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.

Grandparents and Other Relative Caregivers in Rhode Island  Issue Brief
The Issue Brief provides information about the number or relative caregivers and discusses the role of extended families in caring for children whose parents are unable to do so. The Issue Brief offers a list of resources for relative caregivers and details the services and financial support available to children living with relative caregivers.(2005)

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. (2005)

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. (2004)

A Family's Guide to the Child Welfare System is a comprehensive resource that answers many of the questions families face when they become involved with the child welfare system. (2005)

Child Maltreatment 2003: Reports from the States to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data Systems National statistics on child abuse and neglect (2005) from the U.S. Children's Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, Department of Health and Human Services. (2005)

Keeping Families Together and Safe: A Primer on the Child Protection – Housing Connection. This report makes the case for cross-system collaboration between child protective services workers and housing services workers to better meet the needs of children and families. (2005)

Asking the Right Questions: A Judicial Checklist to Ensure That the Educational Needs of Children and Youth in Foster Care are Being Addressed.
Provides a field-tested checklist that judges can use to make inquiries regarding the educational needs of children and youth under their jurisdiction with the goal of positively impacting their educational outcomes and preparing them for adulthood. (2005) 

The Transition to Adulthood: Characteristics of Young Adults Ages 18 to 24 in America. Part of the National KIDS COUNT/Population Reference Bureau series of Reports on Census 2000, this report provides an overview of the status of young adults ages 18 to 24, with particular attention to outcomes associated with the transition to adulthood including citizenship, educational achievement, disconnectedness, employment, and military service, as well as measures of family and household formation. (2005)

Children, Families, and Foster Care, (14)1. The primary purpose of The Future of Children is to promote effective policies and programs for children. The articles for this journal summarize the research on the effects of child maltreatment and the foster care experience on child development, review foster care policies and practices, and describe innovative initiatives aimed at improving the accountability and responsiveness of the foster care system. (2004)

Fostering the Future: Safety, Permanence and Well-being for Children in Foster Care. A report released by The Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care, after a year of study this report that analyzes federal funding and the role of the courts in the foster care system. The report offers recommendations to overhaul the nation's foster care system. (2004)

Using Subsidized Guardianship to Improve Outcomes for Children: Key Questions to Consider. A report by Cornerstone Consulting Group and the Children’s Defense Fund that details how subsidized guardianship can help children achieve permanence. (2004)

Mental Health Outcomes from the Casey National Alumni Study. This new report from the Casey National Alumni Study reveals that foster care alumni are experiencing mental health illnesses at rates higher than those of the general population. (2003).

Assessing the Effects of Foster Care: Early Results from the Casey National Alumni Study. Report from the Casey National Alumni Study present life experiences, educational achievements, and current functioning of more than a thousand alumni of Casey foster care. (2003).

Protecting Children, Strengthening Families. A program handbook and self-assessment tool for early childhood programs that are interested in enhancing their ability to support and strengthen families and prevent child abuse and neglect.