The University of Texas at Arlington School of Social Work is expanding the interprofessional education (IPE) program with new modules and opening participation to professionals from various backgrounds to better prepare students and professionals across disciplines to identify, report and respond to child maltreatment.
IPE brings students from different fields together to learn how their roles intersect. The approach fosters collaboration, builds understanding across disciplines and prepares future professionals to respond more effectively to complex, real-world situations. In the spring 2026 iteration, working professionals will be able to join UTA students for these important training modules.
“We are in our last year of a three-year project that was funded through the Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, to develop trainings to better prepare mandated reporters of child maltreatment,” said Dr. Catherine LaBrenz, UTA School of Social Work associate professor and director of the Child Welfare Research Center. In collaboration with Dr. Micki Washburn, Professor Tracy Orwig, Dr. Jandel Crutchfield, and the Texas Alliance of Child and Family Services, Dr. LaBrenz and her team have developed and piloted four interprofessional education modules to better prepare professionals to identify and report child maltreatment. “About three-quarters of all referrals come from what we call professional mandated reporters. These reporters primarily come from disciplines such as teachers, law enforcement, healthcare professionals, and social services professionals. Our IPE program helps build confidence in reporting to make sure they’re comfortable in their roles and knowledgeable about reporting procedures.”
Dr. Micki Washburn, UTA School of Social Work associate professor (Right) and Dr. Catherine LaBrenz UTA School of Social Work associate professor and director of the Child Welfare Research Center (Left) pose for a photo at the 2025 Texas Childcare Administration Conference in San Antonio, Texas. (Courtesy Photo)
LaBrenz expressed the importance of IPEs conducted at UTA in building confidence among working professionals, even as guidance changes.
“This program is accessible, not only to our students in social work and other study areas, but also to professionals who work directly with children or families,” said LaBrenz. “Our laws and policies evolve so quickly around child maltreatment that these are things that have to continuously be updated. By updating our content and training, we want to make sure that we're providing as up-to-date training materials as possible.”
Through feedback and input, the IPE program incorporates new challenges and scenarios for students and professionals to collaborate and learn together. Along with three modules piloted in the fall 2025 semester, a new module will be included in spring 2026 to allow students and professionals to work through strength-based approaches when navigating gray areas in childhood neglect cases.
“The majority of referrals to Child Protective Services (CPS) are not for severe abuse. The majority are for neglect. And that's where it gets murky because neglect is often very highly conflated with poverty,” said LaBrenz. “With Juliana’s case, Maya’s case, and Alisha’s case, we wanted to frame it as giving information to students. Providing definitions of what is child maltreatment, trying to approach this type of work from a strengths-based, family-centered lens.”
As students and professionals tackle these IPEs together, alumni are also invited to take part. On Tuesday, March 31, Alex’s case, one of the piloted modules from the fall 2025 semester, will be adapted as a live simulation in the Smart Hospital at the UTA campus. This simulation will bring students and professionals together while giving alumni the opportunity to volunteer for setup and tear down, as well as observers and role-players.
LaBrenz explained the importance of bringing students, alumni and professionals together in these IPEs.
“We think it’s a great opportunity to have these exchanges between students and working professionals outside of their practicum placements. Working with practitioners and people who are working day-to-day in these environments really can provide a lot of benefit to our students,” said LaBrenz. “Practitioners are awarded continuing education units (CEUs), given training and are able to get involved with students to see some of their new ideas and gain that self-reflection.”
As the IPE program at the UTA School of Social Work grows, it evolves with its students, alumni, local practitioners and legal guidance. The program builds a confident base of not only social workers, but health care professionals, teachers, law enforcement professionals and a litany of other professional mandated reporters.
“The IPE program is a really positive opportunity and one that may lead to additional collaborations, and a well-connected network of our future alumni and those currently working in these professions,” said LaBrenz. “I see this as a great opportunity to bring people back to the School of Social Work, to bring them back into more cutting-edge practices and innovative.”
If you’re interested in participating or volunteering in these IPEs, please fill out the Interest Form.