Imprint Author

The Imprint staff reports

12/19/2023

Best of Youth Voices Rising, 2023

Some of our strongest pieces published by the Youth Voices Rising program in 2023

12/18/2023

Top Stories of 2023: The Front Door of Child Protection

Commissioner Dannhauser being questioned by committee. Photo by Susanti Sarkar.
Most child welfare cases begin with a report to a hotline, followed by a visit to the home by child protection workers.

12/18/2023

Top Stories of 2023: Reproductive Health for Youth in Foster Care

A selection of The Imprint’s most impactful stories from the past year

12/18/2023

Top Stories of 2023: Cordell Miller’s Second Look at Life Outside

A selection of The Imprint’s most impactful stories from the past year

12/18/2023

Top Stories of 2023: California Shutters State-Run Youth Prisons

A selection of The Imprint’s most impactful stories from the past year

12/18/2023

Top Stories of 2023: Kin Often Fight an Uphill Battle

A selection of The Imprint’s most impactful stories from the past year

Image showing anti-poverty effect of cash benefits.

12/18/2023

Top Stories of 2023: The Promise of Cash

A selection of The Imprint’s most impactful stories from the past year

12/18/2023

Top Stories of 2023: Timelines and Termination

A selection of The Imprint’s most impactful stories from the past year

12/18/2023

Top Stories of 2023: Challenges in Extended Foster Care  

A selection of The Imprint’s most impactful stories from the past year

12/18/2023

Top Stories of 2023: Indigenous Rights Upheld

A selection of The Imprint’s most impactful stories from the past year

12/17/2023

Ten Great Op-Eds from 2023

Ten of the strongest op-eds published by The Imprint in 2023

12/17/2023

Top Stories of 2023: From Incarceration to College

A selection of The Imprint’s most impactful stories from the past year

9/17/2023

Child Welfare Ideas From the Experts

Congressional intern Faith Sharp suggests expanding two federal programs to include more youth who experience foster care.

9/15/2023

Child Welfare Ideas From the Experts

Congressional intern Eunice Mejiadeu offers two solutions to improve support for foster youth at risk of being victims of trafficking

9/14/2023

Child Welfare Ideas From the Experts

Congressional intern Idelia Robinson-Confer seeks to amplify the voices of foster youth and seed stronger adult connections for those aging out. 

9/13/2023

Child Welfare Ideas From the Experts

Congressional intern Jamarri Maurice Kane-White calls for a federal tax credit for kinship caregivers outside the child welfare system.

9/12/2023

Child Welfare Ideas From the Experts

Congressional intern Isabel Rodriguez offers three ideas for improving America’s commitment to keeping siblings connected in foster care.

9/11/2023

Child Welfare Ideas From the Experts

Congressional intern Aoguzi Muhammet McDonald proposes a federal grant to pay tuition directly to colleges chosen by foster youth.

9/8/2023

Child Welfare Ideas From the Experts

Congressional intern Nyomi Davis says Congress should reintroduce the Trauma-Informed Care Act and require PTSD training for foster parents.

9/7/2023

Child Welfare Ideas From the Experts

Congressional intern Christian Sotomayor wants to expand eligibility for certain foster youth to transition under the Chafee program.

9/6/2023

Child Welfare Ideas From the Experts

Congressional intern Glenda Wright wants to include kinship care as a requirement for state funding, separate from foster care or adoption.

9/5/2023

Child Welfare Ideas From the Experts

Congressional intern Kayleen makes three recommendations aimed at preventing the maltreatment of children while they are in foster care.

9/1/2023

Child Welfare Ideas From the Experts

Congressional intern Gianna Bottom proposes that Congress mandate and fund the Children’s Bureau to develop required standardized training.

Photo of Jessica Herrera Twitchell, congressional intern advocating for expanded post-18 support for foster youth.

8/31/2023

Child Welfare Ideas From the Experts

Congressional intern Jessica Herrera Twitchell proposes that Congress amend two federal programs for older youth in foster care.

Youth Services Insider
How Hidden Foster Care Harms Children and Parents of Color

8/9/2023

Center for Families, Children and the Courts Gets New Executive Director

Aubrey Edwards-Luce is the new executive director for the Sayra and Neil Meyerhoff Center for Families, Children and the Courts.

Youth Services Insider
Washington, D.C., Pilot Gives $500 Per Month to Black Mothers with CPS Cases

7/27/2023

Washington, D.C., Pilot Gives $500 Per Month to Black Mothers with CPS Cases

A nonprofit in Washington, D.C., has launched a guaranteed income pilot program supporting Black mothers with current or recent child welfare involvement.

Youth Services Insider
Feds Seek Tribal Input on Strengthening ICWA

7/26/2023

Feds Seek Tribal Input on Strengthening ICWA

The Biden Administration is seeking input from tribal leaders on how the federal government can support Indian Child Welfare Act protections.

Youth Services Insider

7/10/2023

Child Well-Being Research Institute to Move from Chapin Hall to University of Kentucky’s College of Social Work

The Child Well-Being Research Institute is slated to move to the University of Kentucky’s School of Social Work.

6/27/2023

Youth Advocates Win Telly Awards for Short Docs Highlighting the Harms of Fines and Fees in Juvenile Justice 

Advocates with the campaign Debt Free Justice earned Telly awards for short films about fines and fees in the juvenile justice system. 

Youth Services Insider

6/9/2023

Oklahoma Launching Program to Provide Counsel in Child Welfare Cases

The Oklahoma Legislature has approved a program to pay and train lawyers for children and parents involved in child welfare cases.

5/5/2023

Alabama Juvenile Justice Agency Eases Hiring Ban on Applicants with Child Neglect Charges

Alabama’s Department of Youth Services can now hire people with previous findings of neglect, which once made applicants ineligible.

Youth Services Insider

3/9/2023

Leonard Burton Named Next President of the Center for the Study of Social Policy

Leonard Burton has been tapped to lead the Center for the Study of Social Policy as its next president, succeeding Judith Meltzer.

Youth Services Insider

3/6/2023

Ujima Black Family Program gets $500K Grant from Walmart

The National Adoption Association's Ujima Black Family Program, focusing on racial equity in adoption, has been awarded $500K. 

3/3/2023

Temporary Pandemic Relief Programs Slashed Child Poverty in NYC, Report Finds

A new report has revealed that temporary pandemic relief programs brought child poverty to a historic low of 15% in New York City. 

Youth Services Insider

2/22/2023

Longtime Treehouse Leader Dawn Rains Named CEO

Dawn Rains has been appointed CEO at Seattle-based Treehouse. She replaces Lisa Chen, who has held the position since 2020. 

2/10/2023

California County to Repay Families for Illegal Juvenile Justice Fees

More than 1,000 California families will receive reimbursements for illegal fees they paid to Riverside County’s juvenile justice system.

Youth Services Insider

2/7/2023

Foster America Hires Brian Clapier as First Head of Programs

National child welfare nonprofit Foster America has brought in its first head of programs, Brian Clapier, slated to start on Feb. 6.

2/2/2023

Washington State Launches New Caregiver Portal

Washington state’s new caregiver portal
Prospective and existing foster caregivers in Washington state can now submit application and renewal forms through a new online portal aimed at streamlining the process.  Launched in early January, the portal is part of the Department of Children, Youth, and Families’ efforts to “increase and diversify the population of licensed and kinship caregivers, group care facilities, and Child Placing Agencies.”

Virginia Governor Appoints Foster Care Watchdog

1/30/2023

Virginia Law Aims to Guarantee Housing During School Breaks 

Proposed legislation in Virginia would require colleges and universities to provide free housing for foster care students during breaks.

The Past and Present of Indigenous Child Welfare

12/30/2022

Top Stories of 2022: The Past and Present of Indigenous Child Welfare

This year, The Imprint reported on developments specific to Indigenous child welfare, including a challenge at the Supreme Court of the Indian Child Welfare Act.

12/29/2022

Top Stories of 2022: Kinship Front and Center

This year, The Imprint covered the prioritization of kinship care from Washington state to Washington, D.C.

12/28/2022

The Best of Youth Voices Rising, 2022

A collection of some of the many powerful Youth Voices Rising pieces featured in The Imprint during 2022

Contra Costa County DA Diana Becton, a Rare Prosecutor, Wants Youth Justice Reimagined

12/28/2022

Top Stories of 2022: The Youth Justice Change Agents of California

In 2022, Imprint reporters told the stories of several of the leaders on the front line of youth justice reform in California.

12/27/2022

Top Stories of 2022: The State of Psychiatric Meds in Foster Care

In California, the number of youth in foster care on psychiatric meds has fallen, but other states continue to keep inadequate records.

A new report shows college enrollment dropped this spring.

12/26/2022

Top Stories of 2022: More Lessons to Be Learned on Education

For all the efforts to improve the academic experiences of foster youth, significant barriers to education remain.

New Bill Would Help Foster Youth in Washington, D.C., Keep Federal Benefits

12/23/2022

Top Stories of 2022: Charging Families for Foster Care

Illustration by Christine Ongjoco
For decades, states have been drawing on parents’ child support payments and children’s and Social Security benefits to help offset the costs of foster care. Media investigations and public pressure from advocates has prompted several child welfare systems to reconsider these actions, which can jeopardize the ability of a parent to reunify with their children or leave kids penniless as they exit foster care. 

“On the Road” with The Storyboard Project: Addison

12/22/2022

“On the Road” with The Storyboard Project: Addison

Mira Zimet traveled the country interviewing youth who have experienced foster care for the third season of The Storyboard Project.

Life Altered for One Texas Family Determined to Protect Transgender Child

12/22/2022

Top Stories of 2022: States Target Transgender Youth and Their Families

In 2022, The Imprint reported on state policies that used child protective services to target transgender youth and their families.

Youth Services Insider
Michigan Settles With Catholic Foster Care Charity But Affirms Commitment to LGBTQ Community

12/21/2022

Parents Can’t Be Denied Visitation Rights for Drug Use Alone, Michigan Court Rules

A Michigan court ruled that parents with children in foster care cannot be denied visitation based on positive drug tests alone.

Buffalo Students Voice Concerns Over Suspensions in a Restorative Justice Circle

12/21/2022

Top Stories of 2022: New Approaches and Second Chances

In 2022, The Imprint covered innovative community approaches to curbing youth violence, from California to New York.

Lawsuit Against Oregon’s Anti-Discrimination Policy Re-Ups Movement to Shield Faith-Based Child Welfare Providers

12/20/2022

Disabled Foster Youth Sue North Carolina for ‘Segregating’ Them in Institutions

Advocates have filed a federal class action lawsuit against North Carolina’s child welfare agency, claiming it segregates disabled foster youth in institutional care.

Youth Services Insider

12/20/2022

Digital Toolkit Offers Resources to Help Build and Guide Youth-led Advocacy Programs

A new digital toolkit from the Juvenile Law Center aims to help people build or strengthen youth advocacy programs.

“On the Road” with The Storyboard Project: La’Taja

12/20/2022

“On the Road” with The Storyboard Project: La’Taja

Mira Zimet traveled the country interviewing youth who have experienced foster care for the third season of The Storyboard Project.

Workforce: 'Child Without Placement' Rotations Stretch Texas CPS Workforce

12/20/2022

Top Stories of 2022: A Workforce in Crisis

The workforce crisis continues to plague the child welfare field, where increasingly stressful jobs have worsened already-high turnover rates. 

Top Stories of 2022: What the Early Pandemic Numbers Say

12/19/2022

Top Stories of 2022: What the Early Pandemic Numbers Say

Despite some concerns about whether child maltreatment rates would rise during the pandemic, early numbers showed that wasn't the case.

12/15/2022

Texas Sues Biden Administration Over Federal LGBTQ Anti-Discrimination Policy

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration over a federal rule barring foster care providers from discriminating against LGBTQ children and families. 

12/15/2022

“On the Road” with The Storyboard Project: Emilio

Emilio, whose adoption by a relative turned abusive, now works to support kinship care in Nevada. He talked to Mira Zimet about it for the third season of The Storyboard Project.

Youth Services Insider
Georgia Program for Students Who Face College Barriers Gets Cash Infusion

12/13/2022

Georgia Program for Students Who Face College Barriers Gets Cash Infusion

Embark Georgia, an organization that improves college access and retention for students who have been in foster care or homeless, got $1.5 million.

12/13/2022

“On the Road” with The Storyboard Project: Emmerald

When a mentor and a pastor got involved, it changed the trajectory of Emmerald's life in foster care. She talked about it with Mira Zimet for the third season of The Storyboard Project.

12/8/2022

“On the Road” with The Storyboard Project: Shayla

Shayla struggled through anxiety and found stability in supportive people. She talked to Mira Zimet about her journey for the third season of The Storyboard Project.

12/6/2022

“On the Road” with The Storyboard Project: Eltuan

Eltuan moved 16 times while in Kentucky's foster care system. He talked to Mira Zimet for the third season of The Storyboard Project.

Youth Services Insider
Foundation Launches Initiative to ‘Disrupt’ Child Welfare

11/30/2022

Foundation Launches Initiative to ‘Disrupt’ Child Welfare

The Morgridge Family Foundation is investing $1.4 million to expand child welfare research and professional training across the country.

Illinois Investigation Exposes Insurance Company’s Failures To Serve Foster Youth

11/22/2022

Investigation Exposes Insurance Company’s Failures To Serve Foster Youth in Illinois

An investigation showed that a top Medicaid contractor in Illinois did not effectively manage the health care of youth in foster care.

Youth Services Insider
Former Officials with Kansas Foster Care Nonprofit Indicted for Fraud

11/21/2022

Former Officials with Kansas Foster Care Nonprofit Indicted for Fraud

A federal grand jury indicted two former officials of a major Kansas foster care contractor on alleged financial crimes.

Youth Services Insider
Five Groups Contracted to House Unaccompanied Migrant Children

11/17/2022

Five Groups Contracted to House Unaccompanied Migrant Children

Citing a backlog of unaccompanied asylum-seeking minors, the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement has awarded five contracts for long-term foster care.

Youth Services Insider
First 5 LA Names New Executive Director Karla Pleitéz Howell

11/15/2022

First 5 LA Names New Executive Director

First 5 LA recently announced its new executive director, Karla Pleitéz Howell, will start the job in January.

Youth Services Insider
As His Influence Peaks in Child Welfare Field, A ‘Family Defenders’ Leader Retires

11/15/2022

Guggenheim at Kempe: It Cannot Be Called Child Welfare Any Longer

As he retires from the New York University School of Law's Family Defense Clinic, Martin Guggenheim says the nation's "child welfare" system doesn't deserve that name.

Advocates Say New Mexico Should do Better, in Response to Child Welfare Settlement Report

11/10/2022

New Mexico Becomes the First State to Guarantee Early Education

This week, New Mexico voters approved a measure that will invest millions of dollars into public education, including dedicated funding for early education.

Youth Services Insider
The Child Maltreatment Solutions Network Gets a New Director

11/10/2022

The Child Maltreatment Solutions Network Gets a New Director

Christian Connell was recently named the new director of Penn State’s Child Maltreatment Solutions Network.

Youth Services Insider
Parent Defender Wins Prestigious David Prize

10/31/2022

Parent Defender Wins Prestigious David Prize

David Shalleck-Klein, founder of the Family Justice Law Center, has been awarded the David Prize.

Youth Services Insider
Maine Plan for Keeping Families Intact Wins Federal Approval

10/27/2022

Maine Oversight Committee Sues State Department of Health and Human Services

A legislative committee in Maine will sue the state's human services department for access to records related to four child deaths in 2021.

Youth Services Insider
Five Groups Contracted to House Unaccompanied Migrant Children

10/26/2022

Biden Administration Wants to Take Over Monitoring of Unaccompanied Minors in Florida, Texas

After Texas and Florida made it harder to provide shelter for unaccompanied minors, the Biden administration wants to add federal monitoring.

Youth Services Insider
NCYL Leader Jesse Hahnel Steps Down

10/19/2022

NCYL Leader Jesse Hahnel Steps Down

Jesse Hahnel, longtime executive director of the National Center for Youth Law, is leaving the Oakland-based organization.

Youth Services Insider

10/12/2022

Influential International Adoption Nonprofit’s CEO Steps Down, CFO Steps Up

Phil Littleton, the longtime chief executive of Holt International Children’s Services, left his position late last month.

Youth Services Insider
CDC Funds Research on Gun Violence Among Young Adults Experiencing Homelessness

9/15/2022

CDC Funds Research on Gun Violence Among Young Adults Experiencing Homelessness

The CDC is funding research on gun violence among adults experiencing homelessness with a $1.6 million grant.

Arizona flag

9/7/2022

Arizona Tribe Cements Relationship with State On Indian Child Welfare Custody Cases

The Pascua Yaqui Tribe recently codified an agreement with the state of Arizona to preserve protections of the Indian Child Welfare Act, which could be overturned this fall.

Leaving the door open for transition-age youth

9/1/2022

Child Welfare Ideas from the Experts

Congressional intern Ryan Young wants to open eligibility for the Chafee program and other supports to more transition-age youth.

Youth Services Insider
American Bar Association Confronts Anti-Black Discrimination in Child Welfare

8/31/2022

American Bar Association Confronts Anti-Black Discrimination in Child Welfare

The American Bar Association has called on legal professionals to come to terms with how the child welfare system’s racist roots continues to harm Black families.

Angulina Wilson: Improving the mental health response for foster youth

8/31/2022

Child Welfare Ideas from the Experts

Congressional intern Angulina Wilson calls for mental health check-ins for youth in foster care and investments in trauma-informed care.

Youth Services Insider
Abigail Richards and Julia Arroyo at the Young Women’s Freedom Center’s Oakland location. Photo courtesy of the Young Women’s Freedom Center

8/30/2022

Young Women’s Freedom Center Names Two New Leaders

Beginning in September, the Young Women's Freedom Center will be co-led by Abigail Richards and Julia Arroyo.

A Pipeline to Housing Stability After Foster Care

8/30/2022

Child Welfare Ideas from the Experts

Congressional intern Anna Rose Thelemaque wants to open up housing access specifically for former foster youth and those aging out.

Nijeria Peterson: Clarity on college supports for foster youth

8/29/2022

Child Welfare Ideas from the Experts

Foster youth intern Nijeria Peterson proposes that Congress take steps toward improving access to, and knowledge of, benefits for transition-age foster youth.

Christina Parker: Expanding the Chafee Program

8/25/2022

Child Welfare Ideas from the Experts

Congressional intern Christina Parker wants more flexibility and expanded eligibility to support young people who have experienced foster care as they transition to adulthood.

Stormy Lukasavage: Supporting Foster Youth in the Juvenile Justice System

8/24/2022

Child Welfare Ideas from the Experts

Intern Stormy Lukasavage calls on the federal government to address the links between child welfare and youth justice involvement.

California Creates College Savings Accounts for Newborns, Low-income Students

8/23/2022

California Creates College Savings Accounts for Newborns, Low-income Students

Earlier this month, California launched a program to kickstart college savings accounts for millions of children.

Drowning and Forgotten: Former Foster Youth with Disabilities

8/23/2022

Child Welfare Ideas From the Experts

Rutgers University student April Barcus calls for every current and former foster youth to be matched with a health care navigator.

Judges in “Kids for Cash” Scandal Must Compensate Families, Court Decides

8/19/2022

Judges in “Kids for Cash” Scandal Must Compensate Families

Two former judges were ordered to pay $206 million to hundreds of families whose children were victimized by their scheme to send kids to for-profit jails to receive kickbacks.

Annual Child Well-Being Data Book Highlights Mental Health

8/17/2022

Annual Child Well-Being Data Book Highlights Mental Health

The new KIDS COUNT Data Book shows that young Americans faced significant mental health challenges even before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Youth Services Insider
Tennessee flag

8/11/2022

Tennessee Governor Appoints New Head of Children’s Services

Margie Quin, currently the chief executive officer of End Slavery Tennessee, will soon step into her new role as commissioner of the state’s Department of Children’s Services. 

North Dakota flag, with an eagle carrying a snake in its mouth and a banner reading "North Dakota" underneath.

8/10/2022

North Dakota Launches Team to Divert Children from Incarceration and Foster Care

A North Dakota program to steer children away from the criminal justice and foster care systems launched this month. 

8/8/2022

National Association of Social Workers Elects New President

An Alaska social worker and associate professor at University of Alaska, Anchorage, is the president-elect of the National Association of Social Workers. The association, known as NASW, announced last week that Dr.

Youth Services Insider
judicial commission wants wayne Circuit Judge Tracy Green removed from bench. Photo of the court.

8/5/2022

Michigan Judicial Commission Finds Misconduct by Child Welfare Judge  

Judge Tracy Green, a child welfare judge in Wayne County, Mich., faces removal from the bench for her role in a child abuse case that involves her son and grandchildren.

Youth Services Insider
Senators Patty Murray, pictured left, and Ron Wyden, pictured right, launched inquiry into reported abuse at youth treatment facilities.

8/4/2022

Senators Want Answers About Alleged Abuse at Youth Treatment Facilities

Two senators have launched a new inquiry into four major operators of youth residential treatment programs that have been the subject of recent reports of abusive treatment.

Youth Services Insider
Advocates Say New Mexico Should do Better, in Response to Child Welfare Settlement Report

8/3/2022

Landlord Incentive Program Helps House Young Adults At Risk Of Homelessness

A new program in New Mexico would give financial incentives to landlords who provide housing options for youth aging out of foster care and young adults facing homelessness.

Youth Services Insider
Lawsuit to Reform West Virginia’s Foster Care System is Back On

8/1/2022

Lawsuit to Reform West Virginia’s Foster Care System is Back On

A year after a judge tossed out a class-action lawsuit on behalf of West Virginia foster children, a federal court of appeals has reversed course.

Youth Services Insider
The Office of Family Assistance Gets New Director, Ann Flagg

7/28/2022

The Office of Family Assistance Gets New Director, Ann Flagg

The Office of Family Assistance, a division of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, has a new director — Ann Flagg.

Study Finds Maternal Mortality Rate Climbed Early in the Pandemic

7/18/2022

Study Finds Maternal Mortality Rate Climbed Early in the Pandemic

After the onset of COVID-19 in March 2020, maternal mortality in the U.S. increased by about one-third, according to a recent study.

Youth Services Insider
Five Groups Contracted to House Unaccompanied Migrant Children

7/14/2022

Congressional Bill Would Prioritize Well-Being of Children in Immigration Custody

A bill before Congress would ensure that safer housing and legal protection would be provided for undocumented, unaccompanied minors.

Foster family coloring, with young child on the left and parent on the right.

7/7/2022

New Grant Will Promote Equity in Early Childhood Programs in Washington

A new grant in Washington is accepting applications for funding for parent support, early learning and early childhood programs that advance cultural inclusivity.

Youth Services Insider
image of Montana state flag

7/7/2022

Montana Ushers in New Head of Health And Human Services

Adam Meier, director of the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, is resigning and will be replaced by the department's current chief of staff, Charlie Brereton.

Federal Court of Canada Approves Class-Action Lawsuit for ‘Millennium Scoop’

7/5/2022

Federal Court of Canada Certifies Class-Action Lawsuit for ‘Millennium Scoop’

In Canada, a federal court judged approved a class-action lawsuit encompassing Indigenous people forcibly sent to Indian boarding schools from 1992 to 2020, and their descendants.

New Bill Would Help Foster Youth in Washington, D.C., Keep Federal Benefits

6/30/2022

Local Bill Would Help Foster Youth in Washington, D.C., Keep Their Benefits

A local Washington, D.C., bill would stop the government from applying for federal benefits on behalf of foster youth.

Youth Services Insider
Bill Would Remove Barriers to Foster Youth Getting Driver’s Licenses

6/29/2022

Legislation Would Remove Barriers to Foster Youth Getting Driver’s Licenses

A bill in the House of Representatives would make it easier for current and former foster youth to obtain a driver’s license and other driving essentials.

Youth Services Insider
Executive Order Pledges Better Support for LGBTQ Youth

6/27/2022

Executive Order Pledges Better Support for LGBTQ Youth

In an executive order issued this month, President Joe Biden detailed his plan to advance equality for LGBTQ youth and adults.

New Hampshire Health Department Wants to Stop Physical Restraint of Kids in State Care

6/17/2022

New Hampshire Health Department Wants to Stop Physical Restraint of Kids in State Care

New Hampshire could be on the cusp of reforming its restraint and isolation practices in residential treatment facilities for youth.

White House Issues Plan for Artificial Intelligence Bill of Rights

6/15/2022

Oregon Officials Phase Out Use of Artificial Intelligence Tool in Child Welfare Cases

Oregon child welfare officials are replacing an algorithm used to help determine which families should be visited by child protective services with a new screening process.

Youth Services Insider
Casey Family Programs Announces its Annual Awardees

6/10/2022

Casey Family Programs Announces its Annual Awardees

Casey Family Programs announced its annual Casey Excellence for Children Awards and Jim Casey Building Communities of Hope Award.

Florida County’s Guardian ad Litem Program Gets Grant

6/8/2022

Florida Health Agencies Seek Ban on Gender-affirming Health Care for Children, Medicaid Recipients

Two Florida health agencies last week made cases to bar transgender children and residents using Medicaid from gender-affirming health care.

Youth Services Insider
Former Foster Youth, Caretaker Takes Office as New Lord Mayor of Manchester

6/7/2022

Former Foster Youth, Caretaker Takes Office as New Lord Mayor of Manchester

Donna Ludford, who entered foster care at six months old and previously worked as a cleaner at Manchester City Council, is the city's new lord mayor.

Supreme Court ICWA

6/2/2022

Connecticut Codifies Child Welfare Protections for Native American Families in State Law

A new law in Connecticut offers protections for Indigenous families that mirror the federal Indian Child Welfare Act.

Investigation Finds Spate of Foster Care Deaths in Ohio Since 2015

5/31/2022

Investigation Finds Spate of Foster Care Deaths in Ohio Since 2015

More than a hundred children have died while in the custody of Ohio’s foster care system since 2015, a local news investigation found.

Georgia District Court Rules Youth in Adult Jail Are Entitled to Special Education Services

5/18/2022

Georgia District Court Rules Youth in Adult Jail Are Entitled to Special Education Services

Georgia youth detained in adult jail will soon have access to special education services, following a recent ruling by a U.S. District Court.

Judges in “Kids for Cash” Scandal Must Compensate Families, Court Decides

5/16/2022

Alaska Foster Youth Get More Input in their Cases

Alaska has amended court rules to allow foster youth the ability to attend hearings and have attorneys argue their own wishes in their cases.

Georgia Program for Students Who Face College Barriers Gets Cash Infusion

5/2/2022

Mississippi Governor Signs Law to Provide Free Tuition to Foster Youth

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves signed a bill last week that will provide free college and technical school tuition for Mississippi foster youth through a scholarship fund.

Youth Services Insider
In Utah, Three Youth-focused Laws Go Into Effect

5/2/2022

In Utah, Three Youth-focused Laws Go Into Effect

In Utah, three state laws will soon take effect that focus on youth — two pertaining to juvenile justice and child welfare, and a third regarding mental health.

Kinship Care Prioritized Under New Washington State Law

4/26/2022

Kinship Care Prioritized Under New Washington State Law

Washington state will now prioritize keeping children with relatives when both parents lose custody, under a new law signed last month. 

Youth Services Insider
Lawsuit to Reform West Virginia’s Foster Care System is Back On

4/11/2022

Federal Judge Says Immigrant Children in Custody Get Due Process

A judge ruled that the Office of Refugee Resettlement must set and abide by clear standards when deciding to detain an immigrant child in a jail-like setting, and must offer an appeals process.

Youth Services Insider
Jenney Samuelson Named Vermont Human Services Secretary on Permanent Basis

4/7/2022

Jenney Samuelson Named Vermont Human Services Secretary on Permanent Basis

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott has named Jenney Samuelson secretary of the Agency of Human Services to lead corrections, foster care and other state systems.

New York State Sued over Allegedly Dysfunctional Pediatric Mental Health Care System

4/7/2022

New York State Sued Over Allegedly Dysfunctional Pediatric Mental Health Care System

According to a lawsuit filed recently in federal court, New York fails to provide adequate mental health services to youth who qualify.

Georgia Sued Over Alleged Failure to Protect Some Undocumented Youth

4/6/2022

Georgia is Sued Over Alleged Failure to Protect Some Undocumented Youth

In Georgia, child advocates are suing the state’s child welfare agency in federal court because it refuses to pay for the specialized legal services that some undocumented youth and young adults would need to fully protect their foster care benefits.

Youth Services Insider
Bill Would Double Spending on Youth Homelessness, Focus More on Prevention

4/6/2022

Bill Would Help States Track Down Missing Foster Children

A bipartisan bill introduced in the U.S. Senate aims to address the issue of children missing from the foster care system.

Kentucky Legislators Unanimously Pass Child Welfare Bill

3/30/2022

Kentucky Legislators Unanimously Pass Child Welfare Bill

Nearly two months after a Kentucky judge held the state in contempt of court for the “dismal shape” of its child welfare agency, state legislators unanimously passed a bill to help address these poor conditions.

Youth Services Insider
Bill Would Help States Track Down Missing Foster Children

3/30/2022

South Carolina Steps Closer to Extending Further Support to Aging-Out Foster Youth

South Carolina could join the many states that tap federal foster care funds to help establish extended foster care.

Illinois May Let Child Abuse Investigators Carry Pepper Spray

3/23/2022

Illinois May Let Child Abuse Investigators Carry Pepper Spray

Child welfare investigators in Illinois would be allowed to carry pepper spray if a bill with strong bipartisan support becomes law.

Lawsuit Against Oregon’s Anti-Discrimination Policy Re-Ups Movement to Shield Faith-Based Child Welfare Providers

3/21/2022

Colorado Supreme Court to Hear Appeal Involving Indian Child Welfare Act

The Colorado Supreme Court will hear a case that involves local child welfare officials' federal requirement to notify Native American tribes about custody cases that involve Indigenous children.

Youth Services Insider
Juvenile Law Center Announces Leadership Award Recipients

3/21/2022

Juvenile Law Center Announces Leadership Award Recipients

The Juvenile Law Center recently announced the winners of this year's Leadership Prize: Cyntoia Brown Long, Dorothy Roberts and Tomas Grisso.

Youth Services Insider
Colorado Considers a Raise the Age Youth Justice Bill

3/17/2022

Colorado Considers a Raise the Age Youth Justice Bill

The House Judiciary Committee last week approved a Colorado bill that would raise the age of criminal responsibility in the state.

Grant Aims to Amplify Marginalized Voices in Oklahoma

3/17/2022

Grant Aims to Amplify Marginalized Voices in Oklahoma

Oklahoma is looking for people from marginalized backgrounds who want to influence the state’s child welfare and juvenile justice systems.

Youth Services Insider

3/14/2022

Chief Deputy Director of First 5 California Named to Lead the Agency

Jackie Thu-Huong Wong is the incoming executive director of First 5 California, which provides resources, services and programs to families with young children.

After High Number of Child Deaths, Maine Lawmakers, Governor Push Reform

3/9/2022

After High Number of Child Deaths, Maine Lawmakers, Governor Push for Solutions

A month after Maine Gov. Janet Mills proposed a plan to improve child protective services, legislators endorsed bills this week with the same goal.

Youth Services Insider
Kansas House Rejects Bid to Eliminate Safety Net Hurdles; Senate May Add New Barrier

3/9/2022

Kansas House Rejects Bid to Eliminate Safety Net Hurdles; Senate May Add New Barrier

After Kansas lawmakers rejected a bill to expand access for food assistance in the House, the Senate is now considering a bill that would limit access.

Michigan Settles With Catholic Foster Care Charity But Affirms Commitment to LGBTQ Community

3/7/2022

Michigan Task Force to Propose New Plan for LGBTQ Families to Adopt or Foster

Michigan recently announced its plan to create a task force to support LGBTQ families looking to foster or adopt following a settlement with a private charity that excludes same-sex families.

Mississippi Senate to Vote on College Scholarship Bill for Foster Youth

3/3/2022

Mississippi Senate to Vote on College Scholarship Bill for Foster Youth

A Mississippi bill being considered by the state Senate would create a short-term scholarship program for students who spent their teens in foster care.

Youth Services Insider
Colorado Adoption Advocate Remembered

3/2/2022

Colorado Adoption Advocate Remembered

Colorado lost an advocate for children waiting to be adopted with the death of Dixie van de Flier Davis, who founded the organization now known as Raise the Future.

Supreme Court ICWA

3/1/2022

New Mexico Could Enact Indian Families Protection Act

While the U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case on the constitutionality of the federal Indian Child Welfare Act, New Mexico has a similar bill on the governor's desk.

Illinois May Let Child Abuse Investigators Carry Pepper Spray

2/28/2022

Illinois Bill Would Establish Exit Interviews for Youth Who Leave Foster Homes

Illinois lawmakers are considering a bill that would set up exit interviews for youth after they leave a foster home.

Youth Services Insider
Public Health Physician Avula Picked to Run Virginia Department of Social Services

2/24/2022

Public Health Physician Avula Picked to Run Virginia Department of Social Services

Dr. Danny TK Avula, who ran Virginia's coronavirus vaccination program, has been selected to run the state's Department of Social Services.

Youth Services Insider
Advocates Say New Mexico Should do Better, in Response to Child Welfare Settlement Report

2/16/2022

New Mexico Bill to Bolster Legal Representation in Child Welfare Cases Advances to Senate

Families and children in New Mexico could have greater access to better lawyers and advocates as they navigate the child welfare system under a bill passed by the House of Representatives.

Kentucky Legislators Unanimously Pass Child Welfare Bill

2/15/2022

Kentucky Senate Advances Child Welfare Overhaul Bill

A child welfare overhaul bill that recently sped through the Kentucky Senate would, in part, explicitly distinguish poverty from neglect.

Youth Services Insider
Family First Act

2/15/2022

Montana, South Carolina Unlock Millions in Federal Family First Act Funds

The Children’s Bureau has approved two more states' Family First plans — Montana and South Carolina — granting access to federal funds to curb foster care entries.

Fresno County Settles Suit, Boosts Public Input Into Juvenile Justice Plan

2/10/2022

Fresno County Settles Suit, Boosts Public Input Into Juvenile Justice Plan

Child advocates and Fresno County have reached a prompt settlement in a lawsuit over allegations that the California county was not adequately including the community in developing its juvenile justice realignment plan.

Youth Services Insider
Consumer Finance Agency Digs Into Questionable Direct Student Loan Practices

2/9/2022

Consumer Finance Agency Digs Into Questionable Direct Student Loan Practices

Federal watchdogs are keeping a close eye on the potentially predatory loan practices of some post-secondary institutions.

FBI Looking Into In-custody Death of a Kansas Teen in Foster Care

2/9/2022

FBI Looking Into In-custody Death of a Kansas Teen in Foster Care

The FBI is reviewing the death of a Black teenager in foster care who died in custody last fall at a juvenile intake center in Kansas.

A Teen Remains At Large After Five Flee a Washington Youth Prison

2/8/2022

A Teen Remains At Large After Five Flee a Washington Youth Prison

After five teenagers escaped from a youth detention facility in Washington, one is still at large and all have been charged with robbery and kidnapping.

Youth Services Insider
Former Indiana Child Services Chief Tapped as Interim Judge

2/7/2022

Former Indiana Child Services Director Tapped as Interim Judge

Former Indiana Department of Child Services director Mary Beth Bonaventura has been temporarily appointed family court judge in Marion County.

Columbia University Report Backs Overhaul of Colorado’s Juvenile Justice Approach

2/7/2022

Columbia University Report Reimagines Colorado’s Juvenile Justice Approach

A recent Columbia University report urges Colorado lawmakers to raise the age of eligibility for the state's Youthful Offender System, among other recommendations.

Lawsuit to Reform West Virginia’s Foster Care System is Back On

2/3/2022

Florida Lawmakers Push for Mandatory Counsel for Children in Foster Care

A bipartisan bill proposed by Florida legislators would guarantee access to an attorney for youth in the foster care system at court hearings.

Youth Services Insider
Former Intern Joins the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute

2/2/2022

Former Foster Youth Intern Joins the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute as Staff

Angelique Salizan participated in the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute's Foster Youth Internship Program in 2015. Now, she's returning as a policy director.

Michigan Settles With Catholic Foster Care Charity But Affirms Commitment to LGBTQ Community

2/2/2022

Michigan Settles With Catholic Foster Care Charity But Affirms Commitment to LGBTQ Community

Michigan will again contract with foster agencies that don't work with LGBTQ couples due to a Supreme Court decision, but the state reiterated its support of these families.

United Nations Committee Suggests the U.S. Change or Repeal Major Child Welfare Policies

1/31/2022

State Takeover of Foster Care Services in Two Florida Counties Cuts Family Separations

The number of family separations has been dramatically reduced in two Florida counties since the state took over foster care services from a private contractor

New Jersey Court Weighs in on Lengthy Sentences for People Convicted in Their Youth

1/27/2022

New Jersey Court Weighs in on Lengthy Sentences for People Convicted in Their Youth

The New Jersey Supreme Court has decided that young people who were sentenced to long prison terms can petition for release after 20 years.

New Bill Would Help Foster Youth in Washington, D.C., Keep Federal Benefits

1/26/2022

Reports: States Hoard Billions in Welfare Funds Despite Growing Need

Maine, Nebraska and Tennessee are among the states that have collectively been hoarding billions intended to help low-income families.

Vermont Public Workers Union Demands Secure Facility for Incarcerated Youth

1/24/2022

Vermont Public Workers Union Demands Secure Facility for Incarcerated Youth

Vermont has no secure place to hold severely troubled youth who previously would have been housed in the Woodside Juvenile Rehabilitation Center, which closed in 2020.

FosterClub Seeks Internship Applicants

1/12/2022

FosterClub Seeks Internship Applicants

FosterClub is accepting applications for paid internships that will provide leadership training and other opportunities for people age 18 to 24 who have been in foster care.

Mississippi Senate to Vote on College Scholarship Bill for Foster Youth

1/11/2022

Chapin Hall Study Finds Lack of Support for Foster Youth in Community College

A new study of young people who have been in foster care and are enrolled at community colleges in Illinois paints a dismal picture of their educational success.

JMacForFamilies Offers Internship Opportunities

1/10/2022

JMacForFamilies Offers Support, Skill-Building to Selected Current, Former Foster Youth

JMacForFamilies is soliciting applicants for its spring internship program, which trains promising young people with lived experience in the child welfare system in the skills to help advance themselves and their community.

Child Welfare Investigator Fatally Stabbed in Illinois Home Visit

1/10/2022

Child Welfare Investigator Fatally Stabbed in Illinois Home Visit

A child welfare worker with two children of her own was fatally stabbed inside an Illinois home while investigating a report.

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Issues Landmark Ruling for Mom in Child Welfare Case

1/7/2022

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Issues Landmark Ruling in Child Welfare Case

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that child welfare agencies must have probable cause to search a parent's home amid anonymous allegations.

Supreme Court Set to Decide Whether to Take Up Indian Child Welfare Case

1/6/2022

Supreme Court Set to Decide Whether to Take Up Indian Child Welfare Case

The U.S. Supreme Court could decide by the end of the week whether to take up a case involving the rights of Indigenous tribes and families in child welfare cases — an area of law that was thrown into confusion when a federal appeals court invalidated several provisions of the Indian Child Welfare Act, or ICWA.

Supreme Court ICWA

1/5/2022

Historic $31.5 Billion Settlement to End First Nations Suits Against the Child Welfare System in Canada

Canada has reached a historic tentative agreement with Indigenous people to compensate them for mistreatment by the child welfare system.

Family Settles Suit Against Michigan Youth Lockup Where Staff Killed Teen

1/4/2022

Family Settles Suit Against Michigan Youth Facility Where Staff Killed Teen

The family of a 16-year-old Michigan boy who died at the hands of staff members at a youth facility has settled in a wrongful death suit.

FBI Looking Into In-custody Death of a Kansas Teen in Foster Care

1/3/2022

Justice Department: Youths’ Constitutional Rights Violated at Connecticut-run Lockup

A two-year federal probe has uncovered evidence that residents of a state-run juvenile lockup in Connecticut were improperly punished with solitary confinement and systematically deprived of mental health services and schooling.

A National Reckoning on Congregate Care

12/31/2021

Top Stories of 2021: A National Reckoning on Congregate Care

The placement of youth in congregate care settings, including foster youth, faced criticism and a push for greater oversight this year.

Supreme Court ICWA

12/30/2021

Top Stories of 2021: The Future of Tribal Child Welfare

This year, it became likely that the Supreme Court will hear Brackeen v. Halaand, a case that puts tribal sovereignty and the Indian Child Welfare Act on the line.

United Nations Committee Suggests the U.S. Change or Repeal Major Child Welfare Policies

12/29/2021

Top Stories of 2021: A Big Year for Parental Rights

Early legal counsel, the termination of parental rights, and ideas around peer support were among the issues The Imprint covered in 2021.

Out of State, Out of Mind

12/28/2021

Top Stories of 2021: Hidden Foster Care

Throughout 2021, The Imprint continued reporting on how the shadow system of hidden foster care impacts parents, relatives and children.

Youth Services Insider

12/28/2021

Justice Department Doles Out $103 Million in Grants to Support Youth

Millions of federal grant dollars are going out the door before the end of the year to support youth and help enhance equity in the juvenile justice system, the Department of Justice announced last week.

A Teen Remains At Large After Five Flee a Washington Youth Prison

12/27/2021

Top Stories of 2021: Schools Ponder Discipline, The Role of Law Enforcement

As in-person learning resumed in schools, an increase in concerning incidents had some districts reconsidering their choices to remove campus police.

Youth Voice Simone Biles

12/27/2021

Best of Youth Voice, 2021

In 2021, Youth Voice received many powerful submissions, and published over 50 pieces from current and former foster youth.

Honoring the Life of Ma’Khia Bryant: An Ombudsperson for Foster Youth in Ohio

12/24/2021

Top Stories of 2021: Remembering Ma’Khia Bryant

When 16-year-old Ma'Khia Bryant was killed by police in April, it raised questions about how the teen came to be in the home of a stranger.

With Influx of Federal Funding, New York Aims to Expand Foster Care Prevention

12/23/2021

Legal Settlement: New York Foster Parents Poised for Big Increase in Support Payments

New York state foster parents are in line for a major increase in support payments under the terms of a settlement announced in an 11-year-old legal battle in federal court. The agreement means foster parents in New York City, Long Island and Westchester County could see a hike of at least 46% in the basic monthly reimbursement they receive for rearing foster children, which covers such expenses as food, clothing and shelter, as well as supervision during out-of-school hours, travel for family visits and school supplies. 

Families Saved Money After California County Nixed Youth Justice Fees

12/23/2021

Top Stories of 2021: The Fight Against Fines and Fees

A national campaign has been launched to push back against the practice of issuing fines and fees to the families of youth involved in the juvenile justice system.

Color-blind Removal Approach Gains National Interest

12/22/2021

Top Stories of 2021: Color-blind Removal Approach Gains National Interest

Driven by evidence that child welfare system judges parents of color more harshly, there is growing interest in a color-blind approach.

Youth Services Insider
Kentucky Social Workers Get 10% Pay Hike Amid Job Exodus

12/21/2021

Kentucky Social Workers Get 10% Pay Hike Amid Job Exodus

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced earlier this month that thousands of the state's essential social workers would receive a 10% pay bump

Testing Universal Basic Income for Foster Youth

12/21/2021

Top Stories of 2021: Testing Universal Basic Income for Foster Youth

In 2021, California has become a testing ground for universal basic income programs for youth aging out of foster care.

Wisconsin: Proposals Would Expand Authorities' Ability to Strip Parental Rights

12/20/2021

Wisconsin Bills Would Expand Authorities’ Ability to Strip Parental Rights

As federal policy on child welfare aims to help parents build strong bonds with their children so that fewer kids end up in foster care, a pair of bills in Wisconsin propose new grounds for terminating parental rights.

Youth Services Insider
Georgia Program for Students Who Face College Barriers Gets Cash Infusion

12/20/2021

NBA Foundation Announces Fourth-Round Grant Recipients

The NBA Foundation announced grants totaling $11 million to organizations around the U.S. and Canada with missions to further economic empowerment in Black communities.

The Pandemic in Juvenile Facilities

12/20/2021

Top Stories of 2021: The Pandemic in Juvenile Facilities

In 2021, The Imprint reported on what went on in the early days of the pandemic in juvenile lockups, and what challenges persisted.

Youth Services Insider
Report Recommends Extending Foster Care-Type Supports to Kinship Families

12/9/2021

Report Recommends Extending Foster Care-Type Supports to Kinship Families

A report from Generations United and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation recommends extending foster care-type supports to kin caregivers, including grandparents.

Massachusetts Bill Would Create ‘e-backpack’ to Help Foster Youth Who Change Schools

12/8/2021

Massachusetts Bill Would Create ‘e-backpack’ to Help Foster Youth Who Change Schools

In Massachusetts, electronic repositories would contain the educational records of each foster child to make school transitions easier.

Youth Services Insider
Study to Evaluate Impact of Friends of the Children’s Long-term Mentoring

12/7/2021

Study to Evaluate Impact of Friends of the Children’s Long-term Mentoring

Friends of the Children has received $3.4 million in grant funds to expand its mentoring model and study its effectiveness.

Youth Firearm Deaths Linked to County Poverty, Study Finds

12/2/2021

County-level Poverty Associated with Higher Youth Death Rate by Firearm, Study Finds

A recent study suggests implementing a multidimensional strategy to address poverty and firearm-related deaths after associating high county-level poverty with gun deaths among young Americans.

Youth Services Insider
New Centralized Health and Human Services Efforts Study Seeks Public Input

12/2/2021

Study on Centralized Health and Human Services Seeks Public Input

The Administration for Children and Families is seeking public input on a plan to collect new data on centralizing services for low-income Americans.

Foster Care Failed to Protect Two Texas Teens from Sexual Assault

12/1/2021

In Texas, Illegal Foster Placements Soar Amid Shortage of Licensed Beds

The number of foster children housed in unlicensed facilities in Texas has surged to the point that hundreds are being exposed to “unreasonable risk of serious harm."

Advocates Propose Changes in West Virginia Foster Care System

11/30/2021

Advocates Propose Changes in West Virginia Foster Care System

Child welfare advocates in West Virginia have recently offered up a slate of significant proposals to right the system that is admittedly flawed.

Youth Services Insider
Biden Team Reverses Trump Rule on Foster Placement

11/30/2021

Biden Team Reverses Trump Rule on Faith-Based Discrimination in Foster Placement

The Biden administration has revoked a Trump-era waiver that exempted federally funded foster care providers from following nondiscrimination rules.

Youth Services Insider
Child Welfare Leaders Forge National Child Safety Partnership

11/24/2021

Child Welfare Leaders Forge National Child Safety Partnership

Child welfare leaders are getting behind an initiative that they say would accelerate a major national shift toward building a child safety system that prioritizes keeping families from falling into the foster care system because of severe maltreatment while at the same time improving the safety of children at risk of maltreatment.

Virtual Home Visits Likely ‘Here to Stay’ After Pandemic Fades, Survey Says

11/23/2021

Virtual Home Visits Likely ‘Here to Stay’ After Pandemic Fades, Survey Finds

People in the child welfare field, like folks in virtually all occupations, are still trying to figure out exactly what the “new normal” will look like when (and if) COVID-19 fades to a lower-level public health concern.

Colorado Considers a Raise the Age Youth Justice Bill

11/19/2021

UNICEF Calls for End to Juvenile Detention

One of the world’s best-known social welfare organizations, UNICEF, released two reports to make the case for nations to stop incarcerating children.

Delaware to Offer Free State College to Former Foster Youth

11/17/2021

Delaware to Offer Free State College to Former Foster Youth

Beginning next spring, some Delaware students who were previously in foster care will have access to cost-free college.

Judges in “Kids for Cash” Scandal Must Compensate Families, Court Decides

11/11/2021

Campaign Pushes for Children and Parents’ Right to Quality Legal Counsel

A campaign is underway to extend the right to an attorney to children and parents nationwide caught up in the child welfare system.

Youth Services Insider
Washington, D.C., Pilot Gives $500 Per Month to Black Mothers with CPS Cases

11/11/2021

Grant Funds National Effort to Engage Foster Youth in Decisions About Care

Backed by more than $20 million in federal funds, a national effort is underway to engage foster youth in the decision making around their care.

California Budget Plan Supports Shifting Youth from State Prisons to Juvenile Halls, Amid Opposition

11/10/2021

Juvenile Justice Realignment Lawsuit: California County Violating State’s Open Government Law

Legal advocates for California’s juvenile justice-involved youth have filed a lawsuit against Fresno County for not welcoming public input in developing local plans for youth justice.

Dave Thomas Foundation Names Top Adoption-Friendly Workplaces for 2021

11/9/2021

Dave Thomas Foundation Names Top Adoption-Friendly Workplaces for 2021

The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption has again ranked the 100 American employers that best support workers who are adoptive parents.

Supreme Court ICWA

11/8/2021

Led by California Attorney General, 25 States Urge Supreme Court to Validate Indian Child Welfare Act

Last month, 25 states urged the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold the constitutionality of the Indian Child Welfare Act, which was signed into law 43 years ago this week.

California’s Child Abuse Registry is Missing Upwards of 22,000 Abuse Suspects, Audit Finds

11/4/2021

Florida Confirms Abuse Allegations Against Some Foster Parents

The child welfare agency in Florida is changing how it responds to allegations of abuse against foster caregivers, following a news investigation in March.

Youth Services Insider
Adoption-Competent Therapy Teaching Clinic Planned for 2023

11/4/2021

Adoption-Competent Therapy Teaching Clinic Planned for 2023

The Center for Adoption Support and Education plans to launch a teaching clinic so more professionals can provide adoption-competent therapy.

The Trauma of Losing a Family Twice

11/3/2021

Indicted Former North Carolina Social Services Director Resigns from Agency, Pleads Guilty

A former social services director in North Carolina pled guilty to obstruction of justice for the department's use of illegitimate documents.

New York Governor Quietly Pitches Gun Violence Response That Includes Youth Justice Reform Rollbacks

11/3/2021

New York Governor Signs Retroactive Youthful Offender Bill

Some people who were sentenced for crimes they committed when they were very young can now ask a judge for a second chance of sorts under a new law in New York state.

Families Saved Money After California County Nixed Youth Justice Fees

11/2/2021

Florida Proposes End to Costly Juvenile Court Fees

A bipartisan group of Florida state lawmakers filed two companion bills that would prohibit juvenile court fees in the state.

11/1/2021

Team Behind HUD Initiative Assisting Transition-Age Youth Wins Federal Service “Sammie” Award

Employees with the Housing and Urban Development's Office of Public and Indian Housing won an award for an initiative helping transition-age youth.

Youth Services Insider
Prevent Child Abuse America Offers Grants to Tackle Racial Disparity

10/27/2021

Prevent Child Abuse America Offers Grants to Tackle Racial Disparity

Prevent Child Abuse America is offering nonprofits with a history of serving Black, Latino and Indigenous families grants of up to $150,000.

Kinship Caregivers Getting Cash Support in Arizona

10/26/2021

Kinship Caregivers Getting Cash Support in Arizona

Grandparents and other kin who stepped up to help their loved ones' children are getting one-time pandemic relief funds in Arizona.

Youth Services Insider
Feds Award Youth Homelessness Grants Nationwide

10/26/2021

Feds Award Youth Homelessness Grants to Communities Nationwide

More than $140 million in competitive federal grants will help combat youth homelessness in 33 communities across the United States.

Youth Services Insider
Grantmaker Chooses 10 Finalists in Racial Equity Challenge

10/26/2021

Grantmaker Chooses 10 Finalists in $90M Racial Equity Challenge

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation has chosen 10 finalists in the running for a total of $90 million to fund racial equity projects.

Florida County’s Guardian ad Litem Program Gets Grant

10/25/2021

United Way Grant to Help Fund Florida County’s Guardian ad Litem Program

The Guardian ad Litem Foundation, 20th Judicial Circuit, has received a $17,000 grant from a local chapter of the United Way.

Report Details Abuse at For-Profit Youth Residential Centers

10/25/2021

Behavioral Health Contractor Sequel Absorbs Two Blows

The for-profit Sequel Youth & Family Services faces regulatory and legal complaints for its management of residential care facilities for teens.

Youth Services Insider
Cook County Acting Director of Juvenile Probation Brings Experience to Work

10/25/2021

Cook County Acting Director of Juvenile Probation Brings Experience and Compassion to Work

Miquel Lewis has been named acting director of juvenile probation in the nation's second most populated county, Cook County, Illinois.

Youth Services Insider
Long-term Mentoring Group Opening New Offices in Colorado, Montana

10/21/2021

Long-term Mentoring Group Will Open New Offices in Colorado, Montana

A group that offers long-term professional mentoring to kids at risk of getting trapped in the child welfare system is opening new offices.

image of Montana state flag

10/21/2021

Montana Lawmakers to Study Courts’ Child Welfare Pilot Programs

Montana lawmakers will study two promising pilot programs courts have used to address the increase and improve the lives of foster youth.

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly Creates Division of the Child Advocate as Watchdog

10/20/2021

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly Creates Division of the Child Advocate as Watchdog

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly signed an executive order early this month establishing the Division of the Child Advocate.

Washington Will Stop Using Child Support to Fund Foster Care

10/18/2021

Washington State Allowed to Exit Foster Care Lawsuit Following Reforms

Years after foster care children and their legal advocates sued the state of Washington over mental health services, a federal judge is satisfied that the state is committed to lasting changes.

Youth Services Insider
Nonprofit Lucks Out With $1 Million Windfall From ‘Celebrity Wheel of Fortune’

10/18/2021

Nonprofit Lucks Out With $1 Million Windfall From ‘Celebrity Wheel of Fortune’

National child welfare provider Youth Villages learned Sunday night it would receive $1 million from "Celebrity Wheel of Fortune."

Five Groups Contracted to House Unaccompanied Migrant Children

10/14/2021

California Takes on More Oversight of Unaccompanied Immigrant Children

California is asserting its responsibility for the care of immigrant children in the state who don't have any adult to look after them.

10/7/2021

Canadian Court Backs Billions in Compensation for Indigenous Children, Caregivers

In rejecting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s position, a Canadian judge has set the stage for Ottawa to pay billions of dollars in compensation to Indigenous children who were removed from their homes and systematically given inadequate child welfare support.

Lawsuit Against Oregon’s Anti-Discrimination Policy Re-Ups Movement to Shield Faith-Based Child Welfare Providers

10/6/2021

Federal Judge Allows Oregon Child Welfare Lawsuit to Proceed

A class-action lawsuit alleging that the state of Oregon has violated the rights of children in its child welfare system may proceed, a federal judge ruled last week.

10/5/2021

Study Finds California’s Black Youth at Greater Risk of Injury in Police Encounters

Black youth in California are more likely to be injured during police interactions, according to a study that examined data from 2005 to 2017.

Illinois Kids Languish in Psychiatric Facilities Due to Lack of Suitable Placements

10/4/2021

Illinois Kids Languish in Psychiatric Facilities Due to Lack of Suitable Placements

For years, foster children in Illinois have had to stay in psychiatric treatment facilities longer than necessary because there are no suitable placements for them.

Juvenile Justice Reformer With Lived Experience Wins Coveted ‘Genius Grant’

10/1/2021

Poet, Juvenile Justice Reformer Wins Prestigious ‘Genius’ Grant

Reginald Dwayne Betts, a poet and justice reformer, was awarded a prestigious “genius” grant through the MacArthur Fellowship.

Youth Services Insider
Biden Grants Extension for Report on Native Children

9/30/2021

Biden Gives Native Children’s Commission an Extension to Complete Report

President Joe Biden granted a special commission an extension to complete a report on government and tribal programs that serve Indigenous children.

State Watchdog Says Nebraska Should Break Contract for Case Management

9/30/2021

State Watchdog Says Nebraska Should Break Contract for Case Management

A state watchdog says Nebraska should cancel the remainder of its contract with child welfare case management provider, Saint Francis Ministries.

Georgia District Court Rules Youth in Adult Jail Are Entitled to Special Education Services

9/23/2021

Federal Judge Decides Georgia Students in Adult Jails Entitled to Education

A Georgia circuit judge ruled that federal law entitles students with disabilities to education services when in adult jails.

Youth Services Insider
Nathalia Gibbs Tapped to Coordinate Campaign to Repeal 1997 Adoption Law

9/22/2021

Nathalia Gibbs Tapped to Coordinate Campaign to Repeal 1997 Adoption Law

A campaign announced in March to seek repeal of the Adoption and Safe Families Act has brought in a strategist to lead the effort.

South Carolina Juvenile Justice Leader Quits After Months of Pressure

9/21/2021

South Carolina Juvenile Justice Leader Quits After Months of Pressure

The leader of South Carolina’s juvenile justice agency is stepping down after more than four years running the long-embattled department.

New York City’s Child Welfare Agency Tells Service Providers to Vaccinate Teens

9/21/2021

New York City’s Child Welfare Agency Tells Service Providers to Vaccinate Teens — Even Without Parent Consent

New York City’s child welfare agency told certain service providers they should vaccinate 16- and 17-year-olds against COVID-19, even without parental approval.

Youth Services Insider
Children’s Rights Lures Top Litigator Leecia Welch from National Center for Youth Law

9/20/2021

Children’s Rights Lures Top Litigator Leecia Welch from National Center for Youth Law

Children’s Rights announced earlier this month that it hired Leecia Welch, previously with National Center for Youth Law, as lead counsel.

Youth Services Insider
Maine Plan for Keeping Families Intact Wins Federal Approval

9/17/2021

Maine Plan for Keeping Families Intact Wins Federal Approval

The federal government has signed off on Maine's plan for expansion of prevention and treatment for families whose kids are at risk of falling into the foster care system.

Colorado Considers a Raise the Age Youth Justice Bill

9/15/2021

North Carolina Raises the Floor for Prosecution to 8 Years Old

Six- and 7-year-olds accused of committing felonies in North Carolina will no longer be prosecuted in criminal court under a juvenile justice bill Gov. Roy Cooper signed on Aug. 30.

New Rhode Island Law Protects Families with Parents Who Are Disabled

9/15/2021

New Rhode Island Law Protects Families with Parents Who Are Disabled

In Rhode Island, a parent’s disability can no longer be the sole basis to deny or restrict their rights in matters involving a child's welfare.

Youth Services Insider
Child Abuse Prevention: Senators Seek More CAPTA Money

9/14/2021

Child Abuse Prevention: Senators Seek More CAPTA Money for Community-Based Family Services

Saying efforts to prevent child abuse and neglect are "tragically underfunded," two U.S. senators have introduced a bill that could pump hundreds of millions of dollars into addressing the problem.

Tennessee Waives Sports Eligibility Rule for Foster Care Students

9/2/2021

Tennessee Waives One-Year Sports Eligibility Rule for Foster Care Students

Students in foster care in Tennessee are exempt from a rule that bars kids who transfer to a new district from playing sports for a year.

North Carolina Lawmakers Send Child Welfare Bill to Governor

9/2/2021

North Carolina Lawmakers Send Child Welfare Bill to Governor

North Carolina lawmakers have passed a broad bill that backers hope will improve the lives of hard-to-place children in the foster care system if Gov. Roy Cooper signs it, as the author expects.

Pittsburgh Detention Center Will Close Amid Violations

8/30/2021

Pittsburgh Detention Center Ordered to Close Next Month Amid Ongoing Violations

A juvenile detention center in Pittsburgh must close by Sept. 18 after findings that staff failed to correct major violations for years.

8/26/2021

New Hampshire Steps Up Monitoring of Powerful Drugs’ Use on Foster Children

New Hampshire is the latest state to step up the monitoring of medications intended to immediately control the behavior of children in foster care.

Youth Services Insider
Children’s Rights Lures Top Litigator Leecia Welch from National Center for Youth Law

8/26/2021

National Center for Youth Law’s Leecia Welch Wins Janet Reno Leadership Award

Leecia Welch, the National Center for Youth Law’s senior director of legal advocacy and child welfare, has been awarded the Janet Reno Endowment Women’s Leadership Award.

Youth Services Insider
Study of Native Children’s Justice Needs Will Likely Be Extended

8/25/2021

Study of Native Children’s Justice Needs Will Likely Get a Two-Year Extension

A bill granting the U.S. Justice Department’s Office of Tribal Justice two additional years to complete a study on the needs of Native children is on its way to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature.

Child Welfare Investigator Fatally Stabbed in Illinois Home Visit

8/25/2021

Illinois Governor Signs Juvenile Justice Bill Banning Isolation

Illinois youth in juvenile facilities may no longer be thrown into isolation or room confinement as a punishment for their behavior.

Vaccination Rates in Louisiana’s Crowded Juvenile Lockups Concern Advocates

8/23/2021

Vaccination Rates in Louisiana’s Crowded Juvenile Lockups Concern Advocates

With just 1 in 4 of Louisiana’s incarcerated youth fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, children’s advocates say the state should do more to protect them, as the more transmissible delta variant spreads.

Youth Services Insider
Seeks Extension on Adoptee Well-being Survey

8/23/2021

The Administration for Children and Families Seeks Extension on Adoptee Well-being Survey

The Administration for Children and Families in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is asking for more time to complete a survey aimed at sussing out information about the factors that affect family stability at least eight years after families adopt kids out of the child welfare system.

Michigan: Released ‘Juvenile Lifers’ Rarely Reoffend

8/23/2021

A Study of Michigan Suggests Released ‘Juvenile Lifers’ Rarely Reoffend

Less than four years after courts across the land began to release “juvenile lifers” from prison, evidence out of Michigan shows that few of the released prisoners have resumed committing grievous crimes.

Top Maryland Court Offers Hope to Hundreds in Adult Prison for Crimes Committed as Kids

8/18/2021

Top Maryland Court Offers Hope to Hundreds in Adult Prison for Crimes Committed as Kids

A new ruling by the highest court in Maryland offers fresh hope to hundreds of offenders sent to prison for crimes they committed as minors.

Transitional Foster Youth in Wisconsin May Apply for Direct COVID Relief Payments

8/18/2021

Transitional Foster Youth in Wisconsin May Apply for Direct COVID Relief Payments

Transitional foster youth in Wisconsin could get up to $6,000 in direct payments to help them recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

Youth Services Insider
Blalock Out, Vigil In as Head of New Mexico’s Child Welfare Agency

8/18/2021

Blalock Out, Vigil In as Head of New Mexico’s Child Welfare Agency

Brian Blalock, who presided over a reduction in the backlog of complaints about New Mexico’s child welfare system but also faced criticism for allegedly retaliating against whistleblowers, has stepped down as head of the state’s Children, Youth and Families Department.

Youth Services Insider
End Child Poverty California Names New CEO

8/17/2021

End Child Poverty California Names New CEO

End Child Poverty California, a coalition of groups whose legislative and policy advocacy work has helped thousands of California kids, has a new leader.

North Carolina Lawmakers Send Child Welfare Bill to Governor

8/10/2021

North Carolina DSS Supervisor Pleads Guilty in Plea Bargain

A former Child Protective Unit supervisor in North Carolina has pleaded guilty to reduced charges in exchange for his testimony against higher-ups implicated in the wrongful removal of children.

Youth Services Insider
Shereen White has been named director of advocacy and policy at Children's Rights.

8/10/2021

Children’s Rights Names Shereen White As its First Policy Director

Children’s Rights, a national nonprofit that uses the law to improve public systems serving children, has named Shereen White as its first policy director.

Youth Services Insider
The Trauma of Losing a Family Twice

8/9/2021

Congressional Democrats Push Alternative Sentencing for Parents

Under an alternative sentencing bill recently reintroduced in the Senate, eligible parents or caregivers would be provided with resources to help keep their kids at home.

The mental health struggles of children in western Florida is resulting in more parents surrendering kids.

8/4/2021

Youth Mental Health Crisis Driving Florida Families Apart

Child welfare officials on Florida's west coast have seen more children removed from their homes recently because of parents’ “inability to cope" with their mental health struggles.

Chapin Hall Brief: Proper Supports Could Transform Child Welfare

8/4/2021

Proper Supports Could Transform Child Welfare, Chapin Hall Brief Finds

A range of concrete and economic supports could sufficiently stabilize families and children to the point that they could avoid traumatic involvement with the child welfare system, according to a newly updated policy brief by researchers from Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago.

Youth Services Insider
The director of Georgia’s family and children’s services resigned after he demeaned a Black sheriff’s deputy on state property.

8/4/2021

Georgia Child Welfare Director Quits After ‘Offensive’ Confrontation with Officer

The director of Georgia’s family and children’s services resigned after he demeaned a Black sheriff’s deputy on state property.

Youth Services Insider
New Hampshire Judge David King awarded by peers.

7/29/2021

Peers Award New Hampshire Juvenile, Family Court Judge David King

The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges has recognized family court judge David King with its Justice Innovation Award.

Youth Services Insider
Family First Clearinghouse

7/27/2021

Government Seeks Comment on Possible Changes to Family First Handbook

The Biden administration may revise the handbook for evaluating services meant to prevent the use of foster care in some child welfare cases.

7/26/2021

Newborns Benefit From Nurse Home Visits, Study Finds

Researchers at Duke University found that visits by a registered nurse to the homes of newborns can have significant, lasting positive effects.

U.S. Boarding Schools for Native Americans

7/26/2021

Government to Study Traumatic Legacy of American Indian Boarding Schools

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland has ordered a landmark probe into the harmful, traumatic legacy of American Indian boarding schools.

Youth Services Insider
President Joe Biden has chosen Florida lawyer José Javier Rodríguez to lead the Employment and Training Administration.

7/26/2021

Biden Picks Florida Lawyer to Lead Youth Workforce and Employment Development

President Joe Biden has chosen a former harsh critic of Florida’s unemployment system to oversee the Labor Department's Employment and Training Administration.

Youth Services Insider

7/22/2021

Lawmakers Back Funding for Foster Sibling Pilot Programs

A key group of Congress members is crediting a former foster youth with inspiring them to introduce legislation that would fund pilot programs for sibling groups in foster care.

Youth Services Insider
Olivia Gold

7/21/2021

Olivia Golden Stepping Down at Center for Law and Social Policy

Olivia Golden, who has run the poverty-fighting Center for Law and Social Policy since 2013, is stepping down early next year.

Youth Services Insider
Rahul Gupta will be the first physician to be named drug czar.

7/21/2021

West Virginia Physician Rahul Gupta Picked as Drug Czar

The country’s next drug czar, if confirmed by the Senate, will be the first physician to hold the post, according to news reports.

7/21/2021

Colorado Suddenly Closed Youth Services Center Amid Ongoing Complaints

Colorado closed a private residential center for youth with behavioral problems in the wake of ongoing allegations of licensing violations.

Youth Services Insider
Mischaela Durán

7/14/2021

ACF Veteran Mishaela Durán Named President of the Forum for Youth Investment

A Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit with a goal to prepare youth for success in college, work and life before age 21 will have a deeply experienced new leader come September: Mishaela Durán.

Connecticut Establishes Baby Bond Program to Reduce Wealth Disparity

7/13/2021

Connecticut Establishes Baby Bond Program to Reduce Wealth Disparity

To address wealth disparity, Connecticut has set aside public funds that will establish trust funds for babies born July 1 and later.

Tennessee flag

7/13/2021

Tennessee’s New Child-Related Laws Kick In

New laws affecting the protection of children went into effect July 1 in Tennessee, including one that increases the penalty for knowingly exposing children to dangerous drugs.

7/12/2021

Massachusetts Commission Declines to Recommend Expansion of Mandated Reporters

The Mandated Reporter Commission in Massachusetts has failed to settle on a path forward on recommendations for expanding mandated reporting.

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Issues Landmark Ruling for Mom in Child Welfare Case

7/8/2021

Bipartisan Task Force Calls for Juvenile Justice Overhaul in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania’s juvenile justice system needs an overhaul to address pervasive violence and racial disparities, according to a bipartisan task force report.

Maine Plan for Keeping Families Intact Wins Federal Approval

7/8/2021

Maine Governor Vetoes Closure of State’s Only Juvenile Lockup

Maine Gov. Janet Mills has vetoed the closure of the state’s only lockup youth facility, saying that shuttering it would pose a threat to public safety.

Youth Services Insider
Jessica Maxwell.

7/8/2021

Redlich Horwitz Foundation Hires Jessica Maxwell as New Program Director

Redlich Horwitz Foundation, a major financial supporter of programs to strengthen New York's foster care system, has hired Jessica Maxwell.

Plaintiffs and lawmakers want the Biden administration to immediately return to an Obama-era policy of collecting voluntary data on foster youth, including sexual orientation and gender identity.

7/7/2021

Illinois Enhancing Support for LGBTQ Youth

Illinois will beef up services and existing mandatory training for staff members, partner organizations and foster care providers to improve how LGBTQ people are treated within the child welfare system.

Youth Services Insider
Federal bill would standardize home visit process for adoption, foster placement

7/7/2021

Federal Bill Would Standardize Home Visit Process for Adoption, Foster Placement

A bipartisan group of federal lawmakers has introduced a resolution that would standardize the process of conducting home visits.

Youth Services Insider
Web-based Tools Help Claims for Tax Credits, Advance Payments

7/6/2021

New Web-based Tools Process Claims for Tax Credits, Advance Payments

The government has launched a pair of new web portals to help families manage and track advance monthly payments of their child tax credits.

Youth Services Insider
Virginia Governor Appoints Foster Care Watchdog

7/2/2021

Virginia Governor Appoints Foster Care Watchdog

Virginia’s foster youth now have an official watchdog. In June, Gov. Ralph Northam appointed a director of the Office of Children’s Ombudsman.

Top Maryland Court Offers Hope to Hundreds in Adult Prison for Crimes Committed as Kids

7/1/2021

Minnesota Lawmakers Could End Routine Shackling of Children in Court

Perhaps the ninth time will be the charm for lawmakers who want to ban the routine shackling of juvenile defendants in Minnesota courtrooms. Every year since 2013, legislation to do so has fallen short.

Colorado expands services for transitional foster youth.

7/1/2021

Colorado Expands Services for Transitional Foster Youth

Colorado youth who have transitioned out of foster care can re-enter the system if they wish to access services expanded under a new state law.

Kids County 2021 Report Paints Troubling Picture of Pandemic Effects

6/29/2021

Influential Kids Count 2021 Report Paints Troubling Picture of Pandemic Effects

This year’s Kids Count Data Book, an annual snapshot of the well-being of children, paints a troubling picture of how the pandemic affected American families.

Kinship Care Prioritized Under New Washington State Law

6/29/2021

Kids with Foster Care Experience Report More Oral Health Problems Than Their Peers

Minnesota youth who have foster care experience are significantly more likely than their non-foster peers to report each of five dental problems and markedly less likely to report receiving dental care.

Georgia swears in new child advocate.

6/22/2021

Georgia Swears in New Child Advocate

Georgia has a new leader to advocate for the rights of children and youth in the child welfare system and the services they are entitled to.

Youth Services Insider
Advocates Propose Changes in West Virginia Foster Care System

6/21/2021

West Virginia Announces Plan to Restructure Child Welfare System

West Virginia is splitting part of its welfare bureau into two smaller pieces as part of a broader effort to improve the child welfare system.

Youth Services Insider
Michael Smith chosen to head AmeriCorps.

6/21/2021

Biden Picks Michael Smith to Run AmeriCorps

President Joe Biden has decided to tap the leader of the Obama Foundation’s My Brother’s Keeper Alliance program to oversee AmeriCorps, a federal agency that runs the largest service-learning program in the country.

Georgia Sued Over Alleged Failure to Protect Some Undocumented Youth

6/17/2021

Study Finds Pandemic Has Placed An ‘Untold’ Toll on Young Adults’ Food, Housing Security

The coronavirus pandemic took an “alarming” toll on the food security, housing stability and mental health of millions of young people in the United States — especially among Black people and other people of color — according to a new study.

Maine Plan for Keeping Families Intact Wins Federal Approval

6/17/2021

Maine Lawmakers Vote to Close Youth Prison

Maine lawmakers voted narrowly to close the state’s only juvenile prison, but it’s not clear the governor, a former prosecutor, will let it happen.

Washington lawsuit settled

6/17/2021

Watchdog Agency Looks Into ‘Borderline Abusive’ Treatment of Foster Care Youth

The watchdog agency that oversees Washington’s foster care system is launching an investigation into the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families’ allegedly punitive treatment of hard-to-place foster youth, especially after hours.

The coronavirus pandemic meant more kids stayed in the child welfare system than the previous year, according to an AP analysis.

6/15/2021

Pandemic Kept Kids in Foster Care Longer, Records Show

The coronavirus pandemic coincided with major drops in foster care exits, reunifications and adoptions last year, according to an Associated Press analysis of child welfare records from 34 states. The global news cooperative’s analysis discovered that reunifications between parent and foster child fell by at least 8,700 between March and December of 2020, compared with the same period the year prior. 

South Carolina Juvenile Justice Leader Quits After Months of Pressure

6/15/2021

Juvenile Justice Chief Under Fire in South Carolina

The head of South Carolina’s Department of Juvenile Justice took a blow last week when the state Senate gave him a vote of no confidence.

Youth Services Insider

6/14/2021

NYU Receives $16 Million Gift for Social Science Research Using Big Data

New York University’s Silver School of Social Work has received what NYU called one of the largest gifts ever given to such a school, which will be used to try to crack open new insights into the problems of racism and social inequality.

Both branches of the Oregon state legislature have voted to codify provisions of the Indian Child Welfare Act into state law.

6/11/2021

Oregon House Sends Measure Recognizing Tribal Adoptions to Governor

Oregon lawmakers have voted to codify provisions of the federal Indian Child Welfare Act into state law and sent the bill to the desk of Democratic Gov. Kate Brown.

Michigan Settles With Catholic Foster Care Charity But Affirms Commitment to LGBTQ Community

6/11/2021

Michigan Remains Far Short of Child Welfare Reform Goals, Court Monitor Finds

More than a decade after a federal judge approved Michigan’s sweeping agreement to fix problems with its child welfare system, the court-appointed monitoring team reported multiple ongoing concerns about the safety of kids under state care.

6/10/2021

Illinois on Cusp of Bias Training Requirement for Mandated Child Welfare Reporters

Illinois teachers and others who look after children in a nonparental role may soon have to be taught how to recognize and eliminate their own racial and ethnic biases as mandated reporters of potential child abuse and neglect.

Youth Services Insider
Groups are urging the Biden administration to discourage states from collecting fines and fees from incarcerated youth.

6/9/2021

Groups Urge Justice Department to Reinstate Obama Stance on Juvenile Fines, Fees

Groups are urging the Biden administration to discourage states from charging fees and fines to incarcerated juveniles, saying they unfairly load debt on low-income youth and their families.

Youth Services Insider
Gordon Bazemore, one of the pioneers of restorative justice, a reconciliation-based system of addressing criminal behavior, has died.

6/8/2021

Restorative Justice Pioneer Gordon Bazemore Remembered

Gordon Bazemore, a pioneer of restorative justice, a reconciliation-based system of addressing criminal behavior, has died.

As New York legalizes marijuana, parent advocates push child welfare agencies to be less punitive

6/8/2021

New Texas Law Makes it Harder to Remove Kids From Parental Home

Child protective services officials in Texas can no longer remove a child from their family because a parent tested positive for cannabis.

Investigation Finds Spate of Foster Care Deaths in Ohio Since 2015

6/7/2021

Ohio Counties Plead for State Funds to Boost Kinship Caregivers’ Pay

A federal judge has been trying for years to get Ohio to pay kinship caregivers their due under federal law, but counties say there’s not enough money from the state to make it feasible.

Youth Services Insider
Honoring the Life of Ma’Khia Bryant: An Ombudsperson for Foster Youth in Ohio

6/4/2021

Lawmakers Seek Probe Into Foster Care Life of Ma’Khia Bryant

Lawmakers are calling for the Department of Health and Human Services to investigate the foster care experience of Ma’Khia Bryant, the 16-year-old Black girl who police shot and killed on April 20.

A new report from Prevent Child Abuse America recommends President Joe Biden appoint a child abuse prevention czar.

6/4/2021

New Report Urges Biden to Appoint Child Abuse Prevention ‘Czar’

A new report from Prevent Child Abuse America recommends President Biden appoint a child abuse prevention czar.

Youth Services Insider
Child Welfare Leaders Forge National Child Safety Partnership

6/3/2021

Social Sector Accreditor Alliance-COA Makes Five Critical Hires

Alliance-COA, an organization that accredits and strengthen organizations in the social sector, has announced a set of critical new hires.

Vermont Public Workers Union Demands Secure Facility for Incarcerated Youth

6/3/2021

Vermont Governor Vetoes Bill to Withhold Older Youth Offenders’ Names

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott has vetoed a measure that would have required police to withhold from the public the identity of juvenile offenders under the age of 20 unless or until they are charged with a felony.

Plaintiffs and lawmakers want the Biden administration to immediately return to an Obama-era policy of collecting voluntary data on foster youth, including sexual orientation and gender identity.

6/3/2021

Plaintiffs, Lawmakers Seek Quick Decision on Sexual Orientation Data Collection

Tribes and advocacy groups want the federal government to once again begin collecting voluntary data about sexual orientation of foster youth and adoptees.

Youth Services Insider
Staff with Weis Markets, a grocery chain that donated $250,000 to iFoster.

6/3/2021

Grocery Chain Rounds Up $250,000 to Help Foster Youth in Seven States

Weis Markets, a grocery chain that operates in the Mid-Atlantic states, presented a $250,000 check this week to the iFoster Hope campaign.

Illinois could soon become the first state to bar deceptive tactics while interrogating minors.

6/2/2021

Illinois Bans Deceptive Tactics in Juvenile Interrogations

Illinois is one step from becoming the first state to bar police from using deceptive tactics when interrogating people under the age of 18.

Youth Services Insider
California Sen. Dianne Feinstein led a call to the Biden administration to aid transition-age foster youth, who were hit especially hard during the pandemic.

6/2/2021

Senators Push Biden Administration to Aid Transitional Foster Youth

Thirteen senators led by Dianne Feinstein and Mark Warner called on the Biden administration to aid transition-age foster youth, who were hit especially hard during the pandemic.

Iowa will give one-time, $750 pandemic-relief checks to transition-aged foster youth.

6/2/2021

Iowa Sending $750 Pandemic-Relief Checks to Transition-Age Foster Youth

The Iowa Department of Human Services is ready to cut checks to people between ages 18 and 26 who are or have been in the child welfare system — a one-time payment of $750 to help them help pay rent and utilities.

Connecticut may raise the juvenile arrest age from 7 to 10.

6/2/2021

Connecticut Seeks to Raise Age of Juvenile Arrest from 7 to 10

Connecticut is one of the handful of states that is currently looking at raising the minimum age for juvenile court jurisdiction, in this case from 7 to 10 years old.

Youth Services Insider

5/25/2021

National Youth Mentoring Organization Receives $6 Million Gift

A philanthropic gift of $6 million should mean a significant bump in the number of kids who will benefit from one-on-one adult mentoring through Friends of the Children.

Youth Services Insider
Bipartisan Gun Control Bill: Implications for Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice

5/24/2021

Senators Introduce Bill to Curb Child Welfare Worker Burnout

Few occupations are tougher on workers than those in the child welfare field, with national turnover rates estimated to chronically range from 20% to 40% a year. Two U.S. Senators want the Department of Health and Human Services to lighten the load for these workers.

5/24/2021

Dignity for Moms: N.C. Bill Would Ban Shackling of Incarcerated Women in Childbirth

North Carolina is expected to ban the shackling of incarcerated women during childbirth, according to a published report.

Youth Services Insider
Senate Bill Seeks Better Data on Child Abuse Deaths

5/23/2021

Senate Bill Seeks Better Data on Child Abuse Deaths

States would be required to report all deaths related to child abuse and create recommendations for curbing them under a bipartisan bill being pushed in the U.S. Senate.

Annual Child Well-Being Data Book Highlights Mental Health

5/21/2021

Study: Rural Kids More Likely To Be Reported to Child Protective Services, But Why?

In the first study to compare national data on the rate of rural versus large urban child maltreatment reports, researchers found that kids living in the country are about one-third more likely to be reported to authorities, but the rate of substantiation was about the same in both settings.

5/20/2021

Maryland Beefs Up Tuition Waiver Law

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan on Tuesday signed a stronger and more expansive college tuition waiver law for some of the state’s most disadvantaged youth — those who are homeless and kids in the foster care system.

housing key

5/20/2021

Vacant Texas Nursing Home May Become Transitional Housing for Foster Youth

A nonprofit in southeast Texas is turning a former nursing home into about 25 transitional apartments for kids aging out of foster care.

5/20/2021

Texas Plan to Outsource Foster Placement Suffers Blow

A linchpin provider of Texas’ budding plan to privatize the placement of foster youth across the massive state has dealt a blow to the concept by unexpectedly walking away from its contract with the Department of Family and Protective Services.

Louisiana fails to ban corporal punishment in schools

5/15/2021

Louisiana Tries — and Fails — to Ban Corporal Punishment in Schools

The latest effort to ban spanking and other forms of corporal punishment in Louisiana public schools once more failed to get enough votes to pass. The state House voted 48-49 last week, five short of the number required to pass the bill, which was authored by Republican Rep.

New Mexico child welfare agency drops communications app

5/14/2021

New Mexico Child Welfare Agency Drops App in Wake of Criticism

The New Mexico child welfare agency has announced that it’s no longer using an app that critics say allowed it to work in secret and may have violated the state’s open-government laws.

Juvenile defenders argue virtual court has its disadvantages

5/14/2021

Let’s Not Stick With Remote Court Hearings After Pandemic, Juvenile Defenders Say

Virtual hearings may have been a necessary precaution for the past 14 months because of the pandemic, but a new report from the National Juvenile Defender Center says they take a toll on the legal rights of juvenile defendants and should not remain a normal practice once it’s safe to gather in court again.

Youth Services Insider
Juvenile arrests declined in 2019

5/14/2021

Juvenile Arrests in 2019 Continued Long Downward Trend

The rate of kids younger than 18 who were arrested fell in 2019, but the numbers varied across demographic groups and offenses.

Youth Services Insider
Lynn Johnson takes role at CityServe

5/14/2021

Former Trump Child Welfare Official Takes on Role at Faith-Based CityServe

Lynn Johnson, former President Donald Trump’s top child welfare official, is now running children’s initiatives for CityServe, a national faith-based nonprofit.

Lynn Johnson, the new vice president of children’s initiatives for CityServe.

Youth Services Insider

5/10/2021

Study: Juvenile Incarceration Produces Mixed Results on Recidivism, Graduation Rates

Madera County Juvenile Detention Center. Photo courtesy of Madera County Probation
Harsh sentences for juvenile crimes don’t make it less likely that a person will be convicted of a violent crime when they grow into adults, according to a new study in which academic economists looked at data from Louisiana. 

5/9/2021

Michigan Senate Bill Would Require More People to Report Underage Sexual Abuse

Youth Services Insider

5/6/2021

New Research Funded on Mental Health, Child Welfare

The William T. Grant Foundation has announced this year’s scholarship winners for promising early-career researchers working on methods to improve the lives of young people who have experienced poverty and other forms of hardship.

5/6/2021

Six New Laws Add to Georgia’s Efforts to Boost Adoption

Six new bills signed into law in Georgia this week are intended to accelerate the state’s ongoing efforts to make adoption easier.

Youth Services Insider

5/4/2021

New Vice President Named at Children’s Defense Fund

The Children’s Defense Fund, a major U.S. child advocacy organization, has a new vice president in charge of strategy and program.

5/4/2021

Unanimous Oregon House Backs Customary Tribal Adoption

The Oregon House of Representatives recently gave unanimous approval to legislation that would require state judges to accept tribal customary adoptions in cases involving Native American and Alaska Native children, ensuring that they can remain connected to their tribe.

Youth Services Insider

5/4/2021

Federal Children’s Bureau OK’s Oregon’s Foster Care Prevention Plan

Oregon this week became the 12th state to win federal approval for a plan to prevent children from falling into foster care.

5/4/2021

Washington State Child Welfare Chief Endorses Reform Bill on Governor’s Desk

Ross Hunter, secretary of Washington State’s Department of Children, Youth, and Families, on a visit to Camp To Belong Washington, a camp dedicated to reuniting siblings separated by foster care, adoption or kinship.

Youth Services Insider

5/4/2021

Penn State Awards Equity-Minded Scholarships for Child Welfare Study

Penn State University junior Lani Rosenbaum and sophomore Janiyah Davis.
Two Penn State University students have been named as recipients of an inaugural scholarship intended to address ethnic and racial disparities within the foster care system.

Youth Services Insider

4/30/2021

Biden Picks Longtime Innovator for National Service Board

President Joe Biden has selected Shirley Sacha Sagawa, a longtime champion of youth and national service, to be a member of the board of the Corporation for National and Community Service, an independent government agency that makes grants to support service and volunteer organizations.

4/29/2021

Study: Most Unexpected Infant Suffocation Deaths Occur in Unsafe Sleep Conditions

The great majority of infants who unexpectedly suffocated and died in their sleep in recent years were bedded in unsafe sleeping conditions, according to a new study by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that underscores decades-old public health guidelines.

Youth Services Insider

4/28/2021

Biden Taps Elizabeth Watson As Chief Labor Liaison

Elizabeth Watson, who has a lengthy history in youth and family policy and income inequality, has been nominated to be the Biden administration’s point person to Congress and the states on labor issues.

4/27/2021

Former Foster Youth’s Bill Signed: At Every Washington State School, a Foster Care Coordinator

A former foster youth-turned state senator credits caring adults who helped guide her path to success, and now the odds are better that other foster kids in Washington state’s public schools will have similar help.

4/27/2021

Missouri Governor Signs Foster Care and Adoption Tax Breaks

Missourians who adopt children or take in foster kids will get meaningful tax breaks in the future since Gov. Mike Parson signed a pair of bills this week amid a rare legislative session in which child welfare is a major priority.

Youth Services Insider

4/25/2021

Bill Seeks to Extend Help to Relatives and Kin to Prevent Child Abuse

Nearly 2.7 million children are being raised by grandparents, other relatives or close family friends and not their own parents, and some members of Congress want to prevent child abuse by giving these caregivers more help.

4/25/2021

West Virginia Foster Care Ombudsman Reports Rampant Fear of Retaliation

More than 90% of parents and foster parents who asked for an investigation into problems they had while dealing with the West Virginia foster care system in the recent past said they did so despite fear of retaliation, according to a news account based on the ombudsperson’s first-ever report.

Youth Services Insider

4/22/2021

New Study Confirms High Prevalence of Investigations, Loss of Parental Rights

New research following more than half a million newborns to age 18 backs up a recent estimate that terminations of parental rights is more common than people think, and that one of every 100 children born will experience the state-induced loss of a parent.

4/21/2021

L.A. Mayor Seeks $24 Million to Help City’s Poorest Households With Guaranteed Income

The mayor of Los Angeles wants to give the 2,000 poorest households in his city $1,000 a month in income for a full year, no strings attached, just to see how the money affects their lives.

4/20/2021

Chauvin Guilty Verdict: ‘Today we mourn. Tonight we dream. Tomorrow, we continue the fight’

Signs held at protests that took place in the wake of George Floyd’s murder last year by police officers.
Youth and leaders in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems reacted with speed and deep emotion Tuesday to the conviction of Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin for the brutal killing of George Floyd last year — a murder that moved the entire globe to protest racial injustice and police brutality.

Youth Services Insider

4/20/2021

U.S., Washington State Settle Discrimination Case on Services for the Deaf

Hearing-impaired parents from at least two Washington state families were denied their right to have sign language interpreters available to them in their fights to keep the state from taking away their kids, according to a settlement agreement announced Monday between the federal government and the state.

Foster Care Failed to Protect Two Texas Teens from Sexual Assault

4/19/2021

New Online Hub Aims to Smooth Journey for Texas Volunteers

Texas’ family services agency has launched a new online hub that aims to make it easier than ever for people to volunteer their time and talents to help vulnerable children and the elderly.

4/15/2021

Missouri Lawmakers Pass Tax Breaks to Foster and Adoptive Caregivers

The Missouri House of Representatives unanimously passed two bills on Jan. 27 that would increase financial support for foster and adoptive parents. Now, they await approval by the Senate. House Bill 429 would provide a tax deduction for foster parents — $2,500 for a single parent, $5,000 for a married couple — who have been caretaking for at least six months.

4/15/2021

Kids in Foster Care to Have Own Attorneys Under New Arizona Law

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R).
Arizona on Wednesday became the latest state to require that children involved in abuse or neglect cases be appointed an attorney to represent their best interest.

4/14/2021

‘Incorrigibility’ Label Eliminated from New York’s Child Welfare Law

Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill deleting the term from the state’s child welfare laws in recognition of psychosocial studies finding that young people are able to make responsible choices when given the appropriate interventions to counter the trauma that filled their formative years.

Youth Services Insider

4/14/2021

States Hook Up to Strategize Support for Kids, Families as Pandemic Rolls On

Eight states are getting together for the rest of 2021 to work out the best way to help children and families weather the second year of the coronavirus pandemic with a minimum of child neglect and abuse.

Texas Legislature Digs Into Problems at Child Protective Agency

4/14/2021

Texas House Moves Bill Strengthening Adoptee Rights to Original Birth Certificate

This could be the year that nearly 1 million Texas adoptees can get a copy of their original birth certificate without asking a judge. Texas adoptees said attempts to pass a measure making it easier for them to obtain the document have fallen short time and again in recent years.

Youth Services Insider

4/8/2021

Arizona Launches Portal to Connect Former Foster Youth with Pandemic Relief

Many of Arizona’s current and former youth are in line for more federal help to get them through the pandemic, the state Department of Child Safety has announced. The change means young adults currently in foster care and former foster youth who have not yet turned 27 years old will be able to tap funds made available under a law Congress passed in December, the COVID-19 Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2020.

4/8/2021

State Homeless Programs Underserve California Youth, Report Says

Homelessness is a huge black eye on the face of California, and youth homelessness is an oft-overlooked aspect of the scourge, according to a new report from John Burton Advocates for Youth.

4/8/2021

Missouri House Votes to Boost Support for Children, Youth by $76 Million

Unless the Missouri state Senate balks, families that adopt children, foster them or care for relatives’ children will have more money from the state, come July 1, to help make ends meet.

4/5/2021

Study: Economic Hardship, Family Conflict Linked to Lifelong Difficulties

A large study of European residents, one of the first to look at the effects of growing up amid financial strain, family conflict – or both – links those kinds of childhood adversities to a wide range of social and health difficulties in adulthood.

Youth Services Insider

4/2/2021

Colleagues Mourn Death of Phyllis Brunson, Celebrate Her Advocacy for Kids, Families

Phyllis Brunson of the Center for the Study of Social Policy. Photo courtesy of CSSP.
For over a quarter-century, Phyllis Brunson elevated the voices of marginalized young people and their families as they sought to reshape the course of their lives.

3/31/2021

Tennessee Appeals to Faith Community to Raise Foster Care Capacity

In 2020, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) signed into law a a “religious freedom” bill ensuring that foster care and adoption agencies could continue to be eligible to receive taxpayer funding even if they refuse to serve same-sex foster and adoptive parents.

Youth Services Insider

3/31/2021

Kentucky’s Juvenile Justice Commissioner Fired

The head of Kentucky’s Juvenile Justice Department was fired last week after a months long personnel investigation into allegations that she had harassed, bullied and intimidated employees, leaving at least one in tears.

3/29/2021

Study of Twins Shows Harsh Parental Discipline Tied to More Misbehavior

Six month old twin boys laughing and smiling. Photo courtesy of the Raising Children Network
In a study of twins aimed at teasing out answers to an aspect of the classic nature-versus-nurture debate, researchers have found that the child who was more harshly disciplined than the sibling twin was more likely to develop more behavior problems.

Youth Services Insider

3/28/2021

Missouri Governor Seeks Millions to Keep Teens Out of Adult System

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson (R) is asking lawmakers for $18 million in next year’s budget to keep most 17-year-olds out of adult jails. Lawmakers approved a bill making that a policy in 2018, and the law technically went into effect on Jan.

Youth Services Insider

3/28/2021

Kentucky Halts Automatic Transfers on Juvenile Gun Felony Charges

Kentucky is backing off a law it passed in the tough-on-crime 1990s under which minors age 14 or older were automatically tried on felony charges as adults if a firearm was involved in the incident.

Youth Services Insider

3/23/2021

Campaign Begins to Repeal Major Federal Child Welfare Law

Artwork created for the Repeal ASFA campaign by visual artist Jahmel R.
Activists are preparing to embark on a national campaign aimed at repealing the Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA), bipartisan legislation passed in the late 1990s in an effort to prevent children from languishing in foster care. 

Youth Services Insider
State Watchdog Says Nebraska Should Break Contract for Case Management

3/22/2021

Nebraska’s Foster Care Prevention Plan Approved by Feds

Nebraska is about to greatly enhance its prevention aimed at building up families and curbing the state’s use of foster care. The state announced last week that the federal government has approved its plan to implement the Family First Prevention Services Act, a move that will allow Nebraska to tap into more money and services for families and children.

Youth Services Insider

3/19/2021

Boy Picks Tulip, Gets Arrested: A Tale As Old As Time

Most people probably would agree that raising a child to respect others’ property is important and that a kid who doesn’t do so should be corrected. Reasonable people might disagree over what the appropriate sanction should be, but certainly, everyone can agree that a child’s maturity level and the nature of the misbehavior should be critical factors. 

Youth Services Insider

3/18/2021

Hawaiian High Court: Parents’ Right to Counsel Starts At First Filing

Honolulu, Hawaii. Photo credit: John Fowler
Parents in child welfare cases in Hawaii have significantly stronger rights to counsel as a result of a new ruling from the state’s Supreme Court.

Youth Services Insider

3/18/2021

Biden Drops Trump Policy on Sponsors for Unaccompanied Minors

In a reversal of Trump administration policy, Biden federal immigration officials will no longer collect information from the Department of Health and Human Services that could lead to the deportation of parents or other possible caregivers who step forward to care for children who cross the border unaccompanied seeking asylum.

Family First Act raises questions in California

3/18/2021

County Agency Leaders in California Declare Racism a Public Health Crisis

Several organizations representing executives in California who run county-level health and human services agencies have joined the growing list of public entities declaring racism a public health emergency. Issuing a statement on Wednesday that they recognize “the historic and ongoing harms of systemic racism” and pledging to address the problem were: the County Behavioral Health Directors Association of California, the County Welfare Directors Association of California, the County Health Executives Association of California and the California Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems. 

3/16/2021

Washington Supreme Court Raises Age of Sentencing Limits for Teenagers

The Washington State Supreme Court.
Washington is the first state in the nation that may no longer automatically sentence young adults convicted of murder to life in prison without parole for killings they committed when they were 18, 19 or 20 years old.

Youth Services Insider

3/13/2021

Coronavirus Relief Bill Includes $10 Million for Kinship Care Center

All but unnoticed in news coverage of the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package President Joe Biden signed on Thursday is $10 million to start up a technical assistance center to help relative caregivers who step up to fill in for parents whose children have been taken away from them.

Supreme Court Set to Decide Whether to Take Up Indian Child Welfare Case

3/11/2021

New Mexico House Passes State Indian Child Welfare Act

Photo: iStockphoto
New Mexico lawmakers took a step this week toward further ensuring the rights of the state’s Native American children who get caught up in the child welfare system. The State Indian Child Welfare Act measure, which passed the state House of Representatives on a vote of 53-15 on Monday, mostly mirrors federal legislation that passed in 1978, but it expands protections somewhat and ensures that even if the federal law is watered down in the future, the rights of New Mexico’s Indian children and families won’t wane.House

3/11/2021

Jeremiah Program’s ‘Daring Powerfully’ Summit to Celebrate Single Moms’ Success

For two decades, the Jeremiah Program has been helping single moms get through college and on the road to leaving generational poverty behind. That’s a lot of work, and until now, program officials haven’t found the time to step back and collectively celebrate the women’s successes.

3/10/2021

3,000 Foster Youth in Line for Cash Settlement in Flint Water Crisis Case

Thousands of people who were in foster care during the infamous water crisis in Flint, Michigan, have not been left out of a chance to secure a chunk of a proposed settlement that will distribute hundreds of millions of dollars in claims through state and federal courts.

Youth Services Insider

3/9/2021

Latest Democratic Dream Act Bill Takes Heat from Justice Advocates

Young marchers at one of the thousands of demonstrations in support of legislation to usher in a path to remain in the United States for those who arrived here as children.

3/4/2021

Report Calls for End to Group Settings for Foster Youth

It’s time to stop placing American foster children in institutions and other group settings, according to a new report by the national child welfare group Children’s Rights. Continuing the practice, the report argues, unnecessarily harms children in government care.

3/4/2021

Tiffany Haddish Launches Internship Program for Foster Youth Interested in Showbiz

Actor and comedian Tiffany Haddish has launched a program for current and former California foster youth to receive paid internships in media, arts and entertainment. Haddish’s She Ready Productions, in partnership with the nonprofit Ready to Succeed, will provide the youth selected with training, mentorship and networking possibilities.

toddlers early intervention therapy

3/4/2021

California Cleared to Use Medicaid for School Testing

Photo credit: iStock.com/FatCamera
Gov. Gavin Newsom of California – not to mention frustrated students and exhausted parents – got some good news Wednesday on the school-reopening front.  Two days after Newsom (D) announced a budget deal aimed at incentivizing public schools to start reopening for in-person learning by the end of the month, the federal government approved the state’s request to use federal Medicaid funds to test low-income students enrolled in the state’s Medi-Cal health insurance plan for COVID-19.

Youth Services Insider

3/3/2021

The Plans for Justice Department Pilot on Preventing Fatal Abuse and Neglect

The federal government is funding five locally conceived demonstration projects across the United States aimed at decreasing death and serious injury resulting from child abuse and neglect. This week, the plans for those test sites were revealed, with several focused on promoting safe sleep for infants or community collaborations on prevention.

3/2/2021

Transition-Age Foster Youth to Aid Vaccination Effort in California

The logo for the California “Vaccinate All 58” campaign
Hundreds of current and former foster youth are being recruited to jump in on the California effort to vaccinate the state’s most disadvantaged residents against COVID-19.

Youth Services Insider
Arizona flag and gavel. Photo: 12news.com

2/25/2021

Federal Judge Gives Final OK to Arizona’s Foster Care Improvement Plan

Photo: 12news.com
A federal judge on Wednesday gave final approval to a settlement with Arizona that puts an end to a six-year legal battle over the foster care system, but not before hearing from skeptics about whether the state will be able to keep its promises to some of society’s most vulnerable youngsters.

Youth Services Insider

2/18/2021

$1 Million to Fund New Phase of Fight Against Solitary Confinement for Youth

Image courtesy of the Stop Solitary for Kids Campaign
A nearly $1 million charitable contribution to the national campaign to end the use of solitary confinement on youth in adult and juvenile detention will enable backers to launch several new approaches to that effort.

Investigation Finds Spate of Foster Care Deaths in Ohio Since 2015

2/17/2021

Ohio Lawmakers Seek to Tighten Child-Protection Reporting Rules in Wake of Horrific Death

A pair of Ohio legislators want to make sure that reports of child abuse never fall through the cracks again — a move that comes more than a year after a Dayton boy died after years of suspected abuse and multiple reports to authorities.

Youth Services Insider

2/17/2021

Michigan Funds Homebuilders Model in Preparation for Family First Act

Office of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Photo: MLive.com
A Michigan nonprofit was recently awarded a three-year, $8 million grant to expand intensive in-home services aimed at keeping kids out of foster care.

2/16/2021

Audit Spots Big Problems With Protecting Rights of LGBTQ Youth in Illinois’ Care

Four years after the Illinois formally committed to honoring the rights of LGBTQ youth in its care, an audit released this month found little evidence that it lived up to its initial promises.

Youth Services Insider

2/14/2021

CAFO Offers Matching Grants for Collaborative Local Foster Care Efforts

Two of the most common words in the foster care field? Not enough. As in: not enough resources, families or support.  If that’s the case in your community and you’re willing to work with other Christian churches in your area to raise $10,000, here’s some good news: The Christian Alliance for Orphans may be willing to match your funds dollar for dollar.

2/11/2021

LGBTQ, Foster Youth Groups Hail Biden Administration Stance on Discrimination Lawsuit

Photo Credit: William Murphy/Flickr
Advocates for foster youth and LGBTQ rights on Wednesday applauded a strong signal from the Biden administration that it will withdraw a last-minute proposal from the Trump team that would allow taxpayer-funded grantees to deny essential services to foster youth and other groups on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, religion and other characteristics.

2/10/2021

Federal Judge OKs Suit on Behalf of Behaviorally Disabled Students in Oregon

A federal judge has greenlighted legal advocates’ lawsuit seeking to represent all of Oregon’s behaviorally disabled schoolchildren who have allegedly been illegally deprived of their right to full-time schooling. Based on expert testimony presented by the plaintiffs, the case suggests a pattern of local public education agencies sending hundreds or thousands of students with behavioral health problems home early from school, Judge Ann Aiken ruled in U.S.

Youth Services Insider

2/9/2021

Florida Child Welfare Chief Critical of State’s Privatization Has Resigned

Florida’s child welfare chief handed in his resignation letter Friday, weeks after the official acknowledged that the agency had done a “bad job” protecting multiple children from sexual abuse at the hands of foster parents.

Youth Services Insider

2/7/2021

Prevent Child Abuse America Charters 10 State Chapters

A leading organization that works to prevent child abuse and neglect before it ever gets started announced Thursday that 10 of its state chapters have completed all the steps the organization requires to be chartered.  

Youth Services Insider
credits classroom juvenile

2/3/2021

Federal Appeals Court Backs Special Education Rights of Jailed Youth

Image from report. Credit: Juvenile Law Center.
Incarcerated students in the American Southeast who have special educational needs won an important ruling this week in a federal appeals court, children’s lawyers said Thursday.

2/3/2021

‘Black Foster Youth Handbook’ Author Nominated for NAACP Image Award

Former foster youth Ángela Quijada-Banks, author of “The Black Foster Youth Handbook” has been nominated for the NAACP’s Image Award in the category of Outstanding Literary Work-Instructional, along with the works of four other distinguished writers. 

Youth Services Insider
Former Officials with Kansas Foster Care Nonprofit Indicted for Fraud

2/2/2021

Nebraska Signs Emergency Contract With Foster Care Provider Amid Scandal

Amid an emergency that threatened to leave the state with no one to manage Omaha-area child welfare cases, Nebraska officials have approved a new $147 million no-bid contract with its existing beleaguered child welfare services provider.

Youth Services Insider
Kansas DCF

1/31/2021

Judge OKs Plan Requiring Kansas to Provide Mental Health Care to Foster Kids

A federal judge has approved a settlement agreement that children’s attorneys say will ensure children in Kansas’ foster care system can get the mental health care they need. “All children in foster care have the right to a stable, caring home where their mental health needs are met, and our settlement agreement finally moves Kansas in that direction,” said Leecia Welch, plaintiff co-counsel and senior director at the National Center for Youth Law.

1/30/2021

Common Tax Credit Associated With Lower Maltreatment Reports

Photo: University of Washington
The government’s largest antipoverty program does more than simply make it easier for families to make ends meet. Known as the earned income tax credit, it also results in a significant drop in reported child maltreatment, according to a new federally funded study by researchers from the University of Washington.

Youth Services Insider

1/28/2021

Bill Would Create One Million New Apprenticeships

Known as “earn-and-learn” programs, apprenticeships could be a good way for foster youth to start careers in construction and other trades.
With lawmakers from both parties eager to help get idled Americans back to work, a bipartisan group has unveiled a bill that would put up almost $3.5 billion to create nearly 1 million new internships over the next five years, many of them for young people.

Youth Services Insider

1/28/2021

Crowning Gift Means $75 Million for University of Chicago School of Social Services

The University of Chicago’s social services school received a massive gift from the family of James and Paula Crown. Photo courtesy of University of Chicago
The University of Chicago’s school of social work has just received the promise of a “landmark” $75 million gift, the largest ever offered to an American school of social work, the university announced Wednesday.

1/27/2021

Governor Shakes Up Guam’s Child Protection Services, Citing ‘Emergency’

Guam’s governor has placed the territory’s child protective system under a state of emergency. Photo: Facebook
Guam Gov. Lou Leno Guerrero has ordered a shakeup of the island territory’s Child Protective Services in the wake of a data review that pointed to systemic problems that have led to a failure to identify and root out “serious and significant instances of child abuse, maltreatment, and neglect,” according to news reports.

1/25/2021

Biden Takes Steps to Ease Food Insecurity Pronto

Illustration by Christine Ongjoco.
Moving swiftly to address a growing hunger crisis, the Biden administration on Friday announced several new efforts to put more for on the tables of Americans who’ve been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.

1/22/2021

New York City Releases Long-Delayed Plan to Help Youth, Young Adults

Youth and young adults who are having a rough time overcoming the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic are targeted for help under a set of long-awaited initiatives announced this week by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. 

Youth Services Insider

1/21/2021

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte Plucks Child Welfare Nominee from Kentucky

Adam Meier, who was nominated to lead Montana’s Department of Public Health and Human Services.
Montana’s new Republican governor, Greg Gianforte, has named a new leader to run the state’s largest agency, the Department of Public Health and Human Services, which among other things oversees child welfare and family services.

Youth Services Insider

1/20/2021

New Strategy Chief Named at Prevent Child Abuse America

Jennifer Jones will be the new chief strategy officer for Prevent Child Abuse America, leaving her position as director of the Change in Mind Institute at the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities.

Youth Services Insider

1/19/2021

Casey Family Programs Honors Contributions to Children’s Well-being

Autumn Adams, winner of the Casey Excellence Kinship Caregiver Award. Photo courtesy of Casey Family Programs
Casey Family Programs, a Seattle-based grant maker and one of the largest players in philanthropy in child welfare, made its annual Casey Excellence for Children Awards and Jim Casey Building Communities of Hope Award, which collectively honor leaders and standouts from every aspect of the system. 

Youth Services Insider

1/17/2021

L.A. Kings Sport CalHOPE Logo on Helmet, Face Off for Youth in Crisis Amid Pandemic

The Los Angeles Kings hockey club is sticking up for the Southern California community’s mental health this season as coronavirus precautions drag toward their 12th month. Starting with Thursday’s season opener against the Minnesota Wild at the Staples Center and going coast to coast through all home and away games, fans will see the words “California Hope” emblazoned on each side of players’ helmets.

1/15/2021

State, L.A. Agree on Plan to Improve Conditions of Juvenile Detention

More than two years after the California Department of Justice launched an investigation into deficient and inhumane conditions in Los Angeles County’s juvenile detention facilities, the county and its school district settled on plans to clean up the problems over the next four years.

1/14/2021

Poll Seeks Input From Foster and Kinship Families About Pandemic Impacts

As we approach one year of living with the coronavirus pandemic, we want to hear from foster and kinship families about how the global health crisis has transformed their lives. Our editorial team has designed a short, anonymous survey for caregivers of youth currently in foster care.

Youth Services Insider

1/13/2021

Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Names Sam Gill as New CEO

Sam Gill, CEO of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, a significant grantmaker in the field of child well-being and other areas, will have a new leader this spring.  

1/12/2021

Trump Finalizes 11th-hour Rule Change Allowing Religious and Sex-Based Discrimination

Among the many ways Donald Trump is seeking to leave a lasting imprint on the government in the final days of a beleaguered presidency, the administration this week erased Obama-era rules that prohibited publicly funded, faith-based social service providers from discriminating on the basis of factors such as sexual orientation or religion.

1/12/2021

Report Ranks New York State Counties by Family and Child Well-Being

From the teeming high-rise tenements of New York City’s Bronx County to the sparsely populated hamlets of rural Yates County, before the pandemic, more than 800,000 of the Empire State’s children were living in poverty and over 900,000 households were struggling to keep a roof over their heads, according to a new report.

The Trauma of Losing a Family Twice

1/10/2021

Pediatricians Group Deems Trump’s Border Policy of Family Separation ‘Torture’

The influential American Academy of Pediatrics has added to growing pressure on the incoming Biden administration to reverse the practice of separating children from their asylum-seeking parents at the Mexican border set by President Donald Trump, concurring with other prominent groups that the practice amounted to torture under international standards.

1/8/2021

Live on Imprint at 2 p.m. EST: Federal Town Hall: New Funding and Support for Older Foster Youth

Click here at 2 p.m. EST to watch the town hall on coronavirus relief supports for older foster youth, featuring federal officials Lynn Johnson and Jerry Milner

1/8/2021

Bill Would Raise Age of Criminal Responsibility to 18 in Texas

State Rep. Harold Dutton (D) has introduced a bill that would include 17-year-olds in the juvenile justice system.
Texas is one of the last states to treat all 17-year-olds as adults in the eyes of the law.

pop tart

1/8/2021

A Pop Tart Tribute to Human Rights

In late December, the nonprofit iFoster hosted its inaugural Great iFoster Bake Off, a national Zoom-hosted competition where foster youth and caregivers teamed up to decorate holiday houses made out of Pop Tarts.

1/6/2021

Diverse Organizations Urge California Lawmakers to Prioritize Children in Budget

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is preparing his 2021-22 budget.
As California Gov. Gavin Newsom prepares to unveil his 2021-22 budget proposal later this week, more than 1,000 organizations have urged policymakers to make children — especially the reopening of public schools — the state’s “all-hands-on-deck” spending priority.

1/4/2021

Study Finds ‘Devastating’ Pandemic-Era Effects on Former Foster Youth

The first few months of the coronavirus pandemic took a significant toll on the well-being of former foster youth, according to a new survey that researchers said points to the need to address those effects in the medium and long term. 

Youth Services Insider
foster youth

1/3/2021

National Foster Youth Institute Names New Director

Rebecca Louve Yao, new executive director of the National Foster Youth Institute
The National Foster Youth Institute has chosen one of its own to assume the organization’s helm. The board of the 6-year-old nonprofit announced Monday that Rebecca Louve Yao, herself a former foster youth, will become executive director on Jan.

12/31/2020

Top Stories of 2020: How Kids and Families were Impacted by Coronavirus

As COVID-19 began what would be an unrelenting spread of hardship in America, The Imprint spoke with the CEO of a major child welfare service provider in Washington state, one of the first places hit hard in the pandemic. 

12/30/2020

Top Stories of 2020: Trouble in Residential Care

Congress approved legislation in 2018 that will reduce federal spending on group homes and institutions. Since that law was signed, several investigative stories in our pages and others around the country have exposed the shortcomings that prompted it. 

12/29/2020

Top Stories of 2020: A Decade of Extended Foster Care

In 2010, California approved legislation that would extend foster care until age 21 for youth who otherwise would be forced out on their own at 18. The state, home to more than 50,000 foster youth, was among the first to offer a longer runway into adulthood. 

NAACP and Children’s Advocates Submit Federal Civil Rights Complaint Against Minnesota Child Welfare System

12/28/2020

Top Stories of 2020: Latonia Rolbiecki vs. Chisago County

In March of 2016, Latonia Rolbiecki’s grandson was born at Fairview Hospital in Wyoming, Minnesota, his body riddled with the effects of his mother’s drug and alcohol abuse. The child was immediately placed into a foster home by the Chisago County Health and Human Services Department. 

12/27/2020

Punitive Youth Justice Still Ignores Science in America, Report Says

Although the population of youth locked up in America plunged by two-thirds between 2000 and 2018, the country stubbornly continues to lead the world with its rate of 60 per 100,000, according to a new report.

12/27/2020

Youth Sound Off: Best Reads of 2020

The year 2020 is almost over and what a year it has been! Several issues and events sparked major outrage and discussions about how those issues affect those who have experienced foster care, homelessness and juvenile incarceration around the world.

12/27/2020

Top Stories of 2020: The Abolition Movement in Child Welfare

The killing of George Floyd, and the summer of protests that followed this tragedy, spurred new conversations about the appropriate role of law enforcement. Child welfare systems, which lack the lethal force component of law enforcement but do police communities with the ability to break up families, got no amnesty from the discussion. 

12/26/2020

Top Stories of 2020: Drug Testing and Child Welfare

Two stories The Imprint covered in 2020 reflect the growing concern over how much influence drug testing has on child welfare system involvement.  Lead Read: Texas legislators wanted to know why Taylor County’s child protective services was taking children into foster care at a rate far above the state average.

first birthday family first

12/24/2020

Top Stories of 2020: Family First’s First Year

The Family First Prevention Services Act, the most consequential rewrite of federal child welfare policy in decades, was signed into law in 2018 and took effect at the end of 2019, making 2020 the first full year of effect.

New Texas Law Curtails Power of Pediatricians Contracted by CPS

12/23/2020

Top Stories of 2020: ACES Questioned

California is ramping up a $140 million plan to screen many of the state’s children for adverse childhood experiences, often referred to as ACES. The idea was borne of a landmark study from the 1990s that traced several negative life outcomes in adulthood to trauma endured in childhood. But

Safe Families Children New York Illinois Anderson

12/22/2020

Top Stories of 2020: Safe Families Expansion Draws Fire

David Anderson founded the Chicago-based Safe Families as a faith-based alternative to the child welfare system, designed to provide needed respite for parents in crisis. According to its website, Safe Families’ hosting model is “a positive alternative to the State child welfare system,” noting, “the voluntary and non-coercive nature of Safe Families is a hallmark of the program.”

12/21/2020

Top Stories of 2020: California’s Juvenile Justice Revolution

America’s most populous state has put itself on a path to hand over all youth incarceration to local government, and its largest city is pondering a complete reimagining of what juvenile justice means. 

Youth Services Insider

12/20/2020

‘Year Up’ Sets The Standard on Workforce Development

A gold standard study has found Year Up to have perhaps the strongest evidence to date in connecting youth and young adults to the workforce, perhaps setting the stage for increased investment in the model around the country. 

12/17/2020

Foster Youth Film Channel Launches on IndieFlix Streaming Channel

Participants in Kids in the Spotlight film a scene. Photo courtesy of KITS
Los Angeles County is home to some of the most famous, glamorous people in the world. It’s also home to thousands of foster youth, some of the most traumatized, least visible of all.

Youth Services Insider

12/15/2020

California Youth Connection Board Selects Staffer as Its New Director

Janay Eustace
California Youth Connection, one of the most respected foster youth advocacy organizations in the nation, has a new director after a six-month search. Turns out, the answer was in the office the whole time.

Youth Services Insider

12/11/2020

Allegheny County Child Welfare Chief Marc Cherna to Retire

One of the most respected county human services directors in the country is calling it quits after a quarter-century of service to the children and families of Pennsylvania’s Allegheny County. When Marc Cherna first came to work in Pittsburgh, Allegheny County’s child welfare system was floundering.

12/10/2020

Washington State to Pay $2 Million to Settle Foster Care Case

Washington state this week agreed to pay $2 million to settle a case that alleged negligence in a foster care placement in which a girl claimed the state ignored her complaint of sexual abuse at the home for years.

12/9/2020

Washington State Severs Ties With Residential Care Services Provider Sequel

Sequel

12/4/2020

Judge Formally Ends Oversight of 1985 Juvenile Justice Suit Against Washington, D.C.

The New Beginnings Youth Development Center, which replaced the infamous Oak Hill youth prison in 2009.
It only took 35 years, but the District of Columbia is now out from under a juvenile justice lawsuit that spanned seven mayoral administrations and generations of lawyers.

Youth Services Insider
Family First Act

12/3/2020

Two New States Win Federal Approval of Family Preservation Plans

Two more states have joined the roster of states that can now use the federal child welfare entitlement to support services for families whose kids might otherwise be taken away and fall into the foster care system.

12/1/2020

Settlement Expands Rights of Homeless and Runaway Youth in New York City

Illustration by Christine Ongjoco
A federal judge has greenlighted a class-action settlement that expands the right of homeless or runaway youth in New York City to access essential programs and services, including group home beds, mental health services and a chance to appeal expulsions they consider unfair.

exploitation

11/27/2020

Los Angeles Shares Model for Fighting Sex Trafficking of Minors

In 1996, about 1,000 delegates from 130 nations gathered in Stockholm to finally get serious about a global effort to curb a problem to which it had long turned a blind eye: the commercial sexual exploitation of children.

remote

11/27/2020

Engagement With Remote Learning Alarmingly Low Among New York City Disadvantaged Youth

Amid a fresh wave of coronavirus infections washing over New York City — a development that has reversed the city’s halting efforts to slowly ease more students back into the classroom — comes a new report finding that thousands of students “failed to connect” at all with remote learning opportunities last spring.

11/24/2020

U.S. Justice Department: Discrimination Settlement a ‘Landmark’ Moment for Disabled Parents

Massachusetts must stop its yearslong practice of using “unsupported stereotypes” to justify taking away the children of parents with disabilities, under a settlement that the U.S. Justice Department said should serve as a warning to other states.

Youth Services Insider

11/24/2020

Decision Backing Conversion Therapy Inches Controversy Closer to U.S. Supreme Court

A federal appellate court last week struck down local bans in Florida on psychotherapy aimed at changing the sexual identity or orientation of minors. The ruling increases the odds of the “conversion therapy” issue ending up in the U.S.

Youth Services Insider

11/20/2020

Criminal Justice: Bill Would Establish Parental Diversion Program in Federal Courts

Rep. Pramila Jayapaul (D-Washington) and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) introduced federal legislation that would allow federal judges to sentence parents and caregivers to probation with a range of services instead of prison time.

Youth Services Insider
Investigation Finds Spate of Foster Care Deaths in Ohio Since 2015

11/20/2020

Ohio Still Shortchanging Relative Caregivers Despite Court Order, Complaint Charges

Three years after a federal appeals court ordered Ohio to pay those who assume custody of relatives the same amount it pays licensed foster parents, the Buckeye State continues to severely shortchange kinship caregivers, according to a lawsuit seeking to enforce the order.

Youth Services Insider

11/18/2020

New Jersey Sending Coronavirus Relief Checks to Older Foster Youth

Illustration by Christine Ongjoco
Congress hasn’t been able to get together on a new coronavirus relief package for months, but at least some money from a previous one is on the way to nearly 1,200 transition-age foster youth in the state of New Jersey.

Youth Services Insider

11/18/2020

Juvenile Justice System Groups Picked for Training in Positive Youth Development

A leading philanthropy this week announced the next group of organizations to receive training aimed at encouraging juvenile justice professionals to embrace and spread the principles of positive youth development. In the view of the reformers, frontline staff should be less concerned with sternly enforcing rules to keep kids in line and more about building on the strengths and assets that they and their families bring to the table.

11/17/2020

Federal Settlement Protects Disabled Young Detainees’ Right to Special Education Services

For more than a decade, hundreds of disabled students locked up in a large Georgia jail have not been getting the special education services they’re entitled to under federal law, but that may soon start to change.

California's youth prisons will close by 2023.

11/13/2020

COVID-19 Prevention Measures Lacking in California Youth Prisons

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juvenile justice youth raise the age new york justice cuomo lancman acs

11/10/2020

Federal Oversight May Return to Horizon Juvenile Center in the Bronx

Starting in Octobe 2018, New York City stopped using Rikers Island’s jails to detain juveniles, instead using the Horizon Juvenile Center in the Bronx (pictured).
Limited federal oversight looks likely to return to New York City’s Horizon Juvenile Center, a move that comes a few months after the city phased responsibility for some kids at the center out of the hands of its Department of Correction.

11/3/2020

Pandemic Made Existing Challenges Worse for LGBTQ Foster Youth, Report Says

A new report highlights the ways that the coronavirus pandemic has heightened the risk for LGBTQ youth in foster care. It then recommends steps that child welfare agencies, states and the federal government can take to curtail those risks.

juvenile justice youth raise the age new york justice cuomo lancman acs

10/30/2020

Federal Court Monitor: Violence Still Rampant in New York City Jails, Detention Centers

Starting in Octobe 2018, New York City stopped using Rikers Island’s jails to detain juveniles, instead using the Horizon Juvenile Center in the Bronx (pictured).
New York City has utterly failed to reduce the rate of “unnecessary and excessive use of force” against people who are locked up in city jails and youth detention, according to a court-appointed monitor’s latest six-month report to a federal judge.

10/30/2020

Connecticut Uses Coronavirus Relief to Provide Foster Parent Back Pay

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D). Photo courtesy of governor’s office
Foster parents in Connecticut will receive a retroactive $100-a-month pay bump after the governor and the state child welfare agency decided to peel off about $1.1 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds for that purpose.

10/27/2020

Building Resilience: Group Pushes for Looser Neglect Laws, More Child Autonomy

Child neglect laws are far too broad in many states and should be changed to make it easy, safe and legal for parents to decide when their children can benefit from appropriate parental independence, according to a group that contends today’s “helicopter” parenting style is bad for children and society.

10/23/2020

Grant Aims to Reduce Youth Homelessness in New York’s Snow Belt

Photo: Giving Compass
With winter bearing down on Buffalo and the rest of the Great Lakes Snow Belt, a preseason flurry of good news has fallen for homeless youth in western New York state.Almost

Youth Services Insider

10/23/2020

Mississippi Child Welfare Agency Gets New Leader

Andrea Sanders, credited with cleaning up the Mississippi Department of Human Services in the wake of a scandal earlier this year, is Republican Gov. Tate Reeves’ choice to head the state’s Department of Child Protection Services.

Youth Services Insider

10/21/2020

New York City’s New Human Services Chief Has Deep Roots in Child Welfare

New York City’s newly named official in charge of health and human services comes with professional experience that neither of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s recent appointees for the position has had: deep roots in child welfare issues.

10/20/2020

Federal Judge Rejects Trump Food Stamp Rule

A federal judge on Sunday threw out a Trump Administration proposal that would have cut food stamps to 700,000 Americans, including many foster youths aging out of care, at the end of the coronavirus emergency, which has put millions out of work.

10/19/2020

Kids Accounting for Greater Share of COVID-19 Cases

Diagram image of coronavirus. Image: Phila.gov
Children accounted for a rising share of all American COVID-19 cases as some U.S. schools gingerly welcomed students back to the classroom this summer and fall, according to a new report by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association. 

10/18/2020

PPE Shortage was Child Welfare Workers’ Biggest Need in Early Weeks of Pandemic

Adding to the growing wave of research emerging from the early days of the novel coronavirus, the results of a survey of professionals in justice and child welfare agencies show that, like health care workers, they faced a harrowing shortage of masks, gloves and other personal protective equipment.

Arizona flag and gavel. Photo: 12news.com

10/15/2020

Arizona Tentatively Settles Major Federal Foster Care Lawsuit

Image: 12news.com
Children in Arizona’s foster care system are in line for better access to a range of health care services and living situations after a federal judge on Wednesday tentatively approved a settlement with the state in a 5-year-old case that seems to have already forced major changes in the system. 

Children's Movement

10/7/2020

Children’s Movement Pushes Newsom on Children’s Health

The Medi-Cal program is failing children, and the state must urgently make managed health care plans accountable, a large coalition of youth advocacy groups said Tuesday in a letter to the Administration of California Gov.

Youth Services Insider
Family First Act

10/5/2020

Washington State Gets Federal OK on Foster Care Prevention Plan

The U.S. Children’s Bureau on Friday greenlighted Washington state’s plan to spend federal funds to provide services to families whose children might otherwise be taken away and placed in foster care.

10/1/2020

First 5 LA Issues Progress Report on Early Childhood in Los Angeles

Groups interested in understanding the current state of early childhood in Los Angeles County now have access to a new and vast amount of data they can mine to make informed decisions about how best to design and deliver social programs.

10/1/2020

Harvard Report: Amid Pandemic, Little Financial Slack Left for Households With Kids

As Washington worked this week to craft the latest, long-promised and long-delayed coronavirus relief package, the Harvard School of Public Health and its partners have released a report painting a dire picture of how American households with children are faring financially amid the health and economic crises.

9/28/2020

Riverside Families Seek Reimbursement for Illegal Juvenile Jail Fees

The families of children in Riverside County juvenile detention went to court Monday seeking reimbursement of millions of dollars in fees their lawyers say were illegally charged.  The Western Center on Law & Poverty and the National Center for Youth Law, representing the locked-up youths’ families, filed an amended complaint in their existing lawsuit against the county, charging that although Riverside stopped collecting the administrative fees in April, that was not sufficient.

9/27/2020

New Study Confirms Risk of Prenatal Cannabis Use

A new study on mothers’ use of marijuana during pregnancy found links to a small increase in the child’s risk of developing a range of problems, including psychopathology, low birth weight and sleep problems.

Youth Services Insider

9/25/2020

Ohio Senate Seeks Ban on Life Without Parole for Juveniles

Ohio made a strong move Wednesday toward becoming the 24th state to ban sentences of life without parole for crimes committed when the defendant was a juvenile. The handful or two of people already serving such sentences in Ohio, and a number of others serving de facto life sentences, could be eligible for parole if the bill is passed by the Ohio House and signed into law.

9/24/2020

L.A. County, Foster Advocates Reach Settlement of 18-Year-Old Mental Health Court Case

After 17 years of operating under a consent decree, Los Angeles County has reached an agreement to extricate itself from a long-running federal lawsuit that sought to address gaps in mental health care services for children in foster care in California.

9/23/2020

Foster Youth and Alumni Speak Up for Special Groups Among Them

Foster youth often feel misunderstood and marginalized by society as a whole. Within the larger foster youth community, however, certain groups must deal with even more stress. Those groups, and how to help them build fulfilling lives, are the subjects of the latest set of policy recommendations by the National Foster Care Youth and Alumni Policy Council.

A Federal Bill Could Boost Funds for Home Visiting Program for Parents

9/22/2020

‘The Forgotten Students’: Report Calls on Congress to Help Hard-hit Foster Youth on Campus

The COVID-19 pandemic is threatening to crush the college dreams of thousands of people who will soon be aging out of foster care, and Congress must take urgent steps to avoid these devastating outcomes, according to a report being released this week.

Youth Services Insider

9/22/2020

Missouri Tigers Football Players Tackle Foster Care Prevention

Missouri’s football team will help Care Portal steer support to families in crisis. Photo courtesy of Athlon Sports
This weekend’s football season opener against the Alabama Crimson Tide hasn’t been the only thing on the minds of the Missouri Tigers of late.

Youth Services Insider

9/16/2020

U.S. Appeals Court: Retaining Unfounded Abuse Reports in Database Is Justified

A federal appellate court ruled late last week that Los Angeles County did not violate a man’s due process and privacy rights when it retained a closely held record of unfounded allegations of child sexual abuse against him – without providing him notice or an opportunity to challenge the allegations.

representation

9/16/2020

Study Shows Why Quality Legal Representation is Key in Parent/Child Reunions

Last year, New York researchers determined that when parents have a child in foster care and are represented by teams of lawyers working in tandem with social workers and parent advocates, they were reunited with their child about four months sooner than those who were represented by a solo practitioner.

Youth Services Insider
youth

9/14/2020

National Center for Youth Law Hires New Deputy Director

The National Center for Youth Law is bringing in a longtime fighter for child, youth and community justice as the Oakland, California-based organization’s second in command. Shakti Belway, a graduate of Stanford University’s law school like the center’s director, Jesse Hahnel, brings with her deep experience in community law, litigation, direct representation, policy development, legislative reform and strategic mobilization.

9/14/2020

Reckoning on Equity Necessary After Coronavirus, Report Says

The devastation that the coronavirus has piled on communities that have long suffered under the weight of racism and poverty – along with the fallout from a national uprising against police brutality – has also given rise to an opportunity for historic change in Los Angeles County and beyond, according to a new research report.

Youth Services Insider
audit

9/14/2020

Residential Care Giant Devereux Hires ex-U.S. Attorney General Lynch to Audit Child Safety Practices

President Barack Obama announces his nominee for Attorney General, Loretta E. Lynch, to succeed Eric Holder, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Saturday, Nov. 8, 2014. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
One of the nation’s largest residential care providers announced last week it has hired former U.S.

9/10/2020

Youth-Oriented Drug-Fighting Grants Up for Grabs in California

When California voters easily approved the adult recreational use of cannabis in 2016, there were what might be called high hopes for the tax revenue, then projected to one day total $1 billion annually.

9/4/2020

California Issues Guidelines for School-Based Special Education

Aiming to bring some clarity to kids who need in-person, school-based services amid the coronavirus pandemic, as well as to anxious parents and staff, California health officials issued rules and guidelines last month for how that might be done safely.

9/4/2020

Georgia Dissolves Child Abuse and Neglect Registry

Georgia will no longer maintain its child abuse registry, which launched four years ago to help investigators quickly identify and locate substantiated cases and keep tabs on the scale of the problem. 

9/3/2020

Children’s Defense Fund Announces Historic Leadership Change

Marian Wright Edelman, founder of the Children’s Defense Fund, is retiring later this year and will become President Emerita
One of America’s most prominent child welfare groups, the Children’s Defense Fund, is saying goodbye to co-founder and longtime leader Marian Wright Edelman, and welcoming a new CEO at this crucial time in history.

Youth Services Insider

9/3/2020

Pilot Programs Aim to Boost Future Parents’ Sense of Responsibility

Eight states are developing pilot programs to educate young expecting parents about their  responsibilities, including how to manage their finances, emotions and relationships. The grant money for the programs will come from the federal Office of Child Support Enforcement, part of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families.

Youth Services Insider
dental

9/1/2020

Bill Would Strengthen Oral Health Coverage for U.S. Foster Youth

Foster youth would benefit from stronger access to dental health coverage under a bipartisan bill recently introduced in Congress.   Foster youth already are entitled to dental coverage through Medicaid, but according to bill author Rep.

8/31/2020

Youth Recommendations Target Race Bias in Foster Care in Oregon

As protests against police violence against Black people played out this summer in Portland, some current and former foster youth in Oregon – disproportionately people of color – were thinking of how they might rid the foster care system of systemic racial bias.

8/28/2020

L.A. Homeless Youth Numbers Jump 19% Compared with 2019 – Before The Pandemic

Months before coronavirus appeared, youth homelessness in greater Los Angeles soared almost 19% from the previous annual point-in-time survey, according to results released Thursday, as regional efforts to house this vulnerable population failed to keep pace with the growing need.

8/28/2020

New Rule Puts Some Head Start Agencies Under Pressure to Improve

The federal government is hoping to improve the quality of local Head Start agencies’ programs by refining how it determines when grantees are falling short and must be thrown into competition for ongoing funding.

8/27/2020

Social Worker’s Death Due to COVID Prompts Union Calls for Additional Measures

Social worker Ronda Felder died from the coronavirus, causing a call to action to protect other social workers.
The death of a San Diego County social worker has led her colleagues to call on the county to do more to protect them from the coronavirus, which they say the woman caught in the field.

8/26/2020

Florida Student Researchers to Dig Deep in Juvenile Justice Data

In exchange for helping Florida’s Department of Juvenile Justice research and develop its next wave of innovations through internships and employment opportunities, some students from the historically Black Bethune-Cookman University will get an inside track for careers at the department.

Youth Services Insider

8/26/2020

Two National Child Welfare-Focused Organizations Announce Merger

Two significant organizations in the fields of social, health and human services have agreed in principle to a merger early next year.  The boards of the Milwaukee-based Alliance for Strong Families and Communities and the New York City-based Council on Accreditation announced Tuesday that they had signed a nonbinding letter of intent to combine forces if due diligence, now underway, doesn’t surface any unforeseen issues. 

Wisconsin: Proposals Would Expand Authorities' Ability to Strip Parental Rights

8/25/2020

Wisconsin Juvenile Justice Plan Hits New Snag

Wisconsin’s plans to overhaul its juvenile justice system by building new lockups closer to juvenile offenders’ families and communities suffered a new blow this week when the state’s two largest counties declined millions of dollars in state funds for construction.

8/21/2020

House Democratic Report Rips Waiver Allowing LGBTQ Discrimination

Two significant developments occurred this week that have the potential to shape the limits of how far faith-based, publicly funded child welfare agencies can go in selectively choosing what foster or adoptive parents they are willing to work with.

Youth Services Insider

8/21/2020

Penn State Develops Algorithm to Assess Substance Abuse Risk in Homeless Youth

Researchers think they’ve come up with a cutting-edge way to predict the likelihood of a given homeless youth running into trouble with substance abuse – and to devise individualized rehab strategies for those who nevertheless develop a disorder.

8/19/2020

Bill Would Dial Back Prices for Phone Calls, Canteen Items in Jails, Juvenile Lockups

It’s not cheap to keep people in California’s county-run jails and juvenile lockups. So the law allows sheriffs to run commissary stores inside and to charge the residents to make outside phone calls, then tap the profits “primarily” to pay for programs and services that benefit the incarcerated people. 

8/16/2020

Most States Require Some Youth To Be on Sex Offender Registries

Forty-two states permit some youth to be included on their sex-offender registry, even though research shows that only small fractions of juvenile sex offenders recidivate as adults, according to the Juvenile Law Center.

8/13/2020

Religious Discrimination Case Moves Forward in South Carolina

A Catholic mother’s lawsuit alleging bedrock religious discrimination by South Carolina’s largest child-placement agency with the blessing of state and federal officials may proceed, a federal judge ruled this week, rejecting calls to throw out her case.

Youth Services Insider

8/12/2020

Congressional Watchdog Says Feds Should Be More Proactive on Kinship Care

Relative caregivers are parenting 2.7 million American children in kinship care. This group of caregivers often goes without critical support that is available, sometimes to the detriment of their own well-being, according to a new audit by the congressional watchdog agency.

8/7/2020

Bay Area DA Calls for Closure of Juvenile Hall, Investing in Community Alternatives

Less than a week after joining dozens of other prosecutors, corrections officials and probation chiefs in signing an open letter calling for the closure of all youth prisons, one California district attorney took her first official step toward doing just that in her own county.

Youth Services Insider
Friends Mentoring

8/7/2020

National Youth Mentoring Model Faces Rigorous Final Test

Los Angeles Friend Marquis spending one-on-one time at the playground with his youths. Photo: Friends of the Children—Los Angeles
A federal grant will allow for the completion of a major study on the effect of long-term professional mentoring on at-risk youth. 

Youth Services Insider
Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy's and The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. Photo: The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption

8/5/2020

Michigan Latest State to Target Adoption of Older Foster Youth

Wendy’s Founder Dave Thomas. Photo courtesy of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption
Statistics show that the longer kids are in foster care, the harder it is to place them permanently in a loving home.

Kansas DCF

8/5/2020

Federal Audit Slams Kansas Child Welfare System

Federal auditors recently faulted Kansas’ Department for Children and Families for allowing residents of its foster care group homes to be chronically exposed to potentially hazardous conditions, even though the state regularly inspected the facilities.

Youth Services Insider

8/3/2020

Point Source Youth to Expand Footprint in Fight Against Youth Homelessness

Larry Cohen Point Source Youth Third Annual Symposium to End Youth Homelessness. Photo courtesy of the organization
Point Source Youth, a nonprofit that helps local partners in 30 communities fight to prevent youth homelessness, is preparing to meet a key organizational goal by expanding its work into 20 more communities across the country.

Montgomery child welfare bill new york

8/3/2020

Bill Prioritizes Placing Incarcerated Parents Close to Children

The 80,000 children of New York state whose parents are locked up in distant state correctional institutions might have an easier time visiting mom or dad under a bill sitting on Gov.

7/30/2020

Family Enrichment Centers Show Early Promise in New York City, Evaluation Reports

New York City’s child welfare agency launched a bold small experiment in 2018: Three new community rooms deep in the city’s most under-resourced neighborhoods would offer comfy, staffed spaces for families to seek no-strings-attached advice and support, computer access, meeting space or children’s playtime, all at no cost.

7/28/2020

Missouri Child Welfare Overhaul Includes Kinship Diversion, Access to Birth Documents

Missouri has made it easier for an adult relative to temporarily look after the children of kin without legally removing them into foster care. That’s one of several substantive changes to the state’s child welfare system that Gov.

7/22/2020

Arizona Child Welfare Investigators Fired for ‘Professional Kidnapper’ T-Shirts

Several county workers investigating allegations of abuse and neglect in some of Arizona’s most struggling communities were reportedly fired last month, after they wore bright pink T-shirts to work declaring themselves a “professional kidnapper.”

Youth Services Insider

7/21/2020

Federal Grant to Fund Behavioral Health Services for At-risk Youth

A federal grant of up $12 million will allow Kentucky to provide comprehensive behavioral health and social services for almost 1,500 children and youth in the state’s child welfare system. The four-year grant of up to $3 million a year is intended to improve long-term outcomes for youth through age 21.

7/20/2020

Advocates Propose New Deal-style Assistance for Transitional Foster Youth

California lawmakers may have helped older foster youth from some of the immediate ravages of the coronavirus pandemic in the state’s recently passed budget, but the San Francisco-based Youth Law Center says it’s time to look forward and start planning now for long-term recovery strategies.

7/16/2020

New York City Adoption Agency You Gotta Believe Hires New Leader

You Gotta Believe, a pioneer in the field of finding permanent families for young adults, teens and pre-teens in foster care, has a new leader, allowing the former director, Mary Keane, to return to her first love, program work, after three years at the helm of the nonprofit agency.

Youth Services Insider
funding

7/16/2020

Bar Association Report: Funding Shifts Greatly Affect Legal Counsel for Kids, Parents

Research has shown that quality legal representation on behalf of all parties in the child welfare system improves the outcome for children and families alike. But until now, little research has been conducted on just how funding affects the ability to provide quality legal services.

Youth Services Insider

7/14/2020

CHAMPS Report Finds States Struggling with Foster Parent Recruitment

The recruitment and retention of foster parents — a critical but often overlooked aspect of development for children in foster care — has never been easy, and the coronavirus pandemic has made it perhaps harder than ever, according to a new report from CHAMPS, a national policy campaign that focuses on promoting high-quality foster parenting.

Kansas DCF

7/10/2020

Lawsuit: Kansas Agrees to Ambitious Foster Care Reforms

Kansas has agreed to a slate of dramatic changes to its child welfare system aimed at ending housing and mental health failures that destabilize youth in foster care. Child advocates who brought the civil rights lawsuit in 2018 said it was past time to end what they called “state-sanctioned homelessness.”

Youth Services Insider

7/10/2020

What Works to Fight Youth Homelessness? We Don’t Know Much, Review Finds

A comprehensive new review of programs and practices aimed at tackling youth homelessness did not identify a silver bullet but rather suggested some promising areas for further study — and a crying need for more and better evidence of what works.

Fair Futures New York City foster youth foster care ron richter oped

7/7/2020

Funding Increased, Not Cut, For New York City Foster Youth Mentor Program

New York City child welfare advocates are cheering a budget agreement that spares deep funding cuts from a program providing mentors for thousands of foster youth. The program, known as Fair Futures, was slated for significant cuts last week, when the city adopted an $88 billion budget that was deeply constrained by the economic fallout from the coronavirus.

Youth Services Insider

7/2/2020

Foundation Puts $12.5 Million Up to End Black Youth Criminalization in Oakland

Akonadi Foundation, an Oakland-based family grant maker, has announced a five-year, $12.5 million effort to end the criminalization of Black youth and other youth of color in Oakland. Akonadi, which has been focused on fighting structural racism for two decades, selected 11 local grassroots organizations to receive funding for various projects under the project’s umbrella name of All in for Oakland.

7/2/2020

UPDATED: North Carolina Get-Tough Bill on Drug Exposed Newborns Passes, But Vetoed by Governor

Last week, the North Carolina legislature sent a bill to Gov. Roy Cooper (D) that would make it easier and faster to put babies born exposed to drugs and alcohol on a path to adoption, cutting off efforts to return them to their parents.

Youth Services Insider

7/1/2020

Iowa Law to Test the Benefit of Early Legal Help in Child Welfare Cases

Iowa aims to find out if giving families in crisis early access to lawyers would improve outcomes, rather than being assigned a public defender only after a child is removed and enters the foster care system. 

Youth Services Insider

6/25/2020

New Director, New Directions for Family Focused Treatment Association

Consonant with its expanded approach to developing, promoting and supporting children in the child welfare system, the recently renamed Family Focused Treatment Association has hired its first executive director to lead the nonprofit’s transition to tackling a broader mandate under a new, landmark federal law.

Youth Services Insider

6/23/2020

International Study Recommends Phase-Out of Institutions for Children

A major new review of the effects of raising children in institutions — and the effects of getting those children into family-based care — concludes that institutionalization should be phased out.

Youth Services Insider

6/18/2020

In a First, Parent Successfully Appeals Michigan Judge’s Removal of Child to Foster Care

A Michigan parent on Thursday became the state’s first to successfully appeal a judge’s decision to remove a child into foster care, a ruling that the family’s advocates hailed as “an important first step” toward ensuring that judges don’t put families through the trauma of separation without showing sufficient cause.

Youth Services Insider
The coronavirus pandemic meant more kids stayed in the child welfare system than the previous year, according to an AP analysis.

6/18/2020

CarePortal Aims to Connect Churches with Families Caught in COVID-19 Crisis

A new online portal will help children and families in crisis because of the COVID-19 pandemic more easily get help from local churches. When human services agencies who enroll on the CarePortal hear from someone who needs help, they can log on to the portal and post the relevant information about that need, and churches in the immediate area with the ability to help can do so.

6/17/2020

Youth Services Workers Implore De Blasio to Restore Summer Programs

Hoping to capitalize on mounting political pressure to defund the New York Police Department, nearly 2,000 of New York City’s youth services workers are calling on Mayor Bill de Blasio to reverse his plan to cut $175 million from the city’s youth-oriented summer programs, which serve more than 175,000 youth.

6/12/2020

Los Angeles Drops Need for Court Appearance for Uncontested Adoptions During Court Closures

Hundreds of uncontested adoptions in Los Angeles County have been hung up at the final stage since the coronavirus slowed in-person court appearances to a crawl, but that’s about to change.

Youth Services Insider

6/12/2020

Pioneer in Juvenile Justice Retiring in Vermont

Ken Schatz, who as commissioner of the Vermont Department for Children and Families pushed for the shut down of the state’s only remaining juvenile prison, is retiring at the end of the month after serving in the post since 2014 and will be replaced by Deputy Commissioner Sean Brown.

Youth Services Insider

6/11/2020

Anti-Poverty Grants Fund Platforms for Youth Voices

Advocates for the poor have long argued that most Americans’ assumptions about people who live in poverty are mostly wrong. If only, they say, Americans could see the world from the point of view of those who experience it every day, they might gain a more truer and more sympathetic understanding of the complex issues involved.

5/29/2020

Progress Reported on LGBTQ Inclusion by Child Welfare Agencies

The number of child welfare agencies working to create a more welcoming experience for thousands of LGBTQ foster youth took a big jump in the past year, according to a report released Thursday by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. 

5/29/2020

Democrats Seek Answers From Justice Department on Juvenile Detainees Amid Virus Crisis

A group of Democratic senators wants to know what, if anything, the Trump administration has done to help state and local juvenile justice agencies comply with basic standards of care for youth locked up amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Youth Services Insider

5/7/2020

Congressional Internship for Foster Youth Forced to Go Remote

The coronavirus pandemic has affected seemingly everything, and the 20th annual congressional summer internship program for former foster youth is no exception. For the first time in the history of the Foster Youth Internship Program, familiarly known as FYI, participants in the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute’s program will take place not in Washington, D.C.,

5/7/2020

Survey Underway on Foster Youth Experience During Coronavirus

Foster care researchers in San Francisco are surveying as many current and recent American foster youth as they can to find out what they need and want in the age of the coronavirus and beyond. 

5/6/2020

Immigrant Rights Group Issues Guidance on Family Reunification Process Amid Coronavirus

COVID-19 has complicated the process of reuniting immigrant families with their children when a parent with an ongoing child welfare case is either in ICE custody in the U.S. or has been deported.

Top Stories of 2022: What the Early Pandemic Numbers Say

4/8/2020

ARCHIVED: Coronavirus, Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice, A Running Thread

This thread includes all of The Imprint’s stories and articles on the coronavirus and its impact on children, youth and families published between March 13 and April 10. For our continuing coverage of the pandemic and how it is changing child welfare and juvenile justice, visit: www.imprintnews.org/coronavirus-kids-and-families