Child Welfare
Rhode Island is desperate for more foster families now that three of its emergency child welfare shelters are slated to close in January, reports Providence Journal writer Lynn Arditi. The Department of Children, Youth and Families called in all of its private partners in child placement to discuss recruiting new homes and developing a roster of homes that would be available 24-7 for short-term, emergency situations.
Orlando Sentinel’s Kate Santich reports that Florida will avoid a court date with the Orlando-area provider that recently lost a major contract to provide foster care services in three counties. Family Services of Metro Orlando will get a three-month extension before it turns services over to the new provider, Community Based Care of Seminole, aimed at helping the organization transition out of the contract and perhaps place some of its staff with the new provider.
The St. Louis Beacon’s Robert Joiner reports that a pregnancy prevention initiative will focus on girls in the child welfare system.
Education/Jobs
The Boys & Girls Club of Marion (Ind.) found an interesting way to steady its income stream; it became a licensed child care facility, reports Kurt Moore of the Marion Star.
There is an uptick in the number of students failing state exams in New York, writes Meredith Kolodner of the New York Daily News. Some parents feel that the difference is cuts to tutoring opportunities at city schools after the school day is over, although the state did recently change the tests to make them more difficult.
Juvenile Justice
Arizona is again discussing the merits of shifting most of the juvenile justice system onto counties and effectively ending its Department of Juvenile Corrections. The notion was proposed by Gov. Jan Brewer last year, this year it appears to be a movement by some within the legislature.
Jennifer Carmack of 6 News in Indianapolis reported on a meeting between young black men in the city and police that was held this weekend. The group discussed how both parties could navigate interactions with each other the right way.
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention released a bulletin today on the characteristics of confined and placed youth, an analysis that emanates from the agency’s Survey of Youth in Residential Placement.
