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Foster youth are at increased risk of entering the justice system, particularly as they age out of foster care. The high prevalence of crime among foster youth has concerned practitioners, researchers, and policymakers. Given the public attention to address the disproportionate rates of juvenile justice system involvement among young people in foster care, this study focuses on the association of the new federal legislation for extending foster care to age 21 with foster youth's juvenile justice system involvement. Drawing from 2006 to 2016 California state child welfare administrative data on individuals in care between their 16th and 18th birthdays (N = 69,140), this study (1) examines whether the extended care policy is associated with reduced juvenile justice system involvement and (2) compares juvenile justice system involvement between 16-year-olds and 17-year-olds during the periods before and after California implemented the extended care policy. The results show that youth approaching the age of majority in foster care were more likely to avoid juvenile justice system involvement after the state implemented the policy controlling for the general declining trend in delinquency petitions within the state, and that this was true for both age cohorts. These findings have national implications because in most states being transferred from the child welfare system to the juvenile justice system before reaching age 18 can result in later ineligibility for extended care available through Title IV-E benefits. Further implications and recommendations for professionals, researchers, and policymakers are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on two court cases related to child care orders and placement. Topics include a case where a mother appealed against a full care order, arguing that supervision orders or more time to demonstrate her ability to protect the children should have been considered. The President held that a care order with the plan for children to remain at home was appropriate only in exceptional circumstances, which were not present in this case.

Legal and relational permanence have long been viewed as a central outcome of child welfare services. Timely termination of parental rights (TPR) has been a cornerstone of these permanency efforts because TPRs facilitate permanency through adoption. Yet the number of adoption plans that are not finalized or sustained are not trivial. Over 2,000 youth emancipate from foster care each year and many more leave earlier but not before a TPR has occurred. Some states have passed legislation to allow reinstatements of parental rights. This paper reviews the range of factors state legislation includes, reviews scant existing literature on how TPRs may effect youth, and proposes several options for ways that unproductive TPRs can be reduced, and timely reinstatements increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses cases related to long-term accommodation and adoption decisions. Article discusses that the Court of Appeal clarifies that section 20 (s20) accommodation can be appropriate for children, and there is no restriction on the length of time a child can be accommodated, and which may reduce the need for care proceedings in cases where s20 accommodation is suitable and parents provide informed consent.

This Note builds on the burgeoning studies of hidden foster care across the nation and explores how this informal system works in Texas. Specifically, this Note relies on the work of Professor Gupta-Kagan from the University of South Carolina School of Law in understanding how hidden foster care can be especially problematic in Texas, which has one of the largest populations of children in kinship care. Recognizing there are also benefits to keeping children with family, this Note does not advocate prohibiting voluntary removals completely. Rather, this Note highlights the constitutional problems with this mechanism of removing children and explains how courts should treat voluntary safety plans with an eye towards ensuring their voluntariness. Then, this Note discusses how hidden foster care disadvantages kinship caregivers because of the lack of resources that are otherwise available to licensed foster parents. Further, recent changes in Texas’s child welfare law have made it more difficult to remove children from their home and accentuate concerns over using informal removals to avoid demonstrating their conformity with statutory requirements. The latter half of this Note explores solutions to the problems of hidden foster care and characterizes these solutions as retroactive or proactive. The retroactive solutions discussed draw from existing judicial practices in one Texas county that may keep hidden foster care families intact. The proactive solutions are relatively new to the discussion of hidden foster care, as they critique recent legislative bills and explain how Texas can use its newest infrastructure under the Family Preservation Pilot Program to provide court oversight over informal removals. To the extent that hidden foster care remains an extant and widespread practice in this state, these solutions are integral to ensuring the rights of parents and children to remain together. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kinship care is a global phenomenon with a long history, which in high-income countries (HICs) at least, is being increasingly formalized through legislation and policy. There are many benefits to kinship care, including improved child mental health and well-being when compared to other types of out-of-home care. Despite this, kinship care is not without its risks with a lack of support and training for kinship carers putting children at an increased risk of abuse and neglect. This scoping review was conducted across 11 databases to explore the breadth and depth of the literature about abuse and neglect within kinship care in HICs and to provide initial indications about the relationship between kinship care and abuse. Of the 2,308 studies initially identified, 26 met the inclusion criteria. A majority of studies were from the United States, and most used case review methods. From the included studies, rates of re-abuse, and particularly rates of physical and sexual abuse, appear to be lower in kinship care settings when compared to other out-of-home care settings, but rates of neglect are often higher. This review has demonstrated that a small but significant number of children living in kinship care experience neglect or abuse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores a lifetime involved in the child protection system from a unique autoethnographic perspective. Providing a descriptive account of the negative language, stereotypes and expectations, I have both experienced and witnessed in Victoria, Australia, I examine how the nexus between records, recordkeeping practices, the legal system, rights and Care experienced people perpetuates discrimination, and disadvantage and denies Care experienced people their rights. As research has grown, so has the recognition of the importance of recordkeeping to Care experienced people. This has been followed by demands that records be inclusive of the child, providing greater agency and autonomy. Academic and some Care experienced people are now seeking a Charter of Lifelong Rights in Childhood Recordkeeping in Out-of-Home Care. However, I recommend that there is a fundamental need to examine and understand the nexus between records, recordkeeping practices, the legal system, rights and Care experienced people. All the reforms, policies and legislative changes to date, have made little difference to the reality of Care experienced people. This nexus which I refer to as the inextricable conflict must be understood and addressed in ongoing research to avoid further ineffective reforms, policy and legislative amendments to ensure rights are enjoyed by all. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers an overview of the successes and challenges of the implementation of congregate care reforms under the Family First Prevention Serves Act in the U.S. Survey results share the experiences of youth with mental health needs after transition to a Qualified Residential Treatment Porgram facility. It proposes actions that include linking parents and kinship caregivers to community supports and mental health resources, focusing on youth resilience and health education.

The article informs about the decision of High Court for the court case Health and Social Care Trust v a Mother and a Paternal Grandmother. Topics include grant a care order with a care plan for adoption and a freeing order to free the child for adoption; and provide the solicitors with financial information to complete her legal aid application despite evidence from the solicitors.

The article informs about the decision of High Court Family Division on Unlawful placement, inherent jurisdiction and residential family placements. Topics include authorization for placements in the unregistered residential unit with interim care orders; and local authority sought to regularize the situation by applying under the inherent jurisdiction of the court for orders authorizing the placements.

• Youth aging out of foster care experience high rates of homelessness. • A federal law allowing states to extend foster to age 21 reduced rates of homelessness among 18–24 year-olds. • There was a lagged effect of states extending foster care on rates of homelessness. • There was no similar effect of states' extending foster care on rates of homelessness among those not ages 18–24. Youth aging out of foster care experience high rates of homelessness during young adulthood. This study assessed the impact of states' extension of foster care through age 21 under the federal Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 on state-level rates of homelessness among all youth ages 18–24, which we used as a proxy to assess impact on the legislation's target population. To do so, we leveraged data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Census Bureau and several other publicly available data sources to construct a novel state-level panel dataset that allowed us to capture changes in rates of homelessness among youth ages 18–24 and extended foster care policies in all 50 states for the eight-year period from 2013 to 2020. Employing a difference-in-difference approach, we found evidence of an anticipated lagged effect of extended foster care, wherein the implementation of extended foster care is associated with a 23 % reduction in the total rate of youth homelessness four years later. This effect persists in years five to six after states adopt this policy change. We found no evidence of a similar effect of extended foster care on rates of homelessness among persons not between the ages of 18–24. Our findings provide important evidence about the impact of the Fostering Connections Act and suggest that extending the age of foster care eligibility may create important safety nets and pathways that support a reduction in rates of homelessness among former foster youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Permanency has been a cornerstone concept in child welfare since the 1960s. Despite its endorsement as a best practice principle in promoting the wellbeing of children in child welfare care, debate persists about the key elements of the concept and their effects, particularly in relation to the emphasis on legal permanency when children in care cannot be reunited with their parents. This article describes results from a demonstration project using a Family Finding service model. It aimed to operationalize a multi-dimensional permanency definition where most of the children served were Indigenous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The article discusses legal decision of childhood vaccinations in the exercise of their parental responsibility under a care order and do not need to make an application under the inherent jurisdiction. It mentions use of the inherent jurisdiction as the ultimate safety net did allow the use of the inherent jurisdiction to deprive a child of their liberty in an unregistered children's home.

This study explored the implementation of the 2010 Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act and relevant statutes in 50 states and the District of Columbia and the associated impact on foster care entry for infants by substance exposure. Despite the overall increase of infants entering foster care with substance exposure, the variation in trajectory across states suggests that legislation may play a part but is not a sole causal factor in the entry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the court case AX v BX & Ors were placed in foster care in 2007 at the ages of five and nearly three years. The article discusses that A & B applied to revoke the adoption order using the inherent jurisdiction; and the court set out the established principles for adoption orders being a transformative and permanent transfer of parental responsibility.

Adoption, kinship care, and foster care are the oldest known forms of alternative care in India. Whilst these are recognized as the most appropriate forms of care today, institutional care has become the most dominant form of care in India in the last 100 years, although it is meant to be 'a measure of last resort'. As in most countries, childcare institutions in India cater for children up to 18 years old. The sudden withdrawal of support at 18 leaves these young people facing heightened challenges and poorer outcomes on the journey to independence, not only because of their fractured pasts but also due to a lack of planned interventions towards preparing them for life. This paper, based on an extensive desk review, chronologically examines the evolution of aftercare laws and practices in India along with the factors that contributed to the rise of institutional care. Reference is made to the influence of the criminal justice system on aftercare and the impact of India's ratification of United Nations Convention on Rights of the Child, the movement from a welfare to rights‐based approach. The paper concludes by discussing the current challenges and the possible way forward for care leavers in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the article, the author examines the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) Lookback provision of the amended Social Security Act of 1961 as a barrier to sufficient federal foster care funding in the U.S. Also cited are the qualifications imposed by Louisiana in 1960 for recipients of welfare benefits, and the number of children under foster care in the country in 2017 based on data from the Department of Health and Human Services.

Summary: Government and parliamentary inquiries into child protection have historically exerted a significant impact on policy and practice reform. Yet to date, there has been no analysis of the impact of such inquiries on programme and service supports for young people transitioning from out-of-home care (often termed leaving care). This article uses a content analysis methodology to critically examine and compare the findings of six recent Australian child protection inquiries (five at state and territory level and one Commonwealth) in relation to their discrete sections on leaving care. Attention is drawn to how the policy issue is framed including key terminology, the major concerns identified, the local and international research evidence cited and the principal sources of information including whether or not priority is given to the lived experience of care leavers. Findings: All six inquiries identified major limitations in leaving care legislation, policy and practice including poor outcomes in key areas such as housing, education and employment. There was a consensus that post-18 assistance should be expanded, and most of the reports agreed that greater attention should be paid to the specific cultural needs of the large number of Indigenous care leavers. Applications: Care leavers universally are a vulnerable group; leaving care policy should be informed by the lived experience and expertise of care leavers; governments have a responsibility to provide ongoing supports beyond 18 years of age, particularly in areas such as housing and education, training and employment [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the issues and challenges faced by children in foster care and the efforts by the Idaho government and laws to protect them. Also cited are the Idaho Code provision mandating the appointment of guardian ad litem (GAL) to children 12 years old and below, and the provisions of the Youth in Care Bill of Rights drafted by the Idaho Foster Youth Advisory Board (IFYAB).

In most states, child protection agencies induce parents to transfer physical custody of their children to kinship caregivers by threatening to place the children in foster care and bring them to family court. Both the frequency of these actions (this Article establishes that they occur tens or even hundreds of thousands of times annually) and their impact (they separate parents and children, sometimes permanently) resemble the formal foster care system. But they are hidden from courts, because agencies file no petition alleging abuse or neglect, and hidden from policymakers, because agencies do not generally report these cases. While informal custody changes can sometimes serve children's and families' interests by preventing the need for state legal custody, this hidden foster care system raises multiple concerns, presciently raised in Supreme Court dicta in 1979 in Miller v. Youakim. State agencies infringe on parents' and children's fundamental right to family integrity with few meaningful due process checks. Agencies avoid legal requirements to make reasonable efforts to reunify parents and children, licensing requirements intended to ensure that kinship placements are safe, and requirements to provide foster care maintenance payments to kinship caregivers. This Article explains how the present child protection funding system and recent federal financing reforms further incentivize hidden foster care without regulating it. Moreover, relatively recent state statutes and policies codify the practice without providing much regulation. In contrast to this trend, this Article argues for regulation: the opportunity for a parent to challenge the need for the custody change in court, limits on the length of time such custody changes can remain in effect without more formal action, the provision of counsel to parents (using money made available by a separate recent change in federal child protection funding), and requirements for states to report cases in which their actions lead to parent-child separations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The federal Fostering Connections law gives states the option to increase the foster care age limit from age 18 up to age 21. This law could potentially improve postsecondary education outcomes for youth in foster care. We analyze data collected from a longitudinal study of foster youth in three Midwestern states (n = 732). Linear probability models and instrumental variable models estimated the impact of years in care past age 18 on three outcomes: enrollment by age 21, persistence by age 21, and degree completion by age 29/30. Results indicated that each year in care past age 18 is expected to increase enrollment by about 9 to 11 percentage points. Significant associations were not found for persistence or degree completion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The topic of the article is family assistantship -- a new form of family support, implemented in Poland as part of grassroots initiatives of non-governmental organizations and social assistance organizational units, in the period preceding the adoption of the Act on family support and foster care system (act). The appointment of a new professional role, the family assistant, in the social assistance system, or more broadly -- in the context of care and assistance -- was a real challenge to the current practices supporting the family in Poland: tasks, well-established forms of support, as well as the expectations and interests of helpers' professional environments, administration, local authority and other groups. The purpose of the sociological analysis of the processes of conceptualizing and implementing family assistantship in the social assistance system is to justify the thesis that family assistantship in the years 1990-2011 can be seen as a normative innovation (adaptive strategy) in social assistance and social work, which was a consequence of the revolt against the appearance of goals of social assistance and social work, and a response to the expectation of effective action, directed from various sides to social assistance, including from the professional environment of social workers, more and more active in the educational sphere. Also social policy, since the 1990s interested in the issue of the effectiveness of social assistance and social activity, has become an "external" source of inspiration for the institutional change introduced, which was the work of the (social) family assistant and its organizational model. In the presented text I am looking for answers to two questions: 1) what are the characteristic features of family assistantship as normative innovation? 2) what was the social order destabilisation in the years 1990-2011, incurred by including family assistantship in routine practices in social assistance centres? In preparing this study, I used my own research, observation and professional experience, as well as research carried out by other authors. In addition to the main goal, this article also pursues a minor goal. It is an attempt to synthesize dispersed empirical material on the subject of family assistantship, as well as the results of research relating to the processes of implementing institutional change, in an important context of care and assistance that is underrated in sociological reflection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A scoping study provides a better understanding of how local authorities in China support care-experienced young people. • Twenty-two social policies in China are mapped and examined. • Across localities, housing and employment services are prioritised to support care-experienced young people. • Current policy responses are insufficient, and people's opportunities to access the stipulated support are quite limited. An increasing amount of attention is being paid to young people with care experience on an international scale. They are often associated with negative outcomes after leaving care, such as low educational attainment, unstable housing, job instability and social exclusion. While many countries have prescribed social policies for supporting them for a more fruitful transition out of care, there is little information available in the context of China at local levels. Given this, this paper maps and examines existing local policies, exploring how local authorities support care-experienced young people in China. To achieve, it adopts a scoping review. The findings highlight (i) China's local polices as a whole prescribe a variety of services, resources, and/or measures to support care-experienced young people, of which housing and employment are at the top of the list; (ii) current policy responses are insufficient, and opportunities of this group of people to access the stipulated support are quite limited. The findings of this study indicate that policymakers need to improve local policies in order to make them more operable, sophisticated, and comprehensive, so that care-experienced young people can reap the greatest benefits from them. Also, a national leaving-care policy that provides guidance to local authorities should be considered, adding consistency and clarity to relevant policies across the country. The limitations of this paper relate mainly to its review methods, which point to the need to expand data sources and conduct cross-reviews to enhance the findings' credibility and robustness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Foster Care. • Kinship Care. • Social justice. • Child Welfare. • Policy Analysis. • Cross-national perspectives. Scholars largely agree that placements with relative caregivers are best for children. However, the regulations that jurisdictions apply to determine eligibility for foster care licensure may limit relative caregivers' access to the benefits of licensure. This analysis considers foster care regulations in three jurisdictions and the effects of policy decisions on eligibility for relative caregivers and placement options for children in out-of-home care. Finland, New Zealand, and Wisconsin all have a stated priority for placement of children with relative caregivers. However, even with a stated priority, the implementation of policies in practice differs by jurisdiction. Finland is adequate in prioritizing child and family well-being but lacks coherence and has regulations that are at high risk of bias. New Zealand's policies are adequate and coherent, though their highly regulated system is at risk of perpetuating inequity for indigenous populations. Wisconsin regulations are coherent in supporting safety, however, the financial support provided to foster parents is inadequate and the highly regulated standards perpetuate inequity for low-income families and families of color. Findings suggest that the structure of out-of-home care policies and the priorities of the governments who oversee them inform the implementation of policy in practice and differential outcomes experienced by the children and families they are meant to support. Limiting a relative caregiver's ability to be licensed as a foster parent is a form of social exclusion, reducing their access to available support and limiting child access to relative care. Equitable access to foster care licensure would provide relative caregivers with additional tools to meet the needs of children in their care. Revisions to foster care licensing practices should prioritize placement with relatives by increasing flexibility in non-safety related requirements for relative caregivers in order to provide children with access to culturally appropriate placement options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is provided to articles within the special issue on the U.S. Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 ('Chafee legislation), with topics including U.S child welfare, juvenile justice administration and research methods.

The article presents a court case of Northern Ireland related to the Long-term foster care vs adoption. It discusses the appeals of the parents, quashed the care order and the freeing for adoption order and put in place an interim care order for the child. It mentions that domestic abuse of the mother witnessed by the children; her mental health problems and self harming behaviors compelled court to remove them from the care of their parents.

Older youth in foster care require support to navigate the complex transition to adulthood. Once largely ignored by child welfare systems, over the past 20 years several policy developments for older youth transitioning from foster care have aimed to provide this support. The Foster Care Independence Act (FCIA) of 1999 established the Chafee Foster Care Independence Program (now called the John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood) provides states with more flexible funding to offer services to youth leaving care, the Chafee Education and Training Voucher program, added in 2001, provides resources to states for postsecondary training and education, and the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008, allows states to extend foster care to young adults. These policies’ specific focus on older youth in care provided important, although still insufficient, supports to this population and sparked a research agenda to better understand the needs, circumstances, prospects, and outcomes of youth who are transition-age. In turn, this research has informed policy, program, and practice strategies to improve youths’ likelihood of successful adulthood. I consider some of the key themes in U.S.-focused research conducted since the passage of the FCIA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper sets out to give a rounded view of the Irish foster care system as currently constituted. It will cover areas such as the law and policy framework, key data, key institutional actors, views of the system from the perspective of key stakeholders (care experienced adults and young people, foster carers and their children and the biological parents of children in foster care), and distinctive features of the Irish system. It will also offer a brief review of key influences that have helped shape the current system and Ireland's move from high use of institutional care to high rates of family placement. It will also consider challenges that still face policy and practice in the Irish foster care system. The paper takes a multi-disciplinary approach drawing on evidence from various perspectives including law, history and social policy. Offering the Irish case in this paper is not to claim or imply that the Irish system is fully developed or has resolved all its challenges. As will become clear, the argument here is that Ireland is an interesting case not because of any (erroneous) claim that it is the finished article as a foster care system. It is interesting because it is both a system that is still in development, and is also one that has already made the transition from a system dominated by residential care to one heavily reliant on family placement. Highlights • Ninety-two per cent of children in care in Ireland are placed in families (in both foster and kinship care) • This represents one of the highest family placement rates in care systems across the world • Previously the Irish care system relied heavily on institutional care like many Catholic countries • Ireland thus serves as an interesting case study of de-institutionalisation in a traditionally Catholic country • The paper offers a detailed overview of the current system of provisions for children in care in Ireland [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adoption of children from out-of-home care is uncommon in Australia and rarely occurs in the state of Victoria. This paper reports on how professionals involved in making decisions about the permanent placement of children explain the current rates of adoption from out-of-home care in Victoria. Interviews were conducted with eight child welfare specialists, eight adoption and permanent care specialists and five judicial officers. The current low rates of adoption were attributed to the effect of current legislation, the impact of past adoption practices and the establishment of a culture in Victoria in which adoption is now rarely considered an option for children in out-of-home care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article studies the court case on Special Guardianship Order for family and foster carer. Topics include that the court heard that the relationship between the foster carer and family in the Great Britain had deteriorate ; and the court emphasised that the appeal was being allowed on the basis of inadequate reasoning set out by the court at first instance, and provided no support for one outcome over another once the balancing exercise had been carried out fully at a rehearing.

• Youth shared that out-of-home care (OOHC) reminded them of jail. • Youth expressed they felt highly surveilled and controlled in out-of-home care. • Black youth articulated that they did not have any voice living in OOHC. • Carceral logic underpins the child welfare systems' policies and practices in care. • Child welfare workers may criminalize youth by involving the police in interventions. This article examines the intersections and paradoxes in out-of-home care (OOHC) for Black youth involved in Ontario's child welfare system and the ways in which those experiences mirror treatment in the judicial system. Using an anti-carceral theory, this article weaves together the intersecting threads of anti-Black racism and carceral logic to construct Black youth's experiences living in OOHC (non-relative foster care and group homes). Twenty-seven interviews were conducted with Black Caribbean youth from the Greater Toronto Area to understand their experiences in OOHC. In addition to exploring the ways in which OOHC is similar to carceral care, this study also describes youths' narratives of police contact and involvement while under the care of the child welfare system. The data revealed a connection between OOHC and jail, a lack of autonomy, and policing as an intervention for Black youth. Additionally, the findings illustrated how social workers' and child and youth workers' interactions are underpinned by carceral logic; their attempts to provide services to Black youth were often akin to policing, where surveillance, behavior management, and control were central to the ethics of care. Recommendations for policy and practice include reducing police intervention, ensuring both stability and flexibility, and discretion and honoring youth voice in applying policy and practice guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Girls in out-of-home placements frequently have a history of childhood trauma. • The research on work with girls placed in deep-end facilities is extremely partial. • The study focuses on a gender-responsive and trauma-informed placement for girls. • Findings refine eight principles of gender-responsive trauma-informed care. • The article discusses theoretical and practical implementations of these principles. Over the past two decades, research on trauma and adversity and the implementation of trauma-informed care (TIC) has become established in social work, psychiatry, and other helping professions. Girls assigned to restricted out-of-home placements by legal order who use social services frequently have a history of childhood trauma. Whereas the extant literature has examined gender-responsive TIC among victimized women, it has barely addressed educational-rehabilitative work with girls placed in deep-end juvenile facilities. The present study aims to fill this gap by responsive gender-responsive practices of a unique gender-responsive and trauma-informed placement for adolescent girls. The research method was based on threefold database including observations, semi-structured interviews with girls and staff, and drawing data from ongoing documentation of the work in the placement as was documented by the staff. Findings refine eight principles of gender-responsive TIC: relationships, safety, empowerment and voice, trustworthiness, and transparency, perceiving maladaptive behaviors as useful survival skills, peer support, removing social barriers, and reducing re-traumatization. The article proposes a framework set of principles for gender-responsive trauma-informed care and discusses theoretical and practical implementations that are essential for future policies regarding professional work with adolescent girls in deep-end placements. Discussion rises the need for a new refining of guidelines coherent and holistic model for creating gender-sensitive trauma-informed care when working with adolescent girls who experienced adverse childhood events. Studies using controlled designs might examine the effects of such a framework by developing guidelines and action principles as a basis for fostering standardized training for professionals who work with adolescent girls in extreme social exclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• In 2015 Texas mandated that all college campuses identify a foster care liaison. • The present study is a process evaluation of the liaison legislation. • Students who experienced foster care want and value campus liaisons. • Half of the campuses have not posted liaison contact information on their websites. • Liaisons lack the training, time, and resources to fulfill their designated role. Texas has been a leader in creating policies and programs to support students in higher education who have experienced foster care (SEFC). The state has a tuition and fee waiver, extended foster care, and a state-wide collaborative devoted to improving higher education outcomes of SEFC. In 2015 the state passed innovative legislation requiring every college and university to identify a campus liaison for SEFC. The present study is a process evaluation to assess the implementation of the liaison legislation. We conducted in-depth interviews with SEFC, a content analysis of campus websites, and a survey of campus liaisons. Results reveal that students do want a single point of contact and when connected with a liaison, see that relationship as essential to their success. However, half of all campuses (49%) have not complied with the legislative requirement to identify the liaison on their websites, making it difficult for SEFC to know who to contact at these institutions. In addition, liaisons that responded to our survey report that they want to serve SEFC, but lack the training, time, and resources to fulfill their designated role. Conclusions are that legislated policies for SEFC can affect change, but require sufficient investment in order to adequately support the students they are designed to serve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports that the Court of Appeal considered the statutory scheme for secure accommodation under Section 25 of the Children Act 1989 and Section 119 in the Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Act 2014. The case law on breaches of Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights was considered. The Association of Lawyers for Children asked whether there is a disparity in the protections and safeguards given to children. Adoption without parental consent is discussed.

The article focuses on a court case where an Inner House decides on the correct point in time for applying the threshold test and its application where there is a pool of possible perpetrators in Scotland. It mentions that local authority had applied to the Sheriff Court for a Permanence Order with authority to Adopt (POA) and the sheriff had not granted this.

Whilst there is broad consensus that foster youth embroiled in dependency court proceedings related to child maltreatment are entitled to effective representation, few studies have examined this phenomenon. This study used Group Concept Mapping (GCM) with a sample of 31 foster youth and alumni to explicate a conceptual framework for effective legal representation. GCM is an integrated, mixed-method research approach that utilizes non-metric multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analyses to analyze qualitative data. As a result, pictorial illustration of the data are generated. Results indicate that youth conceptualized effective legal representation via six unique clusters: Legal Skills , Foster Care Knowledge , Youth/Attorney Relationship , Attitude About Foster Care , Contact , and Communication . Additionally, participants viewed the Communication cluster as most important and feasible, when compared to other clusters in the final solution. Conversely, statements in the Legal Skills cluster were rated the least important and the Foster Care Knowledge was rated least feasible. Data indicates the need for a more wholistic approach to viewing effective legal representation. Findings suggest explicit attention to training about legal approaches and youth/alumni engagement. As well, data provide foundational aspects on which to build future research in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Since 2014, it has been a legal requirement in England and Wales for child care proceedings to be concluded, apart from “exceptional cases,” within 26 weeks. When this was first proposed, there were concerns that it might lead to poorer decision‐making or to delay being squeezed to either side of the court proceedings, before or afterwards. This paper reports on the messages from a pilot programme to hit the 26‐week target that took place in London in 2012–2013. The study compared the progress of the cases from the pilot year with those the year before, 180 cases in total, involving 256 children. The local authorities involved were able to achieve considerable improvements in timeliness, not just in the proceedings, but for the pre‐ and post‐court processes too; and the quality and fairness of decisions did not seem to be impaired, in terms of the plans for the children and subsequent outcomes over a period of 2 years. “Targets” do not generally find a warm welcome in the social work literature, but this paper shows that when collaboratively implemented, with a measure of flexibility and adequate resources, they can be an effective way of helping to achieve positive change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comparative child welfare administrative data from each of the four jurisdictions of the UK (Scotland, England, Northern Ireland (NI) and Wales) were analysed over a ten-year period to examine rates and patterns of public care. Scotland followed by Wales has the highest rates of children in out-of-home care, followed by England and NI with similar lower proportions. Despite strong links between deprivation and higher chances of becoming looked after, this national variation appears more a reflection of differing legal and operational practice than higher levels of need for public care. Notwithstanding differing devolution settlements, a convergence in the direction of policy across the UK towards early intervention, extensive use of kinship care and adoption as an exit route from public care is apparent. This convergence is most apparent in the increased entry of very young children to public care in Scotland, NI and Wales. The lack of any systematic collection of data by governments on the social and economic conditions of children reflects a missed opportunity to examine separately their influence on rates of children in public care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on court cases in England and Wales. It mentions its involvement of a prematurely-born boy placed into foster care after his parents suffered from mental health issues. An overview of care proceedings issued for an infant whose parents underwent residential drug treatment for mental illness and drug dependency is also presented.

Since the 1970s, legislatures and courts have adopted a variety of approaches to address foster care's overuse, instability, and lack of permanence. Most reforms focused on rules and procedures. It appears that there has been progress with respect to each of these issues, but the foster care system still has many deficiencies. It is unlikely that further changes in legal standards will significantly improve the system; the core issues relate to implementation of good practices. The foster care system now responds to three types of problems: protecting children from parental maltreatment; helping children who exhibit severe behavioral problems; and dealing with families experiencing high levels of parent-child conflict. Services should be redesigned to reflect differences in the issues presented by the three populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]