Vanessa Banks lost her children, her home, and nearly her hope. What brought her family back together wasn't a magic wand — it was the Protective Factors, activated one hard-won step at a time. This is her story.

Family engagement is one of the most-cited and most poorly executed goals in child welfare. A parent with lived experience breaks down why the gap between philosophy and practice persists, and what relationship-based approaches can do to close it.