Selena Childs

Selena Childs is a Clinical Assistant Professor with the UNC-CH School of Social Work. She currently serves as Director of Strategic Initiatives in the Jordan Institute for Families. She has focused her career on child safety, permanence, and well-being, specifically on the intersection of research, practice, and policy. Previous experience includes developing and providing training to NC county DSS employees, serving as Executive Director of the NC Child Fatality Task Force, a legislative study commission, and management of a 5-year Children’s Bureau Comprehensive Workforce Project. Most recently Ms. Childs has focused her work on project management for several large-scale child welfare research efforts led by Dr. Mark Testa, Spears-Turner Distinguished Professor, including the Permanency Innovation Initiative (PII), the Illinois Birth-Three IV-E Waiver demonstration evaluation, and the launching of the National Child Welfare Practice-Based Research Network and related Wicked Problems of Child Welfare Institutes.