Child Welfare Policy & News

In the United States, in every state, youth under age 18 are eligible to be transferred from juvenile court to adult court. In adult court, these youth receive public criminal records, get locked behind bars in adult jails, and receive lengthy sentences in facilities that were not made to take their social or brain development into account. Upon conviction in the criminal justice system, they become eligible to be treated and punished as enslaved people under the Constitution.

This brief highlights how three states have grappled with policies and practices with deeply rooted racial impacts on the transfer of black youth, and offers recommendations for policies and practices that social workers and other youth advocates may consider in the pursuit of more just and equitable outcomes for youth

Some of the main challenges are access to affordable health care, climate change, and immigration and Dreamers — the last of which are now at the top of the list for many social workers, especially in border states.

For almost two decades, the National Foster Care Coalition (NFCC) played a critical leadership role in child welfare and foster care reform. Unfortunately, due to financial constraints, the Board of the NFCC made the difficult decision to close the NFCC's doors in spring 2017. With their remaining funds, the NFCC commissioned this report to outline the NFCC’s key contributions and challenges and to explore lessons learned. The report also includes recommendations for how we might fill persistent child welfare gaps left in the field moving forward.

As a member of the NFCC, NASW is pleased to share this report.

The sanctuary city movement is inextricably tied to U.S. immigration policies, especially in the Trump era. This brief addresses how the movement has evolved, resulting in a merging of the humanitarian aspects into a political strategy officially embraced by some state and local governments, largely motivated by the heavy-handed deportation policies and procedures of the federal government.

A well-trained, educated and staffed social work workforce is essential to robust child welfare services. In this briefing, experts highlight strategies to strengthen the child welfare workforce.

A continuum of child welfare services that improve child well-being and positive outcomes requires a child welfare workforce that can provide key services -- including abuse prevention, child protection and permanent families.

The event was sponsored by the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) and the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), in collaboration with the Senate Foster Youth Caucus and the Congressional Social Work Caucus.

NASW and the Child Welfare League of America co-sponsored a briefing entitled, Let’s Improve Child Welfare Outcomes: The Workforce Matters. This is part of ongoing efforts to educate key policymakers in Washington about the importance of a well-trained, educated and staffed workforce within child welfare.