this episode of The Practice Space, experience a guided meditation and clearing practice where you can dive deeper and learn ways to find more room for yourself and discern what belongs to you and what you need to let go. 

Episode 5: Building our Meditation Muscles

In this episode of The Practice Space, we discuss grief. Our own grief, plus that of others. We all carry unprocessed, unassimilated experiences that we hold within our own energetic space. These experiences can be triggered by others, and they can really rattle us and we don’t always know why. If something hasn’t been assimilated within us, it lights up! When things light up for us, it can be uncomfortable. But, it’s important to remember that it is not a failure, but an opportunity to process and build more space for yourself. The more you allow your grief, the more you are able to take part in joy and life. 

Episode 6: Encountering Grief and Navigating Activations

Don't panic, collaborate! You’ll hear about this advice and more in episode one of this three-part series focused on considerations for child welfare and county workers who encounter families who are navigating the asylum process, are currently undocumented, or have mixed documentation status within the family. In this episode, you'll learn about local changes occurring in Minnesota by exploring a collaboration that occurred in 2023 in Hennepin County. You'll hear from school and county staff who faced the challenges of change by collaborating across sectors, learning from neighboring districts, and keeping their focus on relationships.

Episode 1: Working With Undocumented & Asylum-Seeking Families: Collaboration in Minnesota

Asylum is complex and can take a long time. Episode two of this three-part series does a deeper dive into the process of asylum in the United States. Hear about the different types of asylum, the requirements, and the challenges of legally acquiring status, as well as the avenues of support that are available for families. You'll hear from immigration attorney Sarah Brenes (Binger Center for New Americans, University of Minnesota Law School) about how the complexities of the asylum process can impact asylum-seeking families, the history of and recent changes to these processes, and what this means for child welfare professionals who work with these families.

Episode 2: Working With Undocumented & Asylum-Seeking Families: Understanding Asylum

Seeking asylum is an act of resilience and protection. This final episode of the three-part series focuses on the implications for direct practice social work with families who are seeking or navigating asylum. Amy Smith, Clinical Faculty and Director of Social Work Services at the Interprofessional Center for Counseling and Legal Services at the University of St. Thomas and Liz Franklin, Director of Behavioral Health at Comunidades Latinas Unidas en Servicio (CLUES), discuss how to join with families as a social worker, considerations for establishing and sustaining trust, contextualizing care, navigating benefits eligibility, and sustaining yourself as a social work practitioner.

Episode 3: Working With Undocumented & Asylum-Seeking Families: Considerations for Practice

In this episode, Korina chats with Ashley Rooney. Ashley is a Child Protection Worker and Title IV-E Child Welfare Fellow. In this episode, Ashley discusses how COVID-19 has impacted her work as child protection investigator. Ashley also shares how she has navigated unexpected changes to her life as a graduate social work student during this time.

It Takes a Village: Interview with Ashley Rooney

In this episode Korina chats with Linda Eagle Speaker, Cultural Elder in Residence at the Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center. Linda starts us off with a beautiful and grounding meditation. Linda also shares her story and experience in boarding school and how that experience led to her work supporting families in child welfare. Linda leaves us with tips for healing trauma and taking care of ourselves during the pandemic.

TRIGGER WARNING: there are descriptions of physical and sexual abuse in this episode. 

RESOURCES: https://www.miwrc.org/learning-center

It Takes a Village: Interview with Linda Eagle Speaker

In this episode Korina chats with Dr. Mary Harrison, Research Associate at the Center for Early Education and Development, University of Minnesota. During our conversation, Mary shares more about her research on reflective practice, which includes reflective consultation and supervision. Mary discusses how we can incorporate reflective practice in our everyday lives during a pandemic. Mary also discusses new training resources that have been tailored for frontline child welfare professionals.

Resources
https://news.cehd.umn.edu/reflective-practice-in-uncertain-times-how-you-are-is-as-important-as-what-you-do/

Insight Timer meditation app - Times of Uncertainty Playlist
https://insighttimer.com/meditation-app

It Takes a Village: Interview with Mary Harrison

In this episode Korina chats with Tracy Shoberg, Deputy Director of the SAFeR Project, Battered Women’s Justice Project. During our conversation, Tracy shares what we know about intimate partner violence and domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tracy shares more about the work of the Battered Women’s Justice Project and provides additional resources for supporting survivors during these times.

Resources

https://ncadv.org/
https://www.bwjp.org/
https://www.bwjp.org/news/coercive-control-covid-19.html

It Takes a Village: Interview with Tracy Shoberg

The Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare (CASCW) is committed to connecting child welfare professionals to relevant and accessible training resources. We are excited to bring you the latest in research, policy, and practice via podcasts. This channel will cover a wide range of topics and will feature interviews with researchers, policy makers, frontline child welfare workers, community members, and many others. If you would like a transcript of any of our podcasts, please visit our website podcast page: https://cascw.umn.edu/podcasts/.

Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare

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