Focusing on Youth Well-being: New Information about Applying a Protective and Promotive Factors Approach for Adolescents in Foster Care – Archived NRCPFC Webinar
In February of 2012, Dr. Charlyn Harper Browne and Susan Notkin of the Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP) presented in the NRCPFC webinar, Focusing on Well-Being: Developing a Protective Factors Framework for Youth in Care. They built on that presentation and provided updated information about their work in this event. During the past year, Dr. Harper Browne and Ms. Notkin further developed Youth Thrive, CSSP’s research-based Protective and Promotive Factors Framework for adolescents. Additionally, they continued to explore ways in which this orientation and framework can be used to inform policies and practices in the child welfare system. The presenters provided an overview and description of Youth Thrive’s protective and promotive factors. The presenters also discussed recent work they have been doing and next steps related to the application of their findings to child welfare policies and practices and CSSP’s effort to identify exemplary programs that build these protective and promotive factors to support youth well-being and positive development. The webinar closed with a question and answer period. (February 2013)
Focusing on Well-Being: Developing a Protective Factors Framework for Youth in Care
In this NRCPFC teleconference, the presenters, Dr. Charlyn Harper Browne and Ms. Susan Notkin, provided an overview of research on youth development, resiliency, neuroscience, and the impact of trauma on brain development, and discussed how child welfare agencies and their partners can use this information to define and improve the overall well-being needs of youth in foster care. The presenters also put forward a newly expanded, research-based Protective and Promotive Factors Framework for adolescents that can serve as a guide for helping address the development needs of youth and improve their prospects for success. The event closed with a question and answer period. (February 2012)
NRCPFC’s Digital Stories from the Field: Youth Financial Empowerment
A collection of digital stories by young people who participated in the New York City Administration for Children’s Services Youth Financial Empowerment Program (YFE). These NRCPFC Digital Stories were created to raise awareness about the YFE program and about financial literacy issues faced by foster care youth.
Orenilia shares how financial literacy programs can help youth in foster care especially when the channels of communication are open.
*Many of these resources were developed previously by the
National Resource Center for
Permanency and Family Connections (NRCPFC).
Informational & Practice Publications, Resources, & Tools
Integrating Safety, Permanency, and Well-Being Series
The Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) released a series of three papers that describe how a more fully integrated and developmentally specific approach in child welfare could improve both child and system level outcomes. The intention of these papers is to further the national dialogue on how to more effectively integrate an emphasis on well-being into the goal of achieving safety, permanency, and well-being for every child. (February 2014)
Integrating Safety, Permanency and Well-Being: A view from the field
This introduction to the series provides an overview of the evolution of the child welfare system from the 1970s and onward to include the more recent emphasis on integrating well-being more robustly into the work of child welfare.
A Comprehensive Framework for Nurturing the Well-Being of Children and Adolescents
This first paper of this series provides a framework for considering the domains and indicators of well-being. It identifies the normal developmental trajectory for children and adolescents and provides examples of evidence-based interventions to use when a child’s healthy development has been impacted by maltreatment.
A Case Example of the ACYF’s Well-Bing Framework: KIPP
This third paper in the series presents a case study of the Kansas Intensive Permanency Project (KIPP) and describes how it has implemented many of the core aspects of a well-being framework.
Raising the Bar: Child Welfare’s Shift toward Well-Being
There is a significant opportunity now to successfully implement a policy and practice agenda to improve social, emotional, physical, and educational outcomes for children, youth, and families involved in the child welfare system. Examples exist across the country of promising federal, state, and local efforts on which to build. This brief from the Center for the Study of Social Policy State Policy Advocacy and Reform Center (SPARC) aims to outline initial steps for policymakers and advocates, as well as summarize the research, policy, and practice trends driving this increased focus on well-being. (July 2013)
Home Front Alert: The Risks Facing Young Children in Military Families
Currently, two million children under the age of 18 in the United States have at least one active-duty parent and nearly 500,000 of those children are between the ages of birth and five years. This Child Trends brief, authored by David Murphey, examines emerging research on how issues related to parental deployment –- parental separation, disruptions in living circumstances and caregivers, increased parental stress, and direct and indirect experience of trauma –- impact the social, emotional, and cognitive development of children under age five. Based on a comprehensive review of the literature on the well-being of young children in military families, this brief also explores the implications of this research on policies designed to address their needs. (July 2013)
Realizing Permanency, Well-Being through Authentic Engagement
This paper from Alliance for Children and Families seeks to showcase the strengths of a child and family engagement values system in which engagement isn't simply about activating family as a response to fill a placement challenge, but rather about respecting and empowering families to share responsibility for the safety, permanency, and well-being of their children. Over the last few decades, policy and practice have moved towards emphasizing kinship care and family-centered practices (i.e. Family Finding, concurrent planning, family team meetings) as tools and resources for working with children and their families. The Alliance believes these approaches, while positive, will only be able to achieve long-term results when they are practiced within a system that truly embraces person- and family-centered, and strengths-based values in every aspect of system policy, organizational culture, and day to-day practice for every child, every time. Complete the online form to download the report free of charge. (2013)
Letter from ACYF Commissioner Bryan Samuels Regarding Well-Being and Child Welfare
This letter from ACYF Commissioner Bryan Samuels provides an overview of opportunities for States to enhance their efforts to promote social and emotional well-being for children and youth in or at risk of entering foster care. These include: title IV-E child welfare waiver demonstration projects, several discretionary funding opportunities, and activities to improve management of psychotropic medications for young people in foster care. (July 24, 2012)
Hmong Cultural Guide: Building Capacity to Strengthen the Well-Being of Immigrant Families and Their Children: A Prevention Strategy
This resource, from the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare, provides an overview of the culture of the Hmong to assist professionals in strengthening the well-being of Hmong families. It reviews Hmong parenting practices, parent and child nurturing and attachment styles, expectations of child development, parental attitudes in seeking health care for their children, and parental attitudes toward emotional behavior and mental health. (2010)
The Critical Need for Positive Indicators of Child Development
Human development includes positive and negative developmental processes. Too often, researchers have focused on negative developmental behaviors alone, which provide an incomplete picture of factors that ultimately combine to affect child outcomes. There is a critical need to monitor positive development among children and youth, as well. As part of its Flourishing Children Project, Child Trends has added new resources on Positive Indicators of child development to its website. Child Trends has developed rigorous national indicators of flourishing among children and youth for inclusion in national surveys, research studies, and program evaluations.
YouthSuccessNYC- Money: Stories by teens
From YouthSuccessNYC come personal stories by foster care youth about their financial experiences, as well as their advice on saving and money management.
Research & Reports
America’s Children in Brief: Key National Indicators of Well-Being
Each year since 1997, the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics has published a report on the well-being of children and families. Pending data availability, the Forum (which fosters coordination and integration among 22 Federal agencies) updates all 41 indicators annually on its website and alternates publishing a detailed report with a summary version that highlights selected indicators. This report series makes Federal data on children and families available in a nontechnical, easy-to-use format in order to stimulate discussion among data providers, policymakers, and the public. The child well-being indicators span seven domains: family and social environment, economic circumstances, health care, physical environment and safety, behavior, education, and health. (2014)
National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NCSAW), No. 20: Adverse Child Experiences in NSCAW
The second cohort of the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW II) is a national longitudinal study of 5,873 children, ranging in age from 2 months to 17.5 years old, who had contact with the child welfare system between 2008 and 2009. More than half of the children in the NSCAW II sample reported four or more adverse childhood experiences. This brief from the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services uses NSCAW II to examine rates of adverse childhood experiences among children who have been reported for maltreatment to the child welfare system. It also compares this sample’s adverse experiences to those reported in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Adverse Childhood Experiences Study (ACES). ACES was a study from the mid-1990s which surveyed over 17,000 adults and examined the association between adverse childhood experiences and later adult outcomes. This report examines the prevalence of the adverse experiences identified in ACES among NSCAW participants and compares rates between the two studies. (2013)
2013 KIDS COUNT Data Book
The KIDS COUNT Data Book, published by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, provides national and state-by-state data on key indicators of child well-being. In addition to ranking states on overall child well-being, the Data Book ranks states in following four domains: Economic Well-Being, Education, Health, and Family and Community. (2013)
Analyzing State Differences in Child Well-Being
This report, from the Foundation for Child Development and the Annie E. Casey Foundation, examines differences in the welfare of children across the U.S. using 25 indicators of well-being. These indicators are categorized into seven domains of child well-being including: family economic well-being, health, safe/risky behavior, education attainment, community engagement, social relationships, and emotional/spiritual well-being. (2012)
Frequent Residential Mobility and Young Children’s Well-Being
In this study, Child Trends examined a select group of children younger than six from the 2007 National Survey of Children Health who are termed “frequent movers.” Their aims were to understand some of the particular demographic characteristics of this group, and to explore whether “frequent movers” were more likely than children who did not move frequently to have poorer physical and/or mental health. By David Murphey, Tawana Bandy, and Kristin A. Moore. (January 2012)
NSCAW II Wave 2 Report: Child Well-Being
The second National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW II) is a longitudinal study intended to answer a range of fundamental questions about the functioning, service needs, and service use of children who come in contact with the child welfare system. The study is sponsored by the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). It examines the well-being of children involved with child welfare agencies; captures information about the investigation of abuse and neglect that brought the child into the study; collects information about the child’s family; provides information about child welfare interventions and other services; and describes key characteristics of child development. Of particular interest to the study are children’s health, mental health, and developmental risks, especially for those children who experienced the most severe abuse and exposure to violence. Wave 2 is a follow-up of children and families approximately 18 months after the close of the NSCAW II index investigation. The NSCAW II cohort of children who were approximately 2 months to 17.5 years old at baseline ranged in age from 16 months to 19 years old at Wave 2. Data collection for the second wave of the study began in October 2009 and was completed in January 2011. (2012)
What Works to Prevent or Reduce Internalizing Problems or Socio-Emotional Difficulties in Adolescents: Lessons from Experimental Evaluations of Social Interventions
Adolescence is often characterized as a tumultuous time in youth development, marked by occasional mood swings and intense emotions. For some young people, however, more serious, internalizing problems such as depressive or anxious moods, negative self-perceptions, and emotional distress compromise healthy development. This Child Trends brief synthesizes findings from 37 random-assignment social intervention programs designed to prevent or treat internalizing problems for adolescents. Findings from this literature review suggest that social interventions to address internalizing problems are most effective when they teach adolescents how to cope with negative thoughts and emotions, solve problems, and interact effectively with others. Therapeutic approaches, such as family therapy, group therapy, individual therapy, and treatment-focused, school-based approaches appear to be effective. (December 2011)
Child Health USA 2011
Published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources, and Services Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB), this online version of the book Child Health USA 2011 is an annual report on the health status and service needs of America’s children. Secondary data of over 50 health-related indicators were compiled for this report, providing both graphical and textual summaries and addresses long-term trends. (September 2011)
Child Welfare Outcomes: Reports to Congress
This is a series of reports from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that are required by the Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA). These publications are designed to inform Congress and professionals related to the child welfare field about national and State performance on several measures of outcomes for children served by child welfare systems throughout the country. The outcomes address the safety, permanency, and well-being of children, and focus on widely accepted performance objectives for child welfare practice.
For additional Child Welfare Outcomes reports to Congress, as well as further data, visit the Statistics & Research webpage of the Children’s Bureau website.
Ensuring Safety, Well-Being and Permanency for our Children – Findings, Practice and Policy Implications from LONGSCAN: The 20-Year Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect
This resource from the University of North Carolina Injury Prevention Research Center provides an introduction to LONGSCAN, a project which was funded in part by the Children’s Bureau for two decades. This publication includes a list of investigators, summary of findings and implications, and references. The findings and implications of LONGSCAN address: (1) safety and health (identification, witnessed violence, multiple exposures, neglect, psychological maltreatment, suicide); (2) permanency (instability in permanent placements, safety in permanent placements, multiple forms of instability); and (3) well-being (role of the father, social support, a public health approach).
New Mexico:Best Practices - Well-Being Checklists
This bulletin outlines best practices and describes the roles of caseworkers, judges, attorneys, court staff, and CASA volunteers.
New York:New York State Kids' Well-Being Indicator Clearinghouse
This website, developed by the New York State Council on Children and Families with funding from the NYS Office for Technology, offers human services providers, child advocates, researchers and others a way to quickly and conveniently access and sort data tailored to accommodate their needs. It provides access to data related to children's health, education, and well-being.
