Child Abuse

Mitigating Risks of Substance Use

On February 16th, 2023, the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare (NCSACW) hosted a webinar titled, “Mitigating Safety and Risk for Children Affected by Parental Substance Use Disorders Involved in the Child Welfare System.” The event aimed to spread awareness of the challenges and opportunities for helping parents with Substance Use Disorders (SUDs).

Child Maltreatment 2021 Report

On February 9, 2023, the Children’s Bureau released the annual child abuse and neglect report: Child Maltreatment 2021. This year’s report, which covers the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, reveals that of the nationally estimated 3,016,000 children who were the subject of a child welfare agency response in FY 2021, 600,000 children (estimated) were

2022 Spending Omnibus and Legislative Recap

This past Congress has certainly had its challenges. Throughout the last Congress, CWLA has joined with national stakeholders and coalitions to increase funding levels across 44 separate funding programs – many of which received an increase in the spending omnibus, and some remained at level funding. While a notable disappointment was the failure to reauthorize

New CAPTA Bill Introduced in Final Days of Congressional Session

On December 14th, 2022, with only a handful of days left in the 117th Congress, Representative Virginia Foxx (R-NC) introduced the Parental Right to Protect Act, which would introduce gender-affirming care issues into the Child Abuse Protection and Treatment Act (CAPTA). The bill seeks to make states ineligible for CAPTA funding if they allow Child

Title IV-B Plays an Important Role in Preventing Child Welfare System Involvement

On October 19, 2022, the Society for Research in Child Development published new research finding that due to its flexibility, Title IV-B funds can effectively be used to support families’ access to a variety of programs and financial supports that help to prevent child maltreatment and subsequent child welfare involvement. According to the research brief:

New AFCARs Data Shows Decline in Foster Care Numbers

On November 1st, 2022, the Administration for Children and Families released the AFCARs data for 2021. Again this year, the report shows a significant decrease in foster care placements decreasing from the 2020 figure of 407,493 to 391,098 children in care in 2021, a 3.9 percent decrease from 2020 and a more than 10.5 percent

Senate Democrats Post Appropriations Bills

On Thursday, July 28th, 2022, Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) released the twelve Senate Appropriations bills. These bills spend nearly $1.7 trillion for fiscal year 2023 and represent the priorities and stances of the Senate Democrats; appropriators still have not reached an agreement on top-line spending numbers, and Republican leaders have indicated that

Children’s Bureau Talks Foster Care and Mental Health

In recognition of both National Foster Care Month and Mental Health Awareness Month, the Children's Bureau (CB) hosted a virtual event on Wednesday, May 11, at 5:00pm ET, to discuss the "intersection of family separation, trauma, and triumph." Panelists were: Aysha E. Schomburg, Associate Commissioner, CB Nicole Childers, foster care lived experience and executive editor

State-level Child Welfare Data Updated

Child Trends released its newly updated state by state data on Child Welfare in the United States. Now including 2020 data, this comprehensive resource offers state- and national-level data on child maltreatment, foster care, kinship care, and adoption through interactive features. Highlights from the national data indicates that the number of reports of maltreatment decreased

Information Sharing to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Residential Facilities: GAO Report

Several stories of youth being maltreated by residential staff have recently been reported in the news. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a new report on February 23, 2022, after being asked to review these instances of maltreatment in federally funded residential facilities. State and local agencies are primarily responsible for addressing these concerns, but

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