Institute for Children & Families

 

 
 

Welcome to the Institute for Children & Families  

As part of the Radford University School of Social Work (SSW), the Institute for Children and Families (ICF) is passionate about the need for social and economic justice and committed to working with families, agencies, and communities in southwestern Virginia. The ICF, formerly the Child Welfare Institute, was developed under the skilled leadership of Dr. Jane Denton and is now directed by Dr. Jenny Burroughs Alexander.

The purpose of the ICF is to promote evidence-based practice and inform curriculum enhancement through collaboration among local and state Departments of Social Services, community health and human services agencies, students, and faculty on issues pertaining to children and families. The programs within the ICF are undertaking activities to protect and support families, children, and elders in Southwest Virginia, and to increase their quality of life. 

The ICF offers opportunities for faculty, students, and community partners to be involved in innovative research and the development and demonstration of “best practice” models. This research and these models are then feed into the BSW and MSW curriculums, in the core and elective course content. The research conducted and models developed and tested through the ICF programs offer wonderful opportunities for faculty and students to publish and present their findings at conferences, workshops, etc.

Due to the reputation Waldron College programs and specifically the SSW ICF programs have earned through our work in the communities in Southwestern Virginia we are often invited to assist in developing new programs or enhancing existing programs by offering new resources and creative ideas. The programs and learning opportunities offered through ICF are summarized below.

The original program was the Title IV-E Student Stipend program, now called the Child Welfare Education and Support Program (CWESP). The goal of this program is to increase the number of Department of Social Services (DSS) workers who have degrees in Social Work, thereby professionalizing the field of public child welfare. Each year RU SSW offers 20 stipends of $8000 each to social work students currently employed at DSS or those interested in working with DSS after graduation. The funds are used to help with educational expenses. Many students who would not otherwise have been able to obtain a social work degree have been able to do so through this innovative program. Additionally, many DSS agencies that previously lacked degreed social workers now employ several and thus have more skilled child welfare professionals administering the child and family services programs.

The Children’s Advocacy Center of the New River Valley (CAC-NRV) was established through a University-Community Partnership and is governed by a Task Force made up of representatives from law enforcement, commonwealth’s attorneys, DSS, RU, and advocates for child victims of violence. The CAC is a community-based program that serves alleged child abuse victims and non-offending family members with the goals of reducing trauma to alleged victims and more effectively prosecuting perpetrators of abuse and violence against children. The Center provides a non-threatening, child friendly environment where trained neutral forensic interviewers perform developmentally appropriate interviews with alleged child victims. The CAC model endorses a multi-disciplinary approach to child abuse investigations.

The Community Resource Adoptive and Foster Family Training (CRAFFT) initiative is a statewide program whose primary focus is training and supporting resource, foster, kinship, and adoptive families throughout Virginia. The state is divided into six service areas and each area has a designated CRAFFT coordinator who works at a state University within/bordering the service area. The two coordinators, serving the Western and Piedmont areas of Virginia, work at RU SSW with the ICF. The goals of the CRAFFT program are directly related to state program improvement goals that focus on better outcomes for children in our foster care system.

The Certificate Program in Eligibility Practice program is a partnership between the City of Roanoke DSS and RU SSW. The Certificate Program offers twelve (12) credit hours with content delivered in four course modules.  Course educational outcomes and core competencies are based on “best practice”.  Educational outcomes are focused on effective benefit determination and re-determination for individuals seeking financial, medical, and emergency assistance and food stamps. Educational outcomes include the preparation of Eligibility Workers who will demonstrate: 1) “best practice” models, and competencies, in keeping with agency policy and procedures; 2) respect and acceptance of the unique characteristics of diverse customers; 3) knowledge of the history of eligibility work and its current role in the delivery of social services; and 4) “conscious use of self” as an eligibility professional. 

Virginia Healthcare Foundation funds the RU FAMIS Outreach Program. The goal of the program is to increase enrollment of eligible children in the FAMIS, FAMIS plus, and FAMIS moms programs. Families and children throughout the New River Valley, Wythe, Bland, Carroll, Grayson, Patrick counties and the city of Galax are assisted with enrollment in the FAMIS programs by project staff and student interns. FAMIS Outreach staff along with local partner agencies have been part of very effective statewide policy and procedural changes that have helped improve overall health care access in Virginia.

The Grandparents Raising Grandchildren program is a psycho-educational support group for grandparents (and other relatives) who are currently raising their grandchildren. The group meets monthly in Pulaski County. The goal of this group is to assist, strengthen, and support the families in their endeavor to provide a stable environment for their grandchildren.

The Celebrating Children and Families Conference recognized as a showcase for programs and projects that can be used as models for best-practice, a forum for policy dis­cussion and advocacy, and a prime source of information on new research findings in work with children and families. Practitioners, administrators, educators, advocates, researchers, and students are encouraged to share their expertise with others at this multidisciplinary conference.

During this conference we celebrate Children and Families by recognizing the struggles that today’s families face in parenting children and supporting elder adults. We honor and affirm the commitment of the thousands of people who have dedicated their lives to the caring professions and we call younger generations to join this valued work. Finally, we encourage organizations to transform themselves to respond to the opportunities and challenges of the future.