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“Hidden foster care” is an increasingly common and informal arrangement in which relatives are encouraged by child protection agencies to bypass juvenile court and care for children outside of formal foster care. In hidden foster care cases, families do not receive the resources, financial supports, legal protections, safety checks, and pathways to family reunification that […]

This month is National Foster Care Awareness Month, when we focus on amplifying our client’s voices and experiences, and bring awareness to the unique and complex issues young people in foster care face. There are more than 407,000 children and teens in the foster care system across the country. With 30,000+ alone in Los Angeles County,

Lived experience is defined as personal knowledge about the world gained through direct, first-hand involvement in everyday events rather than through representations constructed by other people.  A person with lived experience in the child welfare system – parents, children and youth, resource families. formal and informal caregivers, guardians and adoptive parents – is someone who

Since 1992, the Alliance has changed the lives of more than 150,000 young children, teens, and families. This year, we proudly celebrate 30 years of impact. While our organization has grown and our services have expanded to meet the needs of our clients, our mission and our commitment to protecting the rights of young people

Alliance co-sponsored Senate Bill 354 gives hope to caregivers unfairly characterized by past criminal convictions. “Every month, we thought ‘is this going to be the last month we have her?’ and we just made the best of it.” — Marlon Zepeda We know that children who are placed with relatives when they can no longer

On Tuesday, February 22, 2022, Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued an order that the Texas child welfare agency must investigate reports of “gender-transitioning procedures” as child abuse. This comes on the heels of a legal opinion from the Texas Attorney General arguing that children were too young to consent to gender-affirming surgeries. The Texas Governor’s

In the month of October, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed four Alliance sponsored bills promoting placement and housing stability. The Alliance greatly appreciates the Governor’s leadership and the dedication of Senator Skinner and Assemblymembers Friedman, Rubio, and Stone in addressing these critical issues. These victories continue the Alliance’s commitment to reform and improve foster care

Statistics  reveal that, without support, youth in foster care continue to perform poorly in school compared to the general student population. Only 24% of youth in foster care met the English standards, compared to 51% of the general population, and only 15% met the Math standards, compared to 40% of the general population. In response,

During the summer of 2020, amidst the nationwide uprising against police brutality and systemic racism, the Alliance for Children’s Rights launched an initiative focused on addressing the racial inequities in child welfare. At its best, the child welfare system is a social safety net, vital to children and families in crisis. Yet from its founding,

Yesterday’s guilty verdict, convicting former police officer Derek Chauvin of the murder of George Floyd, was a step in the right direction towards change. For many of us, it was a long-awaited moment of accountability, and a testament to the profound power of a nationwide protest, an outpouring of support, and a movement with the