If you’re like most graduate students in the child maltreatment field, you conduct research not solely to advance science, but rather, to advance science in order to improve the lives of vulnerable children and families.
The steps we need to take to advance science are clearly laid out by our graduate programs, advisors and the senior researchers in the field: we learn best practices in research methods, use them to design novel studies, present our findings at national and international conferences, and publish in high-impact journals. Yet, the steps needed to apply this research to impact the lives of real people are less clearly delineated. Options range from very small steps (i.e., a couple of sentences about the implications for policy and practice in the “conclusions” section of an empirical paper) to very ambitious steps (i.e., using a program of research to create more potent interventions). For those students wanting to do more to enhance the wellbeing of children and families — and not willing to wait to accumulate a full-professor-sized body of research — here are some middle-ground options.
Attend state-wide or regional conferences
Many state associations for infant mental health or child welfare (like Michiganopens in new window’s, for example) host annual or biannual conferences that are heavily attended by practitioners and state-level policymakers. Both groups are eager to learn about up-to-date science but aren’t likely to read about it in a peer-reviewed journal. These conferences can be a great place to connect directly with service-providers and policymakers, and talk about the practice and policy implications of your research.
Conferences can also be a great place to connect with community stakeholders, even if you are not presenting. Penn State’s annual Child Maltreatment Solutions Network conferenceopens in new window, for example, invites both big-name researchers from across the country and childcare workers, child welfare professionals and parents from the local community. In fact, this past year they offered licensing hours to local foster parents who attended to learn best practices in caring for children exposed to trauma.
Partner with local daycares and schools
Practitioners and policymakers aren’t the only community stakeholders hungry for the most current research on child maltreatment. Educators and daycare workers are also eager to learn practical tools to use in their daily interactions with at-risk children and families. Partnerships with educators can benefit both sides. For example, in exchange for providing workshops to educators on trauma-informed care, schools might help with recruitment for your research study! Similarly, Head Start centers are always looking for experts to facilitate parenting groups on self-regulation or managing difficult child behavior.
Write an op-ed
Want your research findings to reach a bigger, broader audience? Submit an op-ed on your research or evidence-based clinical practices to local, regional, or even national news outlets. The New York Times has a Parenting columnopens in new window that is always looking for people to explain the science behind the mysteries of parenting. Would you rather reach the people shaping public policy relevant to at-risk families? Consider submitting an op-ed to The Hillopens in new window, a local newspaper in D.C. read by politicians and policy advocates alike.
Join an advocacy organization
If you’re interested in taking action, there are countless organizations whose mission is to advocate for more evidence-based policies for children and families. Many of these groups are led by interdisciplinary teams of academics and are always looking for students across disciplines to help in their efforts. The Healthy Parenting in Primary Care Collaborativeopens in new window, for example, is working to increase uptake of maltreatment-prevention programs in primary care settings at the state level. The Youth Violence Prevention Working Groupopens in new window at the National Prevention Science Coalition (NPSC) distills empirical research into fact-sheets and toolkits that are disseminated to lawmakers and advocacy agencies. So too does the Poverty Reduction Working Groupopens in new window of the NPSC and the Child Poverty Action Group of First Focusopens in new window, an advocacy organization geared towards using science and marketing to make children and families a public policy priority.