WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Representatives Robert Aderholt (R-AL) and Danny Davis (D-IL) led a bipartisan group of members of Congress in calling on President Trump and the Administration to work on behalf of families devastated by the People’s Republic of China’s decision to halt its intercountry adoption program.

https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2025/3/klobuchar-cramer-aderholt-davis-grassley-colleagues-urge-administration-to-work-on-behalf-of-families-adopting-children-from-china 

NY: Biden’s Former Top Child Welfare Appointee Now Leads New York City’s Oldest Child Protection Organization

Imprint – January 21, 2025

Aysha Schomburg’s recently concluded three-year tenure as one of the nation’s top child welfare officials is among the most historic: Child poverty and calls to Child Protective Services plunged to historic lows after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The government rolled out its once-in-a-generation Family First Prevention Services Act to keep more families intact, and racial justice protests drew unprecedented attention to the disproportionate number of Black and Native American children taken into foster care. Now Schomburg – the former associate commissioner of the $10 billion federal Children’s Bureau from 2021 to early 2024 – is making her history outside of government. She has assumed the role of president and chief executive officer for the Manhattan-based New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, which describes itself as the world’s first child protective agency.

Biden’s Former Top Child Welfare Appointee Now Leads New York City’s Oldest Child Protection Organization

US: Parental Relinquishments Account for 5% Of Foster Care Entries, Feds Find

Imprint – January 15, 2025

A landmark study released today by the Department of Health and Human Services found a significant number of youth enter foster care each year because of child behavioral health issues that their parents are struggling to help them with..

Also: Prevalence and Characteristics of Children Entering Foster Care to Receive Behavioral Health or Disability Services: https://aspe.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/35ca9fc3ef5f522e2ed18ec2a277f99c/custody-relinquishment-prevalence-characteristics.pdf

Parental Relinquishments Account for 5% Of Foster Care Entries, Feds Find

PA: The Children’s Home of York was founded to serve orphans after the Civil War (Opinion)

York Daily Record – January 15, 2025

Ara Marguerite Starner was just 2 years old when she entered the Children’s Home of York in 1929. Her mom was in bad health and worked but did not bring home enough to support her family. It was, indeed, her family because her husband was an absentee father. So Ara entered the orphanage at North Pine and East Philadelphia streets where she would stay until she reached 18.

https://www.ydr.com/story/opinion/columnists/2025/01/15/childrens-home-of-york-pa-founded-to-serve-orphans-after-civil-war/77694610007/

US: President Biden Signs into Law Legislation to Strengthen Child Welfare System and Bolster Child Support Enforcement Efforts, Includes Moore-Led Proposals (Press release)

U.S. Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth – January 10, 2025

“As co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth, I know that helping our foster youth and foster families is so important. I am proud to have worked with colleagues to shape this legislation to improve the foster care system and assist state and tribal governments with child support enforcement. This law includes provisions I authorized on a bipartisan basis to ensure struggling families aren’t separated solely due to poverty. This has been a long time focus for me and many advocates, and I will continue to work to prevent inappropriate family separations. The bill also includes language I championed to support the provision of short-term funding to meet housing, food, transportation and other basic needs that can be critical to keeping families together. This bill also includes my proposal to ensure that in developing their foster care plans, states work with young people and families who have experience with the foster care system, so foster care policies can better reflect their lived experiences and the needs of those who are being served.

https://urbanmilwaukee.com/pressrelease/president-biden-signs-into-law-legislation-to-strengthen-child-welfare-system-and-bolster-child-support-enforcement-efforts-includes-moore-led-proposals/

NY: Families Thrive: ACS Prevention Services Spark Hope And Healing

Harlem World Magazine – January 07, 2025

Today, the NYC Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) released key findings from its annual, “ACS Prevention Family Experience Survey”, showing strong satisfaction with the services. With over 2,100 caregivers participating in the survey 93 percent said the services were helping them achieve their goals; 93 percent said they are happy with the services their family received; 91 percent said they would recommend the services to a family member and/or a friend; and 91 percent said they would go to their prevention provider for help again in the future. This high level of satisfaction is consistent with findings from prior years, dating back to the first survey in 2019.

Also: 2024 Family Experience Survey: https://www.nyc.gov/assets/acs/pdf/data-analysis/2024/PreventionSurveyLL17Report.pdf 

https://www.harlemworldmagazine.com/families-thrive-acs-prevention-services-spark-hope-and-healing/