Public Policy Archives - National Wraparound Initiative (NWI)
Giving Children a Voice in the Courtroom
April 8, 2024 | NWI
Two locations in Virginia are piloting programs through the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges to improve the handling of child abuse and neglect cases, reduce the number of children in foster care and improve outcomes for children in care. The programs encourage children to attend court and share their own perspectives.
A Trust Fund for Every Baby: What Is the Current Status of “Baby Bonds”?
February 3, 2024 | NWI
Baby bonds are universal, publicly funded child trust accounts. When recipients reach adulthood, they can use the funds for wealth-building activities such as purchasing a home, investing in education, or starting a small business. Baby bonds are intended to decrease wealth inequities. This brief revisits the policy as originally proposed, provides a legislative update, and outlines six design features that would help baby bonds deliver on the promise of reducing racial wealth inequities.
Youth Leadership in Addressing the Mental Health Crisis
January 8, 2024 | NWI
Members of Mental Health America’s Young Leaders Council have co-authored a report focusing on their ideas for improving young adult wellbeing nationwide. The report highlights the young leaders’ programs and advocacy, with the goal of expanding and replicating youth-led solutions to the mental health crisis.
Why Youth Incarceration Fails: Evidence Review
July 23, 2023 | NWI
This publication summarizes the evidence documenting the serious problems associated with the youth justice system’s continuing heavy reliance on incarceration and makes recommendations for reducing the use of confinement. It details how the harms of incarceration fall disproportionately on Black youth and other youth of color – despite well-established alternatives that produce better outcomes for youth and community safety.
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.
Anti-Poverty Programs May Help With Mental Health Disparities
May 22, 2023 | NWI
States that provide stronger social safety nets have lower socioeconomic disparities in the brain development and mental health of children 9 to 11 years old, according to research supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) at the National Institutes of Health.
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.
Continuous Quality Improvement for Mobile Response and Stabilization Services
April 21, 2023 | NWI
Many states are enhancing their capacity to support youth and families experiencing a behavioral health crisis by implementing the Mobile Response and Stabilization Services (MRSS) best practice model. A key element of the long-term success of MRSS is a data-driven continuous quality improvement (CQI) process. This new resource provides detailed guidance for developing an effective CQI process.
Evidence for Social and Emotional Learning in Schools
April 21, 2023 | NWI
A new report synthesizes evidence on the effectiveness of social and emotional learning. Meta-analyses cover students in every grade level (PreK–12) and have shown medium to large effect sizes on a wide range of outcomes. The report also considers the next steps for research in SEL.
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.