Guiding Principles

As the Institute has grown in scope and staffing, we have expanded our guiding principles. While maintaining connection with the principles we have held since our inception, we now identify multiple ways in which the Institute can and will hold itself accountable to embody this way of work. These actions are meant to undergird the specific goals, objectives, and strategies expounded on within this strategic plan. Above all, we will exhibit commitment and dedication to the Institute’s mission and always prioritize the needs of children and families in Florida’s child welfare system.

The four overarching principles of the Institute are as follows:

We will BUILD TRUST with individuals and communities.

In our statewide advisory role, the Institute must engage with our multiple partners—community, organizational, and individual—to establish trust in the integrity of our work and resultant recommendations and initiatives. While the Institute exists in a challenging political, economic, and cultural environment, its staff and researchers will work to protect the intellectual independence and integrity of its initiatives. We operate with respect , valuing everyone’s contribution to the mission and treating everyone with dignity . We value effective communication and will continuously share knowledge and information within the Institute to achieve organizational success.

The Institute will:

™ Acknowledge our privilege as a legislatively funded Institute within higher education

™ Cultivate long-term relationships with our partners through recognition of the importance of rapport and identifying shared goals

™ Embed our team members within the communities we serve through collaboration with community and academic partners and use of participatory research methods

™ Develop clear, consistent messaging that can be tailored to the unique roles of our partners, including the workforce and families

™ Maintain regular communication of Institute priorities with Institute staff, the Affiliate Network, and GROW Center Advisory Committee members to ensure all are prepared to well-represent the Institute with aligned messaging

The Institute values our staff and partners and honors their unique positionality. We encourage the use of participatory research methods that incorporate the lived experience of those whom we serve. Within our work, we celebrate intellectual diversity and uphold academic freedom. We encourage and support robust and pluralistic approaches to the mission, knowing that intellectual diversity contributes to innovation, creativity, and fresh approaches to difficult problems.

The Institute will:

™ Recognize there are multiple ways of knowing , and integrate data to best support a holistic understanding of issues

™ Elevate the lived experiences of our partners throughout the life of our projects, and provide compensation when allowable

™ Establish a direct line of communication between the Institute and the youth, families, and professionals that are impacted by our work

™ Create programming that honors various learning and engagement styles and preferences

™ Encourage courageous conversations within and between our staff and partners

™ Acknowledge the unique talents and needs of our Institute team , including establishing an understanding of disability and divergence as an asset

The Institute will examine systems, internally and externally, and provide evidence-based solutions to address areas in need of improvement. In these efforts, we prioritize collaboration within and across disciplines and professions to identify research priorities, apply evidence-based and evidence-informed solutions, and translate research findings into effective practice and policy. We will support the growth of our staff to ensure the sustainability of the Institute’s creative problem solving.

The Institute will:

™ Acknowledge our role within child welfare and hold ourselves accountable to examining and rectifying internal dysfunction

™ Seek to understand both processes and outcomes, and the relationships between them

™ Prioritize multi-partner initiatives , inclusive of those with lived experience, to promote a collectivist approach to solving systemic problems

™ Implement research and interventions that recognize the complexity of individuals and communities and emphasize their strengths

™ Maintain an Institute culture of individual and collective professional growth to prevent stagnation in critical thinking and creativity