Founded by Harold Richman, PhD, as the first think tank dedicated to child, youth, and family issues, Chapin Hall sets out to integrate research into public policy decision making.
Chapin Hall leads the way in designing and implementing research methods that link public agency data to improve policy effectiveness.
Chapin Hall launches an evaluation of the Community Partnerships for Protecting Children initiative. This work is a first-of-its-kind prevention approach that weaves together family support, child protection, and community building to reduce the likelihood that children would experience abuse or neglect.
Chapin Hall starts work on a universal approach to child and family well-being, elevating the idea that universal access to services will increase participation and elicit broader social support. Numerous reports on this approach are published through 2014.
The Center for State Child Welfare Data is founded. Through research and technical assistance activities, the Center drives over 30 states toward making evidence-based decisions.
Chapin Hall launches the Midwest Evaluation of the Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth (Midwest Study), a longitudinal study following a sample of young people from Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois as they transition out of foster care into adulthood. The multi-year efforts shapes the country’s federal and state policy framework by providing decision makers with research insights to support smoother and more successful transitions.
Chapin Hall launches the Doris Duke Fellowships for the Promotion of Child Well-being to develop the next generation of researchers focusing on child abuse prevention, child welfare, and child well-being. The Fellowships identify emerging scholars and build an interdisciplinary network of young faculty and researchers. More than 125 new leaders will participate in the program over the next 13 years.
Chapin Hall leads the nation’s efforts to support, implement, and scale national evidence-based home visiting efforts and creates the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program Technical Assistance Coordinating Center. The center builds on a 2010 provision of the Affordable Care Act that supported home visiting.
Bryan Samuels, the former commissioner of the Administration on Children, Youth and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, becomes executive director. Through his federal and state experience as a child welfare leader, Samuels brings a greater focus on accelerating impact through policy change and recruits a cadre of policy experts to complement Chapin Hall’s research capabilities.
Chapin Hall designs and carries out a series of interconnected research-to-impact studies, leading to the nation’s first comprehensive capture of youth homelessness data. Findings have influenced federal policies, strengthening the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act, HUD housing supports, and workforce initiatives.
Leveraging the Family First Prevention Services Act framework, Chapin Hall leads and partners with public agencies to help jurisdictions pivot their child welfare systems toward prevention and keep families together.
In cities across the country, Chapin Hall innovates, stands up, and evaluates evidence-based interventions for youth experiencing housing instability. These efforts center on direct cash transfers and an array of supportive services that focus on positive transitions to adulthood.
Identifying a need in the field, Chapin Hall policy staff begin compiling a comprehensive body of research about the impact of economic and concrete supports on family well-being.
Chapin Hall works with the Office of the Chief Judge of Cook County to improve the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center (JTDC), bringing in experts to evaluate current practices and examine connections between foster care, youth homelessness, and juvenile detention.
Chapin Hall’s national leadership position, strong partnerships, and financial stability result in its becoming a fully independent research and policy center.