International Review of Parent Advocacy in Child Welfare
Strengthening children’s care and protection through parent participation.
By David Tobis, Andy Bilson and Isuree Katugampala
This report shows that parent advocacy can reduce the number of children placed into care, the length of time children remain in care, and improve the experience of parents and professionals in child welfare. The paper presents the findings from a preliminary review of practice at the case, program and policy level. The report includes the results of the first international survey of child welfare parent advocacy programs and a literature review showing the developing evidence base for parent advocacy. The paper describes the ways parents in high income countries, working with their allies, are beginning to be a countervailing force to push child welfare systems to create better outcomes for children and their families.
From Pariahs to Partners
Oxford University Press
How parents and their allies changed New York City’s Child Welfare System
At the end of the 20th century, New York City had one of the worst child welfare systems in the United States: Almost 50,000 children were in foster care. They and their families were often neglected or abused by the system. Parents had no voice, and the services designed to protect children were more often harming, rather than helping, them.
From Pariahs to Partners tells the inspiring story of the parents and their allies (child welfare commissioners, social workers, lawyers, and foundation officers) who joined together to change the system, helping to reduce the number of children in care to fewer than 8,000. The changes they brought about have sparked a worldwide movement of parents fighting for their rights and the transformation of child welfare systems. This is parent advocacy.
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David is available to speak about the history and impact of the New York parents’ movement, focusing on lessons for other child welfare systems.
Moving from Residential Institutions to Community-based Social Services
in Central and Eastern Europe
and the Former Soviet Union
World Bank: A World Free of Poverty
This study, prepared for the World Bank, reviews the use of residential institutions for the care of children, the elderly, and people with disabilities (mental, physical, or sensory impairment) in the region of Central and Eastern Europe. It focuses on five countries—Albania, Armenia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Romania—where the World Bank was helping to develop community-based social services to reduce the reliance on residential institutions.
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For more of David’s writings on child welfare systems and community-based social services:
Book a Talk!
David is available for public speaking, workshops, and system assessments in child welfare and parent advocacy.