Archived Videos

Children of Color in the Child Welfare System: Perspectives from the Child Welfare Community
This report from the Children's Bureau suggests that children of color, especially African American children, are overrepresented in the child welfare system for a variety of reasons, including poverty and racial bias. It is one of the first studies to explore the attitudes and perceptions of the child welfare community regarding racial disproportionality. It emphasizes the need for stronger administrative support, increased staff training in both general child welfare issues and cultural competency, and more internal and external resources to better serve families.

 

Breakthrough Series Collaborative: Reducing Racial Disproportionality And Disparate Outcomes For Children And Families Of Color In The Child Welfare System
This report from Casey Family Programs has been developed to describe the Breakthrough Series Collaborative methodology and the experience of those jurisdictions that participated in the Disproportionality BSC. Included in this report is a detailed description of those strategies that participants developed during this process. While many ideas were tested by participants during this process, the strategies described in this report are those that were reported by the jurisdictions as having the greatest potential to show progress over time. (2009)

 

Race Matters Consortium
This diverse group of child welfare experts represents research, policy, administration, practice, and advocacy. They first joined together in 1999 to systematically examine disproportional representation of individuals of different races and ethnic groups in the child welfare system. Today the Consortium has expanded its mission to not only examine the disproportional representation, but to get a better understanding of those practices that will address the needs of children of color more appropriately, and to collaborate with others who understand the need for attention to the issues in an effort to influence change in child welfare practice and policy.

(An Interview with Joyce James, Assistant Commissioner, Texas CPS)

Racial Disproportionality in Child Welfare: Tools and Strategies for Change - Session I - May 24, 2005

Racial Disproportionality in Child Welfare: Tools and Strategies for Change - Session II - July 26, 2005

 

Meeting the Health Care Needs of Children in Foster Care
This presentation focuses on some of the key components in developing strategies to address improving performance in meeting the health care needs of children in foster care. Presented 10/24/2005 at the Annual National Association of State Foster Care Managers meeting by Jan McCarthy, Director of Child Welfare Policy, National TA Center for Children's Mental Health at Georgetown University.

The Foster Care Independence Act of 1999: Enhancing Youth Access to Health Care
This article from the July-August 2000 Journal of Poverty Law and Policy discusses the option for states to extend Medicaid eligibility for young people who are under 21 and who on their 18th birthdays were in foster care under the custody of the state. In addition to implementing this option, states can take many steps through their child welfare agencies and Medicaid agencies to ensure that young people leaving foster care enroll in Medicaid and receive the services to which they are entitled.

Working Together: Health Services for Children in Foster Care
The New York State Office of Children and Family Services developed this manual with the assistance and advice of voluntary agencies and county departments of social services. The primary audiences are foster care caseworkers, supervisors, and persons responsible for the coordination of health services. It is not specifically designed for distribution to foster parents, child care workers, or health care practitioners. The policies, protocols, and legal footnotes are specific to New York State's locally administered, state supervised foster care system. However, it contains some more general information and serves as an excellent model

 

Mental Health Needs of Foster Children and Children At-Risk for Removal
This article from the Virginia Child Protection Newsletter focuses on the mental health needs of children entering foster care and children at risk of entering care. The article explores the range of mental health needs and ways to address those needs using evidence-based practices. The article discusses ways to work with children as well as methods for parent and foster parent training. (2009)

Parental Mental Health and the Child Welfare System
Research indicates that children with parents/caregivers with significant mental health needs are at greater risk of involvement in the child welfare system. These resources describe promising practices for screening and treatment, tools and training, fact sheets, Web sites, and research to better understand how mental health and child welfare systems can work together to support parents and caregivers with mental health needs.

Emotional Well-Being of Children & Youth in Foster Care
On September 20, 2005, the NRCPFC and CWLA hosted the first of a series of teleconferences for state foster care and adoption managers on mental health issues. Listen to the audio files and download the handouts.

Strategies for Meeting the Mental Health Needs of Youth in Care
The second teleconference in the NRCPFC/CWLA series was held November 29, 2005. Listen to the audio files and download the handouts.

Promising Practices for Addressing the Mental Health Issues Impacting Parents of Children in Foster Care The third teleconference in the NRCPFC/CWLA series was held January 31, 2006. Listen to the audio files and download the handouts.

Q&A: Blueprint for Change: Education Success for Children in Foster Care
This resource from the Legal Center for Foster Care and Education is a “Question & Answer Factsheet” about the Blueprint for Change (a detailed framework that includes goals and benchmarks for children and youth that will help ensure their education success). It answers questions about the development of the Blueprint, its target audience, and how it should be used.

 

Helping Former Foster Youth Graduate from College: Campus Support Programs in California and Washington State
Campus support programs provide financial, academic, and other types of supports to help former foster youth succeed in college. However, relatively little is known about the impact of these programs on college retention or graduation rates. This Chapin Hall study by Amy Dworsky and Alfred Perez lays the groundwork for an impact evaluation by examining program implementation from two different perspectives. Researchers conducted telephone interviews with the directors of 10 campus support programs in California and Washington State. The interviews covered a variety of domains, including the population served, referral sources and recruitment, the application process, the provision of services and supports, program staff, relationships with stakeholders, and data collection. In addition, participants from 8 of the 10 programs completed a web-based survey that asked about their perceptions of and experiences with the program. The survey included questions about students’ demographic characteristics, referral and recruitment, the application process, reasons for participating in the program, services and supports received, unmet needs, contact with staff, and recommendations for improvement. The report concludes with several recommendations for moving forward with a methodologically sound impact evaluation of campus support programs for former foster youth. (2009)

 

Educational Stability for Children and Youth in Out-of-Home Care
On March 31, 2006, the NRCPFC and CWLA hosted a teleconferences for state foster care and adoption managers on educational issues. Listen to the audio files and download the handouts.