This past year marked the fifth anniversary of the Institute for Child and Family Well-being. As we reflect on the past five years, we are humbled by the opportunities we have had to join many others who are dedicated to strengthening families and nurturing children. Our community-university partnership emerged from a shared commitment to promoting the well-being of all children and families and to addressing barriers that result in unequal access to the best available care. We do so by translating the science of what works into prevention and intervention strategies that are effective in the real world. Central to this process is the relationships that are present in communities, organizations, and systems with whom we work to integrate effective, culturally responsive, and sustainable solutions. The list of agencies and stakeholders who deserve our gratitude is too long to acknowledge here, but we invite you to check out our project pages where you will find many of our key partners.
As we look to the future, our aim is to strengthen these alliances and forge new community connections that are necessary to disseminate effective strategies and produce lasting systems change. So take a moment to review what we learned and accomplished in 2021, and keep an eye on our newsletter, social media, and webpage that will celebrate our five years of partnership as the Institute for Child and Family Well-being.
Meet the 2021 ICFW Affiliates
As Community Engagement and Systems Change are a core service area of the ICFW, collaboration with our community and systems partners is critical to fulfilling our mission. In recognition of those that value collaboration and whose mission seeks to improve child and family well-being, we have invited those partners to join us as ICFW Affiliates. We were honored to introduce eight ICFW Affiliates in 2021, and are looking forward to expanding our affiliates in 2022.
Jennifer Jones, Dr. John Meurer, & Carmen Pitre
Dr. Julian Ford, Clarence Johnson, & Dr. Christy Warner-Metzger
Leah Jepson & Jennifer Winkler
ICFW Honored with Key Innovator Award
We are excited to announce that Children’s Wisconsin was presented with the Key Innovator award from Economic Mobility Pathways (EMPath). Over the past few years, our ICFW team has worked closely with Jen Winkler, an ICFW Affiliate, to adapt and implement Mobility Mentoring® into Children’s Wisconsin’s child welfare program in Milwaukee. We are honored to be recognized for the collaboration and innovation that have contributed to the implementation of this promising model. Please read the award statement from the EMPath Annual Report below.
ICFW Dissemination in 2021: New Journal Articles, Report and Webinar
- The ICFW had 7 journal articles published in 2021 on topics ranging from equity and access to mental health treatment, disparities in Adverse Childhood Experiences to vaccine hesitancy, and processes of healing self and community. To learn more, explore the publications here.
- New Report: COVID Resilience Planning for Nonprofits
- New Webinar: Parenting with PRIDE – Designing Group-based, Telehealth Solutions with PCIT in Times of COVID
- New Instrument: A Brief Measure of Work Environment for Human Service Organizations
New Projects and Partnerships
- Parenting with P.R.I.D.E. – Group-based, Virtual Parent-Child Interaction Therapy in partnership with the Children’s Wisconsin’s Child and Family Counseling programs.
- Birth to Three Social-Emotional Innovation Grants in partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services and University of Wisconsin – Institute for Research on Poverty.
- Minecraft® to Build Our Children’s Social Skills in partnership with Children’s Wisconsin’s Family Support and Preservation programs.
- Seeking Solutions for Youth Aging Out of Foster Care in partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families and Bay Area Workforce Development Board.
- Milwaukee Equity Action Plan in partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR).
- Mobility Mentoring® in Family Support and Preservation Programs in partnership with EMPath, Children’s Home Society of America and Children’s Wisconsin’s Family Support and Preservation programs.
- Strong and Stable Families in partnership with the Wisconsin Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board.
- T-SBIRT Training and Development