Tom Rawlings, J.D., CWLS
Team Leader, YSO Partners
A former juvenile court judge who has run the state systems built to protect children and trained international child welfare officials.
About
Tom Rawlings has spent his career on nearly every side of the child welfare system. He served as a juvenile court judge, then went on to direct both the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services and the Georgia Office of the Child Advocate. He later served as Guatemala country director for the International Justice Mission, working to strengthen child protection systems internationally. He continues to train international judges, lawyers, and welfare officials in best practices for child protection.
Tom holds a Master’s in International Human Rights Law from Oxford University and is a certified Child Welfare Law Specialist. That combination of courtroom and agency experience, layered with work overseas, means he has seen where child protection policies succeed and where they quietly fail, often for the same reasons across very different organizations.
Tom co-founded YSO Academy and YSO Partners because he kept seeing organizations, different in every other way, fail for the same reason. They had a policy that existed on paper but never took hold in practice. He believes every organization can close that gap, with the right framework and the right partner.
Areas of Focus
Legal Framework & Compliance
Translating complex child welfare law into policies your staff can follow.
YSO Governance
Helping boards and leadership build the oversight structures real accountability requires.
Child Welfare Systems, Here and Abroad
Experience running state child welfare agencies and strengthening child protection systems internationally.
Faith Communities
Deep experience with faith-based organizations and the challenges they face in maintaining their mission while managing a crisis situation.
Books & Publications
Protecting Other People’s Children: 120 Days to a Strong Child Safety Policy
For youth-serving organizations that want a practical, step-by-step blueprint for building a strong child safety policy in 120 days.
Keynotes & Workshops
Tom is available for keynote presentations and workshops.