Chapin Hall

Family First: Readiness Assessment, Planning, and Implementation - Chapin Hall Part One: Planning and Readiness Part Two: Implementation & Change Management Part Three: Evaluating and Improving Quality

Implementing Family First is an ongoing effort, and every jurisdiction's path looks different. Chapin Hall's resource page offers frameworks, tools, and examples to support your work at any stage: https://tinyurl.com/3ycu389w

#ChildWellbeing #ChildWelfare

Chapin Hall is hiring a full time, remote project assistant to support a large project focused on policy innovations and child welfare transformation in several jurisdictions and to support administration of a Senior Policy Fellow's portfolio. https://www.chapinhall.org/why-work-at-chapin-hall/

Chapin Hall's Voices & Workplace Culture Playlist on YouTube is for you get to know the people behind our work. You'll get an inside look at what it's like to be a part of our mission. Watch our trailer to see what's inside and subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@ChapinHallCenter

Baylee cycled between different sleeping arrangements when she experienced homelessness. To get young people out of instability, policy and programs need to recognize how mobile young people are. Download more graphics like this to understand youth homelessness: https://tinyurl.com/msrc6ys7

If you're a #ChildWellbeing practitioner, service provider, or advocate, you need practical advice to best support children & families. Explore our Implementor Insights playlist on YouTube for just that. Watch our trailer to see what's inside and subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@ChapinHallCenter

“Untangling the Poverty and Neglect Narrative in Child Welfare Law” with Prudence Beidler Carr | Overloaded: Understanding Neglect What happens when a deeply embedded cultural narrative, a story we tell ourselves about unfit parents and unsuitable homes, is codified into federal law? This is the central question that inspired today's episode. Before we can till the soil and reimagine the narratives and policies that may grow fr...

Chapin Hall board member Prudence Beidler Carr joined the Overloaded podcast to trace the history of the modern child welfare system: https://tinyurl.com/4azx3ae5 
Listen to deepen your understanding of policies that led to the conflation of poverty with neglect and the impact of those policies.

Explore these briefs as you consider how to implement new rules from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and continue supporting children and their families:

- Medicaid Promotes Child Safety Brief: https://tinyurl.com/mr3umzyn 

- Food Assistance Increases Child Safety: https://tinyurl.com/yzwdf72y

Happy 5th anniversary to Karen Fenton-LeShore, Chapin Hall Senior Policy Analyst! She is a talented curriculum developer/thought partner whose skills are coveted across multiple jurisdictions. This year, she'll solo PI her first contract — a well-deserved milestone. Karen, thank you for all you do!

A Commitment to Evidence-Based Dissemination - Chapin Hall Research findings and policy recommendations about child and family well-being can positively affect family outcomes—but only if that work reaches those who

Great #Research only creates change if it reaches the right people. Our dissemination one-pager breaks down the top five pitfalls that get in the way and how to fix them. Learn more about how Chapin Hall takes an evidence-based approach to communicating research:

Weekly Wonk: The Behavioral Health Ceiling on A Home for Every Child Plus a bonfire of regulatory "dark matter"

Foster home shortages are often service shortages in disguise. Uma Ahluwalia, Chapin Hall Senior Policy Fellow, breaks it down in Child Welfare Wonk's Weekly Deep Dive and explains why behavioral health access is the ceiling on what child welfare policy can achieve: 

We believe evidence-based insights should be accessible to people who make a difference for children and families. Explore our Research-Driven Impact playlist on YouTube for videos on study findings, policy solutions, and #ChildWellbeing thought leadership. Watch our trailer and subscribe!

We're looking for a Business Systems and Operations Coordinator! In this full-time, fully remote position, you'll play a key role at the intersection of finance, research administration, and systems management. Apply via the Current Job Openings button on this page: https://tinyurl.com/ycxwm4xw

Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office Partners with Steans Family Foundation, Chapin Hall, Chicago Public Schools, Justice Advisory Council and Other Stakeholders to Launch Alternative to Detention Program for Juveniles Image URL

Chapin Hall is proud to be the evaluator for Cook County's new Juvenile Pre-trial Detention Alternative Pilot Program. The Cook County State's Attorney's Office is now referring eligible youth in Lawndale and Little Village. Learn more: https://tinyurl.com/DetentionAlternative

#JuvenileJustice

More children in child welfare will have access to high quality early care and #Education programs if systems work together. The Illinois Early Learning Access Project engaged caregivers, caseworkers, & ECE providers in discussions about barriers to access: https://www.chapinhall.org/research/elap/

Strong families don’t happen by chance, they’re built w/ support. Primary prevention focuses on strengthening families early to ensure parents have what they need so challenges don't become crises. When we invest in prevention, children grow up safer, families stay together, and communities thrive.

What would make it easier for young children in Illinois child welfare to access #EarlyCare and education programs? Findings from the Illinois Early Learning Access Project highlight policy misalignment and complex ECE eligibility criteria that create barriers to access: https://tinyurl.com/msk58tsy

What Chapin Hall resources did professionals download the most in 2025? Check out the top ten to better support children and families!
https://f.mtr.cool/jvkqlbvehy

#ChildWellbeing #ChildWelfare

The higher a student's attendance, the better their grades & test scores. And positive school culture/climate can and does have a big impact on whether students show up or not. Sign up for this event in Chicago on March 6 for insights from Kiljoong Kim and other experts:

Happy 10-year anniversary to Brian Chor, Research Fellow at Chapin Hall! Brian has led projects for Illinois DCFS, NYC partners, and has built a robust body of work on refining residential and foster home placements in Hong Kong. Brian, thank you for all you do! https://tinyurl.com/BrianChor

The new IL Dept of Early Childhood is an opportunity to increase access to high quality early care & education among young children in #ChildWelfare. Findings from the IL Early Learning Access Project highlight where we need better alignment across policies and practices: https://tinyurl.com/ilelap

Chapin Hall is excited to announce that Sara Patterson is our new Chief of Staff! With more than 20 years of experience driving high-impact initiatives at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Sara brings a long track record of managing staff across the nation: https://tinyurl.com/SaraCoS

What difference does #GuaranteedIncome make for young people transitioning out of extended foster care? Midway through San Francisco’s guaranteed income pilot, most participants were using monthly payments to cover essentials like housing, food, and transportation: https://tinyurl.com/CAGApilot

Our Equity First Summer Associates Program helps doctoral students put equity-centered research into action. Associates gain exposure to applied #Research careers that focus on impacting policies to meet the needs of children and families. Apply by 2/20: www.chapinhall.org/project/equi...

#Equity

Happy 5-year anniversary to Jasmine Major, Senior Grants and Contracts Administrator at Chapin Hall! She is a force to be reckoned with on the RAC (Recovery Audit Contractor) Team and is essential to the post award process for our policy experts. Thank you for all you do, Jasmine! We appreciate you.

Early Implementation Lessons from San Francisco's Guaranteed Income Pilot for Young People Who Aged Out of Extended Foster Care - Chapin Hall What does it take to successfully implement a guaranteed income pilot for young people who aged out of extended foster care? Foundations for the Future, San

San Francisco’s #GuaranteedIncome pilot provided monthly payments of $1,200 for 18 months plus optional supportive services to young people who aged out of extended #FosterCare.

Explore early implementation lessons: tinyurl.com/24c8ykhn

We’re #Hiring a Business Systems & Operations Coordinator to help keep our research operations running smoothly! This full-time, fully remote role is at the center of our finance, research administration, and systems. Apply w/ the Current Job Openings button here:
www.chapinhall.org/why-work-at-...

Home Visiting as a Bridge: Supporting Resettled Families Through Transition & Growth YouTube video by Chapin Hall

"When we partner meaningfully w/ communities, findings are more relevant, actionable, and we’re better positioned to support child development and family well-being together," said Reiko Kakuyama-Villaber at our webinar on home visiting as a bridge for resettled families: tinyurl.com/5haftwnw

Equity in Action: Voices from Chapin Hall’s Equity First Summer Associates Program YouTube video by Chapin Hall

You can now apply for Chapin Hall's 2026 #Equity First Summer Associates Program! Hear previous associates' reflections and learn how the program can support your professional pathway: ​
www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dnw...

Apply by February 20: www.chapinhall.org/project/equi...

#Research #Policy

A #GuaranteedIncome pilot provided young people who aged out of extended foster care with monthly payments of $1,000 plus optional supportive services. New research shows young people used the money to stabilize their #Housing, pay bills, reduce debt, and pursue their goals: tinyurl.com/4wcp4s9k

As U.S. communities grow more diverse, resettled families need support services that are trauma-informed and culturally attuned.

Join our webinar this Thursday to learn how #HomeVisiting programs can provide that bridge: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...