In early 2021, Best Starts for Kids partnered with Cardea to conduct a landscape analysis focusing on children and families at the intersection of Early Support for Infants and Toddlers (ESIT) services and the child welfare system. The purpose of this landscape analysis was to:
- Assess outcomes of current models for providing ESIT services to children in out-of-home care and/or involved in the child welfare system
- Explore the intersection of ESIT and the child welfare system and how service models do or do not promote equitable outcomes for children and families engaged in ESIT services
- Identify what King County could do to better support and engage parents and families and improve these systems to function efficiently and promote equity
The landscape analysis was co-designed in partnership with a six-person Community Expert Council composed of families and caregivers of color in King County, particularly American Indian/Alaska Native and Black, who had received ESIT services and had been in involved in out-of-home care and/or the child welfare system.
