School Updates
The Child Welfare Education and Research Programs had a productive year filled with education, training, and innovation. A total of 47 fully funded child welfare undergraduate and graduate students are enrolled in the 2023-24 academic year, and statewide, a total of 98 students completed degree studies through the education programs. The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center continued to offer a free, online three-hour course, Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse. More than 288,000 participants completed the course during the year. Feedback continues to be overwhelmingly positive, with almost 90% reporting they feel more confident in their skills and that they will be able to use what they learned in the course. The resource center spearheaded the third round of the federal Child and Family Services Review (CFSR) in 2023. Pennsylvania achieved the Program Improvement Plan goal for Item 14 (Caseworker Visits with Children) and as a result, Pennsylvania has successfully completed all required components associated with CFSR Round 3. This review involved in-depth reviews of 65 cases across seven counties. This achievement ensured that Pennsylvania is not subject to a multimillion-dollar financial penalty and is a true testament to the efforts made by the workforce to ensure that they are achieving the required frequency and quality of visits with children.
This past year, the Child Welfare Resource Center has continued its race equity journey. It has made structural changes to better support its efforts at every level of the organization. These structural changes also ensure that there is effective communication and clear expectations for everyone regarding the goal of becoming an anti-racist organization. The resource center continues to collaborate with outside partners for education about race equity matters and its impact on children and families of color. The theme of the Diversity Task Force event this year was Community-conscious Trauma Awareness, with a focus on racial trauma. Participants learned about the impact of racial trauma and how there can be collective healing through a trauma-informed approach. Participants also were part of breakout groups in which they had the opportunity to discuss what their experiences have been with racial trauma and strategies they can use when it touches them professionally or personally.