Resource List -- Advocacy

When I read about the crisis in Texas foster care system, all I can think about is my beautiful younger sister Nannette. Nannette got out of foster care, but she didn't survive. She became a statistic, a victim of the consequences of what experts call adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs. Research has shown that ACEs accumulate over time, and the number of these experiences in childhood predicts morbidity and mortality in adulthood. It doesn't say it on her death certificate, but Nannette...

For three decades, I have listened in awe to the brave voices of children, youth and families who have shared, in anguish, their past experiences — experiences that anyone would objectively call “adverse” and ones that can have lasting effects on health and well-being. The seminal ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) study opened my eyes to how pervasive their stories were and how these findings might influence the development of effective interventions and treatment, especially for...

  For many young people, especially homeless youth who are supporting themselves, a scholarship can make the difference between going to college and making do without a degree. But because many of these young people have GEDs rather...

  Entering the foster care system can catapult a youth’s academic career into a devastating tailspin marred by too many new-kid-in-the-classroom transitions.  This report  highlights the Annie E Casey Foundation’s 4-year...

The mission of  Advocates for Families First  is to build a unified national movement in support of kinship, foster, and adoptive families who care for children and youth, promote their healing, and help them thrive. We envision a world...