Child welfare’s interactions with multiple systems
Child welfare-juvenile justice interaction
Child maltreatment and child welfare services and policy
Educational experiences for vulnerable youth
Adolescent development and the transition to adulthood
CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECTS
The California Youth Transitions to Adulthood Study (CalYOUTH). Funded by Walter J. Foundation and The University of Chicago. 2021-2022.
Eliminating Misrepresentation Between Races Allowing Cultural Equity (EMBRACE): Kent County Child Welfare Race Equity Project.Funded by Michigan Department of Health and Human Services; Michigan Public Health Institute. 2020-2023.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Park, K., Victor, B., Perron, B., & Ryan, J., *Braun, B. (2022). Persistent racial disproportionality in investigated and substantiated child maltreatment reports: Trend analysis before and during the COVID-19 pandemic (2019-2020). Journal of Public Child Welfare, 1-20. doi: 10.1080/15548732.2022.2153960.
Park, K. & Courtney, M. E. (2022). Mitigating risks of incarceration among transition-age foster youth: Considering domains of social bonds. Special Issue. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 1-14. doi: 10.1007/s10560-022-00891-z.
Park, K. (2022). Is juvenile justice system involvement context-dependent?: The differential experiences of older foster youth in the context of extended foster care. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 1-18. doi: 10.1007/s10560-022-00840-w.
Heath, R. & Park, K., *Millwar. S. (2021). Opportunities for positive youth development: The organized activity participation and educational outcomes of adolescents in adoptive, foster, and kinship care. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal,1-20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-021-00802-8.
Huang, H., Williams, A., Park, K., & Ryan, J. (2021). Early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic and investigations of child maltreatment: An empirical study of administrative data. American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children Advisor, 33(2). 26-35.
Park, K., Okpych, N. J., & Courtney, M. E. (2019). Psychotropic medication use and perceptions of medication effects among transition-age foster youth. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 36(6), 583-597. doi:10.1007/s10560-019-00605-y
Okpych, N.J., Feng, H., Park, K., Torres-García, A., & Courtney, M.E. (2018). Living situations and social support in the era of extended foster care: A view from the U.S. Longitudinal and Life Course Studies: International Journal 9(1), 6-29.
Ryan, J., Perron, B., Moore, A., Victor, B., & Park, K. (2017). Timing matters: A randomized control trial of recovery coaches in foster care. Journal of Substance Abuse and Treatment, 77, 178-184
OTHER
Research Sequence Committee, MSU School of Social Work
Reviewer, Children and Youth Services Review
Reviewer, Journal of Public Child Welfare
Member, International Research Network on Transition to Adulthood from Care (INTRAC)
Member, Society for Social Work and Research
Member, Council on Social Work Education
Member, American Educational Research Association
Editorial Board Member, Journal of Mental Health and Social Behaviour
