It is an honor to be part of a group of parents wise enough to know that we are not beyond help and resilient enough to put forth our best effort for our children every day.
It’s always a pleasure and refreshing going to the cafe meetings. I feel safe sharing my experience and learning from others. The Parenting Network has become my second family!
At a Glance
This project, Parenting Support Is Public Health: Reducing Health Disparities in the Child Welfare System, led by The Parenting Network aimed to strengthen community health by reducing child abuse and neglect and addressing the disproportionate involvement of African American families in Milwaukee’s child welfare system. Through neighborhood canvassing, Parent Cafés, Triple P parenting education, parent leadership development and community partnerships, the project expanded access to prevention-focused parenting support in Milwaukee neighborhoods with some of the highest rates of Child Protective Services referrals.
The Challenge
African American children are disproportionately represented in Milwaukee’s child welfare system, contributing to family stress and instability in many communities. According to Wisconsin child welfare data, African American children made up 8.4% of the state’s child population but accounted for 24% of children investigated by Child Protective Services and 36.1% of children removed from their homes. In Milwaukee County, approximately 67% of children involved in the child welfare system are African American.
The factors contributing to this disparity are complex and include both systemic issues and the challenges faced by families living in highly disadvantaged communities. Families experiencing high levels of stress often have fewer resources and support available to help address parenting challenges before they result in Child Protective Services reports or investigations. Research has shown that access to evidence-based parenting education and family support services can reduce rates of child abuse and neglect and strengthen family well-being. Milwaukee ZIP codes 53206, 53204, 53218, 53209 and 53215 have some of the highest rates of Child Protective Services referrals in the county, highlighting the need for increased prevention-focused services and support in these communities.
Project Goals
By adopting the universal Triple P public health approach (Positive Parenting Program), this project addressed the social and community context related to African American families’ involvement in the child welfare system, while concurrently addressing social norms that stigmatize service-seeking behavior. Recognizing that parenting is often viewed as a personal responsibility and that seeking help can be stigmatized, the project aimed to make parenting support more accessible, acceptable and widely available within the community through three systems change goals:
Change reactive policies and practices that contribute to the disproportionate number of African American children in the child welfare system by promoting the use of effective prevention services.
Demonstrate how to implement a community-based integrated system of prevention, early intervention and treatment services to strengthen parent-child relationships.
Build capacity for family serving organizations and practitioners to take a strength-based approach to service delivery by expanding training in “Bringing the 5 Protective Factors to Life in your Work” currently funded by the WI Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board.
Results
The Parenting Network expanded its reach in Milwaukee neighborhoods with some of the highest rates of Child Protective Services referrals by combining community outreach, parenting support, leadership development and system-change efforts. Parent Connectors canvassed targeted neighborhoods, attended community meetings and resource fairs, hosted Parent Cafés and built relationships with residents and community organizations. These efforts helped the organization better understand the parenting supports families wanted in their communities and the barriers that prevented participation in services.
A major accomplishment was the development of a strong community outreach model centered on Parent Connectors. The Parenting Network hired a Parent Connector who initially joined the organization part-time and later transitioned into a full-time role, becoming a critical member of the team. By the final years of the project, a stable team of two Parent Connectors and two UW-Milwaukee students conducted consistent neighborhood outreach and engagement activities. The team exceeded its outreach goals through regular canvassing, participation in community events and ongoing relationship-building with residents, schools, childcare providers, faith-based organizations and other trusted community partners.
The project also significantly expanded access to Triple P programming in targeted neighborhoods. Families were able to participate in seminars, workshops, discussion groups and one-on-one coaching offered through both virtual and in-person formats. While Parent Cafés were originally intended as a recruitment strategy, they evolved into one of the project’s flagship programs. Parents consistently responded positively to the model, which provided a safe and welcoming environment where they could share experiences, receive support and normalize the challenges of parenting. Staff reported that many of the most meaningful outcomes came from the conversations that occurred before and after formal programming, helping parents feel connected, valued and supported.
The project also demonstrated adaptability during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. When in-person programming became unsafe, the team shifted to outdoor family events in neighborhood parks, expanded its online presence and developed Parent Connections, a virtual adaptation of the Parent Café model. Weekly Parent Connections sessions, hybrid Triple P offerings, expanded social media outreach and a private Facebook group helped the organization maintain engagement with families and ultimately reach more than 250 parents online. These innovations allowed services to continue while strengthening the organization’s long-term capacity to engage parents through multiple platforms.
WPP funding also supported parent leadership development and systems-change efforts. Parent Leaders received training and stipends to strengthen their leadership skills and participation. Several Parent Leaders met with elected officials to advocate for prevention services and increased support for families. The Parenting Network also maintained an active role in local and statewide initiatives focused on prevention of child abuse, family strengthening and child welfare system improvement, including the Strengthening Families Statewide Committee and the Milwaukee Child Abuse Prevention Services Coalition. In addition, the organization continued to elevate April as Family Strengthening Month, culminating in a large community event featuring parent speakers, child welfare leaders and nationally recognized author and illustrator Aaron Boyd.
The project’s evaluation efforts also grew. Working with UW-Milwaukee, the team added an ethnographic component to capture parents’ experiences and perspectives in greater depth. Interviews and field observations documented conversations with parents about what motivates participation in parenting support programs and what barriers make engagement difficult. This work provided valuable insights into effective outreach and recruitment strategies while generating qualitative data that complemented the project’s quantitative evaluation efforts. The project also provided hands-on training opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, who contributed to outreach, data collection and analysis and presented findings at the Wisconsin Public Health Association conference and the American Anthropological Association annual meeting.
Lasting Impact
This project demonstrated the value of creating spaces where parents can connect with and learn from one another. What began as a strategy for recruiting parents into services evolved into Parent Cafés, becoming one of the organization’s flagship programs. Since returning to in-person programming in 2022, feedback from more than 200 Parent Café surveys showed that 100% of respondents either agreed, strongly agreed or felt neutral that they felt safe sharing with other participants, learned from the experiences of other parents and met people they planned to stay in touch with.
The project also strengthened community partnerships that will continue beyond the grant period. Relationships with schools, libraries, faith-based organizations, family-serving agencies and community groups created new opportunities to host Parent Cafés, offer Triple P workshops and connect families to resources. Programs developed or expanded through the grant reached hundreds of community members, including approximately 600 residents through neighborhood canvassing, 250 through community resource events, 150 through Parent Cafés, 150 through Triple P seminars and discussion groups and more than 1,500 people through social media outreach efforts.
