As some of you might know, I am a huge fan of the television show Supernatural, which follows the adventures of two monster-hunting brothers named Sam and Dean Winchester. I am such a big fan that I have traveled all over the US (and even to other countries) to attend fan conventions where I hang out with other fans and the actors that star on the show.

In October, I went to a Supernatural “con” in Denver and met a fellow fan named Kim Raff. She told me that she was there because of an organization called One Simple Wish, which grants wishes to children and adults who have lived in the foster care system. Her wish was to attend a Supernatural convention and get to meet the stars of the show and other fans. It was such a pleasure to get to know Kim, and she told me about her history and more importantly, the great work that she is doing now. She has started her own organization called Foster Alumni Mentors (FAM), which is dedicated to providing a sense of belonging and community to youth who have aged out of the foster care system.

I think that Kim and I were meant to meet at the Supernatural convention, and I encourage you to consider making a donation to One Simple Wish or Foster Alumni Mentors on Giving Tuesday! If you have non-profit organizations related to the child welfare system that you would like us to highlight in future newsletters, please send the information to cfrc@illinois.edu.

Sincerely,

In non-Supernatural news, we have recently published several annual reports and they are now available on our website.

The FY2021 Monitoring Report of the B.H. Consent Decree is now available. This report tracks the performance of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services on over 40 key outcomes related to child safety, family continuity, placement stability, and family permanence (reunification, adoption, and guardianship). The FY2021 monitoring report includes data through June 30, 2020. In addition, the CFRC Data Center displays data on the outcome indicators through June 30, 2021.

The FY2021 report on Racial Disproportionality in the Illinois Child Welfare System is also available for download on our website. This report examines racial disproportionality in the Illinois child welfare system at six critical decision points during 2014–2020, including: 1) screened-in maltreatment reports/investigations, 2) protective custodies, 3) indicated maltreatment reports, 4) child welfare case openings (intact family services), 5) substitute care entries, and 6) timely exits from substitute care. The results are presented for the entire state as well as by region.

Also available is the FY2021 Program Evaluation of the Child Protection Training Academy for New DCFS Investigators. This report examines the implementation and outcomes associated with simulation training for new child protection investigators working for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.

In July 2020, Chancellor Jones of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign announced a $2 million annual commitment to fund Call to Action grants. These grants will use the intellectual and scholarly talent of the university to examine issues related to racism and social injustice.

For the 2021-2022 year, we are pleased to say that CFRC's Dr. Ted Cross is a recipient of one of these Call to Action grants. His project is entitled Understanding Racial Disproportionality in Finding Permanent Homes for African-American Children in Out-of-Home Care: A Study of Subsidized Guardianship. For this project, Dr. Cross, Dr. Cady Landa and some School of Social Work students will partner with DCFS to explore racial disproportionality in the use of subsidized guardianship among African American families in effort to counter bias and inform stakeholders about its value.

Congratulations Dr. Cross! We look forward to hearing more about this project.

To find out more information on the Call to Action projects at the University of Illinois visit the website for the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Drs. Ted Cross and Yu-Ling Chiu published an article of Mississippi’s experience in the Journal of Family Trauma, Child Custody & Child Development in July. The article reports results from an implementation evaluation of Mississippi’s Child Advocacy Studies Training (CAST) initiative funded by Children’s Advocacy Centers of Mississippi™, the first effort to implement CAST courses and programs in colleges and universities throughout a state.

In response to a national deficit in education about child maltreatment, colleges and universities throughout the United States provide CAST courses and certificate or minor programs to educate undergraduate and graduate students in child maltreatment. This article reports results from an implementation evaluation of Mississippi’s CAST Initiative, the first effort to implement CAST courses and programs in colleges and universities throughout a state.

Through interviews with administrators and faculty implementing CAST in Mississippi, the two program evaluators provide a brief history of the initiative, review the initial development of CAST courses and programs, discuss considerations related to the program’s implementation, and report faculty’s plans for the future of CAST. Their evaluation provides evidence that the implementation of Mississippi’s CAST initiative has had considerable success and has good prospects for enduring. The findings also expand knowledge about the contextual issues involved in implementation, point to the value of strong partnerships between CAST colleges and universities and community organizations, and identify some considerations connected to expanding enrollment in CAST.

Article citation: Cross, T.P. & Chiu, Y. (2021). Mississippi’s experience implementing a statewide Child Advocacy Studies Training (CAST) initiative. Journal of Family Trauma, Child Custody & Child Development. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1080/26904586.2021.1951418

Dr. William Schneider, one of CFRC's faculty affiliates, is one of five early-career researchers selected for the William T. Grant Scholars Class of 2026. The William T. Grant Scholars Program seeks to contribute to a bright new generation of scholars who will bring rigorous research to youth policies, programs, and practices in the U.S. Scholars receive $350,000 to execute rigorous five-year research plans that stretch their skills and knowledge into new disciplines, content areas, or methods.

Dr. Schneider will study how housing and income support policies reduce or prevent child maltreatment, particularly child neglect, among families facing economic hardship and link individuals from Illinois administrative child welfare data to data from the Chicago sites of three rigorous pre-existing employment and housing experiments.

The 2021 CQI Conference, the first held virtually, was a great success! Over 280 people registered from across the country as well as Canada. If you were able to attend, we would like to hear your thoughts.

Session materials have been posted on the website and are available for you to view. If you would like to know more about the conference please visit our website: CQI Conference.

Please email: CQICommunity@gmail.com with any questions or to be added to our contact list.