All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration.--UN Declaration of Human Rights As one reflects on Human Rights Month it is important to think of those who may have the smallest [...]
Last Friday night, Diane Sawyer and ABC World News reported on a year-long investigation by the Government Accounting Office that found that children and youth in foster care - even infants as young as a year old - were over-prescribed psychiatric medications or inappropriately receiving psychiatric medication for conditions that did not exist. In addition, [...]
On November 22nd, Michigan became the seventh state to opt into extending foster care from 18 to 21 since the Fostering Connections Act was signed into law in 2008. Over the last three years, 25 states have submitted program design plans for approval, 11 of which included plans to extend foster care through age 21. [...]
Each Monday on the Stability, Permanency and Adoption blog we will provide a selection of news from the past week that you may have missed. Today's news round up: From the Chillicothe Gazette, New Private Adoption Agency Focuses on Teen Demographic. "Sojourners, a youth development organization that serves children in foster care with the hopes [...]
UPDATE: Check out Child Welfare Information Gateway's webpage providing resources on the use of psychotropic medicines for children and youth in fostercare. With the newly-released Government Accountability Office report, "Foster Children: HHS Guidance Could Help States Improve Oversight of Psychotropic Prescriptions," there has been a flurry of activity recently on the issue of over-medicating youth [...]
Standby guardianship is the transfer of legal guardianship of a child to a specifically designated person under certain circumstances and conditions. The original laws were designed to enable parents with disabilities or terminal medical conditions to provide a plan for their children upon their death or inability to provide care. In most cases, in a [...]
World AIDS Day 2011 provides some glimmers of hope for children with HIV/AIDS worldwide. HIV and AIDS related deaths for children under age 15 have dropped 10 percent since 2005 and the number of newly infected children has dropped by 24 percent in the same time period. Still, nearly 10 percent of the globe's orphans [...]
Have you heard the term "Evidence-Based Practice" thrown around the past couple of years? Although we know it is the ability to make informed decision based on research, how does that exactly work in the field? More importantly, when trying to do more with less, how can one work toward proven outcomes with budget cuts? [...]