Bridging the gap: The role of parent advocates in enhancing child protective services practice

Abstract

Background

Child Protective Services (CPS) workers often face significant challenges in connecting with, engaging, and communicating with families due to systemic distrust and administrative burdens. Parent Advocates (PAs), individuals with lived child welfare experience, have been integrated into CPS practice to improve family engagement and service delivery.

Objective

This study explores CPS staff members’ perspectives on the role of PAs within New York City’s Enhanced Family Conferencing Initiative (EFCI), examining how they support CPS practice and enhance decision-making.

Participants and Setting

The study includes 49 CPS staff members, comprising caseworkers, supervisors, managers, and conference facilitators from the New York City Administration for Children’s Services (ACS).

Methods

Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted to capture CPS staff’s perceptions of and experiences with PAs. Thematic analysis was employed to identify key patterns in the data regarding PAs’ contributions to CPS practice.

Results

Findings reveal that PAs strengthen CPS practice in three key ways. They bridge communication gaps by fostering trust, enhancing engagement, and sharing essential information. They improve collaboration by supporting service planning, decision-making, and access to community resources. Finally, they alleviate CPS staff workloads by providing case updates, assisting with service navigation, and ensuring families receive needed support.

Conclusions

The integration of PAs into CPS systems enhances CPS practice by fostering trust, improving communication, and reducing casework burdens. Their contributions underscore the need for expanding parent advocacy programs within CPS to support more equitable and family-centered decision-making. Future research should examine the long-term impact of PAs on child welfare outcomes.