Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare

10/05/2026

📢 New Practice Tip!

A strong working alliance can lead to better engagement, stronger progress, and more meaningful goals for children and families. But what specific skills help child welfare professionals build it?

We're pleased to share our newest Practice Tip, Improving Outcomes by Enhancing Our Working Alliance, created in partnership with the Center for Practice Transformation (CPT) and authored by Jillian Wright, MPS, LPCC, LADC, and Julie Rohovit, PhD.

The tip introduces CPT's Enhancing the Alliance Model, a framework for building stage-matched, culturally responsive partnerships.

You can also find additional Practice Tips, Meeting Guides, and Resource Guides on person-centered practice on our website.

📥 Download it today or order your free mailed copy.
https://cascw.umn.edu/tips-and-guides-center-practice-transformation

10/02/2026

Across the U.S., a growing number of specialized courts are dedicated to ensuring compliance with the 1978 Indian Child Welfare Act.

Click the link below to read more. Reporting by Nancy Marie Spears.

https://imprintnews.org/top-stories/a-growing-number-of-courts-nationwide-are-dedicated-to-enforcing-the-indian-child-welfare-act/276658

09/30/2026

On this National Day of Remembrance for U.S. Indian Boarding Schools, CASCW stands in solidarity with Tribal partners, Native families, and communities as we reflect on a painful chapter whose impacts continue across generations.

As advocates for children and families, we recognize that separation from culture, community, language, and identity causes profound and lasting harm. We also recognize the extraordinary strength, resilience, and healing demonstrated by Tribal Nations and communities who continue to carry forward their cultures, traditions, and hopes for future generations.

Today, we invite our partners to take time for reflection, remembrance, and learning, while reaffirming our shared commitment to protecting children's connections to family, culture, and community and supporting holistic healing for generations to come.

09/25/2026

09/23/2026

"What will happen to my child if I get detained or deported?" It's a question no parent should have to ask, yet as of late 2025, nearly 60,000 people were in immigration detention, most with no criminal conviction.

This CW360° feature, Planning for the Care of the Children of Detained or Deported Parents, walks through a concrete step parents can take now: a legal document, often called a "power of attorney," that lets them delegate care of their child to a trusted adult if the worst happens. It covers how these documents work, who can be named as a caregiver, and how they can help kids avoid entering foster care altogether.

“The importance of planning for one’s child cannot be overstated.”

Author Randi Mandelbaum, JD, LLM, Associate Dean for Clinical Education and Director of the Child Advocacy Clinic at Rutgers Law School, breaks down a proactive, practical tool families can use to soften the blow of forced separation.

Read the full article and explore more resources on our website!
https://cascw.umn.edu/professional-development/cw360deg-spring-2026-edition/planning-care-children-detained-or-deported

09/22/2026

Check out this recent segment from MPR News: "When family steps in: The joys and challenges of raising a relative's child." When a parent can't care for a child, family members often step in. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, older siblings, and close family friends become caregivers - sometimes with little preparation and support. They often face unexpected challenges navigating schools, healthcare, finances and the legal system. September is National Kinship Care month, so this is a great time to learn more about what these families need, how policies can better support them, and what each of us can do to help.

https://www.mprnews.org/episode/2026/09/16/raising-a-relatives-child-the-joys-and-challenges-when-family-steps-in

09/21/2026

🎧 New Podcast Episode!

How do larger political and economic forces shape the day-to-day realities of child welfare and social work practice?

We're pleased to share the latest episode in our Theoretical Underpinnings in Child Welfare podcast series, developed in partnership with University of Minnesota School of Social Work Associate Professor Dr. Jessica Toft.

In Episode 7, Impacts of Neoliberalism on Social Work Practice: Resistance, social workers and child welfare professionals share how they navigate and resist workplace pressures that can impact professional discretion and practice.

Interested in learning more? Explore the podcast series and related fact sheets on managerialism, professional discretion, and resistance.

🎙️ Listen now.

https://cascw.umn.edu/theoretical-underpinnings-child-welfare-podcast-series

09/18/2026

A strong child welfare system depends on a strong workforce.
During Workforce Development Month, we recognize that investing in the child welfare workforce is an investment in better outcomes for children, youth, and families. Workforce development is not limited to training. It includes cultivating opportunities for learning, reflection, mentorship, leadership, and support across all stages of a professional's career.

At CASCW, we are committed to advancing research-informed learning and workforce development opportunities that help foster a knowledgeable, supported, and resilient child welfare workforce.

This September, we celebrate the collective efforts of practitioners, educators, students, supervisors, leaders, and community partners who contribute to strengthening child welfare practice throughout Minnesota.

Visit our website to explore free resources and tools to support child welfare workforce development this and every month!

09/15/2026

Registration is LIVE for the 2026 Fostering College Connections Summit. Two days. Saint Paul, Minnesota. October 27 and 28. fosteradvocates.org/fcc-summit-2026

This is Minnesota's first statewide summit built for the people who help Fosters navigate what comes after high school. Co designed by Foster leaders. Grounded in what we hear from students. Happening because more institutions want to do this work well.

Day 1. October 27. Fostering Success Coaching Institute Training. Six hours of practical, evidence informed professional development at EquaSpace. fsci.eventbrite.com

Day 2. October 28. Fostering College Connections Summit. A full day at Saint Paul College with colleges, universities, community partners, and Foster leaders sharing what is working, where the gaps are, and how we build stronger support together. fccsummit.eventbrite.com

Early bird pricing is open through September 30. Prices go up October 1.

FSCI Training: $150 early bird, $200 after

Summit: $30 early bird, $50 after, with a free ticket option because cost should never be a barrier

Who this is for: higher education professionals (including graduate school admissions and student services staff), ambitious K through 12 educators and counselors, high school college and career staff, trade school and workforce partners, campus leaders, community organizations, state agency representatives, and anyone working to set Fosters up for success as they transition to adulthood and beyond.

Whether your institution is just starting this work or has been in it for years, there is a place for you.

Thank you to the Women's Foundation of Minnesota for making this summit possible.

Register at the links in the comments. Tag a colleague who should be in the room.

09/15/2026

Federal agents searched the Red Lake Nation’s family services building in Minnesota, which houses child and adult protective services and oversees the Tribe’s child welfare cases under the Indian Child Welfare Act. The reason for the search has not been made public, and no arrests have been reported. Red Lake Nation officials are asking the community to avoid speculation while emphasizing the Tribe’s sovereignty and commitment to protecting children, families and the community.

You can read more in this article in The Imprint.
https://imprintnews.org/news-brief/federal-agents-search-red-lake-nation-family-and-childrens-services-building/277060