Our faculty’s work and research related to children and youth explores various areas of social work, including child welfare and children’s rights, youth aging out of the foster care system, and how young adults come to be disconnected from social institutions, such as the family, school, and employment.
Faculty are expanding the knowledge base about children’s and adolescents’ social skills and interpersonal-cognitive problem-solving skills, peer relationships, and social competence mediated by small group processes. Their work also focuses on understanding the role of social institutions during adolescence and the transition to adulthood with a focus on vulnerable populations.