Child Welfare

What’s Working (or Not) in State Policies for Substance Use During Pregnancy

Substance use during pregnancy (or “prenatal substance use”) is becoming more common. Overdose and substance-related suicide are the leading preventable causes of maternal mortality, and prenatal substance use can increase the risk of miscarriage, birth defects, developmental disabilities, preterm birth, low birth weight, and decreased … Read More

Human Trafficking Response Guide for School Resource Officers

ABOUT THIS GUIDE As a school resource officer (SRO), you are in a unique position to reach students considered vulnerable to exploitation and human trafficking. You play an important role because you may regularly interact with different students as part … Read More

Children’s Coalition for Northeast Louisiana to Relaunch Youth Services Planning Board

[Monroe, LA]— The Children’s Coalition of Northeast Louisiana is relaunching the 4th Judicial District Youth Services Planning Board (YSPB), a member-led board of leaders from across Morehouse and Ouachita Parishes dedicated to improving young people’s outcomes. The Board’s mission is … Read More

NDAA Juvenile Prosecution Principles and Guidelines

Purpose These policy positions were developed to strengthen and support the work of juvenile prosecution. They are designed to be read in conjunction with NDAA’s National Prosecution Standards, Fourth Edition (2023), Section V, Juvenile Justice. While every state has its … Read More

Global Report on Early Childhood Care and Education

The Right to A Strong Foundation Executive summary The world is not on track to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 and ensure inclusive and quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all. Education, starting with early childhood education, is … Read More

Roots of Support Building: Building Infrastructures to Support Children and Families In the Child Welfare System

BUILDING BRIDGES: STRENGTHENING KINSHIP CARE FOR FOSTER YOUTH WITH COMPLEX NEEDS Research is clear that children fare best when they are kept with families. Kinship care, involving placements with relatives or familiar individuals, offers young people the opportunity to remain … Read More

Navigating Foster Care: How Parental Drug Use and Caregiver Attitudes Shape Children’s Mentalization Processes—an Exploratory Longitudinal Follow-up Study

Introduction Foster care is government-subsidized and -regulated temporary care for children who have been removed from their families for reasons of abuse and neglect. Children can be placed either in family or residential care. While family foster care includes arrangements … Read More

Instability in Foster Care: How Transitions Into and Out of Foster Care Relate to School Discipline

The goal of the foster care system is to protect children from maltreatment, neglect, and abuse by removing them from unsafe home environments to temporarily place them in family-like settings until a safe, permanent home is found (U.S. Department of … Read More

A Snapshot of States’ Child Welfare Data Systems of Record

What is the status of states’ systems of record? We asked states to describe the child welfare information system that staff use to report to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS). We refer to this system as … Read More

Offering Walk-in Counselling as a Low-Barrier and Accessible Service for Youth

A Struggle to Access Youth‑Centred, Timely and Integrated Care Across Canada, youth are experiencing the highest rates of mental illness of any age group. The COVID-19 pandemic, drug toxicity crisis, climate change and rise in anti-2SLGBTQIA+ hate are just a … Read More