The Catherine Cutler Institute | Participant-Led Storytelling Helps Reimagine Foster Care Training
Introduction
The Catherine Cutler Institute at the University of Southern Maine specializes in applied research in areas of public service. One of their initiatives, supported and evaluated by Research Associate Emilie Swenson, is their Youth Leadership Advisory Team (“YLAT”), a collaboration with young people and with the Maine Department of Health and Human Services Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS) to improve outcomes for youth who have been, or are, in foster care.
The Challenge
Emilie had two objectives:
Record different perspectives on the foster care legal process: from judges, Guardians ad Litem, and above all, from youth who’d experienced it first hand.
Turn those recordings into educational material that would amplify the youth perspective and empower other other young people to navigate--and advocate--within the system.
To truly engage youth audiences, Emilie knew she needed to create a space for authentic storytelling, where the spark of human connection could render a complex system more approachable.
The Approach
After training with Jacqueline, Emilie spotted a perfect opportunity when a workshop presentation and judicial symposium would bring YLAT youth leaders, judges, and guardians under one roof. Drawing on course techniques and resources, Emilie led a stakeholder needs assessment, identified priority topics for her audiences, created discussion guides for her storytellers, and facilitated three shared storytelling sessions, between:
Two young people who’d navigated foster care
One of those youth, and the judge who'd presided over her case
The other youth, and her Guardian ad Litem
Participants explored discussion prompts collaboratively, through the unique lens of their common lived experience, while Emilie offered supportive presence and strategic follow-up questions.
“Jacqueline’s was one of the few online courses I’ve taken that was immediately useful. When preparing my guides for community recordings, I honestly referred back to everything she created.”
What Made the Difference
Emilie, as a program evaluator, was already skilled at interviewing to document impact—but the participant-led storytelling methodology unlocked a new dimension: Rather than 'capturing' information, she facilitated shared storytelling experiences that were themselves meaningful to the participants—with moments of spontaneity, discovery, vulnerability, and truth-telling that key audiences, particularly youth, could connect with and feel emboldened by.
“ We do interviews a lot for qualitative data collection, but to have people talk about their story together, a different level of curiosity happens. That kind of meaningful interaction with one another - it’s relationship-building. That’s really different.”
The Results
Immediate Impact
Participant connection and conversation continued even after Emile stopped the recorder. The judge noted how striking it was not just to learn about the long-term outcomes of one of his decisions, but to connect with it firsthand in personal dialogue with the young person.
“It’s so inspiring to have this interview with you today. I wish I could do this with lots of the kids who come through my process.”
Weeks later, Emilie played raw excerpts from the recordings during a courthouse orientation for youth entering the family court process. The clips sparked thoughtful questions and newfound excitement, turning what could have been an intimidating experience into an empowering learning milestone.
“ We’d listen to a clip, pause, ask questions, and people really responded. The young people were all like, “We want to meet a judge!” ”
Strategic Expansion
Jacqueline partnered with The Catherine Cutler Institute to transform the three audio recordings into a set of videos targeting the key audiences and information needs Emilie identified during her needs assessment:
Guidance for youth in care: “What to Expect in Court”
Strategies for Guardians ad Litem: “How to Support Youth Before, During, & After Court”
Perspective for all stakeholders: “Why Youth Voice Matters in Court”
“The editing at that level was something we couldn’t have done without Jacqueline. The way she wove all the voices together to align and respond is brilliant. She really has a skill, a talent, and an ear for the story.”
The Catherine Cutler Institute and their partners in the family court system and OCFS are now working to integrate the videos across training, continuing education, and stakeholder programming, such as:
Training for child welfare casework interns
Learning sessions for Guardians ad Litem
Staff enrichment for Youth Transition Specialists
Continuing education for judges
YLAT youth leadership programming
The Maine Justice for Children Task Force
“So often we hear what went wrong. These stories not only demystify the process, but feel inspiring—hearing people describe what we SHOULD be doing.”
Sustained Impact
Emilie and her team at The Catherine Cutler Institute plan to continue their participant-led storytelling efforts as a practice that is truly mission-aligned. It invites the authenticity and depth needed for audience impact, while fundamentally centering the youth experience every step of the way.
“This method has really shifted our thinking—to look at how creating special opportunities for deeper conversation and relationship-building can connect with our overarching goals of supporting and learning from youth.
And there’s just so many ways that stories like these can be used: education, integration with other research. It has the content you would need for a report. But it also has that heart.”
