Wicked Problems Institute 2023 Convening - The Jordan Institute for Families

Prevention in Action: Building Equitable Pathways to Child and Family Well-Being

The Wicked Problems Institute to be held on September 28 & 29, 2023 offers a container by which a group of multisector, cross-system partners can develop practical steps and solutions that address complex social, systems, and family issues. This year, the generative work will focus on disentangling and addressing the constellation of factors that can overload families and lead to unnecessary involvement in the child welfare system. The theme, Prevention in Action: Building Equitable Pathways to Child and Family Well-Being, offers a framework for participants to explore the impacts of financial insecurity and poverty, trauma, systemic oppression, substance use disorders, and mental health issues. The convening at The Duke Endowment: The Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans Conference Center in Charlotte, North Carolina will center equity and the experiences of individuals who have been directly impacted by systems.

Expectations and Accountability

This is a working meeting and all participants are expected to:

Arrive prepared for the event by completing the requested Foundational Pre-Convening Preparation Materials beforehand;
Be an accountable, present and active participant during small and full group discussions and shared work;
Commit to centering equity, lived experience, science and data.
Participants will co-create the way the Wicked container will continue following the in-person gathering, especially with regard to advancing the solutions that are collectively generated.

Orientation Recording Link: Available here for your review is the recording of the Orientation Session held on 9.11.23. The Wicked Orientation was offered to help make sure everyone has the information they need to feel ready for the convening.

Please email Marlo Nash (marlocnash@gmail.com) or Amy Ramirez (amy.chsa@gmail.com) with questions.

Graphic Illustrations

Here is a link to the first drawing for Day 1 of the Institute.

Here is a link to the second drawing for Day 1 of the Institute.

Here is link to the drawing for the Public Agency Panel on Day 2 of the Institute.

Here is a link to the drawing for the National Organizations Panel on Day 2 of the Institute.

Logistics

The convening begins at 8:30 am ET on Thursday, September 28 and concludes at 1 pm ET on Friday, September 29.

Accommodation

Rooms are secured at The Fairfield Inn & Suites Charlotte Uptown at 201 S. McDowell Street, Charlotte, NC 28204 at a contracted rate of $183.25/night with breakfast and including tax. (conference special rate available September 25-30). Please make your hotel reservation right away using this reservation link that is unique to our Wicked Institute/Children’s Home Society of America event. Hotel parking is available at a discounted rate of $10 per day. Map and directions available here.
Last Day to Book: Monday, September 4, 2023.

Everyone is encouraged to stay at The Fairfield Inn & Suites. Below is overflow hotel information which we hope won’t be needed!

Holiday Inn City Center Distance from Duke Endowment: 1 mile

Hyatt Place Charlotte Downtown Distance from Duke Endowment: 1 mile

Transportation

Shuttle Service to The Duke Endowment will be available from The Fairfield Inn & Suites Charlotte Uptown. On-site shuttle departure and pick up times will be scheduled and shared with all participants and will start early to accommodate everyone. The walk to The Duke Endowment is about 0.7 mile and is mostly flat. Walk is estimated at 14 minutes. Bring your walking shoes.
Please see The Duke Endowment Map, Directions, and Endowment Parking Garage information here for further instructions and GPS mapping for parking in the parking deck.

Restaurants Close to The Fairfield Inn & Suites Charlotte Uptown

Here is a list and map of restaurants near the Fairfield.

Things to Do in Charlotte, NC

From thrilling adventures to moving artistic performances, family playdates and magnetic nightlife, Charlotte holds something for everyone. Better grab a pen; these parts of city life aren’t to be missed.

Events & Festivals Happening in CLT | Charlotte’s got a lot (charlottesgotalot.com) and the 2023 Official Charlotte City Guide

Agenda

Click here to access the full, detailed agenda.

Agenda at a Glance

Thursday, September 28

8:00 Arrival and Networking

8:30 Welcome and Setting the Context

9:00 Discovery Cycle, Part 1: Overloaded Families: Understanding the Historical and Present-Day Systemic Factors Contributing to the Public Health Crisis related to Observing and Assessing Child Neglect

10:45 Break

11:00 Discovery Cycle, Part 2: Financial Strain as a Contributor to Family Overload in a Burdensome Economic System

12:45 Luncheon and North Carolina Welcome

1:45 Midday Reflection

2:00 Break

2:15 Discovery Cycle, Part 3: Postpartum-Focus: Overloading Factors Intensified

4:15 Wrap Up of Discovery Cycle and Table Teams

5:30 Adjourn – Dinner on your own (Participants will be supported in forming dinner groups and finding local restaurants.)

Friday, September 29

8:00 Arrival and Networking

8:30 Welcome: Overview of the plan for the day

8:45 Debrief of Synthesis of the Work from Day 1

9:00 Reflective Dialogue Among and With Public Agency Participants (federal and state)

10:15 Break

10:30 Reflective Dialogue Among and With National Organizations

11:15 Break

11:30 Final Synthesis, Acknowledging the Work, and Next Steps

12:30 Boxed lunches and networking

1:00 Adjourn

DATA FOR THE MEETING

Click here to access a set of data slides that will be used for the three discovery cycles.

NOTE

The Institute offers the time and space – “the container” – to be together to study complex conditions and situations, generate ideas, and then advance solutions. The agenda is designed to expand and contract through full group sessions for learning and reflection, then deeper dives in small groups. The interactive small group work of the convening will occur in Table Teams where you will join with about 7 other participants. The Table Teams will be intentionally assembled to ensure multiple perspectives are represented in each working group. By reviewing the Foundational Pre-Convening Preparation Materials, you can ensure you’re ready to engage from the get-go.

Foundational Pre-Convening Preparation Materials

Here is a pdf of the information described below.

As you review the Foundational Pre-Convening Preparation Materials, hold these questions inspired by the podcast series, Overloaded: Understanding Neglect, in mind:

How might we change or better coordinate our systems, invest more in promising or proven practices, and improve policies, so that overloaded families receive the support they need?

How might we challenge inequities in policies, practices and systems that contribute to racial and class discrimination and disproportionality?

Discovery Cycle, Part 1 – Overloaded Families

Please listen to the following episodes of the podcast Overloaded: Understanding Neglect, produced by the Institute for Child and Family Well-Being at Children’s Wisconsin:

Understanding Neglect, episode 1 (36 minutes)
Understanding Neglect: Trauma and Systemic Oppression, episode 2 (42 minutes)
Understanding Neglect: Poverty, episode 3 (39 minutes)

Note: You can also find the Overloaded podcast on Apple Podcast or Spotify, if you prefer to listen from your device. The podcast webpage offers written transcripts of each episode, if you prefer reading to listening.

Discovery Cycle, Part 2 – Financial Strain as a Contributor to Overload

Please familiarize yourself with these documents.

Optional: This brief document offers a QR code that will link you to a more in-depth review of this research, if you’d like to read more. If this is your first introduction to this body of research, you may wish to watch this 50-minute presentation made by Clare Anderson, Senior Fellow, Chapin Hall. Clare’s presentation begins at the 20 minute mark on the video and ends at the 1 hour and 9 minute mark.

Discovery Cycle, Part 3 – Post-Partum Focus: Overloading Factors Intensified

For this segment, review this first bullet point.

Key findings from child welfare data in 2019 show that nearly 75% of child maltreatment cases were due to neglect and that children under 1 year of age were represented at the highest rate within confirmed cases. The rate declines as children age. (Source: Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2021). Child Maltreatment 2019: Summary of key findings. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Children’s Bureau. https://www.childwelfare.gov/ pubs/factsheets/canstats/)

Then read this article from Zero to Three that focuses on the importance of the months following the birth of a baby for the mother/infant dyad.

The article alerts that, “There is a fourth trimester to pregnancy and we neglect it at our peril.” It describes the need to “move forward from treating mothers and infants as separate individuals to considering them as mutually regulating dyads.” It explores barriers to health and maternal role adaptation and concludes with recommendations for change to enhance well-being for women, the mother-infant dyad and the family at large. The article highlights some of the multiple issues that intersect during this critical time: maternal mood and emotional well-being; infant care and feeding; sexuality, contraception, and birth spacing; sleep and fatigue; physical recovery from childbirth; and medications, substances, and exposures. By comprehensively addressing these interconnecting needs, service providers can improve health and well-being across two generations.

PERSONAL REFLECTION & PREPARATION

As part of your preparation, you may wish to jot down notes about statistics and/or promising practices, systems changes, innovations, etc. that are happening in your state or sphere of work.

And, finally, as you think about your presence and participation as part of the Wicked community, consider these two questions:

What intention will you set for yourself?
What intention would you call your fellow participants to?

Examples of answers to these questions include: sharing big ideas, asking hard questions, being generative, having courageous conversations, thinking at the “next level” of action, listening deeply, centering authenticity, identifying mental models, learning, absorbing, presence, etc.

Thank you for taking the time to prepare for your experience and the shared work at Wicked!

Personal Reflection and Preparation

As part of your preparation, you may wish to jot down notes about statistics and/or promising practices, systems changes, innovations, etc. that are happening in your state or sphere of work.

And, finally, as you think about your presence and participation as part of the Wicked community, consider these two questions:

What intention will you set for yourself?
What intention would you call your fellow participants to?

Thank you for taking the time to prepare for your experience and the shared work at Wicked!

Speakers

This year’s Wicked Institute focuses on YOU, the attendees. As such, the content contributors, or “speakers” are Institute participants who will help set the stage and ignite conversations.

Borja Alvarez de Toledo

President and CEO

Waypoint (NH)

Footer

Contact

Connect

From the Blog