National Center for Child Welfare Excellence
NCCWE Weekly Update 3/25/2015


It’s Not 1964 Anymore!
Ohio has a lot to be proud of.  Beginning on March 20th, 2015, adopted persons will now enjoy equality with adoptees born before and after this time frame in Ohio who are already allowed almost unrestricted access to their original birth document. Ohio becomes the ninth state to open birth certificates to adopted adults from a previously closed period.
http://adoptioninstitute.org/truth-in-ohio

C.A.S.E. Offers Webinar:
"Desperately Seeking Attachment: Parenting Traumatized Children and Teens." On Thursday, March 26th, the Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E.) will offer the first in a two-part webinar, "Desperately Seeking Attachment: Parenting Traumatized Children and Teens.  Click for more information.

NSCAW Findings on Disconnected Youth
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) produced the 21st in a series of National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW) briefs that address topics related to children who receive child welfare services. This brief focuses on disconnected youth involved in child welfare. Disconnected youth are defined in the brief as youth ages 16 to 24 that are not in school and have not been employed for 3 years after they were identified and reported as victims of child maltreatment. Characteristics of disconnected youth and their families and the possible negative outcomes of being disconnected are examined.
https://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewArticles&issueid=165&sectionid=1&articleid=4431

The Relationship Between Housing and Child Welfare
While much work has been done to address the interrelated issues of housing insecurity and child welfare involvement, studies continue to show that there is a significant relationship between the two. Families that are homeless or who face unstable housing situations tend to have higher rates of involvement in the child welfare system than families with a more stable housing situation. A recently published issue brief from First Focus' State Policy Advocacy and Reform Center (SPARC) explores the relationship between housing and child welfare, examines why child welfare agencies should address families' housing needs, and describes what some agencies are already doing to address these issues.
http://childwelfaresparc.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Families-at-the-Nexus-of-Housing-and-Child-Welfare.pdf

Challenges Faced By Homeless LGBTQ Youth in Surviving the Streets
Urban Institute recently publish a unique look into survival sex, a strategy used by many young people in order to survive while living on the streets of New York City. Meredith Dank, author and Senior Research Associate at the Urban Institute, conducted a three-year study of LGBTQ youth in partnership with New York City-based organization Streetwise and Safe (SAS) using interviews with 283 youth who engaged in survival sex, defined as receiving payment in the form of cash or other in-kind payment in exchange for sex and trades, in New York City.
http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/2000119-Surviving-the-Streets-of-New-York.pdf

10 TIPS for Foster Parents: 
To Help Their Foster Youth Avoid Teen Pregnancy
Foster youth say they want to discuss sex, love, and relationships with their foster parents, but some are embarrassed or feel uncomfortable starting the conversation. The same holds true for foster parents. They often don’t know what to say, how to say it, or when to start. This guide offers some ideas to help foster parents strengthen their relationships with foster youth. It also offers some ideas on how best to communicate about sex, love, and relationships.
http://thenationalcampaign.org/sites/default/files/resource-primary-download/10TipsFoster_FINAL.pdf
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Gerald P. Mallon, DSW, LCSW
Julia Lathrop Professor of Child Welfare
Executive Director
National Center for Child Welfare Excellence
Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College
A Service of the Children's Bureau
2180 Third Avenue. 7th Floor
New York, NY 10035
http://www.nccwe.org
mallong@aol.com