Independent Living Options for Youth in States with Approval to Extend Care

On June 20, HHS released the latest Foster Care GAO report for Congress, States with Approval to Extend Care Provide Independent Living Options for Youth up to Age 21. Since 2008 when the Fostering Connections Act was enacted, HHS has approved 26 states and six federally recognized tribes to claim title IV-E funding to extend

Chafee 20 Years

On Thursday, June 6, the Senate Focus Youth Caucus and Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative (JCYOI) of the Annie E. Casey Foundation sponsored the congressional briefing “Chafee Plus 20” to examine the role the Chafee program has had in supporting better outcomes for youth and facilitate discussion about what how policy can continue to recommend

The Promise of Adolescence

The National Academies’ report, The Promise of Adolescence: Realizing Opportunity for All Youth examines the neurobiological and socio-behavioral science of adolescent development, health, well-being, resilience, and agency including the science of positive youth development. Adolescents defined as young people between the ages of 10 to 25, make up nearly one-fourth of the U.S. population. The

Juvenile Criminal Justice Records

Shaquita Ogletree   On March 20, the Brookings Institute convened a panel of experts to assess the state of play on juvenile criminal justice records policy. While the juvenile justice system has recently undergone a wave of progressive reforms focused on creating pathways to re-entry, there remains an uneven treatment of juvenile records that make

Reducing Homelessness Among Child Welfare Involved Youth

  Nick Cervone   The Children’s Bureau, within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) released a summary of their Youth At-Risk of Homelessness (YARH) program. YARH is a three-phase grant program to determine new and effective ways of preventing homelessness among youth and young adults who have been involved in the child welfare system.

Reports & Hearings Outline Child Sexual Abuse at Federal Immigration Camps

Two House Committees: the Oversite Committee and the Judiciary Committee held hearings last week on family separation at the border. As part of those hearings there were reports that a significant number of children have been subjected to child sexual abuse while being cared for as unaccompanied minors. Figures released indicated that HHS has received

Juvenile Justice 101 Briefing

Jay Williams As a follow-up to the historic passage of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 2018 (JJDPA), the Act-4-JJ Coalition held a Congressional briefing on Tuesday, February 26, 2019, to discuss next steps of implementation for JJDPA and what steps can be taken to improve the still inadequate juvenile justice system further.

Teens: 70 Percent See Anxiety and Depression as Major Problem

The Pew Research Center has released a new survey of teens which indicates that seventy percent of teenagers feel that anxiety and depression is a major problem among their peers. An additional 26 percent see it as a minor problem. The problem of anxiety and depression top all other concerns with bullying in second (55

New York Agency CEO Speaks Out Against Discrimination Waiver

On February 9, the head of New York City’s JJCA child welfare agency, penned an opinion piece in the Capitol Hill publication, The Hill, calling out an HHS decision to waive anti-discrimination regulations in child welfare placements. CEO Ronald E Richter denounced the recent decision by the Administration to issue the waiver arguing that there

CNAY: Champions for Change Youth

Each year, the Center for Native American Youth (CNAY) honors five inspirational Champions for Change. This year’s event took place at the Aspen Institute in Washington DC on Tuesday, February 12. The recognition goes to advocates on such issues as improving child welfare systems, decolonizing education standards, and supporting victims of sexual assault. Former Senator

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