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Family connections are some of the strongest, most powerful indicators of future success in adulthood. As advocates for transition-aged youth, permanency is a central focus of our advocacy. Our vision of permanency—and the work we do to achieve it—must include the voices of youth. They have loudly and clearly told us that they, like all people, want family and connections with caring adults, but we need to understand and respect youth’s experiences to support them in finding this.

Regardless of its manifestation, permanency must include supportive, life-long connections. Yet, large numbers of youth leave the child welfare system without the vital connections that are crucial to adult success. Today, in the wake of Thanksgiving and being surrounded by our loved ones, we are highlighting foster care alums who found their “forever families” – some with the support of the child welfare system and others on their own.

The problem with an overly punitive approach to juvenile probation is that, simply put, it does not work. In his soon-to-be released monograph, “Youth on

Riya Saha Shah, a senior supervising attorney with the Juvenile Law Center in Philadelphia, said the proposed policy could disproportionately impact students of color who may live

Marsha Levick, the deputy director and chief counsel of the nonprofit Juvenile Law Center, said Brown is far from the only juvenile offender to have

According to research, the critical brain development that occurs during teenage years must be supported by strong and stable connections with family, friends, and community. This means helping teenagers embrace and be part of families is essential to healthy development. It is a moral imperative if we are to meet our obligation to youth in the child welfare system. Unfortunately, each year as a country, we fail to meet this imperative.