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This 18th annual KIDS COUNT Data Book provides national and state-by-state information and statistical trends on the conditions of America's children and families. New this year is information on child well-being in Puerto Rico. This year's essay examines the child welfare system and challenges the country to make lifelong connections for children and youth in foster care a national priority. The essay also focuses on the 726,000 children who spend time in foster care each year and what can be done to build and strengthen family relationships.

Discusses the requirements set by States for conducting background checks of prospective foster and adoptive parents and other out-of-home caregivers, as well as any adults residing in the prospective caregivers’ households. These checks, including State and Federal criminal records and child abuse and neglect central registries, are part process of assessing the suitability of these caregivers to provide a safe home for children placed in their care. The crimes that will disqualify an applicant also are discussed. An overview of Federal requirements also is provided. Summaries of laws for all States and U.S. territories are included.

Most children in foster care are not living with their fathers at the time they are removed from their homes, and once in substitute care, these children may experience even less contact with their nonresident fathers. Yet fathers and their relatives represent half of a child's potential family connections and kin resources. If ignored, important social or financial support for the child may be missed as permanency planning is conducted. Fathers or their relatives may be potential substitute caregivers for the child, may support a reunification plan with child support, respite or other assistance, or may voluntarily relinquish parental rights in support of an adoption plan. Without contact from the caseworker, such potential contributions cannot be assessed. Consequently, child welfare and child support agencies have placed new emphasis on identifying, locating, and involving nonresident fathers of children served by the child welfare system. (Author abstract, modified)

Provides an overview of the intersection of child welfare and parental incarceration; highlights practices to facilitate parent-child visits during incarceration, include parents in case planning, and work toward reunification; and points to resources to help caseworkers in their practice with these children and families.

Responding to concerns about the over-representation of minority children in the child welfare system, particularly African-American children, the Children's Bureau sponsored an exploratory qualitative study of the child welfare system's response to children of color. The project was intended to gain insight into the issue of over-representation (or racial disproportionality) from the perspective of the child welfare community, including agency administrators, supervisors, and direct service workers, and to describe the strategies child welfare and child-welfare serving agencies use to meet the needs of children and families of color in the child welfare system. The project team conducted site visits to child welfare agencies to talk with agency administrators, supervisors, and workers, among others, regarding the issue of over-representation, and to find out more about the types of programs, practices, and strategies that are being implemented to meet the needs of children and families of color, particularly African-American children and families. Nine sites were selected for participation, including: one agency each in Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, California, North Carolina, Virginia, and Texas, and two agencies in Minnesota. Participants were asked to describe their own general perceptions of the issue of overrepresentation, the types of policies, procedures or practices they thought would enable their agency to better serve children and families of color, and their own agencies' ongoing programs and policies that address the needs of children and families of color. Across all sites, an overwhelming majority of participants at all levels cited poverty, and poverty-related circumstances, as primary reasons for the over-representation of minority children in the child welfare system. In terms of directions for change, the overwhelming emphasis among participants was for agencies to focus on prevention and provide more front-end or prevention programs and services to families. Current efforts of agencies to serve children of color included prevention programs, recruitment of minority foster and adoptive families, systems reform, collaboration and contracted services, developing councils on over-representation, and focusing on agency practices, including implementing practices related to training and supervision of staff and hiring a diverse staff to better represent the population. A literature review, implications for policy and practice, and recommendations for future research are provided. 111 references. (Author abstract modified)

Summarizes State laws that mandate the type and frequency of court hearings that must be held to review the status of children placed in out-of-home care. At these hearings, the court reviews the efforts that have been made to address the family issues that necessitated the out-of-home placement as well as efforts to achieve permanency for the child. This document also describes lists the persons who may attend the hearings and permanency options.

This directory lists organizations that maintain information about resources for parents and caregivers on children with disabilities/special needs. The groups provide direct service or referrals for technical assistance, professional training, respite care, educational issues, and advocacy. E-mail and Web address are provided when available.

Addresses the specific challenges of permanency planning with youth and highlights successful models and strategies. After reviewing background statistics and research on outcomes for youth who leave foster care without a permanent family, the bulletin looks at Federal legislation enacted to improve these outcomes. Specific strategies for improving youth permanency are described, and examples of programs across the country using these strategies are provided.

Presents State laws regarding the options available to youth who are transitioning to independent living, including the ability to voluntarily extend their placement in out-of-home care. The requirements for remaining in placement and the programs and services available to support the transition to independence also are discussed. Summaries of laws related to these issues for all States and U.S. territories are included.

This resource listing provides the addresses and phone numbers of organizations that provide information on foster care. Each entry includes a brief description of the function of the organization and e-mail and web addresses when available.

Provides the most recent national statistical estimates for children in foster care from fiscal year (FY) 2015 and also provides earlier data from FY 2006 to allow for some estimate of trends over time. Data were obtained from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS). The factsheet provides statistics on number of children in foster care and entering and exiting care and includes information on child characteristics, placement goals and settings, length of stay, and outcomes.

Summarizes what foster parents should consider while deciding whether to adopt their foster child or youth. This factsheet does not address the specifics of how to adopt; it provides information on the differences between foster care and adoption, advantages of foster parent adoption, strategies for foster/adoptive families, and useful references.

Addresses some of the concerns that LGBTQ prospective foster and adoptive parents may encounter when deciding to foster or adopt a child or navigating the process. The landscape of parenting options for LGBTQ individuals and couples has grown considerably in recent years, with an increasing number of LGBTQ parents choosing to build their families through fostering or adoption. Although many agencies are welcoming to the LGBTQ community, LGBTQ foster and adoptive parents continue to face challenges related to adoption.

Provides parents (birth, foster, and adoptive) and other caregivers with information about the best way to resolve their differences with a service provider or other child welfare professional. Since child welfare agency policies and procedures are State-specific, this factsheet presents information from a national perspective and points to additional resources about where to find information related to a particular State. The information and resources provided in this factsheet address the majority of complaints associated with the CPS system.

Reviews the eligibility pathways for children and youth in foster care to receive Medicaid or other health-care coverage and looks at some of the newer benefits now mandated through the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), especially those for older youth in or formerly in foster care.

Discusses issues of interest to the growing number of grandparents and other relatives caring for children whose own parents are unable to care for them. Sometimes, the arrangement (referred to as "kinship care") is an informal, private arrangement between the parents and relative caregivers; in other situations, the local child welfare agency is involved. This factsheet is designed to help kinship caregivers--including grandparents, aunts and uncles, other relatives, and family friends caring for children--work effectively with the child welfare system. Resources, such as links to more detailed information or places to find help, are included.

Organizations that provide information and resources for kinship and relative care providers.

Provee información sobre la Ley de 2008 Sobre el Promover de las Conexiones Para Lograr el Éxito y el Aumento de las Adopciones. Esta ley modifica las partes B y E del título IV de la Ley de Seguridad Social para conectar y apoyar a los parientes proveedores de cuidado, mejorar los ingresos para los niños bajo cuidado de crianza, proveer el acceso a cuidado de crianza y la adopción tribal, mejorar los incentivos para la adopción y otros propósitos. Provides information on the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008. This act amends parts B and E of title IV of the Social Security Act to connect and support relative caregivers, improve outcomes for children in foster care, provide for tribal foster care and adoption access, improve incentives for adoption, and for other purposes.

Presents valuable information for youth in foster care related to making decisions about their mental health, treatment options, and the use of psychotropic medications. The guide walks through the steps of recognizing the need for help, finding help and considering treatment options, making treatment decisions, and managing treatment. Checklists and worksheets are included to help youth organize their thoughts.

Summarizes the importance of obtaining as much thorough and accurate medical, genetic, and social history information as possible about prospective adoptive children. This factsheet addresses the questions prospective adoptive parents should ask their adoption agency, reasons some information may not be available, and where to find more information.

Discusses how foster and adoptive parents can help children and adolescents who have experienced sexual abuse. It provides basic information about sexual abuse and links to other information so that parents can educate themselves about the topic. The factsheet suggests ways to establish guidelines for safety and privacy in the family, and it offers suggestions about when to seek professional help and where to find such help.

Ayuda a los parientes como proveedores de cuidado—incluyendo abuelos, tíos y otros parientes que cuidan niños—a trabajar de manera efectiva con el sistema de bienestar de menores. Abarca temas tales como los distintos tipos de cuidado por parientes, cómo se involucra el sistema de bienestar de menores en el cuidado por parientes y qué se puede esperar del sistema, servicios disponibles, la participación de los tribunales, y arreglos permanentes para los niños.
Helps kinship caregivers—including grandparents, aunts and uncles, and other relatives caring for children—work effectively with the child welfare system. This factsheet addresses topics such as the different types of kinship care, how the child welfare system becomes involved in kinship care, what to expect from the child welfare system, available services, the involvement of the courts, and finding permanent families for children.

Presents an overview of State laws that give priority or preference to relatives when children are in need of out-of-home care. The issues addressed include locating relatives, determining the fitness of a relative to provide care, and requirements for licensure. Requirements for placing siblings together whenever possible and adoption by relatives also are addressed. Summaries of laws for all 50 States are included.

Seeks to explain the various adoption expenses and some of the resources that may be available. This factsheet includes information about types of adoption and resources to help pay for adoption.

Outlines child welfare professionals' legal responsibility to provide background information to adoptive families about their prospective child or youth. The bulletin outlines the benefits of disclosure to the child, the adoptive family, and the adoption agency. It addresses the information that should be provided, helping families understand the information, international adoption where little or no information is available, wrongful adoption, and additional resources.

In response to a legislative requirement under the Keeping Children and Families Safe Act, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services conducted a survey of all States and territories to identify promising practices and possible strategies to overcome barriers to interjurisdictional placements. The survey was the first comprehensive compilation of current, promising strategies, and supports required to improve the interjurisdictional placement process for children in the child welfare system. This report provides background information on children in foster care, especially those for whom interjurisdictional adoptive placements are viable options, and describes key steps in the process to achieve permanent placements for children exiting foster care. The legal and procedural frameworks that govern the movement of children in foster care to homes in jurisdictions outside their State or county of residence are presented. Barriers that interfere with or delay interjurisdictional placements are then described, and strategies States are using to address them are summarized from the national survey on interjurisdictional placement. A synopsis of strategies employed by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to support improvements in interjurisdictional adoptive placements is also presented and include Child and Family Service Reviews, the Children's Bureau Training and Technical Assistance Network, and discretionary grants. The report concludes with a summary of the issues and the strategies employed to improve outcomes for children in foster care whose permanent families reside across jurisdictional lines. 37 references. (Author abstract modified)

Provides a general overview of the reunification process, including what parents can expect while their children are in foster care, what they can do to help their children return home, and what to expect after children return home. Resources available to help families during and after reunification also are included.

Explores research, intervention strategies, and resources to assist professionals in preserving connections among siblings when one or more are adopted or in foster care. The importance of the sibling bond is supported by Federal legislation and child welfare best practices that emphasize keeping siblings together whenever possible. Ways to maintain the sibling connections when brothers and sisters are living in different homes are also discussed.

In fiscal year 2011, the Children's Bureau awarded 10 grants to promote collaboration between child welfare and education systems in order to increase educational stability for children ages 10 to 17 and who were involved with child welfare. The Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF) received one of these grants to implement the Waterbury Educational Stability Initiative, which provided training on trauma-informed child welfare practice and child traumatic stress to education and child welfare stakeholders, including child welfare professionals, school counselors, parent liaisons, and foster parents. The project also tried to bridge the gap between the schools and law enforcement by training the school resource officers, who are municipal police officers assigned to the schools.

Describes the advantages and challenges workers may encounter when using social media with foster parents and youth in foster care. Issues that should be considered and tips for handling issues are also offered, as are ways to use social media to support families and youth.

Describes the advantages and challenges foster parents may encounter when using social media in their role as foster parents. Issues that should be considered and tips for handling issues are also offered. Ways to guide youth in the safe use of social media are also discussed.

Describes the advantages and challenges youth in foster care may encounter when using social media. Topics include ways that social media can be unsafe, ways to stay safe, and things to ask yourself before you post.

A resource directory listing of national organizations that provide information & services to combat or recover from human trafficking.

The State Foster Care Manager is the administrator who has oversight responsibility for all foster care services provided to children in the custody of the State and is the key point of contact for concerns regarding foster care programs that cannot be resolved by other existing procedures. This resource list provides contact information for each State's Foster Care Manager.

This resource listing includes State Kinship Care contacts or website links to kinship care programs provided by State child welfare agencies in relevant States and the District of Columbia.

This directory lists national organizations that disseminate information about child fatalities. The organizations provide advocacy, professional training, program development, public awareness, and research services.

Offers information to help child welfare agency managers achieve successful reunifications. This bulletin includes a description of the benefits of supporting reunification and preventing reentries, statistics, factors that affect reunification and reentry, and relevant strategies and approaches. It also includes examples of promising practices being implemented by States and localities.

Provides information for foster parents to help them learn about LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning) youth in the child welfare system, the unique risks they face, and the important role that foster parents can play in reducing those risks. The factsheet outlines specific actions that foster parents can take to create a welcoming home for all youth in their care and to promote youths' health and well-being in the community. Also included are links to many resources for more information and support.

Intended to help caseworkers, foster parents, or other caring adults understand trauma and treatment and support youth in making decisions about their mental health and using Making Healthy Choices: A Guide on Psychotropic Medications for Youth in Foster Care.

Provides child welfare professionals with a framework for how to talk with older youth about permanency, including key considerations and suggestions for starting a conversation as well as ways to make these discussions more effective and meaningful.

This study was designed to extend current understanding of foster parent retention by producing unbiased estimates of length of service and examining factors associated with licensure, provision of care, and length of service. The study used administrative data, applying data management and analytic methods that have been used to describe the length of stay for children in foster care. Principal research questions include: How have the characteristics of foster parents changed over time? How can variations in activity levels be described, and what foster parent characteristics are associated with varying activity levels? What is the typical length of service for foster parents? and What characteristics are associated with variations in length of foster parent careers? Child welfare agencies in New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Oregon contributed data for these analyses. Three key findings indicate: 1) Length of service in foster parenting is shorter than many managers would expect. The median length of service of 8 to 14 months estimated with a longitudinal model for these states is a distinct contrast to the mean time in foster parenting of 5 to 8 years reported in earlier studies. In the three states studied, between 47 and 62 percent of foster parents exited foster parenting within a year of the first placement in their home. 2) Foster parent "burn-out" cannot be identified as a factor in length of service. Higher foster home occupancy and higher levels of care for infants, adolescents, and children with special needs were consistently associated with greater length of service. 3) One-fifth of the foster parent population provides 60 to 80 percent of all foster care. These foster parents may represent a core group of active and experienced foster parents, with whom child welfare workers feel most confident placing children. An appendix lists characteristics of licensed foster parents in New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Oregon. (Author abstract modified)

This study documents that nonresident fathers of children in foster care are not often involved in case planning efforts and nearly half are never contacted by the child welfare agency during their child's stay in foster care. By not reaching out to fathers, caseworkers may overlook potential social connections and resources that could help to achieve permanency for the child. A total of 1,222 local agency caseworkers were interviewed by phone about 1,958 specific cases between October 2004 and February 2005 to examine front-line practices related to nonresident fathers. Interviewers achieved an 83% response rate to the survey. Cases were selected from among children who had been in foster care at least 3 months but no more than 36 months. Children in the sample were all in foster care for the first time, and the child welfare agency's records indicated that each of the children's biological fathers was alive but not living in the home from which the child was removed. Additionally, only one child per mother was eligible for the study. The results of this study provide empirical evidence on the steps that child welfare agencies currently take to identify, locate and involve nonresident fathers in case planning; the barriers encountered; and the policies and practices that affect involvement.

Helps child welfare professionals promote kinship care by providing information, referral, and support services to kinship caregivers to ensure the safety, permanency, and well-being of children in their care. Topics covered include the types and benefits of kinship care, training for caseworkers, specific strategies for supporting kinship caregivers, and examples of successful child welfare programs around the country that provide services to kinship caregivers.

Helps child welfare and adoption professionals expand their cultural competence and skills when working with LGBTQ individuals and same-sex couples. It examines laws and policies and provides tips to engage this vital and distinct community effectively. This bulletin includes information about challenges faced by LGBTQ adoptive parents, challenges faced by professionals when working with LGBTQ families, supporting transgender parents, and how to create a welcoming agency.