BUSSW Professors Share Expertise at 2024 Child Welfare League of America Conference

Profs. Lenette Azzi-Lessing, Julie Springwater, and Astraea Augsberger from BU School of Social Work were featured speakers at the Child Welfare League of America’s (CWLA) national conference recently held in Washington, DC. The theme, “Creating Meaningful Change,” focused on emerging approaches to promoting child safety, permanency, and well-being with an emphasis on equity and cultural responsiveness. 

Prof. Azzi-Lessing co-facilitated a discussion on mandated reporting and its disproportionate harm to Black and Indigenous Families. She was also a panelist for a pre-conference session on how economic inequality and racism affect the identification of child neglect cases and strategies for system improvement. Prof. Azzi-Lessing is a senior fellow at CWLA where she works to improve the child welfare system to better serve vulnerable children and families. 

Prof. Springwater co-presented a workshop series on effective and impactful leadership. By centering the needs of clients, leaders can better use the resources they have. Prof. Springwater has experience in mission-based leadership based on her many years serving as the executive director of the New England Association of Child Welfare Commissioners and Directors at the Judge Baker Children’s Center in Boston. She shared her knowledge with other leaders on how to support staff members, provide relevant and holistic care, and measure impact.

Prof. Augsberger co-presented on Project IMPACT, which aims to help parents with intellectual disabilities who often face disproportionate rates of foster care placement. The project provides training and education specific to the individual needs of families to foster holistic child development and prevent foster placements. Augsberger presented her findings as a co-principal investigator of a National Institute of Health (NIH) grant examining the effectiveness of the project. In the presentation, she explored the details of the program, research findings, and how organizations can develop their expertise to aid parents with intellectual disabilities. Recently, Prof. Augsberger also published research on specialized support services for mothers with low intellectual functioning. 

Learn More About Prof. Azzi-Lessing’s Research

Learn More About Prof. Springwater’s Research

Learn More About Prof. Augsberger’s Research