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Family & Children’s Place is pleased to name Josh Swetnam as its new vice President of Programs. The agency, which is celebrating its 135th anniversary, leads efforts in the Louisville area to prevent, stop, and heal child violence, abuse, exploitation, and neglect.

“We are very excited that Josh is joining us in this very important role,” said Pam Darnall, Family & Children’s Place president and CEO. “His experience and oversight will ensure we continue to deliver best in class service to our current clients, and his knowledge of need in the community will help guide us as we grow to help even more children and families.”

Most recently, Swetnam served as manager of Programs at Boys & Girls Haven, which helps abandoned, abused, and neglected children. At Family & Children’s Place, Swetnam will oversee the agency’s voluntary in-home parent visitation program, HANDS; individual and family counseling, forecast, and visitation; out of school programming at Meyzeek and Hazelwood Middle Schools in Louisville and New Albany; child advocacy centers, which serve children who allege sexual abuse; and the PAL Coalition, a youth substance abuse initiative.

Swetnam earned his Master’s in Social Work from the University of Illinois at Chicago. In addition to Boys & Girls Haven, he worked as clinical director at Home of the Innocents, adjunct professor at Spalding University, and as a social worker with the former Seven Counties Services.

His experience includes multi-system therapy clinician in a hospital setting where he provided in-home, individual and family therapy throughout the Chicago metropolitan area, and coordinated services for clients in collaboration with schools, the Department of Probation, and community-based service providers.

His certifications include:

• Facilitator of the Nurturing Parenting Programs model.
• Facilitator of the Risking Connection trauma-informed care model.
• Facilitator of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network trauma-informed care model.
• Facilitator of the Kentucky GPS/Child Sexual Abuse training program.
• Certified practitioner of Multi-Systemic Therapy.
• Certified practitioner of the Seven Challenges model.

He also is published in the “Social Behavioral and Personality Journal.”