About
The QIC-EY project has two councils to guide its work
The National Youth Engagement Advisory Council
The National Youth Engagement Advisory Council works in collaboration with the QIC-EY partners to ensure that the authentic youth voice is integrated into the processes and products of the QIC-EY. The Council provides technical assistance to pilot sites working toward the realization of youth-focused systems that authentically engage youth in finding permanence.
The National Youth Engagement Advisory Council is composed of 21 members from 10 agencies from across the United States known for their partnership with youth currently or formerly in the child welfare system. The Council is led by the New England Association of Child Welfare Commissioners and Directors who has lived expertise and professional expertise in the child welfare system. Each agency is represented by two people, one of whom has lived expertise in the child welfare system and one representative who works for the agency.
The primary tasks of this council are:
- Assist with the needs assessment done during the first year of the project. The assessment includes a literature review, identification of promising practices and programs, plus provision of firsthand knowledge from people with lived expertise about what is and is not working to achieve authentic child and youth engagement in permanency discussions.
- Ensure that the construct of the QIC-EY and all work that is done through this initiative includes the perspective of people with lived expertise.
- Provide feedback on tools, training and products developed by the QIC-EY.
- Assist with disseminating tools and products, including identifying and leveraging social media platforms.
- Assist with cross–site youth engagement by providing technical assistance to Youth Teams in the pilot sites.
The participating agencies are:
- Florida Youth Shine (https://www.floridayouthshine.org)
- Foster Care Alumni of America (https://fostercarealumni.org)
- FosterClub (https://www.fosterclub.com)
- National Foster Youth Institute (https://nfyi.org)
- New England Youth Coalition (https://neyouthcoalition.org)
- Think of Us (https://www.thinkof-us.org)
- Three Precious Miracles (threepreciousmiracles.com)
- Yakama Nation (yakamanation.net)
- You Gotta Believe (https://www.yougottabelieve.org/perfectparent/)
- Youth Villages (https://youthvillages.org)
The Workforce Council
The Workforce Council worked in collaboration with the QIC-EY partners to inform the development of the construct and competencies to be included in the training and coaching model. This council developed strategies to augment the child welfare workforce’s capacity to support authentic youth engagement.
The primary task of the Workforce Council was to:
- Assist with the environmental scan, including the identification of training and coaching competencies.
- Provide feedback and insight on the feasibility of the proposed construct for child welfare workforce training.
- Provide feedback and insight on the feasibility of the proposed construct for coaching child welfare supervisors.
- Provide insight on workforce issues that need to be considered during efforts to change the culture of how youth are engaged authentically.
- Provide feedback on the training and coaching model that is developed.
- Provide guidance on making systemic changes related to authentic youth engagement.
The Workforce Council was comprised of professionals from across the United States who have expertise in workforce development, curriculum design and child welfare training. This council was led by the University of Nebraska – Lincoln Center on Children, Families and the Law, known for its expertise in child welfare workforce development.
Following are the members of the QIC-EY Workforce Council:
Cece Anthony
Child Welfare Training Specialist,
Nevada Partnership for Training
School of Social Work
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Kim Bonham
Supervisor,
Foster Family and Adoption Services
Child and Family Services Division
Department of Human Services, Arlington, Virginia
Michael Byers
Director,
Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center
University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work
Tracy Davis
Director,
Academy for Workforce Development
Connecticut State Department of Children and Families
Ida Drury
Principal Investigator,
Child Welfare Training System
Colorado Office of Children, Youth and Families
Division of Child Welfare
Assistant Professor,
Department of Pediatrics
The Kempe Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect
University of Colorado School of Medicine
Nancy Hafer
Program Director,
Continuing and Professional Education – Human Services
University of California – Davis
Theresa Comprelli McCutcheon
Managing Director,
Institute for Families
Rutgers University School of Social Work
Chad McDonald
Research Assistant Professor
Principal Investigator, Title IV-E Training/Education
The University of Utah College of Social Work
Laurence Nelson
Director,
Education and Training
Division of Family and Children Services
Georgia Department of Human Services
Stacey Oakes
Supervisor,
Resource Family Development
Wendy’s Wonderful Kids
Spaulding for Children
Leah Rankin
Quality Assurance and Data Information Manager
Alliance for Professional Development, Training and Caregiver Excellence
University of Washington School of Social Work
Sandra Slappey Brown
Child Welfare Assistant Division Director for Operations
Department of Family Services
Fairfax County, Virginia
Julie Springwater
Executive Director
New England Association of Child Welfare Commissioners and Directors
Adjunct Associate Professor
Boston University School of Social Work
LaTrece Thompson
Deputy Director of Staff Development
Indiana Department of Child Services
Sarah Ward
Director,
Child Welfare Institute
College of Education and Social Services
The University of Vermont