Shadi Houshyar
She/Her/Hers
Shadi Houshyar is a Senior Associate at the Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP), where she is focused on equity-driven policies to support young children and families and with a primary focus on child health, childhood trauma, toxic stress, and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). At CSSP, Shadi has overseen the successful implementation of a universal pediatric intervention for infants, birth to six months, aimed at promoting protective factors, addressing social determinants of health, and enhancing parent agency as part of community approaches to preventing and mitigating toxic stress. Shadi has deep expertise in advancing equity through public policy both legislatively and administratively at the local, state, and federal level.
Prior to joining CSSP, she served as the Director of Early Childhood and Child Welfare Initiatives at Families USA. In this role, Shadi led policy development on the national and state-level for policies to promote the healthy development of children, including preventing and mitigating ACEs, ensuring access to trauma-informed care, and promoting resiliency in young children and families. Shadi also has experience working on federal child welfare policy, with a focus on identifying opportunities to address the health and behavioral health challenges of children and youth impacted by the child welfare system. This includes serving as Vice President for Child Welfare Policy at First Focus, a national bi-partisan children’s advocacy organization. She was also directed First Focus’s State Policy Advocacy and Reform Center (SPARC), a national resource center for state-based advocates, aimed at improving outcomes for children and families involved with the child welfare system by building the capacity of, and connections between, state child welfare advocates. Shadi has also served as a fellow of the Bush Center in Child Development and Social Policy at Yale and as an AAAS/SRCD Congressional Fellow for Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), working on health, education, and disability policy and other issues within the jurisdiction of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee. Shadi received her Ph.D. in developmental psychology from Yale University.
#CARES4Power
Follow us on Instagram to learn more about our work, the CARES Ambassadors, and the policies we are building to advance change for all transition age youth.
Swipe left to understand the significance of the policy principle of Meaningful Employment featured in the National Policy Agenda, as perceived by Atlanta CARES Ambassador Jada. Jada shares what it would mean to her to have a job that pays a livable wage. These principles are crucial for our community`s progress and welfare.
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#CARES #CARES4Power #NationalPolicyAgenda #CARESNationalPolicyAgenda #Employment #FosterYouth #Policy #Youth #YoungPeople #TAY #TransitionAgeYouth
Swipe left to understand the significance of the policy principle of Meaningful Employment featured in the National Policy Agenda, as described by Atlanta CARES Ambassador Jada and Los Angeles CARES Ambassador Joseph. These principles are crucial for our community`s progress and welfare.
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#CARES #CARES4Power #NationalPolicyAgenda #CARESNationalPolicyAgenda #Employment #FosterYouth #Policy #Youth #YoungPeople #TAY #TransitionAgeYouth #Gainfulemployment
When woven into practice, cultural humility includes:
- An examination of one`s own biases.
- Open dialogue with families.
- Proactive efforts to level the playing field and address systemic inequities.
While race and culture are not synonymous, cultural humility with a racial equity lens can help address the stark racial disparities in the [child welfare] system and promote attention to the intersections of race and other cultural identities.
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#classisinsession #KeyEquityTerms #CARES #CARESAmbassadors #Equity #CulturalHumility #ChildWelfare
The Housing portion of the Policy Principles shared on https://cares4power.org/policy-agendas/housing/ emphasizes the need for safe, affordable, and stable housing for all individuals, particularly marginalized communities. These housing recommendations advocate for policies that prevent displacement, improve housing conditions, and ensure long-term affordability.
Swipe left to understand the significance of the policy principle of housing featured in the National Policy Agenda, as perceived by New York-based CARES Ambassador Andre. These principles are crucial for our community`s progress and welfare.
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#CARES #CARES4Power #NationalPolicyAgenda #CARESNationalPolicyAgenda #Housing #FosterYouth #Policy #Youth #YoungPeople #TAY #TransitionAgeYouth
Skin-based privilege impacts all of our lives. Showing preference based on color is referred to as colorism. Colorism is based on a hierarchy of skin color, giving privilege to lighter skin tones while disempowering darker skin tones. Research suggests that colorism continues to be a problem across the US. According to The Grio, a study in Michigan found that out of 1,183 adoptive families, 42% of the adoptive parents` most recently adopted children were "very fair or somewhat fair" in skin color. At the same time, 31 percent were "somewhat dark or very dark."
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#classisinsession #KeyEquityTerms #CARES #CARESAmbassadors #Equity #Colorism #ChildWelfare
Happy Friday! Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning "to cultivate") generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic structures that give such activities significance and importance. Cultural practices and values promote family well-being and improve child welfare outcomes. Strong ties with cultural, racial, and ethnic identities can build resilience and act as a buffer against the effects of trauma.
This series aims to expand the reach and use of many terms that appear in our work, lives, and communities.
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#classisinsession #KeyEquityTerms #CARES #CARESAmbassadors #Equity #Culture #ChildWelfare
We all want children to be happy and healthy. Fortunately, research has confirmed what families already know about how to promote healthy and happy children. To read more about the research and to access the 2024 anti-trans bills tracker, please click the link in our bio!
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#CSSP #CARES #Pride #HappyPrideMonth #PrideMonth #Equality #Equity
Happy Friday! We`re back with our "Key Equity Term" Series; today`s Key Equity Term is ✨Discrimination✨. This series aims to expand the reach and use of many terms that appear in our work, lives, and communities.
Discrimination fact: According to the American Bar Association, "Racial discrimination in U.S. child welfare is a human rights issue. On August 30, 2022, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), a group of international experts charged with monitoring state compliance with human rights obligations on racial discrimination, expressed concern at the `disproportionate number of children of racial and ethnic minorities removed from their families and placed in foster care` in the U.S. Stay tuned for new terms in the coming weeks, and if you have additions — let us know!
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#Discrimination #classisinsession #KeyEquityTerms #CARES #CARESAmbassadors #KeyTerms #Wordoftheday #WOTD
