Pursuing collaboration to improve services for child welfare-involved housing unstable families

Abstract

Families involved in the child welfare system in the United States often face housing instability and other complex issues, such as challenges regarding mental health, substance abuse, poverty, and domestic violence. Housing instability, in particular, can hinder parents' progress on completing their case plans and regaining custody of their children. Thus, interagency collaboration between the child welfare system and community agencies is necessary to achieve optimal child welfare outcomes. This study explores facilitators of and barriers to effective collaboration between workers at partner organizations working on a program focused on the reunification of housing-unstable families with their children in out-of-home placement. A series of focus group interviews were conducted with 23 workers from two agencies: a local community agency providing assistance with housing and supportive services and child welfare workers. Three key collaboration facilitators were identified: feelings of support; program workers bridging communication between child welfare workers and clients; and supervisors' support. Barriers to interagency collaboration included: a lack of shared values; misunderstanding the other worker's role; lack of buy-in of the program's philosophical approach, and perceptions of worker lack of commitment. The findings have implications for promoting interagency collaboration and innovative practices for families who experience both housing instability and child welfare involvement.