This report highlights recommendations to public policy to promote family preservation, support secure families, improve federal child welfare policies, and ensure all of America’s children and families can thrive. Systemic racism is a significant problem in child welfare systems, and these recommendations include a dedicated focus to promoting equity to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for families that disproportionately face child welfare involvement, including Black, Native, and Latinx families .
Pediatricians bring a unique voice to the child welfare policy conversation because their expertise allows them to: 1) speak to the science of child development; 2) emphasize the long-term health implications that adverse childhood experiences have on children; and 3) advocate for a variety of health care needs of children and youth. The AAP is committed to working collaboratively with other child welfare stakeholders to serve as effectively as possible as a champion for strong child welfare policies that ensure all children, youth, and families have access to the resources they need to succeed.
Read More about the child health imperative and the case for change.
These three recommendations encapsulate the larger themes identified within the 14 public policy recommendations included in this report. Click below to read the full list of recommendations.
