Without a Guide: Where Are We Going?

August 28, 2025

By: Valerie Frost

A Thriving Families, Safer Children 5-Year Reflection, From a Parent’s Perspective

“Some say life is about the journey, not the destination. But when it comes to family well-being, we must be clear about both the path and the destination.”

Over the past five years, Thriving Families, Safer Children (TFSC) has worked to chart a new path forward in the child welfare system by reimagining child and family well-being. We know where we came from: family separation as intervention, generational bonds broken, culture lost, and quick fixes applied to deep-rooted, unmet needs. The child welfare system has long operated as a crisis response mechanism, often at the expense of the very families it was meant to support. Today, we stand at a crossroads, and change is not just possible, it’s essential.

We also know where we’re trying to go: a transformed system rooted in equity, dignity, prevention, and healing, where families are supported before harm happens, and communities are resourced to thrive. But how do we bridge the gap between where we’ve been and where we need to go? The work begins now, and we have the opportunity to lead.

As someone who’s walked alongside this movement, not as a spectator, but as a parent, co-leader, and national voice, I’ve witnessed both the promise and the limitations of this transformation. Five years in, we see real progress, but also lessons from both success and setbacks.

The TFSC guiding principles offer a bold and necessary vision, one rooted in equity, prevention, and true partnership. But vision alone won’t create change. Action is what brings principles to life. So, let’s take a closer look at these four core principles, how far we’ve come, and what it will take to truly realize the future we’ve been promising.

Partnering with Lived Experience

“True partnership demands a fundamental shift in power and trust, not just an invitation to sit at the table.”

The principle of partnering with lived experience sounds straightforward, but in practice, too many “partnerships” still look more like management. Parents and youth are invited to the table, but they’re treated like guests in someone else’s home, given a seat, but not the keys. Too often, their involvement is limited, conditional, and time-bound, with little lasting influence.

I’ve witnessed organizations debate how much to pay parents and youth hourly, worried about pushback from salaried staff. Decision-making meetings exclude lived experience voices due to scheduling conflicts, or because “professional” voices are given more weight. Advisory roles are sometimes created only after major decisions have already been made, sidelining the very people they were intended to help.

The lack of structural change doesn’t just risk causing harm, it risks missing out on valuable insights that could make the system work better for everyone. The conversation about engagement and payment is growing louder, it’s time to turn that conversation into action.

For the next five years, my hope is clear: institutions need to move beyond simply inviting parents and youth into the room. We must give them the floor, with the power, support, and respect they deserve. Engagement can’t be a checkbox or a project; it must reshape how we do this work at its core.

To hear lived experience leaders share their own stories, challenges, and victories, check out these Community Insite episodes:

Addressing Issues of Racial Equity and Disproportionality

“We cannot address child welfare without addressing race and systemic inequities.”

But it’s not just about how we partner; it’s about who we partner with and how we center the communities that need it most. Child welfare cannot be discussed without acknowledging the unique challenges that communities of color face. When we treat mental health, substance use, and family violence as “universal,” we overlook the deeper, systemic factors that disproportionately affect these families, factors shaped by generational trauma, historical disinvestment, and ongoing inequities.

Initiatives aimed at marginalized communities often take a one-size-fits-all approach, failing to account for the distinct needs of Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color. Resources are frequently funneled into established organizations that may lack the cultural competency to understand or meet those needs. Well-intentioned interventions can end up missing the mark, failing to address the root causes of disparities.

Even when communities of color are brought into decision-making, their voices can be diluted or dismissed in larger, generalized structures. Black families, for example, are often grouped under broader labels like “low-income” or “at-risk,” masking the critical issues of cultural preservation, historical marginalization, and systemic exclusion that need our attention.

“Advancing racial equity within TFSC has been both challenging and essential. While progress has been made, it’s been uneven.

My call to action is simple: racial equity must be embedded in every conversation, not just as a principle, but as a concrete, actionable goal. We must give it the resources, attention, and urgency it deserves.

Explore how communities of color are leading this work by listening to these Community Insite episodes:

Centering the Work in Communities

“True community power means control over resources and narrative, not just access to a piece of a pre-approved pie.”

Community is where the answers lie. But in today’s reality, traditional powerholders still control funding, influence, and decision-making. Community organizations often face pressure to conform to state or large funder priorities in order to survive, sacrificing their authenticity and independence in the process. Even when child welfare agencies step back, funders and state governments still impose priorities that don’t reflect the community’s true needs. This creates a dynamic where organizations must comply with dominant structures, often at the cost of their true purpose.

To build sustainable, resilient community power, we must support grassroots initiatives with deep cultural and local knowledge. These organizations need the autonomy to set their own agendas and define their own terms. True, lasting community power means funding without strings attached, giving freedom to innovate, fail, learn, and grow.

I envision a future where funders step back and invest directly in community champions: small businesses, local leaders, and grassroots organizations. These champions, especially those from historically overlooked communities, must be empowered to lead change, regardless of whether they “look the part.”

Learn more about how grassroots organizations are redefining community power by listening to these Community Insite episodes:

Emphasizing Upstream Strategies for Prevention, Health Promotion, and Well-being

“Preventing harm is not a nice idea. It’s an imperative.”

For too long, the child welfare system has intervened after the crisis. We’ve focused on responding to crises rather than preventing them. We know that the root causes of many of these crises, such as poverty, trauma, lack of access, can’t be solved by reactive responses.

Upstream work means shifting resources from surveillance to family support, health promotion, and community wellness. But prevention remains the underfunded cousin of the child welfare system. Even as pilot programs show promise, we continue to pour resources into crisis-driven responses, which are less effective in reducing long-term harm.

Together, we can build a system-wide commitment to sustainable funding for proactive strategies. Cross-sector collaboration across healthcare, housing, education, and justice must come together to strengthen families before they ever enter the child welfare system. Most importantly, we must trust in families’ resilience. Empowering them with resources is the key to long-term well-being. Upstream strategies are our best bet for prevention and resilience, let’s stop waiting for crises to unfold before we act.

Want to hear more about the importance of upstream strategies and how they’re being implemented? Listen to these episodes of the Community Insite podcast:

Closing Thoughts: Looking Ahead to the Next Five Years

I know the world I want to see. While I’m hopeful, I’m also clear-eyed about what it will take to get there. The next five years will require us to dig deep and push for the changes we know are possible.

For Leaders:

Prepare for tough conversations. Embrace feedback, even when it’s uncomfortable. Don’t let your ego outweigh the lived realities of the families in front of you. Listen, learn, and lead with humility.

For Child Welfare Agencies:

Focus on the basics: meet federal standards, align policy with practice, and reduce bias and discretionary decision-making. Do your job with integrity, without creating new barriers or harm.

For Nonprofits:

Center true community partnerships. Move away from top-down approaches and push funders to loosen control. Trust grassroots leadership.

For Lived Experience Leaders:

Keep demanding space, pay, and power. Your voice is not just valuable, it’s essential. Organize, support one another, and hold systems accountable.

For Communities:

Show up, stay engaged, and build networks that don’t rely on traditional power. Grow your own resources and leadership.

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The past five years have seen genuine effort, brave conversations, and real, though slow, shifts. Change is coming, not because it’s easy, but because it’s necessary. This moment will define the future of child welfare. Let’s not wait for tomorrow. Together, we can build a system that truly supports families before harm happens.

Now, it’s up to all of us to decide how we show up by pushing, challenging, and demanding the future we know is possible. Change won’t happen overnight, but if we stay focused and committed, it will come. The time for action is now; let’s seize it. Together.

“It’s been a long, a long time coming, but I know a change gon’ come,” Sam Cooke sings. And with every effort we make, that change is getting closer. With every step forward, change is no longer just a hope, it’s a promise.

Let’s keep moving forward, with courage, honesty, and a clear vision for thriving families and safer children.