October 2014Vol. 15, No. 9White Paper Series on Well-Being
In 2012, the Administration on Children, Youth and Families published the information memorandum Promoting Social and Emotional Well-Being for Children and Youth Receiving Child Welfare Services. Building on this guidance, the Children's Bureau published a series of white papers focused on integrating well-being into child welfare practice to effectively achieve safety and permanency for children and families. The series is intended to further the national dialogue on the topic of well-being and how incorporating and emphasizing well-being in child welfare can result in better outcomes for children and families and the overall child welfare system.
The series includes an overview and three separate papers.
- The overview presents a historical evolution of child welfare practice from the 1970s through today and the recent emphasis on well-being. Integrating Safety, Permanency and Well-Being: A View From the Field, is available here:
http://gucchdtacenter.georgetown.edu/resources/WP%20-%20Overview%20FINAL-508%20v2.pdf (538 KB) - The first paper outlines the domains and indicators of well-being and presents a framework for ensuring the healthy development of young people who have experienced or are at risk of experiencing abuse or neglect. Examples of interventions for this population also are provided. A Comprehensive Framework for Nurturing the Well-Being of Children and Adolescents is available here: http://gucchdtacenter.georgetown.edu/resources/WP1%20-%20Comprehensive%20Framework%20508%20v5.pdf (676 KB)
- The second paper is centered on the use of evidence-based practices to improve the well-being of children in foster care, specifically trauma screening, clinical assessment, and progress monitoring. Screening, Assessing, Monitoring Outcomes and Using Evidence-Based Practices to Improve the Well-Being of Children in Foster Care is available here:
http://gucchdtacenter.georgetown.edu/resources/WP2%20-%20Screening%20Assesing%20and%20Monitoring%20508%20v2.pdf (612 KB) - The third paper presents a case study of a program that has successfully implemented the core aspects of the well-being framework. A Case Example of the Administration on Children, Youth and Families' Well-Being Frame-work: KIPP is available here: http://gucchdtacenter.georgetown.edu/resources/WP3%20-%20Case%20Study%20Nov%202013%20508%20v2.pdf (600 KB)