Blog Posts -- Solution Stories

I am a long-time advocate for how the power of neuroscience can transform the youth-serving profession. When combined with a commitment to putting the needs of youth first and a sizable dose of courageous leadership, the insights and practical guidance provided by brain research can have remarkable results. A prominent example of the transformational application of this “secret recipe” can be found at the Sacramento County (California) Youth Detention Facility (YDF). In 2010, Sacramento...

Despite finding himself in foster care at age three, having abusive foster parents and not knowing who his biological parents were when he was growing up, Steve Pemberton says he wouldn’t change his past. If he could go back in time, he said about his younger self, “I wouldn’t pull him out of the situation.” “Every dream that he has is going to come true, and then some,” he said. Pemberton, 50, is from New Bedford and now lives in Chicago with his wife Tonya and their three kids. He began...

The Opioid Crisis – it is an ominous, frightening, pervasive threat with far-reaching feelers, literally taking hold of families across the country. This crisis is often referred to as the paramount issue in communities, cities, and states. An issue worthy of attention, strategy, and community mobilization. State leaders gathered Friday to discuss strategies to protect young people from opioids and the trauma often associated with the dangerous drugs. Tackling the opioid crisis before it can...

"The first state law of its kind..." reads the article! A big thanks to Oregon law makers for pioneering law supporting the rights of children of incarcerated parents. On Tuesday September 19 th , Oregon Governor Kate Brown signed into law a bill of rights for Oregon's children requiring the Oregon Department of Corrections to develop and sustain policies and procedures supporting the needs of families, and protecting the rights of children, when parents are incarcerated. This legislation is...

While scores of public agencies are working to develop resources and programs to address childhood trauma and toxic stress in their communities, San Joaquin County has been turning itself into a model for how to address the issue. “This is not a new concept for us,” said Barbara Alberson, senior deputy director of policy and planning at the San Joaquin County Public Health Services Department. “It’s in our DNA.”... Treating trauma is a multidepartmental approach. Public Health, probation...

The Chronicle of Social Change is highlighting each of the policy recommendations made this summer by the participants of the Foster Youth Internship Program (FYI), a group of 12 former foster youths who have completed congressional internships. The program is overseen each summer by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute. Each of the FYI participants crafted a policy recommendation during their time in Washington, D.C. Today we highlight the recommendation of Justin Abbasi, a...

Family treatment courts are popping up across the country to serve families involved in child welfare. This is great news becuase family treatment courts often show positive results in earlier, and more stable reunification, consistency in service completion, and sustainable behavioral change. The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded Clark County Superior Court’s Family Treatment Court a five-year grant totaling nearly $2 million. The grant, which will be...

Rajiv Goswami invited two people to his high school graduation: his tutor, Dylan, and his mother, who needed permission from a judge to attend. "This was the milestone I had to pass," Goswami said. Rajiv spent the past four years in the foster care system and by donning a cap and gown, he was beating the odds. Just a third of city kids in foster care get their high school diploma. Follow here to watch the New York 1 news report by education reporter Linsey Christ.

This article casts a lovely spotlight on a caring foster family while also highlighting the importance of trauma-informed care at one of the many private foster care agencies across the country incorporating ACE informed practice into the care and community supporting children who've experienced trauma. Private child placing agencies across the US work with state or county child welfare agencies to license and support foster parents. Many foster parents prefer to be licensed through a...

The Intergenerational Mobility Project (“The Intergen Project”), a collaborative effort between the Center on the Developing Child and EMPath*, has set out with a bold mission to disrupt the intergenerational transmission of poverty. By applying science to social service program design, the Intergen Project seeks to mitigate the effects of poverty and its associated stressors in order to support motivated low-income families as they work their way across the economic divide. This...

Parent mentors, or parent partners are such a critical component of a successful child welfare system. Families served through L.A. County child welfare are reaping the benefits of their local program. Stephanie Moreno says losing her children to Child Protective Services (CPS) back in 2015 was the hardest thing she’s ever had to deal with. A family member called CPS on Moreno, accusing her of using drugs and knowingly allowing someone to sexually abuse her daughter. As it turned out, it was...

Building on the momentum of sharing her message during Gov. Scott Walker's 2017 State of the State Address, first lady Tonnette Walker is continuing to promote her initiative "Fostering Futures." The idea behind the program is to aim to understand the effects of trauma in childhood and ask what happened to a child rather than what's wrong with them. "We started in 2013 really taking a closer look at training our foster care providers, adoptive parents and birth parents who have kids that...