Chapin Hall’s Post

🌟 Did You Know? In the U.S., over 2.5 million grandparents are responsible for the basic needs of one or more grandchildren under 18 living with them, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. These grandparents, along with countless other relatives and extended family members, step in to provide stability and love when children cannot remain with their parents. Kinship care is more than just an arrangement; it's a testament to the strength and commitment of family bonds, often spanning generations. These caregivers play a pivotal role in maintaining family ties, ensuring children grow up surrounded by familiar faces, and deeply rooted in their familial culture. Explore more about the intricacies and impact of kinship care through our #PartnerinPrevention, Child Welfare Information Gateway: https://lnkd.in/em8h_XV #KinshipCareMonth #FamilyFirst #DidYouKnow

Youth At-Risk of Homelessness (YARH) is committed to evidence-building activities to increase the capacity of organizations working to improve outcomes for youth and young adults in the child welfare system. This new brief from our research partner Mathematica: Progress Together offers lessons learned from the evidence-building process, including: • Grantees and funders are eager to participate in summative evaluations to understand what works, for whom, and how. • Successfully supporting grantees requires careful consideration of evaluation-focused activities while they are simultaneously providing services. • Transparency about what information would guide decisions about site readiness to participate in a summative evaluation was vital to the success of the multiphase program and the grantees. https://buff.ly/3CcmmqF #homelessness #ChildWelfare #FosterCare #research #evidence

This up next in our racial #Equity series... Even though there's increasing #ChildWelfare support for kinship foster families, obstacles still exist. Black and Indigenous kinship families encounter greater challenges because of systemic biases that can affect placement decisions and restrict access to resources. Explore this policy brief for recommendations on how jurisdictions can better support Black and Indigenous families: https://lnkd.in/gNy5nXRA Examples: - Incorporate principles of the Indian Child Welfare Act (#ICWA) to prioritize cultural heritage - Amplify the voices of families and youth with lived expertise

Empowering Communities: The Crucial Role of Community-Based Organizations Community-based organizations (CBOs) are the backbone of a compassionate and supportive society, offering a wide array of programs and services to uplift individuals and families facing various challenges. This essay explores the diverse realms of community-based organizations, delving into the crucial services they provide in areas such as income support, child welfare, mental health, senior services, disability support, employment training, and emergency response.

Over 80% of gun deaths among those 19 and younger are male, with Black youth disproportionately affected by homicides and White youth by suicides. Adolescents aged 15 to 19 are particularly vulnerable, accounting for 82.6% of gun-related deaths in 2021. Solution: Comprehensive multi-faceted strategies that focus on 1) preventive and community led care services; 2) individual, family, and community support with equitable socio-economic opportunities and resources; and 3) social welfare policy changes to protect vulnerable youth suffering and coping with intergenerational trauma to reduce gun violence, including justice involvement.

#FEDERAL #US #CHILDWELFARE #REFORM #NOW Every 2 MINUTES in the US, a child is placed in a dangerous, failed system. Once in state care, a child is MORE vulnerable to abuse, trafficking, and even death. We must enact federal reforms NOW to keep children safe! There is no time to wait. Children are suffering in state care every minute of every day. This is a human rights crisis that affects hundreds of thousands of children every year. Call AND write to your Congress Members and DEMAND Federal Reforms to the US Child Welfare System. We know what needs to be done; it is just a matter of enacting the reforms. The states have failed to protect children for DECADES! The same or worsening data on state child welfare has been known and reported, tragic statistics have been shared, and advocates have called for reform. Yet, little to nothing is done. We must enact federal reforms to transform the US Child Welfare System from one of trauma and inequity to one of safety and support. It can be done. We know how to do it. Children in state care are enduring tremendous agony every minute of every day. How much longer will we keep them in pain?! Stand up and fight for our children! Make your voices heard!! Find your US Congress Representatives: https://lnkd.in/eciS2BZX Have questions or comments? I am happy to answer them! Just message me or comment below. #fostercare #kinshipcare #equity #poverty #childrensrights #advocacy

The DCF FY 2022 Annual Report provided data on  “the proportion of children open with DCF by race and ethnicity compared to the proportion of the child population in Massachusetts.” The findings reveal that “the Rate-of-Disproportionality (RoD) is an indicator of inequality.”  According to the DCF report, “Hispanic/Latinx, Black, and other families of color” are overrepresented in the child welfare system both nationwide and in Massachusetts. The question is, what are we doing to address the long-known, unconscionable and indisputable inequities that exist in our child welfare system. Behind the data and numbers are real families and children who cannot fight this battle alone. We need to do better. 

Exciting announcement Are you passionate about making a difference in the lives of vulnerable children? Then, I invite you to join the conversation through the Child Welfare Series (a bi-monthly event featuring interviews with field experts). This initiative, which I started in February 2024, is now in full swing. This series aims to discuss issues about child welfare and bring attention to the amazing work done by people in this space, including NGOs' founders, child rights activists, and advocates. The goal is to spark meaningful conversations and drive positive change in the lives of vulnerable children. I am open to collaborating with other individuals and organizations sharing this vision. For partnerships and enquiries, please send an email to stoinspire@gmail.com Do you know someone passionate about child welfare? Could you tag them below, and let's start the dialogue? Wishing you a fruitful week ahead. #childwelfare #childwelfareseries #vulnerablechildren #championingchildwelfare #childwelfareadvocate #20daylinkedinchallenge #socialwork #sharetostir #orphans #childrightsexpert #policy #traumaintervention #familiyandchild #adoption #orphanage #careleaver #careleader #dalhousieuniversity #Godcanbetrusted #deborahdzifahtamakloe #livedexperience #partnerships #newchallenege #author #beyondtheorphanage #familybasedcare

This summary of the evidence base for avoiding family separation in child welfare practice from Alia brings together research findings and paints a sobering picture: - out-of-home placement provides little or no measurable benefit in terms of cognitive or language outcomes, academic achievement, mental or behavorial health, or suicide risk. - out-of-home placement may cause additional harm by increasing their risk of juvenile and adult criminal behavior, increased risk of Reactive Attachment Disorder, and increased risk of early mortality - Children placed with kin have greater placement stability, fewer emotional and behavioral problems during placement, lower incidence of Reactive Attachment Disorder, and more connections to their biological families and social-cultural communities. It's time to move our systems upstream to focus on supporting and strengthening families from the start so that they can thrive with hope for the future. #NurturePositiveChildhoods #FosterCare #Prevention #ChildWellbeing #ACEs

#ManifestoWeek continued today with The Labour Party We welcome commitments to: 🔴develop an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty 🔴support children in care, including through kinship care, foster care and adoption 🔴strengthen regulation of the children’s social care sector 🔴create a new Young Futures programme including hubs with youth and mental health support workers 🔴review the parental leave system so it best supports working families - an opportunity to improve support for kinship carers too, who are often forced out of the labour market when they step in to the parenting role 🔴ensuring children of those who are imprisoned are identified and offered support to break the cycle 🔴new legal safeguards around strip-searching children and young people 🚨But we need all political parties to be more ambitious in prioritising child welfare. Family Rights Group will work cross-party and with whoever forms the next government - to put child welfare in the rooms where it matters and to secure the urgent reset and investment the child welfare system needs. Will you help us to do that by emailing your local candidates today? ✉️It only takes 3 minutes with our easy tool https://lnkd.in/eifMBPGt #ChildWelfare #Children #Families #KinshipCare #FamilySupport #Politics