Often, foster kids have come into care specifically because they have experienced loss, abuse, or neglect. Those experiences and other kinds of trauma that may have occurred in their home, including being removed from their birth family, can and often … Read More
Author Archives: Jamar Little
Relative Foster Care Is Increasing Among American Indian and Alaska Native Children in Foster Care
A new analysis from Child Trends finds that, from federal fiscal year (FFY) 2018 to FFY 2021, the use of relative foster care placements for American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) children in foster care grew in seven of the … Read More
Trauma-Focused Practice Supplement for the Crossover Youth Practice Model
THE CROSSOVER YOUTH PRACTICE MODEL (CYPM) The Center for Juvenile Justice Reform (CJJR) designed the CYPM to improve multi-system collaboration on behalf of crossover youth and their families and inspire practice and policy changes aimed at better meeting their needs. … Read More
Supporting High-Needs Youth at Home and in the Community: Implementation of Youth Advocate Programs, Inc.’s Core Model in Six Jurisdictions Across the United States
Executive Summary Over the last twenty years, the number of youth incarcerated in residential facilities across the United States has declined significantly. While the reasons for this precipitous drop are complex, many scholars believe that the decline has been driven … Read More
Trends in State Mental Health Policy
Introduction In 2022, COVID-19 restrictions eased and Americans were able to return to familiar routines at work, at school and in their communities. Many people found their lives returning to a new kind of normal, but at the same time, … Read More
Lived Experience of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: A Qualitative Scoping Review
Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) can result in a range of neurodevelopment impairments, which can affect an individual’s physical, behavioural, and cognitive functioning, while also having an impact on everyday life. When these impairments have a significant impact on three or more … Read More
Strategies for Addressing Length of Stay to Improve Outcomes for Youth and Communities
Lessons Learned from the Length of Stay Policy Academy Introduction In recent years, there has been a growing recognition that youth involved in the juvenile justice system thrive best when they receive services and supports in their own homes and … Read More
Promoting Healthy Relationships in Foster Care—“If I Had Seen What a Healthy Relationship Looks Like, that Would Have Changed My Perspective”
Introduction Romantic relationships with high levels of intimacy, support, affection, and satisfaction, contribute to social emotional wellbeing and a sense of self-worth and competence (Collins et al., 2009). Indeed young adults with a history in foster care report that having … Read More
Predisposing, Enabling, and Need Factors Associated with Psychotropic Medication and Mental Health Service Use among Children in Out-of-Home Care in the United States: A Scoping Review
Introduction 1.1. Background In the United States, more than 600,000 children were placed in out-of-home care in 2021, including non-kinship foster, kinship, treatment foster, residential, and group care. Children in out-of-home care have higher rates of mental health disorders. For … Read More
Class is in Session: A Discussion Guide to Help Families Navigate Schools
This guide is designed to help adoptive, foster, and kinship support group leaders facilitate a discussion on navigating school systems and advocating for children and youth in a school setting. Even if you do not plan to lead a meeting … Read More