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August 2016
Policy&Practice
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delivery systems, these issues strain
our resources and relationships as we
address far too many downstream
public safety, public health, and public
welfare challenges.
After we learned of the child deaths,
we conducted the critical incident
review, partnered with our colleagues
at the California Department of Social
Services, and closed the gaps we found;
but we knew we had to do more. Over
the holidays, I called Tracy Wareing
Evans at APHSA to get her thoughts
on how we could go beyond a siloed
assessment of our child welfare system
and reach more broadly into our com-
munity to better address the stressors
that take a daily toll on families, while
at the same time strengthening part-
nerships among our sister agencies
and community partners. Tracy
shared her thoughts on the work of
the Commission to End Child Abuse
and Neglect Fatalities, and a partner-
ship with the APHSA Organizational
Effectiveness teamwas born to bring
the commission’s framework into local
strategic planning and action.
Now, we are about to embark on
the Roadmap to Child Well-Being—a
project we hope will be well informed
by the recommendations of the
Commission to End Child Abuse and
Neglect Fatalities. We know that
ending child abuse neglect fatalities
is within our reach. In memory of
children who suffer at the hands of
abusers and in honor of children trau-
matized by the circumstances beyond
their control, we are bringing together
our national, state, and local partners
to develop a strategic action plan
where our community’s aspirations
of well-being can gain momentum
and where we work together toward
the commission’s vision of a society
where …
children do not die from abuse or
neglect.
children are valued, loved, and
cared for first and foremost by their
parents.
the safety and well-being of children
are everyone’s highest priority, and
federal, state, and local agencies
work collaboratively with families
and communities to protect children
from harm.
leaders of child protective services
agencies do not stand alone but
share, with multiple partners, a
responsibility to keep children safe
long before families reach a crisis
research and integrated data are
shared in real time in order to
identify children most at risk for
abuse or neglect fatalities and
make informed and effective deci-
sions about policies, practices, and
resources.
state and local agencies charged
with child safety have the resources,
leaders, staff, funds, technology,
effective strategies, and flexibility to
support families when and how it is
most helpful.
every child has a permanent and
loving family, and young parents
who grew up in foster care get the
support they need to break the cycle
of abuse and neglect.
all children are equally protected
and their families equally supported,
regardless of race, ethnicity, income,
or where they live.
Elliott Robinson
is the director of
the Monterey County (California)
Department of Social Services.