All of us must work together to build and sustain a climate where child welfare professionals can do their best to help children, youth, and families thrive. Check out the ideas below for how you can join professionals and non-professionals in supporting child welfare.
Short on time? Here are ideas of things you can do in just a few minutes.
- Learn about what child welfare workers do to support families, youth, and children.
- Help strengthen families and prevent child abuse and neglect in your community.
- Tell your friends and colleagues positive stories about child welfare. These could be from your own personal experience, or get ideas by viewing our Real Stories from the Field and the We Are Child Welfare Video Collection.
- Temporarily add our #WeAreChildWelfare Facebook frame to your profile picture.
- Donate resources (money or in-kind donations) to organizations in your community. If you don’t have an organization in mind, Network for Good can help to connect you.
Have a few hours to spare? These ideas take a little more time but will have a greater impact.
- Help families in your community. Volunteer Match can connect you with a local organization.
- Call or write to your local, state, and federal representatives about the importance of funding child welfare programs and services.
- Present information about child welfare issues to your neighborhood association, congregation, civic group, PTA, or other groups. The Frameworks Institute’s Storytelling for Social Change provides recommendations on how to frame your remarks.
Want to make a bigger commitment?
- Become a social worker. Many schools of social work provide specialized training in child welfare. Learn more from the National Association of Social Workers, the Council on Social Work Education, or contact your local school of social work to see if they have a child welfare specialization.
- Become a resource parent (i.e., kinship, foster, or adoptive parent) or provide respite care to children and youth. Contact your local child welfare agency to learn more.
- Mentor a young person in your community. The National Mentoring Partnership can connect you to a local program.
- Advocate for children as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) or Guardian Ad Litem (GAL). Learn more from the National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association.