RHF aspires to see families thrive and live free from surveillance and policing by the child welfare system.
Jessica Maxwell: New Executive Director at RHF
We are pleased to announce that Jessica Maxwell has been named the Redlich Horwitz Foundation’s next executive director. Jessica succeeds Sarah Chiles, the founding director of the Foundation, who will step back into the role of senior advisor. This leadership transition is happening as RHF embarks on a refined strategic vision to support the growing movement to shrink the child welfare system and reimagine community-driven support for New York families. Please read more here.
RHF envisions a future New York where children, youth and families are together, happy and healthy; and free from oversurveillance, regulation and policing by the child welfare system.
We work to end the unnecessary dismantling of families by child protective services due to spurious findings of “neglect,” a determination that often conflates poverty and race with maltreatment. We support efforts to eliminate bias, pervasive racism, and socioeconomic discrimination against families, and work to ensure the child welfare system keeps the small percentage of children at risk of physical harm safe and supported.
Our Vision
How We Work
We recognize that we don’t have all the answers or a clear roadmap for change. We aim to work differently than we have in the past: to humbly listen and learn; to partner more deeply with impacted communities; and to strengthen movements and power building. We strive to be a better ally to impacted families and communities, and we commit to centering racial justice and equity in our mission, our partnerships, and our operations.
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We provide grant funding to statewide advocacy coalitions, local grassroots organizations and policy infrastructure that centers lived experience experts in leadership, priority setting and strategy implementation.
Partner Highlights
NYC's Narrowing the Front Door Work Group
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NTFD's mission is to further an anti-racist approach to shrink NYC's child welfare system and promote Black child, family and community wellbeing. It is working to implement citywide recommendations that eliminate surveillance and investigations and strengthen community-based responders to family needs.