Transforming Child Welfare
We believe in building:
“A harmonious arrangement that fosters commitment among several systems with one specific goal – permanency” - Doing Family
Transforming Child Welfare
The founders of Doing Family have been working to improve the way services are provided to birth parents for over 10 years. Here are some of our achievements as advocates for change in child welfare. We have provided consultation to organizations such as the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, Strengthening Families Illinois, and Be Strong Families. Meetings with juvenile court officials and presentations to Loyola University students seeking to enter the social services field are a part of our history. Families are our passion and that passion is the driving force behind our work.
Partnering With Parents Birth Parent Council
This newsletter was first published in 2007 as a one page informational handout. Written and designed by birth parents it was published by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services for 5 years as a part of their Partnering With Parents Program. Doing Family's founder Gregory Cox was the voice behind the Birth Parent Institute Day, an annual workshop held by the department that provides parent's with information about the system. This workshop has been successful for 10 years with birth parents choosing the topics they want to know more about. To learn more about Partnering With Parents click here
The Parent's Get Real Guides
Doing Family team members collaborated with Strengthening Families Illinois and Be Strong Families to put the voice of birth parents into print. These books present the "parent perspective" and offer information and inspiration to parents throughout their child welfare case. They are available through Be Strong Families, click here for more information.
It started as an idea:
While working on a book for parents, the words, "doing family" were part of an answer to the question of how to best help at-risk families. Helping birth parents requires an understanding that they are strong and if given the right opportunity and resources, they would learn how to make healthy decisions and create a family that works well. They needed an opportunity to express their uniqueness, culture, and beliefs in a positive way and become the leaders their family needs.
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It was in that moment that the name and concept of Doing Family was born.
If You Don’t Decide How to “Do Family” Somebody Else Will Decide For You!