Institute News
Read the latest news from the Institute for Innovation and Implementation.
Introducing Our Acting Director - The Institute
We are excited to announce Jessie Watrous as the Acting Director for The Institute for Innovation and Implementation, University of Maryland School of Social Work.
NEW! The Institute Supports Access to Free, Online Teacher Training
$2 million PCORI contract in 2020 made access to resources possible for families of children with ASD and ADHD.
The Institute for Innovation & Implementation Leads Multi-School Effort on Telehealth
The Institute facilitated a multi-university, multidisciplinary effort to support the future of pediatric telehealth for the behavioral health needs of children, youth, young adults, and their families.
Federal Grant Expands Support for Children of Incarcerated Parents in Baltimore City
A new program designed to support Baltimore City minor children of parents who are currently or recently incarcerated will launch this spring thanks to a multi-agency partnership and U.S. Department of Justice grant.
Connecting With Youth Experiencing Homelessness Across Maryland
Youth REACH MD conducts survey of unaccompanied youth and young adults experiencing homelessness in all 23 Maryland counties and Baltimore City, Spring 2022
Institute Launched Child & Family-Focused Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic Learning Community
This learning community is focused on design and implementation approaches for CCBHCs to meet the unique needs of children, youth, young adults, and their families.
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New National SOGIE Center Promotes the Wellbeing of LGBTQ+ Youth & Their Families
Leading social justice organizations have joined together to form a national center to address the needs of LGBTQ+ young people and their families involved in public systems through cutting-edge resources and assistance.
The Institute Launches National Online Resource to Help LGBTQ Youth & Their Families
The Institute for Innovation & Implementation, with the Family Acceptance Project, Launches National, Integrated Online Resource to Help LGBTQ Youth & Families Find Services, Increase Support for LGBTQ Youth During Mental Health Emergency
The Institute Creates Innovative Videos for Parents to Help them Get Unstuck and On Target
These videos are designed to support parents and caregivers in understanding executive functioning, in identifying their child’s strengths and challenges, and in assisting children to build their skills in being flexible independent problem solvers.
CMS Announces Grants to Support MRSS Planning – Institute Offers Free Consultation
To support state Medicaid agencies in leveraging this Notice of Funding Opportunity to advance community-based mobile crisis intervention services, The Institute is offering free 30-minute consultations. Learn more and schedule your consultation.
MRSS Peer Learning Launching in January 2022!
The Institute has partnered with The Alliance for Strong Families and Communities and Council on Accreditation and the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors to launch the Mobile Response and Stabilization Services (MRSS) Quality Learning Collaborative (QLC).
New! Online Courses for Infant & Early Childhood Teachers & Care Providers
The Institute’s Parent, Infant, and Early Childhood Team has developed three new free online courses for supporting social emotional competence among infants and toddlers in early childhood education settings.
Study Finds Overrepresentation of LGBTQ+ Youth in Midwest Foster Care System
The study outlined here is one of the first of its kind to be conducted in a Midwestern state where available data on LGBTQ+ youth is extremely limited. It follows similar studies in NYC and LA showing equally high representation of youth with diverse SOGIE in foster care.
Interactive Online FREE Course on Building Systems of Care
Don't miss this critical guide to understanding SOCs in today's health care landscape. The interactive modules highlight the importance of practices that promote health equity and feature current examples drawn from the experiences of families and youth, policymakers, clinicians, and practitioners.
The Institute's Nadine Finigan-Carr, PhD, Honored with Prevention Research Early Career Award
Nadine Finigan-Carr, PhD, School of Social Work Research Associate Professor and School of Medicine Associate Professor, was recently awarded the Society for Prevention Research Early Career Preventionist Network’s 2021 John B. Reid Early Career Award.
Addressing the Developmental Needs of Very Young Children & their Families is Focus of SSW Institute Grant
With an award from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration, the TREEHOUSE Program increases access to quality preventive care and services to promote health equity and enhances population health among very young children, and their families, in under served, low-income communities.
2021 Legislation Alert! Institute Submits Testimony to Advance Maryland’s Data Collection Efforts Around Pregnant & Parenting Teens
Research Assistant Professor Margo Candelaria, PhD, Co-Director of the Institute’s Parent, Infant, and Early Childhood Program, submitted testimony in support of Maryland House Bill 439 cross-filed with Senate Bill 470 to collect and disseminate data for pregnant and parenting youth across Maryland.
Institute Submits Testimony in Support of Maryland’s Work to End Youth Homelessness
Carrie Gould-Kabler, MSW and Deborah Harburger, MSW submitted testimony to the Maryland Senate Budget and Taxation Committee in support of the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development regarding their longstanding work to prevent and end youth homelessness.
The Institute’s Senior Advisor, Suzanne Fields, MSW, named to Brookings Institute Working Group
The Brookings Institute has named Suzanne Fields, MSW, Senior Advisor for Health Care Policy and Financing at the Institute to the Children’s/Young Adults Mental Health Working Group within the Building Healthy Neighborhoods Project.
The Institute’s Jenny Afkinich, PhD, Honored with Doctoral Dissertation Award
The Society for Social Work and Research has awarded Dr. Jenny Afkinich with the 2021 Outstanding Social Work Doctoral Dissertation Award for her work on disproportionate representation of racial minority youth at all levels of the juvenile justice system.
Yesterday, Today & Moving Forward: Zabel Responds to the Events of January 6
At The Institute, we are all leaders. As such, we will continue to promote information that uses the best data and research available in service of our commitment to social justice to create a more equitable world.
Finigan-Carr Urges Multidisciplinary Approach to Study & Improve African American Students' Outcomes
The Institute’s Dr. Nadine Finigan-Carr is featured in UMB Catalyst for her distinctive, multidisciplinary approach to studying the ties between African American Students’ Outcomes and their health.
Expanding Evidence-Based Practice for Opioid Use Disorder Treatment in Baltimore County
Through partnership with Baltimore County, the Institute is working to evaluate and improve the planned multi-phase implementation of medication-assisted treatment for individuals with opioid use disorder in Baltimore County Detention Center.
Implementing Evidence-Based & Promising Practices to Support Children & Families Involved with Maryland’s Child Welfare System
The goal of this work is to improve the array of services provided through child welfare including home and community-based services, as well as evidence-based and promising practices, substance use treatment services, and programs to support specific populations of children, youth, and young adult.
Watrous contributes to useful tools for states to identify and select Family First Prevention Services
Director of Evidence-Based Programs at the Institute, Jessie Watrous, in her work with the Consortium for Evidence-Based Practice in Child Welfare, contributed to guidance for states to address Family First Prevention Services Act requirements.
Addressing Behavioral Health Disparities among the LGBTQ Community is Focus of SSW Institute Grant Award
A 5-year, $3.5 million grant will support the implementation of change strategies within mental health and substance use disorder treatment systems to address disparities impacting the LGBTQ+ community.
Reunification of Families with Children in Foster Care is Focus of SSW Institute Grant Award
A 5-year, $10 million grant will support timely, stable, and lasting reunification and well-being of families with children in foster care.
Grant Initiates Investment in Multisystemic Therapies for Families in Baltimore City
Maryland's Department of Juvenile Services in partnership with the Institute will develop evidence-based programs to prevent commitment, reduce recidivism, and improve well-being among justice-involved young people.
Sulzbach Featured in Plenary Session for National Conference on Juvenile Justice
Director of the Institute’s National Center, Denise Sulzbach, JD, will be a featured plenary speaker at this year’s National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges Conference on Juvenile Justice.
UMB listed among best universities addressing human trafficking
UMB has been recognized as one of the best universities in the U.S. studying and fighting human trafficking for the work of the Maryland Human Trafficking Initiative for Children & Youth (MHTI) housed at SSW's Institute for Innovation and Implementation.
Sweeney appointed to the Maryland State Department of Education’s Inclusion Leadership Team
Co-Director of the Parent, Infant, and Early Childhood (PIEC) Program at the School of Social Work’s Institute for Innovation and Implementation, Kate Sweeney, MSW, LCSW-C, has been appointed to the Maryland State Department of Education’s Inclusion Leadership Team.
American Academy of Pediatrics invites Institute to Collaborate on Telehealth
AAP received a $6 million grant through the 2020 CARES Act to increase access to telehealth.