Our voices are being heard--Let's keep the momentum going
- Path to Permanency
- Feb 27
- 2 min read
Over the past year, our work has moved from quiet conversations to meaningful engagement with local and state leadership — and that momentum continues to grow.
We Are Being Heard
Through coordinated outreach and community advocacy, Path to Permanency members have generated direct responses from:
Several Mecklenburg County Commissioners
Senator Caleb Theodros
Mecklenburg County management officials
For us, this represents more than acknowledgment. It signals that child welfare timelines — and the real-life impact of prolonged foster care cases — are gaining visibility at decision-making tables.
Our Approach: Turning Lived Experience Into Action
At the heart of our work is one simple belief: the people closest to the system understand it best.
We equip foster parents, GALs, youth, social workers, and community members to transform their lived experiences into clear, constructive advocacy. Recently, we hosted a Storytelling Workshop designed to help participants:
Clarify their personal experiences within the foster care system
Connect those experiences to broader systemic challenges
Communicate specific, solution-focused policy requests
Rather than focusing solely on what is broken, we focus on what can be improved — and how to move toward solutions.
View a recap here:
Coordinated Advocacy for System Change
Building on this foundation, we launched a targeted email campaign aimed at county and state leadership. Participants commit to:
Sending coordinated messages over time
Sharing personal stories that illustrate systemic delays
Attaching a policy brief outlining proposed reforms
Maintaining steady, respectful communication with decision-makers
This strategy ensures that conversations about permanency do not fade — they remain consistent, visible, and actionable.
What We’re Working Toward
Our goal is not criticism for its own sake. It is progress.
We are advocating for structural improvements that:
Reduce unnecessary delays in foster care cases
Increase accountability and transparency
Support biological families working toward reunification
Provide stability and predictability for children
Children in foster care experience time differently. A year in the system is not just a statistic — it is a year of uncertainty. We believe systems can and should move with appropriate urgency toward safe, permanent outcomes.
Looking Ahead
As we prepare to continue engaging with Mecklenburg County leadership, including presenting before the County Commissioners, we remain focused on collaboration, clarity, and constructive reform.
If you are:
A foster parent
A youth with experience in the system
A biological parent navigating the system
A community member concerned about child welfare
A policymaker seeking informed input
We invite you to connect with us.
Path to Permanency exists to ensure that children do not wait unnecessarily for stability. And thanks to growing community involvement, that conversation is now reaching the leaders who have the power to help make change happen.
Together, we are working toward a child welfare system where permanency is not prolonged — it is prioritized.
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