Meet the Founder: Dr. Channing L. Collins, PhD, MDR, MLS Candidate

Dr. Channing L. Collins is the Founder and Principal Consultant of The Collins Institute for Child & Family Systems.

A national child welfare policy expert, scholar, and systems reform strategist, Dr. Collins brings more than a decade of experience spanning frontline practice, state-level leadership, research, and implementation strategy. Her work bridges evidence and execution—transforming research-informed ideas into measurable, sustainable reform.

She is the architect of the Institute’s 12-Point Child Welfare Reform Framework and Founder of the Family Systems Innovation Lab (FSIL), a pilot-based model designed to help agencies test and operationalize targeted reforms under real-world conditions.

Her scholarship and commentary—featured in Youth Today, The Imprint, and the Journal of Public Child Welfare—focus on accountability, workforce stability, bias in decision-making, and balancing prevention with protection.

“Real reform begins where research, leadership, and compassion intersect.”