Announcing Overloaded: Understanding Neglect, a new podcast series from the Institute for Child and Family Well-being. Neglect is a complex and wicked problem, but it’s one that we believe is preventable if we work together to reimagine how we support families overloaded by stress. Neglect is a public health crisis, as it’s the most common reason that children are separated from their families by the government. 1 in 3 of all US children experience a Child Protective Services investigation, 1 in 10 have a confirmed allegation of maltreatment, and children of color are disproportionately represented in foster care. Nearly 7 in 10 children in foster care are separated from their families due to neglect. The Overloaded: Understanding Neglect podcast represents the important first step of building a shared understanding of the problem and will serve as a foundation for future innovations in practice, policy, and systems change. Join host Luke Waldo, Director of Program Design and Community Engagement at the Institute for Child and Family Well-being, as he explores these issues with research and policy experts Tim Grove (Wellpoint Care Network), Jennifer Jones (Prevent Child Abuse America), Bryan Samuels (Chapin Hall), and Dr. Kristi Slack (University of Wisconsin), Lived Experience expert Bregetta Wilson (Wisconsin Department of Children and Families) and five of his colleagues from Children’s Wisconsin’s child welfare and child maltreatment prevention programs. Through these conversations, we developed a compelling narrative that seeks to build a shared understanding of the realities of overloaded families, so that we might find solutions that reduce family separations for reasons of neglect. Join the conversation on Wednesday, September 21st when we premiere the first episode of Overloaded: Understanding Neglect wherever you listen to your podcasts. Then tune in each week on Wednesday to listen to the rest of the series.
“What if I told you that you lived in a country where 1 in 3 children would experience a child protective services investigation, and that 1 in 10 would be separated from their family? What if I then told you that 1 in 4 of all parents that experienced a child protective services investigation had a PTSD diagnosis, and that individuals that experienced significant adversity in their childhood face an elevated risk of anxiety, depression, drug use, and suicide in their lifetime?
Would you believe me? Would it upset or surprise you? Would it drive you to learn more or seek solutions?
What if I also told you that having one safe, protective person in a child’s life, and a community where the child feels a sense of belonging can help buffer the child from the negative outcomes of early adversity? What if I also told you that by reducing child and family poverty, we also reduce child protective services investigations and family separations?
All that you have heard is true here in the United States. All that you have heard here you will also hear on Overloaded: Understanding Neglect, a new podcast from the Institute for Child and Family Well-being.
Of those 1 in 10 children that are separated from their family, nearly 75% of them experience that separation for reasons of neglect.
Neglect is a complex and wicked problem, but it’s one that we believe is preventable if we work together to reimagine how we support families overloaded by stress. Neglect is a public health crisis, as it’s the most common reason that children are separated from their families by the government.
The Overloaded: Understanding Neglect podcast represents the important first step of building a shared understanding of the problem and will serve as a foundation for future innovations in practice, policy, and systems change. Join me, Luke Waldo, Director of Program Design and Community Engagement at the Institute for Child and Family Well-being, as I explore these issues with research and policy experts Tim Grove (Wellpoint Care Network), Jennifer Jones (Prevent Child Abuse America), Bryan Samuels (Chapin Hall), and Dr. Kristi Slack (University of Wisconsin), Lived Experience expert Bregetta Wilson (Wisconsin Department of Children and Families) and five of my close colleagues at Children’s Wisconsin’s child welfare and child maltreatment prevention programs. Through these conversations, we developed a compelling narrative that seeks to build a shared understanding of the realities of overloaded families, so that we might find solutions that reduce family separations for reasons of neglect.
Whether you were hesitant to believe me earlier, or upset, surprised, or motivated to find solutions to these challenges, please join the conversation on Wednesday, September 21st when we premiere the first episode of Overloaded: Understanding Neglect wherever you listen to your podcasts. Then come back each week on Wednesday to listen to the rest of the series.