Safety Permanency & Well-being

It’s Still Happening

A Report on Practitioner s of So-Called Conversion”Therapy”in the U.S. So-called “conversion therapy” a term used to encompass a wide range of efforts to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity has been condemned by every major medical and … Read More

Caddo Juvenile Services’ Trauma-Informed Care Used as Statewide Model for LDH Youth, Families Initiative

The Louisiana Department of Health announced that it will adopt a statewide approach to preventing and addressing trauma across all child-serving agencies. Whole Health Louisiana is the state’s first attempt at addressing childhood adversity and trauma through the integration of … Read More

DRUG TESTING FOR PARENTS INVOLVED IN CHILD WELFARE: THREE KEY PRACTICE POINTS

Drug testing is just one tool used to guide case planning and permanency decisions with families affected by SUDs The results of a single drug test cannot determine, or rule out, a SUD. While a series of tests can establish … Read More

Building Resilience in Children After Trauma

Embarrassing mom truth: When my toddler was learning to walk, I asked my mom friends if I could put a helmet on her so she wouldn’t bump her head. This mama instinct came from a desire to protect my child … Read More

Parenting Foster Kids with Challenging Behaviors

Often, foster kids have come into care specifically because they have experienced loss, abuse, or neglect. Those experiences and other kinds of trauma that may have occurred in their home, including being removed from their birth family, can and often … Read More

Supporting High-Needs Youth at Home and in the Community: Implementation of Youth Advocate Programs, Inc.’s Core Model in Six Jurisdictions Across the United States

Executive Summary Over the last twenty years, the number of youth incarcerated in residential facilities across the United States has declined significantly. While the reasons for this precipitous drop are complex, many scholars believe that the decline has been driven … Read More

Many Hispanic Households With Low Income Access No-Cost or Low-Cost Care, Yet Nearly One in Four Face High Out-of-Pocket Costs

Introduction Child care—especially that which is of high quality—serves a critical dual purpose for families, supporting both parental employment and children’s development. As recognized in a recent White House Executive Order, the costs of providing and obtaining such care are significant, making … Read More

Defining and Measuring the Complexity of Stepfamilies in the United States

Overview Stepfamilies are common in the United States. By definition, these families occur when an individual or the person with whom they are partnering through marriage or cohabitation has a child from a past relationship. There are many types of stepfamilies, … Read More

Improving Services for Expectant and Parenting Youth in Care

Entering and navigating the child welfare system can be stressful and confusing for young people separated from their families. It can be even more challenging for young people who are parents, are pregnant, or are expecting. Expectant and parenting youth … Read More

Kinship Care Supports the Academic Performance of Children

Children and youth who successfully learn how to read, write, and perform basic math skills are more likely to go to college, find good jobs, and attain financial security in adulthood—all of which support their overall well-being across the lifespan. Unfortunately, many … Read More