Clare Anderson

Senior Policy Fellow

Clare Anderson is a Senior Policy Fellow at Chapin Hall. She uses research, policy, and fiscal levers to improve outcomes for children, youth, and families. Anderson engages child welfare agencies, stakeholders, and constituents in large-scale system change. This includes guiding states to implement the Family First Prevention Services Act. Additionally, Anderson is a national thought leader on economic and concrete supports as core to prevention of child welfare involvement, and the development of a family and child well-being system that prioritizes family support and cross-sector partnerships.

Prior to joining Chapin Hall, Anderson was Deputy Commissioner at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration on Children, Youth, and Families (ACYF). There, she provided leadership for federal programs including child welfare, runaway and homeless youth, domestic and intimate partner violence, and teen pregnancy prevention. During her tenure at ACYF, Anderson co-led the development and implementation of a national well-being policy agenda. She was among the chief architects of the effort to address trauma, adverse childhood experiences, and toxic stress in children known to child welfare. Anderson spent a decade at the Center for the Study of Social Policy helping states and urban jurisdictions change policies and practices to improve outcomes. This included initiatives such as Family to Family and Community Partnerships for Protecting Children, as well as federal court-ordered monitoring of child welfare agencies. Anderson started her career as a frontline social worker.

Anderson holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Alabama.

Master of Social Work, University of Alabama

Anderson, C., Grewal-Kök, Y., & Thomas, K. (2023, April). TANF & child welfare collaboration: Preventative strategies focused on family well-being: A Review of the evidence and implications for practice. Co-presenter at Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance (OFA) webinar. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5iwKqLD9Io

Cusick, G., Gaul-Stout, J., Kakuyama-Villaber, R., Wilks, O., Grewal-Kök, Y., & Anderson, C. A. (2024). Systematic review of economic and concrete support to prevent child maltreatment. Societies, 14, 173. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc14090173

Grewal-Kök, Y., Cusick, G., Anderson, C., Weiner, D., Thomas, K., & Heaton, L. (2023). Economic and concrete supports: Core strategies to promote family well-being and race equity. In K. Briar-Lawson, P. Day, & L. Azzi-Lessing (Eds.), Child neglect, inequity, and poverty: Contextual issues and implications (pp. 1–42). Child Welfare League of America.

Puls, H. T., Chung, P. J., & Anderson, C. (2022). Universal child care as a policy to prevent child maltreatment. Pediatrics, e2022056660. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2022-056660

Citrin, A., Martin, M., & Anderson, C. (2022). Investing in families through economic supports: An anti-racist approach to supporting families and reducing child welfare involvement. Child Welfare, 100(1), 51–79.

Key Work

Key Work

Policy
Access to Food Assistance Programs Increases Child Safety
This bulletin shows that participating in food assistance programs, such as SNAP and WIC, is associated with lower risk for child welfare system involvement.
April 3, 2025
Project
Access to Medicaid and Healthcare Promotes Child Safety
Access to Medicaid and healthcare for children and their families is associated with reduced risk for child welfare system involvement.
February 10, 2025
Project
Disrupting the Link Between Poverty and Child Welfare Involvement through Policy, Practice
This brief provides examples of innovative state and local approaches to reducing family child welfare involvement.
February 3, 2025
News
Casey Family Programs honors Chapin Hall’s Bryan Samuels and Clare Anderson with national leadership award
Chapin Hall Executive Director Bryan Samuels and Senior Policy Fellow Clare Anderson are among the recipients of this year’s Casey Family Programs Leadership...
January 14, 2025
Project
Framework Centers Meeting Family Needs, Preventing Child Welfare Involvement
This framework helps develop an integrated and holistic child and family well-being system. It provides a vision of this system and the practical steps to get...
March 11, 2024
Report
National Survey Assesses Use of Economic and Concrete Supports to Prevent Child Welfare System Involvement
This survey of child welfare leaders examines state leaders’ perceptions and practices regarding the use of economic and concrete supports in preventing...
November 9, 2023
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