Reimagining Child Welfare: Prevention and Intervention
Allies for Children is working to identify challenges within the child welfare system and implement change.
The child welfare system needs to shift from a more coercive system, which intervenes after the fact, to one that focuses on prevention to keep children from entering the system. There is a huge need to invest in prevention to reduce risk factors associated with child abuse and neglect, particularly in the Black community.
There is no easy fix for the flaws in the child welfare system, but each jurisdiction and agency should evaluate their systems and practices using an antiracist model to help identify where and how disproportionalities and disparities occur. A crucial next step is to ensure that there is a culturally competent workforce. This will help workers recognize cultural components of family practices that may be viewed as abusive or neglectful through another lens.