The Family First Prevention Services Act of 2018 (FFPSA) represented a transformative shift in child welfare policy, enabling states to allocate federal funds for mental health care, substance use treatment and parenting support aimed at keeping families together. This approach emphasized a crucial principle: children flourish most when they can safely remain in their homes.
But seven years later, the promise of FFPSA is colliding with reality. Without safeguards, the emphasis on “prevention” can leave children in unsafe homes. Nationally, turnover in the child welfare workforce averages between 20% and 40% annually, with some agencies experiencing rates as high as 60%, according to a Casey Family Programs report in August 2023. A study conducted in Milwaukee found that children with one caseworker achieved permanency in a stable living situation 74.5% of the time, compared to just 0.1% for those with six or more caseworkers. This stark disparity highlights how fragile prevention efforts can become when workforce stability is compromised.
My 12-point child welfare reform blueprint was created with this tension in mind. It emphasizes three critical safeguards that FFPSA implementation often overlooks: equity in funding, consistent mental health checks and workforce stabilization.
Equity and systemic support
Courtesy of Channing L. Collins
Channing L. Collins
Marginalized families, especially African American mothers, are overrepresented in the child welfare system yet under-supported by prevention services. Prevention funding must target these equity gaps by supporting culturally specific providers and trusted community organizations. Research shows media often frames African American mothers as “unfit,” leading to punitive responses rather than supportive interventions.
Research from my dissertation reinforces this concern. In a comparative analysis of 60 high-profile cases, I found that African American mothers accused of harming their children were overwhelmingly portrayed in the media through frames of criminality and moral failing, while Caucasian mothers were far more often depicted as struggling with mental illness or systemic breakdowns. These racialized narratives not only shape public perception but also influence policy responses—driving more punitive interventions for Black families and rehabilitative approaches for white families. The pattern underscores why equity must be at the heart of FFPSA implementation: without safeguards, prevention can be misapplied in ways that perpetuate systemic bias rather than protect children and support families.
Risk-based case prioritization
Implementing a risk-based case prioritization system could have improved resource allocation and response times in cases like Day’s. Through classifying cases by urgency and severity, agencies can ensure consistent and effective interventions. This approach helps prevent burnout and ensures that resources are matched to case needs effectively.
Lived experience and mental health safeguards
Involving a Lived Experience Advisory Council can provide invaluable insights into creating policies that reflect the realities of those they affect. Trauma-informed mental health evaluations and clearly documented safety benchmarks in every FFPSA-funded case could offer families a real chance at healing, protecting children while addressing underlying issues.
[Related: Seize the foster care insurance “crisis” as an opportunity — to curb foster care]
These strategies collectively aim to build a child welfare system that preserves family connections and protects children, ensuring equity and effective support are at the core of every intervention.
Workforce stability
A prevention law is only as strong as those who implement it. High turnover undermines child safety, making workforce stability essential. Agencies should invest in trauma-informed supervision, conduct stay interviews to retain dedicated staff and perform organizational self-assessments that evaluate leadership culture alongside outcomes. As emphasized by Casey Family Programs, stability in the workforce is directly tied to stability for children. By fostering a supportive and consistent work environment, we can ensure that FFPSA truly benefits families and protects children.
Empowering practitioners
For professionals serving youth, these safeguards offer practical solutions. Agency leaders can align funding with outcomes and equity benchmarks. Supervisors should integrate mental health assessments and escalation triggers into every case review. Community partners have the opportunity to design prevention services that families genuinely trust.
While FFPSA has been transformative, its impact depends on effective implementation. Prevention and protection must work in harmony. Through embedding equity, mental health safeguards and workforce stability into the core of FFPSA, we can build a child welfare system that truly preserves families and protects children.
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Dr. Channing Collins is a child welfare and policy executive with a decade of leadership experience in Indiana and Illinois. She holds a Ph.D. in Criminal Justice (Law & Public Policy), a master’s degree in dispute resolution from Pepperdine University and is pursuing a master’s degree in legal studies at the University of Arizona. She is the author of a 12-point child welfare reform blueprint focused on safety, equity and workforce stability.
