Announcing the new Multidisciplinary Institute for Child Welfare

We’re thrilled to officially announce the new Multidisciplinary Institute for Child Welfare, which is located within the University of Minnesota’s School of Social Work and houses several dynamic research and training organizations, including the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare (CASCW), the Minnesota Linking Information for Kids (Minn-LinK) project, and the Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy (MNCWTA)*. 

CASCW, Minn-LInK and the MNCWTA have experienced tremendous growth over the last five years, within the university system and in the community. Because of this evolution, in the summer of 2024, the organizations embarked on an important strategic planning initiative to help prioritize and better define their collective five year plan. During an early phase of this planning process, the need for a new organization structure was recognized and the development and launch of the Multidisciplinary Institute for Child Welfare emerged. It’s an essential element in continuing to support the audiences we serve, while also continuing the mission of the University of Minnesota’s School of Social Work and the College of Education and Human Development, as it pertains to continued community service, growth and innovation.

The creation of the Multidisciplinary Institute for Child Welfare, or as we like to call it, “the Institute”, demonstrates our commitment to conducting and utilizing high-quality, community-driven research to guide and support our mission to advance the knowledge, skill, and well-being of child welfare and allied professionals through research, policy, training, and education.