Author Archives: Susan Shaffette

Call for Abstracts – NACC’s 46th National Child Welfare Law Conference

The National Association of Counsel for Children is accepting proposals to present at NACC’s annual dual conference to be held in person August 10-12, 2023, at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis, followed by a separate agenda online September 20-22, 2023. This … Read More

2022 Kids Count Data Book: State Trends in Child Well-Being

Annie E. Casey Foundation. 2022 SUMMARY The 33rd edition of the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s KIDS COUNT® Data Book describes how children in America are in the midst of a mental health crisis, struggling with anxiety and depression at unprecedented levels. This year’s … Read More

Administration for Children and Families logo

Introducing the Reasonable Efforts Findings Study

U.S. Administration for Children and Families – October 05, 2022 A judge’s reasonable efforts decisions at child welfare hearings may avoid separating families and help children achieve permanency faster.1 As a result, judges play a critical role in child welfare … Read More

The Mental Health and Well-Being of Multiracial LGBTQ Youth

Trevor Project 2022 Multiracial youth are the fastest-growing demographic in the United States (Jones et al., 2021);however, minimal research specifically explores multiracial youth’s mental health and well-being.Even less research explores the intersection of multiracial and LGBTQ identities, particularlyamong youth. The … Read More

Language Bias in Child Welfare (Includes audio)

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children & Families, Children’s Bureau – October 20, 2022 This brief provides an overview of biased language in child welfare case practice and strategies to identify and study it. Key themes … Read More

New Study Looks At Foster Care, Parental Incarceration, and Youth Mental Health

Theravive – October 25, 2022 A new study published in the Journal of Child Abuse and Neglect looked at youth prevalence, disparities and mental health at the intersection of parental incarceration and foster care. “Our study looked at adolescent health … Read More

Administration for Children and Families logo

Addressing the Impacts of Parent and Caregiver Loss on Children (Includes audio)

U.S. Administration for Children and Families – October 27, 2022 Losing a parent or caregiver is a tragic and life-changing event for a child. Supporting children and families who have experienced loss is deeply embedded in the strategic goals and … Read More

Strategies to Support the Needs of Infants and Toddlers in Child Welfare and Early Intervention Programs

Daniel Ferguson, Sheila Smith, Maribel Granja, Olivia Lasala, and Hope Cooper Research shows that infants and toddlers involved in Child Welfare (CW) are at risk of poor social-emotional, behavioral, and learning outcomes for reasons such as family adversities, trauma, maltreatment, … Read More

Addressing discrimination supports youth suicide prevention efforts

Experiences of identity-based discrimination are associated with increased risk of suicide, especially among youth with multiple marginalized identities. To effectively reduce suicide among youth, state leaders must understand the relationship between discrimination and suicide risk. Child Trends’ new brief summarizes … Read More

Benefits of Kinship Placement

The American Bar Association (ABA) developed a tool for lawyers to use in trial or during their appellate arguments to help them advocate for kinship placement. Benefits of Kinship Placement includes information and resources that counsel may be able to include in … Read More