On May 27th, West Texas Together – Permian Basin (WTT-PB) hosted another Lunch and Learn for Child Welfare professionals, offering that has come out of a need identified by coalition partners to develop the skills of our local workforce.
West Texas has a dynamic and challenging landscape. Serving children in crisis is no different. Rural child welfare research tells us that social workers need to be well versed in a wide range of topics and well connected to their community resources. As a community we can invest in their knowledge of best practices and local resources.
Nearly sixty local professionals gathered at First Baptist Odessa to learn about some of the soft skills associated with being a child welfare professional. Megan Baeza, the Executive Director of UTPB’s Career Services, spoke on Body Language. Dave Kuhnert, owner of Servant Leadership Coaching and the author of the book Servant Leadership, spoke on self-governance in leadership. Of those in attendance, nine child serving organizations were represented, fostering a sense of unity around the protection of vulnerable families and kids and creating bonds over lunch provided by ATMOS Energy. Again it was amazing to bring like minded people together.
Reflecting on the event, child serving social workers had the opportunity to take an introspective look at how they can lead their clients and those they work with.
This is our second Lunch and Learn for Child Welfare Professionals of 2025 and is scheduled to repeat in August. If you have training or resources that you want to share with West Texas social workers then please reach out to Matt Waller at matt@oneaccordtx.org. If you would like to stay connected with WTT or partner on projects to support vulnerable West Texas families please take a minute to fill out this form.