from various sources including the newsletter Child Welfare in the News (distributed at no charge by Child Welfare Information Gateway) featuring news stories on topics of interest to child welfare and related professionals.
Emerging Transformed – Sharing Lessons Learned from the Pandemic
A memo from Jerry Milner, Assistant Commissioner, Children’s Bureau to share lessons learned from the pandemic and highlight strategies and opportunities for child and family serving agencies, organizations, and entities to create equitable, proactive, and integrated approaches to support the health and well-being of children and families. ACF strongly encourages its grantees and public, private, faith-based, and philanthropic agencies and entities to utilize the lessons of the pandemic as an opportunity to make positive systems change. The IM calls for transformational leadership across all sectors to promote equity, wellness, family integrity, and healing.
Foster Care Was Always Tough. The Pandemic Made It Tougher.
While some child welfare systems have pivoted to a remote reality, advocates say it hasn’t been uniform or quick enough for the country’s 400,000 foster kids. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/08/parenting/foster-care-coronavirus.html
Building Guardrails for the Benefits Cliff
When a small bump in salary costs more in needed social services than the pay hike brings in, something’s wrong. Using broad partnerships, state and federal policymakers are beginning to address the issue.
https://www.governing.com/now/Building-Guardrails-for-the-Benefits-Cliff.html
US: We are Overdue for a Revolution in Child Welfare (Opinion)
We are overdue for revolutionary change, and we need a way of helping to keep families together that goes beyond doing things a little bit better, but rather develops a new, different and transformational approach. The good news is that there is momentum in our field for real and sustained changes to our work, as evidenced by a mounting chorus of voices calling for change. The great news is that now more than ever, these voices include families and youth who have been impacted by the system and their voices are finally being heard. https://imprintnews.org/child-welfare-2/overdue-revolution-child-welfare-system/50632
US: Study Finds ‘Devastating’ Pandemic-Era Effects on Former Foster Youth
The first few months of the coronavirus pandemic took a significant toll on the well-being of former foster youth, according to a new survey that researchers said points to the need to address those effects in the medium and long term.
https://imprintnews.org/coronavirus/study-devastating-pandemic-era-former-foster-youth/50574
Hidden Foster Care: All of the Responsibility, None of the Resources
Outside of the traditional foster care system exists a shadow system of potentially hundreds of thousands of children removed by CPS to their relatives or family friends—without a court case, monetary support, or due process. https://theappeal.org/hidden-foster-care/