Child Welfare Archives - Page 7 of 12 - National Wraparound Initiative (NWI)
Brief: Homelessness Among Families with Children
October 10, 2018 | Emily Taylor
In September, as part of its Homelessness in America series the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness published a brief on families with children experiencing homelessness. The brief summarizes data and research to help inform the work to end homelessness. According to the brief, “families with children experiencing homelessness represent one-third of all people experiencing homelessness …and 59% of people experiencing homelessness in families are children under the age of 18”. The brief also highlights a correlation between residential mobility during childhood and increased risk for reporting negative health outcomes including depression, smoking, attempted suicide, alcoholism, and teenage pregnancy.
Child Trends: Poverty rate rising among America’s youngest children, particularly infants of color
September 18, 2018 | Emily Taylor
Child Trends recently posted on the latest US Census results which show that one in five infants and toddlers (19.9 percent of children through age two) were living in poverty in 2017. The poverty rate is higher among infants and toddlers of color for the same time period, with nearly one in three (32.7 percent) of black infants and toddlers living in poverty, and more than one in four (27.3 percent) of Hispanic infants and toddlers living in poverty. The authors urge for policy and practice solutions to address this issue.
Child Trends Research: High-Quality Connections Can Protect At-Risk Youth
August 22, 2018 | Emily Taylor
This Child Trends research, funded through a grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), focused on youth with dual involvement with child welfare and juvenile justice systems, and the relationship between child maltreatment and later delinquent and criminal behavior, as well as the impact potential protective factors. The results suggest that increasing the quality of these youths’ connections to their families, schools, and communities can reduce their engagement in criminal behavior, and reduce recidivism.
Research: Impact of Parental Incarceration
July 19, 2018 | Emily Taylor
Results of a study recently published in the journal Pediatrics showed that young adults whose parents had been incarcerated are less likely to use health care and more likely to engage in unhealthy behaviors compared to peers whose parents had not been incarcerated. Researchers looked at data of 13,000 young adults aged 24-32 and found that 10 percent had a parent incarcerated during their childhood. According to the researchers, more than 5 million American children have had an incarcerated parent, making this an important area for further research.
Read more about the study on the impact of parental incarceration»
The Atlantic: Children Who Are Cleared to Leave Psychiatric Hospitals – But Can’t
June 7, 2018 | Emily Taylor
This article in The Atlantic by ProPublica Illinois reporter, Duaa Eldeib, investigates the complex factors leading to children staying in psychiatric hospitals long after they are cleared for release because of the challenges the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) has in finding appropriate placements. Although psychiatric hospitals are designed for short-term stays, the reporter found that “Eighty percent of the more than 800 children whose stays became medically unnecessary between 2015 and 2017 were held for 10 days or more beyond when they should have been released. More than 40 percent were confined for a month or longer; 15 percent had to wait two months or longer.”
Read the article»
NCTSN Policy Brief: Intimate Partner Violence and Child Trauma
January 19, 2018 | Emily Taylor
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) has published a policy brief on Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and its impact on children. The brief summarizes research on the subject, including a study published in 2011 that showed one in 15 children reported witnessing violence in the home between parents in the last year. The brief also details the negative short and long term impact this exposure can have on children, and outlines recommendations for policy makers on supporting early intervention programs.
Research: Mental Health Intervention Tied to Decreased Cortisol Levels
January 11, 2018 | Emily Taylor
Research published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology claims to be the first to use a biological measurement – hair cortisol in this case – to measure the impact of a mental health intervention in war-affected youth. The study included 733 war-affected youth from Syria and Jordan aged 12-18 who participated in a Mercy Corps. program, Advancing Adolescents, that is “designed to reduce the effects of profound stress and build strong ties to family and community”. Results showed cortisol levels were reduced by about 38 percent over time.
Why foster care students in Seattle are beating the odds
January 4, 2018 | Emily Taylor
NPR recently profiled the success of Treehouse, a nonprofit dedicated to improving lives of foster youth, in their efforts to increase high school graduation rates. In 2010, the high school graduation rate for youth in foster care in Seattle and King County, Washington was 36 percent. In 2012, Treehouse started assigning “education specialists” who work with students to support them in identifying and reaching their goals. Last year, 89 percent of the eligible students in the Treehouse program graduated within five years.
Making the Grade: A Progress Report and Next Steps for Integrated Student Supports
December 8, 2017 | Emily Taylor
Child Trends has published a report on Integrated Student Supports (ISS) initiatives which help schools connect children with needed services (housing, medical care, food assistance, etc.) in order to support their academic success. Making the Grade: A Progress Report and Next Steps for Integrated Student Supports is an update on the developments in the field since 2014, when Child Trends first published a report on the topic. This 2017 report includes details on the growing number of evaluation studies on these programs and examples of successful implementation in specific cities.
Research: Psychological Impacts of Natural Disasters on Youth
October 2, 2017 | Emily Taylor
Researchers looked at how to identify children who need support services after natural disasters. They screened 327 children aged 7-11 who were in the path of Hurricane Ike in 2008. Researchers found that the preschool definition of PTSD helped identify children more effectively than the adult-based definition. The researchers also created a workbook for families to help their children cope after a hurricane.