Author Archives: Jamar Little

Live Streaming and Virtual Child Sex Trafficking

Online child sexual exploitation has increased dramatically over the past few decades. Minors access digital devices, the internet, and social media platforms at much younger ages than in the past, and devices and platforms are expanding the capacity for image … Read More

Fact Sheet: Children Thrive in Grandfamilies

More than 2.5 million children across the U.S. are raised in grandfamilies (also known as kinship families).1 These are families in which grandparents, other adult family members, or close family friends are raising children, with no parents in the home. … Read More

What’s at Stake as Public Spending on Kids Declines?

The child poverty rate increased dramatically in 2022 after dropping to a historic low in 2021, according to new Census Bureau data. The drop in child poverty in 2021 was largely attributable to the temporary expansion of the child tax credit (CTC) and to the … Read More

Social Media’s Concerning Effect on Teen Mental Health

CUR­RENT LEV­ELS OF TEEN SOCIAL MEDIA USE Vir­tu­al­ly all teens (95%) ages 13 to 17 use social media, with more than 1 in 3 report­ing that they use it ​“almost con­stant­ly.” While most U.S. social media plat­forms require users to be at least 13 years old, near­ly 40% of kids ages 8 to 12 use social media. … Read More

The State of Children With Disabilities and Special Health Care Needs

CHIL­DREN WITH SPE­CIAL HEALTH CARE NEEDS In 2019–2020, 19% of kids liv­ing in the Unit­ed States — more than 14 mil­lion chil­dren total — had spe­cial health care needs, accord­ing to a 2022 sum­ma­ry of the Mater­nal and Child Health Bureau’s Nation­al Sur­vey of Children’s Health. Chil­dren with­in … Read More

Youth Detention and the Pandemic

THE PANDEMIC’S EFFECTS ON YOUTH JUSTICE The data from Casey’s month­ly sur­vey dur­ing this peri­od offer an unpar­al­leled glimpse into hun­dreds of juve­nile jus­tice sys­tems around the coun­try. The Foun­da­tion observed sig­nif­i­cant and con­cern­ing changes — espe­cial­ly for Black youth: READ MORE

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services – Overdose Prevention Strategy

KEY POINTS READ MORE

Latest Data: Combination Drug Use Increases Overdoses

These interactive graphics report on the emerging trends in overdose deaths, as well as evidence-based strategies for reducing overdoses. The overdose crisis is evolving rapidly, with the current emphasis placed on the impact of multiple drugs commonly found in combination, … Read More

Announcing New Resource On Infants Affected By Prenatal Substance Exposure

The National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare (NCSACW), with support from the Vermont Oxford Network (VON) developed a four-part series on implementing Plans of Safe Care and Family Care Plans. The series examines the role healthcare providers play … Read More

Experiences of Faith-Based Organizations as Key Stakeholders in Policy Responses to Human Trafficking

Introduction Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs) are key stakeholders in the fight against human trafficking [1,2]. They have had a historically prominent role in anti-trafficking efforts in Europe and the United States. Christian missionary societies established the anti-trafficking movement in the 1900s … Read More