Five years ago, WKU faculty members Dean May and Austin Griffiths had what would later prove to be a groundbreaking text message exchange.
In the conversation, the two discussed starting a child welfare center at WKU. And earlier this year, that idea became a reality when, in mid-July, WKU announced approval for the creation of the Center for Child Welfare and Research.
CCWEAR is the next chapter in a long-running partnership between WKU’s Department of Social Work and the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services’ Department for Community-Based Services.
Griffiths said the creation of CCWEAR is an important step in building on that partnership to create an applied research trajectory that will further improve the efficacy, quality of life and retention of the child welfare workforce. "As the location of the first child welfare center in Kentucky, we have a timely opportunity to do important work,” he said.
