Author Archives: Susan Shaffette

State-level Data for Understanding Child Welfare in the United States

This comprehensive child welfare resource provides state and national data on child maltreatment, foster care, kinship caregiving, and adoption from foster care. The data are essential to help policymakers understand how many children and youth came in contact with the child welfare system, and why. … Read More

National Quality Improvement Center Collaborative Community Court Teams

The Center for Children and Family Futures (CCFF) just released two briefs highlighting the efforts of these teams to improve safety, permanency, well-being, and  recovery. The Program Summary Brief focuses on implementation strategies, accomplishments, and lessons. The Evaluation Summary Brief, … Read More

Child Maltreatment Report 2020

This report presents national data about child abuse and neglect known to child protective services agencies in the United States during federal fiscal year 2020. Release date: January 2022. Child Maltreatment 2020 is the latest edition of the annual Child … Read More

Family Integrity & Justice Quarterly

Winter 2022 – PublicKnowledge Family Integrity & Justice Works at Public Knowledge® advocates for the replacement of harmful components of our child welfare system with more humane and respectful approaches. On January 25, 2022, Family Integrity & Justice Works published the Inaugural Issue … Read More

The Little Agency That Could: Louisiana’s Mental Health Advocacy Service

By Rebecca May-Ricks and Kathy Lynn Cook, Published in American Bar Association – Children’s Rights Litigation (online) The Mental Health Advocacy Service (MHAS) was established in the late 1970s as part of Louisiana’s Division of Administration under the Office of … Read More

Child Safety Guide – Bench Cards

Child Safety: A Guide for Judges and Attorneys was written by Therese Roe Lund, MSSW with the National Resource Center for Child Protective Services and Jennifer Renne, JD, with the National Resource Center on Legal and Judicial Issues with support … Read More

Recommendations for Legal Representation of Children and Youth in Neglect and Abuse Proceedings

For the first time in two decades @NACCchildlaw published new Recommendations for Legal Representation of Children and Youth in Neglect and Abuse Proceedings, centering #youthvoice + equity in legal representation #childwelfare #a2j Review or download the report: https://bit.ly/3fdZdIE

My Community Cares – Transforming Child Welfare Systems

How does My Community Cares in Louisiana build strong neighborhoods that keep families together? My Community Cares (MCC) is a community-driven approach that strives to bring together community members and agencies committed to a shared vision of promoting child and … Read More

A Toolkit for Juvenile Justice Agencies to Help Young People Heal and Thrive During and After Natural Disasters

Young people are especially vulnerable to the negative effects of natural disasters, and those who are involved in the juvenile justice system are at particularly high risk for experiencing disaster-related traumatic stress and other mental health and behavioral challenges. However, … Read More

National Adoption Month Resources for Legal Professionals

Legal professionals often collaborate with the child welfare system and are integral to achieving permanency for teens. To provide quality representation and ensure the case plan meets the young person’s needs, legal professionals must engage youth. The resources below provide … Read More