The Institute for the Advancement of Social Work Research (IASWR) has received support from Casey Family Programs (CFP) to undertake an information gathering effort targeted to enhancing university/agency child welfare research partnerships.  This initial initiative will:

·      Identify existing strategies that result in strong child welfare research  partnerships between universities and state or county public agencies.

·     Identify new practical strategies to strengthen child welfare research partnerships between universities and state or county public agencies.

·      Pilot a technical assistance strategy to bring together key players in schools of social work and child welfare agencies to enhance child welfare research capacity and partnerships.

The impetus for this effort emerges from the strategic value that such research partnerships can have in enhancing child welfare service delivery and outcomes for children and families; and concern about the lack of a focused strategy and specific funding streams to support child welfare research and the development of the next generation of child welfare researchers.  Casey Family Programs’ support for this effort is connected to their Strategy 2020 that seeks to reduce the number of children in foster care by 50 percent and improve self-sufficiency for those who remain in the system. CFP seeks to accomplish this through Strategic Consulting, Direct Practice and Public Policy (see http://www.casey.org/AboutCasey/2020Strategy/).

We would like to gather input directly from the perspective of child welfare researchers to assist in our understanding of current efforts underway and strategies for next steps.