The USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work hosted its third annual Taiwan Fund for Children and Families (TFCF) Sino-America Cross-Culture Training Project from June 1 – 21, 2025. The program is an immersive educational initiative uniting Taiwanese child welfare professionals with leading social work scholars and practitioners across Southern California.

Led by Suh Chen Hsiao, teaching professor and director of practicum education, the 21-day program featured faculty lectures, local agency site visits, clinical observations and facilitated dialogues focused on global issues including child protection, trauma-informed care, family reunification, immigration and interagency collaboration. Themes explored through presentations included U.S. social welfare systems and policy foundations; juvenile justice, foster care and mandated reporting; interdisciplinary collaboration and pediatric behavioral health; and trauma-informed interventions, cultural competence, and self-care.

Professionals representing TFCF and local child welfare agencies from across Taiwan participated in this enriching program. The three-week exchange concluded with final presentations by the Taiwanese delegates, followed by a formal certificate ceremony recognizing completion of the program and honoring their contributions to international social work.

Participating Local Agencies and Site Visits

All For Kids Foster & Adoption Agency

Amity Foundation

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles – Behavioral Health Institute

Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS)

Los Angeles County Public Defender's Office – Juvenile Division

Shields for Families

The Village Family Services

USC Social Work Faculty Presenters

Rafael Angulo, teaching professor: visual arts in public child welfare

Margarita Artavia, teaching professor: cultural humility in clinical work

Danielle Brown, associate teaching professor: EMDR and alternative therapies

Sarah Caliboso Soto, associate teaching professor: telebehavioral health and screening tools

Kim Goodman, teaching professor: professional self-care and wellness

Robert Hernandez, assistant teaching professor: youth justice

Samuel Mistrano, associate teaching professor: social welfare policy and legal systems

Lily Ross, associate teaching professor 

Holy Priebe Sotelo, associate teaching professor

Vivien Villaverde, associate teaching professor: trauma-informed care

Debra Waters-Roman, associate teaching professor: working with immigrant populations

Guest Presenters

Wendy Blanco, LCSW, Blanco Behavioral Health Consulting 

Nan Ding, director of clinical quality management development, APAIT a division of Special Service for Groups

Jose Ortiz-Rosales, deputy program director, Youth Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights

Fidel Rodriguez, senior human relations consultant, Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission