THE TAKEAWAY

We have to actively promote intergenerational interactions and living. Current social and legal structures do not support the complexity of family life. This will become even more urgent in the time of increased longevity.

Charlene E. Depner, Ph.D. brings 30 years of experience in academia and government to the challenge of transforming social systems to work better for people of all ages in our diverse society. As Deputy Director of the Center for Families, Children and the Courts, a multidisciplinary office of California’s Judicial Branch, she oversees programs providing statewide education, quantitative data, and services that assist courts in meeting the emerging needs of today’s families. Her primary interests are in current social and demographic forces shaping families and in the rich variety of innovative responses developing at the grass-roots level.