Whole Family Approach
In order to better coordinate and resource the systems that service children, youth, and families, the Department of Children, Youth, and Families is taking a Whole Family Approach to our work. A Whole Family Approach is an approach to practice, program and policy decision making that recognizes and addresses the needs of children and the adults in their lives simultaneously. This approach recognizes that families come in all different shapes and sizes and that families define themselves.
Transforming ideals into action
This strategic work began in 2017 with the Economic Assistance and Employment Supports Division's 2-Generation Policy Network, 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. It focused on six key components of family well-being to ensure families have what they need to thrive in Minnesota.
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.
