Nine Key Factors in Extended Litigation-Based Reform of State Child Welfare Agencies

Ariel Alvarez

Children and Youth Services Review, 2020, vol. 116, issue C

Abstract: Youth entering foster care encounter a multi-system state child welfare agency (CWA) that provides foster care and other child welfare related functions. CWAs face complex and ongoing governmental and organizational challenges contributing to a history of serious systemic deficiencies due to chronic under-funding, under-staffing, and under-resourcing. Child welfare advocates employ class-action litigation to engage leaders in sustained focus and action to remedy systemic failures and hold them accountable for poor care and outcomes for youth in foster care. A qualitative design using multiple case study and document analysis methods was used to explore extended litigation-based reform of thirteen state CWAs to identify key factors that contributed to substantive improvements in the state foster care system. Nine dominant factors were identified that included: (a) well-defined consent decrees and settlement agreements; (b) court-appointed monitors, special masters, and receiverships; (c) moving from an adversarial to collaborative environment; (d) case practice model/principles-based reform plan and family/team-based case management; (e) executive leadership support, resistance, and turnover (f) state governmental and legislature support; (g) building institutional capacity; (h) CWA structured as an independent agency; and (i) incremental reform plan implementation.

Keywords: Case Study; Child Welfare Litigation; Foster Care; Reform (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:116:y:2020:i:c:s019074092030013x

DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105115

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