The Parent Mentor Program of Minnesota

Parent mentor programs are being established across the U.S. Parent mentors are mothers and fathers who have resolved their own cases in the child welfare system, and who then receive ongoing training and supervision. They help other parents to navigate their way through the complex, emotionally stressful child welfare process. Despite their promise, few empirical studies have evaluated their effectiveness. In 2017, we began a collaboration with a grassroots organization providing services to parents involved in the child welfare system. They work alongside, not within, or against county, tribal, or state child welfare systems. We have submitted the research component, an ethnographic study, for publication and presented the research nationally at several conferences. This work is funded by the Gamble-Skogmo endowment.

Moral Injury In Parents, Youth & Professionals

Moral injury refers to the lasting psychological, spiritual and social impact of one’s own or others’ actions that transgress deeply held moral beliefs and expectations. The concept was developed to describe the experiences of veterans, but we have been examining its applicability to parents, youth and professionals involved in the child welfare system. In general, we find levels of moral injury similar to that of veterans, as well as detailed descriptions of the events experienced as morally injurious (e.g., child abuse), psychosocial responses to those events (e.g., feelings of betrayal), and ways of healing (e.g., meaning-making activities). This work is described in several publications and national conference presentations. It is funded by the Gamble-Skogmo endowment with matching funds from Title IV-E and a grant from the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Crossover Youth

Maltreated youth are at a 47% greater risk for becoming involved in delinquency than youth from the general population. The dual involvement of youth in child welfare and juvenile justice systems can compound vulnerable youth's risks for problematic developmental outcomes. Involvement in these systems can place vulnerable youth at additional risk for mental health, educational and vocational problems. We evaluated the Crossover Youth Practice Model (CYPM). The CYPM is a comprehensive, integrated approach for improving the outcomes of crossover youth involving multisystem collaborations between child welfare and juvenile justice professionals, as well as law enforcement, education, behavioral health, and court personnel. We also examined predictors for maltreated youth crossing over into juvenile justice involvement. This research has been presented at multiple national conferences and described in several publications. It is funded by Casey Family Programs and the Gamble-Skogmo endowment with matching funds from Title IV-E.

Disability, Stigma & Development: Insights from Educators, Parents and Children in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the U.S.

This line of research aims to inform efforts to address the stigmatization of children with disabilities. We conducted a comparative study of disability, stigmatization and children’s developing selves in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the U.S. The stigmatization of children with disabilities is a widespread developmental and social justice challenge, but cultures and individuals vary widely in their understandings of disabilities. Our focus on Japan, South Korea and Taiwan is motivated by their key differences with U.S. culture in conceptualizations of “disability” and general sensitivity to stigmatization coupled with recent educational policy changes that have brought these issues to the fore. This study has been described in numerous journal articles and national conferences. We are excited to announce the publication of a full-length book, Disability, Stigmatization and the Cultural Self: Insights from educators in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the U.S. due to be released by Oxford University Press in early 2020. This study was funded by the Spencer Foundation and the Gamble-Skogmo endowment.

Indigenous Child Welfare 

The dramatic overrepresentation of Indigenous families in North American public child welfare systems is one of the most pressing and controversial issues facing contemporary child welfare practitioners and policymakers. Yet recruiting students from various cultural communities to the field and educating white social work students and professionals to practice in culturally responsive ways are ongoing challenges. We have partnered with Indigenous colleagues from the Center for Regional and Tribal Child Welfare Studies in ethnographic research examining their successful model of inclusive education. Currently, we are describing the experiences of Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, now professionals working in the field,  in this program. In a second line of research, we are examining the beliefs and practices of Indigenous communities pertaining to child protection. This research has been reported in a journal article and national conferences, with additional articles forthcoming. It is funded by a Multicultural Research Award from the University of Minnesota, the Gamble-Skogmo endowment with matching funds from Title IV-E.

Racial Disparities in the Out-of-school Suspension of Black Youth

Our research aims to illuminate the causes of racial disproportionalities in out-of-school suspensions to inform intervention efforts, a persistent social justice issue. It is a persistent social justice issue. Suspensions involve excluding children from school for up to 10 days. Many public schools persist in using suspensions as a standard practice for responding to students’ misbehaviors even though they are largely ineffective in deterring these behaviors. Black students bear the brunt of these negative consequences even though they are no more likely than other groups of students to engage in unsafe or rule-breaking behaviors at school. Rather, they are more harshly disciplined than white students for the same misbehaviors. Our mixed-methods research examines the similar and distinct experiences and perspectives of Black students who were suspended, their caregivers and educators; as well as predictors of out-of-school suspensions. This research has been presented in several journal articles and national conference presentations. It is funded by a Grant-In-Aid from the University of Minnesota, and the Gamble-Skogmo endowment with matching funds from Title IV-E.