“History equips us not to predict the future but to meet it more wisely.” (R.T. McKenzie, A Little Book for New Historians, 2019, p. 30.) With this quote, Dr. Justin […]
Building on History to Shape the Future
The NC Child Fatality Task Force: A Team of Lifesavers
When social workers discuss the kinds of policies we’d like to see implemented to protect children, it oftentimes seems like a long shot to see any of them come to […]
Overwhelmed? Try This.
With federal, state and local funding in flux and philanthropic / corporate giving less secure, leading nonprofit organizations has been challenging in 2025. Layer on major shifts in language, policy, […]
Balancing Caregiving and Work
There comes a time when those who cared for us, are now the ones needing care. It’s a part of life. We grow, we age, we need work, and we […]
Caregiving Across the Life Course: Building a New Research Initiative
As North Carolina’s population ages and rates of disease and disability rise, the demand for care giving continues to grow. Existing programs and studies primarily focus on care for children […]
Spring Leadership Development Events
We’re excited to share what’s ahead this spring and summer at the Jordan Institute for Families, especially through our Leadership Development Initiative! Check out what’s coming up and how you […]
Fostering Living Labor Cycle for Collective Goals
Have you ever been in a situation where working with a group makes the work harder than completing the work alone? Many groups struggle to agree on a shared goal […]
Reentry for Women: An Overlooked yet Essential Service
Prisons and jails are filled with women whose lives have been devastated by trauma, abuse, and addiction. These statistics surrounding incarcerated women are alarming and reveal the complex challenges they […]
Community Engagement Studios: Connecting Patients and Researchers To Improve Care
We have to tell our stories so many times, but nothing changes. This space feels like a place where the stories matter and are heard.” Research centering the perspectives and […]
Creating Mindful Communities from the Inside Out
Mindfulness has gained popularity over the years. Many are familiar with the term in an intrapersonal context, within oneself. “Mindfulness is the awareness of one’s internal states and surroundings’ ‘. […]
Let’s Consider a 4-Day Work Week
Yes, you heard it here. It is time for us to rethink the five-day workweek. Some of you may be rolling your eyes, shaking your head, and thinking about how […]
Promoting Team Work Life Balance
As social workers in management positions, we have to reckon with two things constantly 1) we are trying to push back against an exploitative system and 2) we are intimately […]
The Financial Well-Being of Families in the South
Your alarm goes off. You wake up and turn on your lamp. You unplug your phone from the wall and glimpse your notifications. You walk to the restroom and turn […]
Moving the Conversation Upstream to Support Families
For Sarah Verbiest, every day begins with a question: How do we ensure people have the support they need to be parents? What more can we do to help people […]
Public Benefits Cliffs for Families
Public Benefits Cliffs: 2 Steps Forward, 1 Step Back for Working Families in North Carolina When most people get a raise or a chance to earn more money, it can […]
Equity in Child Fatality Review Systems
Disrupt Bias and Build Equity in Fatality Review Systems (and all systems!) John is an 8-year old Black boy who died due to drowning. At the time of the incident, […]
Social Workers Making Policy
The University of Connecticut’s Campaign School for Social Workers has been hosting workshops for social workers across the U.S. for twenty-five years. Taught through the lens of social work’s professional […]
Reimagining Mother’s Day
I guess you could say that part of my job puts me in the “motherhood” business. I have two young adult children who I love beyond reason and would die […]
