Child Welfare

Projects and Initiatives

The Center for Child Welfare and Adoption Studies promotes culturally grounded, empirically based research and policy that informs child welfare and adoption practice and improves child and family well-being at the local, state, and national level. Please learn more about our mission by visiting any of our Projects and Initiatives. 

• Child Protection Training Academy (ISU/DCFS Sim Lab)

  Youth and young adults spend time in foster care are minority on college campuses.

• First Star Academy

  A college preparation program for high school youth who receive foster care services.

• Illinois Permanency Enhancement Project (PEP)

  The PEP model develops local policy and practice solutions for children within the Illinois foster care system.

• Child Welfare Certification

  The “child welfare specialist” certificate makes graduates more marketable as new hires within the child welfare work force.

• Adoption and Same Sex Couples

  Learn more with adoption expert and policy analyst Dr. Jeanne Howard.

• Lifebooks

  A therapeutic tool to help youth integrate past experiences with their present circumstances.

• Resources for Child, Student and Family Well Being Resources

  Coming soon