Genevieve Graaf

Dr. Genevieve Graaf is an associate professor of social work at the University of Texas at Arlington. Most of her research examines policy and systemic drivers of health care inequities for children and youth with complex mental health needs and their families. She pays particular attention to state-based variation in the financing and organization of mental health services and how they impact where and how youth and their families receive mental health care. The majority of her efforts are focused on these topics for children and youth with the most significant behavioral health needs. Some of her recent projects have centered around 1915(c) Medicaid waiver policies, which organize and finance home and community-based behavioral health care specifically for youth with the most significant needs. She is primarily interested in how these polices reduce the incidents of “custody for treatment trades,” in which families voluntarily place children into state custody in order to access intensive behavioral health services. As a Child Welfare Faculty Affiliate, Dr. Graaf intends to continue her research on the intersection of child welfare policies and services, and she hopes to collaborate with other researchers in the Child Welfare Research Center (CWRC).