California Endowment

For a growing number of educators, researchers and advocates, helping children and families heal from child trauma means talking about a subject that makes many Americans uncomfortable: racism. In recent years, the idea of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) has gained traction in child-serving organizations as a way to understand behavioral issues and poor health outcomes faced by children with traumatic life experiences, such as abuse, neglect or household dysfunction, like having an incarcerated parent.

With the support of a broad cross-section of juvenile justice advocates and newly minted Probation Department leadership, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a proposal today that will create a comprehensive plan for juvenile diversion in the county.

Draped over LaTeesha Pinkney’s white “Gift of Compassion” t-shirt was a long, thin necklace, carefully strung with gold beads and a dozen or so charms. Pinkney made the necklace, hand-picking each charm for some significance or memory it brought to mind.

It was just last November when the Obama Administration released a report highlighting the need for more investment in support for girls and women of color. At the same time, the White House was responding to criticism that there was no corresponding effort for women to “My Brother’s Keeper,” the Obama initiative for boys and men of color.

The news last May that 19 and Counting star Josh Duggar sexually abused multiple girls as a teenager, including his own siblings, rocked the nation. Since the story first broke, it has continued to unfold in disturbing ways.

Proposed legislation, and the prospect of yet another class-action lawsuit against the state, may press lawmakers to resolve the issues preventing kids placed in out-of-county foster homes from getting needed mental health treatment.

A 20-year-old’s saga of abuse, incarceration and heartache illuminates the shadowy intersection of child welfare and juvenile justice. “Like a picture in a magazine.” That’s how Angel’s mother Leah wanted their small townhouse in Pacifica, California, to look.

A major grant maker in California has seeded two organizations to begin laying the groundwork for at least one, and possibly two, pay-for-success (PFS) projects on youth services. The California Endowment will provide $250,000 for feasibility studies on the prospects for PFS projects focused on two subjects: restorative juvenile justice programs, and foster care stability.