In the summer of 2002, the Agenda for Children Tomorrow (ACT) was invited by a funder's collaborative (consisting of The Child Welfare Fund, The Open Society Institute, The New York Community Trust, The Hite Foundation, The FAR Fund, and The Ira W. DeCamp Foundation) to facilitate a collaborative process of developing a child welfare reform initiative in the Highbridge community of the South Bronx. The prevalence of children entering the child welfare system in this community presented a special concern for these funders: In Highbridge, children under age 1 were more likely to be reported as maltreated than in the rest of its community district, CD4. Allegations of maltreatment were more likely to involve substance abuse. However, while Highbridge has many of the statistical indicators of neighborhoods under stress – high rates of poverty and unemployment, a large population of children, and low school performance of children on citywide reading and math tests – this community has also sustained and expanded a cluture of concern for children, families and the community despite decades of economic pressure. Therefore, a resident-focused initiative building on the strengths of the community and its residents was clearly the ideal approach to reducing foster care placements in Highbridge.

Committed to the collaborative approach identified by the funders, ACT convened a series of meetings with more than 60 community leaders, service providers, public agencies, and interested residents to stimulate ideas and identify needs and concerns. Three focus group discussions – targeting parents, young people, and service providers – were held in February 2003. The basic framework and approach of the initiative were conceptualized at an all-day community retreat in March 2003. Several planning meetings were conducted in May and June 2003 to design the individual components of the Initiative. These preliminary steps have begun the process of drawing residents and professionals into the reform of the child welfare system in Highbridge, while building a coalition among community residents, service providers and public agencies.

Goals of the Initiative

• To reduce foster care placements.
• To reduce the time that children spend in foster care.
• To increase the proportion of foster care children who are placed within
• the Highbridge community.
• To reduce the actual incidence of child abuse and neglect.

Key Components

These four key components, described further below, will collectively serve to meet the initiative’s goals:

• Empowerment of Parents and Youth
• Increased Family Supports
• Diversion of Cases from the Child Welfare System
• Increased Legal Education and Services for Community Residents

Within this initiative, self-selected and specially trained community residents will become a bridge between the community’s families and the professionals and organizations that are designed to – but cannot always effectively -- serve them. The theory is that trained, empowered and informed parents and young people will be able to reach out sensitively to their neighbors. In particular, parent education about child welfare rights will be led by parents who have themselves been involved with the child welfare system and are thus sensitive to the issues of surveillance and privacy.

The initiative will focus on early identification and response to signs of family trouble. The initiative’s approach to improving parents’ awareness of their rights in the child welfare system and improving their representation is its primary lever to reduce the length of time children spend in care. Additionally, the initiative’s team model of legal services, including an attorney, case manager/administrator and parent advocate, is expected to facilitate more timely and efficient review by the Family Court of the cases of children in care, with the goal of expediting the return home of some of the children placed.

ACT will also facilitate bringing appropriate outside influence to bear on community conditions when Highbridge residents and network agency staff identify safety, sanitation, crime, housing, and other conditions that present barriers to improved child outcomes.

Integrating features

A common set of values (e.g., respectful interactions with residents by service agencies; participation by families is voluntary);

A key role for community residents; and

A governance structure that integrates residents and service providers while maintaining sustainability with assistance from ACT

Evaluation

A research and evaluation committee made up of residents will target researchable questions regarding the initiative and will develop programs based on GIS database and asset maps

The Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago will conduct an impact evaluation.

"There are many strengths in Highbridge and the tree is full of fruit."
~ Participant in Highbridge Parent Focus Group

The Bridge Builders: To Preserve the FAmilies of Highbridge
Proposal
(PDF Format)

Supported by the
Partnership for Family
Support and Justice