Early identification of needs and services for young children and their parents in the child welfare system can improve child safety, increase well-being, facilitate permanent placements, and strengthen families.
Why it matters: Many parents mistrust the child welfare system due to its history of supporting family separation and its lack of support. Addressing parents’ needs and recognizing their strengths is essential.
The big picture: All parents, including those affected by trauma, benefit from strong social support and connections. Building mentoring relationships within their community, especially with those who have “lived experience,” is crucial.
What’s next: Parent partner programs are critical and require intentional planning to ensure ongoing support. These programs model cross-system collaboration, improve services and systems, and demonstrate engagement and self-advocacy.
States and counties need to finance, implement, and sustain parent partner programs, with recommendations in this brief serving as a starting point for development and success.
The National Infant-Toddler Court Program was made possible through the support of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $8,820,368 with 0 percent financed from non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov.
ZERO TO THREE deeply appreciates Ballmer Group for its generous support of our work to scale the Safe Babies approach. We’d like to especially thank Connie Ballmer for her vision and commitment to transforming the child welfare system so that all babies thrive. Ballmer Group is committed to improving economic mobility for children and families in the United States, funding leaders and organizations that have demonstrated the ability to reshape opportunity and reduce systemic inequities.
