A new study in Pediatrics, released on May 22, 2023, found that high school students who have depression think they have greater access to guns than peers who don’t experience this mental health risk for suicide. Guns are the most common method of suicide among teens. The new study asked about guns at home or
On March 13, 2023, the Department of Justice held the Fiscal Year 2024 President’s Budget Rollout Stakeholders Briefing. Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta delivered the opening remarks. Jolene Lauria, the Deputy Assistant Attorney General, summarized the budget allocated to the DOJ. The DOJ will have $5 billion to allocate towards state and local assistance and
On March 8th, 2023, House Ways and Means Work & Welfare Ranking Member Danny K. Davis (D-IL) and Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth Co-chair Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) re-introduced the Foster Youth and Driving Act, legislation that would increase the economic and social independence of youth in care by helping them obtain their driver’s licenses.
On January 27, 2023, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) hosted a national briefing to provide awareness regarding resources to assist states, organizations, and child welfare workers in responding to concerns of child trafficking. The briefing reviewed the Information Memorandum released on December 1, 2022 by the ACF in preparation for National Human Trafficking
On December 15th, the Trevor Project released the 2022 U.S. National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health. For the first time, the report presents findings on the experiences of nearly 34,000 LGBTQ people ages 13-24 in the U.S., segmented by all 50 states. From the summary: “These data provide critical insights into the suicide risk
First Focus on Children hosted a panel on analyzing the new national 9-8-8 crisis number on October 20th, 2022. Elaine Dalpiz and Averi Akulis from First Focus on Children facilitated the session aimed at discussing the current system and necessary changes for porting 9-8-8 to the child welfare space. Elaine Dalpiz highlighted the need for
On November 1st, The Transition Age Youth Coalition, iFoster, and Project ID came together to host a webinar titled iFoster and Project ID: Helping Young People Get their Identification Documents. The webinar highlighted their combined effort to help youth transitioning out of foster care obtain their vital identification documents. Jill Bloch, the East Coast Director
On Thursday, July 21, 2022, the Child Welfare League of America, alongside Youth Villages, hosted an open mic to discuss the Access to Foster Care to 21 Act, sponsored by Representative Judy Chu (D-CA). Kristen Torres, from Representative Chu’s Office, joined the call to provide a basic overview. This bill, which was introduced last month,
On Wednesday, July 30, 2022, the Congressional Coalition on Adoption institute (CCAI) held their annual Foster Youth Internship Program Congressional Briefing webinar. The FYI program serves as a platform to uplift the voices of current and former foster youth in federal policy to engage and educate Members of Congress on the issues of foster care
On June 22, 2022, Representative Judy Chu (D-CA) introduced the Access to Foster Care to 21 Act, which would extend nationally the age of which a youth is eligible to remain in foster care to 21. This bill would provide financial assistance to states by de-linking youth ages 18-21 from the antiquated Aid to Families