Terra Cozart

I have always been drawn to work that allows me to support children and families in meaningful ways. My background is in social work, with experience in child welfare, behavioral health, crisis intervention, assessment, and working with children and families through complex and often stressful situations. I have also worked with children across different ages and needs, including children impacted by trauma, placement changes, family transitions, and behavioral health concerns.

That experience has shaped the way I approach caregiving. I understand how important it is for children to feel safe, heard, and comfortable, and for parents to feel confident in the person caring for their child. I bring a strong understanding of child development, family dynamics, communication, safety, emotional needs, and the importance of meeting each child where they are.

For me, caregiving is about more than supervision. It is about being attentive, dependable, patient, and creating an environment where children can be themselves while still having structure and consistency. I take pride in building genuine relationships with families and being someone they can trust, communicate openly with, and rely on.

Dependency Investigations - Child Protective Services Worker II at Napa County Child Welfare Services (2024-07 – Present)

• Conduct biopsychosocial and CANS assessments of children ages 0–18 and parents to identify family functioning, behavioral health needs, strengths, safety concerns, and service needs.
• Use trauma-informed approaches with children and parents to discuss past traumatic experiences, explore how those experiences affect current functioning, relationships, behavior, and emotional needs, and identify appropriate supports and services.
• Develop case plans and make treatment and service recommendations based on identified needs.
• Collaborate in CFT and multidisciplinary meetings to coordinate care and case planning.
• Prepare court reports, make recommendations regarding case outcomes, and testify in Juvenile Dependency Court.

Intensive Technical Assistance Unit - AGPA Intern at CA Department of Social Services (2023-10 – 2024-06)

• Facilitated trauma-informed case reviews for youth with complex behavioral health, placement, and service needs.
• Collaborated with multidisciplinary teams to develop culturally responsive, individualized strategies based on each youth's strengths, experiences, and needs.
• Researched treatment services, community resources, and supports to address identified barriers and support case planning.

Permanency Unit - Social Work Intern at Sacramento Department of Children and Family Services (2023-08 – 2023-10)

• Independently managed a caseload of children and families and assessed progress, ongoing needs, and barriers to reunification.
• Used trauma-informed approaches with parents to discuss past traumatic experiences, explore how those experiences affected current functioning and family relationships, and identify barriers to change.
• Used motivational interviewing and supportive engagement to work with parents on behavioral changes needed to improve family functioning and move toward reunification.

Centralized Placement Support Unit - Child Worker Intern at Sacramento Department of Children and Family Services (2022-08 – 2023-05)

• Provided direct support and assessment to high-needs youth in an emergency shelter setting, including youth impacted by CSEC, mental health concerns, juvenile justice involvement, and placement disruption.
• Met individually with children to assess their needs, understand their experiences, and ensure their voice was included in placement decisions.
• Conducted family finding and assessed relatives' ability to meet each child's individual needs and provide an appropriate placement.

Emergency Response Unit - Social Work Intern at Sacramento Department of Children and Family Services (2021-08 – 2022-05)

• Investigated reports of child abuse and neglect through interviews with children, parents, relatives, and collateral contacts.
• Assessed family functioning and used motivational interviewing to engage parents in discussing concerns and identifying needed changes.
• Developed recommendations and connected families with behavioral health, parenting, and community services based on needs identified during the investigation.

Parent Safety and Health Educator at AmeriCorps - Child Abuse Prevention Center (CAPC) (2020-03 – 2020-09)

• Facilitated community psychoeducation on child development, parenting, health, and family well-being.
• Provided families with education, referrals, and community resources based on identified needs.
• Managed social media and created educational content for parents, families, and the community.

Master of Arts in Social Work - Title IV-E – California State University, Sacramento (2022-08 – 2024-05)

Bachelor of Arts in Social Work - Title IV-E – California State University, Sacramento (2020-08 – 2022-05)