Analysis

President Donald Trump issued an executive order Wednesday with a laundry list of instructions for his administration on child welfare. The order does not appear to direct new money to states – in one place, it might be calling for tighter restrictions on federal funds – but it does lay out new data collection and technical assistance aimed at reducing the use of, and time spent in, foster care.  

As the gravity of the coronavirus that has now claimed the lives of nearly 120,000 Americans set in, California was among the first states where college campuses began to abruptly shut down campuses and send students away with instructions to continue learning remotely.

Over the past several days, America has, yet again, borne witness to how deeply its people are wounded and angered over the disproportionate use of deadly force by police on African Americans. 

Jeffrey Thomas has always used basketball as an outlet when times get tough. But nowadays when the 23-year-old Southern Californian needs to take a breather, the natural extrovert can’t meet up with his friends or family.

At some point, the world and the nation will get past the initial, horrific onset of the coronavirus pandemic. In its wake will almost certainly be a recession, corresponding unemployment and hard times for millions of American families. 

Consider this scenario, likely to repeat itself across the country. In a month or two or more from now, my client will appear before a juvenile court judge for the first time since the coronavirus crisis forced courts to close their doors.

There is every reason to believe the COVID-19 pandemic will have a long-felt impact on child welfare systems around the country. The list of concerns starts with mortality, and whether children lose one or both of their parents.

The last calendar year of the ‘10s has come and gone, and the fields of child welfare and juvenile justice move on to a new decade. For the past two weeks, The Imprint has counted down some of our top storylines from 2019.

The Family First Prevention Services Act paves the way for more federal investment in programs with a solid base of evidence of helping children and families. But this exposes an elephant in the room when it comes to child welfare: there aren’t many models that fit the bill.