Definition for Child Welfare Initiatives:

Child Welfare Initiatives refers to a variety of practice models that can be strategically integrated into the day-to-day work of public child welfare agencies. There are many programs that fall into the Child Welfare Initiative category. They all have different structures. One provides a series of research-based assessment tools to be used by child welfare workers at critical junctures to determine the relative level of risk to a child and to ensure consistent, fair, and accurate decision-making agency wide. Another is a family-centered, neighborhood-based system of foster care that encourages public child welfare agencies to use data, partner with impacted communities, recruit and support caregivers, and develop family/professional teams to make critical decisions about each child. Yet another program focuses on enabling emotionally and behaviorally disturbed youth to live successfully in family settings, rather than in group home care, by creating family centered teams that focus on family strengths to overcome challenges. Although there are differences in these models, each recognizes the critical need to engage families in making decisions about their children. A successful child welfare worker must develop skills to engage families and to work with them as partners, with the goals of safety, permanence, and well-being for each child.