Child Welfare

Children deserve to grow up safe, stable, and surrounded by caring adults who help them thrive. Yet when families face serious crises—such as addiction, violence, or severe instability—public systems are sometimes called upon to intervene to protect children from harm.

Child protection systems therefore carry one of the most serious responsibilities in government: ensuring that children are safe while working toward the establishment of stable and permanent family relationships.

At FREOPP, our work in child welfare focuses on strengthening the policies and institutions responsible for protecting vulnerable children and supporting families in crisis. This includes advancing evidence-based reforms that improve child safety, increase transparency and accountability in child protection systems, and ensure that children who cannot remain safely with their parents are able to find stable, permanent families.

FREOPP’s child welfare work spans the full continuum of support—from prevention and family stability to foster care and the transition to adulthood for youth who age out of care. Our research and policy recommendations aim to help policymakers build systems that intervene effectively when children are in danger while also addressing the underlying conditions that place families at risk.

Each year, thousands of young people leave the foster care system without a permanent family. These young adults often face extraordinary challenges as they transition to independence, including higher risks of homelessness, unemployment, and exploitation. Ensuring that youth who age out of foster care have access to meaningful support and pathways to opportunity is an important part of building a child welfare system that truly serves children.

Through research, policy development, and collaboration with leaders across the country, FREOPP seeks to advance reforms that strengthen child protection systems, support families in crisis, and expand opportunities for children who have experienced adversity.

This work will be further advanced through the Center for Safe & Stable Futures, a new initiative dedicated to improving child safety, strengthening stability for children in care, and advancing practical policy solutions that help children grow up in safe and supportive environments.