Recent news

According to research, the critical brain development that occurs during teenage years must be supported by strong and stable connections with family, friends, and community. This means helping teenagers embrace and be part of families is essential to healthy development. It is a moral imperative if we are to meet our obligation to youth in the child welfare system. Unfortunately, each year as a country, we fail to meet this imperative.

November marks National Adoption Month – a month we must come and leave with a sense of urgency and purpose. Large numbers of youth in the child welfare system are waiting to be reunified with or find family. Children need families to heal and to grow. Every child deserves a family to have a fair shot at health, happiness, and success in life. When we do not provide youth what they need to grow and achieve their potential we not only fail them, but also put them at great risk.

As part of National Adoption Month, we’re kicking off a special blog series focused on older youth in foster care and the importance of family and permanency. Throughout November, we’ll highlight the need for family and permanency, investigate common barriers, uplift success stories, and share policies and reforms that support achieving permanency for older youth in foster care.

We’re thrilled to announce the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) selected Juvenile Law Center’s Deputy Director and Chief Counsel Marsha Levick for the 2017 Catchers in the Rye Humanitarian Award – the Academy’s highest honor. Marsha was recognized at the AACAP’s annual event on Wednesday in Washington, DC.