Innovation In Child Welfare: Partnership and Investment In Community-Based and Culturally Responsive Programming for Black Families

Background and Purpose: Black families are represented at disproportional and disparate rates within the child welfare system in Ontario, and families report experiences of oversurveillance, judgement, and punishment leading to fear and mistrust in the system. The Black community within Ontario’s Peel Region advocated for a comprehensive institutional response to address anti-Black racism and provide services that meet the cultural and social needs of Black families who may become involved in the child welfare system. After years of planning, engagement, and collaboration, Peel Children’s Aid Society (the child welfare agency within Peel Region)partnered with community-based providers to implement Akoma Wraparound Services, an innovative and culturally responsive program for Black families. This program is delivered through two Black-focused community-based organizations that provide wraparound cultural supports to address the holistic needs of Black families and prevent more intrusive child welfare involvement. This manuscript describes the need for the service, how the service was implemented within a partnership model, and what was needed from the child welfare agency to ensure its successful integration.

Methods: The research team conducted several information sessions over 6 months with Peel Children’s Aid Society and the two community-based providers in order to understand the processes of the program and what it takes from the child welfare agency for an initiative like Akoma to be sustained.

Results: We describe several key innovations, including explicit organizational commitment and financial investment to fund and sustain the partnership, the development of technical infrastructure to support referrals and capacity to evaluate service impact, and internal advocacy, training, and clinical support within the organization to successfully bridge the mandates of the child welfare system and Black-led community-based organizations.

Conclusion and Implications: Investment in innovative, community-based, and culturally responsive programming that addresses the holistic needs of Black families is at the heart of this model of partnership. Through this partnership and service delivery model, one that diverges from typical child welfare practice, Black families' voices are centred, their cultural identities and knowledge are honoured, and they are seen, valued, and supported.