Diversity-Informed Tenets for work with Infants, Children and Families
With the Tenets in our mind and heart, we commit to re-building and re-imagining this world from an understanding of intertwined fates — that it is only when every Black life matters, is protected, and has liberation that we can truly have the highest possible standard of equity, inclusivity, and justice for all. Read more here.
The Diversity-Informed Tenets for Work With Infants, Children and Families are a set of guiding principles and practices that strengthen the commitment and capacity of infant, child and family professionals, organizations and systems to embed diversity, inclusion and equity principles into their work. Rooted in self-reflection, the Tenets are a navigational tool for systems change. The Tenets are a response to the persistent and urgent need to expand our professional capacity and deepen our work with families by increasing awareness and developing intentional action for individual, organizational and systemic change.
The Tenets are disseminated via its website, conference sessions and workshops. Thus far, we have reached more than 10,000 professionals since our launch!
The Tenets were co-developed by Foundation staff and an Expert Panel of the Foundation’s Professional Development Network, an international network of grantees working to change the landscape of services for pregnant women, children ages birth to three and their families. Each of the ten Tenets is informed by research and evidence, as well as the extensive collective experience of Expert Panel members – the multitude of families they have served and the systems in which they work.
The Irving Harris Foundation has had a long commitment to strengthening diversity, equity and inclusion in the infant and early childhood mental health field. With strategic grantmaking dollars, the Harris Professional Development Network has been at the forefront of increasing diversity, embedding inclusive practices and striving toward equity in all infant and early childhood mental health work.
For more information, please visit: DiversityInformedTenets.org
