{"id":212918,"date":"2025-07-31T11:04:49","date_gmt":"2025-07-31T15:04:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/chss\/?p=212918"},"modified":"2025-08-11T09:58:37","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T13:58:37","slug":"faculty-to-lead-evaluation-of-new-jerseys-child-welfare-system-in-partnership-with-department-of-children-and-families","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/chss\/2025\/07\/31\/faculty-to-lead-evaluation-of-new-jerseys-child-welfare-system-in-partnership-with-department-of-children-and-families\/","title":{"rendered":"Faculty to Lead Evaluation of New Jersey\u2019s Child Welfare System in Partnership with Department of Children and Families"},"content":{"rendered":"

Montclair State University\u2019s Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy<\/a> has been awarded a significant, two-year renewable contract with the New Jersey Department of Children and Families (DCF). The work will be led by Associate Professor Wendy Zeitlin<\/a>, in collaboration with Professors Emily Douglas<\/a> and Svetlana Shpiegel<\/a>, and represents a renewed and impactful partnership between Montclair and the state.<\/p>\n

The project is an excellent match between faculty expertise and the needs of the state: ensuring the safety, stability, and well-being of children and families across New Jersey.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re honored to be trusted with this work,\u201d said Zeitlin. \u201cWe see this not just as a two-year project, but the beginning of a long-term collaboration to improve the lives of children and families across New Jersey.\u201d<\/p>\n

Supporting a Historic Transition in NJ Child Welfare Oversight<\/h3>\n

In 2006, New Jersey\u2019s child welfare system came under federal oversight following widespread concerns about its performance. Over the next several years, the state made sweeping changes and improvements under the guidance of a federal monitor. When federal oversight ended, stakeholders created a legislative plan to maintain and build on those gains.<\/p>\n

In 2022, state legislation charged the Staffing and Oversight Review Subcommittee (SORS) with producing annual performance reports on the child welfare system\u2019s effectiveness in key areas \u2014 a responsibility now supported by Montclair State\u2019s expert faculty.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am very proud of our faculty,\u201d said CHSS Dean Fatma Mili. \u201cThey are investing their research expertise on some of the most important issues, the welfare of the most vulnerable members of our society. Their work has long lasting lessons and an immediate impact on our society. Professors Zeitlin, Douglas, and Shpiegel are a great example of how a public university can serve the public good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Faculty Expertise, National Context<\/h3>\n

Drawing on deep knowledge of national child welfare trends and access to federal data sets, Montclair\u2019s team will contextualize New Jersey\u2019s progress within a broader national landscape. Their work will include replicating and refining previous analyses, enhancing data storytelling, and helping SORS produce reports that are not only technically rigorous but also accessible and meaningful to stakeholders across the system.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis work is not just about data \u2014 it\u2019s about making sure the data tells the story of what is happening right now, and what is needed to best support children and families who come in contact with the child welfare system,\u201d says Shpiegel.<\/p>\n

In year two, the project will expand to incorporate additional indicators and responsibilities outlined in state legislation, with the goal of building a long-term evaluation structure that supports ongoing system improvement.<\/p>\n

A Transformative Opportunity for Students and the State<\/h3>\n

The project also creates rare hands-on opportunities for Montclair students, who will gain exposure to the policy, evaluation, and systems-level challenges facing New Jersey\u2019s child welfare agencies.<\/p>\n

\u201cWorking directly with faculty on this project, our students will learn how research and evaluation can serve communities and drive real-world change,\u201d says Douglas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New contract builds on state reforms and reestablishes a vital university-agency partnership in service of New Jersey\u2019s children and families<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":212051,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,36,37],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-212918","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-7_homepage-news-and-events","category-research","category-social-work-and-child-advocacy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/chss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212918","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/chss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/chss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/chss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/chss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=212918"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/chss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212918\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":212923,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/chss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212918\/revisions\/212923"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/chss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/212051"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/chss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=212918"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/chss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=212918"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/chss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=212918"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}