U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Statistics on the number of children in public foster care on September 30th of each year who are waiting to be adopted by state and year. Link to pdf report
Tag Archives: Foster Care
Kinship Care and the Fostering Connections Act of 2008: Information Packet
National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections: There are many benefits of placing children separated from parents with their relatives. Relatives are able to offer family support and frequent contact with birth parents and siblings. Therefore, kinship care placements have become the preferred option of child welfare agencies. Under the Fostering Connections Act, there is much support for relatives caring for foster children, including: (1) federal reimbursement under Title IV-E for guardianship assistance payments, (2) requirements for states to provide relatives with notice of the placement of a related child in foster care, (3) codification of existing federal guidance permitting flexibility in foster care licensing for relatives, (4) requirements for states to make reasonable efforts to keep siblings together in foster care, and (5) grants to support maintaining family connections. Link to Info Packet
Educational Experiences of Youth with Disabilities in Foster Care
Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare: 2nd in a series of policy briefs. Youth with disabilities are overrepresented in the population of youth in the child welfare system. It is well documented that young people in foster care are at a disadvantage in their educational experiences, due both to their past experiences with physical and emotional trauma, as well as to challenges in both the child welfare and educational systems. Placement changes lead to high rates of academic mobility, which leads to disruption in the school routine and relationships with teachers, other students, and school personnel. This Policy Brief describes three issues and offers solutions with references to relevant studies.
● Isolation in Special Education Settings for Youth with Disabilities in Foster Care
● Education Mobility & Attendance
● Graduation and Drop-Out Rates
Integrating National Adoption Day Into Your Faith Community
Faith communities can help celebrate National Adoption Day by planning an event or getting involved in a local celebration. Your faith community can also support foster care adoption year round by volunteering, fostering a child or mentoring. Use these helpful tools to guide your efforts:
- Faith communities toolkit (PDF)
- Letter from community to faith organization (template)
- Announcement (template)
- Faith communities participation form (PDF)
- Bulletin insert – color (PDF)
How Today’s Immigration Enforcement Policies Impact Children, Families, and Communities
Aug 2012; Center for American Progress: What happens to children when their parents are deported? How do these deportations, now more numerous than ever, affect families and the communities in which they live? This report looks at how immigration enforcement shapes family life in the United States, both among immigrant and mixed-status families, and in their wider communities. Deportations have a large effect on families, forcing children into foster care as their parents are shipped out of the country and leaving single mothers struggling to make ends meet. Link to pdf Report
Trauma-Informed Practice with Young People in Foster Care
What makes child welfare services for young people in foster care “trauma-informed”?
● An understanding of trauma that includes an appreciation of its prevalence among young people in foster care and its common consequences.
● Individualizing the young person.
● Maximizing the young person’s sense of trust and safety.
● Assisting the young person in reducing overwhelming emotion.
● Strengths-based services. Link to Issue Brief