Home Centers & Labs Interdisciplinary Research Center on Children and Families
The Interdisciplinary Research Center on Children and Families plays a leading role in advancing and disseminating research informed by the lived experiences of youth, caregivers, and providers across multiple disciplines to promote child safety, permanency, and well-being.
Our Goals
Unique Centers & Labs
Increase in FY20 extramural research funding
Individuals served annually by Centers & Labs
Learning Your Child Has a Disability aims to help foster and adoptive parents understand the unique emotions of discovering or confirming a child in their care has a disability. This […]
Preventing Child Abuse: Types, Signs & Symptoms will inform parents of the definition of child abuse and ways it can be prevented. It provides descriptions and statistics of different types […]
Working with Birth Families to Achieve Permanency will equip foster parents many different ways to positively work with birth families toward the initial goal of reunification. The training also discusses […]
Transracial Parenting: Ages 5-12 explores the unique experiences of transracial families and examines developmental stages of racial identity development in elementary and middle school-aged children. It offers strategies to create […]
ASK-VIP Support Group for Foster/Adoptive Parents of Teens is specifically designed for foster/adoptive parents who are caring for teenagers or those considering fostering and/or adopting teenagers. This support group offers […]
This new KIN VIP Support Group will begin as a 12-week pilot Support Group and will provide a community of support for kinship caregivers who have been impacted by a […]
Sibling Attachment & Adoption provides parents with tools to promote healthy sibling relationships in foster and adoptive families. Parents will explore different ways in which families are formed and learn […]
Are You Wildly Passionate About Social Work? Explore the Bachelor of Arts in Social Work (BASW) program during an online info session. Registration link is at the bottom of the […]
Turn Your Goals into Reality Explore our Doctorate of Social Work (DSW) program during an online info session. Registration link is at the end of the event listing, under 'Website'. […]
Creative Parenting: New Ways to Focus on Your Child is designed to help parents recognize the value of seeking to understand the meaning behind a child’s behavior. It explores the […]
This new KIN VIP Support Group will begin as a 12-week pilot Support Group and will provide a community of support for kinship caregivers who have been impacted by a […]
Keeping Families Strong provides foster parents insight on how to keep partnerships, families and friendships strong while providing care to out of home children. It will also provide strategies for […]
Caring for Teens in Kinship is a new KIN VIP Support Group offering caregivers who are caring for teenagers in kinship care. This group will focus on caring for teenage […]
Recognizing the Signs of Adoption Disruption & Dissolution will teach foster/adoptive parents about adoption disruption and dissolution by equipping them with information regarding factors that contribute to disruption/dissolution, statistics on […]
ASK-VIP Support Groups are expressly designed to meet the needs of foster and adoptive parents in an inclusive, safe, and compassionate environment. They are led by seasoned facilitators who have […]
Adoption: Understanding Your Commitment explores adoption dissolution. It addresses the impact on a child and family when adoption dissolution occurs and offers strategies and resources to prevent it. After completing […]
Preparing Children for Permanency equips foster/adoptive parents with strategies to prepare children for permanency. It offers insight on the thoughts and emotional reactions that a child transitioning to permanency may […]
Attachment & Bonding with your Foster & Adopted Child equips parents to enhance their relationship with foster/adopted children by teaching them the basics about bonding and attachment. This training also […]
Fostering & Adopting Sibling Groups explores the benefits of placing siblings together as well as potential barriers and challenges. The impact of on attachment and bonding among siblings who have […]
As caregivers, we may realize how important advocacy is, but, knowing where to start and how to effectively advocate for policies that can create change for kinship families may be […]
A Guide to Coping with Allegations explores the prevalence of false allegations of abuse and neglect amongst foster homes and reasons such allegations may arise. Strategies for preventing false allegations […]
Understanding a Case Through the Child Welfare System will provide foster and adoptive parents knowledge on how a case progresses through the child welfare system. Each case may include removal, […]
This group will focus on the day-to-day issues involving relative and fictive kin care and will be a place where each member can find support, resources, ideas, and a place […]
ASK-VIP LGBTQ+ Foster/Adoptive Parent Support Groups are specifically designed for foster/adoptive parents who identify as LGBTQ+ as well as foster/adoptive parents who are caring for children or teens who identify […]
Compulsive Lying explores why a child may lie compulsively. It identifies strategies and offers resources designed to assist children and their families dealing with this issue. After completing this training, […]
CORE TEEN (Critical On-going Resource Family Education) Session 3 Developing & Sustaining a Healthy & Supportive Relationship with Your Youth September 13, 2023 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM EST Via […]
Turn Your Goals into Reality Explore our Doctorate of Social Work (DSW) program during an online info session. Registration link is at the end of the event listing, under 'Website'. […]
Myths & Realities of Foster Care & Adoption enables parents to identify myths and realities related to foster care and adoption. After completing this training, participants will be able to: […]
This training will take place via virtual live Zoom meeting. Participants will be required to have a laptop or tablet with reliable internet connection to participate in the live, interactive […]
Building Positive Relationships with Case Workers & Community Partners provides foster parents the information and tools needed to establish a positive working relationship with their caseworker and child’s caseworker, with […]
This group is an opportunity for kinship caregivers to come together to find support, community, and resources in the care of relative and fictive children. This group will focus on […]
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) come in many forms, from physical and mental abuse to neglect and household dysfunction. This training examines data from the ACE study, how early adversity as […]
Promoting Stability & Increasing Resiliency for Children in Care explores the concepts of stability and resiliency and introduces skills for building resiliency in children who have experienced trauma. After completing this […]
ASK-VIP Support Groups are expressly designed to meet the needs of foster and adoptive parents in an inclusive, safe, and compassionate environment. They are led by seasoned facilitators who have […]
Services & Support for Foster & Adoptive Families will inform parents about resources available to individuals with intellectual disabilities through the Michelle P. Waiver Program, which allows eligible individuals to […]
ARC Meetings & IEPs: The Basics will help foster and adoptive parents understand the process of an ARC Meeting and gain a better perspective of what an IEP will look […]
As kinship children head out the door for a new school year, caregivers send them out with all the resources and materials they need for a successful year. Unfortunately, in […]
Developmental Stages & Children’s Responses to Grief defines grief and explores how children process and express grief at different developmental stages. It offers insight into the unique experiences of grief […]
This new KIN VIP Support Group will begin as a 12-week pilot Support Group and will provide a community of support for kinship caregivers who have been impacted by a […]
This new KIN VIP Support Group will begin as a 12-week pilot Support Group and will provide a community of support for kinship caregivers who have been impacted by a […]
Monthly Staff Meeting for Centers & Labs Training Resource Center Staff. The meeting is held the 3rd Wednesday of Each Month at the Training Resource Center. This is an in-person […]
Helping Your Child Make Healthy & Positive Choices: Talking to Teens & Preteens will teach foster and adoptive parents the importance of open and ongoing dialogue with their preteen or […]
Healthy Boundaries in Teenage Relationships explores healthy and unhealthy dating behaviors. It is designed to assist caregivers in identifying warning signs that a teen may be involved in an abusive […]
Are You Wildly Passionate About Social Work? Explore the Bachelor of Arts in Social Work (BASW) program during an online info session. Registration link is at the bottom of the […]
Caring for Teens in Kinship is a new KIN VIP Support Group offering caregivers who are caring for teenagers in kinship care. This group will focus on caring for teenage […]
The Internet Safety training explores questions caregivers often have related to internet safety. It examines recommended guidelines for internet access and usage among children. It provides resources related to parental […]
Ten Things Every Pediatrician Should Know About Children in Care will equip foster and adoptive parents to better understand the unique medical factors children in care face. This training will […]
Understanding and Coping with Sensory Processing Challenges provides parents with tools to engage and work with children who display sensory processing challenges. Parents will learn what Sensory Processing Disorder is […]
Connecting with Your Child While Correcting Behavior introduces parents to strategies to use to help them feel connected to children while correcting difficult behaviors. Parents will learn how to connect […]
A Child’s Education: Rights & Responsibilities will inform parents of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The training informs foster and adoptive parents of the processes used to determine […]
ASK-VIP Support Group for Foster/Adoptive Parents of Teens is specifically designed for foster/adoptive parents who are caring for teenagers or those considering fostering and/or adopting teenagers. This support group offers […]
Fostering & Adopting At-Risk Children explores categories of at-risk behaviors among children and adolescents that may lead to negative consequences, like poor health, injury or death. It assists foster/adoptive parents […]
ASK-VIP LGBTQ+ Foster/Adoptive Parent Support Groups are specifically designed for foster/adoptive parents who identify as LGBTQ+ as well as foster/adoptive parents who are caring for children or teens who identify […]
CORE TEEN (Critical On-going Resource Family Education) Session 4 Nurturing Youth’s Cultural / Racial / Ethnic Needs and Sexual Orientation / Gender Identity September 27, 2023 10:00 AM - 12:30 […]
Explore our Master of Social Work (MSW) program during an online info session. Registration link is below, under 'Website' The UK Difference Our MSW program is an Advanced Generalist program […]
Confidentiality in Foster Care explores the importance of protecting the confidentiality of children in care. It offers strategies for how sensitive information about children in care can be communicated in […]
Perceptions of Adoption: A Child’s Developmental View will discuss the ways a child’s cognitive development skills and emotions develop, and how that impact his or her perceptions regarding adoption. This […]
Blended Families: Parenting Children When They Don’t Get Along assists caregivers with identifying issues that children may experience that are unique to blended families. It offers strategies to create a […]