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Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration is speaking out against a proposed federal bill that protects faith-based foster care agencies that refuse to place adoptive or foster children with qualified LGBT adults.

Louisiana, one of the only five states left with no offer of foster care support beyond age 18, took one important step toward extending care during this legislative session. S.B. 129, a bill submitted by State Sen.

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) signed two landmark bills into law this session related to improving outcomes for youth in the state’s foster care system. As of June 1, through H.B.

In a sad twist of irony, Michigan legislators and advocates hoping to improve the state’s juvenile justice system ran out of time this year because of how long it took to address one of the biggest child abuse scandals in American history.

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) signed a bill that would enable the state’s juvenile justice system to hold older youths until age 19, a move that advocates hope will lower the number of teens transferred into adult court.

The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) was honored this month by a state charity for its efforts to proactively help low-income families access state benefits. DHHS was the recipient of the Compassion in Action Award, given out each year by the Matt Talbot Kitchen and Outreach Center (MTKO), a Lincoln-based nonprofit with a mission to prevent hunger and homeless.

Hawaii is working to develop a plan to improve its child welfare system after a federal review found that the state for the third time had failed to meet several federal standards for children in its foster care system.

New Mexico’s legislature passed a bill last week offering a $1,000 incentive to employers who hire foster youth who are age 14 and older. According to Micaela Baca, a former foster youth advocating for Senate Bill 231’s passage, one of the reasons she feels the bill is necessary is to help break the stigma about kids in foster care.

The Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) was hit this week with a federal class-action lawsuit stemming from its failure to supply enough foster home beds in the state’s southern region, a problem the state’s legislature is hoping to address with legislation aimed at shortening the length of stay in care.