Cathy Ashley’s Post

Exciting news from yesterday's #WhiteHouse summit on Transforming Child Welfare! New policies were announced to prevent family separation due to poverty, which will greatly impact child welfare agencies nationwide. Children should not be separated from their families due to financial hardship alone. Several states, including #Kentucky, #Indiana, #SouthCarolina, #Wisconsin, #Pennsylvania, W#ashington, and #Kansas, have already clarified that poverty alone should not cause child removal. There is emerging evidence linking these actions to improved family outcomes. The Biden-Harris Administration is encouraging all states to follow their lead and clearly distinguish between child maltreatment and financial hardship. Delighted to see these positive changes that will help keep children and families safely together. Read more about these updates in the new White House Fact Sheet: Biden-Harris Administration Actions to Keep Children and Families Safely Together and Supported: #childwelfare #familysupport #transformingwelfare #childwellbeing #publicpolicy

We are pleased to share that Doris Duke Foundation participated in yesterday's Convening on Child Welfare Transformation hosted by the #WhiteHouse Domestic Policy Council. The summit highlighted many innovations central to our vision for a new prevention paradigm in child welfare, including disconnecting poverty from neglect, providing concrete and economic support to families, and fostering true partnerships with those directly impacted by current systems. During the summit, the White House and the Administration for Children and Families announced new policies to better engage and support families seeking prevention services. The four key areas of focus are Separating Poverty & Neglect; Prevention Services; Prioritizing Kin and Youth Needs; and Innovations and Research. For more details, please see the #WhiteHouse fact sheet: #philanthropy #childwellbeing #childwelfare #publicpolicy #poverty

Having worked in the child welfare system for several years, I've witnessed various interventions aimed at reforming the system. While many of these efforts are well-intentioned, they often end up being reactionary and, at times, dehumanizing. Recent statistics reveal that over 60% of child welfare cases involve poverty-related issues rather than direct abuse or neglect.  This data underscores a critical need for us to rethink our approach. To effect positive change in an anti-oppressive manner, we must focus on proactive measures that distinguish poverty from neglect. It's essential to provide support systems that address the root causes of poverty, rather than penalizing families for their socioeconomic status. By shifting our perspective and actions from reactive to proactive, we can create a more just and supportive environment for children and families. Let's work towards a child welfare system that uplifts rather than oppresses. #ChildWelfare #ProactiveSupport #AntiOppressive #PovertyVsNeglect #SystemReform https://lnkd.in/eqeMKuXA

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, a perfect time to focus on ways to safely keep children with their families and out of foster care. This new brief focuses on how three child welfare jurisdictions have used flexible funds to support families and prevent family separation. https://bit.ly/3VFJTLE #ChildAbusePreventionMonth #CAPM #ChildWelfare

Recent research from Chapin Hall highlights innovative approaches states are taking with Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds to support family stability and prevent child welfare involvement. Among the programs their research highlights: * California's Linkages 2.0 program, coordinating TANF and child welfare services to strengthen families * Kentucky's use of TANF for flexible funds to provide concrete supports to at-risk families * New York's direct cash transfer pilot for parents at risk of child welfare involvement * Wisconsin's Targeted Safety Support Funds, offering concrete supports to families with children at risk of removal These approaches demonstrate the potential of TANF to provide timely, flexible assistance to families in crisis, aligning with its first statutory goal: enabling children to be cared for in their own homes or with relatives. At Footbridge, we applaud these efforts to use public funds creatively and effectively to keep families together. By providing concrete support during temporary financial crises, we can prevent the need for more invasive interventions and promote long-term family stability. Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/eHn5QMBR

CAFO President Jedd Medefind and Jeremy Kohomban, President and CEO of The Children’s Village, co-authored an article in this week's Imprint on a groundbreaking Harris Poll commissioned by the Bipartisan Policy Center showing a rare glimpse of American unity on issues of child welfare. "Polarization has become entrenched in American politics and policy, and the realm of child welfare is not immune to that. The intrusive nature of the work and the presence of persistent racial and class disproportionality have fractured the field into tribes, with some even calling for the abolition of the system entirely. Not so for the American people. Groundbreaking new polling on child welfare reveals a sturdy consensus that crosses many typical political fault lines. Americans remain deeply committed to vulnerable children and families and desire to see our systems hold a strong balance between child safety and family integrity..." Read the full article at The Imprint here: https://lnkd.in/gU-Kkp-q

Important facts about child welfare pitfalls: 1. The child welfare system in the United States fails to meet all children's needs due to overwhelming demand, despite government spending of US$33 billion in 2018. Abuse and neglect investigations, foster care, and other child welfare activities can harm children and their families. Communities of color are particularly susceptible, with 37% of all children, including 53% of African American children, experiencing a child protective services investigation by the time they turn 18. More progress requires a robust safety net and a constructive approach to supporting parents of children experiencing neglect or abuse. 2. Some child welfare policies inadvertently make life harder for parents and children. For example, authorities sometimes place children in foster care and bill parents for its cost, obstructing family reunification. State systems have also taken Social Security survivors benefits from children in foster care to finance the child welfare system's operations. Deeply engaged parents have reported being essentially forced to surrender custody to the state so their child could receive mental health care services they couldn't afford. 3. Child neglect, which accounts for 76% of child victims, is more prevalent than physical or sexual abuse. Neglect often directly reflects poverty, where parents struggle to maintain a home, buy food, or pay for essential utilities. Chronic poverty exacerbates other parental risk factors, such as mental health conditions, substance use, domestic violence, and criminal justice involvement, all of which contribute to maltreatment of children in complex ways. 4. Black children make up just 13% of the US child population but represent 24% of child abuse or neglect reports and 21% of children entering the foster system. These pitfalls highlight the need for systemic reforms and a more compassionate approach to child welfare, focusing on supporting families rather than punitive measures. ¹Child Welfare Information Gateway, ²US Department of Health and Human Services, #childwelfare #systemreforms #supportfamilies #compassion #

Today, I had the honor of testifying to the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance to provide comments on the critical role of the Family First Prevention Services Act in child welfare. We offered our considerations: 1)    Clarify who is eligible for Family First interventions to include children and families who are at risk of child welfare involvement and ensure that services are delivered, and efficacy measured in a way that is humane and promotes program utilization.   2)    Expand the scope of eligible prevention services to include services and support to address interpersonal violence, system navigation and care coordination, and material and concrete support for families.  Abuse or neglect that causes children serious and immediate harm requires child protection intervention. But often neglect cases and child well-being concerns are tied to poverty, in combination with other risk factors, including mental health. This requires a voluntary response, based on family needs and strengths, and of the community.

What would it take to prevent kids from entering foster care and create the #childwelfare system families say they need? A few years back, Urban experts surveyed caseworkers, birth and foster parents, and others to explore what they think should be the child welfare field’s priorities. Check out this Urban Wire blog post to see what respondents had to say and why our experts suggest more collaboration is needed between child welfare agencies and the #housing, #education, employment, and health sectors. https://urbn.is/44EVqNy

Children are often removed from families too readily due to incentives within the child welfare system, such as those under the Adoption and Safe Families Act that prioritize increasing adoptions each year. This emphasis on adoption over family reunification can cause trauma and is a major factor contributing to homelessness by disrupting stable family environments. There's a notable disparity in resources, with more funding often allocated to adoption services rather than efforts to support family reunification. To address these issues, reforms are needed to rebalance priorities within child welfare: Enhanced Support for Families: Increase funding and resources for preventative services and family support programs, including mental health counseling, substance abuse treatment, and parenting education. Reform Incentive Structures: Modify federal and state funding incentives to promote family preservation and reunification efforts alongside adoption, ensuring decisions prioritize the best interests of children and their families. Training and Support for Social Workers: Provide ongoing training and support for social workers to improve decision-making processes, reduce bias, and prioritize family stability. Community and Kinship Support: Strengthen community-based support networks and kinship care options to maintain family connections and stability whenever possible. By implementing these reforms, we can work towards a child welfare system that effectively supports families in crisis, reduces unnecessary family separations, and mitigates the risk factors that contribute to homelessness.