Policy & Advocacy for Child and Family Well-Being
Positive childhoods are shaped by the conditions around families. Policy helps make them possible.
Every family should have what they need to care for their children, weather challenges, and get support when they need it, free of shame, stigma, or barriers.
That means looking beyond individual families to the conditions surrounding them: affordable, quality child care. Stable housing. Economic security. Health and mental health care. Community support. Systems that help instead of create more barriers.
Let’s change the conversation about what children and families need.
We believe:
Our Policy Priorities
Safe Housing & Basic Needs
A safe, stable home and having basic needs met creates a stronger foundation for childhood.
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Stable housing is foundational to family well-being. Safe and stable environments reduce family stress and create conditions where children are safer, and caregivers can respond to challenges before they escalate to crises.
We support policies that:
- Expand eviction prevention and rental assistance
- Increase access to legal representation in housing matters
- Strengthen tenant protections and safe housing enforcement
- Invest in rapid rehousing and family preservation housing supports
- Expand access to utilities and basic needs assistance
Family & Early Childhood Supports
Help should be easy to find before challenges become crises.
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Families need access to trusted, community-based supports that strengthen relationships, build skills, and reduce isolation—before challenges escalate to crises.
We support policies that:
- Sustain and expand home visiting programs
- Invest in parenting education and family support programs
- Expand Family Resource Centers and kinship support services
- Increase access to high-quality early care and education
- Integrate child sexual abuse safeguarding policies, practices, and education into child and youth serving organizations, parenting programs, early childhood settings, and community-based services
- Invest in a sustainable statewide network of Family Resource Centers that provide universal access to family support, family navigation, parenting education, and concrete supports.
Parent Voice & Partnership
Families should help shape the systems meant to support them.
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Families are best supported and better able to navigate challenges when they have access to clear information, advocacy, coordinated guidance, and support navigating complex systems.
We support policies that:
- Expand access to early legal representation for parents
- Strengthen family peer support and parent partner programs
- Include lived experience in policy and program design
- Improve access to victim advocacy and legal support for families affected by child sexual abuse
- Ensure families have clear, accessible information about their rights and available supports
- Expand access to Family Navigation and community-based care coordination that helps families identify strengths, connect with resources, and navigate complex systems before challenges become crises
Financial Stability
Families need room to breathe, not just get by.
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Families are better able to care for their children when they have access to stable income, basic needs, and flexible supports. Financial hardship or poverty are oftentimes misidentified as neglect, prompting unnecessary child welfare involvement.
We support policies that:
- Expand refundable child tax credits and refundable Earned Income Tax Credits
- Increase access to cash assistance and flexible concrete supports
- Establish paid family and medical leave and paid sick leave
- Promote fair scheduling and livable wages
- Expand access to affordable, accessible, high-quality childcare, including nontraditional hours
Physical & Mental Health
Families should be able to get care when they need it.
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Healthcare and public health systems are essential partners in family support. When families can access timely, supportive care for all family members, risks are identified and addressed earlier.
We support policies that:
- Expand access to affordable, accessible health care for all parents
- Integrate family needs screening and referral into pediatric primary care
- Expand maternal mental health and perinatal behavioral health services
- Increase access to family-centered substance use treatment
- Strengthen Medicaid reimbursement for parenting education, home visiting, care coordination, and dyadic care
- Expand infant and early childhood mental health services
- Integrate child sexual abuse prevention, early identification, and trauma-informed care into healthcare and public health systems
Systems that Support Families
When families need help, systems should connect them to support.
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Families should be supported when they face challenges—not unnecessarily drawn into systems that may create additional stress or disruption.
We support policies that:
- Clearly distinguish financial hardship from neglect
- Improve guidance for mandated reporters to reduce unnecessary reports
- Expand alternative response pathways for low-risk situations
- Increase consistency and transparency in decision-making across the child welfare system
- Promote community-based responses when families need support, not investigation
Building Environments That Protect Children from Sexual Abuse
Keeping children safe from sexual abuse takes safe environments, supported families, informed adults, responsible organizations, and systems that recognize concerns early and respond with care. This work is woven throughout our policy priorities.
We also work to prevent child sexual abuse by strengthening the people, organizations, and systems that surround children and families. Together with Children’s Advocacy Centers of North Carolina (CACNC), we co-lead Prevent First NC, North Carolina’s first statewide coalition dedicated to preventing child sexual abuse.
Take Action Today
Creating positive childhoods takes all of us, and you can help create the conditions children and families need. Join our free statewide network, help build environments that protect children from sexual abuse, or build the skills to lead change in your community. Choose how you want to get involved.
Join the Positive Childhood Alliance
Connect with people working to create positive childhoods. Get free tools and resources to help you talk about the issues, engage others, and advocate for policies that support children and families
Help Protect Children from Sexual Abuse
Join Prevent First NC, a statewide coalition working to prevent child sexual abuse before it occurs. Connect with partners working together to strengthen efforts and build a shared statewide approach.
Lead Change in Your Community
Turn your passion for children and families into action through the Champions Institute. Build the skills, knowledge, and connections to advocate for change and make an impact in your community.