Overview Stepfamilies are common in the United States. By definition, these families occur when an individual or the person with whom they are partnering through marriage or cohabitation has a child from a past relationship. There are many types of stepfamilies, … Read More
Child Well-Being
Kinship Care Supports the Academic Performance of Children
Children and youth who successfully learn how to read, write, and perform basic math skills are more likely to go to college, find good jobs, and attain financial security in adulthood—all of which support their overall well-being across the lifespan. Unfortunately, many … Read More
One in Four Children Nationwide Are Latino, With 6-to-12-year-olds Making Up Nearly 40 Percent of Latino Children
The nearly 19 million Latino children (from birth to age 17) living in the United States comprise 25 percent of the nation’s total child population. The size of the Latino child population, however, varies by state. In this data point, we describe … Read More
iFoster Supports New Actions to Support Children and Families in Foster Care
These regulations address several aspects of the 7 key areas identified in iFoster’s Lived Experience Guide to Fixing Foster Care 2023 “These regulations address several aspects of the 7 key areas identified by the foster care community in iFoster’s Lived … Read More
White House Announces Slate of Actions on Child Welfare
The Biden administration announced a mix of final and proposed rules on child welfare policy today that cover the placement of foster youth with relatives, legal representation for parents and children involved with the system, and the placement of LGBTQI+ … Read More
The Biden-Harris Administration Awards $20 Million to Launch First National Center to Support Mental Health Services in the Child Welfare System
Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) through the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) awarded $20 million to launch the first-ever National Center for Child Welfare Competent Mental Health Services (the Center). As part of HHS’ Roadmap … Read More
An Environmental Scan of Cybercrime Measurement: Recommendations for the National Crime Victimization Survey
Executive Summary The Better Cybercrime Metrics Act directs the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), in coordination with the Bureau of the Census, to include questions relating to cybercrime victimization on the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). This report, developed through … Read More
Extraterritorial Child Sexual Abuse
Extraterritorial child sexual abuse, often misleadingly referred to as “child sex tourism,” involves United States citizens or lawful permanent resident aliens who either: 1) travel to a foreign country with a motivating purpose of engaging in any “illicit sexual conduct” … Read More
Social Media’s Concerning Effect on Teen Mental Health
CURRENT LEVELS OF TEEN SOCIAL MEDIA USE Virtually all teens (95%) ages 13 to 17 use social media, with more than 1 in 3 reporting that they use it “almost constantly.” While most U.S. social media platforms require users to be at least 13 years old, nearly 40% of kids ages 8 to 12 use social media. … Read More
The State of Children With Disabilities and Special Health Care Needs
CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL HEALTH CARE NEEDS In 2019–2020, 19% of kids living in the United States — more than 14 million children total — had special health care needs, according to a 2022 summary of the Maternal and Child Health Bureau’s National Survey of Children’s Health. Children within … Read More