Children's Division has a new Deputy Director of Field Operations, Pam Alston. We are so excited to have this new position and Pam to fill it. Pam is enthusiastic about how this new role can support the regions and help improve outcomes for the families and children served by the Children's Division.
Pam has been featured as a guest on past podcasts. In case you missed it, you can hear her introduction as a Regional Director with Lisa Crawford and her story as an adoptive parent on The Call to Foster Podcast.
Get to know the Interim Children's Division Director, Kayla Ueligger! Kayla shares her journey to and through Children's Division, her heart for serving others, and her deep and meaningful "why" for doing this work! She has a personal connection to Children's Division and experience on the frontlines of child welfare that informs her day-to-day work. You don't want to miss this episode!
All things must come to an end...and with that, what better way to send our host, Darrell, off to his next great adventure but a podcast? In this episode, Darrell shares his hopes for the future of Children's Division and reminds us of the 10 Directives. In true Darrell fashion, prepare yourself for heartfelt words, stories, and an emotional goodbye.
This month we met with Alison Jacobson, the current CEO of First Candle. As a SIDS mom, Alison knows the pain of losing an infant to a sleep-related death firsthand. Also joining us for this conversation was Haylee Musso and Misty Allen from our DSS team. While we cover trend data, experience and other great information, the whole podcast boils down to these two things:
Learn more about First Candle: https://firstcandle.org/
Listen in on a conversation with the Founder and current CEO of Safe Haven Baby Boxes, Monica Kelsey. Safe Haven Baby Boxes' (SHBB) mission is to prevent the illegal abandonment of newborns through education, raising awareness of the safe haven law, and offering the only anonymous option, the Baby Box. Monica talks about how the organization got started, where the idea came from, and the impact of the boxes across the United States. Currently, Missouri has one box in Mehlville, MO, and several other Missouri communities trying to raise the appropriate funding to acquire a box.
Learn how you, a child welfare worker, can work with SHBB to continue keeping kids safe!
Ashton Kever hosts this episode with guests Julie Starr and JoDene Bogart. Learn all about the findings of the CFSR and how they are implemented in the Program Improvement Plan (PIP), how that plan is used to make improvements in practice, and a few actionable tips for you to start tweaking your work to better serve the children and families of Missouri.
The fight for children starts July 4, 2024.
In this bonus episode of the We Are Children's Division Podcast, our hosts are joined by Shasta Miller and Jessica Huckstep, the hosts of the Call to Foster Podcast, and Rebekah Weigel, Writer and Producer of "SOUND OF HOPE: The Story of Possum Trot". Hear from Rebekah about the writing process, the characters, and the true story of Possum Trot, Texas, as well as her experience as a foster parent and social worker. Rebekah has great advice and practical solutions that you need to hear. You don't want to miss this movie - get your tickets today!
Want more information about how you can host a private showing of this film? Learn more on the Angel Studios website.
This month, Darrell and Ashton sit down with Crystal Wenger and Katie Murphy. Katie is a parent who successfully reunified with her children. In this episode, she shares her story of overcoming addiction and hard times in order to become the parent her children needed. You'll also hear from Crystal about what Children's Division is working on to create a supportive environment for more families to stay together and reunify.
Ana and "T" share a bit about their stories and the impact foster care has had on their lives. These young adults are passionate and articulate in sharing their advice to those working in the child welfare space. They also talk with Darrell and Rene Brinkman about Child Advocacy Day 2024.
In this episode, you'll hear from the dedicated Primary Prevention Team at Children's Division. They discuss how they all got started with the division, where their interest sparked in prevention work, and what's going on now with the quickly growing and evolving world of prevention in the division.
In this episode, Darrell and the Deputies react to the portrayal of Child Welfare/Social Workers in the movies! Listen along as they talk about the stereotypes and situations shown in King Richard, Lilo and Stitch, Mrs. Doubtfire, and Instant Family. If you haven't watched these movies, you can find the clips being referenced below. DISCLAIMER: We do not own the rights to the clips or movies being referenced. They are being used for demonstration purposes only.
King Richard: https://youtu.be/0BhApPQ0AxU?si=dOjr3o6wk3gUhSHB
Lilo and Stitch: https://youtu.be/f17jPzxwtNI?si=nj3EAX6-wbQyFRHu
Mrs. Doubtfire: https://youtu.be/5BjuZI0G-2I?si=6AkfJndOIzQ3PAGp
Instant Family: https://youtu.be/7-5kYQLJnFw?si=xYOFPuBHUkbI8hLW
Listen along as Darrell has a conversation with Director Robert Knodell, CFO Pat Luebbering, and Legislative Director Ryan Conway. These four department leaders sit down to discuss what team members can expect this legislative season along with expressing their appreciation to team members for their continued work in empowering Missourians.
Darrell, Danielle, and Ashton speak with Rachel Jones from the Missouri Department of Mental Health (DMH) in this episode. Hear what DMH does for families and how the work they do overlaps with Children's Division's work. Learn how you can get involved and enjoy Rachel's passion as she discusses her big dreams for the future of our work together.
Listen along as Darrell and Ashton have a conversation with Vickie Stoneberger and a couple of our partners at the Missouri Baptist Children's Home, David Burch and George Fulgham. These passionate gentlemen share how they got involved with charitable work and ministry, the ways they work with Children's Division to support the families and children in their area, and dream big for what connections with Children's Division could look like in the future. You can help be a catalyst in your community by recruiting local faith-based and community organizations in your circuit to partner with Children's Division!
For National Adoption Month, Deputy Director of Permanency, Angie Swarnes, Vickie Stoneberger and Ashton Kever sit down with representatives from our Family Resource Centers. Lori Ross (FosterAdopt Connect), Heather Craig (Foster Adoptive Care Coalition), and Deanna Alonso (Central Missouri Foster Care and Adoption Association) all share their personal stories with adoption, some information about their organizations and the ways they support the children and families in their areas. There is a lot of great perspectives and information shared during this episode, be sure to tune in!
It's here! The last of the intro podcasts from this season. We are thrilled to be able to give you this opportunity to learn about the executive leadership team in the metro areas. Hear about how they came to CD, their regions, what their goals and vision are, and what keeps them invested in their work.
With a combined experience of over 50 years with DSS, Lisa and Pam share their passion for the wellbeing of Missouri's children and families. Learn how they got their start with Children's Division, where their passions have lead them, what their visions are for the future of their region, and why they come to work every day. Get to know these two passionate leaders in another bonus episode of the "We Are Children's Division" podcast!
October is Safe Sleep Month! In 2021, of the 102 infants who died from non-medical causes, 81 percent were related to the infant’s sleep environment. Another way to look at it, is that we are losing one infant every four days to deaths that could have been easily prevented.
We sat down with Liz Tietsort and Haylee Musso and chatted about safe sleep trends in Missouri. Learn how we, as child welfare workers, can better support new parents and families and educate them on best practices.
Join us for this great conversation with Miss Black Missouri, USA, Eugenia Wallace, about her experience in the foster care system. She tells her story and shares how it has impacted her life and mission in adulthood. She is passionate about empowering foster youth to go to college and follow their dreams and helps them navigate the system. Eugenia has good advice for Children's Division and is very encouraging and stresses the positive impact our team members can make in the lives of children and families.
In this episode, we catch up with DSS Director Robert Knodell and Division Director of Financial and Administrative Services Pat Luebbering about the outcome of the 2023 Legislative Session. It goes without saying that Children's Division has a lot of heart - these leaders tout that heart and determination and even discuss goals for the next legislative session.