Total Credits: 1.5 including 1.5 American Psychological Association, 1.5 Association of Social Worker Boards, 1.5 National Board of Certified Counselors, 1.5 California Board of Registered Nurses
Youth today are exposed to, and often experience, multiple forms of family violence throughout their childhood. In addition to maltreatment youth may themselves experience, they are also exposed to violence against their siblings, sexual assaults and intimate partner violence (IPV) against a parent. Child welfare systems have been developed to respond to the needs of children and families, with the goal of maintaining family relationships when possible. This session will discuss the numerous modifications seen in child welfare investigations throughout the decades, and the current recognition of the need for multidisciplinary responses that are evidenced-based, culturally appropriate and trauma-informed. This session will also examine risk assessment techniques and resiliency factors for children.
Objectives:
Orignally recorded at IVAT's 25th San Diego International Virtual Summit
| Child Welfare Investigation Issues and Best Practices (359.7 KB) | Available after Purchase | ||
Ms. Russell serves as the executive director of the Arthur D. Curtis Children’s Justice Center in Clark County, Washington. Ms. Russell is a licensed attorney, a nationally certified counselor and experienced forensic interviewer. Ms. Russell serves as an expert witness on child abuse issues in multiple state and federal courts, and provides training on state, federal and international levels on the investigation, interviews and litigation of child abuse cases. She has previously served as a pro bono attorney for children in dependency court, a forensic interview specialist with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security / Immigration and Customs Enforcement and as an adjunct faculty member in the Child Advocacy Studies Program at Winona State University. She obtained her B.A. from Hope College in sociology, her M.S.Ed. in counseling from Western Illinois University and graduated magna cum laude from SUNY Buffalo Law School with her J.D. Ms. Russell has worked with victims of violence and trauma in several capacities, including extensive counseling and support work with child victims of sexual abuse and exploitation; director of victim services and counselor for survivors of homicide victims; and executive director of and consultant for multiple children’s advocacy centers and multidisciplinary teams regarding child abuse investigations and prosecution. In addition, she has authored multiple articles on forensic interviewing, child maltreatment and vicarious trauma.
Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2019). About CAPTA: A legislative history. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children’s Bureau.
Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2020). Protective factors approaches in child welfare. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Children's Bureau.
Cross, T.P. & Hershkowitz, I. (2017). Psychology and Child Protection: Promoting Widespread Improvement in Practice. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 23(4), 503–518.
Cross, T.P. & Risser, H.J. (in press). Child welfare system: Structure, functions, and best practices. In Handbook of Interpersonal Violence and Abuse Across the Lifespan: A Project of the National Partnership to End Interpersonal Violence Across the Lifespan (NPEIV) (R. Geffner, J.W. White, L.K. Hamberger, A. Rosenbaum, V. Vaughan-Eden & V. Vieth, Eds.). New York: Springer.
DePanfilis, Diane (2018). Child Protective Services: A Guide for Caseworkers. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/cps2018.pdf
Pub.L. 93-247; CAPTA
Pub.L. 95-608; ICWA
Pub.L. 96-272; AACWA
P.L. 105-89; ASFA