Naomi Sutton Reddish

Administrator of community engaged child and family well-being initiatives; Child Welfare Stipend coordinator; assistant professor

Unit:Child and Family Well-Being

Email: nrreddish@vcu.edu
Phone: (804) 828-0408
Pronouns: She/her

Naomi Reddish, M.S.W., is the administrator for Community Engaged Child and Family Well-Being Initiatives and assistant professor at the VCU School of Social Work. She coordinates the Title IV-E Child Welfare Stipend Program (CWSP); manages the Consortium for Resource, Adoptive, and Family Training (CRAFFT) project at VCU; and is a collaborator on the Child Welfare Addictions Specialist Fellowship training program.

Her practice experience is in public child welfare in the Commonwealth of Virginia, she is an experienced forensic interviewer and is a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT). Reddish is particularly interested in preparing social work practitioners to engage and partner with families and support children in change processes in response to and prevention of child maltreatment.

Reddish’s vision for her current work is to facilitate the education and training of caring, competent and innovative child welfare practitioners and resource families in the commonwealth of Virginia. Reddish believes this work should center on connection. She believes this work is important in increasing the education and retention of local child welfare workers and resource families in the commonwealth of Virginia.

Prior to her current faculty appointment, Reddish worked in direct social work practice in public child welfare in local Departments of Social Services in Virginia. She also worked as a field liaison for the VCU SSW. She is trained in forensic interviewing and has worked in this role with Greater Richmond SCAN Child Advocacy Center, with local Departments of Social Services and local multidisciplinary teams. She is also trained to facilitate Family Partnership Meetings, Nurturing Parenting programs and Motivational Interviewing (MI) training.

In these roles, Reddish worked collaboratively with families, community systems, and government, private and other mandated child welfare programs. She trained community partners, helped to guide M.S.W. interns in fieldwork and worked with her teams to implement more trauma-informed care practices in their work. She has experience working on Local DSS strategic planning teams and is a member of the Greater Richmond Trauma-Informed Community Network.

Reddish received a Master of Social Work from VCU, and during her time studying for it, she was a Title IV-E stipend recipient and a participant in the Child Welfare Education and Support Program. Reddish joined the VCU SSW team in a faculty role in 2017 and continues to teach and facilitate learning opportunities for future child welfare professionals and leaders as they prepare to serve and partner with our communities’ children and families.

She is grateful to have the opportunity to work with the SSW to invest time, energy and resources into equipping future social workers and resource families to partner with families to achieve their goals for child safety, permanent connections and well-being.

When she is not working in her administrative roles, facilitating learning opportunities and engaging with community partners, Naomi enjoys spending time with her family, sharing coffee with a friend and being active outside.

Learn more about the Child Welfare Stipend Program at VCU and the Consortium for Resource, Adoptive, and Foster Family Training (CRAFFT).

Areas of expertise

Child Welfare Policies and Practices
Social Work Practice
Family
Field Education
Trauma-Informed Care
Motivational Interviewing
Macro Practice
Child Abuse and Neglect

Education and credentials

M.S.W., Virginia Commonwealth University
B.A., Virginia Commonwealth University

Role: Faculty

Professional highlights

Selected presentations

Tomlinson, C. A., Reddish, N. S., Long, A., & Gomez, R. J. (2023, May 16-18). Building and sustaining strong Title IV-E partnerships: Thoughts and discussion. An interactive workshop presentation at the National Title IV-E Roundtable for Child Welfare Training and Education; New Orleans, LA, United States.

Durham, R., Reddish, N., Strickland, A. & Thornton, E. (2022, May). IV-E partner Universities as connectors to integrate state initiatives and local practice, pilot workforce interventions, and enhance student/agency learning through curricular and extra-curricular content. A presentation at the National IV-E Roundtable for Child Welfare Training and Education: Bowling Green, KY

Tomlinson, C. A. and Reddish, N. (2022, May). Results of a pilot workshop to promote reimagining an anti-racist child welfare system: Implications for social work education. An interactive workshop at the National IV-E Roundtable for Child Welfare Training and Education: Bowling Green, KY

Tomlinson, C. A., Reddish, N., McGinnis, H. A., Cage, J., Fraser, D., & McDonald, S. E. (2021, November 4-7). Reimagining an anti-racist child welfare system: Implications for social work education [Proposal accepted, but withdrew due to rise in COVID-19 cases nationally and no option to present virtually]. Council on Social Work Education 67th Annual Program Meeting, Orlando, FL, United States.

Reddish, N., Strickland, A. & Thornton, E. (Proposal Accepted, May 2020 Conference Canceled due to COVID-19). IV-E Partner Universities as Connectors to Integrate State Initiatives and Local Practice, Pilot Workforce Interventions, and Enhance Student/Agency Learning through Curricular and Extra-Curricular Content. An interactive workshop at the National IV-E Roundtable for Child Welfare Training and Education: Bowling Green, KY

Thornton, E. & Reddish, N. (2019, May). Case Simulations within Virginia’s Title IV-E Child Welfare Recipient Program. An interactive discussion at the National IV-E Roundtable for Child Welfare Training and Education: Atlantic City, NJ.

Robinson, B., Cornejo, K., Durham, R., Reddish, N., & Thornton, E. (2019, May). Growing and Enhancing Virginia’s IV-E Stipend Program to Meet Workforce Demands: Collaborating with Local Agencies and Partner Universities. A panel presentation at the National IV-E Roundtable for Child Welfare Training and Education: Atlantic City, NJ.

Reddish, N. (2018, November). Enhancing Employability of Child Welfare Students through Simulation Activities and Community Partnerships. An oral presentation in the Child Welfare Track at the Council on Social Work Education 64th Annual Program Meeting: Orlando, Florida.

Robinson, B., Cornejo, K. Reddish, N., & Thornton, E. (2018, May). Virginia's re-established stipend program: Developing partnerships with local agencies to serve a diverse state. An oral presentation at the National IV-E Roundtable for Child Welfare Training and Education: Portland, Oregon.

Funded projects

2017-Present – Program Coordinator, Child Welfare Stipend Program. Grant-funded project to administer the Title IV-E Child Welfare Stipend Program (CWSP) at VCU. Virginia Department of Social Services. (Cuddeback, Gary, PI).

2022-Present – Administrator and PI (2023), Consortium for Resource, Adoptive and Foster Family Training–CRAFFT. Funded project to administer resource, adoptive and foster family training in the central and northern regions of Virginia. Virginia Department of Social Services VA Department of Social Services.

Selected online resources

Teaching areas and interests

Child Welfare Practice
Family Engagement
Field Education
Motivational Interviewing
Prevention and Investigation of Child Maltreatment

Courses taught

SLWK 718: Social Work Practice in Child Welfare (3 credits)
SLWK 710: Concentration Social Policy in Child Welfare (3 credits)
SLWK 793/794/795: MSW Specialization Field Instruction I & II (6 credits)
SLWK 693/694: MSW Generalist Field Instruction I & II (6 credits)
SLWK 493/494: BSW Senior Field Instruction I & II (6 credits)
SLWK 393: BSW Junior Field Instruction (3 credits)

Accomplishments

Increased capacity of the Child Welfare Stipend Program at VCU from 10 students up to 29 students annually from 2017-present.
Supported the education and facilitated the employment of 60 + social work graduates in child welfare practice at local departments of social service in Virginia since 2018.

Affiliations and service

Community trainings and workshops

Developmental Disability and Child Welfare: What Do You Need to Know?
Fostering Truth: A Conversation About Best Practices in Working with and Engaging Youth in Foster Care who Identify as LGBTQ+
Systemic Racism and Equity in Child Welfare: The Role of Social Work Education in Perpetuating and Challenging Inequities
Systemic Racism, Disproportionality, and Equity in Child Welfare: Our History and Where to Focus Our Change Efforts?
Collaborated on multiple workshops for CWSP students and community partners on Family Engagement, Trauma Informed Motivational Interviewing, Reimagining an antiracist child welfare system, employment in public child welfare, child welfare case simulation, etc.

School of Social Work