Building a Better Data System
Data on expectant and parenting youth in foster care should be disaggregated by race and ethnicity. Doing so will expose racial disparities and inform strategies for eliminating inequities.
This tool kit assists systems leaders in gathering, assessing, sharing and leveraging data on expectant and parenting youth in foster care. The end goal? A better, brighter future for these families.
The Center for the Study of Social Policy and more than 20 national experts — including representatives from Chapin Hall, Child Trends, Connecticut Department of Children and Families, Montclair State University, the Multi-Agency Alliance for Children, New York City Administration for Children’s Services, Springfield College, Tennessee Department of Children’s Services and the University of Texas at Austin, as well as young people involved with the Casey Foundation's Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative — helped to develop this resource for systems leaders.
This resource-rich tool kit offers everything from data sharing agreement templates and local policy examples to state data snapshots and a checklist aimed at enhancing decision making. With its straightforward style and comprehensive scope, the publication enables child welfare experts and public systems leaders to put these tools to quick use, crafting better policies and building smarter practices for expectant and parenting youth in foster care.