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Community Partnerships for Protecting Children

Problem:
As state and federal funding becomes more difficult to secure the child welfare system is searching for new ways to address the issue of child abuse and neglect. Current models which treat parents in a punitive fashion and place children in foster homes have poor outcomes and are expensive to maintain. Iowa has been the recipient of grant funding which over the last 10 years has helped to form a new vision for protecting children. This vision relies heavily on communities forming networks to support families and to protect children. Many of these networks are dependent on volunteers; however organizations such as the Department of Human Services have little experience working with volunteers.

Response:
Extension has a long history of developing community initiative that involve multiple organizations and of using volunteers for program delivery. With all of this experience, curriculums that help with both topics, and subject matter based in family and consumer sciences, Extension is the ideal organization to assist in helping communities to develop new strategies in child protection.

Over the last two years I have presented five workshops attended by 138 individuals who are in counties that have decided to be a part of the redesign of systems for the protection of children.

Impact:

  • 138 individuals have attended workshops and when asked to rate usefulness they averaged 4.4 on a 5 point scale.
  • 81 of the 99 counties in Iowa have had members attend workshops, many counties have combined to develop regional efforts. Thirty-two regions have been represented at training.
  • 8 sites have implemented community initiative that includes a volunteer component, 3 are planning to start a volunteer initiative next year.
  • 5 sites (primarily rural) are involved with “hubbing” activities where several agencies gather at an event to provide information to participants.

This data represents a policy change from the stance that only Dept. of Human Services can provide child protective services to a vision that many community entities can be involved in providing the services that strengthen families and protect children. The economic consequences of this action will be long term but should be measurable in lower costs for foster care and out-of-home placements, better outcomes for children and increased capacity of communities to mobilize volunteer’s services.

Contact:
Linda Bigley
Linn County Extension Education Director
3279 7th Avenue, Suite 140
Marion, IA 52302
Phone 319-377-9839
Email lbigley@iastate.edu

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Last update: August 17, 2006  
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