Jennifer Kelman, Ph.D., Clinical Assistant Professor and Director of the Child Welfare Academy at the SSW and Carey Tompkins, LCSW-C, Kinship Training Specialist, co-presented at the Kennedy Krieger 9th Biennial Trauma Conference on 10/20/23.
Jennifer Kelman, Ph.D., Clinical Assistant Professor and Director of the Child Welfare Academy at the SSW and Carey Tompkins, LCSW-C, Kinship Training Specialist, co-presented at the Kennedy Krieger 9th Biennial Trauma Conference on 10/20/23. Their workshop entitled, Engaging Parents Through a Trauma-Responsive Lens: The Role of Child Welfare Professionals in Supporting Desired Outcomes, focused on how untreated trauma, coupled with systemic inequities and bias, can impact the ability of parents to authentically partner with the child welfare system to support desired safety, permanency and well-being outcomes for children, youth and families. Participants were challenged to shift the narrative and take a trauma-responsive approach to engagement with birth parents to prevent out of home placement and/or support timely and lasting reunification.