Child & Family Wellbeing Accelerator will support jurisdictions implementing preventative supports that keep families together and contribute to child wellbeing

August 9, 2022

CAMBRIDGE, MA – The Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab (GPL) today launched the Child & Family Wellbeing Accelerator, an initiative designed to help state and local jurisdictions advance reforms that keep families together by preventing crises before they occur.

Five jurisdictions from across the country will join the Accelerator at its launch: Broward County, Florida; Cuyahoga County, Ohio; the State of New Hampshire; the State of New Mexico; and Pueblo County, Colorado.

“Many of the child welfare leaders I’ve worked with over the years have told me they are haunted by the feeling that their work is often coming too late,” said Megan Toohey, Director of Children and Families, Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab. “These leaders are eager to invest in families upfront, before crises occur and when we have more tools at our disposal for keeping them together. With this initiative, we aim to help them translate that vision into action.”

The participation of diverse states and counties in the Child & Family Wellbeing Accelerator reflects a growing national commitment among jurisdictions that are reimagining the way they support children and families. Far too often, government interventions designed to protect children arrive after crises occur and rely too heavily on separating children from their extended family networks. Agencies miss crucial opportunities to  decrease the need for these interventions. The Accelerator will provide technical assistance to jurisdictions seeking to connect substance-using pregnant individuals to treatment and other supports, make upstream family wellbeing resources more accessible and effective, and support placements with relative caregivers rather than relying on the foster care system. 

Participating jurisdictions will receive 12-18 months of technical assistance from the GPL that will include tailored support for agency staff, exposure to relevant models from other jurisdictions, and facilitated workshops and training on core GPL tools related to data-driven performance management, procurement design, service arrays, and referral pathways. 

These jurisdictions were selected from dozens of applications as part of a competitive process. The selection process considered their potential for impact, vision for innovative solutions, and the commitment of jurisdiction staff and leadership to strengthen child and family wellbeing.

Statements of Support
“The Children’s Services Council of Broward County has always been committed to supporting system improvements. It is exciting to bring the expertise of the Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab to enhance the Kinship Care portion of our system of care.” – Cindy Arenberg Seltzer, President / CEO Children’s Services Council of Broward County

“In Cuyahoga County, we have a deep and long-standing commitment to working with community partners to provide services for our families. We believe offering support and resources right in their neighborhoods, with people they know and trust, can prevent families from becoming involved with child welfare, or help them navigate the system to avoid deeper involvement. We are excited about this initiative and the opportunity to strengthen our prevention work, help families become more stable and resilient, and hopefully reduce the disproportionate impact on families in poverty and families of color.” – Cynthia Weiskittel, Former Director, Cuyahoga County Division of Children and Family Services

“Pueblo County is excited to join with the Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab to participate in the Child and Family Wellbeing Accelerator project. We anticipate that, through tailored technical assistance, this will provide us with guidance to help us work with our partners in the community to offer services that are effective in keeping families together while supporting healthy child development. With a focus on improving pathways for families to access services prior to the need for agency intervention, we hope that the GPL will help us to improve the overall health of our community.” – Lee Hodge, Deputy Director, Pueblo County Department of Human Services

“The New Mexico Comprehensive Addiction Recovery Act team is excited to join the Child and Family Wellbeing Accelerator to strengthen our prevention efforts, as we work with families that are struggling with mental-health and substance-use issues. These programs improve our child welfare system’s ability to engage with families and to help keep them together.” – Barbara Vigil, Secretary, New Mexico Children Youth & Families Department

“New Hampshire Children’s Trust is leading the drive to eliminate child abuse and neglect in New Hampshire by promoting universal primary prevention strategies to strengthen and support all families. We look forward to having added capacity from GPL to enhance our ongoing work with the Department of Health and Human Services and New Hampshire’s network of Family Resource Centers to ensure all New Hampshire families have access to an array of high-quality programs, services, and resources that promote safe, stable, nurturing environments for children." – Joelyn Drennan, Senior Programs Director, New Hampshire Children's Trust

About the Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab
The Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab (GPL), based in the School’s Taubman Center for State and Local Government, supports state and local governments across the country in designing and implementing solutions to pressing social problems. The GPL has conducted more than 200 projects in 35 states, helping innovative state and local government leaders improve the results they achieve for their residents. An important part of the GPL’s research model involves capturing the insights, tools and practices that are gained through these hands-on projects and sharing them with government leaders across the country.

Contacts:
Margaret Quackenbush
mquackenbush@hks.harvard.edu