Fostercare

A Majority of Hispanic Children in Households With Low Incomes Live in Two-Parent Families

The most common family structure among Hispanic children in households with low incomes is a married two-parent1 family (43%), according to our analysis of 2023 American Community Survey data. An additional 13 percent of these children live with two cohabiting parents. … Read More

Working With Families to Support the Children of the Opioid Epidemic

Babies born with prenatal opioid exposure (POE) can face developmental challenges as they grow, and our current systems of support do very little to help them. Every year, roughly 20,000 babies are born with POE in the United States and the extent … Read More

Young People With Lived Experience in Foster Care Recommend Improvements to Mental Health Supports

The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation’s Foster Youth Initiative (Initiative) aims to promote the well-being and future success of young people who have experienced foster care in Atlanta, Los Angeles, New York City, and nationally. As the Initiative’s evaluation partner, Child Trends assesses progress … Read More

Children’s Rate of Entry Into Foster Care Has Declined Over Time

A new Child Trends analysis has found a decrease in the rate of foster care entries, from 3.5 per 1,000 children entering care in 2018 to only 2.9 per 1,000 children entering care in 2021. The Family First Prevention Services … Read More

Equipping Kinship Caregivers For Success

When young peo­ple must enter fos­ter care, kin­ship place­ments with rel­a­tives or close fam­i­ly friends can pro­vide a sense of con­ti­nu­ity: con­nec­tions to his­to­ry, cul­ture and com­mu­ni­ty. While these place­ments offer many ben­e­fits, they come with unique chal­lenges as care­givers quick­ly … Read More

Caregiving:HHS Should Clarify When Youth May Qualify for Support Services

What GAO Found National data on individuals who care for family members can provide insights into the population of caregivers, but the surveys GAO identified do not allow for accurate estimates of minors who provide informal, often unpaid care to … Read More

Change Collaborative on Trauma-Informed Suicide Prevention and Healing

Overview and Background To prevent the suicide of young people and promote healing, we must strengthen community- and clinic-based healing, connection, and wellbeing. This highlights the importance of the community in driving the direction for, and positive changes to, suicide … Read More

Why Is It Imperative To Minimize Children’s Time Away From Family?

There is no substitute for family. Progress has been made over recent years in reducing the number of children placed in foster care, increasing the number of children placed with kin, and decreasing the number of children in group placement. … Read More

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month

Each April, during National Child Abuse Prevention Month, we highlight the resilience of families and uplift the vital work being done across the country to keep children safe and families together. In alignment with the Children’s Bureau’s 24th National Conference … Read More

Promoting Peer Support in Child Welfare

Peer support programs are crucial for children and families, particularly when children are removed from their parents, whether or not it is through the formal child welfare system.  For children, youth, parents and the caregivers that support them, the ability … Read More