Safety Permanency & Well-being

The Rising Movement to Divert Youth Out of the Justice System

Jurisdictions are increasingly exploring ways to divert youth accused of delinquent behavior from the justice system. Compared to young people who are arrested and prosecuted in juvenile court, young people who are diverted from formal court processing are less likely … Read More

Building Generational Resilience: Supporting BIPOC Grandfamilies and Kinship Families’ Mental Health

Have you ever felt the need to be seen and acknowledged? It’s a universal desire, right?! Unfortunately, the Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) community often doesn’t receive the recognition it deserves, especially concerning mental health and wellness. That’s … 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

Here’s How Companies Can Show Up for Unconventional Families

An unconventional family, by our definitions, is one that falls outside of the traditional dynamic of a heterosexual couple with biological children. Today, families come in all different varieties. In fact, 80 percent of households in the U.S. have an atypical structure. … Read More

Fostering Responsible Tech Use

Balancing the Benefits and Risks Among Public Child Welfare Agencies Across the country, child welfare agencies work with over 390,000 youth in foster care each year by temporarily placing them in foster homes, facilitating adoption if parental rights are terminated, … Read More

Adoption and Guardianship for Children in Kinship Foster Care

The laws dictating how adoption and guardianship are granted, by which court, and what those options entail are developed at the state and tribal levels, so the intricacies for obtaining these legal relationships differ. The Brief The brief provides general … Read More

Clearinghouse Approves New Mental Health, Substance Abuse Programs for Family First Act Funding

Last month, the clearinghouse that greenlights foster care prevention services approved several iterations of a mental intervention known as Dialectical Behavior Therapy, as well as a positive reinforcement approach to treating substance abuse. The clearinghouse was established in relation to … 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

Children Missing From Care

Sound Policy and Practice Recommendations Key Definitions It is important for any agency drafting or implementing policies for responding to a missing child to avoid overly complicated or overly restrictive definitions. Care should be taken to ensure that each term … Read More

Improving Timely Health Care for Children and Youth in Foster Care Driver Diagram and Change Ideas

A driver diagram shows the processes or systems that affect the aim of your quality improvement (QI) project and determine what you need to do to improve outcomes. Use the state Medicaid and CHIP improving timely health care for children … Read More