Policy & Practice June 2018

PRESIDENT'S MEMO continued from page 3

In this issue, you’ll read examples of how agencies are beginning to infuse whole-family approaches and apply human-centered design to on- the-ground practice. You’ll see how person- and family-centered services are being co-designed to engage in authentic and meaningful ways with families to advance social and economic mobility. I think we all would agree that while still in the early stages of fully utilizing and learning from these approaches, there is much to be gained from the insights of the many leaders—all across the country—who are creating a path for us to follow. We encourage you to share your stories by contacting Jessica Garon at jgaron@ aphsa.org.

(ACEs) from its inherently deficit-based lens to one that focuses on protective factors and potential. Resiliency is not just about an individual’s resiliency, it’s about understanding the context in which each of us lives our life. As my colleague, Phil Basso, has noted, programs and services don’t impact desired outcomes directly; it’s disem- powering for people to think they do. Ultimately, we must shift the narrative to what is possible. As a field, we must convey that we are in the learning, prevention, and solution-finding business, not in the post-trauma rescue and recovery business. To unlock the potential of any of us, we must have hope, give and receive praise, and be allowed to pursue our dreams. The idea of self- sufficiency and self-determination may be worthy goals, but they are also misnomers. All of us need our families, friends, and communities to help us be our very best selves.

We have to shift from program-based thinking to systems approaches. That’s what’s so powerful about social deter- minants of health and well-being and multigenerational approaches. These orientations shift us from focusing on what the program can or cannot deliver to asking what we all need to be healthy, well, and thrive in our communities. We need to shape our service delivery to one that focuses on resil- iency and avoids defining individuals by the trauma they have experienced. This is not to downplay the impor- tance of understanding the impact of trauma—we must continue to build on and apply the decades of research in brain science and understanding of executive functioning to improve the ways we authentically engage and empower families. The key is how we use that knowledge to shape practice and policy, translating the research like Adverse Childhood Experiences

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