The holiday season is often described as a time of joy and connection. For child welfare professionals, it can also be one of the most challenging periods of the year. Risks rise, protective factors shift, and the emotional weight on families—and on our workforce—intensifies.
Rather than chasing a “perfect” solution, agencies can take practical steps towards making a real difference. Agencies and caseworkers face high caseloads, staffing shortages, and limited resources. Acknowledging these realities allows us to focus efforts on proactive steps during the holidays that require creativity, prioritization, and sometimes doing more with less. These intentional actions can help agencies in protecting children and supporting families during the holiday season.
Why the holidays are different
The holidays bring changes that affect families and child welfare professionals in unique ways. Recognizing these shifts helps us prepare and respond with care:
- Stressors Increase: Financial strain, housing instability, and family conflict often peak in December.1 All families can feel this stretch; those already managing trauma or substance use may face crisis.
- Safety Nets Shrink: School closures and reduced service hours mean fewer eyes on children. Reports of abuse often decline during holidays—not because abuse stops, but because mandated reporters aren’t seeing kids daily.2
- Emotional Impact: For children in care, the holidays can amplify feelings of loss and not belonging. For workers, the season can mean longer hours and harder decisions, and the emotional toll of navigating family hopes against systemic limits.
For caseworkers: balancing risk and reality
Rather than a checklist of “shoulds,” think of these as high-impact, low-resource strategies that can make a difference:
- Micro Safety Plans: A short 15-minute conversation with families about holiday routines and supervision can prevent harm.
- Prioritize the Highest-Risk Cases: Quick huddles with supervisors and teams to identify families where stressors and risk indicators converge can help allocate limited time where it matters most.
- Leverage Community Supports: Faith-based groups, food pantries, and nonprofits often surge during holidays. A referral or connection can ease pressure on families and workers.
For leaders: actions that don’t require new budgets
Leadership can set the tone for safety and support without major financial investment. Consider these practical approaches:
- Holiday Risk Scan: Use existing data to flag cases needing extra attention. Even a basic review of recent incidents or missed appointments can help.
- Flexible Scheduling: Small adjustments—like staggered shifts or shared coverage—can reduce burnout and maintain availability.
- Communication Bridges: Even without new tech, shared calendars and group texts can keep teams aligned during unpredictable holiday weeks.
Practical tips for caseworkers and supervisors
Frontline workers often feel the greatest pressure during holidays. These actions can help maintain safety of children and families and reduce stress on the workforce:
- Safety Tune-Ups: Ask families about holiday routines, visitors, and supervision. It is important to document specifics during these conversations, not generalities.
- Emergency Contacts: Make sure families have two numbers: yours (or duty line) and an after-hours resource.
- Visit Logistics: Confirm transportation and supervision for visits—especially reunification cases—before holiday closures.
For agencies and technology partners
Technology can be a powerful ally when it simplifies—not complicates—holiday workflows. Focus on tools that reduce friction:
- Smart Scheduling: Integrated calendars and reminders for visits and transport.
- Risk Dashboards: Simple views of high-risk cases for supervisors.
- Safety Plan Templates: Mobile-friendly, plain language, and easy to update.
The heart of the work
The holidays are a pressure test for both our systems and our ability to respond with care. It is a season when families hope for connection and stability, and child welfare professionals work to balance that hope with vigilance, compassion, and realism. We can’t eliminate every risk, and resource constraints are real, but small, intentional actions—grounded in empathy for families and the workforce—can make this time safer and more meaningful. If we focus on clarity, communication, and practical steps, we won’t get everything perfect, but we can create a season that feels less overwhelming for those who serve and more hopeful for the children and families who count on us. Proactive planning aligns with a prevention-first approach that keeps families safe before crisis occurs. Together, these efforts remind us that care and collaboration can create safety and hope for children and families.
References
- https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2023/11/holiday-season-stress
- https://missionkidscac.org/protecting-kids-during-holidays/
