Beyond Human-centered Design: The Promise of Anti-racist Community-centered Approaches in Child Welfare Program and Policy Design

To meaningfully and effectively dismantle white supremacy within the child welfare system, we must redesign the way we respond to children and families experiencing adversity for more equitable outcomes. A growing number of child welfare agencies are turning to human-centered design to rethink, reimagine, and redesign practice and policy in the sector. Yet because human-centered design is rooted in and perpetuates white supremacy, by its very nature it cannot lead to the anti-racist solutions we seek. This article outlines how human-centered design perpetuates hierarchies of power that exclude the voices those who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color, and promotes ahistorical and apolitical solutions that fail to address systemic racism and injustice. Drawing on the authors' experience teaching and applying design-driven approaches in child welfare and other social systems, we outline how practices rooted in lived experience and equity can be used to shift traditional hierarchies of power and instead center children, families, and communities in policy development and decision-making. Finally, we propose a set of guiding principles that can be used by policy-makers, system administrators, and practitioners alike to create and invest in new, anti-racist practices and community-led design efforts that increase family stability and well-being, as well as foster liberation for children, families, and communities of color.