Research Lecture & Lunch
“Risk and Protection in Child Welfare: Understanding Young Children’s Mental Health”Dr. Rachel Fusco12:30-1:30pmWednesday October 1,Room 1.214, School of Social Work
RSVP required, please email Linda Solomon at lsolomon@austin.utexas.edu
The years between birth and age 5 are fundamentally important to human development, and experiences during this time have a life-long impact on mental health and well-being. Very young children in the child welfare system are often experiencing an array of stressors in addition to child maltreatment, including poverty, exposure to intimate partner violence, and parental mental health and substance abuse issues. Dr. Fusco will present findings on the maltreatment, family, and community factors that can exacerbate problems or provide a buffer for young children in the child welfare system. The rate of socioemotional concerns and trauma symptomology among children 0-5 will be discussed, along with implications for policy and practice in the child welfare and the behavioral health systems.
Dr. Rachel Fusco is an Associate Professor at the University of Pittsburgh. She received her MSSW at The University of Texas at Austin. After five years of social work practice with children and families experiencing child maltreatment and/or intimate partner violence, she earned a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. Her research has been strongly influenced by her clinical practice, and has focused on the mental health of children exposed to family violence.