New publication on child safety and well-being now available
Sep 21, 2023
The new publication, “Strengthening Child Safety and Well-Being Through Integrated Data Solutions,” edited by Christian Connell and Daniel Crowley, directors of Penn State’s Child Maltreatment Solutions Network and Evidence-to-Impact Collaborative, is now available. This publication is based on a…News Topics: Child Maltreatment Solutions Network
Conference on supporting youth in child welfare and juvenile court systems
Sep 13, 2023
Penn State’s Child Maltreatment Solutions Network is hosting a conference at The Hintz Family Alumni Center on Thursday, Oct. 5, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The conference, “Supporting Crossover Youth Involved with Child Welfare and Juvenile Court Systems”, will feature nationally renowned…
'Fostering Lions' program hosts ‘Little Lions’ camp for high school foster kids
Jul 14, 2023
Foster youth can face many challenges, but those who continue into college are better prepared for adulthood and more likely to achieve economic independence and an improved quality of life. The Fostering Lions program, which already supports current Penn State students who were foster youths,…
New grant will continue center’s work to prevent abuse and support children
Jul 5, 2023
Child maltreatment — which includes physical abuse, sexual abuse and neglect — affects at least 12% of children under 18 in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Each year, around two million children in the U.S. experience maltreatment, and the…
McElwee joins Solutions Network
Jun 12, 2023
Kassidy McElwee will be joining Penn State’s Child Maltreatment Solutions Networkas project manager, effective June 20. In this role, McElwee will be working with the Solutions Network's community-based research projects at the state level, assisting with grants and research related to child…
University Libraries Open Publishing launches 'The Future of Foster Care'
May 22, 2023
Penn State University Libraries’ Open Publishing program recently launched a new Open Access monograph. “The Future of Foster Care: New Science on Old Problems,” edited by Yo Jackson and Sarah Font, is a collection of expanded conference proceedings from the 2019 conference of the Child…News Topics: Child Maltreatment Solutions NetworkSSRI cofunds
New funding to support child maltreatment research opportunities
May 14, 2023
Penn State’s Child Maltreatment Solutions Network is supporting a new funding opportunity to support research addressing child maltreament. The funding will support the formation of research groups to develop new research projects and that could lead to development of colloquiums, annual meetings,…News Topics: Child Maltreatment Solutions NetworkFunding
Font featured in "The Lost Debate" podcast
May 2, 2023
SSRI cofund Sarah Font, associate professor of sociology and public policy, is interviewed on the podcast special episode "Invisible Kids: America’s Journey From Orphanages To Foster Care" about programs that are meant to care for the country’s most vulnerable children: the child-welfare system.…
Penn State participates in Child Abuse Prevention Month event at state capital
Apr 17, 2023
Child abuse is a public health issue, with child protective services responding to almost four million allegations of child maltreatment across the country each year. To draw attention to the issue, April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, and in Pennsylvania, the recently held Child Abuse…
Scholarships in child maltreatment studies awarded
Apr 10, 2023
Penn State’s Child Maltreatment Solutions Network recently awarded scholarships to four students wanting to enter the fields of child maltreatment, child welfare, and child advocacy. The de Lissovoy Intern Scholarship, funded through an endowment in honor of Vladimir de Lissovoy, provides funding…
Trauma causes high levels of intergenerational substance use among Black women
Feb 22, 2023
Government data show that approximately 7.2 million women in the United States have substance use disorders (SUDs) and almost 20 million reported illicit substance use in the past year. New research suggests that trauma leads to high levels of intergenerational substance use among Black women, and…
New center promotes health and healing from early-life trauma and adversity
Nov 22, 2022
Each year, millions of children in the United States experience significant trauma and adversities that can impact their health and well-being, including child abuse, racism, family violence, family separation or extreme poverty. Research over the last few decades has demonstrated strong…
Connell named director of Penn State’s Child Maltreatment Solutions Network
Nov 2, 2022
Christian Connell has been appointed director of the Child Maltreatment Solutions Network (CMSN), part of the Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) at Penn State. Connell, who is also an associate professor of human development and family studies and SSRI cofunded faculty member, previously…News Topics: Child Maltreatment Solutions Network
Researchers study adolescent recovery from post-traumatic stress symptoms
Oct 26, 2022
Children in the United States may be exposed to a high rate of adverse experiences that result in post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), which can appear as feelings of stress, fear and helplessness that result from re-experiencing trauma or actively avoiding reminders of the trauma. Adolescents…News Topics: Child Maltreatment Solutions NetworkStress
Researchers analyze costs of child sexual abuse prevention programs
Sep 6, 2022
Researchers at Penn State’s Child Maltreatment Solutions Network analyzed the costs related to implementing a child sexual abuse (CSA) prevention program in schools in a new study. Regularly viewed as a human rights violation, public health experts estimate that 27% of females and 5% of males are…
Child Maltreatment Solutions Network to discuss differentiating child neglect from poverty in upcoming online conference
Apr 5, 2022
The Child Maltreatment Solutions Network, a part of Penn State’s Social Science Research Institute, will host “Disentangling Neglect from Poverty Across Definitions, Outcomes, Interventions, and Policy Recommendations” on April 22, 10:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. via Zoom. The majority of referrals received…News Topics: Child Maltreatment Solutions Network
Child abuse investigations may not prevent poor sexual health outcomes in girls
Mar 30, 2022
The Child Protective Services (CPS) system aims to investigate and intervene in cases of child abuse and neglect, but a new study suggests it may be missing an opportunity to also help prevent poor sexual health outcomes in adolescent girls. The researchers found that girls who had undergone…
Fostering Support: A Young Penn State Program Helps Former Foster Youth
Mar 15, 2022
For many Penn State students, a helping hand or word of guidance is as close as a phone call to Mom or Dad. Care packages show up at their dorm room regularly, and they come to college equipped with all the school supplies they might need. Students who grew up in the foster-care system often aren’t…News Topics: Child Maltreatment Solutions NetworkFostering Lions
How do the effects of childhood abuse extend into middle age?
Jan 13, 2022
Childhood sexual abuse can lead to depression, anxiety, cardiovascular disease and other health problems later in life. Not all abused children experience these problems, however, and researchers are working to understand whose health is affected and why. In a new article in the journal…
Conference focuses on latest child maltreatment research methods
Nov 2, 2021
Investigating the newest methods for research concerning children was the focus of the 2021 Child Maltreatment Solutions Network Conference, held recently at Penn State’s University Park campus at the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, both in person and virtually. The two-day event featured 17…
Penn State educational and health disparities research featured
Oct 27, 2021
This video highlighting work being done at SSRI's Center for Educational Disparities Research and Child Maltreatment Solutions Network features several SSRI cofunded faculty and is currently being broadcast at the annual conference of the American Public Health Association. Research taking place at…
Penn State receives a five-year, nearly $6 million grant to study factors promoting early childhood development
Oct 18, 2021
The effects of genetics, home environment, and prenatal substance use on child health and brain development are largely unknown, even though pregnancy and early childhood are incredibly important periods of growth. To address this knowledge gap, Penn State was recently awarded a five-year, $5.8…
At-risk teens may face increased online threats
Oct 6, 2021
While the Internet has many benefits such as increased access to education, it also has risks like access to pornography and the potential for online victimization and exploitation — and new research has found that certain teens may be at higher risk for these threats. According to a new study…News Topics: Child Maltreatment Solutions NetworkBullying
EIC Podcast Episode 14: Navigating PA’s Child Welfare System and Issues of Child Maltreatment
Aug 29, 2021
On the latest Evidence-to-Impact Podcast, we explored Pennsylvania’s child welfare system and issues of child maltreatment through the lens of an existing partnership between Penn State and government partners. We spoke to Jennie Noll, Ph.D., professor of human development and family studies and…
Solutions Network Conference to focus on innovative research methods
Jul 23, 2021
The 2021 Child Maltreatment Solutions Network Conference, “Innovative Methods in Child Maltreatment Research,” will focus on the latest science surrounding the research of child maltreatment. The conference will be held in person at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center Sept. 2-3. Before…News Topics: Child Maltreatment Solutions Network