Community leadership in system transformation: A realist review of strategies for effective partnership between communities of color and public systems impacting children and families

Mallory VanMeeter, Shannon Kugley, Elizabeth Dierksheide and Mark McDaniel

Children and Youth Services Review, 2025, vol. 175, issue C

Abstract: The child welfare system in the U.S. is long overdue for a reimagination. To bridge the gap between what families say they need to thrive and what child welfare provides, the system must build a new relationship with community—one where residents are valued as collaborators and are supported in taking the lead. A team from Chapin Hall conducted a realist evidence review (Paré et al., 2015) to inform this shift toward community leadership. We focused on public system partnerships with Black and non-Black communities of color to shape policies, programs, and practices impacting children and families. Using a modified grounded theory approach, we analyzed 35 empirical publications on 32 unique projects. We supplemented that evidence with six longitudinal case studies (Bowen, 2009; Morgan & Nica, 2020) and conversations with 10 key informants.

Keywords: Child welfare; Public system; Racial justice; Community leadership; Partnership; System change; Realist review (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:175:y:2025:i:c:s0190740925002336

DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108350

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