Saltanat Childress

Dr. Saltanat Childress is an Associate Professor at the University of Texas at Arlington School of Social Work, whose work focuses on preventing child maltreatment, strengthening families, and improving outcomes for children. Her research centers on preventing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and promoting positive child development through co-parenting, father involvement, and family economic stability. She leads studies on immigrant and refugee families from Central Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, and Ukraine, exploring how displacement, economic hardship, and trauma affect parenting and child wellbeing. Her teaching and mentorship focus on preparing future social workers to promote child welfare through trauma-informed, family-centered practice. She teaches courses on intimate partner violence and human behavior, emphasizing prevention and intervention. Internationally, she leads NIH-funded research adapting ACE prevention interventions in Kyrgyzstan, which informs culturally responsive approaches in U.S. contexts. Through editorial work and leadership in prevention research panels, Dr. Childress connects evidence to practice. As a faculty affiliate of the Child Welfare Research Center, she seeks to contribute to collaborative research that informs policy and advances innovations to protect vulnerable children and families.