Attorneys

Penalized for Their Prescriptions: Parents Using Legal Addiction Medications Face Ongoing Discrimination in the Child Welfare System

s this country battles yet another drug epidemic, medical authorities and the federal government continue to promote “medication-assisted treatments” like methadone as the most-effective frontline defense against the ravages of opioid addiction. The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the bedrock … Read More

Social Media and Children 2024 Legislation

As concerns arise regarding the effects of social media usage on children’s mental health, state legislators are introducing measures to protect children while using the internet and internet-based forms of communication, including social media. The legislation includes bills and resolutions … Read More

Partnering With Youth and Families: A Best Practices Guide for Youth Justice Stakeholders

Over the past 20 years, experts in the youth justice field have generally agreed on the importance of youth and family engagement in the development and implementation of programs designed to prevent delinquency, intervene with system-involved youth, and prevent recidivism. … Read More

Child & Family Services Review Process

The Children’s Bureau (CB) conducts Child & Family Services Reviews (CFSRs) periodically to review state child welfare systems. These reviews are the federal governments’ main compliance and enforcement mechanism, but they also serve as a critical component for promoting a … Read More

NSCAW III Baseline Report (2017-2022): Child and Family Involvement with the Child Welfare System

This report is part of a series describing findings from the third cohort of the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW III) baseline data collection. This report provides a summary of the characteristics of the index maltreatment report … Read More

2024 Research and Evaluation Conference on Self-Sufficiency (RECS)

Videos from this year’s Research and Evaluation Conference on Self-Sufficiency (RECS) have been posted online! The videos cover topics such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families flexibilities to provide concrete and economic supports for primary prevention in child welfare; racial bias … Read More

Abuse of Youth Placed in Residential Facilities

What GAO Found Prior GAO reports have described allegations of youth being maltreated, and sometimes killed, by staff employed at residential facilities. Many of the youth placed in residential facilities are in foster care. Youth in foster care may be … Read More

New Insights on State Kinship Diversion Policies

Defining Kinship Diversion Many families rely on kin — relatives and close family friends — to provide support in times of crisis or when a parent may need extra help. It is common for kin to step in to provide … Read More

2024 Report to Congress Progress Report: Federal Implementation of the 2022 National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers

Supporting Family Caregivers: Addressing a Critical — and Growing — Public Health Issue The need for a robust, coordinated approach to supporting family caregivers has never been greater . Each year, at least 53 million people1 provide informal, usually unpaid, … Read More

Updated State-by-State Resources Help Families Understand Permanency Options

Kinship foster families who are thinking about taking the next steps to legal permanency have many options to consider and decisions to make for their child and family’s well-being. These include selecting the most appropriate permanency option based on the … Read More