Family and Children's Resource Program at the UNC School of Social Work

08/19/2026

For UNC students interested in social work, pursuing the profession has traditionally meant charting the course to obtain a graduate degree. Starting next fall, that’ll change; undergraduate students will be able to pursue a bachelor’s in social work. The UNC System Board of Governors unanimousl...

08/13/2026

Antowan and Shea recently trained the course "Empowered Conversations: Building Trust and Collaboration in Child Welfare," in Sanford, and as you can see they managed to have a little fun while they helped participants learn critically important skills to improve their practice!

"Empowered Conversations" is a two day classroom based course that focuses on how to have tough yet essential conversations in all areas of child welfare.

The course is next being offered September 8th and 9th in Burke County, and then again on September 29th and 30th in Jackson County!

Visit NCSWlearn to register!

08/05/2026

If you're at the Social Services Institute Conference in Hickory this week, be sure to stop by and say hello to Laura and Jonathan with information about FCRP and other UNC Social Work in Community programs!

07/28/2026

It was a pleasure to work with Erica on this project! Her leadership and vision are unmatched.

It is with profound that we recognize Erica Burgess for advancing kinship care through & devoting her work to the well-being of children and families. Erica has spent more than six years helping stay together. She served as the project leader for the Therapeutic Foster Care (KTFC) program, a project run by FFTA in North Carolina. She also supported FFTA's work across the country: leading the Kinship Committee, facilitating webinars, presenting at conferences, and bringing people together for shared learning experiences. Thank you Erica for your heart and hard work, for the good of families!

Join us in celebrating Erica, and learn more about her leadership here:
https://www.ffta.org/news/advancing-kinship-care-through-leadership-erica-burgess.

07/28/2026

Exciting news about the new BSW program!

The establishment of a BSW degree ties into the school’s mission of increasing enrollment to 1,000 students by the fall of 2029 while strengthening the pipeline to a Master of Social Work degree.

07/27/2026

Have you registered for the Foster Family Alliance of North Carolina's first ever Kinship Conference??

There will be one event in Wilmington on 9/26 and one event in Asheville on 10/17 dedicated to providing kinship caregivers and professionals with information and networking opportunities to be more successful in their roles!

FCRP's Jonathan will be speaking at both events, and the UNC School of Social Work's Dean Ramona Denby-Brinson will be the keynote speaker in Asheville.

For more information about how to register, visit: https://www.ffa-nc.org/kinshipconf

We hope to see you there!

07/24/2026

Attention North Carolina Child Welfare Professionals in and Around Rutherford and Haywood Counties!

Looking to strengthen your skills in supporting children and families with behavioral health needs? Especially around psychotropic medication, working with Medicaid Health Plans, and available supports through the NC DHHS Rapid Response Team?

The NC Department of Health and Human Services Division of Social Services (NCDHHS DSS) is offering in-person Child Welfare & Children’s Mental Health trainings across the state!

This interactive training will help you:
• Understand the impact of trauma on children and adolescents
• Recognize and respond to mental health concerns and crises
• Identify early signs of behavioral health escalation
• Navigate the continuum of mental health services
• Improve communication and collaboration across systems

Don’t miss this opportunity to build practical skills and make an even greater impact for children and families in your community. Register today and secure your spot in Rutherford County on July 27th or Haywood County on July 28th!

Register here: https://unc.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3dWVSJbvMvbgPt4

07/23/2026

🚨Did you know there is a new in-person training for county DSS child welfare workers on https://ncswlearn.org/

And the next event is in Alamance County??

The new course is "Shared Parenting: Putting it into Practice" and it helps participants:

• Strengthen partnerships between child welfare agencies, birth families, and resource parents
• Learn practical shared parenting tools and techniques
• Develop strategies that can be applied right away
• And gain 12 contact hours upon completion

📌The next event starts July 29-30 in Burlington (Region 3)! Additional events throughout other regions are also available.

📝To register, go to https://ncswlearn.org/ and click the “Shared Parenting: Putting it into Practice” logo on the homepage.

For questions, email Jonathan Rockoff at [email protected].

Hope to see you there!

07/22/2026

There is a new issue of Fostering Perspectives available and you can read it here: https://fosteringperspectives.org/

The theme of this issue is Working in Partnership Across Child Welfare. We wanted to share a variety of viewpoints and experiences related to working in partnership across the child welfare system. From young adults with lived experience, to kinship caregivers, resource parents keeping siblings connected, and the key role of shared parenting, this issue’s contributors open up and share their very personal experiences. Hopefully, this issue inspires, educates, and enlightens you to consider the different paths, strategies, and positive impacts of working in partnership. We hope you find it helpful.

Be sure to check out the authors who contributed with a link to the article they wrote!

07/20/2026

We recently shared the new course "Supporting and Sustaining Sibling Connections" was now available on FosteringNC.org. Did you know another new course is available??

The new free and self-paced on-line on-demand course "Shared Parenting for Resource Parents" is also available on FosteringNC.org!

The goals of this course are to increase resource parents’ understanding of shared parenting, their role in supporting shared parenting, and strategies for helping children maintain connections to their family of origin.

You can find this course and more on FosteringNC.org!