Community In-Site

Why Less Intervention Doesn't Mean Increased Risk with Mollie Warren

Imagination Factory & 14th Street Studios Season 3 Episode 2

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0:00 | 34:10

Some would say that reducing child welfare intervention puts children at risk, while others argue that too much intervention causes its own harm. How can stepping back be seen as both responsible leadership and potentially risky, and what does that tension reveal about how we define safety?

In this episode of Community In-Site, host Valerie Frost balances these perspectives in her conversation with Mollie Warren, Director of Boulder County Child Welfare. Mollie shares how Boulder County has reduced foster care entries while referrals continue, and how her team makes decisions about when not to intervene.

This conversation doesn’t resolve the debate. Instead, it asks harder questions about risk, accountability, and whether child safety can be measured differently when fewer families are pulled into the system.

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Here are a few resources that Mollie wants to share with you. 

We appreciate you spreading awareness by sharing this episode with your friends, family, and colleagues who care about family well-being.

Please email us if you want to connect with the creative team or find out how to engage with the family well-being movement. comminsite@gmail.com