Child maltreatment is a serious public health issue and has major consequences for individuals, families, and society as a whole. Every year, 1 in 10 children are neglected or psychologically abused, and 4% to 16% are physically abused in high-income countries … Read More
Foster Care
Supporting Timely and Successful Reunifications
Safe and timely family reunification is the primary permanency option for most children and youth who have been removed from their parent’s care. All children belong with family, and family separation is a traumatic experience for both children and parents. … Read More
Capacity Building Center for Tribes Releases New Prevention Resources
The Capacity Building Center for Tribes released two new prevention resources: a brief on family-strengthening prevention practices and definitions and a guide highlighting culturally relevant services and supports for child welfare programs. The Capacity Building Center for Tribes Prevention Brief defines each stage of … Read More
New Training on Adapting Family Finding and Engagement Practices for LGBTQ+ Youth
A new online training from the National SOGIE Center provides information on supporting young people who identify as LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, or other gender or sexual identity) during family finding and engagement processes. The free, 45-minute training provides information … Read More
The Importance of Father Engagement in Family-Centered Reunification
In January 2024, the National Quality Improvement Center on Family-Centered Reunification (QIC-R) presented a webinar, “Building a Culture of Father Engagement to Enrich Family-Centered Reunification,” which focused on the importance of including fathers in the child welfare system. The webinar reviews the … Read More
A Proclamation on National Foster Care Month, 2024
The nearly 370,000 children in foster care deserve to grow up in safe and loving homes that help them reach their full potential. During National Foster Care Month, we share our gratitude for the foster parents who show foster youth … Read More
Co-designing a Kin-first Culture Approach in Child Welfare – Public Service Design Conference 2023
Bloom Works and the Washington state Department of Children, Youth and Families share how they used service design and co-design to help children in the foster care system stay connected to their extended families, and overcome systemic barriers to kin … Read More
Trauma-Informed Housing
An Approach to Empower Residents in Affordable Housing Design, Services, and Management Public and assisted housing provides affordable, stable housing to people with low incomes—including seniors, people with disabilities, and families with children. However, policies and practices around affordable housing … Read More
Transracial Adoption Conversations (T.R.A.C.) Coaching: Engaging Transracial Adoptive Caregivers in Conversations on Race and Meeting Children’s Racial Identity Needs Over the Lifespan
Transracial adoptions continue to grow in the United States, and transracial adoptions have outpaced the growth of same race adoptions. Between 2005-2007 and 2017-2019, the number of transracial adoptions increased by 58% while the number of same race adoptions increased … Read More
Moving Beyond Legal Permanency
Child welfare professionals have traditionally focused on identifying and establishing legal permanency on federally established timelines for young people determined to be unable to return to the care of their parents. However, focusing mostly on legal permanency may result in … Read More