The University of California, Davis is hosting a webinar on November 19, 2024 at 1:00 p.m. PT, focusing on the integration of tribal engagement within California’s Child and Family Team (CFT) practice. This webinar will explore best practices outlined in the 2024 CFT Tribal Engagement Guide, which highlights the essential role of culturally responsive, trauma-informed practices for Indian children, families and Tribes. Participants will learn about the legal requirements of the Indian Child Welfare Act in the CFT process, strategies for fostering collaboration between child welfare services and tribal governments, and methods for supporting cultural connections for children and families.

In the U.S., 1 in 10 young adults experience homelessness each year, with disproportionate impacts on American Indian and Alaska Native, Black, multiracial, and Hispanic youth and youth who have been involved with the child welfare or juvenile justice systems. Current housing solutions for youth homelessness often lack flexibility or are not readily available, leaving many young adults waiting long periods of time without stable housing. However, the Cash Plus Model offers a promising alternative — pairing direct cash transfers with youth-driven supportive services to empower young adults in securing safe, stable housing. Chapin Hall has developed two briefs: one describing the Cash Plus Model and the second evaluating the Cash Plus Model implementation in New York City and San Francisco.

Families experiencing poverty who do not have access to economic assistance are more likely to be involved with the child welfare system than their counterparts experiencing poverty who do have access to economic assistance. Families of color are disproportionately affected and harmed by this link between the lack of economic assistance and child welfare system involvement. Considering the first statutory goal of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) is to support needy families so that children remain safely at home or with relatives, TANF cash assistance can be leveraged to ensure families struggling to meet their basic needs have access to a robust set of concrete and economic supports. Research demonstrates that providing cash to families can reduce the risk of economic hardship and rates of child maltreatment and family involvement in child welfare, while also promoting stability. This recording is of a 2024 Research and Evaluation Conference on Self-Sufficiency plenary session, where panelists discussed research, practice, and policy considerations around how TANF can be used as a primary prevention resource to provide tailored and tangible economic supports to families at risk of engaging with the child welfare system. The Director of the Office of Family Assistance, Ann Flagg, moderated this plenary session.

The National Indian Child Welfare Association will be hosting a new virtual training on September 24, 2024 to prepare tribal child welfare workers who want to gain insight and increase their skills on the basics. This training will consist of three 90-minute sessions.

There is a registration fee to attend this training.

In October 2023, child welfare leaders, researchers, caseworkers, advocates, and foster care alumni convened for a two-day Think Tank event. The event elevated the voices of lived experts to identify promising practices and barriers. This Chapin Hall report documents the proceedings, highlighting the themes that emerged as participants described the importance of permanent connections and what systems can do to foster healing relationships for emerging adults in care. The report also summarizes the key values that guided the planning process, and how those values were demonstrated in inclusive, youth-centered, trauma-informed practices throughout the Think Tank.

Throughout the past 15 years, differing viewpoints have emerged about what role, if any, kinship diversion should play in the child welfare system. This Annie E. Casey Foundation report highlights a comprehensive survey administered in 2022 of kinship care policies that identifies increasing efforts by states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico to promote kinship care and support kinship caregivers of children and youth who are known to the child welfare system.

The Child and Family Teaming (CFT) model forms the basis of practice for child welfare services under the Integrated Core Practice Model and California's Continuum of Care Reform. This guide was developed by the California Department of Social Services in collaboration with California Tribal Families Coalition and begins with an overview of Indian Child Welfare Act’s requirements for the CFT. It then moves on to best practices in partnering with Tribes, including learning about the Tribe and understanding differing perspectives. The guide continues with highlighting best practices for including children and engaging all team members in the CFT, provides guidance in making CFT meetings accessible and culturally responsive, and gives tips to practitioners in their ongoing communication with the team between meetings.

Children and youth involved with the child welfare system are at heightened risk of experiencing human trafficking. Therefore, child welfare agencies must be at the forefront of responding to and preventing human trafficking. This Child Welfare Information Gateway bulletin explores how agencies can support children and youth who have been exploited as well as those who may have risk factors for future exploitation. It provides background information about trafficking, including its scope, relevant legislation and initiatives, and strategies agencies can implement to address the trafficking of children and youth in the United States.

This RTI International compilation of screening tools was gathered as part of the Domestic Human Trafficking and the Child Welfare Population project through a contract from the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation. This compilation includes screening tools that were provided by participants in the Identifying and Addressing Human Trafficking in Child Welfare study for inclusion in this compilation.

The understanding of how child welfare agencies identify youth who have experienced human trafficking (or are at increased risk for experiencing human trafficking) is somewhat limited. In an effort to address this knowledge gap, the Identifying and Addressing Human Trafficking in Child Welfare Agencies (IAHT) study conducted interviews with state child welfare leaders from 25 states about how their agencies work to identify and serve children and youth who have experienced or are at increased risk of trafficking. This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation brief describes human trafficking screening tools currently being used by state child welfare agencies that participated in the IAHT study, as well as key themes that arose from interviews with these state child welfare leaders regarding considerations for screening tool selection and protocols.