The child welfare system in Pennsylvania faces a staffing crisis affecting children and families throughout the system.

The Child Welfare Resource Center said about 30 counties report caseworker vacancy rates of 30% or higher

Terry Clark, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Council of Children, Youth and Family Services, at a state Senate hearing on child welfare, challenged the Departments of Education and Human Services to work together to develop a STEM-focused model for human services. It could offer young people opportunities for training, apprenticeships and careers in child welfare, juvenile justice and behavioral health.

"We spend a lot of time focusing on colleges and universities," Clark noted. "But we believe we might want to back this up a little bit, and start looking at middle schools and high schools. Try to reinvigorate, get younger students motivated and trying to come into this field."

Clark pointed out some agencies have asked supervisors and even people from other departments to take on casework responsibilities. A recent Philadelphia study found Community Umbrella Agencies had an average 45% turnover rate, with vacancies ranging from 21-60 positions.

Clark observed private providers face workforce challenges similar to the county child welfare agencies. He emphasized counties are beginning to explore more contractual relationships with private providers for needed work.

"Counties are starting to put out RFPs, calls for private providers to help supplement their workforce," Clark stressed. "That means they're asking private providers to take on roles and functions that, in the past, were primarily done by counties themselves."

Clark argued competitive wages are seen as crucial to attract and retain child welfare workers, and county funding often falls short. He added student loan forgiveness and fellowship programs may be promising ways to bring new people into the field, but lawmakers would have to agree.

"There have been House bills and different Senate bills that have been introduced, or at least in draft form over the years," Clark acknowledged. "We hope that there's continued discussion about those, because if we can get some movement on those, we think those will really help."

He told legislators the turnover trends will not change significantly without increased investment in workers.

CLARIFICATION: We updated language to clarify the timing for when the study's authors began tracking certain outcome measures for children within the foster care system. (9:30 a.m. CST, Nov. 22, 2024)

This Saturday is National Adoption Day and the latest findings showed Minnesota has made progress in helping kids in the foster care system secure a better future.

Aaron Sojourner, labor economist at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, helped lead a study of reforms Minnesota approved in 2015. He said states often provide financial support to children in foster care but support ends when a child is adopted or placed in a kin guardianship.

Minnesota decided to continue payments to households who take a child in permanently. Sojourner pointed out three years after foster cases started, positive outcomes became clear.

"The kids were scoring much higher on standardized achievement tests," Sojourner reported. "They were experiencing less turnover in schools and school instability."

He noted the incentives also boosted the chances of kids age 6 and older exiting the foster care system and moving into permanent home settings by 29%. Sojourner added while the results are encouraging, it is just one aspect of the child welfare landscape. Other research has shown racial disparities in Minnesota's foster care system, especially when looking at reducing entry rates.

Sojourner stressed if state lawmakers revisit the extended monthly payments in budget talks, they will need to realize the long-term payoff from these investments.

"The state is paying more money now but they're going to reap the benefits down the road," Sojourner contended. "In terms of increased earnings and employment."

His team's study said prolonged exposure to foster care is tied to poor transitions into adulthood, including homelessness.


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Nearly one in four Kentucky kids has experienced at least two Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs, including abuse, neglect or household dysfunction, according to the latest Kids Count County Data Book.

Experts said the findings should prompt policymakers to better measure risk and pave the way for prevention.

Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates, said the impact of ACEs on children can leave a lifetime imprint.

"When we think about Kentucky in 20 years, data around ACEs today is going to be a leveraged factor that we're going to be seeing the results of," Brooks projected.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ACEs trigger a toxic stress response in the body, which can change brain development and can lead to chronic health problems, mental illness and substance use disorders in adulthood.

Mentorship, guidance and support from adults and community members can help foster positive childhood experiences and buffer the impact of ACEs.

Aleah Stigall, a student at Boyle County High School, said a network of mentors participating in pageantry has helped her cope with loneliness.

"I was able to gain a lot of mentors," Stigall explained. "Some I like to even call my sisters, because of how they've impacted me and really show me what a true titleholder looks like and how you can make a strong impact on your community."

The findings also show more families are transient and struggling to stay housed. Brooks explained the state has seen significant increases in rental cost burdens.

"That eight-year-old little girl going to school has inevitably heard her mom and dad worrying about, are they going to get evicted, and are the lights going to stay on?" Brooks observed. "I don't think any of us can fully measure the impact it has on that little kid."

According to the research, Kentucky is short around 200,000 housing units. And between 2018 and 2022, 44% of Kentucky households spent 30% or more of their income on rent and utilities. In 20 counties, residents' rental cost-burden rates have reached 50%.

A new annual report shows New York City has more than 146,000 homeless students.

The Advocates for Children of New York report finds this is an increase from last year when more than 119,000 students were homeless. It also finds more than half of students were temporarily sharing housing with others, while 41% lived in shelters.

Jennifer Pringle, director of Project LIT with Advocates for Children of New York, says the city can help these students by addressing transportation delays.

"Roughly 40% of students in shelters are placed in a different borough from where they go to school, which means that students in temporary housing often face long commutes and are disproportionately impacted by busing delays," she said.

Other recommendations include eliminating the 60-day shelter limits and addressing shortages in staff supporting students in temporary housing. But, Pringle notes there's work the state can do too. More than 115 groups want the state to add a weight for students in temporary housing as part of the school funding formula re-evaluation.

The biggest challenge to implement these recommendations is political will, although they have broad support. But, student homelessness has been a long-standing issue for the city. This is the ninth year in a row New York City's homeless student population has included more than 100,000 students. There are many reasons students become homeless.

"Certainly we know there's a growing housing-affordability crisis," she continued. "Families indicate that domestic violence is one leading driver of family homelessness. And then also we have immigrant families, newcomers to the city as well, who are in temporary housing."

Living in temporary housing significantly impacts students' education. The report finds most students in either temporary housing or a shelter were chronically absent. It also notes their English Language Arts proficiency was 20% lower than students in permanent housing.


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