Foster Care Training/Qualification

Trainers: Jennifer Mueller, SD Department of Social Services and Alex Van Voorhis, Center for the Prevention of Child Maltreatment

Jennifer Mueller, LSW, has 28 years of experience in child welfare in South Dakota. She currently serves as Program Manager for the Office of Licensing and Accreditation, where she oversees foster care licensing statewide. Prior to this role, Jennifer worked in Child Protection Services as a supervisor overseeing Initial Family Assessments, ongoing casework, foster care licensing, and adoptions.

An analytical and driven leader, Alex Van Voorhis, MSW, CSW, brings a wealth of experience in grant management, problem-solving with multi-disciplinary teams, marketing communication, data analysis, and event planning. As the Program Coordinator at the Center for the Prevention of Child Maltreatment, Alex serves as lead of the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) initiative. In this role, she coordinates trainings and continued education for nurses, while also facilitating a committee of certified SANEs across the state.

Driven by a profound passion for preventing all forms of violence, Alex consistently strives for excellence through continuous learning opportunities. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Strategic Communications and Music from North Dakota State University, a Master of Social Work degree from University of South Dakota, and most recently obtained her Certified Social Work (CSW) license in South Dakota.