Vote for the Youth Law Center’s Proposal for SOCAP 2024 Our session proposal, “Advancing Climate Justice and Equity for Systems-Impacted Youth,” has advanced to the voting stage of the SOCAP 2024 conference, But we need your help to get our session on the agenda! Please vote for our session today here – socapglobal.com/session-idea/advancing-climate-justice-and-equity-for-systems-impacted-youth. SOCAP Global […]
Youth Law Center Brief: Pursuing Systems Transformation in Foster Care Through National Advocacy
About Youth Law Center’s Quality Parenting Initiative (QPI) Children who enter the foster care system have had traumatic experiences far different from the experiences of ordinary childhood. They are removed from their parents, homes, and neighborhoods without understanding why or what happens next, losing meaningful connections to siblings and familiar adults. To undo this […]
Youth Law Center 2023 Advocacy for Impact: Part I. Foster Care Systems in California and Nationwide
“Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The Youth Law Center’s advocacy work to change systems through impact litigation, movement lawyering, policy reform, collaboration, public education and training, and coalition building is unique. We integrate developmental research in practice and policy; […]
Watch Our “Out of Sight, Out of Mind” Education Report Webinar Recap
We’ve had a full week here at Youth Law Center and are grateful to you for your engagement and support, enabling our fight for the rights of children and youth in the foster care and juvenile justice systems across the country. Out of Sight, Out of Mind Webinar Recap We hosted a webinar for our Out […]
Save the date for QPI’s 2023 virtual national conference!
Please join us for QPI’s 2023 virtual national conference on May 16th and 17th! This year’s conference, “Keeping Children Connected to Culture, Kin, and Community: Moving from Research to Action“, will bring together diverse perspectives and successful strategies for implementing QPI core principles, with a focus on keeping children and youth connected to their family, culture, and […]
Join us at the 2022 QPI Virtual National Conference!
The Youth Law Center‘s Quality Parenting Initiative invites your participation in the 2022 QPI Virtual National Conference, “Building the Movement Together: Excellent Parenting for Every Child, Every Day”. Over the past year, QPI has grown both geographically and in the diversity of partners involved. Each site and individual brings a unique approach to achieving excellent […]
QPI Welcomes New Site: Connecticut!
We recently welcomed a new site member to Quality Parenting Initiative’s growing national network: Connecticut! Check out this great piece from CT featuring Natalia Liriano, the state’s Foster Care Director, discussing the importance of QPI and their efforts to prioritize relationships. “We’re not looking for caregivers to replace mom and dad,” Ms. Liriano said. “It’s […]
QPI National Conference a huge success!
Quality Parenting Initiative‘s 8th National Conference was a huge success! This year’s virtual events attracted over 900 guests from all across the country and included youth, foster and birth families, child welfare agency staff and leaders, policy makers, and community based organizations. Thank you to our guests, panelists, and session presenters for all you are […]
Upcoming QPI Resource Series
QPI’s 8-week series COVID-19: The New Normal came to a close at the end of May but thanks to the positive feedback we received from the over 7,000 participants, we have decided to continue the momentum with QPI: The New Normal, a QPI-based resource series that will include biweekly round-up emails and monthly webcasts. Our first 75-minute […]
Over 1,000 Join YLC for First Ever National Virtual QPI Conference
At the end of May, YLC hosted it’s first ever virtual Quality Parenting Initiative National Conference, focusing on sustaining a relationship based system during challenging times. Our 1,000+ conference participants (more than double our largest QPI conference!) took part in masterclasses led by nationally regarded child and adolescent development experts, breakout sessions featuring practical best practices from […]
YLC Welcomes New Team Member: Carol Edwards, MSW, LCSW
Carol Campbell Edwards, MSW, LCSW, first joined the Youth Law Center as a consultant in 2016 after having been involved in Florida’s Quality Parenting Initiative implementation and is now stepping into the role of Training and Development Coordinator. Carol is a licensed clinical social worker and approved supervisor in the State of Florida with 27 years of direct and administrative service in Child Welfare, Juvenile […]
YLC welcomes new team member!
Youth Law Center is thrilled to welcome the newest addition to our team: Cecilia Rivas! Cecilia Rivas, LCSW joined YLC’s Quality Parenting Initiative (QPI Families) in April 2020 as the National QPI Implementation Manager. Before joining YLC she served as Director of Intervention & Resource Development at the Philadelphia Department of Human Services (DHS). At […]
Virtual 2020 QPI National Conference
We are thrilled to share that the 2020 National QPI Conference will move forward – as a virtual conference! Scheduled for May 26-29 on Zoom, this year’s conference will focus on sustaining relationship based systems during uncertain times. We hope you will join us for a plenary, 5 master class webinars featuring national experts, and […]
QPI’s COVID-19 webcasts posted online
Last month, YLC’s Quality Parenting Initiative launched a new resource series, COVID-19: The New Normal, providing weekly webcasts from child development and legal experts along with emails containing tips, resources, examples of COVID-related policies, and inspiration from the field. Our first 4 webcasts and weekly emails are now posted online. Check them out on QPI’s resource […]
QPI Webcast: “The Power of Connection: How Resource Families Can Support Adolescents Through COVID-19 Crisis”
We’re happy to announce the launch of our QPI resource series, COVID-19: The New Normal. Our first webcast is The Power of Connection: How Resource Families Can Support Adolescents Through COVID-19 Crisis. In this 75-minute event, tune in for a conversation between national adolescent development expert Dr. Ken Ginsburg, MD, MSEd, Co-Director of the Center for Parent and Teen […]
Join us at the 2020 QPI National Conference!
Registration for our 7th National QPI Conference and California Statewide Conference is now OPEN! We hope to see you in beautiful San Diego May 26th – 29th, 2020. Join us in San Diego to learn, share, and build the movement to sustain change. Learn from QPI sites and experts about maintaining a relationship-based child welfare […]
Join us at the 2019 QPI National Conference!
We are thrilled to announce that our 6th Annual Quality Parenting Initiative National Conference will be April 29th – May 1st, 2019 in Philadelphia, PA! Click here to reserve your tickets today. In order for every child to have excellent parenting every day, the child welfare system must focus on relationships, prioritizing care, and connections. […]
Help the Louisiana QPI Community Hit by Flooding
Last Wednesday foster parents, youth, birth parents, social workers, judges, administrators and community partners from across Louisiana came together to start their QPI journey. The excitement and energy in the room was inspiring. Today, sadly, many of the people in that room, their friends and colleagues have lost their homes and possessions to the floods […]
Role of Carole Shauffer and QPI Highlighted in Article
The role of Carole Shauffer and QPI are highlighted in the following article about normalcy in foster care in Florida. WILKINS, DETERT TELL CONGRESS ABOUT FOSTER CARE REFORMS By MARGIE MENZEL THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA THE CAPITAL, TALLAHASSEE, May 9, 2013……….Florida’s 2013 foster-care reforms shared the spotlight at the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday, […]
QPI Advisory Committee Webcast
Immediately following CDSS Director Will Lightbourne’s webcast on August 28th, the Youth Law Center held an advisory committee meeting for our Quality Parenting Initiative (QPI) project. During this webinar, several QPI counties presented about their project efforts. San Luis Obispo discussed their foster parent mentor program, Tuolomne presented on developing standards for excellence in foster […]
QPI Featured in Fostering Families Today Magazine
The May/June 2012 issue of Fostering Families Today features an article on Youth Law Center’s Quality Parenting Initiative, written by Carole Shauffer. Download article here.
States Change How They Recruit Foster Parents
By Kelli Kennedy | The Miami Herald — For decades, it was common for officials around the country to approve foster parents by room and board criteria: Did they pass a background check? Is their home clean? Are their dogs safe and vaccinated? Now several states including Florida, California and Wisconsin are trying to find ones who they […]