Current Projects

Hello Baby

Hello Baby is a free, voluntary program that provides families with in-home support from a public health nurse soon after the birth of a child. The Racine County Public Health Division and Walworth County Department of Health and Human Services partnered with ICFW to develop this evidence-informed program, which aims to enhance maternal and child...

Hope and Healing for Children Who Experience Family Violence

The purpose of this project is to enhance therapeutic services at the Sojourner Family Peace Center (FPC) that aim to promote healing among children and youth who have witnessed domestic violence. FPC will increase its capacity to deliver evidence-informed services while working with partner agencies to link children and families to community-based...

Addressing Unresolved Trauma: JobsWork MKE

JobsWork MKE is partnering with personnel from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM)/ Institute for Child and Family Well-Being (Institute) to enhance the trauma-informed nature of their employment services. The project goal is to effectively address unresolved trauma among JobsWork MKE program participants or members. In turn, the project...

Strong Families, Thriving Children, Connected Communities Initiative

Reimagining Neglect Prevention Through Local Leadership and Systemic Change

Strong Families, Thriving Children, Connected Communities (SFTCCC) is a statewide initiative that empowers changemakers to reimagine how we strengthen families and prevent child neglect. It moves beyond crisis response to build conditions...

Mobility Mentoring® in Family Support and Preservation Programs

Children thrive when they have regular interactions with responsive, caring adults. Families experiencing significant stressors related to financial insecurity, housing instability, or the impact of systemic and interpersonal trauma can be overwhelmed with stress, interrupting those interactions. To better support families overloaded by stress, Children’s...

Strong and Stable Families

Strong and Stable Families is a mixed-methods study that aims to (1) identify protective factors that reduce the risk of child abuse and neglect in Wisconsin households; (2) examine the impact of Wisconsin’s Family Resource Centers. Family Resource Centers (FRCs) are universal,...

Milwaukee Equity Action Plan

In partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR), ICFW will work to develop, implement and test a consumer quality improvement plan at the Milwaukee central city location. This initiative builds on an extensive consumer service review that DVR conducted in 2019. Stakeholder interviews...

Seeking Solutions for Youth Aging Out of Foster Care

Youth aging out of foster care do not fare as well as their same-aged peers. Frequent exposure to trauma and adversity stresses executive functioning skills most needed to perform essential life skills that set the foundation for self-sufficiency and independence. According to the National Center for Children in Poverty, youth who are aging out of...

Executive Functioning Across Generations

Executive function skills are like an air traffic control system in the brain that helps us manage information, make decisions, and plan ahead. Stress and the lingering impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) can negatively impact executive functioning, making it difficult to effectively navigate challenging and uncertain circumstances. Home...

School-Based Mental Health

The School-Based Mental Health project strives to increase accessibility to mental health care for children in Wisconsin. By placing psychotherapists in schools, we reduce barriers to access to care and build on the undeniable connection between a well child and their ability to succeed in school. In this way not only are healthcare disparities reduced,...

Clinical Services Integration (CSI)

Trauma-Responsive Systems Change: The Clinical Services Integration (CSI) Initiative

Overview

From 2017 to 2023, the Institute for Child and Family Well-Being (ICFW) led the Clinical Services Integration (CSI) initiative to embed trauma-informed, evidence-based care into the daily work of child welfare,...

Trauma – SBIRT

Adapted from Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) for substance misuse, Trauma SBIRT (T-SBIRT) is a brief protocol designed for healthcare and social service settings. Its purpose is to help service recipients generate insight into their trauma exposure and enhance their motivation to seek mental health or related services....

Change in Mind

Healthy brain development is the foundation for child well-being and community prosperity. Changing systems and implementing policies that are informed by brain science can support children, families, and communities. From 2015 to 2017, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin was one of 15 sites in the United States and Canada that participated in the...

Housing Opportunities Made to Enhance Stability (HOMES) Initiative

A stable, healthy, and affordable home provides a foundation for well-being and prosperity for children, families and communities. Stable housing can positively affect a broad spectrum of outcomes for children and families, including academic performance, physical, and mental health. Families that struggle to achieve or maintain housing stability...

Foundations for Adolescent Well-Being (FAWB)

Adolescents in foster care who have experienced maltreatment or chronic adversity face consequences that impact their life course, and are 25% more likely to experience delinquency, mental health problems, low academic achievement, teen pregnancy, and drug use.1 Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin’s approach to adolescent programming...

Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)

The health and well-being of children, families, and communities are critical foundations for a prosperous future. Responsive relationships are a key component to the health, well-being, and resilience of children. Parent-Child relationships can inoculate children from the harmful effects of toxic levels of stress that negatively impact brain development....