About
"PLX has met my expectations and beyond. I really was surprised by the density and diversity of the material."
"It was such a great organization of the major areas to consider when working with youth-- historical perspective, bio/brain development, substance use, trauma, systems, lenses, privilege and power."
PLX is a dynamic collaboration between the Department of Human Services and the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare aimed at increasing positive relationships between youth involved in systems and professionals who support them.
PLX is a dynamic collaboration between the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare (CASCW) and the Minnesota Department of Human Services. The collaboration aims to improve high quality service provision while increasing positive relationships between youth involved in the State’s social service systems and the professionals and providers who support them.
The Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare (CASCW) is a research and training center located in the School of Social Work at the University of Minnesota. It is CASCW’s mission to improve the well-being of children and families who are involved in the child welfare system by: educating human service professionals, fostering collaboration across systems and disciplines, informing policy makers and the public, and expanding the child welfare knowledge base. In alignment with that mission, CASCW partnered with the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) to develop, implement and evaluate the Phoenix Learning Xchange (PLX).
The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) provides oversight to the state’s social service systems including practice and policy guidance. DHS’s Child Safety and Permanency Division collaborates with the Children’s Justice Initiative (CJI) and both work closely with the local juvenile courts, court administrators, social services agencies, county attorneys, guardians ad litem, attorneys for parents and children, tribes, and other key stakeholders in each of Minnesota's 87 counties. The goal is to timely find safe, stable, permanent homes for abused and neglected children, first through reunification with the child's parents if that is safe or, if not, through another permanent placement option, and to improve child well-being. When identifying and implementing improvements, the goal is for all stakeholders to operate "through the eyes of the child" so as to achieve child safety, permanency, and well-being. The Children's Justice Act (CJA) is a federally funded program that helps states develop, establish, and operate programs to improve the investigation and prosecution of child abuse and neglect cases.
Funding support from CJA and DHS enabled CASCW to engage with community stakeholders and experts across multiple fields to develop PLX.
"The lecturers were high quality."
"I did not know what to expect going in. It went above and beyond my expectations."
