Leanne Heaton
Research Fellow
Dr. Leanne Heaton is a Research Fellow and Data Manager at Chapin Hall, where she leads cross-functional teams of implementation, policy, evaluation, and data experts. As Principal Investigator and Research and Evaluation Lead on multiple state- and federally funded initiatives, she partners with public agencies to strategically apply research, evaluation, and data to improve policies and practices for vulnerable children, youth, and families.
Heaton’s scholarship examines how socioeconomic context and race shape child welfare outcomes, with recent work—including The Effects of Socioeconomic Contextual Factors on Racial Differences in CFSR-3 Foster Care Placement Stability and Permanency Outcomes—using advanced multilevel modeling to identify context-sensitive strategies for improving stability and equity. This research has important strategies for the federal Child and Family Services Review (CFSR-4) process and state Program Improvement Plans.
Heaton is Principal Investigator for the Doris Duke Foundation’s evaluation of OPT-In for Families, a community-rooted alternative-response model that connects families screened out of child welfare to material and supportive resources. She also supports states’ implementation of Family First CQI provisions and serves as a subject-matter expert for the federal CFSR process.
Prior to joining Chapin Hall, Heaton was a Senior Study Director at Westat. During her tenure, she focused on initiatives that informed practice and policy in child welfare and juvenile justice systems. She holds a PhD in Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University, a Master of Social Work from the University of Alabama, and a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work from the University of Montevallo. Heaton is also a licensed clinical social worker in the state of Virginia.
PhD in Social Work, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)
Master’s Degree in Social Work, University of Alabama
Bachelor of Arts in Social Work, University of Montevallo
Heaton, L., Woodruff, K., & Mall, N. (2019). Implementation evaluation of The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s On the Frontline Initiative. Poster presentation at the 2019 National Child Welfare Evaluation Summit, Washington, DC.
Heaton, L., & Chibnall, S. (2019). Adapting interventions for child welfare populations: Important considerations. Workshop at the National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect, Washington, DC.
Heaton, L. (2019). The intersection of LGBTQ youth homelessness and child welfare (invited discussant). Child Welfare League of America 2019 National Conference, Washington, DC.
Stroop, J., Steiger, D., Heaton, L., MacAllum, C., Behm, J., & Avison, C. (2018). Current federal research on improving measurement of LGBT populations: Improving the measurement of sexual orientation and gender identity among youth. Invited paper presented at the Joint Statistical Meetings, Vancouver, Canada.
Heaton, L., & Gabel, G. (2018). Evaluation of a trauma intervention adapted for youth in foster care (panel). Society of Social Work and Research 21st Annual Conference, Washington, DC.
Lorthridge, J., & Heaton, L. (2018). Formative evaluation of a new program to support LGBTQ youth in foster care (panel). Society of Social Work and Research 21st Annual Conference, Washington, DC.
Steiger, D., Heaton, L., Behm, J., MacAllum, C., & Stroop, J. (2017). Improving the measurement of sexual orientation and gender identity among youth (invited roundtable). Federal Interagency Working Group for Measuring Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI), Washington, DC.
Steiger, D., Heaton, L., Behm, J., MacAllum, C., & Stroop, J. (2017). Improving the measurement of sexual orientation and gender identity among youth. Paper presented at the 72nd Annual Conference of the American Association for Public Opinion Research, New Orleans, LA.
Heaton, L. (2017). Racial and ethnic differences in non-lethal suicide behavior and screening services of justice-involved youth. Paper presented at the Society of Social Work and Research 21st Annual Conference, New Orleans, LA.
Heaton, L. (2016). Race and ethnic differences in mental health need and services received in justice-involved youth. Paper presented at American Society of Criminologists Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA.
Heaton, L. (2016). Facility-level correlates of sexual victimization in juvenile facilities (panel). International Family Violence and Child Victimization Research Conference, Portsmouth, NH.
Kaasa, S., Heaton, L., McAloon, R., & Cantor, D. (2016). Harm, benefit, and regret: How respondent characteristics affect reactions to a sexual assault survey. Paper presented at the International Family Violence and Child Victimization Research Conference, Portsmouth, NH.
Kaasa, S., Steiger, D., Heaton, L., Cantor, D., & McAloon, R. (2016). Respondent reactions to a sexual victimization survey in a multi-mode pilot study. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the American Association for Public Opinion Research, Austin, TX.
Smith, T., Heaton, L., Zack, S., & Cantor, D. (2014). Obtaining assent from minors – Assessing comprehension in the National Survey of Youth in Custody. Paper presented at the 69th Annual Conference of the American Association for Public Opinion Research, Anaheim, CA.
Heaton, L., & O’Connor, M. K. (2011). Paternal mental health and child neglect: The relevance to social work education. Roundtable discussion at the 57th Annual Program Meeting of the Council on Social Work Education, Atlanta, GA.
Zagar, K., & Heaton, L. (2011). Assessing parenting capacity of sexually abusive youth. Workshop presented at the Third Annual Multidisciplinary Child Abuse Conference, Children’s Advocacy Centers of Virginia, Salem, VA.
Heaton, L.L., Cui, L., Burstein, M., He, J.P., & Merikangas, K.R. (2011). Perceptions of child neglect on adulthood psychopathology. Poster presented at the 101st Annual American Psychopathological Association Meeting, New York, NY.
Calkins, M.E., Richard, J., Merikangas, K.R., Burstein, M., Heaton, L., Qiu, H., Mentch, F.D., Hermannsson, L., Connolly, J., Abrams, D.J., Chiavacci, R., Grundmeier, R.W., Sleiman, P.M., Loughead, J., Gur, R.C., Hakonarson, H., & Gur, R.E. (2010). Identification of children and adolescents at-risk for psychosis: Results of a screen for subpsychotic symptoms in a community sample. American College of Neuropsychopharmacology 49th Annual Conference, Miami, FL.
Zagar, K., & Heaton, L. (2010). Assessing parenting capacity of sexually abusive youth (workshop). Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers 29th Annual Conference, Phoenix, AZ.
Heaton, L., Creavey, K., Green-Rogers, Y., O’Brien, J., Small, L., Harison, A., Goodell, C., & Thomas, K. (2025). Family First policy to practice: Using implementation science and CQI to advance prevention focused practice. Children and Youth Services Review, 176, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108403
Heaton, L., Sabol, W., Baumann, M., Harison, A., & Goodell, C. (2025). The effects of socioeconomic contextual factors on racial differences in CFSR-3 permanency outcomes. Child Maltreatment, 30(3), 540–552. https://doi.org/10.1177/10775595241312186
Heaton, L., Grewal-Kök, Y., McDaniel, B., & Cepuran, C. (2025). Child welfare leaders’ perceptions of economic and concrete supports and the pathway to prevention through a shared accountability policy framework. Child Welfare League of America.
Heaton, L., Steinmetz, S., Cepuran, C. J. G., Fox, Y., & Barr, A. (2025). Washington DCYF Assessment Redesign final report. Chapin Hall. https://dcyf.wa.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/reports/WA-Assessment-Final-Report.pdf
Grewal-Kök, Y., Cusick, G., Anderson, C., Weiner, D., Thomas, K., & Heaton, L. (2023). Economic and concrete supports: Core strategies to promote family well-being and race equity. In K. Briar-Lawson, P. Day, & L. Azzi-Lessing (Eds.), Child neglect, inequity, and poverty: Contextual issues and implications (pp. 1–42). Child Welfare League of America.
Keefe, R. J., Cepuran, C. J. G., Richmond, K., Rhodes, J., Laris, Z., Anderson, C., Heaton, L., & Chor, K. H. B. (2024). State implementation of congregate care reforms for children in foster care. Pediatrics, 154(1). https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2023-063680
Grewal-Kök, Y., Cusick, G., Anderson, C., Weiner, D., Thomas, K., & Heaton, L. (2023). Economic and concrete supports: Core strategies to promote family well-being and race equity. Child Welfare League of America.
Sedlak, A., Heaton, L., & Evans, M. (2022). Trends in child abuse reporting. In J. Korbin & R. Krugman (Eds.) Handbook of Child Maltreatment (2nd ed.). Springer Nature.
Heaton, L., Woodruff, K., Williams, B., & Chibnall, S. (2019). Evaluation of the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s On the Frontline Initiative. https://www.aecf.org/resources/evaluation-of-the-annie-e-casey-foundations-on-the-frontline-initiative/
Heaton, L. (2018). Race and ethnic differences in mental health need and services received in justice-involved youth. Children and Youth Services Review, 90, 54–65. doi: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2018.04.043
Heaton, L. L. (2018). Racial/ethnic differences of justice-involved youth in substance-related problems and services received. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 88(3), 363–375. doi: 10.1037/ort0000312 PMID: 29345478
Lorthridge, J., Evans, M., Heaton, L., Stevens, A., & Phillips, L. (2018). Strengthening family connections and support for LGBTQ foster youth: Findings from the PII-RISE Evaluation. Child Welfare, 96(1), 53–78. Available at: https://www.cwla.org/child-welfare-journal/journal-archives/.
Weeks, A., Altman, D., Stevens, A., Lorthridge, J., & Heaton, L. (2018). Strengthening the workforce to support LGBTQ foster youth through increasing LGBTQ competency: Trainers’ experience with bias. Child Welfare, 96(2), 125–150. Available at: https://www.cwla.org/child-welfare-journal/journal-archives/.
Heaton, L., Cantor, D., Bruce, C., Ren, W., Hartge, J., & Beck, A. J. (2016). Facility-level and individual-level correlates of sexual victimization in juvenile facilities, 2012 (NCJ 249877). Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice. Available at: http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=5663.
Merikangas, K. R., Zhang, J., Emsellem, H., Swanson, S., Vgontzas, A., Belouad, F., Blank, M. M, Chen, W., Einen, M., He, J. P., Heaton, L., Nakamura, E., Rooholamini, S., & Mignot, E. (2014). The Structured Diagnostic Interview for Sleep Patterns and Disorders: Rationale and initial evaluation. Sleep Medicine, 15, 530–535. doi: 10.1016/j.sleep.2013.10.011 PMID: 24780136
Merikangas, K. R., Cui, L., Heaton, L., Nakamura, E., Roca, C., Ding, J., . . . Angst, J. (2013). Independence of familial transmission of mania and depression: Results of the NIMH Family Study of Affective Spectrum Disorders. Molecular Psychiatry, 19(2), 214–219.
Lateff, T., Heaton, L., Cui, L., Nakamura, E., & Merikangas, K. (2013). Validation of a headache interview for children and adolescents. Pediatrics, 131(1), 96–102.
Heaton, L., Cui, L., Burstein, M., He, J. P., & Merikangas, K.M. (2011). Perception of child neglect and psychopathology in a population-based sample of US adults. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 52(6), e7-e8. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2011.04.026
Merikangas, K. R., He, J. P., Burstein, M. E., Swendsen, J., Avenevoli, S., Case, B., Georgiades, K., Heaton, L., Swanson, S., & Olfson, M. (2011). Service utilization for lifetime mental disorders in U.S. adolescents: Results of the National Comorbidity Survey of Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A). Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 50(1), 32–45.
Schmitz, A., Merikangas, K., Swendsen, H., Heaton, L., & Grillon, C. (2011). Measuring anxious responses to predictable and unpredictable threat in children and adolescents. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 110(2), 159–170.
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