Child Welfare Archives - National Wraparound Initiative (NWI)

Implementing Kin-Specific Licensing Standards in Foster Care

September 14, 2025 | NWI

Children placed with relatives and kin experience greater placement stability and well-being than those in regular foster care, yet many state licensing standards can create barriers to these placements. In response, a new federal rule from the Administration for Children and Families now allows Title IV-E agencies to create separate licensing or approval standards for kinship caregivers. These standards can reduce unnecessary barriers and support access to foster care maintenance payments that help families meet the unique demands of kinship care. Chapin Hall has created a phased framework to help agencies implement kin-specific licensing standards.

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Cash Assistance Can Safeguard Youth Leaving Foster Care

September 14, 2025 | NWI

Unconditional, direct cash payments each month can provide a lifeline to young people transitioning out of foster care in New York City, new youth-led research suggests.

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Not-For-Profit Foster Care Agencies Are Being Forced to Close Due to a Lack of Liability Insurance

April 27, 2025 | NWI

Lawsuits, regulations, social inflation and policy failure have made it more difficult for not-for-profit agencies to obtain liability insurance, leading to closures and placing further stress on the child welfare system. This report describes the problem, and offers policy solutions.

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Beyond Psychotropics: Critical Strategies for Supporting Youth in Foster Care

March 22, 2025 | NWI

This article provides an overview of four clinical features that can be particularly burdensome for foster children and interfere with delivery of effective psychiatric care, as well as guidance on how the child psychiatrist can most appropriately respond to the foster youth’s needs in each scenario.

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Access to Medicaid and Healthcare Promotes Child Safety

March 22, 2025 | NWI

The central role of economic hardship as a driver of child welfare system involvement underscores the importance of addressing the concrete needs of families and promoting economic stability. In addition to income poverty, material hardship is a consistent predictor of child protective services contact, above and beyond family characteristics. Access to Medicaid and healthcare for children and their families, specifically, is associated with reduced risk for child welfare system involvement.

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A New Chapter in America’s Child Welfare System

February 23, 2025 | NWI

At the end of last year, Congress passed the largest overhaul of the nation’s child welfare system in more than 15 years. The reform includes more support for kinship care, aging out youth and efforts to prevent the separation of families due to poverty. This panel discussion looks at how these reforms will make a difference for children and families in the U.S.

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An Analysis of Custody Relinquishment Using Administrative Data

February 23, 2025 | NWI

Custody relinquishment occurs when children enter foster care primarily to receive behavioral health or disability services. This brief focuses on the prevalence custody relinquishment and the demographic characteristics, family circumstances, and behavioral health conditions and disabilities of children relinquished.

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Foster Care’s Downward Trend

February 23, 2025 | NWI

Data from various sources shows a steady decline in the number of children and youth in foster care. This article highlights reports on legislative, policy and advocacy efforts aimed at preventing the use of foster care in as many child welfare cases as possible.

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Stories of Navigating Youth and Family Systems

January 13, 2025 | NWI

This podcast series features authentic stories shared by individuals who have navigated various youth and family systems. Each episode offers a unique perspective on their encounters within these systems and solutions to the challenges they faced.

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Youth Leaving Foster Care at High Risk for Suicide

December 7, 2024 | NWI

Roughly one-quarter of young adults in foster care in California have attempted suicide, and their rate of suicidal behavior is nearly three times that of peers who aren’t in government care, according to a recently published study and policy brief.

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