This analysis already reveals several gaps and opportunities that, if addressed, can positively impact families’ experience. The major findings of the mapping work are catalogued here (color coded to correspond with their illustration on the map):
Concrete Supports & Services
• Challenges in identifying and engaging families experiencing economic hardships hinder the ability to deliver prevention services that address their material needs. • Economic hardships continue to outpace the system’s capacity to respond, signaling a need for expanded resources and support mechanisms. • Highly regarded early learning navigational supports, currently available in only three regions, are in high demand, creating clear potential for broader scaling to meet family needs. • Access in rural communities is limited by geographic distance and provider availability. • Aligning partnership priorities presents an opportunity to better connect families with housing, economic, and employment resources that fall outside DCYF’s direct purview. • Support, expand, and connect navigational efforts to best support families getting what they need. • Frequent changes in service and supports available in communities complicate navigators’ ability to provide the latest information to families and align their approaches effectively .
Education
• School personnel are the source of many calls to the child welfare hotline, with reports disproportionately centering children of color. This underscores the need for alternatives to mandated reporting. • Vocational supports are limited, presenting an opportunity to expand, programs that help families achieve economic stability and long-term success. • There is a shortage of high-quality affordable child care.
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