Whole Family Approach

Focusing on the whole family

By building relationships with families and individuals, DCYF will have a better understanding of how families define themselves, what they need to thrive and how to support those needs. In addition, building new and strengthening existing partnerships across all Minnesota state agencies will improve service delivery to families. This strategic approach aims to enable and support whole family responses to families' challenges that encompass all aspects of their lives.

A whole family approach helps:

• Caregivers' experiences to be heard and affirmed
• Families get the support they need to build toward the life they dream of
• Children get what they need to grow and thrive, and to know they can lean on their family and community to feel safe and cared for
• Workers listen to families voices and respond to inequities in experiences and outcomes, allowing services to be more customized and culturally relevant.

Transforming ideals into action

This strategic work began in 2017 with the Economic Assistance and Employment Supports Division's 2-Generation Policy Network (see Cohort 1 below), the Child Care Service Division's Early Childhood Systems Reform Project, and the Child Safety and Permanency Division's work to bring equitable outcomes in child welfare. In 2019, these divisions combined funding to offer grants to seven local organizations to continue building toward a whole family approach.

Partnering with communities

The department provided grants to organizations throughout Minnesota to engage families in their communities to create innovative program designs to address racial, economic and geographical disparities in human services and outcomes. This innovative design put families' voices at the center of solution making and program design.

The program used principles of Human Centered Design, applying creative responses and iterative learning.

The department provided support through program development, evaluation services and collaboration opportunities to identify and break down policy, practice and program barriers. Through frequent testing of solutions and evaluation processes focused on highlighting systemic barriers, the work identified opportunities for system change at all levels. The lessons learned from the prototypes were used to inform state-level policy change, such as drafting new legislation, state agency administrative change or guidance, county administrative change, federal change and making new tools or technology available.

Cohort 1: 2-generation principles help create whole family solutions

Minnesota’s Economic Assistance and Employment Supports Division granted funding to four organizations to serve young children and families by addressing racial disparities in human services outcomes through community-centered processes and programs.

Cohort 2: Whole Family Systems Initiative

In the second phase of work, Minnesota’s Economic Assistance and Employment Supports Division, Child Care Services Division, and Child Safety and Permanency Division created a shared governance model and combined funding to develop and administer a grant program to seven local organizations. Each site served young children and families, and addressed racial disparities in human services outcomes through community-centered processes and programming. 

Some outcomes from this work include:

• College savings plans for youth in the City of Saint Paul
• Digital Equity and Literacy Program for refugees and immigrants
• An Ojibwe language and culture immersion program

Key tools and resources

Real people, real results

What's next

Leaders at the Department of Children, Youth, and Families endorse the Whole Family Approach to help ensure families’ voices shape the future of human services. Read about how DCYF is incorporating a whole family approach into their strategic plan.