Becci A. Akin

Becci A. Akin is a Professor in the School of Social Welfare at the University of Kansas. She holds a Ph.D. and MSW from the same institution. Her career spans over two decades in child welfare, policy advocacy, and community-based practice. She teaches at the BSW, MSW, and PhD levels, focusing on community practice, policy, and evidence-based program evaluation. Dr. Akin co-developed a child welfare certificate program and collaborates across disciplines to advance translational research.

Her research emphasizes equitable child welfare practices, evidence-based interventions, and trauma-informed systems. Over 65 peer-reviewed publications and 175+ conference presentations highlight her work. She leads federally funded studies on interventions like Parent Management Training (PMTO) and Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-Up (ABC). Recent projects focus on workforce well-being, racial equity, and systemic barriers faced by marginalized families.

Dr. Akin’s grants include studies on Family First Prevention Services Act implementation, trauma-responsive practices, and anti-racist frameworks. She collaborates with Parent Partners to strengthen coaching programs and uses poetic inquiry to reimagine foster care supports. Her work bridges academia and practice, aiming to improve outcomes for children, families, and communities.

Key themes in her publications include foster care permanency, substance-affected families, adverse childhood experiences, and policy-practice gaps. She advocates for racial equity through institutional analysis and participatory research, challenging systemic racism in child welfare systems.