Inspired by Lived Expertise, Driving a Vision for Systemic Change

Boston, MA (Dec. 2, 2025) — Massachusetts CASA Association, the state office for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), is proud to announce the launch of the Child and Family Welfare Justice Hub, a bold initiative of Massachusetts CASA (MA CASA) that operates independently of local CASA programs. The Hub is reimagining child welfare across the Commonwealth, building a system that is compassionate, equitable, justice-centered, and guided by those who know it best, to improve outcomes for children and families. By launching The Hub, MA CASA is committing to creating a space where lived experience shapes solutions, informs policy, and guides practice, and where community wisdom shapes the future of child welfare.

Anyone interested in supporting this work, either through participation or financial contribution, can reach out to Julie Louissaint at julie@macasa.org.

In Massachusetts, nearly 9,200 children are in foster care, and thousands more interact with the child welfare system each year. The majority of these cases involve neglect, which is often rooted in resource scarcity—including housing insecurity and income instability—that places immense strain on parents. This strain can manifest as mental illness or substance use, which are often cited as grounds for removing children. Many parents do not receive the support needed to prevent removal, and once children are removed, families are not provided the resources to address the original strain and related challenges that led to removal.

The system also falls short in ensuring children’s care and safety. In Fiscal Year 2024, the Office of the Child Advocate reported 465 substantiated allegations of abuse or neglect in out-of-home placements, affecting 676 children. This is undoubtedly an underreporting of such incidents. Black and Latino/Hispanic children and LGBTQ+ youth are disproportionately represented, reflecting deeper inequities. These issues, among many, underscore the urgent need for systemic reform.

The Hub reflects a simple, but powerful, principle: transformational change can only occur when those closest to the impact help define the solutions. The Hub will serve as a connective tissue across impacted communities, fostering a community-driven model where lived experience experts—including current and former foster youth, birth parents who have experienced involuntary child removal, and kinship caregivers such as grandparents raising grandchildren—can come together to organize, heal, and lead.

The Hub’s work will include designing equity- and justice-centered training, facilitating community-led dialogues, and providing mentorship and leadership opportunities for individuals with lived experience. By amplifying voices from neighborhoods to the State House, The Hub

seeks to ignite collective action, model best practices, and advance policies and programs that strengthen families, enhance safety, and improve outcomes for children and youth.

“We are unwavering in our belief that true systems change is only possible when it’s led by those closest to the impact. Representation is necessary to dismantle long-standing systemic failures and improve outcomes for children and families. It is also essential for repairing harm and fostering healing,” said Charles Lerner, MA CASA Executive Director and former foster youth. Julie Louissaint, MA CASA Deputy Director, a transracial international adoptee from El Salvador, added, “Children and families who have been directly impacted by the foster care system deserve to be seen, heard, and centered.”

About Massachusetts CASA

Massachusetts CASA champions better outcomes for children and families in the child welfare system by supporting and developing CASA programs, and by advancing policies and practices that are compassionate, equitable, and justice-centered—ensuring families have the resources they need and that children’s best interests and well-being are always amplified.

Massachusetts CASA is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization as defined in the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions to Massachusetts CASA are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.

Learn more at www.macasa.org