More parents are giving up their kids, but this Virginia model could be a solution

Temporary Alternative Placement Agreements (TAPA) allow parents struggling with addiction to enter a drug-treatment program and connect them with parenting resources and support to help them maintain custody of their children. Under a TAPA parents have a say in who their children stay with while they're seeking treatment, rather than losing custody altogether. Participants say TAPAs are far less traumatic and help hold them accountable as they’re required to sign an agreement to uphold at the start of the program.

Youth Villages, a nonprofit started in Tennessee over 30 years ago has helped improve the lives of children who face difficulties in their homes while saving money on the child welfare system. Instead of immediately removing children from their problematic homes, Youth Villages works on building relationships with the parents and providing in-home support services to both the parents and the children to ensure that they have a successful future. Additionally, the organization supports foster kids who age out of the system, and has managed to place many children back with their families securely.

More women are being incarcerated around the United States and that has spurred more institutions to create prison nurseries, which allow women to be with their newborns. It's not a new idea, but it's finding support among prison advocates as well as budget hawks because research shows nurseries can lower recidivism rates among mothers. The idea of children in prison remains controversial however.

Time for a Change uses a volunteer-run model that distributes 30-50 diapers per month to families through partner agencies like churches and social service organizations. The group distributed 70,000 diapers in 2025. Parents report the support is "super helpful" in managing child care costs.

The Communities in Schools program (CIS) places trained navigators in low-income schools to provide wraparound social support, helping students and families access public benefits, cover emergency expenses, provide behavioral counseling and address barriers that prevent students from succeeding academically. The non-profit has been helping students for 50 years, serving 2 million children across 26 states, and has seen significant academic and economic outcomes, including increasing high school graduation and college enrollment rates.

Sacramento County's Cultural Broker Program places trained community advocates between Child Protective Services and Black families to prevent children from entering foster care. They work directly with families from the moment CPS gets involved until the case closes. They attend meetings with social workers, translate complex bureaucratic processes and advocate for parents. Of 552 families referred to cultural brokers between 2018-2023, 90% had successful outcomes, meaning children were reunited with parents, adopted, or placed in permanent living arrangements.

The Kids with a Vision Foundation (K-WAVF) provides care and shelter, particularly to vulnerable youth displaced by conflicts. K-WAVF’s team of community representatives also partners with local schools to take youth on educational field trips and provide vocational training. Since its inception in 2013, K-WAVF has extended its reach across five local government areas in the state.

Women and Children with Albinism in Uganda is a supportive shelter for women and children with albinism to build a community and be safe from stigma and violence. At the shelter, women are trained in a variety of skills, like tailoring and farming, to be able to sustain themselves and their families. Over the past decade, about 40 women and children across four regions have been positively impacted by the group.

Maryland allocates extra funding to community schools, which are designed to provide social services and resources such as family centers, clothing closets, mentorship programs, and community partnerships. In one community high school, the addition of resources for teen parents has helped lower absences and increase college-admission rates.

Adventure Bags distributes backpacks to children entering foster care, domestic violence shelters and homeless shelters, many of whom are often displaced with nothing. The backpacks are filled with hygiene products, books, stuffed animals and other care items. Since 2011, the group has given backpacks to over 45,000 children.