Wellspring Living, a grantee of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, is a nonprofit that serves survivors of sex trafficking and those at risk for exploitation. Based in Metro Atlanta, a city with one the highest rates of human trafficking in the United States, the organization … Read More
Child Well-Being
Using Strength And Challenges To Measure Youth Well-Being
WHAT IS STRENGTH-BASED MEASUREMENT? A Landscape Scan includes background on the movement toward adopting more strength-based approaches in the field of psychology. Traditionally, researchers have focused on the negative forces youth face. This is a holdover from health research, built around mitigating … Read More
Learn The Basics Of Juvenile Justice
UNDERSTANDING JUVENILE JUSTICE JUVENILE DETENTION DIVERSION, RESTORATIVE JUSTICE AND YOUTH PROBATION READ MORE
Creating Equitable Ecosystems of Belonging and Opportunity for Youth An Action Guide for Cross-System and Sector Leaders and Practitioners
Ecosystem for Youth Belonging and Opportunity The concept of a youth development ecosystem, builds from and expands upon Urie Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, which views child development within the context of the system of relationships that form their environment. Broffenbrenner, … Read More
State Strategies To Mitigate The Impact Of Housing Instability On Child Welfare Involvement
Introduction Each year, the National Governors Association (NGA) welcomes the nation’s Governors to Washington, D.C., for the annual NGA Winter Meeting. During the three-day meeting, Governors discuss issues most pertinent to the states and territories and connect with national experts … Read More
Building And Empowering Impactful Children’s Cabinets
Background Childrens cabinets typically comprise key public and private sector experts and can be critical to the cross-agency coordination of the Governor’s children’s initiatives. A powerful tool in a Governor’s arsenal, they can foster momentum across multiple different departments and … Read More
Bridging the Gaps: Child Welfare’s Vital Role in Public Health Emergencies Addressing Intimate Partner Violence
The National Academies report, “Essential Health Care Services Addressing Intimate Partner Violence,” released on January 11, 2024, serves as a pivotal resource for child welfare agencies and their staff to be effective partners with other key governmental agencies to address … Read More
Mandated Reporting Policies Do Not Promote More Accurate Reporting of Suspected Neglect
Each year, there are approximately 4 million referrals of suspected child maltreatment, with around 2 million of those reports meeting the criteria for an investigation or alternative response. However, only about 600,000 of those reports are substantiated (i.e., an investigator determines that abuse or neglect … Read More
Leveraging Medicaid to Support Children and Youth Living With Complex Behavioral Health Needs
Executive Summary The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the already-growing mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) (behavioral health) crisis gripping children and youth in the United States. It has spurred federal, state, and other actions to expand funding and treatment opportunities … Read More
Measuring Youth Development: How Out-of-School Time Programs Collect and Use Data
Executive Summary Out-of-school-time (OST) programs and their funders rely on sound data to make decisions about everything from professional development and student recruitment to the selection of activities to offer students. Programs operate at a range of times (before and … Read More