Unsystem-Roundtables

REDESIGNING CHILD WELFARE, ONE CONVERSATION AT A TIME

UnSystem Roundtables are a series of confidential, invite-only virtual conversations designed to bring together key leaders, decision-makers, and changemakers in child welfare. Each session convenes a small group of 6-10 individuals who have first-hand experience with the challenges and opportunities in reimagining the system.  

UnSystem Roundtables are not open to the public. Participants are carefully selected through an application process. Sessions are confidential and not recorded. 

Rooted in Alia’s commitment to co-designing UnSystems, roundtables serve as brave spaces for real conversations—where leaders share successes, failures, and innovative approaches that challenge the status quo. Each session is built around a singular, high-impact theme, providing an opportunity for deep engagement and peer-to-peer learning.  

Following each conversation, unattributed key insights are shared through Alia’s website, email updates, and social media, ensuring that these discussions spark broader transformation across the health and human services sector. 

UPCOMING UNSYSTEM ROUNDTABLE - AUGUST 2025:

Addressing Workforce Turnover and Retention in Child Welfare

Date: August 13, 2025 
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM CT / 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM ET 
Co-hosted by: Amelia Franck Meyer and Kate Luster 

What will it take to stabilize and support our workforce? 

Workforce turnover in child welfare is not just a challenge—it’s a crisis. Some systems are experiencing annual turnover rates as high as 80% (with pre-COVID averages hovering around 40%). These numbers are more than statistics—they reflect a field under incredible strain. 

In this upcoming UnSystem Roundtable, we’ll bring together system leaders for an open, solutions-focused conversation on how we can build a healthier, more sustainable workforce culture—one where people stay not just because they have to, but because they want to. 

This session will explore both structural reforms and cultural shifts that support retention, reduce burnout, and reignite passion in the field. 

Roundtable discussion will center around: 

  • What strategies are helping leaders reduce turnover right now 
  • How we support the emotional well-being of frontline workers 
  • What a truly sustainable workforce model could look like 
  • How to reconnect staff with the “why” that brought them into this work 
  • How to reshape roles so people feel they are working with families—not against them 

About our Co-Hosts 

Amelia Franck Meyer is the Executive Officer of Alia and a nationally recognized leader in child welfare transformation. 

Kate Luster serves as Director of Rock County Human Services in Wisconsin. In 2024, under her leadership, the agency saw nation-leading staff retention numbers (close to 100% retention). Her experience offers valuable insight into what’s possible when agencies prioritize a culture of support and purpose. 

APPLY HERE TO PARTICIPATE IN OUR UPCOMING ROUNDTABLE:

ROUNDTABLE INSIGHT REPORTS

Each UnSystem Roundtable brings together child welfare leaders for honest, solution-focused conversations around the most pressing challenges in the field. After each session, we share a publicly available Insights Report—curated from the lived experiences, hard-won lessons, and bold ideas shared during the discussion.

You’re invited to download and share these reports, use them for strategic planning, leadership development, or simply as a reminder that you’re not alone in this work. While no comments are attributed to individuals, each report reflects the collective wisdom of peers navigating real-time transformation.

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From Crisis to Transformation: Driving Meaningful Change Amid Chaos and Uncertainty

In our inaugural UnSystem Roundtable, child welfare leaders from across the country came together to share how they’ve led through public pressure, political upheaval, and organizational crises—while staying true to their values. This session surfaced powerful insights on navigating uncertainty, sustaining reform, and leading with courage when it matters most.

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