#InfluencingInnovation

Talking about innovation in child welfare is one thing. But, we’ve been so lucky to collaborate and partner with colleagues around the country who are actively rejecting the status quo and #influencinginnovation every day, creating a child welfare system built on empathy, acceptance, and truly valuing the expertise of the families. See below for quick hit stories of real change, showing how a culture of partnering with families is taking hold across child welfare!

Utilizing Family Photos
Albemarle County, Virginia: A professional worked with a teenage boy who was dead set against being connected with his family. That is, until the worker got creative, gathering old photos of the youth and his family members to show the boy, demonstrating that he has a history with his family and that they are still committed to him. The youth was so excited to see these photos, and has requested more and more, paving the way to further family connections.
Contacting Funeral Homes
Albermarle County, Virginia: Sometimes in order to contact family members we have to completely step outside our comfort zone. A worker recently felt extremely uncomfortable when considering contacting a cemetery to ask about family information. But believing that our own comfort comes second to getting results for children and families, she did just that! Information from the cemetery led to conversations with a funeral home and access to family obituaries. This information has already turned into the worker making contact with previously unknown relatives.
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Inspiring Stuff

Here we’ve collected various content that we hold very close to our hearts. Explore these posts to get inspired, increase your knowledge, or just add a smile to your face, 🙂 

In December, 2020, seven radiant leaders came together via zoom to answer the question: “How do we have conversations with young people in care about making lifelong connections?”  Check out the raw, uncut video here.
 
Click here to find the “Engaging Youth In Foster Care Tool” developed during this think tank.

Over the past few months, we had the pleasure of facilitating a think tank with social workers in rural and resource scare areas of Oklahoma. How do we provide the best possible services to children and families when resources are hard to come by? Frontline workers in these areas are undeterred and are helping people who face these bridge gaps everyday. Watch this video to hear incredible stories of how this work is getting done in rural areas.

Check out this document we’ve put together gathering research outcomes on the benefits of family involvement for children touched by the child welfare system!

Check out the Research!