Developed by impacted parents and leaders in the child welfare field, our Dear Leaders tool is a resource of starting points for leaders (of all kinds) in child welfare to bring family voice and power to the system. We know that for leaders to create new ways of work in child welfare that promote connection, healing, and justice, they must work side-by-side with families and communities to build it.
This resource is a free offering available on our website, as an initial step for individuals and teams as they move toward power-sharing relationships and collaborative experiences. For those interested in going deeper, Alia offers services that delve into the five principles outlined in Dear Leaders (context, compassion, change, consistency, and collaboration), to support deep self-inquiry, authentic engagement, and the development of leadership plans based on individual insights within your organizational context.
Get in touch with us to learn more about our deeper Dear Leaders services and how they can impact the way in which your organization engages with the families and communities you serve! And, be on the lookout in early 2024 for Dear Workers, a companion resource for frontline staff who engage firsthand with families and communities every day.
Here are some ideas that got us thinking this month. Visit our website to read the full-length posts, and join us in the conversations online!
- Relationships are the currency of change. It's so easy to get caught up in our work and let the axis begin to spin around tasks rather than people. When tasks become king, resources seem to run dry. Yet when relationships are elevated, possibility rules. Because what can't we do when we work together?
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Make time to play at work! Moving our bodies in playful activity is a highly effective team building exercise. The experience of play lives on, creating a bank of positive memories and emotions for when we get back to work and miles and screens come between us. Team Alia went on a sledding excursion at our last winter retreat to engage in play!
- Alia's approach to hosting. If you’ve experienced an in-person Alia event, you know we delight in treating our guests with great care. We find when there is focused work to be done, meeting your needs and eliminating distractions makes thinking innovatively easier as you bring your whole self to the challenge at hand.
Our Bright Spots resource library just grew! 10 new child welfare practices reviewed and recommended by parents impacted by the system have been added to the site
Restorative Family Mediation is an alternative resolution process focused on restoration, collaboration, accountability, and healing. It is 100% voluntary and uses a restorative circle approach, distributing power equally among social workers and families. The goal is to move from hostility to constructive dialogue, for restoration and resolution, not compliance. RFM is run by the Katallasso Group in MN.
Visit findbrightspots.org to learn more about these models and ways you can bring their vision to life in your organization!
Looking for a low-commitment, high-impact way to kickstart your thinking around systems change? Purchase our UnSystem Toolkit: Foundations for Change! This five-module resource is perfect for new staff orientation, leadership discussions, community and partner alignment, staff development, retreats, or for your own self-guided learning.
The first module, Trauma 101, aims to help you build trauma competence and how to apply such knowledge, which will help transform systems and facilitate healing. Examine how we got to this place of inequity in child welfare, how each of us individually are complicit, and learn to show up in healing ways.
Visit our website to learn more about all five modules of the UnSystem Toolkit, introducing your team to the fundamentals of change!