Building Bridges for Child Welfare with Families, Neighborhoods, Communities

Summary

This brief describes the changes made and challenges encountered by public child welfare agencies after switching to the values and principles outlined in Casey’s former Family to Family initiative. It shows the reader the difference between a traditional agency application versus a family-centered, neighborhood-based child welfare and foster care service system. It also provides insight into how the changes benefit the children. 

Table of Contents

• Successes and Challenges
• The Principles
• Building Bridges as a Foundation for Change
• Building Community Partnerships
• Tools for Rebuilding Foster Care
• Maintaining Stable Ties
• Implementing Strategies for Change

Key Takeaway

The firm foundation of Family to Family lies within the partnerships created between all parties involved.

Family to Family changes the traditional child welfare approach at every level. It overturns the assumption that the interests of birth parents and foster and adoptive parents are diametrically opposed. Birth parents are brought into a working relationship with foster parents where possible, while child welfare workers play more of a mediating and coordinating role as everyone is considered a member of the team for the child. Agency staff have to learn how to build bridges to make these partnerships work.