Consulting with crisis nursery providers for staff capacity-building

Crisis nurseries (CNs) play a unique role in the continuum of care of child welfare services by providing under-resourced families with a variety of services, such as counseling, respite childcare, and access to other community services (Cole & Hernandez, 2008). CNs provide short-term care for children and youths who are at a high risk of abuse, neglect, and the need for out-of-home placement (Cole & Hernandez, 2008). They also provide resources for families and caretakers to help reduce caregiver stress and improve parenting skills. Families that use CN services demonstrate a decreased risk of requiring foster care placement and an increased chance of children returning to their families after a foster care placement (Cole & Hernandez, 2011; Crampton & Yoon, 2016).