Foster Care

Back Pocket

Examining the Link: Foster Care Runaway Episodes and Human Trafficking

Children and youth who run from foster care placements are a growing concern among policymakers andpractitioners.1,2 A large number of youth in foster care run away from their placement at least once, and manydo multiple times. Running from care is … Read More

Who Cares: A National Count of Foster Homes and Families

Imprint – November 09, 2020 Who Cares is the nation’s first public resource on foster care capacity. The Imprint collects data directly from each state, and combines that with specially obtained federal reports to shed light on two critical questions: … Read More

Suicide Looms Large in Minds of Many Foster Youth

The suicide of any child is a tragedy, but studies show children in foster care are four times more likely than other children to attempt to take their own lives. Suicide risk is correlated with depression, lack of social support … Read More

COVID-19 and Child Welfare: A Series of Virtual Meetings [Webpage]

This webpage explains the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) is releasing a five-part series of interactive virtual meetings from June through August 2020, intended to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the State and federal policy responses … Read More

A New Deal for Transition Age Foster Youth in California: A Policy Roadmap for Ensuring a Resilient Recovery after COVID-19

This policy brief calls upon policymakers at every level to prioritize the immediate and long-term needs of transition age youth who are in foster care or have recently emancipated from foster care. In times of health and prosperity, foster youth … Read More

Truly Universal: Overcoming Barriers to School Choice for Youth in Foster Care.

School choice was intended to expand options and equity, and it holds promise for many students with unique needs. But it is clear that no choice system can be equitable until all students have real access to those choices. Trinidad, … Read More

MDHHS begins partnership with Dave Thomas Foundation to find forever homes for children in foster care more quickly (Press release)

Michigan Department of Health and Human Services – July 29, 2020The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is getting a boost to its efforts to find loving adoptive homes for children more quickly from the Dave Thomas Foundation … Read More

Care4Kids Program

This fact sheet explains the Wisconsin Department of Health Services and the Department of Children and Families partnered to implement Care4Kids, an innovative program designed to offer comprehensive and coordinated health services for children and youth in foster care. The … Read More

Editorial: State needs to continue to improve foster care

Oregon’s child welfare department increasingly started sending some foster children to out-of- state facilities in 2018. The state was facing a crisis with a lack of options for foster care. Sen. Gelser deserves the thanks of Oregonians for her fight … Read More

Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act

Public Law 113–183113th CongressAn ActTo prevent and address sex trafficking of children in foster care, to extend and improve adoption incentives, and to improve international child support recovery. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of … Read More