Child welfare workers engage with children and families during some of the most challenging times in their lives. In this podcast series, we explore the importance of putting on your oxygen mask while helping others. As the metaphor goes, child welfare workers cannot properly support others without their own “air.” It is essential that workers have effective and sustainable support to care for themselves while they also care for families. You’ll hear what the workforce says they need, current research findings, and more on promising models to support worker wellbeing.

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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.

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NCWWI one-pagers and infographics

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In this episode, Dr. Kristy Piescher, Director of Research and Evaluation at CASCW, interviews Dr. Austin Griffiths, an Assistant Professor at Western Kentucky University, about his ongoing research focused on improving the health and wellness of the child welfare workforce.

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Episode 3: Broadening Worker Safety: A New Jersey Story

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In this episode, Liz Snyder, Co-Director of the Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy, speaks with Ricardo Pina and Nancy Carre-Lee from New Jersey’s Department of Children and Families (NJDCF) as they share some of the innovative efforts New Jersey has put in place to support worker safety and wellness, including the establishment of the Office of Staff Health & Wellness.

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