The nearly 370,000 children in foster care deserve to grow up in safe and loving homes that help them reach their full potential. During National Foster Care Month, we share our gratitude for the foster parents who show foster youth … Read More
Interdisciplinary
The What, Why, and How of Collecting and Analyzing Demographic Data to Improve Equity in Child Welfare
Introduction This brief summarizes practices related to collecting detailed demographic data—such as race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression—and other data to measure equity in child welfare. We compiled these data practices from an environmental scan of academic … Read More
Trauma-Informed Housing: A Toolkit for Advancing Equity and Economic Opportunity in Affordable Housing
We know that when life hits us with stressful, overwhelming, or traumatic experiences, we’re more likely to bounce back – be resilient – when we have healthy ways to cope and a supportive environment. A safe, affordable place to call home … Read More
The Way Forward: Report of the Alyce Spotted Bear & Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children
Introduction Created by Congress through bipartisan legislation, the Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children was charged with conducting a comprehensive study of the programs, grants, and supports available to American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians … Read More
Co-designing a Kin-first Culture Approach in Child Welfare – Public Service Design Conference 2023
Bloom Works and the Washington state Department of Children, Youth and Families share how they used service design and co-design to help children in the foster care system stay connected to their extended families, and overcome systemic barriers to kin … Read More
On the Threshold of Change Forces that Could Transform Future Conditions for Youth in Extended Foster Care (EFC)
Introduction Prior to 2010, youth in foster care “aged out” of the system at the age of 18, which left them to navigate adulthood on their own. Many had been deeply traumatized by their experiences before foster care, the loss … Read More
Trauma-Informed Housing
An Approach to Empower Residents in Affordable Housing Design, Services, and Management Public and assisted housing provides affordable, stable housing to people with low incomes—including seniors, people with disabilities, and families with children. However, policies and practices around affordable housing … Read More
Building and Sustaining Data Analytics Capacity
INTRODUCTION U.S. states, tribes, and territories regularly send the administrative data they collect from human services programs to federal agencies to meet compliance requirements. Administrative data, however, can be leveraged beyond reporting to gain a deeper understanding of program operations, … Read More
Psychotropic Polypharmacy Trends Rise Among Child, Adolescent Medicaid Beneficiaries
The results of a study examining trends in psychotropic polypharmacy among youths enrolled in Medicaid indicated that there has been a rise in the concomitant use of multiple psychotropic medications in this patient population. According to the study’s investigators, psychotropic … Read More
2024 Race for Results Report
The U.S. child welfare system has historically performed poorly when it comes to supporting children and youth of color. In 2014, the Annie E. Casey Foundation released a report, Race for Results, detailing racial disparities and disproportionality using 12 well-being indicators. … Read More