Whole Family Approach Takes Center Stage
On Thursday, July 27, representatives from more than 25 organizations gathered at Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library as part of the first Whole Family Stakeholder meeting hosted by United Way of Kaw Valley.
As part of our new Community Investment Grants in Shawnee County, UWKV has prioritized a strong focus on serving the whole family. The Whole Family Approach to Poverty brings together programs and partners that serve children with those that serve the adults or caregivers in a household. These partners place the family at the center of their collaborative efforts, helping families eventually break the cycle of poverty. To do this, partners must understand the system of services in their community, imagine how they can work together, and form key partnerships and collaborations to ensure the success of families.
UWKV has been a part of these efforts for four years and has served as the backbone of this collective for nearly 18 months.
As part of the stakeholder meeting, organizations were introduced to the whole family approach and learned about the current state of the work and how we arrived at this point. Additionally, a working vision statement was shared with the group along with key data points that shape the current community context. Future meetings this fall, which are required for UWKV Shawnee County grant recipients and open to other interested parties, will include looking at best practices, brainstorming solutions (no cost/low cost and "dream big"), and building a policy agenda.
This work is supported, in part, through a Communities Supporting Early Literacy (CSEL) Grant through Kansas Health Foundation, a grant that aims to bring about systems level change in the areas of early literacy for children and families. The Whole Family Initiative serves as one part of the work in Topeka and Shawnee County.
If you or your agency is interested in joining this conversation or learning more about the Whole Family Approach, please contact Vice President of Community Impact Brett Martin.