The National Conference of State Legislature’s (NCSL) State Legislatures April 2011 edition includes an article on foster care. “5 Things Lawmakers Need to Know” focuses on best practices in the states that have helped to reduce the number of children in foster care by 20% in the past decade. The five suggestions are:
• Prevent abuse and neglect by offering support to vulnerable families that avoids the eventual need for foster care.
• Give child protection workers flexibility in evaluating and responding to alleged mistreatment, which tends to keep more kids at home and out of foster care.
• Put effort into identifying and notifying relatives and place a child with family members rather than an unrelated foster family to provide a better option for kids and become eligible for federal subsidized guardianship funding.
• Establish programs that encourage family members’ participation in developing placement plans and resolving problems to minimize time in foster care.
• Reduce the number of kids in residential treatment facilities, group homes, and emergency shelters to produce a better outcome for children and save the state money.
The article refers to specific programs in other states that address reforms in state child welfare systems.
