The Field Center for Children’s Policy, Practice & Research released preliminary results of the online survey, “The Experiences of Foster Youth During COVID19” that was conducted in April 2020. Responses from over 200 young people spanning 32 states and the District of Columbia highlighted the economic and social needs of a vulnerable population during the
On Wednesday, May 6, 2020, Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Joni Ernst (R-IA) urged the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) to issue best practices and guidelines to prevent infections in juvenile detention facilities. The Senators reported that as of May 5, there were “at least 204 juvenile offenders and
On Monday, April 27, 2020, Associate Commissioner for the Children’s Bureau Jerry Milner, after receiving several inquiries related to the Title IV-E program on addressing the needs of children and youth during the COVID-19 pandemic, announced a series of actions states can take to help this population. Title IV-E agencies have the flexibility to allow
Young people in and aging out of foster care have been hit hard by COVID-19. Without family to turn to, young people should have access to support and services so they can make it through this crisis healthy and ready to thrive. Congress should provide this assistance to young people by increasing Chafee funds by
During the current national emergency, there are more vulnerable groups children who may have been forgotten—youth in the child welfare system and youth in the juvenile justice system. As this pandemic creates health and economic challenges it is important that we do not forget about children currently in juvenile detention facilities. Advocates like the National
In the Administration’s FY 2021, the Department of Justice requested $227.5 million in discretionary funding for the Juvenile Justice Programs, a decrease of $92.5 million below the FY 2020 Enacted level. Despite the recent reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA), funding for the JJDPA has dropped by 40 percent since the
On Tuesday, January 14, the House Committee on Education and Labor approved H.R. 5191, the Runaway and Homeless Youth and Trafficking Prevention Act (RHYTPA) of 2019. The bill, which is a reauthorization of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act of 1974 (RHYA), adds non-discriminatory language that aims to protect LGBTQ+ youth, focuses on trauma-informed services,
On Tuesday, November 12, the University Based Child and Family Policy Consortium held a webinar, “Partnering to Serve Pregnant and Parenting Youth in Foster Care in Illinois,” explained the results of the Healthy Families Illinois (HFI) Home Visiting Pilot Program. Speakers included Jaime Russell from Children’s Home and Aid and Amy Dworsky from the University
On Wednesday, October 30, Congressman David Schweikert (R-AZ) and Congresswoman Linda Sanchez (D-CA) introduced bipartisan and bicameral legislation, the Childhood Outcomes Need New Efficient Community Teams or CONNECT Act, H.R. 4911. This legislation would provide competitive grants that would enhance the collaboration between both the child welfare and the juvenile justice system to collaborate on
While general budget talks continued last week, it comes against a backdrop of increasing budget shortfalls. In early October 2019, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projected its near-final report on the 2019 federal budget deficit. The deficit rose to just under $1 trillion for the fiscal year that ended on September 30, with the total