PILLAR 02 - NEW DEAL FOR THE YOUTH
Child & Family Well-Being Justice
A new system centering well-being — supporting families, kinship networks, and chosen family in safely staying together.
FUTURE STATE OF CHILD & FAMILY WELL BEING
The world we're building toward
A new system centering well-being and focusing on supporting families, including kinship networks and chosen family, in safely staying together — or providing safe alternatives of a youth's choice by:
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Giving families access to economic resources such as universal basic income, universal health care, and affordable housing, paired with supportive services needed to stay together and thrive
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Eliminating the need for foster care by ensuring child removals are solely based on safety, are temporary, and youth are placed with safe family members, kinship networks, and/or chosen family
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Empowering youth to live independently, if they choose, with the supports and resources needed
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Fully supporting youth transitioning out of the current child welfare system with housing, economic, and social supports throughout adulthood
Child and Family Well-Being System vs. Child Welfare System
Throughout this pillar, we refer to a new child and family well-being system that centers children, youth, and family well-being; is community-driven with a newly shaped role for government; is rooted in keeping families together; and empowers youth to live independently with support when they choose.
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We do not use "child welfare system" when describing the future state because the current system should no longer exist in its current form. It must be re-imagined around well-being, co-led by community and government — with government focused on child safety and empowering community-based organizations to support well-being. Restructuring the government's role is critical given the historical trauma it has inflicted on Black, Indigenous, Brown, and Queer communities.
Partnering with National Child & Family Well-Being Advocates
AWHA's New Deal focuses on the intersection between housing and the child welfare system as it directly impacts youth and young adults. We recognize that full transformation will take more than the actions in this pillar. AWHA is committed to partnering with national advocates working to more broadly transform the system for all ages of children, youth, and families — and to helping build the coalition necessary to reach a future state rooted in justice.