The U.S. Child welfare system has been historically punitive by design, disregarding how social and economic conditions impact behavioral health; it has been a system that “rescued” children whose parents were deemed to be failing them instead of recognizing the conditions parents faced and working with them and giving them family-centered tools to become healthier individually and as parents. The child welfare system has historically divided families experiencing poverty. More recently, laws have provided opportunities at a structural level to mitigate the negative impact of the system on many youth and families: The Families First Prevention Services Act is significant in incentivizing family cohesion.

YAP delivers individualized direct services to child welfare system-involved youth and families, focusing on safety, permanency, and wellbeing. We empower families by building on their strengths and connecting them to accessible tools to establish and pursue positive goals in the face of economic and social challenges. We help program participants navigate complicated systems, and most important, develop positive accountability-focused connections within the family and in the community that they identify as being critical for long-term success.