In 2024, we hosted the “Foster America Summit,” a virtual event bringing together key collaborators from across the child welfare ecosystem for an update on our work. Drawing on examples from both longstanding and new partnerships, Foster America staff shared updates on the innovative, prevention-focused strategies that are taking shape across the country to better support families. Inaugural Summit
The Foster America Summit is recorded and shared with attendees. Watch the 2024 recording on our YouTube channel, @FosterAmericaFA.
Foster America panelists, who took questions from attendees, emphasized the importance of co-designing these strategies not only with government and community leaders but the people who have been personally impacted by the child welfare system. With each collaboration, we remain committed to ethically, compassionately, and fairly engaging those who may still carry the trauma of systems involvement. Each year, the summit provides a dedicated space to celebrate progress, share lessons learned, and push thinking forward on what’s possible when systems are redesigned with families at the center.
Focused on Data In the final quarter of 2024, we secured a five-year contract with RTI International, a leading research institute that conducts policy assessments, program evaluations, and studies on the needs and outcomes of vulnerable children and families.
As the primary liaison between the NSCAW project and local jurisdictions, Foster America is ensuring that data collection aligns with the real needs of communities and decision-makers. RTI’s expertise in qualitative and quantitative research helps shape how jurisdictions gather and interpret data, strengthening child welfare policy with evidence-based insights. This work is an essential piece of our broader strategy to integrate data insights into policy and practice, enabling jurisdictions to make informed decisions that better support families.
This partnership supports the fourth cohort of the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW) — a critical nationwide effort to improve how child welfare systems track and respond to family well-being.
www.foster-america.org |
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