Today's bill S.1984, Protect Our Kids Act of 2011, sponsored by Senator John Kerry and Senator Susan Collins was introduced on December 13, 2011. The bill's goal is to establish a commission to develop a national strategy and recommendations for reducing fatalities resulting from child abuse and neglect. The House has introduced the companion bill [...]
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently released the Child Maltreatment 2010 report, which highlights the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) data. The Child Welfare League of America discusses the national data on their blog, Children's Monitor; they state that the report shows a decline in the number of children [...]
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 [...]
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? [...]
On November 15th, 2011 the House and Senate introduced the Stillbirth and Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID, or also known as SIDS) Prevention, Education, and Awareness Act of 2011 (H.R.3418 and S. 1862, respectively). If enacted, these bills would help us better understand causes and prevent stillbirths and SUID by:Expanding data collection activities & establishing [...]
The Foster Children Opportunity Act, H.R. 3333, which was introduced on November 3rd, 2011, would protect abused and neglected immigrant children in foster care and ensure they are given ample opportunity to gain legal status before they leave care. Under current immigration law, many immigrant foster children are eligible for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) [...]
In recognition of Veterans Day, the House of Representatives introduced a bill that encourages every civilian to observe today by offering to listen, with respect and without judgment, to a veteran tell the story of the veteran's time at war and experience since returning home. Most veteran legislation reflects the need for policies on provision [...]
With November being Native American Heritage Month it is important to examine not only what we know about this history but also what we know about the policies affecting Native Americans. Danielle mentioned the current disproportionality rates for Native children in the child welfare system in Part 1 of the blog. This disproportionality was evident [...]