While on a break from continuing projects I had the opportunity to participate in doing some analysis work with MITRE’s Public Heath FFRDC. Throughout this project, we were preparing for a federal convening with several public health agencies to address the foster care crisis and family well-being. I analyzed and pulled out key metrics from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis Reporting System (AFCARS) as well as public data to create infographics and visuals using R. These infographics were sent out to stakeholders in a pre-read to set the stage for the convening. The analyses discussed barriers and opportunities for improvement in the foster care system and precursors and outcomes of child welfare involvement. This work was tied to efforts on prioritizing family wellness and communication between different government organizations and families. The team outlined 4 major challenges, 4 opportunities for improvement, and 6 proposed next steps in improving child and family well-being at the state and federal level at the conclusion of the convening.

Team shoutouts:

“Extraordinary contributions to the convening to prevent children from entering foster care…. data analytic capabilities combined with your professionalism, collaboration and willingness to take on tasks contributed to a highly successful convening of key agencies'“