Jessica Pryce, the director of the Florida Institute for Child Welfare at Florida State University, has been appointed to the advisory board of the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute.
The board, established this month, will be a nationally-representative panel for expert consultation to guide the development and effectiveness of child welfare professionals. Board members will serve through September 2023 and meet three times a year.
The National Child Welfare Workforce Institute (NCWWI) is funded by the Children’s Bureau, an office of the Administration for Children and Families and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It aims to increase child welfare practice effectiveness through diverse partnerships that focus on workforce systems development, organizational interventions and change-oriented leadership, using data-driven capacity building, education and professional development.
“The existence of the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute has shown the strong commitment of the Children’s Bureau to building and sustaining a robust child welfare system,” Pryce said. “Serving on the advisory board will be a wonderful opportunity to engage with other leaders from around the country while being at the forefront of workforce innovation.”
Workforce development in child welfare is multifaceted, requiring innovative thinking, idea generation and diverse perspectives based on real world experience and advocacy in order to move knowledge into practice. As a member of the board, Pryce will provide guidance on program design and implementation activities related to curriculum modifications and the implementation framework for NCWWI Workforce Excellence sites.
Board members act as essential partners in developing themes and activities for the National Education Campaign. Board members will also provide feedback on ways to integrate diverse products for greater dissemination impact and sustainability. The Advisory Board will work alongside the NCWWI and the Children’s Bureau to facilitate national conversations that incorporate more preventative child welfare services.
Another critical role of the advisory board is the facilitation of leadership collaborations with other partnering organizations like the Council on Social Work Education, Title IV-E partnerships and other national groups.
As director of the Florida Institute for Child Welfare, Pryce is especially suited for this role as she works extensively with various child welfare professionals on evaluation research and evidence-informed workforce strategies.
“Dr. Pryce is the perfect person to represent Florida and the FSU community at the NCWWI,” said Jim Clark, dean of the FSU College of Social Work. “She’ll make major contributions to the national discussion, as well as bring important strategies for effective workforce development back to our state.”
Pryce’s commitment to child welfare spans the past decade with diverse professional experiences. She has participated in direct practice, primary and secondary research, publication and dissemination, all aimed at impacting public policy, especially through her work with state legislators.
Prior to her role with the institute, she served as the deputy director of the New York State Social Work Education Consortium. There she led two projects as principal investigator, concerning statewide child welfare training evaluation and racial disparity in foster care placement. She is a graduate of Florida Southern College, FSU College of Social Work where she received her master’s, and Howard University where she received a doctorate.