Breadcrumb
- Federal Resources
Federal Resources
Making Healthy Choices: A Guide on Psychotropic Medications for Youth in Foster Care
This resource from the Children’s Bureau provides information to youth in foster care on psychotropic medication, and the role they can have in their overall health care, as well as alternate approaches to treatment.
Measurement Matters: How Should My Program Measure Changes in Child Well-Being?
Released as part of the Child Welfare Evaluation Virtual Summit Series, the Children’s Bureau has developed the video "Measurement Matters: How Should My Program Measure Changes in Child Well-Being?," which presents guidance about issues to consider when attempting to measure changes in well-being outcomes over time.
National Academies Board on Children, Youth, and Families
The Board on Children, Youth, and Families (BCYF) addresses a variety of policy-relevant issues related to the health and development of children, youth, and families. It does so by convening experts to weigh in on matters from the perspective of the behavioral, social, and health sciences.
National Child Welfare Resource Center for Tribes
The National Resource Center for Tribes will join the Children's Bureau's Child Welfare Training and Technical Assistance (T&TA) Network which is designed to improve child welfare systems and to support States and Tribes in achieving sustainable, systemic change that results in greater safety, permanency, and well-being for children, youth, and families.
National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day 2013 Short Report, May 9, 2013
This report discusses the prevalence of mental health and other related challenges among children and youth in the juvenile justice and child welfare systems, as well as trauma-informed SAMHSA programs, services, and initiatives that support the recovery and resilience of these young people.
National Resource Center on Legal and Judicial Issues
National Resource Center on Legal and Judicial Issues provides consultation, training, and technical assistance on all legal and judicial aspects of the child welfare system, including federal law, court improvement, agency and court collaboration, permanency planning, legal representation, and other emerging child welfare issues. The Resource Center, funded by the Children’s Bureau, is comprised of the American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law, the National Center for State Courts, and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges.
National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections
The National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections at the Hunter College School of Social Work is a training, technical assistance, and information services organization dedicated to help strengthen the capacity of State, local, Tribal and other publicly administered or supported child welfare agencies in order to: institutionalize a safety-focused, family-centered, and community-based approach to meet the needs of children, youth and families. NRCPFC is a service of the Children's Bureau at the Department of Health and Human Services.
The NRCPFC is committed to providing T/TA & Information Services that are:
- Proactive
- Integrated
- Culturally Competent
- Collaborative
- Individualized
- Strength-based
- Family-centered practice
- Community-based practice
- Evidence-Based & Evidence-informed
National Youth in Transition Database
The National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD) will collect case-level information on youth in care including the services paid for or provided by the State agencies that administer the Chafee Foster Care Independence Program (CFCIP), as well as the outcome information on youth who are in or who have aged out of foster care.
Preparing for Disasters and Disruptions to Service Continuity
Preparing for disasters involves creating plans, preparing to manage during a disaster, and enhancing critical infrastructure prior to a disaster. In this section of the Child Welfare Information Gateway, you will find federal and state resources for professionals and families to prepare for disasters—both natural (e.g., hurricanes, floods, fires) and human created (e.g., terrorism) —including examples of state disaster plans.
Parental Incarceration and Child Wellbeing: An Annotated Bibliography
This annotated bibliography focuses on quantitative research on the consequences of paternal and maternal incarceration for children that (1) attempts to control for selection using standard statistical techniques, (2) uses broadly representative data, and (3) differentiates consequences of paternal incarceration from consequences of maternal incarceration. Although this bibliography focuses primarily on research in the United States, a small number of studies using data from European countries are also included (and many additional studies in that vein are also included in the further readings section so that interested readers will be able to read more in this area).
Parental Incarceration and Child Wellbeing: An Annotated Bibliography (PDF, 17 pages)
Promoting Recovery and Resilience for Children and Youth Involved in Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare Systems
A report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration illustrates the heightened risk of young people in juvenile justice and child welfare systems having experienced traumatic events and developing mental health conditions. However, as the report states, appropriate care for these children and youth can promote recovery and resilience.
Quality Education Services Are Critical for Youth Involved With the Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare Systems
In May 2010, the Center for Juvenile Justice Reform at Georgetown University released the monograph ”Addressing the Unmet Educational Needs of Children and Youth in the Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare Systems” (PDF, 74 pages), which examines a number of topics relevant to the education and experiences of youth in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. This new practice guide (PDF, 27 pages) developed by NDTAC examines the principle included in the monograph that quality education services are critical for youth involved with the juvenile justice and child welfare systems, and offers a range of practices and strategies that juvenile justice, child welfare, and education professionals can use to improve education programming and outcomes for youth in their care.
Report of the Attorney General's National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence
The National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence published a final report which includes 56 recommendations underscoring the importance of identifying children who are victims of, or witnesses to, violence, and providing services to help them heal.
Read the Key Lessons of the RPG Program
“The Final Synthesis and Summary Report: Grantee Interviews” (PDF, 35 pages) captures lessons learned and stories from the Regional Partnership Grant (RPG) Program. The RPG is the broadest federal program ever launched to assist states, tribes, and communities across the nation to improve the well-being, permanency, and safety outcomes of children who are in, or at-risk of, out-of-home placement as a result of a parent's or caregiver's methamphetamine or other substance abuse.
Runaway and Homeless Youth Training and Technical Assistance Centers - Community of Practice
This site is a meeting place that provides members of the RHYTTAC CoP with opportunities to participate in discussion forums, member profiles, photo gallery, file storage, and more.
Spotlight on NYTD: New Videos Released
The Administration for Children & Families released three videos featuring young people discussing the National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD), the first national data collection effort on youth aging out of foster care. These data track their outcomes during their transition and capture their feedback about their time in the foster care system. The videos describe the NYTD initiative, encourage state welfare agencies to administer the survey, and explain why youth should complete it.
The Economic Well-Being of LGB Youth Transitioning Out of Foster Care
This report describes the characteristics and economic well-being of young people aging out of foster care who identify themselves as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB).
Students in Foster Care
This Department of Education webpage provides information about important laws, guidance, and technical assistance materials related to the educational experience of youth in foster care.
Student Voices Session: Shining a Spotlight on Native Youth in Foster Care
This blog post describes a Student Voices session held at The White House on December 8, 2014. Here, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Secretary of Interior Sally Jewell, and current and former foster care youth from American Indian and Alaska Native nations discussed the struggles of Native youth. In the post, the author, a public policy specialist and a former foster care youth of Native Hawaiian and American Indian (Blackfeet) descent, also shares her personal experiences and the important role school played in her life.
Teens in Foster Care Are Less Likely to Talk With a Parent or Guardian About the Dangers of Substance Use
A new report, based on data from SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health, reveals that adolescents ages 12-17 in foster care are significantly less likely to talk to a parent or guardian about the dangers of substance use compared with their peers. 58.9% of adolescents living with biological parents have these discussions, and 57.6% of adolescents living with adoptive parents have these talks. But the percentage drops to 51.1 for adolescents in foster care.
Supporting Successful Transition to Adulthood for Current and Former Youth in Foster Care Through Coordination With the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program
This training and employment notice informs states and local areas about how youth programs can help youth who are or were in foster care to complete postsecondary education and training. Intended for youth programs that receive formula funding through the Workforce Investment Act, the training highlights how youth programs can coordinate with state and local independent living coordinators to ensure that youth have knowledge of and access to state tuition waivers and education and training vouchers from the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program.
The National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW): Implications for Child Welfare Evaluations
Developed as part of the Child Welfare Evaluation Virtual Summit Series, the Children's Bureau has released this video, "The National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW): Implications for Child Welfare Evaluations," which illustrates ways that the NSCAW can provide a meaningful comparison group for those interested in assessing in their jurisdictions outcomes of child and adolescent well-being.
Trauma-informed Care and Outcomes Among Youth
This report released by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration illustrates that children and youth participating in community-based programs, who are involved in the juvenile justice and child welfare systems, demonstrate improved outcomes after receiving trauma-informed services.
Using Social Media in Child Welfare
The “Using Social Media in Child Welfare” page offers tips and resources for social workers, youth, and foster parents on the safe and effective use of social media.
Use of Research Evidence: Building Two-Way Streets
This video from the Child Welfare Evaluation Virtual Summit Series challenges researchers and evaluators to think differently about the ways that research is acquired and used and suggests steps that they can take to close the gap between research and practice.