Operating at the intersection of health, social services and policy, this project team aimed to investigate prevention-oriented policy strategies to combat risk factors for child maltreatment being used by Division of Social Services (DSS) agencies in counties in California, New York and North Carolina.

Team members conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews via Zoom to explore how county DSS directors and other child welfare stakeholders utilized funding from the Family First Prevention Services Act and local resources available to them to implement services to prevent child maltreatment.

The team conducted background research to identify the primary goals of the Family First legislation as well as the nature of need for preventative services and used this research as a basis to identify barriers and misalignments between goals and implementation that child welfare agencies are experiencing.

Team members compiled their findings into a poster and infographic.

Timing

Summer 2023 – Summer 2024

Team Outputs

Data for grant proposals to design appropriate prevention or intervention strategies

Family First: A Policy for Preventing Child Maltreatment? (Poster presented at Fortin Foundation Bass Connections Showcase, April 17, 2024)

See related team, Policy Strategies to Address Child Maltreatment (2024-2025).