WKU LifeSkills Center for Child Welfare Education and Research secures $5.8 million in external funding to expand services
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU LifeSkills Center for Child Welfare Education and Research (LCCWEAR) recently received $5.8 million in external funding to expand critical services. With a mission to advance child welfare across Kentucky, LCCWEAR includes three new transformative initiatives in partnership with Kentucky’s Cabinet for Health and Family Services.
Dr. Austin Griffiths leads the Child Welfare Analytics Collaborative. The collaborative is designed to provide data science to the community and solutions to areas affecting vulnerable populations. The initiative focuses on adoption-related services, out-of-home care-related services, child protective services, transitional services, clinical services, quality assurance-related services, prevention services, and adult protective services.
Dr. Griffiths will also lead the Integrated Family Trauma Treatment Clinic, alongside Dr. Matt Woodward. The service will provide free access to intergenerational intervention for families that have experienced trauma and to prevent the recurrence of childhood trauma and out-of-home placement.
The Training Resource Center, also led by Dr. Griffiths, will provide a statewide partnership to support youth who are in foster care. The focus is to ensure a successful transition to adulthood.
“LCCWEAR is committed to improving the lives of Kentucky’s most vulnerable children and families,” Dr. Griffiths said. “These initiatives, supported by external funding, put us in a position to make substantial strides in child welfare.”
The expansion includes 16 full-time staff members in the WKU College of Health and Human Services Community Health Sciences Complex at South Campus.
More information can be found at www.wku.edu/childwelfare.
