The Social Work Lens

Welcome to the conclusion of our series on the Foster Care to Prison Pipeline. In this episode, we are joined by Jaylyn Van Fossen, who was previously in the foster care system in Vermont and currently a Social Work student, to discuss the barriers, needs, and hope for change centered on their lived experience and knowledge. Show notes & Transcripts @ https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/ Follow us on IG @thesocialworklens

In this episode we will be continuing our discussion of the Foster Care to Prison Pipeline, focusing in on this system as it pertains to Vermont. This will be a discussion with two extremely knowledgeable individuals from the Department for Children and Families, Family Service Division; Deputy Commissioner Aryka Radke and Adolescent Services Unit Director Lindy Boudreau. Show notes & Transcripts available at https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/ Follow us on IG @thesocialworklens

In this episode, Mackenzie Leonard interviews Dr. Sherri Simmons-Horton about her incredible work around what is being referred to as "The Foster Care to Prison Pipeline". In part one of this three-part series Mackenzie will explore the national trends and outcomes that Dr. Sherri has found, as well as her professional findings in regard to harm prevention and mitigating factors that social workers can practice now. Later on in the series, Mackenzie will sit down with leaders from Vermont to discuss how Vermont is noticing these impacts and what is being done locally to support youth and families. Finally, in our last episode of the series, Mackenzie will talk with a very special returning guest. Transcript & show notes available @ https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/

Within the quiet rolling hills of Vermont exists a sanctuary like no other. A space where love, community, self-discovery, acceptance, and belonging hangs in the air and on every proudly hung flag notifying everyone "You are exactly where and who you should be" Listen in as Chynah and Emma Makdessi, director of camp programs at Outright Vermont talk about Camp Outright, how and when to apply for your camper, and why you should send your LGBTQ camper to summer camp this year! Transcripts & show notes @ https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/ Follow us on IG @thesocialworklens

TBD

Adoption is complicated. In this episode, Dr. Seungmi Laura Cho, a critical qualitative researcher, reflects on her experience researching Korean Adoptees and her work with “Anti-Adopterism”. Transcripts & Show Notes @ https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/ Follow us on Instagram @ https://www.instagram.com/thesocialworklens/

Food Not Cops (FNC), a volunteer-run mutual aid effort in Burlington, has served a free daily meal for the last five years. They gather around hot meals cooked by community members and combine relationships and resources to secure whatever people need: clothing, toiletries, medicine, communication devices, camping gear, etc. FNC began at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, as a partnership between Food Not Bombs Burlington and BTV Copwatch. Food Not Cops has since evolved into a network of neighbors organizing to meet each other’s needs outside of markets and government programs. Join us in this episode as we talk with FNC group member, Dr. Sam Bliss and discuss food insecurity, mutual aid movements, and current pressures facing FNC. Transcript & Show notes @ https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/ Follow us on IG @thesocialworklens

Join us for Part 2 of our series on DEI as we talk with Paul Suk-Hyun Yoon, Dr. Jason C. Garvey & Dr. Tiffanie Spencer about what Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion work in Higher Education looks like in this current political moment. Transcripts, Show Notes, & Part 1 of this series available @ https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/ Follow us on IG @https://www.instagram.com/thesocialworklens/

Join us for Part 1 of our series on DEI as AG Clark returns to the Social Work Lens studio to unpack current executive orders as they pertain to Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion. Show notes & transcripts available at https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/

Rooted in Pride: Youth-Led, Youth-Centered In this episode, we sit down with Emmett, Youth Organizer at Outright Vermont, for a powerful conversation about the role of young people in shaping political and social justice movements. Emmett shares insights into what youth organizing looks like on the ground, why affirming trans youth is a collective responsibility, and how adults can truly show up—by listening, believing, and staying curious. Tune in for a moving reminder that youth aren’t just the future—they’re leading right now. Show notes & transcripts available @ https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/

“You can’t come home and tell your spouse, or your best friends what you experienced at work… because then you are just traumatizing other people, and no one is going to really, fully understand.” - Anna Rodgers Anna Rodgers, a seasoned attorney with over 15 years of experience in immigration law and removal defense, joins Cassie to discuss the impact & sustainability of practicing immigration law in America right now. Transcript & show notes available at: https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/

On July 22, 2025, Winooski School District Superintendent Wilmer Chavaria was detained and questioned by federal agents for four and a half hours at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Wilmer is a US citizen and despite holding valid travel documents and a Global Entry pass, he was neither told why he was being held nor given any explanation when his pass was subsequently revoked by email. Wilmer is a previous guest on our podcast and did an episode with us last spring titled “Immigration is a Human Right”. Today we are bringing you an interview with Wilmer about his recent detention and a re-release of his original episode. Please note- due to the urgent nature of this content we wanted to expediate the release of this episode, so we are pushing it out on our streaming platforms before adding it to our webpage and archive webpage. Transcript & show notes are coming soon to https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/

What would it take to transform child welfare into a system rooted in healing, trust, and human connection? In this powerful episode, we speak with Paul Nixon, an independent social worker and internationally recognized leader in restorative practices. From his early work in the UK to consulting across Australia, New Zealand, and beyond, Paul has spent decades championing relational approaches that honor the voices of those most impacted. Now contracted with Vermont’s child welfare system, Paul shares insights from his current work helping transform services to become more relational, connected, and family-centered. He explores how restorative practices challenge punitive models and instead prioritize listening, accountability, and meaningful engagement with children, families, and communities. This conversation is both deeply practical and visionary—highlighting what’s possible when we lead with empathy and prioritize relationships at every level of the system. Transcripts & show notes @ https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/ Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/thesocialworklens/

Did you know Vermont has a Human Rights Commission? Are you curious about what rights and protections you and/or your clients have under Vermont state law? Join Cassie as she speaks with Big Hartman, the Executive Director & General Counsel of VT’s Human Rights Commission (HRC) about what the VT HRC does, and how their work promoting full civil and human rights in Vermont is being impacted in this current moment. Available wherever you get your podcasts. Show notes & Transcripts available at: https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/

PART 2- On January 20th, the current administration launched targeted actions against transgender Americans—moves that didn’t emerge in isolation, but deepened a long, painful struggle for dignity and recognition. Disguised as policy, these decisions struck at the right to exist safely, access care, and live authentically. They echoed decades of systemic neglect, reminding us that for trans people, political shifts aren’t abstract—they’re personal, urgent, and too often, life-threatening. This begs the question- who gets to define whose life has worth? Whose identities are real? Who deserves basic human rights and bodily autonomy? An attack on healthcare, bodily autonomy, dignity, and respect against our transgender community is an attack against us all. This week, we speak with three professionals who help us to define what gender affirming care means, why it’s important for trans youth, and how being affirming and respectful is a movement toward a stronger community for us all. Show notes & Transcript @ https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/ Follow us on IG @thesocialworklens

PART 1- On January 20th, the current administration launched targeted actions against transgender Americans—moves that didn’t emerge in isolation, but deepened a long, painful struggle for dignity and recognition. Disguised as policy, these decisions struck at the right to exist safely, access care, and live authentically. They echoed decades of systemic neglect, reminding us that for trans people, political shifts aren’t abstract—they’re personal, urgent, and too often, life-threatening. This begs the question- who gets to define whose life has worth? Whose identities are real? Who deserves basic human rights and bodily autonomy? An attack on healthcare, bodily autonomy, dignity, and respect against our transgender community is an attack against us all. This week, we speak with three professionals who help us to define what gender affirming care means, why it’s important for trans youth, and how being affirming and respectful is a movement toward a stronger community for us all. Show notes & Transcript @ https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/ Follow us on IG @thesocialworklens

We recently brought you an episode on the political and legal landscape of Immigration. In this episode, we take it down to the personal level and bring you the voices of two Vermont high school students who talk about their daily experiences in the midst of this national conversation. Join us as we talk with students Gabby & Stacey, their teacher Caitlin Macleod-Bluver, and their Superintendent Wilmer Chavarria. Shownotes & Transcripts available @ https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/ Please note – Gabby & Stacey were very active in the movement to have their high school designated as a sanctuary school. If you are interested in more information about this work please see the links below, or watch Wilmer, Caitlin, Gabby & Stacy in action at the school board meeting here https://www.mediafactory.org/winooski-schools?modal=45,episode,235066

Are you wondering what is actually going on with Immigration in the United States right now? Are you curious about what these executive orders mean and how the system is ‘supposed’ to work? We are too! Join us as we speak with Jill Martin Diaz from the Vermont Asylum Assistance Project about immigration, and what social workers and helping professionals need to know. Shownotes & Transcripts @ https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/

In this moment, as many of us experience a shift in what we are allowed to talk about at work related to DEI and identity, we are sharing this series of episodes exploring how Vermont is talking about antiracism and abolitionism in child welfare. Please join us in this series: How the Story is Told: An Abolitionist Child Welfare Conference. This is Part 3: The child welfare that can be realized through our imaginations and life's work featuring Dr. Brenda Solomon. Show notes & transcripts available @ https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/ Follow us on IG: @thesocialworklens https://www.instagram.com/thesocialworklens/

In this moment, as many of us experience a shift in what we are allowed to talk about at work related to DEI and identity, we are sharing this series of episodes exploring how Vermont is talking about antiracism and abolitionism in child welfare. Please join us in this series: How the Story is Told: An Abolitionist Child Welfare Conference. This is Part 2: Voices from the Conference. Show notes & transcripts available @ https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/ Follow us on IG: @thesocialworklens https://www.instagram.com/thesocialworklens/