Functions and Outcome Examples >> Mission of the Child and Family Policy Initiative: To improve governance and public policy that impacts the well-being of children and their families through university-based interdisciplinary research, policy analysis, training, and technical assistance.
The University of Georgia is poised to provide this much-needed service through an initiative that brings together the depth of child and family expertise and experience across all units. The Initiative provides an arena for faculty, staff, and students to share their research and collaborate on projects, thereby serving as the mechanism to organize relevant work on child and family issues. The Initiative provides a bridge between the academy and policymakers and practitioners.
The Child and Family Policy Initiative focuses the research and knowledge base of the University on specific policy issues related to children and their families. It supports effective policy making and innovative practices with measurable outcomes. The Initiative provides a link between research and policy making in order to facilitate good decisions by government officials and practitioners.
Georgia can improve the status of children and families through sound research, rigorous policy analysis, strategic initiatives, and planning. Policymakers and agencies are often consumed by the day-to-day issues and crises and therefore lack the internal capacity to track trends and conduct rigorous analysis that can help shape better policy.
The Priority Focus Areas for the Child and Family Policy Initiative are
- Child-serving systems (juvenile justice, public health, child welfare, child development, etc)
- Child and adolescent health (physical, behavioral, and developmental)
- Emergence from persistent poverty
