Close-up of a green toy dump truck filled with sand; a small hand is holding a yellow shovel

Person holding a child in a field at sunset, with the sun casting a warm glow over tall grass.

Health & Well-being

Prevention-oriented Child Welfare

How can we reimagine the child welfare system to put the needs of kids and families first?

We support bold, community-led experiments that proactively create the conditions for children and families to thrive. Spearheaded by local and regional partners, these projects focus on prevention and meet families’ needs before—not after—maltreatment occurs. By investing in communities and families, we believe we can prevent that crisis in the first place.

OPT-In for Families

The Opportunities for Prevention & Transformation Initiative (OPT-In) is testing a meaningful alternative to the child welfare system, one that recognizes families as best positioned to safely care for their children in their own homes and communities.

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Our Partners

Graphic featuring hands stacked in a gesture of unity with text: “DCBS Division of Prevention and Community Wellbeing Overview.”

Kentucky

Kentucky Division of Prevention and Community Wellbeing

Oregon

Oregon Department of Human Services

South Carolina

South Carolina Department of Social Services

Washington, D.C.

DC Child and Family Services Agency

If we care about children, we have to care about their families.”

Rebecca Jones Gaston

Former Commissioner, Administration on Children, Youth and Families

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

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Piloting Transformation

By leveraging the collective action of philanthropy, the Youth + Families Forward Fund is spurring new innovation to support children and families in New York City.

Young child uses two mallets to play a colorful drum in an indoor play area.

A Novel ‘Prescription’ for Health and Opportunity

The nation’s first-ever community-wide prenatal and infant cash prescription program, Rx Kids is providing life-changing financial security that is both universal and unconditional.