The Social Work Lens

Is mandated reporting critical to achieving child and family safety in our communities, or is it an outdated strategy that facilitates family surveillance? Who is this policy serving and why? What is driving the shift in thinking about mandated reporting? Join Jill Richard, MEd. & Dr. James Metz as they set the stage to learn from our history and create new possibilities.

Neurodivergent youth and young adults, including those with autism, and gender-expansive youth face more adversity and are at a greater risk of trauma, such as abuse and neglect, as well as experiences like rejection, isolation, and bullying than their peers without those differences. Those living at the intersection of both neurodivergence, and gender expansiveness are at even higher risk. Join Cassie & Kelly Smith as they explore the relationship between gender diversity and trauma in Part 3 of this series. Show notes & resources available at: https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/

Neurodivergent youth and young adults, including those with autism, and gender-expansive youth face more adversity and are at a greater risk of trauma, such as abuse and neglect, as well as experiences like rejection, isolation, and bullying than their peers without those differences. Those living at the intersection of both neurodivergence, and gender expansiveness are at even higher risk. Join Cassie & Kelly Smith as they explore the relationship between neurodivergence and trauma in Part 2 of this series. Show notes & resources available at: https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/

Neurodivergent youth and young adults, including those with autism, and gender-expansive youth face more adversity and are at a greater risk of trauma, such as abuse and neglect, as well as experiences like rejection, isolation, and bullying than their peers without those differences. Those living at the intersection of both neurodivergence, and gender expansiveness are at even higher risk. Join Cassie & Kelly Smith as they explore this triple intersection. Show notes & resources available at: https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/

Join Cassie, Chris, & Ellen as they close this series by discussing how to support youth beyond crisis response and foster lives worth living. Listen to Part 1 & Part 2 for information on universal screening and how to respond when youth screen positive. Transcripts and show notes available at https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/

Youth suicide is a public health crisis, and we all have a role in prevention! Join Cassie, Ellen, & Chris as they discuss how to respond to youth in crisis, and what to do after you’ve administered a screening tool. Transcripts & show notes available at: https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/

Part 1- You Have To Ask: The Importance of Screening for Suicide Prevention. Youth suicide is a public health crisis, and we all have a role in prevention! Join Cassie, Ellen, & Chris as they bust some myths about youth suicide, dig into the importance of screening, and walk through an accessible approach to screening that almost anyone can use. Show notes & Transcripts available @ https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/

Join Mercedes and Hailey in this third and final episode as they share their experiences in the VT DCF child welfare system with host, Kate Cunningham. Using the list of hopes and aspirations for any youth in state’s care that the St. Joseph’s Orphanage survivors created in 2020, we discuss the importance of youth having access to their information, as well as, being a part of their own plan. Transcripts & show notes available at: https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/

Join Mercedes and Hailey in this second episode as they share their experiences in the VT DCF child welfare system with host, Kate Cunningham. Using the list of hopes and aspirations for any youth in state’s care that the St. Joseph’s Orphanage survivors created in 2020, we discuss the importance of the relationship between a youth in care and their alternative caregivers, either kin, foster or residential workers. The need for a sense of belonging and for being cared about as a person is clear in the stories that share. Transcripts & show notes available at: https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/

Join host Kate Cunningham as she speaks with Hailey and Mercedes, about their experiences as children in custody in the VT DCF child welfare system. Using the list of hopes and aspirations for any youth in state’s care that the St. Joseph’s Orphanage survivors created in 2020, Hailey & Mercedes tell their stories over three episodes, and dig into the importance of the relationship between a youth in care and their DCF worker, the need to be seen and heard, and the need to feel that their lives matter to their workers. Transcripts & show notes available at: https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/

Join us for our last episode in our 3-part miniseries with Corey Best on racial justice in child welfare. In this episode, Janine Beaudry brings Corey B. Best and Vermont Family Services Division, Deputy Commissioner Aryka Radke together to dream about, and discuss, the just child and family support system we want to build, along with a few specific thoughts about some of the ways we might get there. Transcript, show notes, and links to episode 1 and 2 available at: https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/

Join Janine Beaudry as she continues her conversation with Corey B. Best, in Part 2, of our 3-part mini-series on racial justice in child welfare. In part 2, Corey & Janine focus on how the legacy of chattel slavery underpins the current child welfare system, and the current push to abolish racist practices to build a just child and family support system. Transcript & Show notes available at: https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/

The Vermont Child Welfare Training Partnership (VT-CWTP) is proud to announce that we are changing the name of our podcast to THE SOCIAL WORK LENS.

Most of us are having uncomfortable conversations about racism these days. Join Janine Beaudry as she talks with Corey B. Best about the origins and impacts of white supremacy in our country, and how authentic connection and belonging can help us all see the malady for what it is and move toward healing. Transcript, Bios, and Show notes available at: https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/

We all have Uncomfortable Conversations sometimes... join host Cassie Gillespie as she talks with Jan Fook, PhD about her work on using a Reflective Approach, and how this approach can transform tough conversations. Transcript, Bios, and Show notes available at: https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/

“She said that the only thing that made this thing (a child being removed from their home) even a teenier bit more bearable, was that she saw tears in the social worker’s eyes” – Dr. Nicki Weld describing compassionate courage. Join host Kate Cunningham as she talks with Dr. Nicki Weld about the concept of courage, and the importance of caregivers and child welfare workers being authoritative and compassionate in their relationships with children and families. Show notes and Transcripts available at: https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/

Join Cassie as she talks with Dr. Laura Biggart about The Team as Secure Base Model. The Team as a Secure Base model is an adapted version of Gillian Schofield and Mary Beek’s Secure Base model (we have an episode on this- check it out!) used in foster care, adoption, residential care and schools; and draws from social workers’ experiences and their articulation of what helps create trust as a foundation for effective teamworking. Show notes and transcripts available at: https://vermontcwtp.org/lens-podcast/

Safety and Security are at the heart of any meaningful relationship, especially the relationship between caregiver and child. In this episode, Cassie talks with Professor Gillian Schofield PhD about the Secure Base model, which provides a framework for building positive relationships and promoting security and resilience, not only in foster care, adoption, and residential care, but also in schools, workplace teams and a range of diverse settings. The Secure Base model, used widely in the United Kingdom and abroad, draws from attachment theory and proposes five dimensions of caregiving, each of which is associated with a corresponding developmental benefit for the child. Show notes and transcripts available at: https://vermontcwtp.org/lens-podcast/

Talking with kids about their sexual development can certainly be uncomfortable. When you are a caregiver or a Family Services worker, having those conversations with a child you barely know might feel doubly uncomfortable. Add to that a limited knowledge of normative sexual development; maybe sprinkle in some myths, values, and a healthy sense of shame instilled upon you in your own upbringing, and you’ve got yourself one heck of an uncomfortable conversation. In today's episode Tammy Leombruno will continue talking about using a continuum of behavior to help us identify when sexual behavior is normative, of concern or potentially problematic; how to respond in the moment; when to reach out for help and she’ll suggest some resources to support you in your own learning. Show notes and transcripts available at: https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/

Talking with kids about their sexual development can certainly be uncomfortable. When you are a caregiver or a Family Services worker, having those conversations with a child you barely know might feel doubly uncomfortable. Add to that a limited knowledge of normative sexual development; maybe sprinkle in some myths, values, and a healthy sense of shame instilled upon you in your own upbringing, and you’ve got yourself one heck of an uncomfortable conversation. In this episode Tammy Leombruno will talk about using a continuum of behavior to help us identify when sexual behavior is normative, of concern or potentially problematic; how to respond in the moment; when to reach out for help and she’ll suggest some resources to support you in your own learning. Show notes and transcripts available at: https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/