Rhema Vaithianathan’s Post

Agree or disagree? Federal reforms must be enacted to create a supportive, safe Child Welfare System. Here are my ideas in a nutshell. What are your thoughts? What would you add? >The US Child Welfare System must employ a ‘Prevention and Family Preservation First Platform’ >Training, policies, procedures, and protocols need to be updated throughout the US Department of HHS, DHS, and Social Services to implement a cultural and behavioral shift to prioritize prevention and family preservation services >Child removal training, policies, procedures, and protocols need to be updated >Stringent safety, health, and wellness standards must be instituted to ensure youth in state care are healthy, supported, and thriving >Kinship and fictive kin placements must be prioritized and support and services for these caregivers must be expanded >Federal minimum mandates must be enacted for accountability >Federal funding guidelines must be amended To see more detailed information about these reforms, I created a slide show: https://lnkd.in/eEvGhBcn

A very balanced and honest assessment of child welfare past mistakes and needed transformation # evolvingleadership

Screening child maltreatment calls is one of the most challenging tasks for our Child Welfare agencies. Tragically, fatality reviews often reveal that some screened-out calls, if investigated, might have reduced the risk of abuse. However, we also face the dilemma of not wanting to investigate each and every call. Balancing these concerns is critical for ensuring both the efficiency and compassion of our child welfare efforts. The SDA screening tool is designed to bring data and machine learning to support this task. Screening staff can enter the referral ID and immediately see a "risk level" that summarizes hundreds of data points and predicts long-term chronic involvement with CPS. However, it's important to note that the SDA tools are a decision aid, not a decision maker. It helps slow down human thinking, especially heuristic-driven thinking. RCT evidence finds that the tool increases child safety and reduces racial disparities.

Transparency and Empathy in Child Welfare with Dr. Marya Wright In this clip, Dr. Marya Wright discusses the value of being upfront and honest with clients in the child welfare system. Marya highlights how clarity and transparency can lead to better outcomes and build trust. "So many things can happen if you aren't [upfront and honest]. Miscommunication, lack of understanding. I value clarity, especially in situations like this." - Marya Wright Marya also shares her approach to interacting with families: "The system that I work for, the agents that I work for expect me to do this. So I'm communicating with them exactly what the steps are because I don't like to hold on to that stuff." About Marya Wright Marya Wright, MSW DSW, is a distinguished social worker, consultant, educator, international trainer, and facilitator with expertise in organizational leadership, child welfare services, and curriculum development. As President and CEO of Wright Community Services LLC, she empowers system-involved families and provides consultation and training to agencies. A registered Associate Clinical Social Worker (#81167) working towards her LCSW, Marya holds a DSW from USC, an MSW from California State University, East Bay, and a BSW from San Diego State University. She is a qualified expert witness, private dependency investigator, and serves on the Board of Directors for the California Society of Clinical Social Work. Her research includes Child Sexual Exploitation, Foster Care, and algorithmic decision-making in child welfare. Additionally, she lectures at Cal State East Bay, teaching Sociology of Sexualities, Child Welfare Policy, Sociology of Family, and Sexual Violence. Questions for dialogue and reflection How can transparency and empathy improve interactions with clients in the child welfare system? What are the benefits of clear communication and honesty when working with families in crisis? #SocialWork #ChildWelfare #Advocacy #Transparency #TrustBuilding #CriticalSocialWork #RevolutionarySocialWork

Child welfare agency leaders know that if a child is removed from their home, kinship care is often the best option.   Yet kin placements are still not the norm in many jurisdictions. Many agencies are working to increase these placements, but the process can be challenging.   The Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab (GPL) has worked with child welfare agencies across the country for more than a decade. Our newest publication, Translating Kin-First Commitments Into Practice: Management Strategies for Child Welfare Leaders, draws on those lessons. Read it here: https://lnkd.in/gtiTXzMF   We offer six actionable management strategies + downloadable resources that can help agency leaders motivate staff, shift perceptions, refine procedures, and reduce barriers to increase kin placements in their jurisdictions The six strategies are: 1.     Measure and communicate the benefits of a kin-first approach 2.     Strengthen tools and accountability mechanisms for staff to conduct high-quality searches up front 3.     Break down barriers to placement with kin 4.     Elevate youth and family voice in the placement process 5.     Provide tailored resources and services to support and stabilize kin placements 6.     Build momentum around continued kin search when initial placement is not with kin Read the publication here: https://lnkd.in/gtiTXzMF

I'm so appreciative of Dr. Jessica Pryce for bringing this topic to the forefront. I witness a lot of dehumanization in my line of work. Dehumanization lies at the core of all that is oppressive, in my opinion. When we strip individuals of their inherent value, dignity, and humanity, we immediately perceive them as inferior. Dehumanizing others fosters a sense of power and authority over them. By devaluing others, we silence their voices and dismiss their stories, robbing them of their essential human qualities, individuality, and vulnerability. This is precisely where child welfare agencies often fall short. Despite ample training and workforce development opportunities, they frequently overlook addressing worker biases, harmful belief systems, prejudices, and dehumanization. Real change occurs when we shift our mindset and engage closely with others who uphold similar values. "It would behoove child welfare leaders to consider incorporating a training that is exclusively focused on how our attitudes and mindsets inform our work with families, but they cannot stop there. A concerted and intentional program of mentorship and coaching around professional mindset development will only help to sustain the momentum of change that defines this moment for the child welfare system. We all have solidified, sometimes calcified value sets, but I believe we also have malleable hearts — hearts that long for a world where families can access the support they need to thrive and stay together."

This reminds me of a common phrase that was used by front line caseworkers years ago- “I’m out here saving lives.” There’s a personal validation of doing “Good work” or even, dare I say, “God’s work” when working in child welfare. And much like the position below- we must have a mindset shift to an activist with an anti racist lens- I argue the shift has to be both top down and bottom up as case managers are in positions with minimal power but great influence for change. The shift must be inclusive of leaders also seeing the value of being activists in this work and that is where training, mentorship, and coaching must also occur. As the leaders are driving the vision of the mindset across this arena.

The Child Welfare Community Collaborations (CWCC) initiative funds collaborative projects that address local barriers and provide a continuum of supports to promote child and family well-being and strengthen protective factors. It also includes a cross-site process evaluation of these projects. Three briefs from OPRE, Abt, and Child Trends describe the specific activities that CWCC grantees and their collaborative partners undertook, as well as the evaluation’s mixed-methods design: https://lnkd.in/eeex6HTz #ChildAbusePreventionMonth

Explore the Child Welfare Information Gateway casework practice resource collection during #SocialWorkMonth. Find resources about trauma-informed practice, decision-making, continuous quality improvement, co-occurring factors, and more!

In my new role, I've had the incredible opportunity to contribute to a suite of resources designed to support and enhance service delivery within Tribal child welfare programs and beyond. Today, I'm excited to share this work with you all, marking my first published contribution in this capacity! We've developed a comprehensive approach to tackle the challenges many Tribal child welfare programs face, especially those related to coordinating services outside of tribal jurisdiction. Our solution? Process Mapping. This collaborative method helps programs visualize and refine their service delivery, ensuring that Indigenous families receive the support they need to thrive. With process mapping, teams can: - Connect various activities and understand their sequence - Recognize everyone involved in delivering services - Promote consistency and support staff training - Identify and leverage strengths for service improvement - Enhance the experiences of families, partners, and staff #ChildWelfare #TribalChildWelfare #SupportingFamilies