INTRODUCTION
Maintaining a secure relationship with a trusted caregiver is critical for the health and well-being of infants and toddlers. When very young children are placed in out-of-home care, including foster and kinship care, problems can be compounded if the placements are not supportive of the child’s early development. In the absence of any critical safety concerns, most children who come to the attention of the child welfare system can and should continue to remain at home whenever possible, where they can receive services and supports needed to protect and support the whole family. Removing children from their parents can inflict trauma on or increase the existing trauma of children, parents, and families. To address these factors, state and local governments can develop policies to prevent family separation, help families and children heal from trauma, and prevent reentry into the child welfare system. These policies should reflect and reinforce the critical importance of parents’ relationships with their infants and toddlers, while also ensuring that children remain safe.
A growing body of research shows that early identification of needs and services for young children and their parents involved in the child welfare system can improve child safety, increase well-being, facilitate permanent child placements, and strengthen families. However, many parents entering the child welfare system understandably have a deep mistrust of the system due to it historical and ongoing support of family separation and its lack of support to help address parents’ needs or recognize their strengths. This can lead to feelings of alienation and mistrust, negatively impacting activities related to case plan completion. At the same time, navigating systems and identifying and accessing needed resources often seems insurmountable for families with young children engaged in the child welfare system.
All parents, including those a ected by trauma, benefit from strong social support and connections. Parents navigating the child welfare system, especially those with infants and toddlers, can benefit from opportunities to build mentoring relationships within their community and cultural circle, particularly with parents who have lived experience.
The following policy brief focuses on the critical role of parent partner programs in supporting parents involved in the child welfare system. Actively engaging parents in decision making while bolstering a family’s protective factors—through such actions as valuing parents, honoring their family’s language and culture, and supporting parents as decision-makers from a strengths-based perspective—can lead to improved outcomes for children and families. Moreover, parent partners can serve as a critical support to help parents connect with resources needed to keep their family together or reunify after they have been separated. This brief provides recommendations for states and communities to consider in the development and success of parent partner programs and discusses:
- the benefits of working in collaboration with parents as partners and leaders;
- the challenges and lessons learned from developing, financing, and implementing parent partner programs, based on firsthand experience of parent partners and leaders; and
- recommended policies and practices for e ective parent partner programs.
This brief incorporates discussions with 10 parent partner programs across the country,b as well as guidance and input from parent leaders with the Infant-Toddler Court Program National Resource Center.
PARENT PARTNERS AND PARENT LEADERS ARE CRITICAL TO SUPPORTING FAMILIES IN CHILD WELFARE
The voices of parents need to be valued and integrated into planning and decision-making, as child welfare and other early childhood leaders consider ways to improve or restructure their systems. Parent leaders—who have lived experience navigating the reunification process within the child welfare system—play a crucial role in ensuring that the parent voice is heard in family-serving systems at the local, state, and federal levels. They can bridge the gap between families and other professionals in the decision- making process of practice change. Parent leaders rely on their own experiences to inform policy and practice changes that can benefit families involved in the child welfare system. Many parent leaders currently serve or have previously served as partners to other parents navigating the system. The Children’s Bureau, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Administration for Children and Families that seeks to improve the safety, permanency, and well- being of children, has identified parent mentors as a key strategy that states should implement to help parents better understand what to expect as they interact with the child welfare system, as well as an e ective strategy for increasing engagement in services and planning efforts. Parent mentors can also be valuable stakeholders in systems change efforts. Their close connection and relationship with parents gives them a distinct perspective on what is working and what is not working for families navigating investigations and court proceedings.
Though limited, research on parent partner programs in child welfare has yielded some promising findings, including higher rates of reunification for participating parents, lower rates of reentry for children involved in the program, and increased participation in services and court hearings. An evaluation of Iowa’s Parent Partner Approach found that participating parents were significantly more likely to have a child in out-of home care return home and less likely to experience subsequent removal from the home after 12 months, with no significant difference in the length of stay in care for their children. An evaluation of a parent partner program in Contra Costa County, California., found that parents working with partners had significantly higher rates of reunification than families without parental partner support. A study of Washington State’s Parents for Parents program found higher rates of reunification among participating parents, while earlier studies found increased rates of participation in court hearings and greater compliance with court- ordered case plans among participating parents.
Peer support programs have been extensively studied in mental health and substance use treatment. The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) determined that peer support is a crucial complement to the traditional service array, citing evidence that peer support models recovery and offers hope; increases self-esteem, confidence, and sense of control; contributes to improved social support and social functioning; and is e ective for supporting recovery.