Date on Capstone

5-2026

Document Type

Capstone

Degree Name

D.S.W.

Cooperating University

University of Louisville

Degree Program

Social Work, D.S.W.

Committee Chair

BrintzenhofeSzoc, Karlynn

Committee Member

Rhema, Susan Heffner

Committee Member

Archuleta, Adrian

Committee Member

Golder, Seana

Committee Member

Winters, Andrew

Author's Keywords

child welfare; trauma; trauma experience; emotional and behavioral needs; CANS assessment; mental health assessments; screenings

Abstract

Children who are involved in the child welfare system experience disproportionately higher rates of trauma and unmet behavioral health needs, which at times often go unmet. This study uses a secondary data analysis of administrative data compiled from the Analysis of Screening and Assessment Practice Study completed by the University of Louisville from Project SAFESPACE data organized from the 2022 assessment year across a sample of 3.759 youth involved in the child welfare system. The study found that a youth who was found to be demonstrating an adjustment to trauma is highly predictive of additional traumatic event exposure. Additionally, it was found that consistent, positive correlations exist between all Trauma Experiences and all Child Behavioral/Emotional Needs items that were assessed across the 2022 assessment year. The findings reinforce the importance of interpreting youth’s behaviors through a trauma-informed lens, rather than conceptualizing behaviors as misbehavior and/or noncompliance with the system.

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