The Power of Parent Voice

How a parent advisory council is transforming the child welfare system in Douglas County

In the pages of this playbook, we tell a story of transformation — how parents who lived through trauma, family separation and were once in the child welfare system are now helping change the culture and practices of that system. This is a story about the strength of parents who had the courage to openly share their experiences with child welfare staff at Oregon Department of Human Services, some of whom were previously assigned to their cases. It’s a story about ODHS staff with the humility to listen and learn from those parents and the commitment to make change.

This is the story of our Douglas County Parent Advisory Council — how we got started, what we’ve learned along the way and where we’re going. “We” refers to all of us working together — parent advisors, ODHS staff, facilitator and Foundation partner — to bridge the gap between ODHS and vulnerable families.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT

Whether you are ODHS staff, a child welfare advocate or other community partner, we hope our story and lessons learned both inspire and better equip you to form a Parent Advisory Council in your area. What you won’t find here is a checklist of things to do. As everyone in our PAC attests, this is a heartcentered practice and way of being and doing.

DOWNLOADABLE MATERIALS

» Full report: English PDF

For questions or opportunities to engage, please reach out to parentvoice@tfff.org.