Why child welfare reforms must focus on organizational health

When child welfare systems are scrutinized in the wake of lawsuits and investigations, the path to reform is often dictated by measurable outcomes such as caseload sizes, placement stability, health visits and timely permanency for children. These metrics are, without question, critical indicators of a system’s performance. But the fixation on quantifiable results often neglects a crucial, intangible factor: the organizational health of the agencies tasked with protecting our most vulnerable children.