Addressing Racial Disparities in Child Welfare by Implementing a Culturally Grounded Trauma Informed Training

Panelist(s)

Stephanie Lechuga-Peña, PhD (she/her/hers)

Associate Professor
Arizona State University
Tonia Stott, PhD, MSW (she/her/hers)

Clinical Associate Professor/ Program Director
Arizona State University
TT

Tashira Turner, MSW

Program Manager
Arizona Department of Child Safety
Tenè Marion, BSW

Prevention Administrator
Arizona Department of Child Safety

Moderator(s)

JW

James Herbert Williams, PhD., MSW., MPA

Arizona Centennial Professor of Social Welfare, and Director, Center for Child Well-Being
Arizona State University

This proposal addresses racial disproportionality in a southwestern state’s child welfare system, focusing on Black children’s overrepresentation. In partnership with the state’s child welfare department, faculty from a large public institution developed training on culturally grounded, empathic engagement, trauma-responsive practice. Nearly 2,000+ employees completed the first half of the training.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this session, attendees should be able to:

This presentation will provide an overview of the curriculum and training program structure.
Training program evaluation outcomes will be discussed, including key qualitative themes from employee feedback.
Presenters will share lessons learned and important considerations for designing and implementing child welfare training programs on cultural humility, empathic engagement, and trauma-responsive practice.