Orchestrating Change: The Case for Cross-Sector Collaboration in Child Welfare Transformation

Abstract

Research shows that one in 17 children in the U.S. will spend time in foster care, with that rate increasing to one in nine for Black children. And even if a child isn’t removed from their family and placed into foster care, 37% of all children in the U.S.—and over 50% of Black children—will be the subject of a child welfare investigation before reaching adulthood. In addition to these racial inequities, youth in foster care experience disproportionately worse academic experiences and outcomes. Students in foster care are about twice as likely to be chronically absent or receive an out-of-school suspension and about three times as likely to be expelled compared to their peers not in foster care. This capstone describes my residency at Foster America, a national nonprofit working to transform the child welfare system to reduce the number of kids in foster care and increase support for families. My strategic project occurred during a period of immense growth and change for the organization and consisted of three interrelated components: developing media strategies, convening cross-sector leaders through a series of events, and connecting with organizations in sectors adjacent to child welfare. Utilizing The Panarchy Cycle systems change framework and research related to co-design, Indigenous wisdom, systems psychodynamics, psychological safety, felt accountability, and roles, my project supports the case that transformation in child welfare requires meaningful contributions from those outside of child welfare. My work holds important implications for Foster America’s organizational strategy and its approach to partnerships and calls on the child welfare sector to break out of its silo and the education sector to play a larger leadership role in child welfare transformation.