News From the Field (WINTER 2026)

National child welfare policy, practice and research

Field Notes

Winter asks something honest of us: to slow down long enough to feel what we’ve lost—and to name it with care. It is with profound sorrow that we share the unexpected passing of Felicia Saunders, our Administrative Coordinator since 2019. Her loss is immeasurable, and we continue to hold her family, loved ones, and all who worked alongside her in our thoughts. And still—because Felicia believed in showing up for people—we keep moving forward with the same purpose she strengthened every day: children and families at the center. Welcome to the Winter 2026 issue of News From the Field. In these pages, you’ll see the throughline of our work: evidence with integrity, practice with humility, and policy with the courage to protect what matters most.

This season, our learning continues out loud. The 9th episode of the Field Center’s Aging Out Podcast is now live, with new episodes dropping monthly. We’re also proud to share how Field Center expertise is shaping national dialogue. In a New York Times roundtable connected to The Preventionist, Dr. Cindy Christian joined leading experts to answer real-world questions where rigor and humanity must travel together.

There’s celebration here, too. On a personal note, I’m honored to share the release of a new open-access (i.e., FREE!) book, Understanding Child Welfare, co-authored with colleagues from North Carolina State University, the University of Maryland, and Washington University in St. Louis—and with a former PhD student, now an assistant professor at James Madison University. I’m especially proud that our chapter on older youth in foster care includes collaboration with Antonio Dill-Word, a lived experience expert—because our work is strongest when it makes real space for the voices and leadership too often sidelined in child welfare conversations. It’s offered in service of clearer understanding and better outcomes for children and families.

And as always, we’re energized by the next generation of field-builders. In this issue, you’ll find two new Field Center blogs, both authored by our graduate student interns. You’ll also meet Saadhya Bahudodda, our 2025–2026 MSSP student intern, whose work reflects the Field Center’s commitment to multidisciplinary training and practice-forward research.

Thank you for being part of this community—your partnership, your attention, your care. In remembering Felicia, we’re reminded to cherish life and to look after one another; in honoring her, we recommit to building systems where every child is safe, known, and nurtured, and every family has what they need to thrive.

Johanna K.P. Greeson, PhD, MSS, MLSP

Associate Professor

Director, Child Well-Being & Child Welfare Specialization

Managing Faculty Director, The Field Center for Children’s Policy, Practice & Research

School of Social Policy & Practice | University of Pennsylvania

WITH DEEP SADNESS -

REMEMBERING FELICIA SAUNDERS

It is with profound sorrow that we share that Felicia Saunders, the Administrative Coordinator for the Field Center since 2019, died unexpectedly this past fall semester. Felicia was a steady, luminous presence; someone who made complicated days feel manageable and busy rooms feel welcoming. Her loss is immeasurable.

At the Field Center, Felicia coordinated day-to-day operations and the logistics that made our conferences, trainings, and events sing. Before joining the Field Center, she served at Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine in Scheduling & Events and, earlier, in the President’s Office at the American Friends Service Committee here in Philadelphia. She was also advancing her own education through Penn’s College of Liberal & Professional Studies.

Service was part of her heartbeat. She generously volunteered her time to advocate for children in foster care as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) in New Jersey—a commitment that was deeply meaningful to her and reflects the values our School holds dear.

In remembering Felicia, we are reminded to cherish life and to care for ourselves and one another.

With sympathy and love,

The Field Center Team

New Podcast Episodes Available!

The 9^th episode in the Field Center’s Aging Out Podcast series is now available on our website and all major podcast streaming platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts!

Click here to hear the illuminating conversation with Zach Blend from the Goshen Valley Foundation discussing services for older youth exiting foster care with a focus on relational confidence.

Our vital work depends on you

To promote our vision where children are loved and nurtured, and families have access to the resources they need to thrive, please consider a donation to the Field Center for Children’s Policy, Practice & Research.

To learn more about how you can support our work, please contact the SP2 Director of Institutional Advancement Bart Miltenberger at 215-573-5624 or miltenbe@upenn.edu.

For more information click

here.

Stay Connected and Stay Informed

Stay up to date with the latest in child welfare by following the Field Center on social media:

Upcoming Child Welfare Conferences

National Indian Child Welfare Association 44th Annual Protecting Our Children Conference

Mar 29-Apr 1, 2026

Oklahoma City, OK

More Information

Continuous Quality Improvement Conference for Child Welfare and Probation

April 14-16, 2026

Sacramento, CA

More Information

CWLA 2026 Conference: The Work Ahead: Practice, Policy, and Possibility

April 20-22, 2026

Arlington, VA

More Information

National Association of Council for Children’s 49th National Child Welfare Law Conference

Aug 12-14, 2026

Portland, OR

More Information

National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges 89th Annual Conference

July 19-22, 2026

Nashville, TN

More Information

NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE RECAP: HOW CHILD ABUSE PEDIATRICIANS APPROACH THEIR WORK

Following the release of “The Preventionist,” (a new podcast from Serial Productions and the New York Times) a group of child abuse pediatricians discuss diagnostic uncertainty, second opinions and the future of the field. Field Center Faculty Director Dr. Cindy Christian joined a panel of five experts from across the country to address this important topic.

The discussion centered around three key questions:

How is diagnostic uncertainty handled in the field?
Should hospitals require a second opinion in certain cases?
How do these doctors weigh the trauma of child separation with the potential risk of future harm at home?

Dr. Christian highlighted research indicating that when child abuse pediatricians are involved with CPS decision making, there’s improvement or changes because you’re adding expertise to the decision makers. She noted that consultations or evaluations can take hours, requiring decisions about hospital capacity. Addressing the uncertainty in her work, she commented "And I have to live with a little bit of uncertainty...You are really striving to make the right decisions."

Read the full roundtable conversation in the New York Times here.

JUST PUBLISHED! UNDERSTANDING CHILD WELFARE

Managing Faculty Director Johanna Greeson, PhD, MSS, MLSP, along with colleagues Richard P. Barth, Jill Duerr Berrick, Melissa Jonson-Reid, Antonio R. Garcia, John Gyourko, and Brett Drake, just released a new book: Understanding Child Welfare.

This book surveys the processes and outcomes of child welfare services in the US, drawing global parallels in order to capture the challenges, tensions, and opportunities facing child welfare services.

Written in a clear and accessible manner, the book outlines which welfare system reforms are likely to have the greatest benefit for at-risk and maltreated children and families. Chapters cover crucial debates and initiatives mapping the evolution of child welfare services in the US and presenting comparisons with other approaches to child welfare services across the globe. The book also considers how to approach issues stemming from the importance of understanding and addressing diversity in race, ethnicity, and culture among child welfare involved families and offers opportunities for the evolution of child welfare services. Understanding Child Welfare is an illuminating read for students and scholars in social work, psychology, public health, and sociology. It is also a useful resource for practitioners, policymakers and other actors involved in child welfare services internationally.

View the Open Access online version of "Understanding Child Welfare" here.

The "Understanding" series by Edward Elgar publishing elucidates fundamental knowledge and foundational research on significant topics and themes across the social sciences. Illuminating the pertinent issues, each book is authored or edited by a leading scholar in the field, providing clarity and definition, and presenting a comprehensive and authoritative account of the topic. Collectively and individually, these books will advance knowledge and understanding of contemporary issues and challenges.

TWO NEW FIELD CENTER BLOGS POSTED!

The Time is NOW: Pennsylvania Must Join the Majority of States with an Independent Office of the Child Advocate

December 3, 2025

Cheri Mitchell, Field Center MSS Intern

[Preview] The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) reports that children’s ombudsman offices, sometimes called offices of the child advocate, operate in many states to provide oversight for children’s services. As of December 2024, 33 states have established such offices with specific responsibilities related to child welfare. Seven other states have broader ombudsman programs that cover multiple government agencies, including those serving children, while six states offer ombudsman programs tailored to particular populations affected by or intersecting with child welfare. Yet today, Pennsylvania remains one of the few states that does not have an Office of the Child Advocate...

Read Cheri's full blog here.

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When Advocacy Silences: Confronting the Harms of Child Welfare Abolition

January 9, 2026

Jasleen Virk, Field Center MSW Intern

[Preview] The Field Center hosted L. Patty Flores for the Fall 2025 Community Symposium, an event that brought together university students, practitioners, child welfare experts, and local stakeholders to unpack the potential impact of child welfare abolition. Patty met the audience with candor, speaking openly about her experiences while demonstrating her refusal to give up in the face of adversity. She defined lived experts as being “experts of the systems from within” which allows for youth in care to reclaim authorship of their stories. She discussed how primarily holding the conversation of child welfare abolition in academic settings leaves out the voices of young people in care. Those voices deserve to be included, as they bring humanity into the conversation...

Read Jasleen's full blog here.

2025-2026 STUDENT INTRODUCTION

Through the Multidisciplinary Student Training Institute, The Field Center provides research, internship and field placement opportunities for selected students across multiple disciplines. Students receive training, career mentorship, and hands-on work experience within the field of child welfare. Meet our 2025-2026 MSSP student intern here:

Saadhya Bahudodda is a part-time student in the Master of Science in Social Policy program at the University of Pennsylvania. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a certificate in Engaged Scholarship from Brown University in May 2024. After graduation, she began working as a Clinical Research Coordinator at the Penn Medicine Women’s Health Clinical Research Center. Now, at The Field Center, Saadhya looks forward to expanding her commitment to reproductive justice by engaging in research and policy initiatives that promote the well-being of children and families.

Read Saadhya's full bio on our website here.

FIELD CENTER RECENT PRESENTATIONS & PUBLICATIONS

Faculty Director Dr. Cindy Christian delivered a workshop titled “What I Don't Know” at the 2025 NYC Babies and Toddlers Trauma Investigations Conference in New York, NY.

Faculty Director Dr. Cindy Christian presented a virtual continuing judicial education course titled “A pediatrician’s perspective on child witnesses” to the Administrative Office of the Pennsylvania Courts (AOPC) through the Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University.

Grants and Awards:

Faculty Director Sara Jaffee PhD, Chair of the Department of Psychology in the School of Arts & Sciences, and Vincent Reina, Associate Chair of the Department of City and Regional Planning in the Weitzman School of Design, received a grant from the California Department of Social Services in partnership with GiveDirectly to design and evaluate a cash transfer program for elderly, low income renters in San Joaquin County, CA.

Field Center experts recently published the following:

Karwatowska, L., Solmi, F., Baldwin, J.R., Jaffee, S.R., Viding, E., Pingault, J.B., & De Stavola, B.L. (2025). Positive and Negative Parenting Practices and Offspring Disruptive Behavior: A Meta-Analytic Review of Quasi-Experimental Evidence. Psychological Bulletin, 151(11), 1363.

Breeden-Carino, K., Wood, J.N., Christian, C.W., Ruiz-Maldonado, T.M., Lindberg, D.M., Bachim, A., Frasier, L., Frazier, T.N., Harper, N.S., Kruczek, S.E., Brink, F., Wolford, J.E., Leonard, J., & Henry, M.K. (2025). Factors Associated with Child Protective Services Referrals in Young Children with Isolated Skull Fractures. Academic Pediatrics, 103196.

Smith, C., Wood, J.N., Davies, S., Green, S., Mollen, C., Christian, C.W., Raj, A., & Krass, P. (2025). Missed Opportunities to Screen for Sexual Exploitation Among Youth Who Have Experienced Sex Trafficking. Child Protection and Practice, 100264.