Parent engagement is critical to the success of any child welfare agency program, policy, or effort to keep children safe and thriving in their homes. Authentic engagement is the active, ongoing collaboration of parents, young people, and other caregivers with child welfare agencies in a way that recognizes them as equal partners in effecting practice and system change.1
When parents and family members are engaged, listened to, and valued for their unique knowledge and expertise, child welfare agencies are better positioned to serve the families in their jurisdictions and improve outcomes for children. For example, research shows that parent partner programs have been successful in improving reunification rates, lowering reentry rates, and increasing family participation in services and court hearings.2
Even when agencies understand the value of parent engagement, many still need help authentically and sustainably engaging parents. Child welfare agencies may encounter several barriers when engaging parents in their work. From limited funding to poor staff readiness or mistrust between parents and child welfare agencies resulting from past negative experiences, agencies have much to overcome.
Effective parent engagement requires child welfare agencies to invest adequate time and resources to overcome these challenges and implement strategies that build trust and improve parental experiences.
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Strategies for Enhancing Parent Engagement With Agencies
Engage parents in case-, peer-, and system-level improvement efforts. Valuing parent engagement includes giving them a say in the decisions and systems that affect their lives. Engagement must occur at multiple levels, including the case, peer, and system levels:
- At the case, individual, or practice level, this includes prioritizing relationships with parents and collaborating with them to set goals, develop case plans, and make joint decisions.
- At the peer level, several states leverage parent partner programs to provide peer-to-peer support for parents navigating the child welfare system. These programs enlist individuals who have had previous personal experience with the system to act as mentors and advocates for current parents and caregivers, as their shared experiences make them uniquely equipped to offer empathetic support and guidance.
- Systems-level engagement occurs when parents with lived experience are intentionally included in system change activities and quality improvement efforts. This may look like parents actively engaging in policy change, serving on decision-making boards, being employed as practice advisors and consultants, or being recruited to serve in agency positions or provide their expertise in agency trainings.3
Address implicit bias. To effectively engage and communicate with parents, child welfare agencies should be conscious of implicit biases held by caseworkers, supervisors, and others about the families they work with. Stereotypes around parents who are low-income, incarcerated, dealing with mental health or substance abuse disorders, or members of other historically marginalized groups can affect agency attitudes toward parent engagement and negatively influence how staff engage parents, young people, and caregivers. Staff may unknowingly allow misguided beliefs such as “Individuals can't or won’t change” or “If parents loved their children, they would make different choices” to affect their interactions with parents.4
Agencies should incorporate implicit bias training into their staff onboarding and training processes as well as invest in systemwide diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Full and ongoing agency participation in anti-biases efforts can create a more inclusive and welcoming environment for parents and agency staff alike. Agency leaders can serve as role models and champions for these efforts.
Seek out historically overlooked parents and caregivers. For example, fathers and paternal relatives have been historically overlooked in case planning. Findings from the Round 3 of the Federal Child and Family Services Reviews noted fathers were engaged in less than half (49 percent) of the reviewed cases, while mothers were engaged in 64 percent of cases.5
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Child welfare agencies should examine how they currently engage parents and leverage continuous quality improvement (CQI) practices to identify gaps or trends. As agencies look to recruit more and different groups of parents into their work, they must also consider their staff’s readiness to engage parents from different backgrounds and be mindful of power dynamics that might deter some parents from wanting to participate or feeling comfortable participating.
Secure adequate funding for parent engagement efforts. The success of parent engagement programs heavily relies on adequate financing. Agencies are often forced to stretch their limited budgets to support program administration, compensate parent partners, and provide training, supplies, and space for collaboration. To bridge budget gaps, agencies typically use a combination of funding streams such as foundation or nonprofit program support, grant programs, Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act funds, Promoting Safe and Stable Families program funds, title IV-E waiver funding, and various state funding sources for welfare services, health, mental health, and substance abuse treatment.
Washington State leveraged early positive results from its parent partner programs to advocate for state legislation that funds parent partner programs statewide. By investing in parent engagement initiatives, states can build stronger relationships with parents and caregivers, improve outcomes for children and families, and ultimately achieve their mission and goals.6
Listen to our A Look Inside Sharing Power in Child Welfare Podcast!
In Episode 4, cohost Jamie Brooks sits down with Geraldo Pilarski, the administrator of New Hampshire’s Parent Partner Program, and Mark Rolon, one of New Hampshire’s family leaders in child welfare, for a conversation about authentic engagement of parents with lived experience in child welfare. Learn about the actions and attitudes that make parents comfortable enough to sit at the table and contribute and feel respected, as well as how that engagement can really change a parent’s life.
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The Capacity Building Center for States (Center) offers several tools, resources, and peer supports to help agencies build capacity to engage parents, young people, and caregivers in their work. Explore a few of our engagement-focused resources below.
Center Resources
Learning Experiences and Archived Webinars
Related Resources
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