What Parents Say about Supporting Families Rather than Reporting Them

This session will be led by parents who have helped to write a publication which promotes a new way of supporting families when they are facing challenging times. The authors are promoting a different way for mandated reporters to work with families. They will be discussing effective strategies that these reporters have used in other states. These strategies include: helping families identify their protective factors, linking them to community resources, creating new family engagement tools and using parent navigators to help develop these strategies. Building pilina (relationship, community) involves making a paradigm shift in the way families and providers relate to one another. Too often, families are reluctant to seek services for fear of being reported. It is our communities -- which includes educators, neighbors, medical professionals, social workers and service providers -- that have the kuleana (responsibility) and opportunity for connecting families to supports which will help prevent child abuse and neglect from happening. This panel will talk about how supporting families helps protect children. This session is their Kahea or Call to Action: Support families rather than report them, and learn new ways you can get involved.
Speakers:
Kimberly Nabarro - Makua Ally/ Parent Partner, EPIC ʻOhana
Meryl Levine - National Director of Parent Partnerships, Children's Trust Fund Alliance
Christina Romero - Executive Director, Parent Advocates of Transformation and Healing