On Tuesday, July 28 Capitol Hill participants heard from a number of young people as they presented their ideas on how to reform child welfare. The event was a presentation by a dozen Capitol Hill interns who were sponsored by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI). The interns work the summer months in various
On Thursday, July 23, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed a reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA), S 1169. The bill was approved by voice vote with no objections to what has been a bipartisan effort. Its sponsorship is also bipartisan with Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) jointly introducing
On Thursday, July 16, the Senate approved a reauthorization of the Elementary and Secretary Education Act, S 1177 (ESEA/No Child Left behind Act) by a vote of 81 to 17 sending it on to the next phase of the process and maybe the most difficult phase. The House passed their education bill, HR 5, and
The Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice has found the state of West Virginia in violation of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) when it comes to providing services to children with significant mental health conditions. The Justice Department holds that the state has a very high rate of placements into segregated
Last week CWLA joined others in the launch and announcement of the Voices of Youth Count campaign. The Voices of Youth Count is led by Chapin Hall in collaboration with CWLA and other partners across the country. Its goal is to have both a reliable national estimate of youth homelessness and a clearer picture of
The Coalition on Juvenile Justice and the Tribal Law and Policy Institute have published a new brief paper, "American Indian/Alaska Native Youth & Status Offense Disparities: A Call For Tribal Initiatives, Coordination & Federal Funding." The paper examines the overrepresentation of American Indian and Alaskan Native youth in the nation’s juvenile justice system. The research indicates that
Research, by the Foundation for Child Development, indicates that 3 and 4 year old children are being expelled from preschool at a rate higher than school children in grades K through 12. The research was a focus of a briefing on Capitol Hill briefing on Thursday, June 12. The event was hosted by Zero to
On June 11, Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA), Ranking Member of the Education and Workforce Committee introduced HR 2728, the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Reauthorization Act of 2015. It picks up on some of the key provisions of a bipartisan Senate version (S 2999) by Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) and Senate Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI). Like
For the second time in four days, on Tuesday, May 19, the White House was the center for a discussion on foster care. This event was framed around the Champions of Change program in which the White House recognized 12 young people who had been in foster care at some point in their lives. The
On Friday morning May 15, the White House sponsored a forum that focused attention on the topic of preventing placement of children in foster care. The discussion included more than 60 individuals representing national organizations (including the Child Welfare League of America), federal officials, state representatives and individuals affected by the child welfare system. Part