Shield the Vulnerable – Untold Stories:
Connection Over Convenience
Shield the Vulnerable: Untold Stories – Connection Over Convenience
In the world of child welfare, it’s far easier to follow the well-worn path of placing a child into a licensed foster home than it is to pause, ask the hard questions, and seek out family. But what if convenience is costing us something deeper—something irreplaceable?
In this episode of Shield the Vulnerable, we sit down with Alicia Brown, a child welfare leader and advocate from Wisconsin, who challenges us to rethink the system’s default settings. Her mantra? Connection over convenience.
The Kin-First Mindset
When a child can no longer remain safely at home, the immediate response has often been to place them in a licensed foster home—a vetted, familiar option for the system. But Alicia urges us to slow down:
“It is very convenient to choose to place with a foster home… but we’re missing the connection when we do that.”
Wisconsin, like many states, is expanding its definition of kin to include not just blood relatives, but “kin-like” connections—a teacher, a coach, a neighbor—anyone who knows the child, their story, and their favorite foods. This isn’t just policy. It’s a recognition that belonging builds resilience.
Why Kids Run—And What They’re Really Seeking
One of Alicia’s most powerful observations comes from years in the field: when a child runs from a placement, they’re often running to someone, not just away from something.
“What are they running from? What are they running to? So often… they’re running to their people.”
That insight reframes “behavioral issues” as expressions of a deep, human need for connection—one that the system too often overlooks in the name of safety and structure.
Reunification Is Still the Goal
Even when kin placement is the best immediate option, Alicia emphasizes that reunification remains the ideal outcome whenever possible:
“Kids want to be with their parents… At the end of the day, we really are seeing that kids do, despite everything that has happened, want to be with their parents.”
This isn’t naive optimism. It’s data-informed, trauma-aware practice. When children age out of the system, many return to family—often without the supports needed for healing. Alicia’s work focuses on building those supports early, so reunification can be safe, stable, and sustained.
Seeing the Human Behind the Case
Child welfare is about more than risk assessments and case plans—it’s about people. Alicia shares a story of running into a mother she’d worked with years before, who told her:
“You were somebody during that time that had hope for me when nobody else had hope… You saw me for who I was. Not the decisions that I was making.”
That moment—humanizing, tearful, real—is at the heart of Alicia’s approach. It’s a reminder that dignity and hope can transform outcomes where judgment and procedure alone cannot.
The Cost of Convenience
Choosing the familiar path isn’t just a missed opportunity for connection—it’s expensive. Financially, emotionally, and socially.
“The return on investment for foster care is terrible… If we just took a portion of that money and invested in supporting families, what that might look like…”
Alicia argues that funding preventative, family-centered services isn’t just compassionate—it’s fiscally responsible. It’s also what families themselves say they need, if we’re willing to listen.
For Leaders: It Starts with You
Alicia also works with agencies on leadership and workforce wellness through Blue Collar Consulting. She draws a direct line between staff well-being and family outcomes:
“If the workforce is not being supported… none of that is going to matter.”
She encourages leaders to model self-care, vulnerability, and humility—because you can’t pour from an empty cup, and you can’t lead from behind a wall.
Small Acts, Big Impact
For those in draining roles, Alicia emphasizes daily, intentional self-care:
“It’s a good cup of coffee. A walk. Laughing with my children… You have to build it into your every day or you’re not going to do it.”
It’s not about grand gestures. It’s about sustaining yourself so you can sustain others.
A Call to Listen—and to Act
Alicia leaves us with a challenge: slow down. Listen. Elevate family voice.
“Families are their own expert… They would be able to tell us a whole lot if we would just stop and listen and maybe release a little bit of that power that we have.”
This isn’t just a child welfare conversation. It’s a human conversation—about power, empathy, and the courage to choose connection over convenience, even when the system rewards the opposite.
Connection over convenience.
It’s more than a phrase. It’s a practice.
And it just might change everything.
If you’d like to connect with Alicia Brown, you can find her on LinkedIn. To learn more about kinship care, trauma-informed leadership, or family-first approaches in child welfare, reach out or follow her work online.