Advocacy

Study Finds 5.2 Million Children Orphaned by Covid in Hidden Pandemic

The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health estimates in a new modeling study that more than 5.2 million children globally have lost their parents or caregivers to COVID-19 through October 2021, equating to 1 child every 6 seconds. The study found more fathers than mothers died, and adolescents were more likely to be orphaned than younger

Primary Interventions Reduce Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Violence Among Youth

A new publication from the Community Preventive Services Task Force (CPSTF) recommends primary preventive services that reduce the perpetration of intimate partner violence and sexual violence among youth. Based on a systematic review of 28 studies, the CPSTF found evidence that prevention strategies that utilized one or more of three strategies were successful in reducing

Maternal Deaths Rose in 2020

According to a new report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of maternal deaths rose during the first year of the pandemic. Data from the National Vital Statistics System show that in 2020, 861 women were identified as having died of maternal causes in the United States, compared with 754

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

Senate Finance Committee Continues Hearings on Mental Health

On Tuesday, February 15th, 2022, the full Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on “Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II- Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care,” which continued the conversation and efforts of Congress to address the growing mental health crisis. CWLA previously reported on part one of this series. The witnesses called to testify

3.7 Million More Children in Poverty in Jan 2022 Without Monthly Child Tax Credit

Researchers at Columbia University’ Center on Poverty & Social Policy have been tracking the impact of the CTC on child poverty monthly. According to a research roundup on the first six months of the CTC, payments were shown to reduce food insufficiency, help families address basic needs, and had no discernable impact on parental employment.

Study Provides Evidence on the Effectiveness of Comprehensive Sex Ed

New research published last week on February 15, 2022, More comprehensive sex education reduced teen births: Quasi-experimental evidence, provided further evidence that comprehensive sex education does have an impact on reducing teen pregnancy in the United States. The authors of the study state, “Our results show that federal funding for more comprehensive sex education reduced

Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) Releases School Nutrition Report

The FRAC released its newest report, The Reach of Breakfast and Lunch: A Look at Pandemic and Pre-Pandemic Participation. This latest report highlights the efforts of locals schools and administrators to make meals available to children throughout the pandemic, as well as the successes of the nationwide school nutrition waivers that were signed by the

Finance Committee Begins Series on Mental Health & Substance Use Service Reforms

On Tuesday, February 8, 2022, the Senate Finance Committee started their series of hearings on mental health with Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part I – An Advisory and Call to Action. This series of hearings will focus on five areas of behavioral health: youth mental health, mental health workforce, parity between mental and physical health,

Finance Committee Considers ACF, ACYF Leads, Emphasis on Families First

On Wednesday, February 9, 2022, the Senate Finance Committee considered the nominations to fill two critical positions at the Department of Health and Humans Services: the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and the Administration on Children Youth and Families (ACYF).  Rebecca Jones-Gaston was nominated by President Biden for the ACYF position on November 18,

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