Integrating Services to Strengthen Children, Youth, and Families and Prevent Involvement in the Child Welfare System

The U.S Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) has been working with researchers, leaders of human services agencies, and people with lived experience to visualize, describe, and document models of prevention of human services needs, including approaches for the prevention of child maltreatment, the promotion of housing stability and prevention of homelessness for families and youth, and increasing the use of economic supports such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) to promote economic stability. To support this goal, ASPE contracted with Mathematica and the Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP) to conduct case studies of innovative prevention approaches that integrate human services.

This 1-page brief explores four key themes for successful service integration to prevent child welfare system involvement, drawing from findings across nine sites that participated in the ASPE-sponsored ‘Case Studies in Supporting Prevention through Program Integration’ project.