Partnering for Change: How Lived Experience Is Reshaping Reunification Practices and Fostering Culture Transformation in Child Welfare

Background and Purpose:
Although child welfare reform has long been a national priority, efforts to meaningfully shift institutional culture and improve outcomes for families have not been widely studied. Despite the growing popularity of parent advocacy programs in child welfare, there is limited research on how embedding parents with lived child welfare experience into agencies can transform institutional culture and improve family outcomes. This paper addresses that gap by examining the Parents Empowering Parents (PEP) Initiative—a partnership between a parent-led advocacy organization and two foster care agencies. PEP integrates Parent Advocates (PAs)—trained parents with lived experience—into case planning teams to support reunification, advocate for systemic change, and promote equitable, trauma-informed practices. This paper explores the perceived impact of integrating lived experience on advancing family-centered practices and driving culture change within child welfare agencies.

Methods:
This qualitative study involves in-depth interviews with 26 parents, 7 PAs, 22 case planners (CPs), and 17 leaders from the two foster agencies implementing PEP. Interviews explored experiences of collaboration, decision-making, and culture change related to the integration of PAs. Data were thematically coded using grounded theory principles and analyzed to identify key patterns related to cultural transformation, biases, and practices.

Findings:
Findings indicate that integrating PAs notably shifted agency culture, improved parent-caseworker relationships, and enhanced perceptions of families within the system. PAs provided individualized, trauma-informed support and served as bridges between parents and CPs. Their presence encouraged staff to reconsider assumptions about parents with child welfare involvement, promoted empathy, and reshaped communication strategies. CPs reported developing more patient, nuanced, and collaborative approaches to case planning after working alongside PAs.

The initiative fostered a participatory and inclusive environment by embedding lived experience into every phase—from co-design and training to evaluation. PAs helped challenge stereotypes, reveal the systemic nature of parental struggles, and emphasize the importance of understanding the root causes of behaviors rather than relying on punitive approaches. Agency leadership and CPs noted how PAs’ insights into trauma, substance use, and recidivism shaped more compassionate and equitable decision-making among staff. PAs’ involvement in meetings and case reviews contributed to more holistic assessments and tailored service plans.

Conclusion and Implications:
The PEP Initiative demonstrates how authentic integration of parents with lived experience can catalyze institutional culture change in child welfare settings. By centering their voices and expertise, agencies promoted equitable, strength-based, and family-centered practices. Findings suggest that such models are essential for dismantling systemic racism and bias in child welfare and improving reunification outcomes. This study offers valuable insights for practitioners, policymakers, and advocates seeking to embed lived experience into social service reform and create more inclusive, responsive systems. The paper calls for expanded investment in peer-led models, ongoing staff training in trauma-informed care, and further research on long-term impacts of lived experience integration in child welfare systems.