Navigating Child Welfare | CPS, Foster Care, Family Court, Adoption, Mandated Reporter

Episode 19: Mandated reporters, CPS Leadership, and Volunteers: Is Better Possible in Foster Care?

Episode summaryWe often describe foster care and CPS as broken—and then we work like nothing can change. In this episode, Shanelle challenges that reflex and asks a harder question: Do you even think better is possible? Drawing on a college-days story (learning to do things differently) and real child welfare dynamics, she outlines what families, volunteers, workers, and mandated reporters actually need: clarity, connection, and a network of support. She introduces SYNCing Child Welfare, a national program built to simplify navigation, reduce confusion, and strengthen cross-system partnerships.
You’ll hear about
Why calling foster care/CPS “broken” can lock us into the same trainings, same process, same results.
How belief → behavior: if we believe change is possible, we move differently.
What families need (clarity), volunteers need (connection), and workers need (support)—and how blame & shame undercut all three.
The role of mandated reporters and partners in reducing confusion and building trust with families.
SYNCing Child Welfare: a 360° framework with tools for conflict navigation, partnership building, and monthly Q&A to surface real questions.
You are personally invited to join an online session to learn more. Shanelle is hosting two online SYNCing Child Welfare preview sessions in early 2026: Wednesday, January 7 (9:00–9:45 a.m. CT) REGISTER HERE or Thursday, January 8 (4:00–4:45 p.m. CT) REGISTER HERE.
Stay updated on the latest SYNCING Child Welfare updates by joining the newsletter HERE. 

Episode 18: Triggered in Foster Care: Moving From Confused to Connected

Shanelle has been listening deeply to parents, caregivers, youth, caseworkers, judges, and faith/community partners. The stories are hard: reports not read, workers demeaned, youth uninformed, and children disoriented by sudden moves. This episode names those triggers and charts a path toward being more connected so people aren’t navigating foster care alone. Shanelle also invites listeners to a 2026 preview of the SYNCing Child Welfare course (Simplifying Your Navigation and Confusion in Child Welfare). 
What you’ll hear
Why foster care...even when necessary, is inherently hard, and how system behavior can make it harder.
Real stories: foster parent reports ignored; caseworkers shamed; older youth told to skip court; youth who don’t even know where they are.
The “middle of the movie” effect: families and new workers thrown into complex culture and acronyms with no translation. 
A better way: make help visible, define roles, and connect people to the right person in each system.
You are personally invited to join an online session to learn more. Shanelle is hosting two online SYNCing Child Welfare preview sessions in early 2026: Wednesday, January 7 (9:00–9:45 a.m. CT) REGISTER HERE or Thursday, January 8 (4:00–4:45 p.m. CT) REGISTER HERE.
Stay updated on the latest SYNCING Child Welfare updates by joining the newsletter HERE. 

Episode 17: Faith + Foster Care

Faith + Foster CareChild welfare can feel complicated and confusing—but families should never be asked to navigate it alone.
In this episode of Navigating Child Welfare, I share how faith, prevention, and community supports surround families before, during, and after system involvement. We talk about opening our eyes (2 Kings 6) to the help already around us, reducing shame, and building natural supports that last when paid services end.
We cover:
Why “do it by yourself” is unsafe for families and for anyone.
Prevention + support: the often-missed pillars that keep families stable.
How churches and communities act as real-world prevention and long-term support.
Practical next step: list 3–5 natural supports and make a warm connection this week.
Visit our website to learn more and be sure to sign up for the upcoming SYNCing Child Welfare launch in 2026! https://syncingchildwelfare.com/
#ChildWelfare #FosterCare #SocialWork #FaithInAction #Prevention #Kinship #CommunityCare #SystemsChange

Episode 16: Barriers to Connection...and How We Remove Them

Host Shanelle Dupree makes the case that no one can (or should) do this work alone. Drawing on courtroom moments and frontline advocacy, she surfaces the barriers to connecting well, like not understanding the multiple systems families must navigate and offers practical ways to help parents, youth, staff, and volunteers participate fully. Shanelle also introduces Syncing Child Welfare (SYNC), a 360-degree perspective designed to align partners across the ten connected systems and provide practical tools, questions, and worksheets.
 
You’ll hear about
Why expecting families to “figure it out alone” is unrealistic and harmful.
How not knowing the other systems (plural) becomes a barrier for helpers and families.
The difference between having answers and knowing who to connect people to.
📌 Get SYNC updates here: https://form.jotform.com/253052608129050
 
#childwelfare #fostercare #socialwork #traumainformed #familypartnership #systemschange

Episode 15: Child Welfare's a New Language

Episode summary In this episode of Navigating Child Welfare, host Shanelle Dupree makes the case for a third “C” that changes outcomes: connected. Through a story about attending a presentation in Spanish, Shanelle shares how knowing the language can help make you feel connected. Shanelle shows how child welfare jargon and acronyms quietly exclude parents, youth, volunteers, and even new staff. Her fix is simple and powerful: translate the work. Provide glossaries, slow down for definitions, and create shared language so people can participate fully in decisions that shape their families and futures.
You’ll hear about
Why “I don’t speak this language” is the hidden barrier in child welfare, even when everyone is in the same room.
Practical ways to translate the system: court-approved glossaries, plain-speech explanations, and who/what/why/by-when summaries.
How understanding increases power, participation, and better questions from families and partners.
Interested in staying updated on the Simplifying Your Navigation and Confusion in Child Welfare program? Click the link HERE.
#ChildWelfare #FosterCare #SocialWork #FamilyFirst #TraumaInformed #PlainLanguage #CommunityEngagement #SystemsChange

Episode 14: From Confusion to Connection: Three C's of Child Welfare

Episode 14 Description: Child welfare is often confusing and complicated…so how do we get to connected?
In this episode, Shanelle Dupree names the Three C’s, unpacks a heavy multi-system case, names a issue that can keeps us stuck, and shares a first look at Syncing Child Welfare (SYNC), a new way to simplify systems and connect communities.
 
🎧 Listen now: From Confusion to Connection: The Three C’s of Child Welfare
🔁 Try it: Start your next staffing by asking, “Which C are we in?”
📌 Get SYNC updates here: https://form.jotform.com/253052608129050

Episode 13: Persistence in the System with Kenisha Coon

🎙️ “We can’t change outcomes until we change how we think.” -Kenisha Coon
This is one of the gems dropped by our guest, Kenisha Coon.
In this episode of The Skin Deep Podcast, host Shanelle Dupree sits down with Kenisha Coon, a child welfare consultant, equity leader, and soon to be Ph.D., who brings both personal and professional insight to transforming the child welfare system.
Kenisha shares her powerful story of growing up in an abusive household under CPS supervision but never being removed.  This lived experience has shaped her passion for system reform. She reflects on the overlooked stories of children in “failed preservation” situations and how those experiences have fueled her mission to dismantle systemic barriers within child welfare. This episode will ignite reforms you experience and witness within the system as well.
What are the challenges that you see? Fill out the form HERE to share your perspective. Check out Kenisha’s book “And Then She Persisted” HERE. Connect with Kenisha at www.kenishacoon.com for consulting opportunities or on social media on Facebook (Kenisha Coon), LinkedIn (Kenisha Coon), or IG (Kcoon9288)

Episode 12: DEEP Observations...Get it OUT!

Episode 12 Description: This week’s episode discusses the power of getting our experiences regarding equity out of head. A tool I am so excited to introduce to the Skin DEEP community is the DEEP Observations Journal. It is a place to write the equity moments you encounter AND ask the next question- now what? Feelings do not equal facts, so it’s important to get “it” out of our head to determine - what do I do with this? Our end goal is emotional intelligence as we navigate equity moments. Want to stay connected to Skin DEEP? Step 1: Join our newsletter, HERE. Step 2: Sign up for Going DEEP Coaching with Shanelle Dupree HERE. Step 3: Sign up for the Skin DEEP online course HERE.  The promo code for the Skin DEEP online course is PODCAST. Step 4: Sign your organization up for the Going DEEP Together Skin DEEP Workshop HERE.

Episode 11: POWER in Child Welfare

Episode 11 Description: This week’s episode discusses power within the child welfare system. People within the system have power- but with power needs to come an acknowledgement of the power and the proper use of it. We are discussing case workers, CASA’s, and Foster Parent’s power in the child welfare system. From your perspective, who has the power AND how? How can people in power understand the influence they have so they are hyper aware of this dynamic?
Fill out the form below to share your thoughts on who has power within the child welfare system using the link HERE.
Want to stay connected to Skin DEEP? Step 1: Join our newsletter, HERE. Step 2: Sign up for Going DEEP Coaching with Shanelle Dupree HERE. Step 3: Sign up for the Skin DEEP online course HERE.  The promo code for the Skin DEEP online course is PODCAST. Step 4: Sign your organization up for the Going DEEP Together Skin DEEP Workshop HERE.

Episode 10: Kinship Connection

Episode 10 Description: Kinship families or keeping kids is an age old practice for many communities- and it’s making a comeback. This is the thing- it was a way of life for many families when situations didn’t go as planned. Now we recognize the benefits for everyone involved, keeping children with people who know, love, and whom they trust- it truly is a win win situation. However, there needs to be more support for these families, because they are providing an invaluable service. 
Check out the Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network resource and tip page on improving support for kinship/grandfamilies: https://www.gksnetwork.org/resources/strategies-for-tanf/?#gf_1
 
Want to stay connected to Skin DEEP? Step 1: Join our newsletter, HERE. Step 2: Sign up for Going DEEP Coaching with Shanelle Dupree HERE. Step 3: Sign up for the Skin DEEP online course HERE.  The promo code for the Skin DEEP online course is PODCAST. Step 4: Sign your organization up for the Going DEEP Together Skin DEEP Workshop HERE.