Child Welfare Information Gateway
Skip to main content
  • U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
  • Administration for Children & Families
  • Children's Bureau
Child Welfare Information Gateway
REPORT ABUSE OR
NEGLECT
FIND HELP WITH A
PERSONAL SITUATION   

Home Topics Publications Library State Resources More Tools & Resources News & Events
REPORT ABUSE OR
NEGLECT
FIND HELP WITH A
PERSONAL SITUATION   
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Chat
  • Free Subscriptions
  • Resources in Spanish
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Chat
  • Resources in Spanish
  • Shopping Cart
  • Home
  • Topics
    • Family-Centered Practice
      • Philosophy and Key Elements of Family-Centered Practice
      • Family-Centered Practice Across the Service Continuum
      • Engaging Families
      • Family-Centered Casework Practice
      • Family Group Decision-Making
      • Engaging Communities to Support Families
      • Creating a Family-Centered Agency Culture
    • Child Abuse & Neglect
      • Definitions of Child Abuse & Neglect
      • Identification of Child Abuse & Neglect
      • Risk Factors That Contribute to Child Abuse and Neglect
      • People Who Engage in Child Abuse or Neglect
      • Impact of Child Abuse & Neglect
      • Child Abuse & Neglect Fatalities
    • Preventing Child Abuse & Neglect
      • National Child Abuse Prevention Month
      • Overview: Preventing Child Abuse & Neglect
      • Promoting Child & Family Well-Being
      • Public Awareness & Creating Supportive Communities
      • Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Programs
      • Developing & Sustaining Prevention Programs
      • Evidence-Based Practice for Child Abuse Prevention
      • Evaluating Prevention Programs
    • Responding to Child Abuse & Neglect
      • Introduction to Responding to Child Abuse & Neglect
      • Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect
      • Assessment in Child Protection
      • Differential Response in Child Protective Services
      • Child Protection Casework Practice
      • Responding to Child Maltreatment Near Fatalities and Fatalities
      • Trauma-Informed Practice in Child Welfare
      • Collaborative Responses to Child Abuse & Neglect
    • Supporting & Preserving Families
      • Supporting Families With Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders
      • Introduction to Family Support and Preservation
      • In-Home Services Involved With Child Protection
      • Family Support Services
      • Resources for Managers of Family Support and Preservation Services
      • Family Preservation Services
    • Out-of-Home Care
      • National Foster Care Month
      • Overview: Out-of-Home Care
      • Foster Care
      • Group and Residential Care
      • Kinship Care
      • Casework Practice in Out-of-Home Care
      • Transition to Adulthood and Independent Living
      • Placement Decisions
      • Resources for Foster Families
    • Achieving & Maintaining Permanency
      • Overview: Achieving & Maintaining Permanency
      • Reunifying Families
      • Recruiting and Retaining Resource Families
      • Permanency With Relatives and Kin
      • Guardianship
      • Permanency for Specific Youth Populations
      • Legal and Court Issues in Permanency
      • Interjurisdictional Placements
      • Working With Children, Youth, and Families in Permanency Planning
      • Working With Children, Youth, and Families After Permanency
      • Resources for Administrators and Managers About Permanency
      • Resources for Families About Permanency
    • Adoption
      • National Adoption Month
      • All-In Foster Adoption Challenge
      • Children's Bureau Adoption Call to Action
      • Adoption and Guardianship Assistance by State
      • Introduction to Adoption
      • Ethical Issues in Adoption
      • For Adopted People
      • For Adoption Program Managers & Administrators
      • For Expectant Parents Considering Adoption and Birth Parents
      • How to Adopt
      • Laws Related to Adoption
      • Parenting After Adoption
      • Preplacement Adoption Casework Practice
      • Postplacement Adoption Casework Practice
      • Search & Reunion in Adoption
    • Management & Supervision
      • Administering & Managing Child Welfare Agencies & Programs
      • Child Welfare Practice Improvement
      • Disaster Preparedness & Response
      • Ethical Practice & Client Rights
      • Evaluating Program and Practice Effectiveness
      • Funding
      • Information Systems & Data
      • Supervising Child Welfare Services
      • System Reform
      • Training
      • Workforce
    • Systemwide
      • Assessment
      • Behavioral Health & Wellness
      • Courts
      • Cultural Responsiveness
      • Diverse Populations and Communities
      • Domestic Violence
      • Human Trafficking
      • Laws & Policies
      • Service Array
      • Statistics
      • Well-Being
      • Youth
  • Publications
    • Publications Series
    • Browse by Topic
    • Browse by Title
    • índice de Títulos en Español (Spanish Title Index)
  • Library
    • Library Services
    • Library Search Help
  • State Resources
    • State Statutes
    • National Foster Care & Adoption Directory
    • State Guides & Manuals Search
    • State-Related Organizations Lists
    • Adoption and Guardianship Assistance by State
  • More Tools & Resources
    • Related Organizations
    • Learning Center
    • Resources From the Children's Bureau
      • Children's Bureau Discretionary Grants
      • The Story of the Children's Bureau
      • Children's Bureau Video Series
    • Child Welfare Information Gateway Podcast Series
    • Multimedia
      • Videos
      • Webinars
    • Family Engagement Inventory
  • News & Events
    • Free Subscriptions
    • Adoption Triad
    • Children's Bureau Express (CBX)
    • The Grantee Connection
    • New on Information Gateway
    • New From the Children's Bureau
    • Event Calendar
  • Home
  • Pubs
  • acloserlook
  • Community-based Resources: Keystone to the System of Care
  • Challenges and Strategies in Following a Community-based Approach

Community-based Resources: Keystone to the System of Care

Download (PDF 941KB)
Author(s)
National Technical Assistance and Evaluation Center for Systems of Care
Year Published 2009

Challenges and Strategies in Following a Community-based Approach

The grantee communities involved in the Improving Child Welfare Through Systems of Care initiative have confronted a number of challenges in the development of community-based resources. The strategies they crafted to address these challenges provide valuable information to other communities for implementing a community-based approach.

Identifying family members and community members to participate in meaningful ways

Challenges. While philosophical or verbal support often existed for engaging families and community members more directly in agency boards and committees, finding the right people to commit to the time and activities was challenging. Integrating former clients and community members into the agency also meant that new positions had to be developed, policies and procedures often had to be revised, and attitudes were forced to change. Training and orientation protocols were required for new participants as well as existing staff so working relationships could be defined and productive.

Strategies. The New York Administration for Children's Services endeavored to find meaningful strategies for integrating community perspectives into protecting children from abuse and neglect, as well as helping vulnerable families in need of temporary services and supports. In alignment with systems of care principles, the agency created the Community Partnership Initiative, demonstrating that neighborhood coalitions can be partners in the complex work of improving child welfare outcomes and promoting safe and stable families.

The CRADLE in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of New York City developed a comprehensive strategy to bring community supports to the agency. The grantee established a network of community-based agencies, service providers, and other community resources. At Lunchbox Spotlights hosted within the agency, caseworkers could eat and talk with four or five community-based service providers about available services or discuss a specific case. The agency also created a consultation protocol to receive notification of all cases involving children ages birth to 5 years in order to provide caseworkers with comprehensive information about supports available to children and families in their home community.

"The CPI [Community Partnership Initiative of the New York Administration for Children's Services] assumes that the core child welfare outcomes of safety, permanency, and well-being are best achieved when residents, agencies, and other local institutions work in conjunction with the public agency to address the needs of children and families." (Chapin Hall Center for Children, n.d., p. 1)

The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians grant team, one of the participating Tribal Nations of the Medicine Moon Initiative in North Dakota, applied the guidance of community elders and other traditional leaders by having them translate the system of care principles into the traditional values and language of the Chippewa. These translations were featured on a poster that was widely distributed throughout the community and increased understanding of the relevance of systems of care to community members.

The Contra Costa County Family Partner program supervisor interviewed child welfare workers to help identify possible family partners and hired several family partners who are now considered invaluable assets by those caseworkers. Job descriptions for family partners were created, and training and an orientation for all staff were held.

The Jefferson County system of care established a volunteer program with a variety of positions, including mentors, child care support, clerical specialists, donation coordinators, foster and adoptive family support, computer teachers, faith-based collaborators, and tutors. By diversifying the positions, volunteers were more easily and appropriately matched to the various responsibilities.

Agency policies that restrict flexibility in working with community members

Challenges. National evaluation data reveal that even when agencies embrace systems of care principles, considerable time and effort must be committed by child welfare agency administrators to bring staffing policies in line with those principles. Two grantee communities gained considerable momentum in using new family and community engagement practices, only to reach a plateau. Caseworkers could not keep up with existing responsibilities and the time-consuming demands of the new practices. Work outside of standard business hours often was required to meet families at times or places that were convenient for them. Sometimes, caseworkers had to use leave time.

Strategies. Contra Costa County developed a curriculum for family partners to prepare them for representing families on advisory boards. The family partner supervisor provided the regular feedback and problem-solving support that accelerated the family partners' contributions to the county's System of Care Advisory Board. Their contributions are valued by the other board members and offer a family and community perspective that previously was absent.

Alamance County, North Carolina, held a series of orientation sessions for family partners to prepare them for participation on advisory boards. Monthly meetings covered topics such as confidentiality, boundaries, and an introduction to committee work.

Changing a pervasive and negative sentiment about child welfare in the community

Challenges. Developing partnerships and fostering confidence in child welfare agencies among families most affected and organizations that serve them is a challenge because removing children from homes places agencies in an adversarial position. Sincere outreach and a genuine effort to partner must be followed by actions that support dialogue between the agency and those who can sometimes be the harshest critics.

Strategies. The CRADLE launched community forums where agency management and leadership shared information with community members and responded to their questions and concerns. The strategy was designed to clarify the agency's mission and legal responsibility to protect children from abuse and neglect and promote well-being and permanence in their living situations. The CRADLE's consistent demonstration of eagerness to partner with community members to help families prompted many people to join its outreach efforts as well as support vulnerable families.

Through a framework of system of care subcommittees, Locally Organized Systems of Care in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, constructed a community-based network of human service organizations, volunteers, local businesses, churches, mosques, schools, and local colleges to focus on prevention. The community network also supports formal child welfare agency staff by providing resources for families with immediate needs such as furniture for a new apartment, mentoring for youth, school supplies, leadership development opportunities for young people, and clothes. This community support for children, youth, and families led to the launch of New Beginnings Day Camp, which has evolved into an independent nonprofit organization that is fully supported by community-based institutions.

(Previous) (Next)

This material may be freely reproduced and distributed. However, when doing so, please credit Child Welfare Information Gateway.

Related Content

Elements of a Community-based Approach

Defining Community-based Approaches

Community-based Approaches in Child Welfare Driven Systems of Care

Implications for Administrators and Stakeholders

Demonstration Sites and References

Children's Bureau - An office of the Administration for Children and Families

Child Welfare Information Gateway is a service of the

  • Children’s Bureau
  • Administration for Children and Families
  • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
↑ Back to top
  • HOME
  • TOPICS
    • Family-Centered Practice
    • Child Abuse & Neglect
    • Preventing Child Abuse & Neglect
    • Responding to Child Abuse & Neglect
    • Supporting & Preserving Families
    • Out-of-Home Care
    • Achieving & Maintaining Permanency
    • Adoption
    • Management & Supervision
    • Systemwide
  • National Initiatives
    • National Adoption Month
    • National Child Abuse Prevention Month
    • National Foster Care Month
  • Publications
    • Publications Series
    • Browse by Title
    • Browse by Topic
    • Índice de Títulos en Español
  • Library
    • Search the Library
  • State Resources
    • State Statutes
    • National Foster Care & Adoption Directory
    • State Guides & Manuals
    • State Related Organizations Lists
    • Adoption Assistance by State
  • More Tools & Resources
    • Related Organizations
    • Learning Center
    • Children's Bureau Resources
    • Information Gateway Podcast
    • Multimedia
    • Family Engagement Inventory
  • NEWS AND EVENTS
    • New on Information Gateway
    • New From the Children's Bureau
    • Event Calendar
  • ABOUT US
    • How to Report Child Abuse or Neglect
    • Find Help With a Personal Situation
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Glossary
    • Search A to Z
  • Contact Us
    • 1-800-394-3366
    • info@childwelfare.gov
    • Subscribe to Free Updates
    • Chat With Us
  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Follow us on YouTube
  • POLICIES & HELPFUL LINKS
    • Disclaimer and Policies
    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility
    • FOIA requests
    • No FEAR Act data
    • Office of the Inspector General
    • Performance reports
    • Vulnerability Disclosure Policy
    • USA.gov
    • Download Acrobat Reader
  • ↑ Back to top