September and October in Minnesota have seen discussions about child protection issues that we haven't witnessed in years. Through increased media coverage, the broad community of child protection stakeholders as well as the general public are engaged in conversations about the differences in discipline vs. abuse, family privacy, responsibilities of the child protection workforce, policies and practice protocols, and many variations of these issues. CASCW and the School of Social Work faculty, staff, and students are also steeped in these critical conversations. While answers to these questions are never simple, it is beholden on us as professional social workers to use this opportunity for potential change, growth, and improvement in the way in which we work with families and children.

To this end, Governor Dayton recently appointed a statewide task force on the protection of children. The task force is charged with making recommendations for comprehensive improvements to Minnesota's child protection system. As the task force begins its work, CASCW will continue to connect child welfare stakeholders in Minnesota to dynamic, relevant, accessible, research-informed practice and policy resources. Stay connected with CASCW via email, blogs, Facebook, and Twitter, and be on the look-out for an announcement about an upcoming dialogue on child welfare practice in Minnesota: the role of supervision, critical thinking,and the use of tools and resources.

We're happy to announce that we recently released two new Minn-LInK briefs. The first brief, Minn-LInK Brief No. 19, provides information about a study that examined academic outcomes of youth who participated in Minnesota's 4-H program. Findings from this study suggest that the youth who participated in Minnesota’s 4-H program were on a better course for academic learning starting early in their academic careers than youth who did not participate in 4-H. More extensive 4-H involvement and parent participation were also beneficial to youth outcomes.

The second brief, Minn-LInK Brief No. 20, provides information about a study that examined use of Open Enrollment (or School Choice) by children with child protection involvement. The purpose of this study was to assess the utilization of Minnesota’s Open Enrollment policy by students with child protection involvement and to measure the effect of this policy on math and reading achievement. Findings suggest that Open Enrollment (OE) tended to be utilized by groups of students whose characteristics were in alignment with research on the achievement gap. CPS-involved students and students of color were much more likely to utilize OE than their white peers. However, movement to a new school through OE was not significantly associated with growth in individual student achievement in math or reading.

To read more about these studies and view past Minn-LInK briefs, visit http://z.umn.edu/mlpub.

This month IV-E students will participate in an Experiential Learning in the Native American (ELNA) community event. This is the fifth year CASCW, Dr. Katie Johnston Goodstar, and community elders have collaborated on this event. ELNA is a required event for all IV-E students to receive an opportunity to learn outside of school walls. Students will learn new concepts and practice application. The day includes visits to sites of historical and sacred importance. We will discuss the impact of historical trauma on the Native American community; connections between concepts, historical experience, racial disparity and child welfare in the American Indian community; and how all of this affects child welfare practice. The day will include a guided tour, small group discussion, and some time for personal reflection.

CASCW is also collaborating with Dr. Priscilla Gibson to develop Experiential Learning in the African American (ELAA) community. The content of the ELAA days will include historical context with current implications, visits with local social service providing agencies and storytelling. ELAA will be piloted in fall 2015.

This academic year will mark a shift in our CW360° publication date: We are moving from a Spring issue to a Winter issue in order to give readers more time to delve into the issue before the companion conference in the spring.

The Winter 2015 issue of CW360°, as well as the Spring 2015 child welfare conference, will focus on culturally responsive child welfare practice and policy as a step forward in the conversation on disparities and disproportionality in child welfare. While it is important to continue to have this conversation, we wanted to pull out specific practices and policies that consider culture and use culturally informed knowledge and practices in order to promote positive outcomes for children and families of color involved in the child welfare system.

This issue is expected to be published in February of 2015. You can sign up to receive a free print or online copy of CW360° by updating your email subscription preferences and selecting one (or both!) of those options. (Please note that if you choose to receive a print copy, you must include your mailing address in your contact information, or we will not be able to mail you a copy.)

To view past issues of CW360°, visit: http://z.umn.edu/cw360

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