Lutheran Child and Family Services chosen to participate in Innovation Lab to assist disadvantaged children

Lutheran Child and Family Services of Illinois was recently chosen as one of eight member organizations to participate in Lutheran Services in America's Results Innovation Lab!

Utilizing a results-based leadership approach, the Lab is focused on the development of leadership capacity across LSA's nationwide network of member organizations. Through the Lab, Lutheran Services in America seeks to facilitate member organizations' achievement of equitable outcomes for 20,000 vulnerable and disproportionately disadvantaged children, youth and families by 2024.

The Lab brings high-quality expertise and resources on a national level together with organizations on the ground in a collaborative learning environment to accomplish more collectively than organizations can do on their own.

Currently, LCFS is the second largest private child welfare agency in the state, representing approximately 11 percent of all children and families within the Illinois system.

Its largest service is its foster care operations. At any moment, Lutheran Child and Family Services has approximately 1,600 youth in foster care around the state.

There have been many studies, nationally and by states, that demonstrate both the over representation of and disproportionate disparate outcomes for youth of color versus Caucasian youth within the child welfare system. Lutheran Child and Family Services reflects this within its own system.

Through its participation in the Innovation Lab, it intends to develop a system that utilizes data-tracking and is results-focused to decrease disparate outcomes for youth of color.

The agency's leadership intends to positively decrease these disparate outcomes within its own system by a minimum of 5 percent within a 12-18 month timeframe. Lutheran Child and Family Services is committed to race practice equity and the elimination of disparate outcomes for children of color so that the lives of all children are enhanced and strengthened.

Lutheran Child and Family Services is a leading provider of a variety of child welfare services. They serve children, individuals, families and communities of all faiths, races, sexual orientations and ethnic backgrounds. For more information, contact (800) 363-LCFS or visit www.lcfs.org.