skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Report: It Takes a Village, and a Family, to Raise a Child

play audio
Play

Tuesday, May 19, 2015   

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Tennessee is doing something right when it comes to caring for foster children in the state.

According to a report released Tuesday by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Volunteer State has reduced the percentage of children in custody who are housed in residential settings by nearly half since 2000. Linda O'Neal, executive director with the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth, says children have a lot to learn in a family setting.

"Tennessee is definitely on the right track, with a great emphasis on placing children in family placements whenever possible," says O'Neal. "We know how important it is for children to grow up in families, where they really learn how families should interact."

According to the data, since 2000, Tennessee has increased the number of children in family settings by 25 percent. O'Neal notes the progress made in the state is significant because Tennessee is one of a small number of states where data in this report includes dependent, neglected children and children who have been in the court system for crimes.

The report, Every Kid Needs a Family: Giving Children in the Child Welfare System the Best Chance for Success, recommends agencies work with families to keep children in their own homes by providing the resources, skills and services they need.

Tracey Feild, director and manager of the Casey Foundation's Child Welfare Strategy Group, says when kids are removed from families without cause, there can be lifelong ramifications.

"Kids who live in families supported through tough times have the best chance for life success," she says. "Separating children unnecessarily from families exacts too high a price in both human terms and taxpayer dollars."

O'Neal says more children can be helped if individuals step up and offer support to people in their lives who may be struggling to raise their children.

"We know Tennessee could do better if more families would step up and provide support for their extended families that are struggling to care for their children if they have to come into state custody," she says. "We know the state always needs more foster families that are willing to give the love and support to young people."

According to the report, relatives can offer a familiar relationship and connection to a child's identity and culture, ultimately making an eventual return home easier.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week about the popular abortion pill Mifepristone and will weigh in on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was correct in how it can be dosed and prescribed. (Ascannio/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

play sound

Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer. Federal officials have approved the Badger …

Social Issues

play sound

Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …


The U.S. teaching workforce remains primarily white while the percentage of Black teachers has declined. However, the percentage of Asian and Latinx teachers is rising.(WavebreakMediaMicro/Adobestock)

Social Issues

play sound

Education advocates are calling on lawmakers to increase funding for programs to combat the teacher shortage. Around 37% of schools nationwide …

Environment

play sound

New York's Legislature is considering a bill to get clean-energy projects connected to the grid faster. It's called the RAPID Act, for "Renewable …

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021