VOICES Youth Programs, which has several sites in California, recently released a publication entitled We Are Worth It: Recommendations for Implementation of the Family First Prevention Services Act. The report is comprised of policy recommendations created by systems-involved young people across the state to ensure older youth are supported during the implementation of Family First. TheirRead More

The Youth Law Center has released a new brief, A New Deal for Transition Age Foster Youth in California: A Policy Roadmap for Ensuring a Resilient Recovery after COVID-19, which proposes key policy changes for transition age youth who are in foster care or have recently exited care in the aftermath of the COVID-19 public healthRead More

Florida Youth SHINE and its partner Vita Nova are maintaining a running covid-19 resource list for foster youth and their supporters. You can also check out their webpage for other great resources such as the Freaked Out About Finances tip sheet!

The Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has shared a well-being toolkit which identifies resources which can serve as a support to us all during this challenging time for our world.  The toolkit includes well-being tips, suggestions on how to talk to children and youth, meditations and resources for educators.  

On February 11, the Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy and Practice (CTIPP) announced the launch of a National Trauma Campaign calling for federal action to prevent and address childhood trauma and build resilience. The Campaign is designed to support local and state leaders in opening a line of regular communication with Congressional offices about trauma issues, including: evidence on theRead More

You may recall the release of The Promise of Adolescence in August of 2019 which is a report that examines the neurobiological and sociobehavioral science of adolescent development and identifies how these findings can be applied to four key sectors: child welfare, education, health, and justice. Over the past several decades, research has fundamentally changed our understandingRead More

Chapin Hall released a new brief entitled Federal Actions to Prevent & End Youth Homelessness: Recommendations Based on Research and a National Convening of Experts and Stakeholders. The paper presents recommendations for federal action based on findings from the Voices of Youth Count research. The recommendations were developed through a multistep process that included national organizations,Read More

This week, Child Trends released a report, Funding Supports and Services for Young People Transitioning from Foster Care, which provides an overview of how jurisdictions are using existing funding sources to serve youth transitioning from foster care and examines the funding challenges they continue to face. The report also identifies policy issues for the child welfareRead More

Amanda Shabowich, Fellow for the Youth Transition Funders Group in the Economic Well-Being Working Group, recently developed a survival guide for young people to support them in navigating professional spaces. Amanda states “While there’s no roadmap or official guidebook for navigating professional spaces as Opportunity Youth, it’s definitely an ongoing conversation as more spaces welcomeRead More

Volunteers of America and Wilder Research, with the support of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, have released a national directory of Residential Substance Use Disorder Treatment Programs for Parents with Children. The Family First Prevention Services Act has elevated the importance of these programs in better supporting these children: effective October 1, 2018, states couldRead More