Addressing the Unmet Educational Needs of Children and Youth in the Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare Systems
May 27, 2010: Georgetown University's Public Policy Institute Center for Juvenile Justice Reform has released a new paper reviewing educational barriers encountered by youth involved in the juvenile justice and child welfare systems and describes recent legal and policy reforms. Promising practices and evidence-based interventions to improve educational barriers encountered by youth involved in the juvenile justice and child welfare systems and describes recent legal and policy reforms. Click here to access the PDF.

Educational Continuity and Student Mobility for Children in Out-of-Home Care
April 19, 2010: The latest child welfare quality improvement report Improving Educational Continuity and School Stability for Children in Out-of-Home Care,  from Casey Family Programs, discusses successful practice changes developed and carried out in nine jurisdictions from 2006-2008. With a focus on improving communication, coordination of resources, and information exchange between child welfare, education, and court systems, the report is a guide for advocates to learn about the common challenges and policy solutions to address educational stability for foster youth.

2010 Factbook Data Now Available!
April 12, 2010: The 2010 Rhode Island Kids Count Factbook is now available! The Factbook tracks the progress of 67 indicators, across five areas of child well-being including Family and Community, Economic Well-Being, Health, Safety, and Education. Data are also available for Rhode Island's 39 cities and towns.

The Impact of Immigration Enforcement on Child Welfare
April 9, 2010: A new report released from First Focus examines the impact immigration enforcement has on the thousands of children of undocumented immigrants, 73% of whom are U.S. citizens. This includes risks to child safety and well-being, such as the needless separation of children from parents. The report reveals over 5 million children in the U.S. with at least one undocumented parent are at risk of uncessarily entering the child welare systtem when a parent is detained or deported. 

New Database on State Child Welfare Policies
March 9, 2010: The State Child Welfare Policy Database is a new online resource now available. The easy-to-use website provides state-by-state policy information on a range of child welfare topics. Visitors can access up-to-date information on individual state policies, compare policies across states, and access information on a growing number of child welfare related topics such as kinship care and older youth aging out of foster care.

National State-by-State Statistics Provide Snapshot about the Plight of America's Children
March 8, 2010:  The Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) has released its Nation's Children 2010 report, a compilation of the latest statistics from a variety of state and national organizations that provides insight into the health and welfare of U.S. children. The report noted that of the nation's 74 million children, nearly one-fifth are living in poverty, up more than 20% from the prior year. The report also notes a reduction in child abuse and neglect as well as a decrease in the number of children in foster care. Click here to access Nation's Children 2010.

State Fact Sheet on Child Welfare
January 26, 2010: The Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) has released a series of fact sheets on child well-being from a child welfare perspective. The fact sheets report on child abuse and neglect, adoption and kinship care, child poverty and income support, child care and head start, health and substance abuse, vulnerable youth, juvenile justice and delinquency, child welfare services and funding of the child welfare workforce for each state. Click to access the Rhode Island fact sheet.

Senate Establishes Foster Care Caucus
December 23, 2009: On Thursday, December 17, Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) announced the formation of a Senate Caucus on foster youth. He will chair the new caucus along with Senator Mary Landrieu (D-IA). In a press conference announcing the creation of the caucus Senator Grassley said, "the purpose of the caucus is to focus attention on the needs of older kids who remain in foster care and young adults who have just aged out... of foster care-- and then are disconnected from support and stability of a permanent family that they had in foster care." Members of the Senate and House frequently form caucuses, with the goal of bringing together like-minded members of the Congress around a specific issue. The caucuses stay in place from one Congress to the next with members from both parties joining on. Grassley indicated that the caucus will help to organize and facilitate briefings for senators by think-tank experts, foster care coalitions, and other groups as well as young people who are in foster care or were earlier in their lives. Caucuses can also be an important and rapid way to gain names for letters or for sponsorship of legislation. The formal announcement of the caucus took place at a Capitol Hill event reviewing the 10-year anniversary of the John H. Chaffee Independent Living Act.

Healthy Foster Care America
December 22, 2009: The recently launched Healthy Foster Care America website has been created to engage communities and their leaders in supporting children, teens, and their families with an effective, multidisciplinary, integrated and comprehensive continuum of care. Designed to grant users access to the latest tools, resources, facts and figures on the health and well-being of children and teens in foster care, the site has been created by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Task Force on Foster Care.

Child Maltreatment Linked to Higher Rates of Unemployment, Poverty
October 29, 2009: The National Institute of Mental Health has issued a report on outcomes of abuse and neglect and the significant costs they pose to individuals and society. The report found that long term incidences of childhood maltreatment include higher rates of unemployment, poverty, and use of social services in adulthood. The related losses in productivity and tax revenues, increased spending on social services, and potential transmission of abusive behaviors to futher generations suggest major costs to society as well. Read about the report here.

We Can Do Better: New Report on Child Abuse and Neglect
October 21, 2009 - A report released from the Every Child Matters Education Fund shows that 10,440 children in the U.S. are known to have died from abuse and neglect between 2001 and 2007. The report also shows that more than 1,760 U.S. children are documented to have died from abuse or neglect in 2007 – a 35 percent increase since 2001. It says that the combination of millions of vulnerable children and inadequate resources leaves states stretched too thin to protect all children who need it. View the report  for more information on child abuse and neglect nationally and in Rhode Island.

Release of Survey Results on Children's Exposure to Violence
October 21, 2009 - The Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs announced the availability of "Children's Exposure to Violence: A Comprehensive National Survey." The survey measured the past-year and life-time exposure to violence for children age 17 and younger. The major categories covered in the survey are: conventional crime, child maltreatment, victimization by peers and siblings, sexual victimization, witnessing and indirect victimization, school violence and threats, and Internet victimization.

New Resource Center for Information on Youth in Foster Care
October 14, 2009: The new Fostering Connections Resource Center will provide reliable information to support state and local decision makers as they move forward with implementation of the Fostering Connections to Success Act. The website contains a range of data, online tools, and technical support on all aspects of the Fostering Connections Act. Visit the Fostering Connections Resource Center.

Senate Votes for Foster Parents' Bill of Rights
May 12, 2009 - Legislation directing the RI Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) to develop a foster parents’ bill of rights that defines the roles and responsibilities of foster parents and provides them with basic protections was passed unanimously by the RI Senate. The legislation, sponsored by Senator Joshua Miller, gives DCYF until January 2010 to develop a bill of rights that addresses the need voiced by foster parents for a uniform set of principles to assist them and guide them in their roles.

Factsheet on Multigenerational Families Now Available
January 30, 2009: A multigenerational household is a living arrangement where three or more generations share a housing unit. In 2000, the most recent Census reporting year, the most common multigenerational household was headed by a grandparent and included their children and grandchildren. While multigenerational households represented less than 4% of total US households in 2000, the numbers have been increasing. View the factsheet from Generations United here.

Fostering Connections to Success Act of 2008 Resources
December 29, 2008 - The Fostering Connections to Success Act of 2008 (P.L 110-351), signed into law on October 7, 2008, includes a number of provisions that will help hundreds of thousands of children and youth in foster care. The Children’s Defense Fund and CLASP worked collaboratively to develop resources that detail the provisions of this important legislation. Included in the resources are is a summary highlighting information on those provisions that are particularly relevant to children and youth raised by relatives in the context of the child welfare system.

Children's Defense Fund Releases State of America's Children 2008
December 23, 2008: Accoding to the CDF report, children in America lag behind almost all industrialized nations on key child indicators. Among child welfare indicators, CDF found that nationally, more than 900,000 children were abused or neglected in 2006, and more than 2.5 million grandparents are raising their grandchildren. View highlights from the 2008 report, child welfare indicators, or view the entire 2008 report.

Landmark Child Welfare Legislation Enacted
October 20, 2008 - The Fostering Connections to Success & Improving Adoptions Act (H.R. 6893) will help hundreds of thousands of children and youth in foster care by promoting permanent families for them through relative guardianship and adoption and improving education and health care. It also extends supports to foster youth up to the age of 21 provided they are in school, working, or in a work training program. Additionally, it will offer for the first time many American Indian children important federal protections and support. H.R. 6893 had bipartisan support and was fully funded. H.R. 6893 was unanimously passed by the House on suspension of the rules on September 17, 2008 and in the Senate by unanimous consent on September 22, 2008. The bill was signed by President Bush on October 7, 2008.

2008 Report on Key National Indicators of Child Well-Being Available Online
July 14, 2008 - The newly released America's Children in Brief: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2008 profiles the status of the nation's children and youth, presenting up-to-date federal statistics on a variety of issues in one convenient reference. According to the report, math and reading scores of fourth and eighth graders have increased, but also shows that the teen birth rate and the proportion of infants born at low birthweight have also risen.

House Passes Fostering Connections to Success Act
June 24, 2008 - The House of Representatives has approved the Fostering Connections to Success Act, H.R. 6307, under unanimous consent. This is a major step towards improving child welfare services, and the lives of foster children across the country by providing federal supports for kinship care providers, supports for foster children who age out of foster care, new resources for the training of private child welfare agencies, providing for the educational and health care stability of foster children, while also reauthorizing and strengthening the adoption incentives program.

Available Services to RI Youth Ages 18 – 21 Aging Out of Foster Care
This fact sheet prepared by Rhode Island KIDS COUNT provides a comprehensive summary of services from case management and health care to education, employment and housing services, for those youth ages 18-21 who were in the foster care system on their 18th birthday.

May is recognized as National Foster Care Month
May 8, 2008 - The U.S. Children's Bureau has released national statistics on adoption and foster care. An estimated 510,000, children were in foster care at the end of FY 2006. The average age of all children in out-of-home care was 10 years old, with 52% of all children being male. Caucasion children represented 40 percent of the population, with African-American children and Hispanic children at 32 and 19 percent.

Read A Foster Child Comes of Age. It is a Washington Post profile of a young woman who is aging out of the system at 21 after spending 15 years in Virginia’s foster care system. For more information on National Foster Care Month, visit www.fostercaremonth.org.

New! Child Welfare Factbook Indicators' Factsheet 
Rhode Island KIDS COUNT released its annual publication on the well-being of children and families in RI, the 2009 Rhode Island Kids Count Factbook. The Factbook reports on 63 indicators of child well-being across five subjects: Family and Community, Economic Well-Being, Health, Education. Read the Fact Sheet on the Child Welfare Indicators.

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month
On April 1, President George Bush proclaimed April as National Child Abuse Prevention Month and encouraged "all citizens to help protect our children from abuse and neglect and to take an active role in creating safe communities." The President’s proclamation marks the 25th anniversary of the first designation of a month dedicated to the prevention of child abuse. President Ronald Reagan issued the first proclamation in 1983.

In conjunction with the month, the U.S. Children’s Bureau has updated their Community Resource packet for 2008, and more information of proven practices and public awareness campaigns is available online.

Report Examines Infant Maltreatment
In conjunction with child abuse prevention month, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) , working jointly Administration for Children & Families, released an analysis last week of the rate of nonfatal maltreatment of infants. The report, published in the April 4th edition of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, finds that 91,278 infants less than one year old (a rate of 23.2 per 1,000) experienced nonfatal maltreatment. Nearly 30,000 of these victims were less than a week old at the time of occurrence. Other key findings indicate that nearly two-thirds of all victims under the age of one suffered maltreatment. This report reaffirms CDC’s acknowledgment that "child maltreatment is a serious public health problem."

Child Maltreatment Data Released
The Children’s Bureau released the latest national data of child maltreatment across the country. Child Maltreatment 2006 provides national, and state-by-state, reviews of reports of child maltreatment, children that were confirmed as being victims of abuse, child fatalities, perpetrators, and services provided to children. This latest report collects the information submitted to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System for fiscal year 2006. ...[more]

Testimony on Proposed Regulations on Services to Youth Ages 18-21
On January 8, 2008 Rhode Island KIDS COUNT provided testimony at the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Families public hearing on the proposed rules and regulations on the services to youth ages 18 to 21. The organization also released a fact sheet that describes the services available to youth who turn 18 while in the foster care system.

Clinton Introduces Legislation to Help Foster Youth, Promote Adoptions
Shortly before Congress left for the Thanksgiving break, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) introduced two bills on child welfare. The Focusing Investments and Resources for a Safe Transition Act, or FIRST Act (S. 2341), would create a grant program to states establishing Individual Development Accounts (IDAs) for foster youth. The proposal would create savings accounts for foster youth in which their savings would be matched two to one. The second bill was the Adoption Improvement Act of 2007 (S. 2395), which would authorization $50 million to fund at least 10 pilot projects that attempt to strengthen adoptions through increased parent recruitment, greater adoption information, increased staff training, and greater community involvement in addressing the challenges of increasing adoptions. The bill also calls for HHS to fund research as part of the pilot projects to determine the successes and challenges in increasing the numbers of adoptions

National Foster Care Adoption Attitudes Survey
In celebration of National Adoption Month a national survey released this month reveals that 48 million Americans have considered adoption from foster care yet a majority of Americans hold misperceptions about the foster care adoption process and the children who are eligible for adoption. The survey finds that almost two-thirds (69%) of American adults believe society should be doing more to encourage adoption from foster care.

Midwest Evaluation of the Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth
The Midwest Study provides a comprehensive picture of how foster youth are faring during this transition since the Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 became law. Two new studies have recently been released:

The Issue Brief, When Should the State Cease Parenting? Evidence from the Midwest Study, discusses the potential benefits of allowing foster youth to remain in care past age 18. In particular, data from the Midwest Study suggest that allowing foster youth to remain in care past age 18 increases their likelihood of attending college and their likelihood of receiving independent living services after age 19. It may also increase earnings and delay pregnancy.

Outcomes at Age 21 is based on survey data collected from the 591 study participants who were interviewed when they were 21 years old and examines the experiences of these young people across a variety of domains.

College Cost Reduction and Access Act for Foster Youth Passes
November 2007 - The College Cost Reduction and Access Act was passed into law regarding financial aid eligibility for youth in foster care. Effective July 1, 2009 the definition of "independent student" as defined in current law will include youth in foster care who are adopted after their thirteenth birthday. Under this new law, youth who are adopted after their 13th birthday will not need to include their adoptive parents' income, asset, or other information for purposes of determining need for federal student financial aid. Read a summary of the definition change released by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.

Report Highlights Foster Care Rates
October 3, 3007 - Hitting the MARC: Establishing Foster Care Minimum Adequate Rates for Children calculates the real expenses of caring for a child in foster care and recommends foster care rates for the states and the District of Columbia. Hitting the MARC demonstrates that rates of support for children in foster care are far below what is necessary to provide basic care for children in care in nearly every state.

Rhode Island Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative: Two Years of Progress
September 2007 - Rhode Island Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative is part of a national effort to help youth in foster care make successful transitions to adulthood. To participate in the Rhode Island Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative program youth must be between the ages of 14 and 23 and currently or formerly in foster care. Download the Fact Sheet.

Many Children Exposed to Trauma
The National Center for Children in Poverty’s new report, Strengthening Policies to Support Children, Youth, and Families Who Experience Trauma, draws attention to children and youth exposed to trauma. Despite the magnitude of the problem, the report finds that most current policies fail to address these children’s needs and offers policy recommendations. Read the report and the companion fact sheet.

2007 Rhode Island Kids Count Factbook: Child Welfare Indicators
August 7, 2007 - This fact sheet summarizes the data in the 2007 Factbook related to child welfare. Also read find out what's new in the 2007 Factbook.

18th Annual 2007 KIDS COUNT Data Book
July 25, 2007 - The Annie E. Casey Foundation released the 18th annual KIDS COUNT Data Book, a national and state-by-state effort to track the status of children in the U.S. By providing policymakers and citizens with benchmarks of child well-being, KIDS COUNT seeks to enrich local, state, and national discussions concerning ways to secure better futures for all children. This year’s essay examines the child welfare system and challenges the country to make lifelong connections for children and youth in foster care a national priority. Read the Rhode Island pages in the Data Book, the RI Fact Sheet and Press Release or browse the KIDS COUNT Data Book.

Testimony Regarding the RI Department of Children, Youth and Families Caseloads
December 14, 2006 - Jill Beckwith, Policy Analyst at Rhode Island KIDS COUNT, presented the concerns the organization has regarding several aspects of Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Families policies and operations, and their implications for the health and well-being of children in Rhode Island. Read the testimony presented to the Rhode Island Senate Committee on Health and Human Services.

Foster Care Documentation Clarified in the DRA
December 2006 - Technical correction measures addressing the Congressional intent of the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) have been included in a package that extends popular tax cuts (H.R. 6111). These changes could help preserve Medicaid access for thousands of abused and neglected children who enter the foster care system each year.

Funding for Children’s Services Will Continue at Current Levels
December 2006 - Congress was unable to reach consensus on FY 2007 funding for discretionary programs including child care, Head Start, child abused prevention, education, juvenile justice and housing. In order to avoid a government shutdown, Congress passed another stop gap spending measure to keep government operations running until February 15th. Incoming Appropriations Committee Chairmen, Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) and Rep. David Obey (D-WI) announced in a press release their intentions to extend the continuing resolution until the end of FY 2007, possibly keeping children’s funding frozen for the reminder of the year.

World Renowned Expert to Discuss the Developmental Origins of Aggression, from Infancy to Adolescence
October 11, 2006 - Richard E. Tremblay, Ph.D., F.R.S.C., Professor of Psychiatry/Psychology/Pediatrics and Director of the Research Unit on Children's Psychosocial Maladjustment at the University of Montreal, will discuss the development and prevention of antisocial and violent behavior on Wednesday, October 11, 2006 at 4:00 p.m. at Brown University in MacMillan Hall’s Starr Auditorium, 167 Thayer Street. This event is free and open to the public. Download the press release and an invitation for additional information.

Children in Foster Care May have to Delay Health Care because of Federal Regulations on Citizenship Requirment 
Children removed from their homes because of neglect or abuse and placed in foster care may face delays in getting medical care because of the manner in which the federal government is implementing a provision of the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) of 2005.

Woonsocket Child Abuse and Neglect Mapping Project

These maps were prepared by Rhode Island KIDS COUNT as part of the work for the Woonsocket Child Abuse and Neglect Task Force to reduce the incidence of child abuse and neglect in Woonsocket. Included are maps related to indicated and unfounded investigations of child abuse and neglect in the city of Woonsocket.

Child Fatality Review Panel Findings Released
October 31, 2005 - Office of the Child Advocate released the findings and recommendations of the Child Fatality Review Panel that was convened to investigate the death of T.J. Wright. Cathie Walsh, Deputy Director of Rhode Island KIDS COUNT, served on the panel. Download the report or the article printed in the Providence Journal.

Adoption and Legal Guardianship Fact Sheet was developed by Rhode Island KIDS COUNT as a companion piece to the Grandparents and Other Relative Caregivers in Rhode Island Issue Brief. This fact sheet details the rights and responsibilities associated with adoption compared to legal guardianship.

Family Violence Study
A new study released by the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics on June 12th finds that declines in family violence continue, along with overall declines in violent crime.

Evaluation of Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth
Nationally each year, some 20,000 youths who were once removed from their homes because of abuse or neglect leave their second home -- the child welfare system -- when they turn 18. A new study released by the Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago, believed to be the broadest of its kind in 20 years, has found that this can have devastating consequences.

Safety, Permanency and Well-Being for Children in State Care
The Issue Brief summarizes the outcome of Rhode Island’s Child and Family Services Review by the US Department of Health and Human Services(HHS). RI only achieve one of the six national quantitative standards and achieved substantial conformity on one of the seven systemic factors. The Issue Brief also discusses some of the report’s most salient recommendations for the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF). DCYF recently completed its self-assessment for the HHS Child and Family Services Review due in March 2005.