Reform Agenda

Every child deserves a safe, stable, and loving home. Yet today, families are being torn apart by a system that too often causes harm instead of providing help. Our Reform Agenda lays out the changes needed to protect children and families — creating a child welfare system that is fair, transparent, and accountable.

Policy Goals

Keep Families Together

Children should never be removed from their parents without clear evidence of danger. We advocate for prevention first — giving families the support they need before separation is ever considered.

Demand Due Process

Parents must have legal protections and timely hearings. No family should lose a child without the same rights and representation guaranteed in every other part of the justice system.

End Financial Incentives

Federal funding should support family preservation, not foster care expansion. We call for redirecting resources toward community-based services that strengthen households.

Require Transparency & Accountability

The child welfare system must operate with independent oversight, regular audits, and public reporting — so decisions are based on facts, not hidden agendas.

Protect Civil Rights

Families deserve the same constitutional protections as anyone else. We fight to ensure that race, income, or disability never determine whether a child is taken from their parents.

Pilot Projects

We’re not just calling for reform — we’re building it. USCPCF is developing pilot programs that demonstrate how these changes can work in practice, including:

Grow the Movement – Help get the word out to every community in California in 2026
Community Support Networks – connecting families to housing, healthcare, and counseling before crises escalate.
Oversight & Review Boards – ensuring child welfare agencies are held to the highest standards of fairness and transparency.

Your Voice Can Save Families.

Join us in building a child protection system that values safety, dignity, and justice.