Child Welfare Policy & News

Our guest is Suzin Bartley, Executive Director at The Children's Trust, an organization working to stop child abuse in Massachusetts. Their programs partner with parents to help them build the skills and confidence they need to make sure kids have safe and healthy childhoods.

NASW condemns Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s direction to the state’s Department of Family and Protective Services to implement Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s opinion to treat age-appropriate, medically necessary, gender-affirming treatment as child abuse.

Although these cruel, politically motivated actions are non-binding, they perpetuate transphobia, and further harm the mental health and well-being of transgender and gender expansive youth by attempting to eliminate life-saving access to essential health services.

Before exploring how social workers can help neurodiverse children and their families, it’s important to understand their unique struggles. Neither the problems nor the solutions come in one size for all, as these clients face their own specific circumstances and each state provides different resources and systems for obtaining support.

This brief reviews the history, harms, pathways and trends that treat children as if they were adults.

Child Development Accounts (CDAs) and financial social work are part of the solution to economic inequality.

According to the National Commission on COVID-19 Criminal Justice (NCCCJ), domestic violence increased in the U.S. by 8.1 percent during the pandemic. Analysis from NCCCJ found that the rise is likely due to economic stress and lockdowns. The tension created by prolonged seclusion in lockdown, along with economic issues like unemployment, financial insecurity, and stress from child care and homeschooling, have exacerbated domestic violence risk factors.