INTRODUCTION Maintaining a secure relationship with a trusted caregiver is critical for the health and well-being of infants and toddlers. When very young children are placed in out-of-home care, including foster and kinship care, problems can be compounded if the … Read More
Fostercare
KIDS IN CARE: Unaccompanied Children in Federal Government Custody
When established in 2003, the Office of Refugee Resettlement’s (ORR) Division of Unaccompanied Children’s Services cared for roughly 6,000 children in thirteen facilities. Twenty years later, ORR’s program has grown to over 240 facilities and programs spread across 23 states. … Read More
A Snapshot of States’ Child Welfare Data Systems of Record
What is the status of states’ systems of record? We asked states to describe the child welfare information system that staff use to report to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS). We refer to this system as … Read More
Safety by Design for Generative AI: Preventing Child Sexual Abuse
Issue Overview Offline and online sexual harms against children have been accelerated by the internet. The child safety ecosystem is already overtaxed. In 2022 reports to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) contained over 88 million files … Read More
QIC-EY Lessons Learned: Fundamental Insights to Engage Children and Youth
Launched in October 2021 and funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Children’s Bureau, the Quality Improvement Center on Engaging Youth in Finding Permanency (QIC-EY) is charged with advancing child welfare programs … Read More
Modernizing Minor Guardianship in State Courts
More than 4% of all children live in kinship care arrangements, where relatives are responsible for children who may or may not have a living biological parent. One such arrangement is commonly known as minor guardianship, where caregivers can petition … Read More
Rethinking Peer Influence and Risk Taking: A Strengths-based Approach to Adolescence in a New Era
The past twenty-five years have witnessed two dramatic changes in adolescent mental health in the United States.The first, a dramatic decrease in a wide range of adolescent externalizing behaviors, has been fortuitous. Rates of adolescent rule- and norm-breaking behaviors have … Read More
State of Babies Yearbook: 2023
It is with a deep sense of urgency and shared mission that I introduce you to the fifth edition of ZERO TO THREE’s State of Babies Yearbook, providing a comprehensive look into the health and well-being of the 11 million … Read More
How Child Welfare Agencies Can Support Reunification
The American Bar Association’s Center on Children and the Law hosted a webinar, “What Child Welfare Agencies Can Do to Support Reunification,” on resource and foster caregivers’ roles in the reunification process. The session focused on how child welfare agencies can facilitate … 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