John T. Gorman Fellow Melissa Hackett has spent the past six years at the Maine Children’s Alliance (MCA), where she now works as a policy associate focused on child and family well-being. She also serves as the coalition coordinator for the Maine Child Welfare Action Network (MCWAN) and is a co-author of Maine’s Child Safety and Family Well-Being Plan. Released earlier this year with the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), this five-year plan promotes proactive, community-driven support for families.

Holding a Master’s in Public Health from the University of New England, Melissa is deeply focused on upstream, preventative efforts that improve child health and safety. She is also passionate about ensuring that caregivers and families have a voice in shaping policy and systems change.

We recently spoke with Melissa about what led her to this work, the importance of prevention, and how Maine can better support children and their families.

John T. Gorman Foundation (JTGF): What led you to focus on child welfare policy and advocacy?

Melissa Hackett (MH): Early in my career, I worked in food security and met families doing everything they could but still struggling to get by. Seeing those challenges firsthand made me realize that supporting families before they reach a crisis is critical. When I joined MCA, I saw an urgent need for stronger advocacy in child welfare. Over time, my focus shifted from responding to crises to advocating for support that helps families avoid the need for intervention – such as financial stability, access to supports and services, and strong community networks.

JTGF: Why is it important to take this broader focus of child welfare?

MH: We aren’t talking enough about what is creating the need for state child protective intervention. Most families’ interactions with child protective services are not driven by extreme neglect or abuse, but struggles with systemic challenges – like economic hardship, housing instability, and access to substance use and mental health care.

MCWAN has worked to reframe the conversation by focusing on a key question: How do we prevent families from reaching the need for state intervention in the first place? This shift broadens child welfare from reactive interventions alone to upstream, preventative efforts. Ensuring access to financial assistance, strong community networks, and stabilizing services is critical. A shared commitment among state agencies, philanthropy, nonprofits, and communities is essential in building these long-term supports.

JTGF: What are some major initiatives MCWAN has been working on?

MH: One major focus has been broadening public understanding of child welfare, moving beyond the assumption that it only involves state intervention and highlighting how communities can help families before crises arise. For too long, people have viewed it solely as intervening in the worst situations. But we are working to emphasize prevention—what we can do to keep families strong and ensure children are safe at home.

One key initiative is Be There for ME, a campaign and resource hub connecting parents to community supports. Many parents hear the phrase, ‘It takes a village to raise a child,’ but often feel that the village isn’t there when they need it. As one parent in a listening session said, ‘There is no village, but we’d love one.’

Another key part of MCWAN’s work has been forging partnerships and championing policies that strengthen critical factors in child safety. This includes expanding economic assistance programs, improving access to essential needs like child care and housing, and substance use and mental health treatment, and strengthening community networks that help families before they reach a breaking point.

JTGF: How does the Child Safety and Family Well-Being Plan support these efforts?

MH: The plan was developed in partnership between DHHS and MCWAN, to create a statewide strategy to keep children safe by keeping families strong. It provides a roadmap for individuals, communities, state agencies, policymakers, and service providers to strengthen proactive support for families.

The plan highlights evidence-based strategies that have been shown to reduce the need for child welfare involvement: ensuring families have financial security, access to essential mental health and substance use services, and fostering strong community connections to support families.

JTGF: How has your experience in the John T. Gorman Fellowship impacted your work so far?

MH: The Fellowship has been invaluable in strengthening my leadership skills and reinforcing the power of collaboration. Child welfare is not isolated – the challenges families face are deeply rooted in multiple systems. The Fellowship has given me the opportunity to connect with other leaders across sectors, ensuring that we’re not working in silos but instead aligning efforts to create a lasting impact.

JTGF: What gives you hope and inspiration to keep working on this complicated, challenging, and urgent set of issues?

MH: I love being able to bring the voices of everyday parents into this work. When parents share their perspectives and feel like they’re positively impacting other families, it’s incredibly valuable. I see how empowering it is for them to actively contribute to a solution.

I also see a lot of opportunities in helping community partners understand how they can support families. People want to help, but they just need guidance on how to do more.