Child Well-Being

Coordinating Integrated Prevention Approaches to Serve the Whole Person

OVERVIEW Supporting families and individuals means understanding that their needs are complex, interrelated, and affected by the particular opportunities available in their environments. Integrated service approaches to prevent homelessness or involvement in systems like child welfare may be best positioned … Read More

Case Studies in Supporting Prevention Through Human Services Program Integration

OVERVIEW Human services have an opportunity to build and enhance people’s strengths and resilience by shifting services from responding to crises like eviction to preventing these crises by reducing risk factors, promoting protective factors, and creating the safety and stability … Read More

The Legal Assault on Pregnant People’s Personhood: Unpacking Fetal Personhood

Introduction Fetal personhood is a radical legal doctrine that seeks to endow fertilized eggs, embryos, and fetuses with full rights and legal protections. Fetal personhood directly challenges the rights of women and anyone capable of pregnancy and creates a direct … Read More

State Medicaid Approaches to Respite Care for Children and Youth with Chronic and Complex Needs

Introduction Family caregivers play a critical role in supporting children and youth with chronic illness, behavioral and special health care needs, and medical complexities. Without access to adequate services and supports, family caregivers are often relied upon to fill gaps … Read More

The Critical Role of Parent Partner Programs: Policy and Practice Considerations

INTRODUCTION Maintaining a secure relationship with a trusted caregiver is critical for the health and well-being of infants and toddlers. When very young children are placed in out-of-home care, including foster and kinship care, problems can be compounded if the … Read More

KIDS IN CARE: Unaccompanied Children in Federal Government Custody

When established in 2003, the Office of Refugee Resettlement’s (ORR) Division of Unaccompanied Children’s Services cared for roughly 6,000 children in thirteen facilities. Twenty years later, ORR’s program has grown to over 240 facilities and programs spread across 23 states. … Read More

PATHWAYS TO SUCCESS K-12 Education Support for Kinship and Grandfamilies

About 2.5 million children across the United States are being raised in grandfamilies,1 families in which grandparents, other adult relatives, or close family friends are raising children with no parents in the home. These are also known as kinship families, … Read More

Bipartisanship Across the Nation: A Review of State Child Welfare Legislation

Introduction Policymaking in child welfare has a long tradition of bipartisanship, with dedication on both sides of the aisle to improving outcomes for children, youths, and families. Despite progress, many troubling outcomes persist for children and families involved in the … Read More

Juvenile Law Center logo

BROKEN PROMISES: FUTURES DENIED

WHAT’S IN THIS BOOK? This report shines a light on the harsh, harmful practices Juvenile Law Center youth advocates have experienced in placement facilities in Pennsylvania as well as their recommendations for change. The first edition of this publication, Broken … Read More

Advancing the Key Elements of Whole Child Health: State Case Studies and Policy Recommendations

Introduction This report, written by members of the Whole Child Health Alliance and informed by more than 30 interviews, includes case studies of three states — North Carolina, Massachusetts and Washington — that have designed and begun to implement the … Read More