Overloaded: Understanding Neglect

Host: Luke Waldo

Experts:

• Diana Maya
• Jessika Harlston
• Ayesha Teague
• Amy Baldus
• Micaela Conlon-Bue

00-:47 – Diana Maya - “Si hay una persona alli fuera que se siente sola, que siente que ya no tiene fuerzas, busquen ayuda.”

Jessika Harlston – “But having her as that outsider looking in was what I really needed to see the most. And she guided me in every way shape or form to mold me into the woman that I am today. I had the mentality to do it. I just, I needed someone from the outside to kind of help me see from what everybody else was seeing.” 

:55-6:32 – Luke Waldo – Opening and Welcome

6:33-7:04 – Luke – Diana, what was happening in your life and your family’s life that led you to seek support from Amy and Children’s Wisconsin?

7:05-8:23 – Diana – Last year was difficult as I struggled with depression. My mental health crisis affected my three children, especially my oldest son who had suicidal thoughts. I struggled with energy, which impacted my ability to work. I asked for help and started medication, but it made me more tired. So I came to Children’s to ask for help for me and my family, and that’s how I started working with Amy. I feel fortunate to have met her and started the program.

• 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
• Children’s Wisconsin – Steven’s Point

8:24-10:04 - Luke – Luke translates into English what Diana shared. What was happening in your life that caused your depression?

10:05-12:02 – Diana – It started many years ago when I lived in Texas. I struggled with post-partum depression after the birth of my daughter. Three years ago, I decided to move to Stevens Point in Wisconsin, a small town where I didn’t know anyone. I packed up my car with my three suitcases and children, and drove here to start fresh. Then I had a surgery and spent three days alone in the hospital, and I fell apart. I had no support, and something broke in that moment.

12:03-14:08 - Luke – Luke translates into English what Diana shared. What was missing in your life that could have changed your life for the better?

14:09-19:36 - Diana – Ever since I was young, I have experienced abandonment. I never met my father. When I was very young, my mother met another man who she chose over me, and I went to live with my grandmother. When I was 12, my mother asked my grandmother to have me back, but only to clean her house and take care of my younger sister. I started to use drugs to cope. When I was 15, my mother moved to Texas and left me behind. I had to find my way on my own. At 17, I got pregnant with my oldest son, and I met my first and only love. At 24, I was five months pregnant with my second son when the father of my child died in a car accident. 6 years later I had my daughter. I have worked really hard to be a perfect mother because I hold so much resentment towards my mother. What was missing in my life? The care of my parents, a proper education as I was educated in the streets. That led to becoming addicted to drugs and alcohol. But I changed for my children. “Me hubiera gustado muchisimo un abrazo, la proteccion de una madre.” My mother suffered a lot as her partner was abusive. I didn’t understand her back then, but I understand now that she suffered too. I have forgiven her. I wish it had been different, but all of this made me a strong woman. 

19:37-22:48 - Luke – Luke translates into English what Diana shared.

22:49-23:12– Luke – Welcome, Jessika. What was happening in your life that overloaded you and your family with stress and led to child welfare involvement?

23:13-28:25 – Jessika – Jessika became isolated from her family and support network due to an abusive relationship with her husband. She eventually left after 5 years, and took her 3 children to her mother’s house. After leaving for work, her mother called her to let her know that she took her baby to the hospital. She was asked to come in to the hospital as they found her baby to be malnourished. Child welfare got involved, and she was charged with neglect. 

• National Domestic Violence Hotline

28:26-29:44 - Luke – Thank you for sharing your story with us, Jessika. What was missing that you needed that would have helped you overcome the challenges that you were facing?

29:45-32:29 - Jessika – She needed parenting and coping support as the stress of the abusive relationship would translate to her reactions to her children. She learned childhood development that allowed her to better understand what was “normal” behavior, and then how she could control her responses to those behaviors. This also allowed her to care for her children in a way that would help them grow into healthy young men.

32:30-34:18 - Luke – We all need people in our lives to support us when we parent. How did isolation impact your ability to parent your children and take care of yourself?

34:19-38:46 - Jessika – The isolation led to tension with her family with whom she had previously been so close. She started to lose a sense of herself as her family and community used to be such a big part of her identity. Nobody knew who I was anymore. My family made sure that my boys were good even when I wasn’t good. They brought back my light. 

38:47-39:14 - Luke – Ayesha, what did you see in Jessika when you first met her and her kids?

39:15-40:33 - Ayesha Teague – She was a lost soul. She was trying to find her breakthrough, but she had been through a lot and was confused. There was a light in there, but the darkness was heavy. 

40:34-40:48 - Luke – How did you and Jessika start pulling the darkness back? 

40:49-43:37 - Ayesha – We started by being honest about what happened, so that she understood what her children had experienced and what impacts there could be if things don’t change. She then wanted to know who she was deep down inside beyond the child welfare report. Starting with her childhood, she was able to discover that she had been isolated from a family that she used to be so close to. Now, where do we go from here?

43:38-44:11 - Luke – Amy, what did Diana need when she first came to you and Children’s for support?

44:12-45:25 - Amy Baldus – When I first met Diana, she didn’t believe in or love herself. She wanted to change that. I’ve noticed that change over the past six months that I’ve known her. 

45:26-45:40 - Luke – Amy, can you tell us about your role and the services that you have provided to Diana?

45:41-47:10 - Amy Baldus – We use Mobility Mentoring as a goal-setting and self-sufficiency tool. We use the Bridge assessment, which helps the participant and I assess where she is at in different core areas of her and her family’s life. I like to use the assessment to highlight the strengths of the parent as they haven’t always thought that they have them. I’ve learned that change happens when parents feel good about themselves and their strengths. 

• Mobility Mentoring

47:11-49:54 - Ayesha – Mobility Mentoring is a professional practice that empowers families to achieve family stability. It uses a Bridge tool that focuses on 5 core areas that include Health and Well-being, Financial Stability, etc. that allows the participant to assess where they are at in those areas. It then includes partnering and coaching with the participant to set goals and action steps, and celebrate those goals when they are achieved.

• Mobility Mentoring Bridge to Self-Sufficiency

49:55-50:41 - Luke – Mobility Mentoring often surprises participants as they don’t expect to find strengths when they are seeking help. What did you learn about Diana in those early instances with the assessment?

50:42-51:31 - Amy – I noticed that she was lower on the social supports pillar. She also had some health and financial issues that she wanted to address. Her family pillar was assessed really high as most important. She was very motivated. 

51:32-51:45 - Luke - What surprised Diana when she started working with you and Mobility Mentoring?

51:46-52:36 - Amy – The connection we had was a surprise. We built a trusting relationship first, which has been really important to our relationship. She has been open with me. 

52:37-52:58 - Luke – What goals did Diana set that have led to the transformation in her life and her family’s life?

52:59-54:31 - Amy – Diana wanted to accomplish a lot. She wanted to improve her education and employment. She started an ESL class to improve her reading and writing of English. She wanted to improve her health, so she got a membership to a health club. She started exercising, which led to her being able to stop taking some medication. That led to better sleep and relationships with her family. 

• English as a Second Language classes

54:32-55:04 – Luke – Diana, how has your relationship with Amy and the use of Mobility Mentoring helped you achieve your goals?

55:05-58:22 - Diana – It was difficult at first because I was really struggling with my depression and my communication with my oldest son who felt I didn’t care about him, which led to his own mental health struggles. When I first met Amy I cried a lot as I felt I failed my son and I felt that he hated me. But Amy supported me and told me that I was a good mother. She helped me realize that I have given comfort to my son in a way that I never experienced as a child. He’s not slept on the street, experienced abandonment. He has comfort at home with a Playstation. Through therapy and Amy’s support, I started to believe in myself. Amy not only believed in me, she also held me accountable. I will forever be grateful to her for believing in me.

58:23-1:01:29 - Luke – Luke translates into English what Diana shared.

1:01:30-1:02:16 - Luke – How did Mobility Mentoring and your partnership with Ayesha help you overcome your challenges?

1:02:17-1:04:18 - Jessika – Having stability, stable employment, my own place, and a divorce to begin my life with my children. 

1:04:19-1:04:33 – Luke – How were you able to achieve these goals?

1:04:34-1:05:48 - Jessika – Ayesha pushed me to be my best version, towards my goals. She held me accountable while also reminding me that I’m more than the worst moment in my life. I may not be the best mom, but I’m going to be the best mom for my boys.

1:05:49-1:06:23 - Luke – Ayesha, what have you learned from the use of Mobility Mentoring?

1:06:24-1:09:34 - Ayesha – The Bridge assessment allows me to see where participants see themselves. Aside from safety concerns, most participants come in with employment, housing, childcare challenges. It serves as a powerful tool to help focus on where there are opportunities to grow. It also serves as a reminder that if one pillar of the bridge is weak, everything else can feel unstable. 

• UMOS
• Community Advocates

1:09:35-1:10:26 - Luke – Micaela, what do our programs at Children’s offer to families who feel socially isolated? What can we do better to support families’ social connectedness?

1:10:27-1:11:50- Micaela Conlon-Bue – Working in the Western part of Wisconsin, many families experience the “tri-lemma” of housing, transportation and childcare insecurity that creates challenges for families, particularly when it comes to social isolation. With our suite of services from Family Resource Centers, Mobility Mentoring, and Home Visiting, we can offer solutions and support to families who are overloaded by this “tri-lemma”. 

• Children’s Wisconsin – Merrill Office – Services

1:11:51-1:12:56 - Luke – Amy, as I see the emotion you are experiencing as you listen to this, can you share what your relationship with Diana means to you?

1:12:57-1:14:12 - Amy – It’s amazing to see how much Diana has accomplished and how she has changed to believe in herself in such a short period of time. We don’t always get to see such big change as our program is short-term – 4-6 months – so she will always be special to me as she let me be part of her journey.

1:14:13-1:16:32 – Luke – A single person can be critical in another person’s life and their ability to change. How might we change our mental models, communities and systems so that families like Diana’s don’t experience social isolation and mental health crises in the first place?

1:16:33-1:18:02 - Micaela – I work to incorporate the voice of our community as parents know what they need and what they don’t. Bringing us all together helps us solve problems more effectively.

1:18:03-1:19:04 - Luke – Reflection on Micaela’s point. What ultimately led to the breakthroughs for Jessika?

1:19:05-1:20:48 - Ayesha – Her support system and safety. As soon as she was in her mother’s home a heavy weight was lifted off her shoulders. She was able to reconnect with family and friends, which brought her light back. Mobility Mentoring allowed her to see what was missing, so that she could set goals and achieve them.

1:20:49-1:20:57 – Luke – Jessika, what were your breakthroughs?

1:20:58-1:21:46 - Jessika – Ayesha telling me the truth and being there for me.

1:21:47-1:22:27 - Luke – Thank you, Jessika and Ayesha.

1:22:28-1:23:07 – Luke – Diana, what do you want to share about your relationship with Amy and how it changed your life?

1:23:08-1:26:28 - Diana – I matured and learned to not take everything so seriously. I used to be more motivated by what others believe about me than what I believe about myself. Amy reminded me that life is short, and that I can forgive myself for not loving myself. This helped me forgive my mother after realizing that she was a victim herself. Maybe I was a better mom than my mom, but maybe she was better than her mom. Maybe my mother was a better daughter than I was. She may have sacrificed a lot to keep me safe by sending me to my grandmother’s. She came in October recently, I asked for her forgiveness for not being a better daughter, for not checking in on her. My children will understand someday that I gave them everything I could. I am grateful to Amy because she’s a strong woman. She helped me so much by believing in me. 

1:26:29-1:28:05 - Luke – Luke translates into English what Diana shared. 

1:28:06-1:28:19 – Amy – Diana, you have always been strong and I’m so proud of you for seeing it.

1:28:20-1:29:04 – Diana – Expresses gratitude. If you are feeling alone or struggling, ask for help. You are not alone. It will be worth it. 

1:29:05-1:30:31 – Luke – Luke translates in English what Diana shared. Closing and Gratitude.

1:30:32-1:32:23 - Luke – 3 Key Takeaways

1:32:24-1:33:52 - Luke – Closing and Gratitude

Join the conversation and connect with us!

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Host: Luke Waldo

Experts:

• Jessika Harlston

:04-:20 – Jessika Harlston - “Everyone needs help in some shape or form. The biggest one, Luke, is the income limit. It shouldn’t matter how much a person is working or how much a person is bringing into the home, if that person needs help, let’s help them.”

:29-4:04 - Luke Waldo – Opening and Welcome

• 60th Anniversary of the War on Poverty
• Economic Opportunity Act
• Head Start
• Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA, now Americorps VISTA)

4:06-4:09 – Jessika – Thank you!

4:10-4:49 - Luke – How do economic challenges overload families with stress, and what do those challenges look like?

4:50-6:45 – Jessika – Jessika is a Financial Employability Planner (FEP). In her role, she helps individuals find employment. Many of her participants haven’t completed their education, so they often don’t have the academic skills. They also don’t have a work history, which makes it difficult to get an interview in the first place. Many also have children in their care that may have special needs or challenges, which makes it difficult for them to get work if they don’t have additional support for their kids. Lastly, some of her participants struggle with mental and physical health challenges, which can make maintaining a job difficult when all these stressors pile up.

• Financial Employability Planner

6:46-7:11 - Luke – What other stressors make it difficult to gain employment?

7:12-10:05 - Jessika – Biggest challenge is homelessness. Housing instability can cause participants to miss appointments as they are worrying about where they will sleep next. Transportation is the second biggest challenge. They often hold appointments by phone to limit the impact of unreliable transportation, but it is a barrier to getting and keeping a job. Childcare is also a challenge as it’s difficult to access, and there is also mistrust. Many participants look for employment that they can do from home so that they can keep their kids home.

10:06-10:30 - Luke – Of those challenges that you just mentioned, which do you find most difficult for families to overcome?

10:31-14:20- Jessika – “They are all difficult to overcome. But I’d have to say homelessness.” Even when participants have Section 8 Housing vouchers, many landlords will not accept the vouchers unless they have 3 months’ rent or income outside of their reach. So many of the other skills such as job skills are dependent on one’s housing stability. 

• Section 8 Housing Vouchers

14:21-17:25 - Luke – We talked with our policy and research expert about the importance of public benefits such as TANF and housing vouchers. How many of your participants are able to access those benefits, and what are the benefits and challenges?

17:26-22:25 - Jessika – Too many resources are not accessible for many people living in poverty. Jessika was homeless, living in her car while she was employed, and attempting to access a job access loan. She was denied the job access loan because she made too much money even though she couldn’t afford a home. To access housing supports, they often need documentation from their landlord who doesn’t provide it because they don’t want to work with government assistance. It leads to people giving up because they work hard to get the assistance they need, and then nobody will allow them to use it.

• Job Access Loans

22:26-25:02 - Luke – The frustration of the benefits cliff. What is often missing in the lives of your participants that makes their experience more challenging?

25:03-28:43 - Jessika – Many participants don’t have their high school education, which means that they have to start with basic education to get their GED. This takes a lot of time, energy and resources. Many don’t have access to the internet, so accessing the courses can be difficult to prepare for this. They also don’t have the social support that they need to overcome some of these challenges. 

• General Education Development (GED)

28:44-30:22 - Luke – What is underlying so many of your participants not having completed their high school education?

30:23-35:48 - Jessika – Incarceration, teen pregnancy, lack of support, hustling. Jessika tells a story of a participant who was incarcerated and had a child when he was a teenager due to growing up in a home where he had to hustle to eat and survive. He is now getting his GED. He is now learning how to care for himself, manage a home, care for his child, and keep a job in his late 20’s. Finding resources for single fathers can be uniquely difficult. 

35:49-37:57 - Luke – What do overloaded families need to achieve economic stability?

37:58-40:21 - Jessika – They want to be heard. They also want to be engaged, supported and held accountable. Goal-setting and achievement are not skills that have been developed previously. Incentives can help, but keeping them engaged through ongoing communication is important. 

40:22-43:02 – Luke – When we experience chronic toxic stress, our executive functioning is impaired and it becomes harder to set and accomplish these goals. How have you used Mobility Mentoring and its tools to support your participants?

• Mobility Mentoring

43:03-47:25 - Jessika – Goal setting was the most important tool. In her case, it allowed her to assess what areas of her life she needed to set goals for. She had stable housing at her mom’s after leaving her abusive relationship, a bachelor’s degree, a stable job, so she wanted to focus on caring for her children and herself. In the case of her participants, she gives them an employability plan that helps them set achievable goals, and then works with them to be accountable to those goals and celebrate them when they achieve them.

47:26-49:38 - Luke – What needs to change that would support families to achieve economic stability?

49:39-50:51- Jessika – Remove income limits that create barriers to accessing public benefits such as housing or childcare assistance. 

• Understanding Benefits Cliffs – Institute for Research on Poverty

49:33-52:42 - Luke – The benefits cliff continues to be too low for too many families. What makes you optimistic?

• Helping People with Low Incomes Navigate Benefit Cliffs

52:43-55:26 - Jessika – Using her story to inspire others to accomplish their goals. Recognizing that we don’t all come from the same foundation, so offering support is critical in helping others achieve their goal. 

55:27-56:53 – Luke – Jessika, what does your life look like today compared to when you were struggling?

56:54-1:01:06 - Jessika – I’m thriving because I have the social support that allows me to care for myself and my children. The stress of an unstable, abusive relationship made everything else so much more difficult. Her home is now safe, stable and peaceful. Her boys are surrounded by good role models and love.

1:01:07-1:02:17 - Luke – Closing and Gratitude

1:02:18-1:02:20 – Jessika – Thank you

1:02:23-1:04:09 - Luke – 3 Key Takeaways

1:04:10-1:05:41 - Luke – Closing Credits

Join the conversation and connect with us!

• Visit our podcast page on our ICFW website to learn more about the experts you hear in this series.
• Subscribe, rate our show and leave feedback in the comments section.
• Sign up for our Strong Families, Thriving Children, Connected Communities initiative and our quarterly newsletter.
• Follow the Institute for Child and Family Well-being on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Host: Luke Waldo

Experts:

• Jermaine Reed – Executive Director – Fresh Start Family Services

:00-:36 - Jermaine Reed - “If we were talking about 53% of White children coming to the attention of the child welfare system, 65-67% of our White children being in our local child welfare system, something would change. There would be a transformation. All hands on deck.”

:37-5:44 – Luke Waldo – Jermaine Reed’s bio and Welcome

• Color of Child Welfare Conference
• Why End Mandated Reporting? – Dorothy Roberts

5:45-5:59 – Jermaine – Greetings 

6:00-6:52 - Luke – Gratitude and recognition for Jermaine’s commitment to Milwaukee and Black children and families through the Color of Child Welfare and his agency. What did you hope to inspire and accomplish with the Color of Child Welfare conference?

6:53-9:51 - Jermaine – We needed a platform locally and nationally to explore the many issues that Black children and families experience, especially as they relate to child welfare. Impact others across the country by promoting reflection on these issues. 

9:52-11:16 - Luke – What is the evidence telling us about what is causing the disproportionality in our child welfare system?

11:17-12:59 - Jermaine – Administration for Children and Families acknowledged that racial discrimination exists in our child welfare system in 2021 due to bad policy and systemic racism, which lead to over-representation of Black families in our child welfare system. We must rid ourselves of policies and practices that allow or promote structural racism.

• Addressing Disproportionality, Disparity, and Equity Throughout Child Welfare –Children’s Bureau

13:00-13:40 - Luke – How might we address disproportionality to achieve equity?

13:41-18:53 - Jermaine – It will require a paradigm shift. We must humanize Black people, so that our workforce and our systems understand that Black families can care for their children. The US has a history of profiting on separation of Black families. We can’t fix a system that is not broken. We have to be brutally honest about the fact that child welfare has not produced good outcomes for Black children and families. “The ACF would not be investing $30 billion into programs that are not producing the results that it intended.” 

• Torn Apart- Dorothy Roberts

18:54-21:03 - Luke – Jermaine, you don’t need to apologize for your passion. Will mental models shift, will we achieve greater equity by addressing disproportionality through Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts that increase diversity and inclusion in our workforce?

21:04-26:34 - Jermaine – It is important that Black people are visible and present, and sitting at the tables in our systems. But it’s more important that the right Black people are at the table, so we avoid tokenism that simply advances the predominant ideology of White supremacy. There have been Black leaders who have perpetuated the harm of these systems because they were an extension of it. Having a Black person on your board or in leadership does not necessarily mean that they are committed to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Fresh Start Today was the first and only talk show that focused on child welfare and Black families. And yet, Fresh Start Today, Color of Child Welfare Conference, and Fresh Start Family Services did not receive funding or support from state or local agencies that were led by Black leaders. “I don’t want to confuse position with power.” I want to see allyship that humanize Black children and families.

• Fresh Start Today

26:35-28:13 - Luke – If we are to achieve our goal of SFTCCC, we will have to significantly reduce the number of Black families that come into our child welfare system. Where have you seen change that makes you believe that your vision that you laid out can be achieved?

28:14-32:26- Jermaine – I haven’t seen any meaningful changes. Black children and families still have dismal outcomes in the child welfare system. Black children are being placed all over the state rather than with family. Black children are aging out of the system and are faring worse than other children that age out. Still seeing Black children being abused in the system. Black men are invisible in the system. Fatherhood initiatives have been going on for 20-30 years, but very little has changed. At around 31:50, Jermaine pauses and shares that this is hard, painful, and traumatizing because of his own experience as a Black man.

32:27-33:36 - Luke – What inspires the fight and gives you hope that motivates you to host Color of Child Welfare? 

33:27-38:24 - Jermaine – In August 2022, UN calls for US action to address racial injustice in child welfare system. “If we were talking about 53% of White children coming to the attention of the child welfare system, 65-67% of our White children being in our local child welfare system, something would change. There would be a transformation. All hands on deck.” “Black families are valuable. Black families are capable.” Resources have been denied. Access has been restricted. Divestment in our communities. Disproportionality would go away if Black families access to economic and social resources was the same as White families. 

• United Nations Committee on Elimination of Racial Discrimination
• UN CALLS FOR US ACTION TO ADDRESS RACIAL INJUSTICE IN CHILD WELFARE SYSTEM

38:25-40:59 - Luke – I hope that this platform will not only amplify the voices that have often been silenced, but that it will also lead to change in mental models that have perpetuated disproportionality. What do you believe the role of mandated reporting is? 

41:00-45:57 - Jermaine - Mandated reporting is the main artery of the child welfare system. What it is and what it should are not the same thing. It is not evidence-based, nor does it show that it protects children. It is not an evidence-based policy or practice. It discourages our families from seeking support from social workers, teachers, and doctors because they know that they are mandated reporters. We may keep our sick kids at home rather than take them to the doctor. 30% of children in our system have a parent that is struggling with addiction, and yet they are expected to overcome their addiction in 15 months. It’s not realistic.

45:58-47:23 - Luke – The mandated reporting process discourages overloaded families from engaging with supportive systems that could help them overcome their challenges. What do we need to do to change that reality? Differential response?

47:24-52:15 - Jermaine – CAPTA requires that we define neglect, and yet we don’t have a national definition. Wisconsin’s definition excludes poverty as a reason for removal. Our definition includes the inability to provide for our children. Inability should be removed as many Black families don’t have the resources that make them able to provide for their children. If parents refuse to care for their children, then the system may intervene. “We are criminalizing poverty.” Trauma-induced care.How do we create good policy that eliminates racism? Racism cannot be embedded in the law. Screening tools and the screeners don’t bring experience with having been investigated or surveilled by the system.

52:16-54:37 - Luke – Remove “inability” from the neglect definition, which means that we need to address the fact that our systems have failed in empowering families to be able to care for their children. How might we create a collaborative approach to address the deficits that families experience due to lack of access to supports and resources? How do you see the current state of our collaboration of our systems to support overloaded families? What are the barriers?

54:38-58:56 - Jermaine – Dr. Joy DeGruy says “It’s the secrets that make us sick.” We need to be honest about the state of our collaboration. We need to have a paradigm shift after recognizing that some organizations have profited off the separation of Black families. We can’t collaborate if we don’t agree that Black families are valuable, that they can care for themselves. We have to also recognize that “help is not always help.” In 2016, 2017, we covered the expense of families that had been involved in child welfare so that they could attend the Color of Child Welfare conference. That’s collaboration.

• Joy DeGruy – “It’s the secrets that make us sick.”

58:57-1:01:35 - Luke – What do you believe authentic community collaboration would look like? 

1:01:36-1:05:39 - Jermaine – I believe many of the right partners are already at the table. Housing Authority, Legal Aid Society, mental health partners, etc. are there. How do we strike a balance between paid folks and community members? How do we fund that so community members can show up? We have a lot of great people at the table, now we need to define what we are trying to accomplish together. How do we hold our organizations and systems accountable? “If we aren’t willing to work ourselves out of a job in child welfare, then we shouldn’t be in this space.” 

1:05:40-1:06:36 - Luke – What might a mandated reporting to mandated supporting shift look like?

1:06:37-1:11:18 - Jermaine – We need to train assessors and reporters differently, and provide them with different tools. We need to address the resource deficits. We need to change the definitions of abuse and neglect so that reporters have what they need to support families. 70% of reports made are unfounded, but the damage has already been done. We need to work with schools and law enforcement so that reports are made appropriately. Joseph Reed is a double-amputee, but had an allegation against him that he kicked his daughter. His daughter was removed from his care. “Impossible.” Unnecessary trauma. We need to give money and resources to families so that they can care for themselves and families. 

1:11:19-1:14:28 - Luke – The data illustrates the impact that a report can have on families.

1:14:29-1:17:39 - Jermaine – “I have never met a rich kid in foster care. Why does that not happen? Mental health, domestic violence, substance abuse occur in rich families. Why do they not enter the child welfare system? Because poverty is not an issue. I’m concerned about ASFA as it has led to the termination of parental rights. Families First Prevention Services Act may lead to more families in the child welfare system as they will be working with mandated reporters, so changes in reporting standards need to change.

1:17:40-1:18:39 - Luke – Language informs our behaviors, so language in our policies matter. What makes you optimistic about the future of this work?

1:18:40-1:20:47 - Jermaine – I’m optimistic about conversations like this with the Institute and Children’s as you have influence and power to drive us towards equity and fairness. 

1:20:48-1:21:13 – Luke – Closing Statement

1:21:14-1:21:18 – Luke and Jermaine – Thank you and goodbye

1:21:19-1:23:33 - Luke – 3 Key Takeaways

1:23:34-1:25:02 - Luke - Gratitude and Closing Credits

Join the conversation and connect with us!

• Visit our podcast page on our ICFW website to learn more about the experts you hear in this series.
• Subscribe, rate our show and leave feedback in the comments section.
• Sign up for our Strong Families, Thriving Children, Connected Communities initiative and our quarterly newsletter.
• Follow the Institute for Child and Family Well-being on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Host: Luke Waldo

Experts:

• Tim Grove – Wellpoint Care Network

:00-:33 – Tim Grove - “If we don’t fundamentally address equity, we can do all the trauma-informed care work we want quite frankly, and it probably is going to be the equivalent of making somebody feel a little bit better at the moment, but they know the world that they are going to step into when they leave the clinician’s office, or when they leave the case manager’s office is going to be full of threat and oppression. So Joy DeGruy says it quite beautifully, “Stop the oppression.” 

:42-4:48 – Luke Waldo – Opening and Introduction to Tim Grove

4:53-5:16 - Luke Waldo – What are the biggest challenges facing our workforce today?

5:17-11:09 – Tim Grove – Unpacking the stress of the past 3-4 years has to be in the top 5 list. There was already a developing mental health crisis before the pandemic. If kids are our canary in the coal mine, then it has been clear for a while that. “Trauma is to mental health as smoking is to cancer.” A case manager, a child welfare worker has great exposure to trauma in their work. Families are impacted when they are reassigned to new case managers when their case manager leaves. 

• The Age of Trauma (The Age of Syndemics) – Harvard Public Health

11:10-12:09 - Luke – What is moral injury, and how does it impact our workforce?

12:10-17:08 - Tim – Veterans of war have taught us so much about trauma and moral injury. Moral injury occurs when you are in a situation that compels you to complete an action that conflicts with your moral beliefs. In the case of child welfare, it may occur when a case manager has to separate siblings due to a shortage of placements. 

• Moral Injury – National Center for PTSD

17:09-19:42 - Luke – How do we understand and approach our workforce’s lived experience, particularly their own adversity, and how do we support and empower our workforce with what we know now?

19:43-25:08 - Tim – What do we mean by lived experience? Developing a shared definition could be a good place to start. How do we leverage different levels of expertise from different experiences? 

25:09-27:04 - Luke – How do we identify lived expertise so that they can lean more fully into what they know and are passion about? How does bias contribute to the disproportionality in our child welfare system? 

27:05-31:08 - Tim – Trauma can lead to a survival response that leads to bias towards detecting that which causes fear and then avoiding it. If we pair the fear-based bias with race-based biases that exist, we justify our reactions to situations like interpreting a Black father’s loud response to a question as threatening.

31:09-33:20 - Luke – How might the lived experience of our community and workforce inform our child welfare workforce to better support overloaded families and keep them together?

33:21-39:47 - Tim – Parent Partners. We serve 1000 kids, and have 1 Parent Partner. At Wellpoint, we have achieved representation that mirrors the community that we serve. That said, it doesn’t always mean that a Black family is going to be served by a Black case manager. This will require that we have greater cross-cultural understanding. 

39:48-41:31 - Luke – How has increased representation in your workforce changed your culture and the outcomes for children and families?

41:32-49:44 – Tim - You can’t talk about trauma-informed care without talking about intergenerational and historical trauma. This pushed me to “do the work”. It struck me when a Black woman came to me during an ACEs workshop to tell me that her community had experience adversity for generations, but nobody paid attention until the adversity was experienced by middle class White people. 

• Joy DeGruy

49:45-50:19 – Luke – What are some of the pitfalls that lead to DEI failing?

50:20-54:37 - Tim – When opportunities come up to “stay in the room” to understand and confront the oppression that has occurred, too often people step out. 

54:38-55:55 - Luke – What policy, practice and mental model changes need to occur to improve outcomes for our workforce and overloaded families?

55:56-1:01:16 - Tim – To manage caregiver capacity, we need to do less while creating more meaning. 60-hour trauma-informed care deep dive. We are asking more while offering more meaningful opportunities to engage their families. “What are we going to do with the guardians?” The guardians are struggling right now, so we need to make some big decisions on how we allocate our resources. 

1:01:17-1:03:25 - Luke – Stay interviews in Family Support. What is giving our workforce meaning?

1:03:26-1:07:38 - Tim – No bullshit. They want authenticity in their workplace, which includes being honest about the reality and complexity of our work.

1:07:39-1:08:16 - Luke – What makes you optimistic about this work?

1:08:17-1:11:33 - Tim – I have many moments of worry, but I am optimistic because humans have always rallied to overcome our shared challenges. Many of the strategies to overcome these challenges will likely come from the communities that have historically been oppressed. We have also found innovative ways to confront challenges throughout our history as we will need to in cases of our mental health and climate crisis.

1:11:34-1:12:23 – Luke – What book or author has shaped your thinking?

1:12:24-1:13:03 – Tim – What Happened to You? – Dr. Bruce Perry and Oprah Winfrey

1:13:04-1:13:21 – Luke – Gratitude

1:13:22-1:14:44 - Luke – 3 Key Takeaways

1:14:45-1:16:12 - Luke – Closing and Gratitude

Join the conversation and connect with us!

• Visit our podcast page on our ICFW website to learn more about the experts you hear in this series.
• Subscribe, rate our show and leave feedback in the comments section.
• Sign up for our Strong Families, Thriving Children, Connected Communities initiative and our quarterly newsletter.
• Follow the Institute for Child and Family Well-being on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Host: Luke Waldo

Experts:

• Rebecca Murray – Executive Director, Wisconsin’s Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board (CANPB)
• Linda Hall – Director, Wisconsin’s Office for Children’s Mental Health (OCMH)

:00-:32 – Rebecca Murray – “When there is stability, financial stability, economic stability in the household, the stress on parents is so much lower that, most of the time, organic social connections happen for them. Right? Because when they are parenting, more than likely, their kids are at school, they’re at childcare, their after-school program, so there are natural settings where they will connect with other parents.”

:33-6:23 – Luke Waldo – Introduction to Social Isolation and Social Connectedness, and Rebecca Murray and Linda Hall.

• Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Social Isolation: The US Surgeon’s Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community
• Five for Families
• Five Categories of Social Connectedness of Youth
• Family Resource Centers

6:24-9:47 – Rebecca Murray – Social connections are one of five protective factors, which are central to strengthening families and healthy child development. 

• Protective Factors Framework – Center for the Study of Social Policy

9:48-9:52 – Luke – Same question for Linda.

9:53-14:49 – Linda Hall – While OCMH’s focus is on children, they know that everything that happens to children happens within the context of family. Using a Collective Impact framework, they asked what would have the greatest impact on children’s mental health; social connectedness was the answer.

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Social Connectedness

14:50-16:11 – Luke – Acknowledging OCMH and CANPB’s work to elevate and integrate the voice of lived experience.

16:12-17:01 - Luke – What does social isolation look like? How does it contribute to the overload of stress on families?

17:02-18:51 – Rebecca – Social isolation can occur in rural and urban settings. It doesn’t discriminate. What’s available to us in our communities?

18:52-20:36 - Linda – Structural issues get in the way. They may not be able to access healthcare to treat their concerns. Data shows that 34% of families in Wisconsin right now can’t manage a “survival” budget, and poverty causes families to become overloaded by stress.

20:37-22:33 – Rebecca – Family Resource Centers can provide some financial supports to families to be able to overcome those challenges. Children watch and learn from their parents, so supporting their parents’ knowledge and development is important. Parent Cafés can provide a more organic approach to this.

• Parent Cafés

22:34-24:06 - Linda – School mental health. 75% of all children who are receiving mental health services get it through their school. We have over 300 schools with a youth-led mental health program. 

• School Mental Health

24:07-25:46 - Luke – What are the underlying root causes of social isolation?

25:47-26:43 - Linda – Trust deficits lead to disengagement with systems like our schools, mental health services, etc. Children then follow their parents’ behavior and become more isolated from those services that might support them.

26:44-28:26 - Rebecca – The Working poor have less time to engage with organic social connections like after-school activities with their children. We also have a cultural norm in this country of not asking for help.

28:27-30:55 - Linda – We need a “before stage 4 mental health system” to support the mental well-being of our children and families before it becomes a crisis. 

• The B4Stage4 Philosophy – Mental Health America
• Families and Schools Together (FAST)

30:56-31:58 - Rebecca – CANPB funds FAST, which has adapted its program to meet new needs.

31:59-36:56 - Luke – Story about Child Witness and creating safe and supportive spaces through breaking bread with family and friends.

36:57-37:18 - Linda – Social isolation is not a choice.

37:19-37:43 - Rebecca – Social isolation does not discriminate. 

37:44-38:54 - Linda – Social isolation vs. loneliness. How people respond to social isolation varies widely depending on what they’ve learned.

• Coalition to End Social Isolation and Loneliness

38:55-39:41 - Luke – How does social connectedness empower families and reduce the risk of child neglect?

39:42-42:44 - Rebecca –Universal family support. Parent Cafes that are built around Protective Factors. Break bread together, provide child activities, and create an environment where it is parent-led.

42:45-43:46 - Linda – Building parents’ confidence and trust can translate to their support of their children’s needs and services.

43:47-46:29 - Luke – Building trust. How might we strengthen families through the promotion of social connectedness?

46:30-47:31 - Linda – Pandemic-era economic programs kept 52 million people out of poverty, so we can’t ignore the importance of economic stability for social connectedness.

• “Government’s Pandemic Response Turned a Would-Be Poverty Surge Into a Record Poverty Decline” – Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

47:32-48:19 - Luke – Economic stability is another Critical Pathway.

• Economic Stability Critical Pathway

48:20-50:41 - Rebecca – Economic stability leads to organic social connections. Engage parents to understand what they need to be able to participate in their community.

50:42-52:10 - Linda – Unstable housing creates a lot of stress on children and families. Peer support makes a difference in achieving wellness. Paid peer support positions can help with transitions from school to home.

52:11-53:16 - Rebecca – We need to take a hard look at where we invest our tax dollars. Investing in children and families is an investment in our future. 

53:17-54:27 - Luke – How do we overcome the barriers that impede social connectedness?

54:28-56:05 - Linda – Governor Evers proposed $280 million for school mental health, but only $10 million was approved by the legislature. We need to invest in our mental health like we do in our physical health.

• School-Based Mental Health State Funding
• What’s next for the ‘Year of Mental Health?’ – Cap Times

56:06-57:22 - Rebecca – We are the only developed nation without universal paid family leave. We need to talk about this as an investment.

57:23-1:01:27 - Luke – Our messaging around destigmatization has been successful, which has led to more people normalizing mental healthcare, which has led to greater demands on the system. What makes you optimistic about the future of this work?

1:01:28-1:04:42 - Linda – Supporting adults. How do we increase opportunities to create a sense of belonging for youth through community activities? Trusted peer relationships for teens make the biggest difference and last longest, so we need to build off the skills that they learn from their parents to develop healthy relationships. Young people are openly seeking support, and are telling us what they need.

1:04:43-1:05:52 - Rebecca – Collaborations like this where we come together to leverage each other’s strengths. Family Resource Centers can provide that space for greater collaboration.

1:05:53-1:06:26 - Linda – Social connectedness is a priority.

1:06:27-1:07:06 - Luke – What author or book has shaped your thinking?

1:07:07-1:07:32 - Rebecca – Book recommendations.

• The Parent Trap: How to Stop Overloading Parents and Fix Our Inequality Crisis, Nate Hilger;
• Poverty, by America, Matthew Desmond

1:07:33-1:08:59 - Linda – Book recommendations.

• Bread and Spirit: Therapy with the New Poor: Diversity of Race, Culture and Values, Harry Aponte

1:09:00-1:10:09 – Closing Thoughts and Gratitude

1:10:10-1:12:13 - Luke - 3 Key Takeaways

1:12:14-1:13:44 – Luke – Closing Credits

Join the conversation and connect with us!

• Visit our podcast page on our ICFW website to learn more about the experts you hear in this series.
• Subscribe, rate our show and leave feedback in the comments section.
• Sign up for our Strong Families, Thriving Children, Connected Communities initiative and our quarterly newsletter.
• Follow the Institute for Child and Family Well-being on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Host: Luke Waldo 

Experts: Clare Anderson – Senior Policy Fellow – Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago

:00-:19 – Clare Anderson – “When families have access to sufficient economic and concrete supports through a variety of mechanisms, the risk for involvement with child welfare goes down.” 

:20-5:10 – Luke Waldo – Introduction to Economic Stability and Clare Anderson 

• Family and Child Well-being System: Economic and Concrete Supports as a Core Component – Clare Anderson et al – Chapin Hall
• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
• The Role of TANF in Economic Stability and Family Well-being and Child Safety - Clare Anderson et al – Chapin Hall

5:11-5:41 – Clare Anderson – Opening statement and gratitude.

5:42-6:22 – Luke – How has your work evolved from one of child and family well-being through a trauma and evidence-based intervention focus to an economic and concrete supports focus?

6:23-8:59– Clare – Early experience as a social worker in a hospital to the Obama administration in the Administration for Children, Youth, and Families (ACYF), from clinical work to more upstream macro and policy work, there has always been a need to follow the evidence. The evidence has evolved over time, so Clare’s thinking has followed it.

• ACYF Well-being Framework

9:00-9:27 – Luke – What did the evidence from the past few years around economic and concrete supports tell you about its intersection with child neglect?

9:28-11:55 - Clare – A few studies on living wage and child welfare involvement, Medicaid and child welfare involvement made her stop and think, “Really?” This led to the research that has been around for decades that show a strong correlation between access to economic and concrete supports and a reduction in child welfare involvement, and conversely, sudden economic shock like job loss and an increase in child welfare involvement.

11:56-12:35 – Luke – What are the underlying root causes of neglect?

12:36-15:19 - Clare – The evidence shows us that economic and concrete supports have an impact on child abuse and neglect. The lack of those supports create stressors at the individual, family, community and societal level. When we move from a Family Stress Model to a Family Investment Model, we create the bandwidth for caregivers to nurture and meet the basic needs of their children.

• Family Stress Model – National Institutes of Health 
• Family Investment Model – National Institutes of Health
• System Transformation to Support Child & Family Well-Being: The Central Role of Economic & Concrete Supports – Chapin Hall Policy Brief

15:20-16:26 – Luke – Why do families that have economic stability not show up in the child welfare system?

16:27-20:21 - Clare – “Volatility on the edge of scarcity creates additional risk.” When you can buffer those risks through economic stability, then child maltreatment is less likely. Disparities between White and Black families - $180,000 and $24,000 net worth – are still disturbing. 

We have mental models in this country that lead many to ignore the reality that many working families are susceptible to economic shock like the loss of a job, no access to paid family leave after the birth of a child, or a healthcare crisis that may lead to poverty. 

20:22-21:05 - Luke – What are the benefits and risks of economic programs such as Women, Infant, and Children (WIC), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid?

21:06-24:29 - Clare – Medicaid expansion in states led to a reduction in child welfare involvement, especially screened-in reports for children under the age of 6. Conversely, they increased in states where Medicaid was not expanded. States with more generous SNAP and WIC benefits saw fewer reports, substantiations and family separation. 

• Family and Child Well-being System: Economic and Concrete Supports as a Core Component – Clare Anderson et al – Chapin Hall

24:30-25:18 - Luke – Do these programs see themselves as part of the child maltreatment prevention system?

25:19-29:03 - Clare – If they are successful, then they keep the most intrusive systems from entering families’ lives. DHHS has convened a learning community of TANF and child welfare leaders to explore these questions. States are expanding Medicaid which prioritizes Social Determinants of Health to be able to pay for things like housing, food, and transportation. We can push out a lot more research that helps us reorient our approach to getting families what they need where they need it.

• “Families Are Stronger Together: TANF & Child Welfare Partnering for Prevention Learning Community (FAST-LC)”

29:04-29:36 - Luke – This information hopefully provides a roadmap for our state as to how we can bring system actors together to support families more effectively.

29:37-30:57 - Clare – We now have different language and thinking within child welfare that might advance new partnerships that inspire accountability to and responsibility for prevention.

30:58-33:12 - Luke – What are the challenges facing families when it comes to accessing these economic and concrete supports?

• Matthew Desmond – Evicted and Poverty, By America

33:13-35:19 - Clare – How might our systems take more responsibility to make things more accessible, remove barriers, and collaborate more effectively with other systems to ensure eligible families receive what they need?

35:20-37:43 - Luke – Story about Washington’s new law and how it leads to systems coordination questions as to how we ensure overloaded families are receiving the support that is available to them.

• Washington’s Keeping Families Together Act

37:44-38:24 - Luke – How might we more effectively translate the research and evidence that you’ve shared today into practical strategies?

38:25-44:37 - Clare –We need a whole different operationalization of our systems collaboration than we’ve had in the past. Are we assessing families for the right things like the potential of economic shock? “Five or six years ago, I was not animated by universal childcare policy. I am now.” 

Before CAPTA, the Comprehensive Child Development Act was vetoed which would have provided universal childcare to families. Policy was then influenced by the Battered Child Syndrome approach to our work, which led to a more intrusive child welfare system. Narrow our definitions of neglect and invest in differential response approaches such as Vermont.

• Comprehensive Child Development Act
• Child Abuse and Prevention Treatment Act (CAPTA)
• “The U.S. Almost Had Universal Childcare 50 Years Ago. The Same Attacks Might Kill It Today” – Time Magazine

44:38-46:17 - Luke – What are the policies and practices that show the most promise for keeping families together?

46:18-48:32 - Clare – Childcare, housing, access to healthcare and continuity in benefits, tax credits that create buffers, and reducing employment volatility all support families. States need to use data effectively to inform their strategies specific to their families’ needs and local context. 

48:33-48:47 - Luke – What makes you optimistic about the future of this work?

48:48-50:45 - Clare – “I am extraordinarily optimistic.” Systems, states, organizations, and communities are as animated by this shift in thinking as I am, and we are already seeing real progress being made. We are seeing shifts towards Mandated Supporters rather than Mandated Reporters with an understanding that support requires concrete solutions rather than nebulous responses. 

50:46-52:39 - Luke – Gratitude and Closing

52:40-53:14 - Clare – Gratitude for all the researchers and families that have led to this conversation and shift in thinking.

53:15-53:19 – Luke – Final Gratitude

53:33-55:10 - Luke – 3 Key Takeaways

55:11-56:38 – Luke – Closing Credits

Join the conversation and connect with us!

• Visit our podcast page on our ICFW website to learn more about the experts you hear in this series.
• Subscribe, rate our show and leave feedback in the comments section.
• Sign up for our Strong Families, Thriving Children, Connected Communities initiative and our quarterly newsletter.
• Follow the Institute for Child and Family Well-being on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

ICFW Podcast - Overloaded: Understanding Neglect – Season 2

Show Notes: Catalyzing Community Change - Episode 2 - with Liz Weaver and Mark Cabaj

Today’s episode included the following speakers (in the order they appear):

Host: Luke Waldo

Experts:

• Liz Weaver – Co-CEO, Tamarack Institute
• Mark Cabaj – Founder and President, Here to There

:00-:08 – Mark Cabaj – “Programmatic interventions help people beat the odds. Systemic interventions change their odds.”

:09-5:17 – Luke Waldo – Introduction to Collective Impact and Field Catalyst 

• Winning the War on Poverty
• Vibrant Communities Ending Poverty

5:18-6:27 – Liz Weaver – Community is at the center of everything in my career.

• Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction

6:28-8:02 – Mark Cabaj – “Programmatic interventions help people beat the odds. Systemic interventions change their odds.”

• Sustainable Livelihoods Framework

8:03-8:53 – Luke – What role does Tamarack play in an initiative like Vibrant Communities Ending Poverty?

8:54-12:49 – Liz – Collective Impact: Context matters. Relationships and ambition within communities to make changes to complex problems like poverty matter. Developed a learning community within 12 communities. Process of reflection to develop a poverty matrix to understand the depth and experience of those living in poverty in a learning community.

• Opportunities 2000
• Building Youth Futures
• Climate Transitions

12:50-13:43 - Luke – Taking lessons learned and frameworks from previous efforts like Vibrant Communities Ending Poverty to drive new efforts to address complex issues like climate change. What role does Here to There play in community change efforts?

13:44-17:57 – Mark – Why is clear, but how is not. Scaling. How do we take all this complexity and put it into a 10-year plan? 

“Plan the work, then work the plan.” Learning by doing. Align distinct actors. 

Michael Quinn Patton: “Traditional evaluation can be the enemy of social innovation and change.” Introduced us to Developmental Evaluation, real-time feedback to affirm your direction or change it.

• Developmental Evaluation - Michael Quinn Patton

17:58-19:06 - Luke – Putting a pin in the Developmental Evaluation conversation to revisit the challenge of meeting the urgency of the moment while also being able to take the time to evaluate what is working and what is not. 

19:07-20:53 - Luke – How do we translate Collective Impact 2.0 and Lived Experience into more approachable language?

20:54-28:56 - Liz – How do we engage the people that are closest to the problems, and authentically hear the barriers and systems they have to navigate? In the Hamilton roundtable, they learned that for anyone receiving financial benefits, there were “982 rules that regulated your life.” “That’s a lot of rules to get a little money.” 

Communities Building Youth Futures – Youth-led movement still requires strong allies who ask themselves how they are part of the problem and how they can be part of the solution. No blame, all accountable standard. Lived Experience Equity - 50% table of Lived Experience, 50% allies.

• Collective Impact – FSG
• Communities Building Youth Futures
• Collective Impact 3.0

28:57-30:24 Luke – To address the power imbalance, we must aspire to power balance. Story about not building capacity for Lived Experience partner, giving them the language to effectively participate in the process. Balance is not achieved solely by having the same number of people at the table.

30:25-31:26 - Liz – Build Lived Experience capacity, compensate them, and create opportunities to build relationships outside of the project itself. How might we change?

31:27-31:32 – Luke – Anything to add, Mark?

31:33-34:38 - Mark – Collective Impact. It’s often a How problem. 

1. Those most affected, know the most about it. 

2. Ownership to create allies. 

3. Nothing about us, without us. 

Saul Alinsky. Human-Centered Design.

• “Nothing about us, without us”
• The History of Saul Alinsky’s Community Organizing approach

34:39-35:20 – Luke – Human-Centered Design led us to the Tamarack Community Change Festival. The ICFW initially learned from IDEO, George Aye, and the Greater Good Studio.

• Tamarack Community Change Festival
• IDEO
• George Aye
• Greater Good Studio

35:21-37:44 - Mark – Why is it important to be participatory in an authentic way to address issues of power? Participatory evaluation. Ripple effect mapping. “Practices have to be developed to meet the unique context” of our communities.

• Evaluating Collective Impact: 5 Simple Rules
• Ripple Effect Mapping

37:45-38:03 – Luke – Does “Nothing about us, without us” sound as good in Polish?

38:04-38:43 - Mark and Luke – Back and forth on the Polish translation.

• History of “Nothing about us, without us”

38:44-40:06 - Luke – How do you define Critical Pathways, and why are they important in community change efforts?

40:07-43:45 – Liz – Critical Pathways. Access to affordable transportation in Calgary, which led to the provision of public transportation passes to low-income individuals. Each community picks the Critical Pathways that are most relevant and pressing for their community. For example, one community might prioritize affordable transportation while another focuses on affordable housing.

43:46-48:14 – Mark - What are we trying to achieve, and how can we make it explicit? What does winning mean? What is our pathway in getting there? 

Pathway to employment case study, which utilized the iterative process of human-centered design. Solving one systemic problem can reveal new problems.

• The Infinite Game - Simon Sinek

48:15-51:31 - Mark – Solving one systemic problem can reveal new problems. Zoom in, zoom out. 

• Cities Reducing Poverty - Homeless day laborer pathway (Page 65)

51:32-53:06 - Luke – What is a field catalyst?

• How Field Catalysts Accelerate Collective Impact

53:07-53:53 – Liz – Introduces Mark’s work behind the idea of field catalysts and Tamarack 2030 plan.

53:54-56:12 - Mark – Field catalyst serves as an intermediary to move a field along from front-line work to collective impact efforts, from public awareness, to practice building, and advocacy.

56:13-59:27 - Liz - Field catalyst. How do you support the work evolution that is happening on the ground while also bringing that work up into the system? 

How do you bring awareness to the system what is working and not working on the ground? This is how my work connects to the systems-level work. Making sense of the patterns to increase and accelerate impact.

• Bridgespan Group – Equitable Systems Change: Funding Field Catalyst From Origins to Revolutionizing the World

59:28-1:01-48 – Luke – Reaction to Mark and Liz’s field catalyst comments. What are the challenges to community change?

1:01:49-1:05:36 - Mark – When working on systems change, the best we can hope for is maybe. Most systems' challenges are uncertain, complex problems like raising a kid. Normalize challenges and failures. Challenges or failures might be rooted in scope by trying to accomplish too much without the capacity, and/or lack of buy-in from communities as leadership comes from the outside and lacks trust.

“It’s a vocation, community change, not a recipe.” 

• Getting to Maybe: How the World Is Changed
• Caledon Institute of Social Policy

1:05:37-1:08:53 – Liz – If we aren’t stopping to learn after each failure or success, we are missing out on an opportunity for future improvement.

• Ecocycle Planning
• Scarcity Trap

1:08:54-1:09:35 – Luke – What are the key strategies or core principles of community change?

1:09:36-1:11:25 - Liz – Adapt a set of principles and tools to your context. Readiness. How deep you dive into the complexity of the challenge. Approach. Co-design.

1:11:26-1:13:42 - Mark – Self-care. We are in a systems transition, so we need to take care of ourselves, do the best we can, and hand off the baton to those who come after us.

1:13:43-1:16:37 – Luke – Closing thoughts and 3 Key Takeaways

1:16:38-1:17:34 – Gratitude and closing credits.

Join the conversation and connect with us!

• Visit our podcast page on our ICFW website to learn more about the experts you hear in this series.
• Subscribe, rate our show and leave feedback in the comments section.
• Sign up for our Strong Families, Thriving Children, Connected Communities initiative and our quarterly newsletter.
• Follow the Institute for Child and Family Well-being on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Overloaded: Understanding Neglect – Season 2

Show Notes: Episode 1 – Understanding the Critical Pathways with the ICFW Team

Today’s episode included the following speakers (in the order they appear):

Host: Luke Waldo

Experts:

• Gabe McGaughey
• Meghan Christian
• Megan Frederick-Usoh 
• Leah Cerwin

:00-2:25 – Luke Waldo – Opening Credits and Introduction

2:26-2:45 – Luke and Gabe McGaughey Opening 

2:46-2:58 - Luke – Why do you believe that we need an approach like Strong Families, Thriving Children, Connected Communities (SFTCCC) right now to address neglect?

2:59-3:35 – Gabe – Neglect has remained stubbornly persistent as the primary reason for family separations into the child welfare system, and accounts for around 70% of all child removals in Wisconsin and nationally.

3:36-3:39 - Luke – Can you talk more about how neglect is a complex challenge?

3:40-4:29 – Gabe – Neglect’s complexity illustrated by unstable housing. “Are there things we can learn from efforts in different communities that could be generalized into policy or systems change?” 

4:30-4:35 - Luke - How would you describe SFTCCC? How are you hoping it works?  

4:36-5:15 - Gabe - “In many ways, SFTCCC is about preaching to the choir, but we want to get the choir to sing the same song, on time, and in tune to support lasting change.” 

Prevention efforts across the state aren’t a highly structured, connected, or funded effort like Child Protective Services. 

We want to create a network of changemakers that can connect their efforts and communities to others doing similar work across the state. 

Creating a network of prevention efforts provides the opportunity to cultivate not only lessons learned and new ideas, but policy recommendations generated with the people working closest with these families, and the families themselves. 

5:16-5:20 - Luke – How does SFTCCC line up with other state efforts?

5:21-5:52 - Gabe - There are several high-quality efforts focused on prevention policy, and we want to help connect and elevate those efforts. 

This is a 5-10 year objective that will require focus and longevity.

5:53-6:12 - Luke - What have we learned so far in SFTCCC?

6:13-7:35 - Gabe - People serving families overloaded by stress are working hard, but also see the challenges play out every day. People believe that preventing neglect is possible, and they want to come together to talk about the challenges, and possible solutions, they’re facing. 

One of the biggest lessons learned is getting other people to think differently about families who are overloaded by stress. How do we start to tell stories differently that help shift mindsets that are barriers to lasting change?

7:36-7:48 – Luke – What is the Economic Stability Critical Pathway, and why is it critical in helping us achieve our objective?

7:49-9:39 - Gabe – Introducing Economic Stability Critical Pathway

• Economic Stability Critical Pathway

9:40-10:05 - Luke – What systems, organizational, and community partners have we identified and engaged as critical to this pathway? Who do we still hope to identify and engage?

10:06-13:26 - Gabe – Workforce Development Boards, TANF providers, and other partners who haven’t always seen themselves as child maltreatment prevention professionals. We are working to engage housing and anti-poverty partners. Relationship-building will be critical. Poverty-informed care through models like Mobility Mentoring.

• Mobility Mentoring

13:27-13:53 - Luke – Introduction to Meghan and Social Connectedness Critical Pathway

13:54-18:56 – Meghan Christian – Impacts of social isolation and social connectedness on how we care for ourselves and families. 

• Social Connectedness Critical Pathway

18:57-19:24 – Luke - What systems, organizational, and community partners have we identified and engaged as critical to this pathway? Who do we still hope to identify and engage?

19:25-21:44 - Meghan – Those who know that they help prevent child neglect, and those who don’t know yet. 

21:45-22:11 - Luke - What will success look like for this Critical Pathway?

22:12-25:16 - Meghan – Centering our lived experience. Reliable, resilient networks of organic social connectedness. 

25:17-25:36 – Luke and Meghan – Thank you

25:37-26:06 - Luke – Introduction to Megan Frederick-Usoh and the Workforce Inclusion and Innovation Critical Pathway

26:07-29:53 - Megan Frederick-Usoh – Introduction to Workforce Inclusion and Innovation Critical Pathway. Burnout and turnover in our child welfare system have a profound impact on the families that they serve. 

Moral injury. 

Diversity and inclusion strategies need to address the lack of representation in our workforce. 

• Workforce Inclusion and Innovation Critical Pathway

29:54-30:40 - Luke - What systems, organizational, and community partners have we identified and engaged as critical to this pathway? Who do we still hope to identify and engage?

30:41-32:58 - Megan – Lived experience partners. Child welfare professionals. Mandated reporters. Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity. We hope to engage more lived experience partners, particularly Peer to Peer Support Specialists. 

32:59-33:51 - Luke - What will success look like for this Critical Pathway?

33:52-34:51 - Megan – Shine a brighter light on the importance of caring for and diversifying our workforce, and the relationships between our workforce and families.

34:52-35:24 - Luke and Megan – Thank you

35:25-35:48 - Luke – Introducing Leah Cerwin and the Community Collaboration Critical Pathway

35:49-37:05 – Leah Cerwin – Introducing Community Collaboration Critical Pathway

• Community Collaboration Critical Pathway

37:06-37:24 - Luke – What systems, organizational and community partners have we identified and engaged as critical to this pathway? Who do we still hope to identify and engage?

37:25-39:43 - Leah – Individuals and families with lived experience, mandated reporters – law enforcement, school staff, medical staff -, and judges and legal parties.

39:44-39:53 – Luke – What will success look like for this Critical Pathway?

39:54-41:37 - Leah – Equity. Service and systems accessibility.

36:01-36:20 - Luke and Leah – Thank you

41:57- 42:12 – Luke – Thank you and transition to what we’ve learned and our call to action.

42:13-42:48 – Luke – What have we learned?

42:49-45:05 – Gabe – Mindsets are often some of the biggest challenges and opportunities to meaningful systems change. Are families neglecting their kids, or are our systems and communities neglecting their families?

45:06-45:22 - Luke – What’s our call to action?

45:23-46:50 - Gabe – Call to action – Build new relationships and trust within and across systems and communities.

46:51-47:26 - Luke – Thank you and closing

47:27-48:54 - Luke – Closing Credits

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Today’s episode included the following speakers (in the order they appear):

00:15 - Bryan Samuels – Executive Director, Chapin Hall - Opening quote: “But I believe we have every reason to believe that we can grow a population and a workforce that can effectively meet the needs of families. But if we only stay in the deep end, I think we continue to struggle with a limited pool of front-line workers who are stretched to the max.” 

Host: Luke Waldo

Experts:

• Jennifer Jones – Chief Strategy Officer, Prevent Child Abuse America 
• Bryan Samuels – Executive Director, Chapin Hall
• Tim Grove – Senior Consultant, Wellpoint Care Network 

00:40 – Luke Waldo – Introduction to bonus episode and first segment. The conversation begins in response to the following questions that I asked them to consider: How might the policies/legislation that have been passed recently impact overloaded families and neglect prevention? Where do you see the greatest opportunities through these policies to improve individual, family and community well-being that might reduce family separations for reasons of neglect?

• Safer Communities Act
• American Rescue Plan
• Family First Prevention Services Act
• Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV)
• Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA)

3:56 – Jennifer Jones – Failures at the policy level, particularly concrete economic supports, are one reason why we haven’t seen reductions in child neglect. MIECHV, CAPTA, and the Child Tax Credit are two opportunities that help us address child neglect and promote race equity. Policy is important, but only if access is truly available to those that need it.

• Child Tax Credit
• Paid Family Leave
• Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) Grants
• Jackie Walorski Maternal and Child Home Visiting Reauthorization Act of 2022

9:08 – Bryan Samuels – Policies and programs need “to see themselves less as a safety net that’s trying to catch people, and more like a springboard that’s trying to support families moving towards improved well-being.” We need to invest in a system that supports families much earlier than child welfare, so that child welfare has a smaller footprint and is involved in fewer families’ lives. We can then reinvest those child welfare dollars in family and community well-being.

13:00 – Jennifer Jones – How might we pull together many of the existing government programs (see below) to create a more comprehensive child abuse prevention system?

• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
• Social Services Block Grant (SSBG)
• Community Services Block Grant (CSBG)
• Medicaid

14:01 – Tim Grove – Remembering Uvalde, Texas and how it led to policy overcoming politics. “Can our political system actually solve problems? Can our partisanship diminish? Can people on both sides of the aisle come together?”

“Can we go back and find whatever that was after Uvalde happened, the best maybe of who we are, can we find a little bit more of that?”

• Matthew McConaughey speech on Uvalde tragedy

16:19 – Bryan Samuels – “There are always challenges to making good policy in the context of bad politics.” However, we have seen policy developed based on good science, with Family First Prevention Services Act as a recent example.

18:09 – Jennifer Jones – We have also seen evidence of bipartisanship as a response to good evidence with MIECHV. Individual and family testimony of the importance of home visiting in their lives to policymakers has proven to be effective as well. 

19:11 – Tim Grove – Recent Wisconsin Youth Risk Behavior Survey report. Uvalde’s tragedy may have been the spark to get meaningful legislation passed. 30% of kids report a pervasive sense of hopelessness, which, if ignored, could have staggering implications for our future.

• Wisconsin Youth Risk Behavior Survey

20:56 – Jennifer Jones - Only 5% of the $30+ billion spent on child welfare goes to prevention. Advocate for additional funding for prevention in addition to funding for families that are struggling now. This will lead to a cost savings in our child welfare, healthcare, corrections, etc.

22:50 – Tim Grove – We are asking the same people who work with our most vulnerable kids to do more work. How do we address our limited capacity and our overloaded workforce?

24:27 – Jennifer Jones – Child welfare system needs to become a child maltreatment prevention system according to the defund, abolish child welfare movements. Jennifer believes that a prevention system should run alongside a child protection system, so that child welfare staff doesn’t have to wear three or four hats. 

26:22 - Luke Waldo – Review of previous segment and introduction of upcoming segment. The workforce conversation begins in response to the following question that I asked them to consider: As we have experienced significant changes in our workforce over the past few years due to the Great Resignation, impacts of minimum wage increases, emphasis on Lived Experience; and approaches to our workforce practices and culture such as Trauma-Informed Care, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, etc., what challenges and opportunities do you see for the future of our workforce in Child Maltreatment Prevention/Child Welfare Systems?

28:41 – Bryan Samuels – Runaway and homeless youth space. Around 4 million youth experience homelessness/housing instability each year. 50% experienced homelessness for the first time when surveyed, which means prevention and intervention both need funding and support. 

Child welfare shouldn’t be working directly with TANF, however, TANF should see itself as reducing the likelihood of its participants entering the child welfare system. When something bad happens in child welfare, we don’t hire more people, we ask them to do more. 

Growing evidence that paraprofessionals can effectively deliver evidence-based interventions when trained well. This could be a solution as we go further upstream, so that we can get these evidence-based services scaled and into more communities. It would also reduce the stress and demands on front-line workers.

• Youth Homelessness Prevention Initiative – Chapin Hall

35:15 – Jennifer Jones - Prevention system needs to create access for families no matter where those families reside.

36:23 – Tim Grove – Can we add this funding for prevention, or will we be expected to reduce the current child welfare intervention funding if we request more prevention funding?

37:06 – Bryan Samuels – When running the Illinois child welfare system, they were able to reinvest cost savings when they reduced the number of children in the system back into more preventive services. Family First Prevention Services Act went to the Congressional Budget Office to see how the money would be spent and how much savings over time it would create. 

• Congressional Budget Office Report – Family First Prevention Services Act

40:30 – Jennifer Jones - We need the political will to make the investment upfront, so that over the years we can see the savings on the deep-end systems side. We can then consider pulling money back from the deep end systems when we see that there is less need for them.

41:10 – Gabe McGaughey - A lot of our prevention services aren’t funded by federal or state dollars, but rather by local philanthropists, organizations like United Way. So how might we support local municipalities to invest more in prevention and evaluate effectively how they might improve well-being outcomes and save money for their communities?

42:17 – Luke Waldo – Introduction of workforce question.

42:38 – Tim Grove - Secondary trauma moving to Moral injury. How does this impact who you want to be as a professional and who you can be as a professional? The past few years have impacted our ability/capacity to be our best self. 

• Moral Injury – Scientific American article 

44:36 – Bryan Samuels - Increasing discussion of safety culture and moral injury within child welfare. Organizations need to be more committed to supervision, understanding what work demands and what we can realistically put on our staff. Think about how safety culture works in healthcare and air travel. We shouldn’t ask our pilots to work more than they can do so safely. The same should go for our child welfare staff. We should also be mindful of how long a person should be working in the same position.

49:16 – Jennifer Jones – We need to provide financial support for our workforce to be able to address their own financial challenges. How might we make our services more adaptable like virtual Home Visiting to encourage work-life balance? Invest in diversity in our workforce. Eliminate barriers that make it difficult to hire individuals with lived experience. “We have to change the face of our workforce to look more like the people and communities that are part of those systems.” 

51:55 - Tim Grove – Dr. Vikram Patel’s “task shifting”. What if there was a way to distill, translate what professionals know, and support and train the local community members and leaders so that they can deliver it to their community? Task-shifters in trauma-informed care and clinical work is a real possibility, which could lead to greater trust within communities.

• Task-Shifting

54:43 - Luke Waldo – Closing and Gratitude.

Join the conversation and connect with us!

• Visit our podcast page on our ICFW website to learn more about the experts you hear in this series.
• Subscribe, rate our show and leave feedback in the comments section.
• Check out our upcoming events.
• Sign up for our Strong Families, Thriving Children, Connected Communities initiative and our quarterly newsletter.
• Follow the Institute for Child and Family Well-being on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.