Breadcrumb
- Federal Resources
Federal Resources
Report: Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange
This report provides information on international students studying at higher education institutions in the U.S. and students from the U.S. studying abroad. Developed by the Institute of International Education, the report shows the number of international students at colleges and universities in the U.S. increased by 7% to a record high of 1,043,839 in the 2015-16 academic year, while U.S. students studying abroad increased by 3% to 313,415 students in the 2014-15 academic year.
Report: Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2015
This report presents the most recent data on school crime and student safety. Topics covered include victimization at school, teacher injury, bullying and cyberbullying, school conditions, student perceptions of personal safety at school, and a special spotlight section on juveniles in residential placement facilities.
Report: Co-Offending Among Adolescents in Violence Victimizations, 2004-13
This report presents estimates of nonfatal violence victimizations committed by adolescents during 2004-13 and compares the characteristics of victimizations committed by adolescents acting alone and with other young people. The data show adolescent offenders committed 22% of all violent victimizations during this period, and more violent victimizations were committed by adolescents who acted alone than those who acted with co-offenders.
Report: Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2016
This annual report presents data on crime at school from the perspectives of students, teachers, principals, and the general population. Topics addressed include victimization, bullying, school conditions, fights, weapons, the presence of security staff at school, availability and student use of drugs and alcohol, student perceptions of personal safety at school, and criminal incidents at postsecondary institutions.
Children's Bureau
The Children's Bureau (CB) is one of two bureaus within the Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Administration for Children and Families, of the Department of Health and Human Services. The Children's Bureau seeks to improve the safety, permanency and well-being of children through leadership, support for necessary services, and productive partnerships with states, tribes, and communities. It has the primary responsibility for administering federal programs that support state child welfare services.
Upcoming Event: November is National Adoption Month
This observance aims to increase national awareness of the need for permanent families for children and youth in the foster care system. This year’s theme, “We Never Outgrow the Need for Family—Just Ask Us,” reflects a focus on the importance of identifying permanent families for the thousands of 15- to 18-year-olds in foster care who are currently less likely to be adopted or who may age out of the system without a stable home. A new tip sheet, Talking with Older Youth About Adoption (PDF, 2 pages) provides child welfare professionals with a framework for how to talk with older youth about permanency and includes suggestions for how to make these conversations more effective.
Report: Child Maltreatment 2015
This report from the Child Welfare Information Gateway provides state-level data from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System on reports of abuse and neglect made to child protective services (CPS) agencies, the children involved, types of maltreatment, CPS responses, child and caregiver risk factors, services, and perpetrators.
Resource: Engaging Youth in Foster Care
This podcast shares the perspective of a youth formerly in foster care. It provides tips to caseworkers for engaging youth in developing their case plans and identifying supportive adults in their lives. This resource can help caseworkers as they work with youth who are in foster care or preparing to transition to adulthood.
Share with Youth: Being an Engaged and Involved Teen in Foster Care
This webpage provides information to teens in foster care about their permanency options, tools to help them transition to adulthood, and how to find support from other teens who have been in foster care.
Supporting Families Impacted by Incarceration — A Dialogue with Experts
This report, developed by the National Child Abuse and Neglect Technical Assistance and Strategic Dissemination Center, is the outcome of a meeting that convened national child welfare experts on families impacted by incarceration. It features key issues around this topic for practitioners and identifies needed resources and tools to support the workforce and families, along with a practical framework of intervention points from arrest to release.
John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood
The John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood (the Chafee program) provides funding to support youth/ young adults in or formerly in foster care in their transition to adulthood. The program is funded through formula grants awarded to child welfare agencies in States (including the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands) and participating Tribes. Chafee funds are used to assist youth/ young adults in a wide variety of areas designed to support a successful transition to adulthood. Activities and programs include, but are not limited to, help with education, employment, financial management, housing, emotional support and assured connections to caring adults. Specific services and supports are determined by the child welfare agency, vary by State, locality and agency, and are often based on the individual needs of the young person. Many State or local agencies contract with private organizations to deliver services to young people.
Report: Point-in-Time Estimates of Homelessness: 2016 Annual Homeless Assessment Report
This annual report (PDF, 96 pages) provides a snapshot of homelessness, both sheltered and unsheltered, on a single night in late January in the U.S., including estimates for particular populations such as youth. The data show 35,686 unaccompanied homeless youth were counted. Eighty nine percent were between the ages of 18 and 24, and 11% were under the age of 18. There were 9,800 parenting young adults between 18 and 24 years of age, and 92 parents under the age of 18.
Campus Safety and Security Data Analysis Cutting Tool
Developed by the Department of Education, college applicants and their families can use this tool to access campus crime statistics for colleges and universities.
Federal TRIO Programs
The Federal TRIO Programs are educational opportunity outreach programs designed to motivate and support students from disadvantaged backgrounds. TRIO includes six outreach and support programs targeted to serve and assist low-income, first-generation college students, and students with disabilities to progress through the academic pipeline from middle school to post-baccalaureate programs.
Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP)
This discretionary grant program is designed to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education.
Dear Colleague Letter: Unaccompanied Homeless Youth Determinations
ED released a Dear Colleague letter that clarifies determinations for unaccompanied homeless youth for financial aid (PDF, 4 pages). This information can help financial aid administrators better understand the definition of “homeless” and how to determine if students qualify as such.
Guidance: Raising Awareness on Specific Learning Disabilities
This guidance for state and local educational agencies clarifies that students with specific learning disabilities — such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia — have unique educational needs. The guidance also clarifies that there is nothing in the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act prohibiting the use of the terms dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia in a student’s evaluation, determination of eligibility for special education and related services, or in developing the student’s individualized education program.
Resource: Improving Outcomes for Youth with Disabilities in Juvenile Corrections
This toolkit includes evidence- and research-based practices, tools, and resources that educators, families, facilities, and community agencies can use to better support and improve the long-term outcomes for youth with disabilities in juvenile correctional facilities. The toolkit focuses on four key areas identified as part of an OSEP-sponsored focus group series on juvenile corrections: facility-wide practices, educational practices, transition and re-entry practices, and community and interagency practices.
Share with Youth: A Transition Guide to Postsecondary Education and Employment for Students and Youth with Disabilities
This guide (PDF, 62 pages) aims to educate students and youth with disabilities and their families about the transition from school to post-school activities. It includes information about transition planning, transition services and requirements, and education and employment options.
Report: E-cigarette Use Among Youth and Young Adults: A Report of the Surgeon General
This report is the first to be issued by a federal agency that comprehensively reviews the public health issue of electronic cigarettes and their impact on young people. Using evidence gathered from studies that included young adolescents, adolescents, and young adults, this report confirms there is no acceptable level of nicotine when it comes to these populations and the aerosol from e-cigarettes is not harmless. The report website also offers tools for parents and a public service announcement.
Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General’s Spotlight on Opioids
This report provides the latest data on the prevalence of substance use, opioid misuse, opioid use disorders, opioid overdoses, and related harms. It also addresses prevention, treatment, and management of opioid use disorders and the progress to address the opioid epidemic.
A Circle of Healing for Native Children Endangered by Drugs
“A Circle of Healing for Native Children Endangered by Drugs” is a seven-part video series that highlights best practices for meeting the needs of drug-endangered youth in tribal communities. Produced in collaboration with tribal and federal partners, the videos feature testimonials and examples of cultural practices that tribal communities can use to help traumatized children who are healing from drug endangerment.
Multicultural Implications of Restorative Justice: Potential Pitfalls and Dangers
This document examines concerns practitioners of restorative justice must keep in mind when working with people from different cultures.
Office of Victims of Crime
The Office of Victims of Crime is committed to enhancing the nation’s capacity to assist crime victims and providing leadership in changing attitudes, policies, and practices to promote justice and healing for all victims of crime.
Office of Victims of Crime Initiatives
The Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime, provides legal assistance for victims of human trafficking and funds the Wrap-Around Victims Legal Assistance Network Demonstration Project and the Services for Trafficking Victims Grant Program to sustain services in communities.