District of Columbia

The District of Columbia’s Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA) has been actively engaged in District-wide systemic change efforts throughout the years utilizing various federal initiatives and funding sources to galvanize the child welfare system in change efforts. A key strategy in FY22 and FY23 was the Thriving Families, Safer Children (TFSC) initiative, aimed at shifting from a traditional child welfare model to a comprehensive child and family well-being system. In FY23, CFSA officially branded its continuation of this work under the “Keeping DC Families Together” (KDCFT) initiative to continue the transformational work of Thriving Families, Safer Children in the District.

Key priorities of the KDCFT Initiative include:

• Empowering the community to actively participate in conceptualizing and designing DC’s child and family well-being system.
• Collaborating with community-based organizations and individuals with lived experience to shape policy and practice changes.
• Strengthening families by building resilience and providing access to essential resources.
• Launching the 211 Warmline as a dedicated service for social needs, with the goal of connecting families to supportive services, thus reducing unnecessary child welfare involvement.
• Partnering with community organizations to develop a District-wide community response model, offering comprehensive support and prevention services to families and individuals across all Wards.