Entering and navigating the child welfare system can be stressful and confusing for young people separated from their families. It can be even more challenging for young people who are parents, are pregnant, or are expecting. Expectant and parenting youth … Read More
Foster Care
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
FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Announces New Actions to Support Children and Families in Foster Care
In honor of National Kinship Care Month, Administration releases a historic package of regulations to ensure children in the child welfare system thrive The more than 391,000 American children and youth living in foster care deserve to grow up in … 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
Restrictions on Food Stamps Will Be Lifted For Former Foster Youth
In a rare mention of foster youth during a White House briefing in May, a spokesperson for President Joe Biden made the case for easing the daily struggles of young adults aging out of the U.S. foster care system. New … Read More
Adoption and Guardianship for Children in Kinship Foster Care
Generations United with support from the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, created the following brief, national comparison chart, and state-specific charts that focus on adoption and guardianship for children in kinship foster care so that these children can exit foster … Read More
Race, Poverty, and Foster Care Placement in the United States: Longitudinal and Cross-Sectional Perspectives
Abstract Although the connections between race, poverty, and foster care placement seem obvious, the link has not in fact been studied extensively. To address this gap, we view poverty and placement through longitudinal and cross-sectional lenses to more accurately capture … Read More
Adoption Triad: Developmental Trauma and Sensory Processing Challenges
Developmental Trauma and Sensory Processing Challenges Sensory experience helps shape neural connections and readies areas of the brain that regulate emotions. During the earliest years of life, a child needs a safe, predictable, and loving environment and caregivers for their … Read More
Adoption and Guardianship for Children in Kinship Foster Care
The laws dictating how adoption and guardianship are granted, by which court, and what those options entail are developed at the state and tribal levels, so the intricacies for obtaining these legal relationships differ. The Brief The brief provides general … Read More
Protecting the Rights and Providing Appropriate Services to LGBTQIA2S+ Youth in Out-of-Home Care
Research indicates that youth who identify as LGBTQIA2S+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex, asexual, Two-Spirit, or other gender or sexual identity) have more negative experiences and outcomes when they enter out of home care than non-LGBTQIA2S+ youth. Studies have … Read More