The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 2025 KIDS COUNT® Data Book is here, with the latest rankings and national- and state-level data on child and young adult well-being. This year’s trends paint a complex picture: steady progress in some areas, setbacks … Read More
Youth
Journey to Success – Foster Care Independence Act
After successfully making their case to policymakers in Congress about needed policy action, young people from across the country proudly joined a White House bill signing ceremony of the Foster Care Independence Act. This landmark bipartisan legislation established the Chafee … Read More
State Supreme Court Mandates Domestic Violence Training For All Louisiana Judges
The Louisiana Supreme Court on Wednesday (June 4) ordered all judges in the state to undergo training on running “trauma-informed courts” and learning best practices for domestic violence cases. The order, effective immediately, requires Louisiana judges to attend a one-hour … 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
Pandemic Child Care Relief Funds Reduced Closures of Black-Owned Home-Based Child Care Programs
During the COVID-19 pandemic, home-based child care (HBCC) programs faced many challenges to operating their businesses, affecting their ability to offer safe, stable, and affordable care to families. Further, licensed child care homes declined by 9.6 percent from 2019 to … 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
Judge’s Action Alert: Using the Family First Prevention Services Act to Strengthen Reasonable Efforts Determinations
Reasonable efforts determinations are a valuable tool judges can use to assess a child welfare agency’s efforts: Though “reasonable efforts” requirements have existed in federal law for over 40 years, the Family First Prevention Services Act of 2018 (Family First … Read More
Data-At-A-Glance: How Teens Use Trauma Services: Differences Based on Suicide Risk and Ethnoracial Identity
In 2021, suicide was the second leading cause of death among youth ages 10-14 and third leading cause of death among youth ages 15-24 in the United States. In recent decades, Black and Hispanic/Latine youth are increasingly reporting higher rates … Read More
How Are Some Jurisdictions Transforming Mandated Reporting?
Jurisdictions, lived experts, community partners, and advocates around the country are using data and research to explore what works best to ensure child safety and keep families safely together. Deep-dive examinations into the long-standing practice of mandated reporting are important … Read More
9 in 10 Hispanic Children in Households With Low Incomes Live With at Least One Employed Adult
Helping families with children achieve economic independence is a core goal of the Administration of Children & Families (ACF). To this end, many ACF programs, such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), include efforts to support the paid employment of parents in … Read More