Successfully responding to the needs of families requires that Partnership sites continually assess the relevance and effectiveness of services and supports. Communities assist in this assessment by collaborating with child welfare partners to identify gaps and barriers and chart courses to improve policy and practice and catalyze system change.
Parents and youth who have real life experiences with the child welfare system are key contributors to the development of policy and practice change. Involving community members, as well as families and youth directly impacted by the child welfare system, significantly changes the conversation about policies and practices related to child protection.
Partnerships work to develop and implement plans to address specific barriers and to incorporate best practice approaches in the delivery of services.
Purpose:
Improve policies and practices to reduce barriers and increase accessibility and relevance of services that lead to positive family outcomes.
Activities:
√ Gather and utilize data and community insights to identify and assess needs for policy and practice change
√ Explore opportunities to implement best practices
√ Facilitate parent and youth input
√ Implement and evaluate change within the context of the community