The AmeriCorps Partnering to Protect Children (APPC) program is a partnership between Iowa State University and Volunteer Iowa. The program is housed within Iowa State University’s Child Welfare Research & Training Project. APPC members provide capacity-building support to local Community Partnerships for Protecting Children (CPPC) and allied agency host sites across Iowa. Our members serve their communities by focusing on the four CPPC strategies:
- Shared Decision-Making: provide leadership for collaborative efforts promoting community responsibility for the safety and well-being of children.
- Community and Neighborhood Networking: promote cooperation and form alliances to provide more accessible and relevant information and professional supports, services, and resources for families whose children are at risk of abuse and/or neglect.
- Family and Youth-Centered Engagement: Genuinely engage families and youth to identify strengths, resources, and supports to reduce barriers while increasing wellbeing.
- Policy and Practice Change: improve policies and practices to reduce barriers and increase accessibility and relevance of services leading to positive family outcomes.
APPC members strengthen their host sites by: building community and host site capacity; delivering critical information to service providers; and leading engagement and supports to parents/caregivers and youth in a shared decision-making approach.