Francie J. Julien-Chinn

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa | UH Manoa · School of Social Work

Child welfare work is inherently difficult, and child welfare agencies are known to experience high rates of turnover. We sought to expand the existing literature on intention to leave one’s child welfare agency and commitment to child welfare work through examining the coping mechanisms of frontline workers. Having and utilizing healthy coping mec...

Houselessness in Hawai‘i is a structural public health concern, and strategies are needed to address the issue. Using a strength-based approach, this study sought to examine protective factors within a family resilience framework for formerly houseless Native Hawaiian and Micronesian families. Through in-depth, qualitative interviews with previousl...

Retention of the child welfare workforce is an ongoing challenge. In this study, we evaluate the association between child welfare workers’ perceptions of agency leadership and their intent to remain at their agencies. The sample included 119 frontline child welfare workers surveyed at three child welfare agencies in a large Northeastern city. Part...

Creating organizational change, including implementing evidence based practices, requires agencies to have supportive learning cultures. Despite ongoing efforts to implement best practice, translation of practice principles to child welfare practice is inconsistent; some research suggests this is in part due to organizational barriers. According to...

Humor serves as a protective factor in the resiliency process for many, reducing stress and helping children and adults cope with difficult circumstances. Humor can lighten a situation and relieve tension but can also be misinterpreted in response to serious circumstances. Providing foster care can be a challenging process as families open up their...

Foster families provide safe and stable homes for children and youth who are removed from their homes due to maltreatment. Despite the stressors associated with bringing children in and out of a family’s home, many maintain healthy family functioning and continue fostering for many years serving an essential function in the child welfare system. Th...

An online survey was administered to all child welfare specialists in one urban region (N = 427) to examine which aspects of supervision predicted higher levels of satisfaction. The specific supervisory processes that were measured included the components that make up strengths-based supervision, a model that was developed for child welfare setting...

Foster parents care for our nation’s most vulnerable children and adolescents. Their ability to provide care is impacted directly and indirectly by their interactions with public child welfare agencies and workers. This study examines the perspectives of 1095 foster parents in a southwestern state in the U.S. regarding what they believe child welfa...

Foster parents play a crucial role in providing safe and stable homes to maltreated children placed in out-of-home care and in doing so are tasked with many challenges. Understanding how foster parents are able to overcome the challenges inherent to fostering, to continue to foster children long term, and to maintain a healthy level of family funct...

Families who care for children in the foster care system often experience challenges related to the system, accessing services and supports, and managing relationships. Despite these challenges, many families thrive because of unique attributes and strengths that contribute to experiences of resilience. Using an ecological framework, this study exa...

Families who foster offer essential care for children and youth when their own parents are unable to provide for their safety and well-being. Foster caregivers face many challenges including increased workload, emotional distress, and the difficulties associated with health and mental health problems that are more common in children in foster care....

Child welfare agencies are charged with the mission of establishing timely legal permanency for all children in out-of-home care. National data indicate that the field of child welfare continues to struggle to fulfill this mission. Pragmatic strategies to improve permanency outcomes are essential. This study used cross-sectional data (N = 427) to e...

Strengths-based supervision (SBS) is a model of clinical supervision that was developed to support effective implementation of family-centered practice in public child welfare. An evaluation was conducted to determine the degree to which learning from this 2-day workshop transferred to changes in supervisory practices. Links to pre- and posttest an...