Policy & Practice | Summer 2025

By recognizing the interconnectedness of economic support and child welfare, agencies can move from reactive to preventive strategies. The time to act is before the wave hits.

cases, children may be placed in hotel rooms or spend nights in agency offices—measures widely regarded as system failures. These short-term fixes, while sometimes necessary, come at a cost for children. There is also a significant toll on the workforce. When caseloads spike, case workers are asked to work overtime, triage cases based on risk, and often operate under adjusted policies that raise the threshold for intervention. This leads to burnout, mistakes, and high turnover—further weakening the system’s ability to respond. A Leadership Framework for Prevention The stakes are too high to wait for the next crisis. By investing in preven tion and collaboration today, we can ensure that families remain supported, and children stay safe—no matter what policy changes lie ahead. Human services leaders can take a proactive and collaborative stance to help agencies anticipate and mitigate the impact of social program cuts. 1. Understand: Use data to model and predict how changes in TANF,

Medicaid, and housing supports will affect child welfare caseloads. What indicators can serve as early warning signs? 2. Prepare: Coordinate across programs to deliver whole-person care. This means breaking down silos between TANF, Medicaid, housing, and child welfare to create a unified, preventive approach. Consider interagency task forces to address gaps in service delivery before they escalate. 3. Mobilize: Equip the workforce with the tools, training, and support they need to manage shifting workloads. This includes cross-training, mental health support, and streamlined processes.

4. Sustain: Lead with vision, not just crisis response. Agencies should articulate long-term goals for prevention, stability, and family preservation—and align resources accordingly. The ripple effects of policy changes in social support programs are not inevitable—but they are predictable. By recognizing the interconnected ness of economic support and child welfare, agencies can move from reactive to preventive strategies. The time to act is before the wave hits. The challenge is not just to manage the fallout—but to anticipate it, plan for it, and build systems resilient enough to weather it.

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Summer 2025 Policy & Practice