Child Welfare Archives - Page 2 of 12 - National Wraparound Initiative (NWI)
Bringing Kinship Care Out of the Shadows
July 23, 2023 | NWI
Kinship diversion care is sometimes described as “hidden foster care” because it is complex and often operates outside the boundaries of the foster care system. Despite the positive aspects of kinship care, the parameters of kinship diversion are vague and these kinship families are not eligible for the same benefits as foster families. This brief provides a list of recommendations for those who are deciding how to explore, make meaning of, and implement changes to child welfare agencies’ kinship diversion practices.
Family First Reforms One Year Later
May 22, 2023 | NWI
The Family First Prevention Services Act contains a major child welfare policy allowing states to use federal funds to support the judicious use of congregate care. This report examines where states stand after one year, describes what was and was not working to date, and identifies early lessons learned to inform future implementation decisions and child welfare policy deliberations.
Proposed Rules Support Kinship Care in Foster Care
April 21, 2023 | NWI
ACF is proposing a new rule that would allow child welfare agencies to adopt one set of licensing standards for family members and kin that acknowledges the kinship relationship and differs from the licensing standards used for non-relative foster family homes.
Welfare Payments Keep Kids Out of Foster Care
December 11, 2022 | NWI
Researchers have discovered a link between access to welfare payments and foster care. As many as 29,000 fewer children may have entered the foster care system during the 12-year study if U.S. states had made it easier for poor families to receive cash through the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program.
Why Youth Run from Foster Care
October 24, 2022 | NWI
Teens who run from foster care want to connect with their families and be “normal,” according to a new study. While this is not the only reason that teens choose to leave foster care without anyone’s knowledge, it is a driving factor. And because of this, finding ways to keep foster kids in connection with their families or even in placement with siblings, may go a long way toward decreasing the number of foster kids who ultimately become at risk by making the decision to run away.
Connecticut Reduces Foster Care by a Third
October 24, 2022 | NWI
Connecticut has shrunk its foster care population by nearly a third in the past three years, signaling a shift toward keeping families together whenever possible – a strategy implemented by Vannessa Dorantes, the first African American commissioner in the agency’s history.
New Program Successfully Supports Foster Youth in College
September 23, 2022 | NWI
This study is the first identified randomized experiment to evaluate a post-secondary support program for enrolled college students with foster care backgrounds and mental health challenges. Analysis showed evidence of intervention impact on important targeted outcomes at post-intervention and/or 6-month follow-up, including self-determination, career-related self-efficacy and career exploration activities, and mental health self-efficacy and empowerment.
Challenges for Families of Special-Needs Children Adopted from Overseas
August 7, 2022 | NWI
For years, evangelical Christians were enthusiastic supporters of adoption by sponsoring conferences, targeting adoption-friendly Sundays and staging adoption fairs in parish halls. Thousands of overseas children got new homes. Leading the way were evangelical luminaries such as recording artist Steven Curtis Chapman (three daughters from China) and then-Southern Baptist leader Russell Moore (two sons from Russia). Enthusiastic parents took up the challenge, traveling overseas for one or more children, even adopting special needs kids whose home countries were not interested in their care. More than a decade after this movement peaked, many families who went overseas are in crisis mode.
New Study of Wraparound with Homeless Youth
August 7, 2022 | NWI
A newly-published study, Watch Me Rise: An Evaluation of Wraparound With Homeless Youth With a Child Welfare History presents findings from a formative evaluation of youth outcomes. Results indicate youth housing stability improved within the first six months of youth enrolling in WMR. Youth also demonstrated improvements in life domain functioning and employment and/or employment readiness. Although several other outcomes were not achieved or the results were inconclusive, the study highlights important insights for working with and studying this important population.
Best Practices in Child Welfare: Resources
June 13, 2022 | NWI
The Children’s Bureau has selected a series of resources on best practices in child welfare. These resources demonstrate how prioritizing the placement of children and youth in foster care with biological family, or kin can help transform the child welfare system into one that truly supports families and maintains connections. This includes an emphasis on family finding and other child-specific recruitment strategies, best practices for family engagement, and licensing relative caregivers who understand their unique ability to partner with parents to support reunification. These resources also highlight the positive impact that culturally appropriate trainings and services and equitable supports to kin caregivers can have on placement stability and permanency outcomes for children and families.