Raising the Bar: Child Welfare’s Shift Toward Well-Being

“Over the last decade, there has been an increasing awareness about the poor developmental outcomes for children and youth in the child welfare system. The recognition of the need to improve well-being as a central focus of child welfare’s work has grown from an understanding of the importance of early childhood and adolescence in shaping outcomes, and the impact of toxic stress on the development of children and youth…. 

“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 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….”

"The State Policy and Reform Center (SPARC) initiative is supported by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative. We are grateful for their support in making this [20-page] report possible."

http://childwelfaresparc.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/raising-the-bar-child-welfares-shift-toward-well-being-7-22.pdf

Thanks to ACEsConnection member Catherine Myers for sharing this resource.

This resource has been added to the Social Services/Child Welfare section of the Resource Center.

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