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VCU School of Social Work Online Master of Social Work Program Format

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Empowerment is central to social work. Social workers strive to empower individuals so they can overcome personal challenges such as substance abuse or eating disorders, personal or family illness, and the emotional trauma resulting from divorce, abuse or the death of a loved one. However, social work does not focus exclusively on individuals. It also aims to empower groups and communities, particularly those with histories of oppression and marginalization. Social work can-and should-involve advocating for policies that promote greater social justice and equity.

Social workers use an array of practice methods and theories. For example, empowerment theory social work focuses on promoting self-development and awareness and helps people address the oppressive forces that block them from thriving.

What Is Empowerment Theory?

Empowerment theory social work involves using intervention methods to guide people toward achieving a sense of control.

People may feel helpless in their lives for any number of reasons, but empowerment theory focuses on how oppression contributes to this experience. It centers on helping marginalized people at individual, group and community levels gain the personal, interpersonal and political power to improve their lives. Additionally, the model seeks to challenge systems that prevent or hinder people from having their needs met.

Important Concepts

What can prevent marginalized people from feeling empowered to take control of their lives? Empowerment theory social work explores several key factors:

Direct Power Blocks

Direct power blocks are the structures that stop people from achieving goals such as better employment, advanced education or safe housing. Examples include inequitable access to well-funded and high-quality schools, discriminatory lending practices in housing, or sexist attitudes in corporate culture.

Social workers can help promote awareness of direct power blocks and energize social movements against them by developing programs that help individuals overcome marginalization. For instance, programs that cultivate pride in LGBTQ+ youths could also help take action against the discrimination of their community members. Additionally, social workers can advocate for policy reforms and corrective laws.

Indirect Power Blocks

Indirect power blocks refer to internalized oppression. Groups with histories of mistreatment often absorb the negative messaging of the abuse they receive. They develop stories about their limited options and ability to achieve and then pass those ideas down across generations. However challenging, these deeply ingrained thoughts need to be resolved.

Social workers can investigate proven interventions, such as trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT), which evidence shows can change thinking patterns to help clients work through their internalized oppression. For example, a mentoring program using TF-CBT could help improve the self-image of youths from historically oppressed communities to support their empowerment and potentially address the cultural trauma that has hurt their academic performance.

Dimensions of Empowerment

How can empowerment theory social work help individuals and communities tackle the systemic oppression and societal barriers that prevent them from reaching their full potential? Awareness is essential. The empowerment approach works to develop awareness on several levels.

Self-Efficacy

Individuals must build their power by cultivating the belief that they can change their circumstances. This requires addressing some of the indirect power blocks interfering with their self-actualization.

Social workers can guide individuals through therapies that help clients explore their beliefs, why they hold them, and how to change them. They can also help individuals develop coping skills to adjust to their environments.

Critical Consciousness

Individuals need to develop a deep understanding of the complex social, economic and political realities in their environments that negatively affect them. This involves examining their roles in these environments and seeking out potential ways to work around the structures blocking them. Establishing this type of consciousness allows people to share their experiences and connect with others in the same or similar situation.

Sharing allows people to learn from one another and not feel as alone in their struggles. For example, social workers can organize programs in which participants discuss how racism affects their lives and explore forces that support racism. These programs can help people unravel their internalized oppression and improve their ability to confront direct and indirect power blocks.

Tool Development

Building awareness is important, but without the interventions that address negative thinking patterns and unfair social and political realities, people can only get so far.

Micro-level Tools

Areas for intervention include:

Therapy that uses techniques to emphasize peoples' strengths, helps them develop skills needed to confront social and political difficulties, and offers alternatives to dysfunctional and self-defeating thought patterns can cultivate self-worth and empower people to overcome indirect power blocks.

Case management can empower individuals to become their own advocates. Social workers can encourage clients to take an active part in identifying their needs and teach them how to register with an employment agency or find health services that can empower them to become their own advocates. Establishing this autonomy is key to social work, which strives to build strength and independence.

Insight techniques, which social workers implement when they deliver case management, therapy or social programs, can empower clients to achieve their goals through a self-examination process in which clients evaluate how they can change their situations and solve problems.

Macro-level Tools

Additionally, social workers can help organize collective action within communities:

Political advocacy engages government agencies in efforts to change laws and policies that disproportionately impact marginalized or disadvantaged groups in negative ways.

Program development can be used to educate the public about social issues and engage community members. This might involve working with community members in a program to revitalize a neighborhood, organize a social campaign, or canvass for a proposed law.

Research projects can identify factors that contribute to social inequities or measure the effects of discrimination and other oppressive forces on specific populations, providing data that informs evidence-based practices.

Empowerment Theory Social Work in Action

Empowerment theory social work uses a five-step problem-solving model to achieve its goals:

1. Identify problems.

2. Define strengths.

3. Set goals.

4. Implement interventions.

5. Evaluate successes on a collaborative level.

To successfully implement the model, social workers must develop key understandings, consider diverse perspectives and ask critical questions.

How Can Social Workers Empower Groups and Communities?

Know the group's history of oppression. How did the oppression originate? How does this oppression manifest in the present?

Understand the group's strengths and resilience. How have the people adapted and coped with the oppression? What has allowed the community to survive and succeed in the face of the stress and abuse they've encountered?

Recognize the diversity within the group. How do elements such as race, class, gender and sexual orientation complicate and change the impact of oppression on different members of the group? In what ways can these factors affect the way oppression plays out?

Public Policy Reform and Empowerment

While developing autonomy and self-determination can play a crucial role in overcoming obstacles to one's empowerment, this type of work alone cannot overcome widespread social injustice. People must take a critical look at the systems of oppression and find strategies that lead to change. Challenging societal norms allows individuals and communities to discuss the economic models and other structures in society that affect equity and then consider alternatives.

Social workers can engage groups and communities in discussions about issues that affect them locally and globally and encourage them to take action. For example, to address the disproportionate impact of climate change on oppressed communities, social workers can establish programs that provide access to fresh and healthy food, or work with nonprofits that combat environmental hazards such as pollution.

Public policy reform is often a necessary part of fixing systemic problems that keep people marginalized and perpetuate power imbalances. Making changes to laws, policies and systems may be the only way to reduce or eliminate some barriers to equality.

Empowerment theory social work can create opportunities for advocacy that address social, economic and political inequalities. It can also help build awareness of the stressors placed on oppressed groups. Such awareness can spur on the examination of the national, state and local policies that disempower people, and inspire collective action against those policies.

Empower Communities by Earning a Master of Social Work

Learning strategies to overcome social injustice and empower the most vulnerable members in society requires a commitment to justice and advocacy. Virginia Commonwealth University offers an advanced degree program in social work devoted to challenging systemic inequalities and training practitioners models such as empowerment theory social work. The curriculum promotes equity, human rights and ethical practice while preparing social workers to respond to the needs of diverse communities.

Explore how Virginia Commonwealth University's online Master of Social Work cultivates the expertise social workers need to empower individuals and communities.

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Empowerment Theory in Social Work | VCU Online Social Work

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Social workers strive to empower individuals so they can overcome personal challenges. Learn about empowerment theory.

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What is Empowerment? Community Psychology Core Principles and Key Concepts

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What Is Social Empowerment?

Social empowerment is the process of building the autonomy, power, confidence and other necessary means to enact change and pave the way for a better future. Social empowerment takes place at both the individual and the collective level. For an individual, social empowerment could look like gaining the inner and outer resources to make personal choices, such as what to eat, where to live and other decisions that allow us to control our environment and way of life.

On a collective level, social empowerment looks like organizations and institutions that help marginalized groups of people gain the resources to be empowered, such as material assets, good health, education, social belonging, self-esteem, self-confidence and economic opportunity. The goal is to give people who lack access to these resources a sense of identity, community and well-being so they can thrive and to eliminate systems that keep them without necessary resources and perpetuate marginalization.

Types of Empowerment

Empowerment can be categorized into various types based on the context and the areas in which it is applied. Here are some common types of empowerment:

Personal Empowerment

This type of empowerment focuses on enhancing an individual's self-confidence, self-esteem and sense of personal agency. It involves developing skills, knowledge and attitudes that enable individuals to take control of their lives, make informed decisions and overcome challenges.

Economic Empowerment

Economic empowerment focuses on improving the economic status and financial independence of individuals or communities. It includes providing access to resources, training and opportunities to create sustainable livelihoods, build assets and improve economic well-being.

Political Empowerment

Political empowerment aims to increase the influence and participation of individuals or groups in political processes and decision-making. This can involve promoting civic engagement, advocating for political representation and fostering awareness of political rights and responsibilities.

Organizational Empowerment

Organizational empowerment involves creating a supportive and inclusive environment within institutions, businesses or organizations. It includes promoting transparent communication, participatory decision-making and providing opportunities for skill development and growth.

Community Empowerment

Community empowerment focuses on building the capacity of communities to identify and address their own needs and challenges. It involves fostering a sense of collective responsibility, encouraging active citizenship and supporting community-driven initiatives.

Gender Empowerment

Gender empowerment seeks to address gender inequalities and promote gender equality. It includes efforts to challenge traditional gender roles, improve access to education and healthcare for all genders and advocate for equal opportunities and rights.

Environmental Empowerment

This type of empowerment centers on fostering a sense of responsibility and stewardship towards the environment. It involves promoting sustainable practices, environmental education and empowering individuals and communities to participate in environmental conservation efforts.

Digital Empowerment

With the increasing importance of technology and the digital world, digital empowerment focuses on providing access to digital resources, digital literacy and skills to bridge the digital divide and leverage technology for personal and collective development.

Social Empowerment

Social empowerment aims to improve the social status and well-being of individuals or marginalized groups within society. It involves promoting social inclusion, equal rights and opportunities, as well as challenging social norms and prejudices that perpetuate discrimination and exclusion.

It's essential to recognize that these types of empowerment are interconnected and often overlap. For example, economic empowerment can lead to improved social status and social empowerment can influence political engagement. The various types of empowerment often work together to create positive and transformative change in individuals and communities.

Who Benefits From Social Empowerment?

In general, many who identify as part of a group that is largely marginalized can benefit from social empowerment, but everyone benefits when society improves for all groups of people. Social empowerment efforts are most often directed toward advocacy for BIPOC, women, the LGBTQIA+ community, people with disabilities and those living in poverty. The most marginalized members of these groups tend to lack access to basic needs, health care, education and more. Social workers and others who aim to provide empowerment to marginalized individuals and communities strive to instill certain skills, education, resources and community engagement in these groups so they can thrive.

How Can You Contribute to Social Empowerment?

The gateway to contributing to socially empowering others is to first be able to recognize what's blocking these groups from thriving. In social work, these blockages are divided into two categories: direct power blocks and indirect power blocks.

Direct power blocks are the systems and structures that prevent people from achieving important goals, such as better employment conditions, higher education or safe housing. Individuals and communities are directly blocked from empowerment when they don't have equal access to quality schools, fair lending practices in housing or ethical treatment in the workplace, to name a few. To help dismantle these direct power blocks, we can work to cultivate awareness, as well as provide ways to take action against mistreatment and advocate for policy reforms and corrective laws.

Indirect power blocks are more challenging to tackle. These indirect blocks are the result of internalized oppression. Groups with personal and historical experiences of widespread mistreatment often absorb negative messaging about their worth. They internalize narratives about who they are, what they can achieve, the options they have and what kind of quality of life they are able to live, and then those narratives are passed down through generations. These blocks are deeply ingrained and often require therapeutic interventions, such as trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, to help individuals shift their mindset.

What are the 4 Stages of Social Empowerment?

Social empowerment involves a process through which individuals or groups gain power, agency and inclusion within society. The stages of social empowerment can be described as follows:

1. Awareness and Recognition

The first stage of social empowerment involves individuals or groups becoming aware of their social status, inequalities and the factors contributing to their marginalization or exclusion. This includes recognizing societal norms, prejudices and systemic barriers that limit their opportunities and influence.

2. Building Social Capital

In this stage, individuals or groups work on building social capital, which refers to the networks, relationships and connections that facilitate their integration and participation within society. Building social capital involves forming alliances, engaging in social networks and collaborating with others to address common issues and challenges.

3. Developing Agency and Voice

Empowerment requires individuals to have a sense of agency, the belief in their ability to act and influence outcomes. This stage focuses on developing the confidence, skills and knowledge necessary for individuals or groups to voice their concerns, advocate for their rights and actively participate in decision-making processes.

4. Collective Action and Social Change

The final stage of social empowerment involves taking collective action to bring about positive social change. This can include participating in social movements, advocating for policy changes or engaging in community-based initiatives aimed at dismantling oppressive structures and promoting inclusivity, equality and social justice.

It's important to note that the process of social empowerment is not necessarily linear and individuals or groups may move back and forth between these stages as they encounter new challenges or opportunities. Additionally, the stages of social empowerment can vary depending on the specific context and the issues being addressed. The ultimate goal of social empowerment is to enable individuals and communities to overcome social inequalities, participate fully in society and contribute to the well-being of all members of the community.

What Is Empowerment Theory in Social Work?

Empowerment theory in social work uses intervention methods to help guide people toward building autonomy and control in their lives. This theory recognizes that oppression is a primary contributor to disempowerment, which is experienced across a number of marginalized groups. Empowerment theory seeks to empower individuals and communities to gain personal, interpersonal and political power to better their lives. This work also strives to challenge systems that hinder these groups from meeting their needs.

How Does Empowerment Theory Social Work Help Individuals and Communities?

Implementing empowerment theory requires social workers and advocates to thoroughly understand marginalized groups and the systems, policies and practices that deter their success. They must also consider a range of perspectives and be able to ask critical questions.

Those who put empowerment theory to work tend to use this five-step framework to help marginalized groups and their allies solve problems:

1. Identify problems

2. Define strengths

3. Set goals

4. Implement interventions

5. Evaluate success on a collaborative level

Pillars of Empowerment Theory

To better understand how empowerment theory is used to help people unravel social barriers, looking at how social workers and advocates help individuals build awareness is key. The empowerment approach works to help develop awareness in the following areas.

Self-Efficacy: To change their outer world, individuals must begin with the belief that this is even possible. This requires challenging indirect power blocks and limiting beliefs around the positive changes that can occur. In this stage, social workers help explore these beliefs, how they began and how to change them.

Critical Consciousness: An awareness of the systems at play is also necessary. When individuals understand the social, economic and political realities that got them where they are and continue to keep them there, they then can see clearly that their challenges are not random or entirely their fault, but work to problem-solve and dismantle these systems. This awareness also inspires groups to share and problem-solve together regarding limitations they collectively face.

Tool Development: After awareness comes intervention and putting that awareness into action to heal and grow at the micro and macrolevels. This looks like therapy, case management, self-advocacy, political advocacy, program development and other means of working to establish access to resources.

Conclusion

The resources and skills developed through social empowerment methods can greatly improve the lives of individuals and entire communities. If you or someone you know is in need of social empowerment or if you would like to work with organizations dedicated to social empowerment, United Way of the National Capital Area can point you toward opportunities.

Learn about United Way NCA's health, education and economic opportunity programs, find Financial Empowerment Centers near you or read more on related social concepts such as social equity and equity and social justice.

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What Is Social Empowerment? Empowerment Definition & Theory | United Way NCA - United Way NCA

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Social empowerment is the development of confidence and autonomy in an effort to change the structure of society's roles and institutions. Learn more here.

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Did you know? Agents of Change Continuing Education offers Unlimited Access to 150+ CE courses for one low annual fee to meet your state's requirements for Continuing Education credits.

We've helped thousands of Social Workers with Continuing Education, learn more here about Agents of Change and claim your 5 free CEUs.

1) The Heartbeat of Empowerment

If we picture Social Work as a living entity, empowerment is its very pulse, the rhythmic heartbeat echoing its core values and driving its mission forward. Every beat reverberates with hope, with change, and most importantly, with the potential of what could be. But what makes this heartbeat so unique and vibrant?

Understanding the Rhythm: The Essence of Empowerment Empowerment is like that favorite song of yours that never gets old. At its core, empowerment is telling someone, "I believe in you!" and then showing them how to believe in themselves.

Core Components of Empowerment

Self-Determination: We're talking autonomy here! Remember that feeling when you first learned to ride a bike without training wheels? That exhilarating rush of freedom? By letting individuals take the reins of their lives, you're allowing them to navigate their own course.

Access to Information: Ever tried assembling that super-complicated piece of IKEA furniture without the manual? Information is like that manual. It equips individuals with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions. And let's face it, who doesn't want to avoid the frustration of missing screws and wrongly fitted parts?

Collaboration & Community Engagement: Empowerment isn't a solo journey. It thrives in collaboration. When individuals are engaged with their community, when they work hand-in-hand with others, that's when the magic happens. Because together, we can achieve so much more!

These layers and dimensions of empowerment are intertwined, forming the lifeblood of Social Work. The role of the Social Worker, then, is to be the gentle guide, the mentor, the cheerleader, ensuring that this heartbeat of empowerment remains strong, steady, and ever-resonant.

2) Techniques to Drive Empowerment in Social Work

4) FAQs - Social Work Empowerment
Q: What's the difference between empowerment in social work and just plain helping?
A: At first glance, 'helping' and 'empowering' might seem similar, but they have several key differences.

Helping often involves providing immediate assistance and addressing a current need or challenge. Think of it as giving someone a fish. It solves the hunger problem for the day, but what about tomorrow?

Empowering, on the other hand, goes several steps further. It's about equipping individuals with the skills, confidence, and resources they need to face future challenges head-on. It's the embodiment of the idea, "Teach a person to fish, and you feed them for a lifetime."

So, in essence, while helping addresses the 'now', empowerment is all about the 'now' and the 'later'!
Q: How do Social Workers ensure they're genuinely empowering someone and not imposing their beliefs?
A: Here's the mantra most Social Workers swear by:

Listen Actively: Before diving in with solutions, take a beat. It's their life story, after all!

Cultural Sensitivity: Understand and respect the cultural, social, and personal values of the individuals. One size doesn't fit all in empowerment!

Collaborative Decision Making: Instead of dictating terms, involve individuals in decision-making processes. Let them have a say in shaping their path.

By adhering to these principles, Social Workers can ensure they're empowering individuals in a way that's respectful, considerate, and genuinely beneficial.
Q: Are there scenarios where empowerment might not be the best approach in Social Work?
A: Well, empowerment is a powerful tool, but like all tools, context is key. There might be situations where immediate relief or direct intervention is more appropriate. For instance:

5) Conclusion

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► Learn more about the Agents of Change Continuing Education here: https://agentsofchangetraining.com

About the Instructor, Meagan Mitchell: Meagan is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and has been providing Continuing Education for Social Workers for more than 8 years. From all of this experience helping others pass their exams, she created Agents of Change Continuing Education to help Social Workers stay up-to-date on the latest trends, research, and techniques.

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Disclaimer: This content has been made available for informational and educational purposes only. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical or clinical advice, diagnosis, or treatment

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Empowerment in Social Work: Techniques and Importance

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Dive into the heart of empowerment in social work. Understand its significance, and explore transformative techniques that pave the way for more resilient communities. Discover why it's not just about helping, but about enabling!

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What Is Justice?: Crash Course Philosophy #40

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The Simpsons take on Social Justice Warriors

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Comedian Uses Stand-Up To Confront Social Issues | [MASHABLE ORIGINALS]

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Download Policy Brief (PDF)
Download Executive Summary (PDF)
Download Brief with Summary (PDF)

A substantial transformation of the child welfare system is needed that prioritizes prevention of child maltreatment, racial equity, and improves and sustains child and family well-being.

The Family First Prevention and Services Act is an important first step toward greater investment in child maltreatment prevention, support to kin caregivers, and proper placements for children and youth needing temporary foster care.

Institutionalized racism and inherent bias in child welfare policy, practice, and decision making contribute to families and communities of color disproportionately experiencing the failings of the current child welfare system.

Different child welfare response options are needed, especially for families with neglect-only allegations.

Authentic partnerships among human service agencies, community agencies, and families are critical for creating responsive and flexible primary prevention service arrays.

Abstract

The child welfare system is overdue for substantial transformation. Families and communities of color have experienced the brunt of the failings and limitations present in current policy and practice. A transformed approach is needed that prioritizes maltreatment prevention, racial equity, and child and family well-being. The Family First Prevention Services Act is an important step in this effort, although its scope falls short of the significant changes that are needed to effectively serve children and families. Transformation requires intentional efforts to disentangle poverty and child neglect, and investments in communities to build robust, accessible continua of prevention services.

After decades of moderate reforms, ¹ the Family First Prevention Services Act (Family First) represents a significant, but limited shift toward maltreatment prevention. Child welfare leaders, advocates, and policymakers are well positioned to leverage Family First and extend it to create new child- and family-serving systems that prioritize maltreatment prevention and racial equity, and also improve and sustain child and family well-being.

Since the establishment of states' formalized child protection systems, most child welfare resources have been directed toward investigations and out-of-home care expenditures. In 2016, only 15% of the $30 billion invested nationally was directed toward prevention services. ² Strengthening and supporting families and communities in order to reduce risk and build protective capacity has not been the primary focus or resource investment; annually more than 260,000 children and their families experience separation and removal. ³

The failings of child welfare strategies are especially important during the present challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Families living in poverty or facing economic insecurity have disproportionately felt the stressors of stay-at-home orders, school and child care closures, unemployment uncertainty, and diminished social

connectedness and support.⁴ Yet during these times, a prevailing narrative has been concern about states receiving a decreased number of child maltreatment reports, a result of lack of surveillance by mandated school and child-care reporters,⁵ rather than a coordinated human services response to increase outreach and preventive support to families.

Concerns about decreasing reports of child maltreatment are understandable; however, it is important to note that there are no national training standards for mandated reporters.⁶ Moreover, reports by schools, child-care providers, and mental health personnel represent the lowest percentage of substantiated child victims despite accounting for the greatest percentage of screened-in reports.⁷ Substantial numbers of families experience a child maltreatment investigation without a corresponding determination of abuse or neglect. This phenomenon suggests an opportunity to think about new proactive and adaptive strategies to help families meet their needs and keep children safe.

The child welfare system since its inception has intervened with and systematically separated children of color from their families, fragmenting communities and causing intergenerational trauma.⁸ A representative example of this includes the establishment of Native American boarding schools and the removal of significant populations of American Indian/Alaskan Native (AI/AN) children and youth from their families, tribes, and native land.⁹ Another is the intentional targeting of Black and Brown communities during the war on drugs, which resulted in skyrocketing numbers of children of color being placed into foster care. ¹⁰ Today Black and AI/AN children are still disproportionately represented at all stages of the child welfare system. 11, 12, 13 Once in foster care, they often experience increased placement disruptions, longer times to permanency, and more frequent reentry into foster care. ¹⁴ Presently, 53% of all Black children and their parents will experience a child welfare investigation before the child's 18th birthday. ¹⁵ Undoing the institutionalized racism inherent in the child welfare system is a critical part of a broader call for actionable change.

Family First Prevention Services Act: An Important First Step

In 2018, Congress passed the Family First Prevention Services Act. ¹⁶ Family First arguably is the most transformational child welfare legislation in recent history, largely because of its focus on prevention. It also emphasizes supporting kin caregivers and reducing the inappropriate use of residential placements for children and youth in foster care.

Family First allows for states, tribes, and territories to access federal Title IV-E funds for select evidence-based programs (EBPs) for child maltreatment prevention that are provided to children, parents, and/or kin caregivers and address issues related to mental health, substance use disorders, or in-home parent skill building. ¹⁷ Title IV-E is the only uncapped federal funding stream for child welfare services. Title IV-E funding was previously available to states only to reimburse certain percentages of their expenditures related to foster care. Now, these substantial Family First federal resources can be accessed to support the provision of certain EBPs that meet a specific evidence threshold as part of a broader prevention strategy, potentially allowing families to address key challenges and prevent their children from entering or reentering foster care.

Family First also includes important provisions related to ensuring proper foster care placements. The legislation restricts federal funds for youth placed in residential (i.e., congregate care) settings unless the providers meet specified criteria, and clinical assessments show that youth would be best served through temporary and time-limited residential treatment. ¹⁸ In addition, providers must have processes in place to engage family members in assessment processes and service delivery and provide discharge planning and aftercare services for at least 6 months post-discharge. This set of reforms is designed to promote family-based foster care placements as the best choice whenever possible, as well as to improve the quality of care received by youth who require temporary placement in residential settings.

Family First's emphasis on kinship caregivers is also notable. Kinship caregivers include relative family members or close family friends (often referred to as fictive kin) that assume temporary or permanent responsibility for caring for their relative children. ¹⁹ The legislation also authorizes Title IV-E reimbursement for evidence-based kinship navigator programs. These programs are designed to ensure that relative and fictive kin caregivers have access to the resources and supports they need to care for children living with them. An immediate challenge though is that there are currently no kinship navigator programs reaching the evidence threshold required for reimbursement through Title IV-E funding. ²⁰ This signals the need for increased development and testing of programs designed for relative and kin caregivers.

Investing in Prevention: Limitations of Family First

There are several limitations with the Family First preventive provisions. First, funds are available to states only to reimburse a percentage of costs associated with providing select EBPs to families with children identified as at "imminent risk" of entering foster care. ²⁰ Although states have the ability to operationalize what imminent risk means within their child welfare system, the deficit-based nature of the requirement means that states are more likely to target families at the deeper end of the risk continuum. This limits the likelihood that these EBPs will be made available to families early enough to prevent maltreatment. Furthermore, the imminent risk classification potentially could stigmatize and threaten parents in need of support with child removal, thwarting authentic engagement in assessment and planning activities as well as participation in services.

Second, funds are available only for evidence-based mental health, substance use, or in-home parenting skill-based programs that have been reviewed and approved by a federal evidence-based services clearinghouse. ²⁰ Programs can achieve a rating of "does not currently meet criteria," "promising," "supported," or "well-supported." Efforts to invest in programs that are known to work make sense. However, the evidence base in child welfare is still quite limited, particularly for proven programs that have been specifically designed for children and families of color. ²¹ In addition, EBPs are often difficult and expensive to scale up, implement with fidelity, ²² and rigorously evaluate. EBPs are also often unavailable in rural areas where child welfare agencies have long struggled to develop and maintain responsive service arrays. 23

Last, although it is imperative to address the clinical needs covered by Family First EBPs, families often experience other challenges that create conditions for maltreatment. These include poverty-related problems related to housing instability, food security, inadequate child care, and/or unemployment or underemployment often experienced by families with neglect allegations. ²⁴ These issues can worsen co-occurring challenges with substance abuse, mental illness, and parenting and interfere with families' ability to meaningfully address them.

Disentangling Poverty and Neglect

Comprehensive child welfare transformation beyond the scope of Family First will require holistic efforts to disentangle the issues of poverty and maltreatment, particularly neglect, and will necessitate a reconceptualization of how the child welfare system responds to families lacking sufficient resources. ²⁵ This is especially imperative given that neglect-only cases represent more than 60% of maltreatment determinations. ²⁶ Being poor does not make someone a poor parent; poverty, though, can create conditions by which maltreatment is more likely to occur. Rather than further stigmatize and punish families living in poverty with investigations and maltreatment determinations, families and communities would be better served by a coordinated human services response. ²⁵ This response could focus on addressing the range of family needs (e.g., child care, food insecurity, unemployment), building strengths, and linking families with supportive structures. ²⁷ For example, when economic interventions have been evaluated, even modest financial supports have been shown to reduce child abuse and neglect by enabling families to better access resources and address their basic needs. ²⁸

Further, families without stable housing are also disproportionately represented in the child welfare system. ²⁹ For one in six children involved in a child maltreatment investigation, housing instability contributes to their risk of entering foster care. ³⁰ Moreover, unstable housing can delay reunification between parents and their children in out-of-home care, even when all other safety and risk factors have been addressed. ³¹

A child and family well-being system that legitimately acknowledges and simultaneously addresses the interrelated issues of housing, child care, jobs, and health care will be much more effective in preventing maltreatment and fostering improved child and family well-being.

Transforming Child Welfare to Child and Family Well-Being

The child welfare field must transform in order to achieve coordinated state and local child- and family-serving systems that acknowledge and dismantle institutionalized racism, ³² preventively address the range of stressors affecting families' protective capacities, prioritize keeping families together, and promote improved child and family well-being. The child welfare field can achieve such a transformation through the following:

Advancing child and family well-being requires investing in communities and making resources and supports available before families destabilize to the point that foster care becomes necessary. In addition to implementing and scaling the EBPs available via Family First, this system should expand the preventive continuum of services to include permanent housing programs, affordable child care, food pantries, employment services, and other resources that substantively contribute to family stability and well-being. Innovative collaborations with community-based organizations outside of formal public agency systems, including faith-based organizations, nonprofits, private businesses, and philanthropy should be created. Partnering with families and communities to expand the child welfare evidence base to include programs and interventions specifically designed with and for families and communities of color is needed. Listening directly to families about what they most need and making those supports available is critical.

Building a robust prevention continuum requires human service agencies to work together very differently than how they do now. Rather than siloed public agencies that provide fragmented service delivery, human service leaders must collaborate to develop innovative ways to coordinate service delivery and coordinate different strands of funding to address families' interconnected challenges. Families need a coordinated response that goes beyond simply a referral to another public system (e.g., housing authority, public assistance office), which are often challenging to navigate and may not result in the provision of needed services.

Investing in and supporting kin caregivers is a cornerstone of a child and family well-being system. This includes maximizing the opportunities represented in the Family First kinship care provisions to ensure that children and youth can remain within their known support networks when living with their parents is temporarily or permanently not possible. At a minimum, this means providing financial resources to kin at the same levels that the child welfare system resources nonrelative foster parents, and without tying the money to foster parent licensure and home-study requirements. Most often, unlicensed kinship caregivers have access only to the child-only benefits available through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, which generally represent less than half of what is available to licensed foster parents. ³³ Kin caregivers should not be denied critical financial resources and supports because of non-safety-related licensing requirements, such as number of bedrooms in their home or past convictions for nonviolent criminal charges, which disproportionately have an impact on families of color. Ensuring that children and youth can remain with family is essential for promoting connectedness, stability, and well-being.

With the public support of federal child welfare leaders, national experts, and advocates, many jurisdictions are taking initial steps toward conceptualizing and implementing broader visions for child welfare transformation. This includes examples of forward-thinking Title IV-E Prevention Program plans (i.e., Family First plans), ³⁴ as well as a demonstrated commitment by several jurisdictions to the collaborative Thriving Families, Safer Children initiative, led by the Children's Bureau in partnership with Casey Family Programs, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and Prevent Child Abuse America. ³⁵ These strategies have the capacity to meaningfully combat racial inequities and support families facing adversity in ways that value their inherent humanity and contribute to strong, vibrant, and resourceful communities.

Recommendations for Policymakers

The following recommendations are applicable to federal, state, and local policymakers. Decision makers at all levels of government have the ability to advance a child and family well-being agenda within their sphere of influence.

1. Mandatory reporting system. Consider reconceptualizing the mandatory reporting system and the child welfare "front door," particularly for neglect-only cases. Explore alternative options and training mechanisms that would enable mandatory reporters to pursue other avenues for connecting families observed to need support with resources (e.g., help line, linkages to community resource centers) without defaulting to a child maltreatment report.⁷

2. Primary prevention. Expand the available array of primary prevention programs to families within their communities and make them easily accessible long before families are at serious risk of experiencing maltreatment. ³⁶ Foster leadership within community-based organizations to promote the amplification of youth and family voice, particularly from communities of color, in the design and implementation of prevention programs and strategies.

3. Race equity. Acknowledge and address the institutionalized racism that is reflected in the policies that guide child welfare programs and the ways they are implemented. Prioritize and provide resources for the hard work needed for child welfare leaders, staff, partners, and stakeholders to examine, confront, and dismantle racist policies and programs, and partner with communities of color to design and implement a child and family well-being system that values, respects, and equitably serves all families. ³⁷

4. Evidence-based interventions. Continue to invest in the development and testing of interventions to grow the evidence base for child welfare. Specifically prioritize the development of interventions that are designed with and for communities of color. Consider evaluation designs and methodologies that do not marginalize or devalue community-grown interventions that may be more difficult to assess using traditional evaluation frameworks. ²³

5. Kinship care. Make financial resources and supports available to kinship caregivers that are equal to what is available to nonrelative foster parents. 35 Ensure that kinship caregivers are not prevented from being considered temporary or permanent placement resources for children because of non-safety-related concerns, such as insufficient bedrooms available or past nonviolent criminal convictions.

6. Coordinate human service programs. Explore opportunities to address fragmented service delivery across siloed public agencies, which are often difficult for families to successfully navigate. Develop more explicit strategies to allow for the blending of funding across different programs, and "no wrong door" approaches that provide opportunities for families to connect with multiple public agencies to address a range of human service needs regardless of which agency they initially engage for support.

Author Bios

Krista Thomas, Ph.D., is a Policy Fellow at Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago. She leads blended teams of policy, practice, and research experts in efforts to build the capacity of state and local child welfare systems across the country to execute large-scale transformation initiatives and improve safety, permanency, and well-being outcomes for children and families.

Charlotte Halbert, M.Pub.Pol., is an Associate Policy Analyst at Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago. She provides targeted assistance to Chapin Hall's work with state government and child welfare agencies implementing system transformation initiatives.

References

⁸ Roberts, D. (2002). Shattered bonds: The color of child welfare. Civitas Publishing.

⁹ Child, B. (1999). Boarding school seasons. University of Nebraska Press.

¹⁰ Levy-Pounds, N. (2010). Can these bones live: A look at the impacts of the war on drugs on poor African-American children and families. Hastings Race and Poverty Law Journal, 7(2), 353-380. https://repository.uchastings.edu/hastings_race_poverty_law_journal/vol...

¹⁴ Cooper, T. A. (2013). Racial bias in American foster care: The national debate. Marquette Law Review, 97(2), 215-277.

¹⁵ Kim, H., Wildeman, C., Jonson-Reid, M., & Drake, B. (2017). Lifetime prevalence of investigating child maltreatment among US children. American Journal of Public Health, 107, 274-280. https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/abs/10.2105/AJPH.2016.303545

¹⁶ Family First Prevention Services Act, Pub. L. No. 115-123, §§ 50711, 50741-43, 50753 (2018). www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/1892/text?q=%7B%22searc...

²⁹ Park, J. M., Metraux, S., Brodbar, G., & Culhane, D. P. (2004). Child welfare involvement among children in homeless families. Child Welfare, 83(5), 423-436.

32 Kendi, I. (2019). How to be an antiracist. Oneworld.

Copyright © 2021 National Council on Family Relations

This policy brief may be duplicated, distributed, or posted electronically with attribution to the National Council on Family Relations.

Inclusion of portions or all of this brief in printed or electronic textbooks, anthologies, or other publications requires permission from NCFR.

The views expressed within this publication may not represent the views or policies of the entire organization.

To see all NCFR research briefs and policy briefs, visit ncfr.org/resources/research-and-policy-briefs

Elaine A. Anderson, Policy Brief Editor

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Transforming Child Welfare: Prioritizing Prevention, Racial Equity, and Advancing Child and Family Well-Being

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Download Policy Brief (PDF) Download Executive Summary (PDF) Download Brief with Summary (PDF) A substantial transformation of the child welfare system is needed that prioritizes prevention of child maltreatment, racial equity, and improves and sustains child and family well-being.

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Learn the importance of effective, ongoing collaboration between child welfare agencies and community-based partners.

Description

Highlights the importance of effective, ongoing collaboration between child welfare agencies and community-based partners to strengthen assessment and decision-making, increase understanding of the family's needs, promote communication and information sharing across systems, and provide better overall support to children and families. Guidance in this publication is modeled after the systems of care approach to promote best practices around building and sustaining collaborative relationships with community-based partners. The tip sheet defines key elements of successful collaboration and describes potential community-based partners. It also discusses challenges and strategies for building partnerships and assessing current collaboration practices, and outlines foundational steps for effective collaboration.

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Learn the importance of effective, ongoing collaboration between child welfare agencies and community-based partners.

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Age is the strongest risk factor for severe COVID-19 outcomes.

Approximately 54.1 million people aged 65 years or older reside in the United States; in 2020, this age group accounted for 81% of U.S. COVID-19 related deaths.

As of February 7, 2022 (CDC COVID Data Tracker), the number of deaths in this group was more than 97 times the number of deaths in those aged 18-29.

In 2020, residents of long-term care facilities made up less than 1% of the U.S. population but accounted for more than 35% of all COVID-19 deaths.

Additionally, people ages 18 years and older with certain underlying medical conditions are at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.

Studies have shown that some people with certain disabilities are more likely to get COVID-19 and have worse outcomes.

Data have also shown that compared to non-Hispanic White people, people from racial and ethnic minority groups are more likely to die from COVID-19 at younger ages.

In 2020, the largest percentage increases in death occurred among adults aged 25-44 years and among Hispanic or Latino people.

Risk categories:

Higher risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes:

An underlying medical condition or risk factor that has a published meta-analysis or systematic review or complete the CDC systematic review process.

The meta-analysis or systematic review demonstrates good or strong evidence, for an increase in risk for at least one severe COVID-19 outcome.

Suggestive higher risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes:

An underlying medical condition or risk factor that neither has a published meta-analysis or systematic review nor completed the CDC systematic review process.

The evidence is supported by mostly cohort, case-control, or cross-sectional studies. (Systematic reviews are available for some conditions for children with underlying conditions.)

Mixed evidence:

An underlying medical condition or risk factor that has a published meta-analysis or systematic review or completing the CDC systematic review process.

The meta-analysis or systematic review is inconclusive, either because the aggregated data on the association between an underlying condition and severe COVID-19 outcomes are inconsistent in direction or there are insufficient data (or limited) on the association between an underlying conditions and severe COVID-19 outcomes.

Higher risk for severe COVID-19 outcome s

Cancer

Cerebrovascular disease

Chronic kidney disease*

Chronic lung diseases limited to:

Interstitial lung disease

Pulmonary embolism

Pulmonary hypertension

Bronchiectasis

COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)

Chronic liver diseases limited to:

Cirrhosis

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Alcoholic liver disease

Autoimmune hepatitis

Cystic fibrosis

Diabetes mellitus, type 1 and type 2*

Disabilities

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Cerebral Palsy

Congenital Malformations (Birth Defects)

Limitations with self-care or activities of daily living

Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Learning Disabilities

Spinal Cord Injuries

Heart conditions (such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies)

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus)

Mental health disorders limited to:

Mood disorders, including depression

Schizophrenia spectrum disorders

Neurologic conditions limited to dementia

Obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m2)*

Primary Immunodeficiencies

Pregnancy and recent pregnancy

Physical inactivity

Smoking, current and former

Solid organ or hematopoietic cell transplantation

Tuberculosis

Use of corticosteroids or other immunosuppressive medications

Suggestive higher risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes

Children with certain underlying conditions

Overweight (BMI ≥25 kg/m2, but <30 kg/m2)

Sickle cell disease

Substance use disorders

Thalassemia

Mixed evidence:

Alpha 1 antitrypsin deficiency

Asthma

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia

Hepatitis B

Hepatitis C

Hypertension*

* indicates underlying conditions for which there is evidence for pregnant and non-pregnant people

For additional information see CDC' Guidance on Underlying Medical Conditions Associated with Higher Risk for Severe COVID-19: Information for Healthcare Professionals

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The American College of Emergency Physicians Guide to Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)

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7 Countries with the most diverse wildlife populations. #animals #animalshort #animalspopulation

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What Is Social Empowerment?

Social empowerment is the process of building the autonomy, power, confidence and other necessary means to enact change and pave the way for a better future. Social empowerment takes place at both the individual and the collective level. For an individual, social empowerment could look like gaining the inner and outer resources to make personal choices, such as what to eat, where to live and other decisions that allow us to control our environment and way of life.

On a collective level, social empowerment looks like organizations and institutions that help marginalized groups of people gain the resources to be empowered, such as material assets, good health, education, social belonging, self-esteem, self-confidence and economic opportunity. The goal is to give people who lack access to these resources a sense of identity, community and well-being so they can thrive and to eliminate systems that keep them without necessary resources and perpetuate marginalization.

Who Benefits From Social Empowerment?

In general, many who identify as part of a group that is largely marginalized can benefit from social empowerment, but everyone benefits when society improves for all groups of people. Social empowerment efforts are most often directed toward advocacy for BIPOC, women, the LGBTQIA+ community, people with disabilities and those living in poverty. The most marginalized members of these groups tend to lack access to basic needs, health care, education and more. Social workers and others who aim to provide empowerment to marginalized individuals and communities strive to instill certain skills, education, resources and community engagement in these groups so they can thrive.

How Can You Contribute to Social Empowerment?

The gateway to contributing to socially empowering others is to first be able to recognize what's blocking these groups from thriving. In social work, these blockages are divided into two categories: direct power blocks and indirect power blocks.

Direct power blocks are the systems and structures that prevent people from achieving important goals, such as better employment conditions, higher education or safe housing. Individuals and communities are directly blocked from empowerment when they don't have equal access to quality schools, fair lending practices in housing or ethical treatment in the workplace, to name a few. To help dismantle these direct power blocks, we can work to cultivate awareness, as well as provide ways to take action against mistreatment and advocate for policy reforms and corrective laws.

Indirect power blocks are more challenging to tackle. These indirect blocks are the result of internalized oppression. Groups with personal and historical experiences of widespread mistreatment often absorb negative messaging about their worth. They internalize narratives about who they are, what they can achieve, the options they have and what kind of quality of life they are able to live, and then those narratives are passed down through generations. These blocks are deeply ingrained and often require therapeutic interventions, such as trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, to help individuals shift their mindset.

What Is Empowerment Theory in Social Work?

Empowerment theory in social work uses intervention methods to help guide people toward building autonomy and control in their lives. This theory recognizes that oppression is a primary contributor to disempowerment, which is experienced across a number of marginalized groups. Empowerment theory seeks to empower individuals and communities to gain personal, interpersonal and political power to better their lives. This work also strives to challenge systems that hinder these groups from meeting their needs.

How Does Empowerment Theory Social Work Help Individuals and Communities?

Implementing empowerment theory requires social workers and advocates to thoroughly understand marginalized groups and the systems, policies and practices that deter their success. They must also consider a range of perspectives and be able to ask critical questions.

Those who put empowerment theory to work tend to use this five-step framework to help marginalized groups and their allies solve problems:

1. Identify problems

2. Define strengths

3. Set goals

4. Implement interventions

5. Evaluate success on a collaborative level

Pillars of Empowerment Theory

To better understand how empowerment theory is used to help people unravel social barriers, looking at how social workers and advocates help individuals build awareness is key. The empowerment approach works to help develop awareness in the following areas.

Self-Efficacy: To change their outer world, individuals must begin with the belief that this is even possible. This requires challenging indirect power blocks and limiting beliefs around the positive changes that can occur. In this stage, social workers help explore these beliefs, how they began and how to change them.

Critical Consciousness: An awareness of the systems at play is also necessary. When individuals understand the social, economic and political realities that got them where they are and continue to keep them there, they then can see clearly that their challenges are not random or entirely their fault, but work to problem-solve and dismantle these systems. This awareness also inspires groups to share and problem-solve together regarding limitations they collectively face.

Tool Development: After awareness comes intervention and putting that awareness into action to heal and grow at the micro and macrolevels. This looks like therapy, case management, self-advocacy, political advocacy, program development and other means of working to establish access to resources.

Conclusion

The resources and skills developed through social empowerment methods can greatly improve the lives of individuals and entire communities. If you or someone you know is in need of social empowerment or if you would like to work with organizations dedicated to social empowerment, United Way of the National Capital Area can point you toward opportunities.

Learn about United Way NCA's health, education and economic opportunity programs, find Financial Empowerment Centers near you or read more on related social concepts such as social equity and equity and social justice.

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What Is Social Empowerment? Empowerment Theory | United Way NCA - United Way NCA

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Social empowerment is the process of building the autonomy, power, confidence and other necessary means to enact change and pave the way for a better future. Social empowerment takes place at both the individual and the collective level.

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Empowerment, Strengths Based Practice and Advocacy

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Positive Attitude is Everything - Very Funny Attitude Video - Inspirational

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Engaging in community outreach to support young people is a vital endeavor that cultivates positive growth and development.

By dedicating time and resources, we can create impactful programs and initiatives that empower youths to overcome challenges and harness their potential.

These initiatives may include mentorship programs, skill-building workshops, recreational activities, and educational seminars.

Community outreach aimed at youths not only provides them with essential life skills but also offers a sense of belonging and encouragement. By fostering strong relationships with mentors and peers, young individuals gain the confidence to navigate the complexities of their lives.

Such efforts can lead to improved academic performance, enhanced communication skills, and a greater sense of responsibility.

Furthermore, community outreach to youths contributes to the overall well-being of society. When young people are provided with opportunities to thrive, they become valuable contributors to their communities.

By investing in their growth, we are investing in the future, ensuring that the next generation becomes a force for positive change. In essence, community outreach dedicated to youths is an investment that yields lifelong benefits for both the individuals involved and the society as a whole.

In conclusion, the impact of community outreach on empowering youth is immeasurable. By providing guidance, mentorship, and opportunities, we not only equip young individuals with essential skills but also nurture their potential as future leaders. Engaging in activities that promote positive growth and development fosters a sense of belonging and purpose among youths. As they gain confidence and learn to navigate challenges, they become better equipped to contribute positively to society.

The journey of empowering youth through community outreach is a collaborative one. It requires the dedication of individuals, organizations, and the community as a whole. As we invest time, resources, and genuine care, we lay the foundation for a brighter future. The benefits ripple through generations, as empowered youths grow into responsible and engaged citizens, passing on the values they've learned.

In this journey, every effort counts. Whether it's through mentorship programs, skill workshops, or simply being a supportive presence, we can all play a role in shaping the trajectory of young lives.

Together, we build not only the skills and talents of the future but also a sense of unity and purpose that strengthens the fabric of our communities. Empowering youth through community outreach is an investment that yields transformative results, creating a positive cycle of growth and progress.

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Empowering Youth Through Community Outreach: Building a Brighter Future Together

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Engaging in community outreach to support young people is a vital endeavor that cultivates positive growth and development. By dedicating time and resources, we can create impactful programs and initiatives that empower youths to overcome challenges and harness their potential.