This fact sheet discusses the characteristics of grandparent caregivers in the United States and then presents information the number and characteristics of grandparent caregivers in South Dakota. Findings indicate: there were 7 million grandparents in the United States living with their grandchildren, and 2.7 million (39%) were responsible for caring for their grandchildren; there were 11,217 South Dakota grandparents living with their grandchildren, and 5,311 (47%) were responsible for caring for their grandchildren; of grandparents responsible for their grandchildren in South Dakota, 66%…
Juvenile court judges are uniquely able to influence the health and well-being of children in foster care by asking about a child's health status and special needs, ordering appropriate assessments and services, and ensuring that identified needs are addressed through the child's court-ordered case plan. Judges can require that attorneys, caseworkers, and caregivers bring detailed information about a child's health to court. This booklet provides an overview of important health issues for children and youth in foster care. The appendix provides three downloadable age-appropriate forms that…
Brief
This issue brief is on the challenges that informal kinship care families face in the state of Nebraska and the identification of potential areas in which family support can be increased. It begins by defining kinship care and discussing the challenges of providing kinship care. Statistics on grandparent-headed households in Nebraska are share and indicate: median family income is approximately 28% lower among kinship families ($42,708) than all families ($58,926); nearly 70% have had full-time care of their children for at least 1 year; 32% have had full-time care of their children for 5 or…
Discusses the nature of trauma, especially abuse or neglect, the effects of trauma on children and youth, and ways to help a child who has experienced trauma. Parents or foster parents who do not understand the effects of trauma may misinterpret their child’s behavior, and attempts to address troubling behavior may be ineffective or, in some cases, even harmful. By understanding trauma, parents and foster parents can help support a child’s healing, the parent-child relationship, and their family as a whole.
Over the last year, the Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP), which manages the Alliance for Racial Equity in Child Welfare, has reviewed data and research literature, talked to young African American men who are in - or had been in - foster care and identified initiatives and strategies that are showing promise. This paper is a product of that work and is intended to: Summarize what we know about the situation of African American males involved with the child welfare system; Outline an approach to more effective action to improve outcomes for these boys and young men; and…
Report, Other
This report considers the role of family participation in government entities such as boards, advisory committees, and task forces that make policy and implementation decisions regarding services for California's 1.4 million children and youth with special health care needs (CSHCN). Information was gathered through interviews with parents, advocates, and administrators, a review of literature regarding family participation, and preliminary research regarding family participation on more than 60 California State- and county-level government policy entities that have role sin programs that…
Other
Individuals require many skills to be college and career ready, including academic knowledge, technical expertise, and a set of general, cross-cutting abilities called employability skills.Employability skills are general skills that are necessary for success in the labor market at all employment levels and in all sectors. These skills have a number of names--soft skills, workforce readiness skills, career readiness skills--but they all speak to the same set of core skills that employers want.The Employability Skills Framework is a one-stop resource for information and tools to inform the…
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Journal Article Almost two-thirds of children in non-relative foster care live in homes headed by married couples. However, the literature includes little about either the role of foster fathers or the complexity and importance of the marital context for fostering. This study examined family functioning, overt interparental hostility, depression, and parental acceptance in a sample of 111 heterosexual foster parent couples and the relationship between family context and potential to foster parent successfully. Latent class analysis revealed three distinct types of foster parent couples, ?Good Context? (33…
Report, Other
This guide is designed to enhance the knowledge of evidence-informed and promising practices that address the needs of expectant and parenting youth in foster care and their children, and to provide a comprehensive set of resources for jurisdictions interested in achieving safety, permanency, and well-being for these young families. Information is drawn from a review of an expanded list of existing clearinghouses on evidence-informed programs, an internet search of programs, and phone interviews with programs to secure updated evaluation data. The resource guide is organized into three major…
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Journal Article This article discusses trends in adoption that indicate new concerns regarding a putative father’s constitutional rights, as well as the rise in State-run father registries and constitutional concerns presented in the absence of a National Responsible Father Registry (NRFR). Efforts that have been made to establish a NRFR are discussed, and the need for a NRFR and the constitutional balance a NRFR provides among all those involved in the adoption proceeding is emphasized. 130 references. (Author abstract modified)
