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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.

In every State there are children with special needs waiting in foster care for adoptive families. The most recent data estimate that 126,000 children are available to be adopted from foster care. In the past, the costs of care and services were major obstacles to parents who would otherwise adopt and love these children, and most were not placed for adoption. The Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 provided the first Federal subsidies to encourage the adoption of children from the nation's foster care system. These subsidies, known as adoption assistance, serve to minimize the financial obstacles to adoption. In addition, other types of assistance often are available to help with medical care or other services. Adoption assistance serves to remove barriers and contribute to an increase in adoption of children with special needs. This factsheet discusses this assistance by reviewing: Federal Title IV-E adoption assistance, State adoption assistance, and how to arrange adoption assistance.

Provides information about placing a baby for adoption, presents questions to consider, and points to resources that may help you in exploring your options. Others who are affected by adoption decisions, such as expectant fathers and other relatives, also may find this factsheet useful for answering their questions.

In every State there are children with special needs waiting in foster care for adoptive families. The most recent data estimate that 126,000 children are available to be adopted from foster care. In the past, the costs of care and services were major obstacles to parents who would otherwise adopt and love these children, and most were not placed for adoption.

La Ley de Ayuda para la Adopción y el Bienestar Infantil (Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act) de 1980 suministró los primeros subsidios Federales para fomentar la adopción de los niños provenientes del sistema de cuidado temporal de la nación. Estos subsidios, conocidos como ayuda para la adopción, sirven para reducir los obstáculos financieros para la adopción. Además, a menudo hay disponibles otros tipos de ayuda para ayudar con la atención médica u otros servicios.

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)

Presents an overview of State laws that provide for the development and implementation of an alternative permanency plan concurrently with efforts to reunify the child with his or her family. Compared to more traditional sequential planning for permanency, in which one permanency plan is ruled out before an alternative is developed, concurrent planning may provide earlier permanency for a child. Full-text excerpts of laws for all States and U.S. territories are included.

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.

Ofrece información sobre la adopción, preguntas a considerar y señala recursos que podrían ayudarle a explorar sus opciones. También puede ser de utilidad para abordar las preguntas de otras personas, como los futuros padres y otros parientes, quienes también son afectadas por las decisiones relacionadas con la adopción.Provides information about placing a baby for adoption, presents questions to consider, and points to resources that may help you in exploring your options. Others who are affected by adoption decisions, such as expectant fathers and other relatives, also may find this factsheet useful for answering their questions.

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.

Provides an overview of State laws that provide the legal basis for terminating the rights of parents who have been found unfit to parent their children. The circumstances under which the court may find that termination may not serve the child's best interests and under which a parent's rights may be reinstated also are addressed. Summaries of laws for all States and U.S. territories are included.

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.

Addresses child welfare's work with immigrant children and families; examines current issues related to immigration and child welfare; provides examples of programs and promising practices; and points to resources for professionals, families, and youth. Cultural competency and trauma-informed practice are also discussed.

Provides caseworkers with an overview of current and historical issues affecting child welfare practice with American Indian and Alaska Native families; practice implications, including the application of the Indian Child Welfare Act; and cultural considerations.

Discusses State laws that provide safe places for parents to relinquish newborn infants. The purpose of these laws is to prevent these babies from being abandoned at places where they may come to harm. The responsibilities of and immunity from liability for providers who accept the infants, legal protections from prosecution for the parents, and the effect of relinquishment on parental rights also are discussed. Summaries of laws for all States and U.S. territories are included.

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.

Reviews State laws and policies that allow a family member or other person with close ties to a child who has been placed in out-of-home care to become that's child's permanent guardian. Guardianship has emerged as permanency option for a child who has been placed in out-of-home care as it creates a legal relationship between a child and caregiver that is intended to be permanent and self-sustaining and can provide a permanent family for the child without the necessity of terminating the parents' parental rights. A guardian's rights and duties, approving a guardianship home, modifying or revoking a guardianship, and eligibility for guardianship subsidies are among the issues addressed. Summaries of relevant laws for all States and U.S. territories are included.

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

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.

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.

Discusses the ways that professionals can help foster parents before, during, and after they adopt from foster care in order to ensure that the child and family experience a successful adoption outcome. Foster parents are the most important source of adoptive families for children in the child welfare system. In order to facilitate these types of adoption, professionals should be knowledgeable about the benefits, costs, and practice implications.

Discusses services for children and youth in foster care to address their readiness and preparation for adoption and other permanent relationships. It focuses on ways that child welfare workers and other adults can help to prepare those children and youth whose goal is adoption; however, much of the information on preparation is also applicable to children and youth with other permanency goals. The bulletin examines what has previously been considered adequate preparation as well as current practices and those in development to more effectively ensure that children and youth are better prepared for permanent family relationships, including both legal and relational permanency (permanent relationships with caring adults).

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.

This factsheet discusses laws that require child welfare agencies to make reasonable efforts to provide services that will help families remedy the conditions that brought the child and family into the child welfare system. The issues examined include what constitutes reasonable efforts, when reasonable efforts are required to be made, and the circumstances under which reasonable efforts to reunify the family are not required. Summaries of laws for all States and U.S. territories are included.

This report to Congress outlines the findings of two adoption-research studies conducted as part of The Collaboration to AdoptUsKids. In the first study, a nationwide purposive sample of 300 families seeking to adopt children with special needs from the public child welfare system was selected, interviewed, and surveyed to determine actual and potential barriers to the completion of the adoption process. In addition, a nationwide sample of 382 private -- and public-agency adoption staff members were surveyed to assess their opinions regarding barriers to the adoption process. This first study is referred to as the "Barriers" study in this report. In the second study, a four-year prospective examination of a nationwide sample of 161 families who had adopted children with special needs was conducted in order to determine factors that contributed to successful adoption outcomes. This research study is referred to as the "Success Factors" study in this report. When all represented States are counted in both studies, family and staff participants came from all ten standard Federal regions, 47 States and the District of Columbia. (Author abstract)

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.

Examines State standby guardianship laws in which a parent may transfer guardianship of his or her child to a specific person under certain conditions. Many States developed these laws specifically to address the needs of parents living with HIV/AIDS, other disabling conditions, or terminal illnesses who want to plan a legally secure future for their children. A standby guardianship differs from traditional guardianships in that the parent retains much of his or her authority over the child. This publication covers the establishment of standby guardianship, the role of noncustodial parents, parental authority, and withdrawal of guardianship.

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 bulletin presents an overview of child welfare supervision and explores the dimensions of supervision that agencies may want to consider as they seek to strengthen the effectiveness of their services to children and families. This bulletin is designed to provide child welfare supervisors, managers, and related professionals with examples of States' efforts to strengthen supervisory capacity and with tools and resources to enhance supervisory skills.

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.

Since 1996, seven States have implemented assisted guardianship waiver demonstrations: Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Montanna, New Mexico, North Carolina and Oregon. Montanna and New Mexico's demonstrations offered a guardianship option for children in either Tribal or State custody. In two States -- North Carolina and Oregon -- assisted guardianship was one component of a larger, flexible funding waiver demonstration. The number of States implementing guardianship demonstrations reflects growing interest nationally in the use of guardianship as an alternative permanency option for some children in foster care, particularly children placed with relatives, who cannot be safly reunified with birth parentsor who cannot or do not wish to be adopted. Families may choose not to pursue adiption for many reasons, including reluctance to terminate parental rights fo rfear of the detrimental effects on family relationships, rejection of adoption by the child, and cultural opposition to termination of parental rights. (Author abstract)

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.

Provides families involved with the child welfare system an overview of the court process. This factsheet answers frequently asked questions about parental rights and offers suggestions on how to prepare for and respond to court proceedings. It also includes information on filing an appeal, a glossary of court terms, and recommended resources.

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.