The Administration for Children and Families’ ‘A Home for Every Child’ initiative gives states a new focus to streamline the Child and Family Services Review (CFSR) with one goal: achieving a 1:1 ratio of children to available foster home. As developments are moving quickly, Impact & Insights will provide regular updates on the initiative.
Nick, 17, had been living in hotels around Atlanta with his mom and two siblings for more than a year. There was physical and emotional abuse, food insecurity, prevalent substance abuse, and very little structure or supervision. Diagnosed with ADHD and intellectual disabilities, Nick started acting out. He was suspended from school twice in just a few weeks, took his mother’s car without permission and refused his medication.
For families on Nantucket, an island in Massachusetts, it can be difficult to access mental health services. Families often have to endure long wait lists and travel off island to get mental health care for their children.