2012 Annual Report and Data Book

The 2012 Annual Report/Data Book is an overview of the department’s programs, services, performance, and accomplishments, and a comprehensive statistical resource of DFPS services. This report and data book cover the fiscal year beginning Sept. 1, 2011 through Aug. 31, 2012

Guide for Developing and Implementing Child Welfare Practice Models

The National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement (NRCOI) is pleased to announce a new resource:  Guide for Developing and Implementing Child Welfare Practice Models.  The Guide offers an overall framework for developing, implementing, and/or strengthening a child welfare practice model; cites specific examples from the field; and provides additional information to help child welfare agencies and their partners make informed choices in selecting their approaches to this important work.  It provides guidance on developing a practice model, and details steps to take through each stage of implementation, including a discussion of fourteen specific implementation drivers.  The Guide includes worksheets to help agencies articulate practice model principles, identify frontline practice skills, and assess readiness, and lists resources for ongoing support. 

For more information or to request hard copies, contact Anne Comstock at acomstock@usm.maine.edu

States Use Flexible Federal Funds, But Struggle to Meet Service Needs

Congress mandated that GAO provide information about the funding and provision of child welfare services. This report addresses: (1) how selected states use funds provided under Title IV-B, (2) what alternative sources of federal funding states use to fund child welfare services and other activities covered under Title IV-B, and (3) what services, if any, child welfare agencies have difficulty securing for children and their families. To answer these questions, GAO reviewed relevant laws, regulations, guidance, and reports; analyzed HHS expenditure data and program evaluations; and interviewed HHS officials, child welfare experts, and state and local child welfare officials in 4 states and 13 localities selected to illustrate a variety of approaches to financing and delivering services. GAO also reviewed state fiscal year 2011 expenditure data from selected states and administered a data collection instrument to selected localities.

Defending Childhood Protect Heal Thrive

The Attorney General's National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence Relases its Final Report and Recommendations.

• Report provides a comprehensive roadmap for helping children and youth heal and recover from exposure to violence
• Report calls for "rethinking" the juvenile justice system by making trauma-informed screening, assessment and care the standard approach

Executive Summary
Full Report

An Analysis of State Laws Regarding Mandated Reporting of Child Maltreatment

This Child Welfare State Policy Advocacy and Reform Center (SPARC) policy brief provides an overview of how different states have approached universal mandated child maltreatment reporting policies, some considerations for reporting statutes in general, and various themes from interviews SPARC conducted with state administrators.

If I'm 'The Party,' Where's the Cake?: The Need for Comprehensive Child-Witness Court Preparation Programs

Court preparation is beneficial for the children required to testify in a courtroom. The purpose of a child-witness court preparation program is to assist the child witness in her or his ability to testify truthfully and effectively in a courtroom. This is important because children are required to testify about serious allegations that hold potentially significant outcomes for them or those accused. Having an unprepared child take the witness stand and offer poor testimony is not only regrettable, but preventable

Rocking the Cradle: Ensuring the Rights of Parents with Disabilities and Their Children

Millions of Americans with disabilities have gained innumerable rights and opportunities since Congress passed landmark legislation on their behalf in 1990. And yet advocates say barriers and bias still abound when it comes to one basic human right: to be a parent. A Kansas City, Mo., couple had their daughter taken into custody by the state two days after her birth because both parents were blind. A Chicago mother, because she is quadriplegic, endured an 18-month legal battle to keep custody of her young son.

Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Children Affected by Sexual Abuse or Trauma

This issue brief explores research and practice on trauma focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (TF-CBT), which is an evidence-based treatment approach shown to help children, adolescents, and their caregivers overcome trauma-related difficulties. It is designed to reduce negative emotional and behavioral responses following child sexual abuse, domestic violence, traumatic loss, and other traumatic events. The treatment—based on learning and cognitive theories—addresses distorted beliefs and attributions related to the abuse and provides a supportive environment in which children are encouraged to talk about their traumatic experience. TF-CBT also helps parents who were not abusive to cope effectively with their own emotional distress and develop skills that support their children.

Tracking Child Abuse and Neglect: The Role of Multiple Data Sources in Improving Child Safety

PolicyLab at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute announces the release of our latest Evidence to Action brief, Tracking Child Abuse and Neglect: The Role of Multiple Data Sources in Improving Child Safety.
 
This Evidence to Action brief identifies strategies to improve the tracking of child abuse and neglect in order to inform prevention and response efforts.  The brief provides tools and case examples to help agency administrators:
 
1)     Compare aggregate results from multiple data sources
2)     Link case-based data from multiple sources
3)     Establish uniform data definitions and data collection protocols
 
To read the brief, click here.

Victimization and Trauma Experienced by Children and Youth: Implications for Legal Advocates

The Safe Start Center, ABA Center on Children and the Law, and the Child and Family Policy Associates recently released a new resource, Victimization and Trauma Experienced by Children and Youth: Implications for Legal Advocates.  In this resource, you’ll find:

• Information about the prevalence and impact of victimization and exposure to violence
• Practice tips for juvenile defenders, children’s attorneys and GALs, judges, and CASAs
• Explanations of traumatic stress symptoms and trauma-related assessments and treatments
• Descriptions of promising local and state initiatives to address trauma
• Guidance on policy reforms and other considerations for trauma-informed advocacy

OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) has updated its Statistical Briefing Book (SBB) to include 2011 data on juvenile populations, 2010 data on victims of domestic violence, and FBI supplementary homicide reports through 2010. Data from 2010 on homicide victims and perpetrators have also been added to the Frequently Asked Questions section.

The SBB offers easy access to a host of juvenile justice information. Its data analysis tools allow users to create custom analyses of juvenile populations, arrests, court cases, and residential placement. The National Center for Juvenile Justice developed the SBB for OJJDP.

Access the OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book.

Child Welfare Policy Manual - CAPTA Disclosure policy updates

Please find a new question and answer (2.1A.4, Q/A #8) for the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) section of the Child Welfare Policy Manual, and nine modified questions and answers in reference to the public disclosure requirement in section 106(b)(2)(B)(x) of CAPTA.  The nine questions were modified to ensure they reflect the revised policy in the new 2.1A.4, Q/A #8. One question and answer (2.1A.4, Q/A #2) is being deleted from the CAPTA section of the Manual as it is obsolete based on the revised policy, and five questions and answers (2.1A.1 Q/A’s #3, #4, #5, #7 and 2.1A.4, Q/A #1) are unchanged.

Click here to access PDF of document.

Trauma-Informed Child Welfare Practice Briefs

The ACS-NYU Children’s Trauma Institute has developed practice briefs for child welfare providers and other stakeholders seeking to develop trauma-informed practice. These briefs—on addressing secondary traumatic stress experienced by child welfare staff, easing children’s transitions into foster care, and working with parents who have been impacted by trauma—provide information on work that the Institute and other jurisdictions have done in these areas and make recommendations for policy and practice improvements. The first brief, Trauma and Parenting, touches on the profound impact both parenting and engagement with the child welfare system; Easing Foster Care Placement examines the trauma of the actual transition and foster care placement process; and Addressing Secondary Traumatic Stress among Child Welfare Staff discusses the need to view child welfare staff as first responde rs, in order to understand their day-to-day operations more fully and to better support them in their awareness of secondary traumatic stress and self-care activities. (2012)

Kids Count Data Book 2012: State Trends in Child Well-Being

The 23rd in a series of annual reports, this report presents data on 16 indicators on the well-being of children in the United States across ...

Children's Justice Act E-Newsletter

The Summer 2012 CJA e-newsletter includes information about the new Children's Bureau Centennial website, follow-up on the 18th National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect and the Quarterly Featured topic of Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare.

Trends in child physical abuse and the relationship with housing insecurity

Hospital
 healthcare
 providers
 and
 child
 welfare
 workers
 have
 reported
 anecdotal increases 
in
 cases
 of
child
maltreatment during
 the
 recent
economic
 recession. In
 contrast,
 national
 data
 on
 child
 protective
services
 continue
 to
 show
 declines
 in
 many
 forms
 of
 maltreatment,
 including
 physical
 abuse.
 The
 impact
 of
 economic
 downturns
 - particularly 
in
 the
 housing
 sector - on
 rates
 of
 child
abuse 
is
 not 
well
 understood. This study examined trends in hospital admissions for physical abuse at 39 pediatric hospitals over 10 years and compared those admission rates with mortgage delinquency, mortgage foreclosure, and unemployment.

Children's Justice Act E-Newsletter

The Spring 2012 CJA e-newsletter includes information about the new Children's Bureau Centennial website, follow-up on the 18th National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect and the Quarterly Featured Topic-Mandated Reporters.

State Secrecy and Child Deaths in the U.S.: An Evaluation of CAPTA-Mandated Public Disclosure Policies and Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities or Near Fatalities, with State Rankings

This report is an evaluation of CAPTA-mandated public disclosure policies about child abuse and neglect fatalities or near fatalities with state rankings. It is the second edition to an initial publication in 2008. The report “grades all fifty states and the District of Columbia on their laws and regulations pertaining to public disclosure of child abuse or neglect deaths and near deaths.  It includes an analysis of the elements of an effective statute and describes how each state includes or omits such features.”  Id., p. 5.

Understanding Child Abuse in Rural and Urban America Risk Factors and Maltreatment Substantiation

Using a large national sample of child maltreatment reports, this brief compares the outcomes of child maltreatment cases in rural versus urban places and identifies the characteristics associated with substantiation.

The Children's Justice Report: Three-Year Assessment Report of the Texas Children's Justice Act Task Force (May 31, 2012)

Every three years, the CJA Task Force must undertake a comprehensive review and evaluation of how the State responds to child maltreatment and make training and policy recommendations for improvements in child protection systems. The Task Force has completed its current assessment and identified six priorities to direct the use of CJA funding in the coming years. A copy of the report is located at this link: CJA Assessment Report. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact Heidi Penix at heidip@yourhonor.com or Ginny Woods at ginnyw@yourhonor.com or by calling 512-482-8986. 

2011 Annual Report and Data Book

The 2011 Annual Report/Data Book is an overview of the department’s programs, services, performance, and accomplishments, and a comprehensive statistical resource of DFPS services. This report and data book cover the fiscal year beginning Sept. 1, 2010 through Aug. 31, 2011.

Child Maltreatment 2010 Report

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families (ACF) released its annual report on child abuse and neglect. Child Maltreatment 2010 marks the 21st issuance of the report and, for the fourth consecutive year, shows a steady decline in the number of victims who suffered maltreatment.
"We are heartened to see maltreatment on the decline, but even one child being a victim of abuse and neglect is too many," said George Sheldon, acting assistant secretary for children and families. "The report reminds us of the continuing need for investment in prevention efforts and the importance of coordination between federal, state and local agencies."

Foster Children: HHS Guidance Could Help States Improve Oversight of Psychotropic Drugs

Foster children have often been removed from abusive or neglectful homes and tend to have more mental health conditions than other children. Treatment may include psychotropic drugs but their risks to children are not well understood. Medicaid, administered by states and overseen by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), provides prescription drug coverage to foster children. This testimony examines (1) rates of psychotropic prescriptions for foster and nonfoster children in 2008 and (2) state oversight of psychotropic prescriptions for foster children through October 2011.

Young Adult Outcomes of Youth Exiting Dependent or Delinquent Care in Los Angeles County

Funded by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, the study, “Young Adult Outcomes of Youth Exiting Dependent or Delinquent Care in Los Angeles County” will be made available to those drawing up the implementation plans for the new state policy (AB12) that extends foster care from 18 years to 21 years starting January 1, 2012. Currently benefits and services for foster youth expire at 18 years of age.

Shattered Families: The Perilous Intersection of Immigration Enforcement and the Child Welfare System

A report from the Applied Research Center (ARC) conservatively estimates that there are more than 5,000 children currently living in foster care whose parents have been either detained or deported.  To date, there has been no national data available on the numbers of children impacted by the intersection of immigration enforcement and child welfare systems.

Children of Immigrants: The Changing Face of Metropolitan America

Examines trends in the populations of immigrants and children of immigrants in the hundred largest metropolitan areas, including growth in numbers and as a share of the overall population, racial/ethnic composition, age, and variations among metro areas. 

Vulnerability, Risk, and the Transition to Adulthood

Examines whether poverty and single parenthood influence the likelihood of risk behavior and dropping out among youth and how these behaviors affect the trajectory of connectedness and employment patterns in adulthood. Considers policy implications. 

Counting Is Not Enough: Investing in Qualitative Case Reviews for Practice Improvement in Child Welfare

Outlines the value of quality case service reviews in child welfare systems, requirements for building and sustaining a robust process and adapting it under limited state budgets, and recommendations for jurisdictions, initiators, and national leadership.

2011 KIDS COUNT Data Book

Offers state-by-state 2000-10 data on ten indicators of children's health, education, and economic security by race/ethnicity. Finds increases in low-birthweight, unemployed parents, and poverty. Outlines two-generation strategies for children's success. 

Kids' Share 2011: Report on Federal Expenditures on Children Through 2010 Brookings Institution

Examines trends in federal, state, and local spending and tax expenditures on children in 2010 and during the recession, their share of federal outlays and the economy since 1960, and projected 2011-20 spending. Analyzes the impact of stimulus funding.