Enough Hope to Spare

Dr. Bossard presents new research that explores the transformative journey from clienthood to leadership among former child welfare involved birth parents. The study highlights the lived experiences of birth parents in their new roles as leaders in public child welfare systems. The individual and relational dimensions that support the innovative leadership of birth parents are highlighted through the use of portraiture. The study illuminates for us the relational web in which the birth parent participants have emerged as leaders in an organizational and social context that has considerable barriers to this emergent role of consumers. In so doing, Dr. Bossard provides a relational interpretation of resilience and transformation as well as leadership and change that challenges traditional notions of power, empowerment, and the heart and soul of leadership.

Dr. Bossard has fourteen years of experience in research, training, and technical assistance provision in child welfare, children’s mental health, and public education. Her areas of expertise include family and community engagement, interagency collaboration, system change, and leadership development. She resides in Washington, DC with her family.