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Did you know that May is National Foster Care Month? Strengthening families and identifying life-long connections for children in the child welfare system is a major focus area for the Social Work profession. According to the National Association of Social Workers (), in just a decade, the foster care system has seen a 20% drop in the number of foster children partly because “more social workers and other social services professionals and child welfare systems are helping to preserve and strengthen families.” Yet there is much more work to be done to improve the overall system and ensure that the nearly 25,000 youth who transition out of foster care annually without a permanent family have the necessary skills and supports to move forward.

Join us in honoring National Foster Care Month by raising awareness and bolstering change.

Here are a few ideas:

1. Download our National Foster Care Month infographic and tag us when you share. (Instagram: @FAUSocialWorkCJ | Twitter: @FAUSocialWorkCJ | Facebook: @FAUSandlerSchoolofSocialWork)
   
   
2. Click below to view the wide-spanning work in Foster Care and Child Welfare conducted by our Social Work faculty:
   Research Articles

   In Press

   • Cooley, M. E., Thompson, H. M., Wojciak, A. S., & «Mihalec-Adkins, B. P. (In press). Parental monitoring by foster parents, youth behaviors, and the youth-foster parent relationship. Child & Family Social Work.
   • *Cooley, M. E., «Mihalec-Adkins, B. P., Thompson, H. M., & ϮMehrotra, A. (In press). Single foster parents’ motivation to begin fostering. Child Welfare.
   • Miller, J., Cooley, M. E., & «Mihalec-Adkins, B. P. (In press). Examining the impact of coronavirus on parental stress: A study of foster parents. Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal.

   2020

   • *Cooley, M. E., & «Mihalec-Adkins, B. P., & Womack, B. (2020). Relational risk and protective factors for school engagement among adolescents in foster care: Child behaviors, peer relationships, and relationship with foster parent. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders. doi:10.1177/1063426620945686
   • *Newquist, J., Ladd, L. D., & Cooley, M. E. (2020). Processing the removal and managing the moves or removals of foster children: A qualitative exploration of foster parents’ experiences. Child & Adolescent Social Work. doi:10.1007/s10560-020-00652-w
   • *Cooley, M. E., & Petren, R. E. (2020). A qualitative examination of coparenting among foster parent dyads. Children and Youth Services Review, 110, 104776. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.104776
   • *Cooley, M. E., Womack, B., ϮRush, J., & «Slinskey, K. (2020). Adverse childhood experiences among foster parents: Prevalence and association with resilience, coping, satisfaction as a foster parent, and intent to continue fostering. Children and Youth Services Review, 109, 104679. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.104679
   • *«Mihalec-Adkins, B. P., & Cooley, M. E. (2020). Individual-level risk and protective factors for school engagement among adolescents in foster care: Behaviors, self-esteem, and social skills. Child & Family Social Work, 25, 256-266. doi:10.1111/cfs.12681

   2019

   • Miller, J., Cooley, M., Owens, L., Fletcher, J., & Moody, S. (2019). Self-care practices among foster parents: An exploratory study. Children & Youth Services Review, 98, 206-212. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.01.002
   • *Cooley, Morgan E., Newquist, J., Thompson, Heather, & Colvin, Marianna L. (2019). A Systematic Review of Foster Parent Preservice Training. Children and Youth Services Review, 107, 104552.
   • *Cooley, M. E., Thompson, H. M., & Newell, E+. (2019). Examining the influence of social support on the relationship between child behavior problems and foster parent challenges. Child & Youth Care Forum, 48, 289-303. doi: 10.1007/s10566-018-9478-6��

   2018

   • *Cooley, M. E., Thompson, H. M., Murray, H., & Rodriguez, J.E. (2018). Health outcomes of medically and economically vulnerable adults: A comparison of former foster youth and non-foster youth. Family & Community Health, 41,159-167. doi: 10.1097/FCH.0000000000000190
   • * Thompson, H. M., Stevenson Wojciak, A., & Cooley, M. E. (2018). The experience with independent living services for youth in care and those formerly in care. Children and Youth Services Review, 84, 17-25. doi: ��0.1016/j.childyouth.2017.11.012

   2017

   • *Randolph, K., & Thompson, H. M. (2017). A systematic review of interventions to improve post-secondary educational outcomes among foster care alumni. Children & Youth Services Review, 79, 602 -611. doi: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2017.07.013
   • *Cooley, M.E., Thompson, H. M., & Stevenson Wojciak, A. (2017). Risk, resilience, and complexity: Experiences of foster parents. Children and Youth Services Review, 76, 34-41. doi: ��10.1016/j.childyouth.2017.02.030
   Conference Presentations

   2020

   • Cooley, M. E., Wojciak, A. S., Mihalec-Adkins, B. P., & Thompson, H. M. (2020, November). Contouring negative spaces: Attending to underrepresented topics in research on foster and adoptive families. Presentation at the annual conference of the National Council on Family Relations, online conference.
   • Petren, R. E., Cooley, M. E., Richardson, E., & Futris, T. (2020, November). Stressors, coparenting, satisfaction, and intent to continue: The first five years of foster parenting. Presentation at the annual conference of the National Council on Family Relations, online conference.
   • Cooley, M. E., Gillen, M., Thompson, H. M., & Colvin, M. (2020, November). Multiple perspectives of need for foster homes, foster parent recruitment, and licensure of foster parents for children in foster care. Presentation at the annual conference of the National Council on Family Relations, online conference.
   • Cooley, M. E., Backstrom, L., Thompson, H. M., & Colvin, M. (2020, November). Child advocates perspectives of working with foster parents. Presentation at the annual conference of the National Council on Family Relations, online conference.
   • López, R., Cooley, M. E., Thompson, H. M., & Newquist, J. (2020, November). Parenting behaviors and parental stress among foster parents. Presentation at the annual conference of the National Council on Family Relations, online conference.
   • Cooley, M. E., Miller, J. J., & «Mihalec-Adkins, B. P. (2020, January). A qualitative examination of how single foster parents perceive their experiences with fostering. Presentation at the annual conference of the Society for Social Work and Research, Washington DC.
   • Womack, B., Cooley, M. E., & «Rush, J. (2020, January). Adverse childhood experiences and resilience among foster parents. Presentation at the annual conference of the Society for Social Work and Research, Washington DC.

   2019

   • Cooley, M. E., Thompson, H. M., Backstrom, L., & Colvin, M. L. (2019, November). The experiences of child advocates for youth in the foster care system. Presentation at the annual conference of the National Council on Family Relations, Ft. Worth, TX.
   • Cooley, M. E., Colvin, M. L., & Thompson, H. M. (2019, November). A quantitative examination of foster parent experiences and organizational culture. Presentation at the annual conference of the National Council on Family Relations, Ft. Worth, TX.
   • «Mihalec-Adkins, B. P., Cooley, M. E., & Thompson, H. M. (2019, November). How do adolescent foster youth juggle relationships with both biological and foster families - Now and into the future? Presentation at the annual conference of the National Council on Family Relations, Ft. Worth, TX.
   • Mallette, J. K., Cooley, M. E., Richardson, E. W., & Newquist, J. A (2019, November). Scoping review of foster youth and family characteristics, relationships, and systemic outcomes. Presentation at the annual conference of the National Council on Family Relations, Ft. Worth, TX.
   • Newquist, J., Cooley, M. E., Mallette, J. K., & Richardson, E. W. (2019, November). An examination of foster parent breaks from fostering. Presentation at the annual conference of the National Council on Family Relations, Ft. Worth, TX.
   • Cooley, M. E., Benesh, A., & «Mihalec-Adkins, B. P. (2019, June). Association between foster youth-parent relationship, child behavior, and caregiver well-being and function. Presentation at the annual conference of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children, Salt Lake City, UT.
   • Newquist, J., & Cooley, M. E. (2019, June). A status update of the evidence on foster parent preservice training. Presentation at the annual conference of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children, Salt Lake City, UT.
   Grants

   Cooley, M. E. (Subcontractor). (Jan 2021-Sept 2021). Florida Institute for Child Welfare Kinship Navigator Program Outcome Evaluation, Florida Institute for Child Welfare. Amount received: $5,803

   The outcome evaluation focuses on the effectiveness of the kinship navigator program using an experimental design. There were two components of the outcome evaluation: the evaluation with formal kinship caregivers and the evaluation with informal kinship caregivers. The evaluation with formal kinship caregivers utilized a randomized control trial with kinship caregivers in the formal system (i.e., those families that have gone through the dependency system) and the evaluation with informal kinship caregivers will also utilize a randomized control trial with kinship caregivers who have not gone through the dependency system. This project was overseen by PI Dr. Anna Yelick at Florida State University and assisted by subcontractor, Dr. Morgan Cooley.

   Cooley, M. E. (Subcontractor). (May 2019-Dec 2021). Florida Guardianship Assistance Program Implementation Evaluation, Florida Institute for Child Welfare. Amount received: $6,900

   The purpose of this project is to continue the evaluation of the implementation of the Guardianship Assistance Program. The evaluation will determine the impact of the implementation of the Guardianship Assistance Program, identify barriers that may prevent eligible caregivers from participating in the program, and identify recommendations regarding enhancements to the state’s system of supporting kinship caregivers. This project was overseen by PI Dr. Martie Gillen at the University of Florida and assisted by subcontractor, Dr. Morgan Cooley.

   Community Partnerships & Collaborations

   • Community Alliance of Palm Beach County: Subcommittee Membership
     • Lutheran Family Services Group Home Committee serving children in extended foster care
   • Provided evaluation consultations with Friends of Foster Care
   • Provided evaluation consultations with Community Alliance of Palm Beach
   • Provided evaluation consultations with BSO CPIS related to evaluating the Authentic Family Engagement and Strengthening approach; co-wrote and submitted a conceptual article to Child Welfare
   • Collaborating with the Quality Parenting Initiative to design an evaluation of Florida’s efforts to engage birth and foster families in supporting youth who have been put into foster care
   • BSO CPIS and Broward County Human Services presented in a social work class (SOW 4620) on the work to decrease the removal of Black children from their homes in their pilot program
   Student Internships & Community Involvement

   • 2021: One BSW student is currently developing a presentation on ICWA and serving the Seminole community (she lives and works on the reservation) in the child welfare system, particularly those in foster care. This presentation will serve future classes.
   • 2020/2021: To improve visitation with parents for foster children in Broward County, some 15 undergraduate students finishing their BSW degree were assigned to intern with ChildNET, allowing them to replicate the visitation center model developed in 2018 in Palm Beach County. Student interns are trained and clinically supervised in their provision of supervised visitation.
   
   
   
3. Learn about our Child Welfare Institute within the Sandler School of Social Work.
   
   
4. Apply for the Dr. Michele Hawkins Foster Care Scholarship, eligible for BSW and MSW students who have been living in the foster care system. (Applications accepted August-October)
   
   
5. Read how recent MSW graduate, Stephanie Guerra, went from foster care to future social worker. View Story
   
   
6. Explore helpful resources in the .

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