by Dr. Dave Anderson, Founder and Executive Director of Safe Families for Children
In July, we received some incredible news that I’m so excited to announce. Safe Families for Children (SFFC) has been approved as one of only 29 nationally recognized support programs that state child welfare departments can implement to satisfy the federal mandate of providing prevention services to vulnerable families.
So what’s the big deal?
As each of the 50 states develops its federally mandated prevention plan, officials will select a number of the approved programs and will receive federal funds for implementation. As states implement and financially invest in Safe Families, more families will receive help before the crisis escalates, and more lives will be forever changed by hospitality, generosity, and compassion. More importantly, it proves that you, our mighty army of volunteers, are making a difference.
How did this happen?
When I first started Safe Families over 20 years ago, I was told that it would never work. It was deemed illegal, as evidenced by several Cease and Desists from attorneys general. I knew we were trying something very different by focusing on preventing problems and providing support. I believed that struggling parents need and deserve more than what state child welfare departments were providing at that time.
The journey to prove our case involved demonstrating that people genuinely care and are willing to make sacrifices to help a neighbor. It involved passing 17 laws to confront the concept that helping a parent and caring for their child was illegal and that only the state could do that correctly. It also involved pursuing the highest level of research (a randomized controlled trial) to try to prove that mobilized people living out their values can change our communities. The research confirmed our model’s effectiveness with 78% of families who receive Safe Families care being deflected from foster care, compared to the 47% for families receiving prevention services as usual.
This placed us in a unique category as an “evidence-based” movement. That evidence has opened doors and was the key to our acceptance by the US Health and Human Services Prevention Services Clearinghouse (often referred to as Families First) as an approved program.
SFFC has led the way in prevention
The core concepts of our movement, which were once opposed, are now seen as best practices:
· The safety of children and support of parents needs to be a priority for us all, not just the child welfare system. The system cannot do it alone, even though they sometimes think they can.
· Thousands and thousands of volunteers are mobilized based on shared values (hospitality, generosity, compassion, faith) rather than money or “rescuing children.”
· The “lived experience” of volunteers is sufficient to help a parent. Helping does not require extensive training, degrees, or certifications.
· Parents often face social isolation. SFFC volunteers provide “extended family” for those in need of support and friends.
· Children should be with their parents, if at all possible.
· A parent’s well-being directly impacts the safety and well-being of their child.
· Poverty and lack of resources and support should not result in a child being removed from their home against the will of the parent.
· Long-term relationships with caring people can change the trajectory of a family.
· Parents deserve to be seen, heard, and understood. Even if they are temporarily unable to care for their child, they are valuable and worthy of our best.
This present moment has been over a decade in the making. It began in 2013 with our steps to become “evidence-based” to prove that regular people, powered by their values, can change the future for families by keeping children safe and building supportive relationships.
This is more than policy approval—this is public recognition that the work you do matters, that families deserve healing rather than separation, and that communities have the power to keep children safe. We look forward to the road ahead, working alongside each of you as we expand our reach and deepen our commitment to families across the country.
I cannot conclude this joyous occasion without sharing one email I received from a mother.
“I am a single parent of four beautiful girls, ages 12, 6, and 3 (the youngest are twins). As wonderful a blessing as they are, I was feeling overwhelmed, stressed out, alone, and undeserving. I felt hopeless and had lost the will to deal with any more of life’s stresses. I attempted suicide. I believed my children would be safer, healthier, and more successful if I could avoid repeating my own life’s failures. After connecting with you, my children are back with me now, and Safe Families is part of our family. I remain in contact with the volunteers and the staff who helped us. I know that if I come to them with problems or concerns, I will get guidance in the right direction. I have always had to figure things out on my own, with nowhere to turn, but thanks to Safe Families, I truly know that there are people who still believe the more you give, the more you receive.”
This is a win for all families who will receive care before a crisis escalates and families are separated. A huge thank you to the thousands of volunteers who have opened their hearts and are open to helping keep children safe and families together.
Thank you for making a difference.