This brief summarizes the results of Child Trends’ evaluation of the program, which was guided by two key research goals: (1) to assess how Bridge Meadows delivers its services and how well they align with the organization’s mission and social … Read More
Child Well-Being
Preventative Legal Advocacy for Youth Clients
INTRODUCTION Early legal representation plays a critical role in keeping families together and preventing unnecessary foster care placements. In recent years, many jurisdictions have embraced preventive and prepetition legal representation for parents as a powerful tool to help stabilize families … Read More
How the Pelican Center used the Community Opportunity Map to support students in Louisiana
With significant increases in Louisiana’s truancy rate and the number of children entering foster care and the juvenile delinquency system, the Office of the Governor’s Children’s Cabinet and the Pelican Center for Children and Families sounded a call to action … Read More
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month
Each April, during National Child Abuse Prevention Month, we highlight the resilience of families and uplift the vital work being done across the country to keep children safe and families together. In alignment with the Children’s Bureau’s 24th National Conference … Read More
Promoting Peer Support in Child Welfare
Peer support programs are crucial for children and families, particularly when children are removed from their parents, whether or not it is through the formal child welfare system. For children, youth, parents and the caregivers that support them, the ability … Read More
Internet Safety for Kids
What Is Internet Safety for Kids? Internet use among kids is pervasive — nearly all U.S. teens (96%) say they use the internet every day. It also begins early. The majority of parents with younger kids (89% with kids ages 5 to 11, 81% with kids ages 3 to 4 and 57% … Read More
What Happens to Youth Aging Out of Foster Care?
Understanding Aging Out of Foster Care All children, especially older children in foster care, need and deserve a loving family to support their lifelong growth. This desired outcome — called permanence — occurs for older youth in foster care via one of three pathways: … Read More
What is Emerging Adult Justice?
Emerging adult justice focuses on achieving positive outcomes for people ages 18 to 25 involved in the criminal justice system. Why focus on this age range? Nationally, people ages 18 to 25 are overrepresented throughout the criminal legal system and have the highest recidivism rates. Too often, the justice system … Read More
Creating Supportive Work Environments For Youth With Foster Care Experience
INTRODUCTION Young People who have experienced forester care – a population of more than 1 million youth and young adults between the ages of 14 and 16 – have a unique set of skills, interests , and challenges they bring … Read More
Strong Data Are Critical to Supporting the Early Care and Education Workforce
Early learning systems simply cannot function without the early care and education (ECE) workforce, which includes teachers, assistants, and home-based family child care providers. However, persistent challenges—such as high turnover, lower compensation compared to K-12 workers, and lack of access to professional development … Read More