How can we move towards systems transformation by sharing power with parents who have lived experience of child welfare?

Technical and logistical barriers also can be problematic, such as agency policies that create obstacles toward compensating parents for their time and expertise, or processes that do not meaningfully engage parents — for example, conducting surveys of parents but then not communicating the findings and how they may be used, or even disregarding them altogether. Shakira Paige, a mother and Rise peer program manager, shared that “this makes it feel as if they don’t really want our voices. When we open our mouths, that gives us more power — but if they are scared, then they don’t want parents to have a voice and opinion about what they’re doing to us.” Similarly, parents may feel tokenized if they are invited into the partnership after decisions have been made and they are unable to have meaningful impact.

Examining agency policies and processes, both written and unwritten, is an important step to ensure that any organization is truly prepared and ready to genuinely partner with parents. Parents and agency leaders that have led the way in implementation and barrier-busting partnerships say policy and process challenges are not insurmountable, but rather that they need to be adapted or re-envisioned in order to move toward transformation and authentic engagement with parents. Some common challenges that agencies might experience and need to address include:

• Relying on only a limited number of lived experts versus the need to expand the pool.
• Creating guidelines for both criminal history and CPS history, and balancing traditional requirements with the need to include an array of parents with a diversity of lived experiences.
• Compensating parent advocates equally to other professionals.
• Providing clear expectations regarding communication, boundaries, and available support.

Sharing power and building partnerships

Sometimes those with power are willing to share it, but do not know how. A good place to start is to ask parents to describe what a meaningful, power-sharing partnership would look and feel like — to them.

Simply extending an invitation to participate in a project or on a committee is not sufficient to ensure meaningful engagement, let alone true power sharing. An important consideration is the level of commitment to build relationships and share power versus merely going through the motions of including lived experts at certain points in a process. This will require steps such as clearly outlining the purposes and goals of inviting parents to the work, and may even require creating new structures that don’t yet exist.

The fundamental steps for sharing power, however, actually are not very novel or complicated. Basic gestures — such as asking everyone about their availability rather than just telling them when a meeting will be held, and inviting everyone’s input into developing an agenda — can go a long way in creating an environment that is more welcoming to parents. Other strategies include:

• Actively listening to parents to understand the trauma that children and families experience under the guise of child welfare support. Listen to their stories, concerns, and ideas for solutions.
• Acknowledging the harms parents are facing due to current system dynamics, especially within communities of color.
• Being mindful of the language used, as child welfare language often can cause harm.
• Asking parents what meaningful co-design or power sharing looks and feels like to them, as it may differ from how agencies and systems define it.
• Creating a space that feels safe enough¹ for parents to share stories, reflect on lived experiences, and brainstorm ideas so that communication can be open and transparent.
• Identifying shared values to provide a foundation for the partnership. This grounding can be especially helpful if there is disagreement regarding how to move the work forward.
• Co-designing projects together, from start to finish. This includes engaging parents in the brainstorming and planning phases, not just implementation.
• Making decisions collaboratively by considering everyone’s scheduling needs, building a shared agenda together, voting on decisions, and seeking consensus from the group.
• Learning how to challenge each other respectfully and how to have uncomfortable conversations.
• Assessing continuously whether parent inclusion is truly genuine.