Center for the Study of Social Policy

ICYMI: This week, our CARES Initiative gathered for our two-part virtual discussion, Policy in Action Building a Community that CARES for Young Adults. Our second session focused on youth-centered policy recommendations for housing—developed in collaboration with young people who have transitioned out of foster care. In Los Angeles and New York, young people are calling for homes that provide safety, stability, and peace of mind. We were joined by an incredible panel of partners and CARES Ambassadors who engaged in a conversation about a future where all young people can access safe, stable, and healthy housing without the fear of discrimination or instability. Panelists included: 🔹Cara Baldari, VP of Family Economics, Housing and Homelessness, First Focus 🔹Kayonda Branch, CARES Ambassador, New York City 🔹Jenny Pokempner, Policy Director, Youth Law Center 🔹Michael Santos, Associate Director, RESULTS Educational Fund 🔹Elizabeth Villa, CARES Ambassador, Los Angeles 🔹Alexandra Citrin, Senior Associate, Center for the Study of Social Policy Replay the full discussion here: https://lnkd.in/ect2fSzh #Equity #YoungAdults #TAY #TransitionAgeYouth #CARES4Power #HousingSupport #MentalHealth #Wellbeing #ChildWelfare #AgingOut

ICYMI: This week, our CARES Initiative gathered for our two-part virtual discussion, Policy in Action: Building a Community that CARES for Young Adults. Our first session discussed youth-centered policy recommendations for mental health and well-being, co-designed with young people who have transitioned out of foster care. In Atlanta, young people are calling for a mental health system that supports their well-being and is accessible, respectful, and responsive to their needs. We were joined by an esteemed panel of partners and CARES Ambassadors who engaged in a conversation about a future where all young people have access to care that is high-quality, holistic, culturally responsive, and affirming of their identities and experiences. Panelists included: 🔹Malaka Y. Nzinga, CHES®, Program Manager in the National Center for Primary Care, Morehouse School of Medicine 🔹Dimple Desai, MSW, Senior Policy Analyst, Voices for Georgia's Children 🔹Jada Brigman, CARES Ambassador, Atlanta 🔹Tiffany Cannon, CARES Ambassador, Atlanta 🔹Shadi Houshyar, Senior Associate, Center for the Study of Social Policy Replay the full discussion here: https://lnkd.in/esqf54ZX #Equity #YoungAdults #TAY #TransitionAgeYouth #CARES4Power #HousingSupport #MentalHealth #Wellbeing #ChildWelfare #AgingOut

Too often, policy operates from the top-down, with the voices of professional researchers weighed over the voices of the youth, families, and communities being served. As we commit to embracing public services that promote a positive cultural identity and are responsive to the diversity of families in the community, we must adopt a different approach grounded in respecting community voice. The people who are supposed to benefit from services are the best judges of what works for them, and their perspectives should be central to determining what counts as evidence that a program is valuable and is meeting their expressed needs. Policymakers should embrace this community-defined evidence and work collaboratively to integrate community-defined evidence into program evaluation. Learn more about why community-defined evidence is critical to serving communities: https://loom.ly/V2x0NOk Learn about how policymakers can be operationalized community-defined evidence: https://loom.ly/OsoJ49w #CSSP5for2025 #economicjustice #healthjustice #familyautonomy #racialjustice #culture #culturallyresponsive #support #familysupport #culturallyresponsiveteaching #antiracisteducation #socialjusticeeducation #antiracism #childwelfare

The New York Times recently featured Milwaukee resident Kali Daugherty to share her perspective as a parent in its "If Their Plans Became Reality" series. The publication is speaking to Americans about what their lives could look like if presidential candidates’ policy proposals on the campaign trail were actually enacted.   Daugherty serves as a member of the Automatic Benefit for Children Coalition's Parent Advisory Board. Children's Defense Fund is a proud member of that coalition, along with the Center for the Study of Social Policy, which strives every day to make an expanded child tax credit a reality in America. Daugherty discussed with New York Times reporter German Lopez the impact an expanded child tax credit could have on her life. She also described the impact rising costs have had on her family recently. Read what she had to say here: https://nyti.ms/4hndEJn

Public agencies, including child welfare agencies, are increasingly investing in services to strengthen families. Yet too few of these investments have been in culturally responsive supports, which research shows are key to ensuring families and communities thrive. Unfortunately, the community providers who do offer these services face a range of barriers to serving their communities. These include research clearinghouses that do not recognize community-defined evidence in support of cultural responsiveness, and policymakers’ lack of financial support for responsive services. These barriers undermine the goal of providing families with the services that best meet their needs. Creating thriving communities requires supporting the providers on the ground who offer culturally affirming services families need. Learn more about how policymakers can support their efforts: https://loom.ly/kXL_f6w #CSSP5for2025 #economicjustice #healthjustice #familyautonomy #racialjustice #culture #culturallyresponsive #support #familysupport #culturallyresponsiveteaching #antiracisteducation #socialjusticeeducation #antiracism #childwelfare

Despite the known benefit of cultural responsiveness, policymakers continue to rigidly favor empirical “evidence-based” programs (EBPs), even without evidence they meet the needs of people of diverse cultures. This overreliance on EBPs obstructs the provision of culturally responsive services, both because being approved as an EBP costs time and money that small community organizations don’t have and because policymakers do not accept the community-defined evidence providers do have. For families and communities of color who are already underserved by public services, the lack of support for culturally affirming resources is of critical concern. Families and communities deserve more access to services that meet their needs, not less. Policymakers must work with community-based providers and other community members to identify what services are benefiting families and how to better support them, including through creating evidence criteria that better capture outcomes that communities value. Learn more about removing barriers to responsive services: https://loom.ly/kXL_f6w #CSSP5for2025 #economicjustice #healthjustice #familyautonomy #racialjustice #culture #culturallyresponsive #support #familysupport #culturallyresponsiveteaching #antiracisteducation #socialjusticeeducation #antiracism #childwelfare #evidence #evidencebased #ebp #communitydefinedevidence

Successfully promoting well-being through culturally responsive supports requires assessing what is working and why. Service providers like The Village Project, Inc. in Seaside, CA can point to community-defined evidence that their services are beneficial to and trusted by participants, including service alignment with existing cultural traditions, waitlists, sustained attendance, and participants referring other community members, among others. Unfortunately, public funders prioritize “evidence-based” programs supported by empirical evidence over services supported by community-defined evidence. This restrictive approach hampers the development and availability of culturally responsive services because providers offering these services are less likely to have empirical data but to instead rely on community evidence that funders do not accept as valid. Learn more about how service providers use community-defined evidence to identify what is working for their communities: https://loom.ly/Acs3Qz8 #CSSP5for2025 #economicjustice #healthjustice #familyautonomy #racialjustice #culture #culturallyresponsive #support #familysupport #culturallyresponsiveteaching #antiracisteducation #socialjusticeeducation #antiracism #childwelfare

Raising a child can be an exciting yet fraught experience for parents, especially during the critical birth – age 3 period. Navigating this time requires support from family members and friends, who can provide both concrete resources and emotional support. Parents also benefit from drawing on the accumulated wisdom of their cultural communities, which can be an invaluable resource. However, many parents are disconnected from their cultural traditions and may also lack access to family services that respect the cultural diversity of families in the community. For example, as Zachariah Ben shares in CSSP’s New Neighborhood podcast, Indigenous parents who want to follow traditional parenting practices often do not have access to immediate services that will support them. We live in an incredibly multicultural country that is rich in diverse ways of knowing how to care for children. These different sources of wisdom are assets that policymakers should build on to ensure proper support for parents taking care of young children. Learn more about culturally responsive early childhood work in the Navajo nation: https://loom.ly/YVg7aAo #CSSP5for2025 #economicjustice #healthjustice #familyautonomy #racialjustice #culture #culturallyresponsive #support #familysupport #culturallyresponsiveteaching #antiracisteducation #socialjusticeeducation #antiracism #childwelfare #earlyrelationalhealth #earlychildhood #nativeamerican #indigenous

Early childhood, particularly the period from birth – age 3, is a sensitive time that lays the foundation for success well into adulthood. Building secure relationships between children and their families is essential during this stage, particularly for interventions designed to strengthen families. Research on early relational health shows that effective interventions recognize that these relationships can develop in culturally diverse ways and respect the value of each family’s cultural wisdom around child-rearing. Unfortunately, there is a policy and funding bias toward prescriptive, one-size-fits-all evidence-based programs that are unlikely to work and can alienate a parent from seeking help in the future. Moving forward, policymakers should promote responsive services that better serve all families, including by integrating family experience and embracing diversity of practices. Learn more about how the principles of early relational health can guide this work : https://loom.ly/vCDSG1Q #CSSP5for2025 #economicjustice #healthjustice #familyautonomy #racialjustice #culture #culturallyresponsive #support #familysupport #culturallyresponsiveteaching #antiracisteducation #socialjusticeeducation #antiracism #childwelfare #earlychildhood #earlyrelationalhealth

💬 "I want somewhere that I can have my own space and feel safe and at peace, and not worry about anything." — CARES Ambassador In LA, young people dream of a better housing experience—a safe sanctuary where they can focus on their goals and mental health, without the constant worry of instability. The CARES Initiative calls for a housing system that truly supports the needs of transition aged youth. 🏠 Join us TODAY in building a community that cares for young adults. Learn more at Policy in Action: Building a Community that CARES for Young Adults. Register here: https://loom.ly/5NGVq9U #Equity #YoungAdults #TAY #TransitionAgeYouth #CARES4Power #HousingSupport #MentalHealth #Wellbeing #ChildWelfare #AgingOut