Our impact: creating real change for children

Discover the tangible results of our advocacy and the meaningful differences we're making in child welfare. From groundbreaking legislation to empowering communities, see how Shield & Refuge Initiative is driving change.

Milestones in advocacy

In a short amount of time, our team has evolved from concerned individuals into a powerful force actively shaping real policy changes for children. We have worked directly with state legislators, sharing firsthand experiences and insights from the frontlines of the foster care system. Through that work, we helped support and advocate for multiple child welfare bills—three of which successfully moved forward through the legislature:

  • HB 724 – Foster Child Safety Act
  • SB 1257 – Isaiah’s Law
  • SB 776 – Benji’s Law (newborn protection and oversight legislation)

Each of these bills addresses critical gaps in the system—from strengthening basic safety standards for children in care, to protecting children from retraumatizing visitation, to ensuring newborns with high-risk backgrounds are not overlooked.

Our vision for the future

Our main goal for the future is to continue advocating for change, helping with policy, and empowering others to do the same in other states. We envision a nation where children are better protected, and where a unified network of advocates works collaboratively to ensure their safety and well-being. The long-term difference we aim to make is a fundamental shift in how child welfare is approached and sustained across the entire country, built on the foundation of our successful efforts in Idaho.

Measuring our success

We know our efforts are working when we see other states following in what we have achieved in Idaho. Our success is measured by the replication of our advocacy models and legislative victories in other jurisdictions. It was not an easy journey, but we, as normal individuals who started with limited knowledge of law and policy, successfully passed three bills. This demonstrates that dedicated advocacy can lead to profound, systemic change.