The number of youth who age out of foster care has risen steadily over the past decade, even in the wake of increased efforts to achieve permanence for all children in foster care. For far too many youth, aging out of care results in homelessness, work instability, and a lack of stable, loving relationships with… [read more]

Every year, more and more children in foster care find permanent homes with relatives when they cannot return to live with their parents. Most children will find permanent homes through relative adoption, which continued to increase throughout the decade. In 2000, 21 percent of the children adopted from foster care were adopted by relatives. By… [read more]

There is a growing consensus that group care is not beneficial for children except in time-limited therapeutic settings to meet specific treatment needs. Unfortunately, most communities lack a robust network of foster family homes. Given this reality, many child welfare agencies are redoubling their efforts to identify and engage kin as foster parents. Despite the… [read more]

The state Division of Child Protection and Permanency, (DCP&P), formerly the Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS) has placed a child in your home. You may be related to the child, a close friend of the family or perhaps the child is unrelated, but has been in your home for a long time. Your DCP&P… [read more]

Is the child of a relative or close friend living in your home? Has the child been living with you for more than the last 12 months? Is this arrangement likely to continue? Do the parents have serious problems that prevent them from caring for their child? Are you willing to raise the child to… [read more]

Data can be an incredibly powerful tool for child welfare advocates, policymakers, and program administrators in their work to improve the lives of vulnerable children and families. From identifying target population characteristics and needs, to documenting program or service outcomes, to assessing a policy’s effect, using data to inform efforts to help children and families… [read more]

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth are overrepresented in the homeless population. According to a growing body of research and study, a conservative estimate is that one out of every five homeless youth (20 percent) is LGBT-identified. This is greatly disproportionate to the estimated percentage of LGBT youth in the general population which is… [read more]

More than 2.6 million children are being raised in the United States by grandparents, other relatives and close family friends with no parent in the household. 1 These “grandfamilies” or “kinship families” are families in which relatives or close family friends step up to raise children unexpectedly because their parents cannot due to opioid or… [read more]

The content included within this handbook is intended to provide general information on long-term supportive services while connecting the reader with additional resources and may not be all inclusive. Over time financial data and eligibility criteria for programs will change and become outdated. The user is encouraged to verify this time sensitive data. Should you… [read more]