Quick Takes

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 help their family get caught up on bills, reduce debt, save for emergencies or retirement, get a car fixed – the list goes on. Unfortunately, […]

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, John was swimming with his summer camp at a public pool. He had just reached the height minimum to be in the “big kid” area. […]

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 values and the Code of Ethics, this workshop allows attendees to learn about the power of politics from political insiders and experts. Specifically, this workshop […]

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 for without a second thought. Hearing my 79-year old mother’s voice on the phone when I call always comforts me instantly. And I strongly dislike […]

Our fifth event in the R3 symposium series, Transformational Research: Dismantling Systems of Oppression in Justice, Education and Health, held Dec. 9, 2021, highlighted scholarship from UNC graduate students, research scientists, and faculty from the School of Government, the School of Education, and the School of Public Health. Two of the UNC scholars were joined by their […]

We hosted an event on November 17th, 2021, that addressed the following theme: “Reproductive Justice Teach-in: The New Texas Law, National Implications and Actions to Take”. Our panelists Alise Powell, Ashley Navarro, Lynne Walter, and Maya Hart. The session was moderated by Kennedy Bridges and Sarah Verbiest. This event was co-sponsored by the School of […]

In collaboration with the UNC Office for Diversity and Inclusion and the School of Social Work Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, the Jordan Institute for Families is co-hosting the Race, Racism, and Racial Equity (R3) Symposium virtual series.  Our goals with this series are to 1) highlight the work of UNC scholars to confront […]

It has been over a year since the COVID-19 pandemic first began to infuse grief, uncertainty, and isolation into the lives of families across the nation. Our nation’s youth are no exception to this struggle. Adolescents, or tweens and teens, are the group of children most vulnerable to the ongoing challenges of COVID-19. Teens are […]

As refugees and immigrants join communities in the United States, those with limited English proficiency (LEP) rely on interpreters to bridge communication gaps. For individuals who have always spoken the dominant language of a given setting, the importance of language access might be overlooked. However, proper interpretation makes all the difference for LEP clients in […]

Our team had the opportunity to talk with North Carolina’s district court judges about race, ethnicity, and child development. In this post, we share our approach to this important conversation. We used Dr. Joia Crear-Perry’s* re-framing, “race isn‘t a risk factor, racism is” as the lens for our discussion. Our first step was to describe […]

Jordan Institute for Families Director, Sarah Verbiest, was a featured interviewee on Focus Carolina where she shared some insight into what ignites her passion for her work. You can read the full interview description and listen to the recording here!

As part of the Carolina Social Workers Action for Voting (C-SWAV) this fall, Averyl Edwards checked in with fellow student Jillian Riley to talk about voting, volunteering, and running for office. To watch highlights of the interview click the link at the end of the block. To learn more about her campaign and to volunteer […]

As schools and childcare centers re-open in North Carolina, what will be the same and what will be different? We know that young children, particularly those in communities with fewer resources, have been experiencing massive disruption in their usual routines. We also know that parents have been feeling significant stress related to health and financial […]

A team of faculty, staff and students have created an anti-racist resource document with the intention that these resources will be an accessible means for each of us to find ways to engage in anti-racist actions. Click here for the link. Of note, this is a list that will continue to grow and change. In […]

Research in Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) has increased in recent years with hundreds of studies finding a strong and consistent relationship between child adversity and numerous public health outcomes (see the ACE Pyramid in Figure 1). According to the CDC, ACEs are potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood as well as the conditions in […]

NOTE: We are happy to be able to cross post this blog by Dr. Allison Metz in partnership with the National Implementation Research Network. Are there lessons we can learn from the current response of service systems which have galvanized into action to meet the needs of children and families during the COVID-19 pandemic? How […]

Global “stay at home” orders to reduce the spread of COVID-19 have led to massive unemployment and economic challenges of major proportions. This has exacerbated problems for households that were already financially unstable while putting millions of other households at new risk. In an effort to provide relief to families and businesses, the US Congress […]

Supporting Public Systems and Communities in Crisis – Reposted in partnership with the National Implementation Research Network As we seek to support public agencies in implementing mission critical work during the pandemic, we are reminded of a fundamental approach to effective implementation practice – co-creation. Co-creation involves the authentic engagement of stakeholders, community partners, and […]