The Evidence Says Investing in Families Improves Well-being and Prevents Foster Care with Clare Anderson

Clare Anderson is a Senior Policy Fellow with Chapin Hall at The University of Chicago. Clare was previously Deputy Commissioner at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where she provided leadership for federal programs and co-led developing and implementing a national well-being policy. She is a national thought leader on economic and concrete supports as core to the prevention of child welfare involvement. Discover how decades of research reveal that when families receive the financial stability they need, their risk of involvement with child welfare decreases significantly.

In this week’s episode, Elliott and Tecoria talk with Clare Anderson about how concrete and economic supports promote family well-being. This conclusion is backed by over 40 years of compelling evidence and intersects with both the lived experience movement and recent conversations around differentiating poverty from neglect. What the data shows, combined with what we hear from parent advocates, is that economic instability is a root cause issue of child welfare involvement. The data also informs practical policy and funding solutions to keep families together in their homes, supporting them rather than intervening with foster care. Listeners will walk alongside Clare as she describes how states like Kentucky, Indiana, and Wisconsin are taking action by putting the research into action and meeting families’ needs.