Foster Care

The Charter School Advantage: How Charter Schools can Advance the Educational Solutions that Students with Disabilities Need

Executive Summary Nearly fifty years after the initial passage of the law now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), students with disabilities experience profound inequities and opportunity gaps in public education. Finding solutions to these challenges requires … Read More

Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice System Involvement

While the nexus between the child welfare and juvenile justice systems is not a new phenomenon, there is limited cross-system collaboration to provide youth and families with the services they need. Youth with histories of childhood maltreatment and Child Protective … Read More

Abuse of Youth Placed in Residential Facilities

What GAO Found Prior GAO reports have described allegations of youth being maltreated, and sometimes killed, by staff employed at residential facilities. Many of the youth placed in residential facilities are in foster care. Youth in foster care may be … Read More

White House Task Force To Address Online Harassment And Abuse

Executive Summary Online harassment and abuse are increasingly widespread in today’s digitally connected world. This can include online threats and intimidation as well as various forms of technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV), such as the non-consensual distribution of intimate images, including … Read More

New Insights on State Kinship Diversion Policies

Defining Kinship Diversion Many families rely on kin — relatives and close family friends — to provide support in times of crisis or when a parent may need extra help. It is common for kin to step in to provide … Read More

A Proclamation on National Adoption Month

     Every child deserves to know the unconditional love of a permanent home.  During National Adoption Month, we honor all the wonderful families that grow through adoption, we remind our foster youth and adoptees that we are right by their … Read More

Request for Information: Use and Conservation of Social Security Benefits and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Payments That Representative Payees Receive for Beneficiaries Residing in Foster Care

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Administration for Children, Youth, and Families (ACYF), Children’s Bureau (CB) oversees the child welfare system, which is administered by State, local, and Tribal child welfare agencies … Read More

Strategies to Support Pregnant and Parenting Youth in Foster Care

Youth in foster care who are expecting or parenting face the compounded challenges of navigating foster care while also navigating a pregnancy or parenthood. Caseworkers and other professionals who support these youth must be prepared to meet their complex needs. … Read More

Exploring Shifts in Young People’s Racial and Ethnic Identities

A research brief from Child Trends explores how the racial and ethnic identities of adolescents and young adults may shift over time. Foster Care and the Development of Racial and Ethnic Identity delves into the experiences of young people in foster care … Read More

New Report Emphasizes Importance of Post-permanency Services

A recent report from the National Center for Enhanced Post-Adoption Support, Post-Permanency Services: A Worthwhile Investment, emphasizes how critical postpermanency services are in promoting child well-being and long-term permanency for adoptive and guardianship families. The publication highlights key research findings on … Read More