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From Mandated Reporting to Mandated Supporting: What Will It Take?

Part of the Resource Collection: Child Welfare and Early Childhood: Cross-Systems Collaboration to Improve Outcomes for Young Children and Their Families Video
January 17, 2025
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This recording and slide deck are from the third webinar in the "Moving Away from Family Separation: Cross-systems Strategies to Support Young Children and Families at Risk of Child Welfare Involvement" webinar series.

Are you a mandated reporter? Have you sometimes wished your efforts would result in better outcomes for families and children? In this webinar, we will explore the current landscape impacting families experiencing heightened adversities and considerations for alternative pathways to engage and support families without a necessitated entry into foster care. Together we will learn about Los Angeles County’s Mandated Supporting Initiative (MSI). The Mandated Supporting Initiative (MSI) is Los Angeles County’s large reform effort powered by a broad coalition of cross-sector public, private, and community-based change agents who are committed to being a part of the solution. The MSI recognizes that mandated reporting results in high numbers of unsubstantiated child abuse and neglect reports, often drives racial disproportionality, and can create distrust among families in need of support who will isolate from those very services due to distrust of the system. The MSI is charting a new path forward.

The Child Care Resource Center (CCRC), a pilot site for the MSI, acts as a wrap-around resource for families through its Family Well-Being programs. Among other services, CCRC provides home visiting to support parents, from prenatal onward, by identifying and connecting them with needed resources.

Panelists:

  • Darneshia Allen, Training/Technical Assistance Integration Manager, Safe Babies, a program of ZERO TO THREE
  • Dr. Tamara Hunter, Interim Executive Director of the Los Angeles County Prevention and Promotion Systems Governing Committee
  • Dr. Susan Savage, Research Director, Child Care Resource Center in California
  • Cynthia Verdugo, Supervisor, Home Visiting Program, Child Care Resource Center

Webinar slide deck. 

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