Public Policy Archives - Page 5 of 8 - National Wraparound Initiative (NWI)
Child Trends Brief: Applying the Research and Evaluation Provisions of the Family First Prevention Services Act
November 19, 2019 | Emily Taylor
Child Trends has published a brief with information for state agencies, legislators, and researchers on the Family First Act. The brief outlines research and evaluation requirements for prevention and kinship services currently eligible for federal reimbursement under the Family First Act.
Lessons Learned When Building the Evidence for a Child Welfare Practice Model
August 21, 2019 | Emily Taylor
Child Trends recently issued this brief for the child welfare field to highlight lessons learned from the evaluation of Success Coach, a post-reunification program developed by Catawba County, North Carolina. The authors also discuss the implications for other jurisdictions who may want to implement and evaluate similar post-reunification services. According to the authors, the new Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) “offers an opportunity for agency leaders and practitioners to begin to build evidence of success.”
OJJDP Study Findings on Dual System Youth
May 8, 2019 | Emily Taylor
OJJDP’s Dual System Youth Design Study aimed to identify challenges, successes and best practices in cross-system collaboration for working with youth who have been involved with child welfare and juvenile justice systems. Researchers found that “dual system youth had higher rates of over-representation of African Americans and higher proportion of females,” and had “longer histories in child welfare with more placements and higher rates of recidivism than youth with involvement in just one system.” The project also resulted in a best practices recommendations for cross-system collaboration.
The State of Babies Yearbook 2019
March 14, 2019 | Emily Taylor
Research published last month by Child Trends and Zero to Three compiles and examines more than 60 policies and indicators related to infant and toddler well-being to rank states by how effectively they support children during their first three years.
Rate of Children in Foster Care Increased in 39 States in 2017
January 3, 2019 | Emily Taylor
A new Child Trends post on the 2017 Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) data shows that in 2017 the number of children and youth in foster care in the U.S. rose for the 5th consecutive year, to 443,000, with 39 states experiencing an increase in the rate of children in foster care.
When low-income families can meet their basic needs, children are healthier
December 12, 2018 | Emily Taylor
Children’s HealthWatch published reports based on survey data of 18,000 low-income families with children under four years old, in five cities (Baltimore, Boston, Minneapolis, Philadelphia and Little Rock). They found that “young children and their parents are healthier when they are able to afford basic needs, such as food, shelter, utilities, medical care, prescription medicines and childcare”. This study, however, examined the differences between children living in hardship-free families versus those in families with any or multiple hardships. The report authors support policies to better support low-income families.
Three Principles to Improve Outcomes for Children and Families
November 20, 2018 | Emily Taylor
This resource from Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child outlines three core principles that can be used as guides for policy and practice when looking at how to best design and provide social supports.The principles: 1) Support Responsive Relationships, 2) Strengthen Core Life Skills and 3) Reduce Sources of Stress are detailed and examples of policies and practices that support each principle are provided.
Research: How Early Head Start Prevents Child Maltreatment
November 1, 2018 | Emily Taylor
Child Trends has published a research-to-practice brief on a study on the role of programs that serve families with infants and toddlers like Early Head Start (EHS) in reducing child abuse and neglect. The study found that participating families had positive short-term outcomes that led to lower risk of child welfare involvement in the future. The brief also includes recommendations for early childhood programs.
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.
American Pediatrics Association Statement on Ensuring Comprehensive Care and Support for Transgender and Gender-Diverse Children and Adolescents
September 19, 2018 | Emily Taylor
This month the American Association of Pediatrics issued a policy guideline with broad recommendations for the field on the Gender Affirmative Care Model (GACM) in which pediatric providers will “offer developmentally appropriate care that is oriented toward understanding and appreciating the youth’s gender experience.” The recommendations for transgender and gender diverse (TGD) youth and adolescents also point out that “GACM is best facilitated through the integration of medical, mental health, and social services, including specific resources and supports for parents and families.”