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...
UWM Projects
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...
Rapid Cycle Analysis: Child Welfare and Home Visiting Data Project
June 2021 – December 2021
The Wisconsin Public Child Welfare and Home Visiting Data Project was a rapid cycle analysis conducted to help inform Wisconsin’s IV-E service planning process. Using eight years of administrative records, we examined the risk profiles of families who received a screened-in CPS report during their time...
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.
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... November 2020- April 2022 The Wisconsin Birth to 3 Program is a federally-mandated Early Intervention program to support families of children with developmental delays or disabilities under the age of three. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) awarded innovation grants to 15 Birth to 3 programs across the state to pilot new and... August 2020- December 2021 The Goodwill Boys & Men of Color Initiative aimed to support unemployed or underemployed young men of color in Milwaukee, by offering intentional and aligned access to career training programs and holistic supportive services. During the pilot of this initiative, youth and men participated in a training program... Funded by a HRSA Innovation Grant, Assessing for Trauma in Home Visiting aims to improve trauma-responsive practices among three Wisconsin home visiting programs. Home visiting staff receives a full-day training in trauma screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment or T-SBIRT, which was... 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.... October 2018- October 2021 The Higher Expectations’ Two Generation Initiative was a StriveTogether-funded project that aimed to support unemployed or underemployed mothers with young children, by offering intentional and aligned access to workforce... October 2018 – December 2022 Racine Elevates All Children’s Health (REACH) is an impact study of Family Connects, a postpartum nurse visiting program that is being implemented by the Central Racine County Health Department in partnership with Ascension All Saints Hospital.... October 2017 – September 2022 The Trauma and Recovery Project (TARP) was a 5-year SAMHSA-funded initiative that aimed to increase the availability and accessibility of trauma-responsive treatments for children and families in southeastern Wisconsin by: (a) fortifying and coordinating systems of care, (b) increasing the pool of clinicians... The Families and Children Thriving (FACT) Study is a HRSA-funded, ongoing panel investigation of risk and resilience among nearly 2,000 low-income families that have received home visiting services through Wisconsin’s Family Foundations Home Visiting... October 2013 – September 2022 The Healthy Families Study is a randomized trial of two home visiting programs at the Milwaukee Health Department that serve low-income, pregnant women. One program implements Healthy Families America, an evidence-based curriculum, and the other is... April 2017-April 2020 Funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, this 3-year project aimed to develop trauma-informed screening, service, and referral processes to address the needs of polyvictimized clients. Through this initiative, a polyvictimization screening tool was developed and administered with clients that receive services from the... October 2017- September 2022 This 5-year project focused on Milwaukee County’s Family Drug Treatment Court (FDTC), which is a voluntary program that provides substance abuse treatment and family support services to parents or guardians whose substance use disorder is a safety concern that results in the removal of the children from their... 2016 – 2020 Project Safe Neighborhood: Welcome Home (PSN) and Smart Reentry are innovative initiatives aimed at preventing recidivism among men returning to Milwaukee neighborhoods from state correctional facilities. The Wisconsin Department of Justice, in collaboration with other project partners, launched both projects in 2016. While... Healthy Worker, Healthy Wisconsin is a five-year, Milwaukee-area initiative funded by the Wisconsin Partnership Project and facilitated by Community Advocates Public Policy Institute in partnership with the ICFW. This local job enhancement project aims to strengthen employment services by increasing client access to health and mental health care. The... October 2016-September 2018 Funded through the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families, Alternative Response (AR) or Differential Response is being implemented by 22 Wisconsin county child welfare agencies with the aim of serving families with low-to-moderate safety concerns without launching an official investigation of maltreatment.... 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.... July 2015 – December 2016 This project aims to translate research on adverse childhood experiences into prevention and intervention applications within the context of home visiting services in order to improve population health outcomes. Home visiting program data from the Central Racine County Health Department and other agencies... Wisconsin’s Family Foundations Home Visiting (FFHV) program is a statewide network of agencies that provide evidence-based home visiting services to pregnant women and families with children under age 5. Program services include screening and assessment, parent education, and referral... October 2013 – September 2017 This project evaluates Wisconsin’s Family Foundations Home Visiting (FFHV) Program, which coordinates home visiting programs across 15 counties and 4 tribal regions. The study examines whether Wisconsin’s evidence-based home visiting services are associated with expected client and program outcomes in... July 2011 – June 2014 Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is an empirically validated treatment for externalizing behavior problems in young children. Foster children are at an especially high risk of developing externalizing problems, difficulties that their foster parents are not often trained to manage effectively. PCIT... October 2007 – September 2013 Wisconsin’s Western Region is the area of the state with the highest concentration of methamphetamine abuse, and on par with the state as a whole in its problems with alcohol. This project responded to those needs by forming an alliance among state, regional, and county/tribe-level partners who are committed... Milwaukee Equity Action Plan
Birth to 3 Social-Emotional Innovation Grants
Goodwill Boys & Men of Color Initiative
Assessing for Trauma in Home Visiting
Trauma – SBIRT
Higher Expectations’ Two Generation Initiative
Racine Elevates All Children’s Health (REACH) Study
Trauma and Recovery Project (TARP)
Families and Children Thriving (FACT) Study
Healthy Families Study
Family Peace Center Model for Addressing Polyvictimization
Family Drug Treatment Court (FDTC)
Project Safe Neighborhood & Smart Reentry
Healthy Workers, Healthy Wisconsin
Alternative Response (AR) in Wisconsin
Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)
Understanding the Impacts of Adverse Childhood Experiences to Improve Prevention Services
Family Foundations Home Visiting Program
Smart Scale Up: Expanding Home Visiting with Fidelity
Project Connect: Adapting PCIT to Foster Care
Western Wisconsin Collaborative for Children’s Well Being and Permanency