Episode 58: What Did Child Welfare Learn from 2020 - Caseworker Care

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Transcript (PDF - 165 KB)
Video: 42:19
(2020)

2020 was a tumultuous year. The coronavirus pandemic and related school and work closures, racial and political turmoil, and economic downturns added an additional layer of stress and trauma to the challenges already faced by child welfare professionals. To maintain their ability to assist families—and be present for their own families and friends—reducing and managing the impacts of stress is crucial. "Episode 58: What Did Child Welfare Learn From 2020 – Caseworker Care" focuses on the lessons learned from 2020 on how caseworkers and supervisors can manage the stress of living and adapting to working during a pandemic.

This episode is part of a series that examines what the child welfare field learned during 2020 and identifies potential changes or shifts in how the field operates. Listeners will hear from Andrew Winters, a member of the Quality Improvement Center for Workforce Development (QIC-WD), about interventions to build resiliency among caseworkers and supervisors, including interventions aimed at strengthening supervisors' ability to support their staff and themselves to better manage the negative impacts of the stress brought about by the uncertainty and fear of working during a pandemic.

The following individuals are featured in this episode:

  • Andrew Winters, Ph.D., M.S.W., assistant professor, University of Louisville Kent School of Social Work

Topics discussed include the following:

  • The psychological impacts and stressors that occur while living during a pandemic
  • Techniques to reduce the stressors impacting caseworkers and mitigate the impacts of stress
  • What the QIC-WD has learned from interventions to increase resiliency among child welfare supervisors and caseworkers

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