Links
There is a wide variety of resources on the web that are of interest to people who visit the Texas CASA web site--from child abuse prevention to lobbying laws to fundraising issues. We have categorized these resources and hope that you will find them useful. If you know of a web site that should be contained in this list, please do not hesitate to contact us at txcasa@texascasa.org with that information.
Texas CASA does not necessarily endorse all of the views of each organization listed below.
Choose one of these topics:
National Fight Against Child Abuse
National organizations providing information and resources.
Texas Fight Against Child Abuse
Texas organizations providing information and resources.
Organizations Committed to Children
Providing an array of services, resources, and information.
Organizations Against Violence
Not specific to child abuse, these organizations provide information and resources to end violence.
Child Abuse & Prevention
Research, articles, and projects regarding issues of child abuse and prevention.
Publications
Read about child abuse prevention and child well-being online.
Youth
Research, articles, and projects regarding issues effecting youth.
For Youth
Find services, programs, opportunities, support groups and more, just for youth.
Infants & Toddlers
Research, articles, and projects specific to infants and toddlers.
Families & Care Givers
Research, articles, and projects about families and care givers.
For Families & Care Givers
Find services, programs, opportunities, support groups and more, just for families and caregivers.
Foster Care & Adoption
Research, articles, and projects about foster care and adoption. Find out how to become a foster or adoptive parent.
For Foster & Adoptive Parents
Find services, programs, opportunities, support groups and more, just for foster and adoptive parents.
For Foster & Adopted Youth
Find services, programs, opportunities, support groups and more, just for foster and adopted youth.
Kinship Care
Information for and about grandparents and other relatives raising children.
For Men
Find services, programs, opportunities, support groups and more, just for men.
Substance Abuse
Information pertaining to issues of substance abuse.
Sexual Abuse
Information pertaining to issues of sexual abuse.
Adolescent Pregnancy
Information pertaining to issues of adolescent pregnancy and teen parenting.
Children of Prisoners
Information pertaining to issues of the children of prisoners.
Bereavement
Information pertaining to bereavement and loss.
Disaster and Trauma
Information about and resources for people dealing with a disaster or traumatic situation.
Mental Health
Information pertaining to issues of mental health, illness, and behavior.
Mentoring
Organizations with mentor programs and information about mentoring.
Resources for People in Need
An array of resources.
Legal Questions
Internet research is not a substitute for professional legal advice. Your own research efforts can answer simple questions, help you get started, and lead to more cost- and time- efficient professional consultation.
Lobbying
Find out how to make a difference through lobbying and about the laws that govern lobbyists.
Other
National Fight Against Child Abuse
National organizations providing information and resources.
The National CASA Association
In addition to providing leadership for CASA programs across the country (also known as Volunteer Guardian Ad Litem Programs), the National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association stages an annual conference, publishes a quarterly newsletter, and promotes CASA through public relations efforts. National CASA offers consultation and resources that help start CASA programs and provides vital assistance to established programs.
Child Welfare League of America
CWLA is an association of almost 1,200 public and private nonprofit agencies that assist over 3.5 million abused and neglected children and their families each year with a wide range of services.
Child Welfare Information Gateway - Child Abuse & Neglect
Resources about child maltreatment, including definitions, signs and symptoms, statistics and prevalence, types of child abuse and neglect, risk and protective factors, the impact on individuals and society, and child fatalities.
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
To provide national leadership, coordination, and resources to prevent and respond to juvenile delinquency and victimization. OJJDP accomplishes this by supporting States and local communities in their efforts to develop and implement effective and coordinated prevention and intervention programs and improve the juvenile justice system so that it protects the public safety, holds offenders accountable, and provides treatment and rehabilitative services tailored to the needs of families and each individual juvenile.
Prevent Child Abuse America
Leads the way in building awareness, providing education and inspiring hope to everyone involved in the effort to prevent the abuse and neglect of our nation's children
Immigrant Legal Resource Center
Through a unique project, the ILRC helps abused and abandoned immigrant children in foster care become permanent U.S. residents. The ILRC consults with juvenile court judges, county workers, and children's advocates working on "special immigrant juvenile" petitions. We work regionally and nationally to promote humane treatment for all immigrant children.
Texas Fight Against Child Abuse
Texas organizations providing information and resources.
Texas Department of Family and Protective Services
The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (TDFPS) was created with the passage of House Bill 7 by the First Called Session of the 72nd Legislature. The new TDFPS was charged with protecting children, adults who are elderly or have disabilities living at home or in state facilities, and licensing group day-care homes, day-care centers, and registered family homes. The 76th Legislature charged TDFPS with the management of community-based programs that prevent delinquency, abuse, neglect and exploitation of Texas children, elderly and disabled adults.
Prevent Child Abuse Texas
Prevent Child Abuse Texas (PCATX) is a statewide non-profit organization working to prevent child abuse and neglect in all its forms throughout Texas. The work of the organization depends solely on private grants and contributions.
Children's Advocacy Centers of Texas
For children who have been abused, knowing there are sensitive and responsive adults who will help can make all the difference in the world. Children's Advocacy Centers (CACs) in Texas communities provide multidisciplinary teams of professionals to serve that very purpose. These are adults who recognize the hurt of abuse and have dedicated themselves to providing help and protection without causing further suffering.
Organizations Committed to Children
Providing an array of services, resources, and information.
Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families
Federal programs that promote the economic and social well-being of families, children, individuals, and communities.
Annie E. Casey Foundation
Working to build better futures for disadvantaged children and their families in the United States. The primary mission of the Foundation is to foster public policies, human service reforms, and community supports that more effectively meet the needs of today's vulnerable children and families.
Connect for Kids
Connect for Kids makes the best use of communications technologies, specifically the Internet, to give adults – parents, grandparents, guardians, educators, advocates, policymakers, elected officials and others – the tools and information they need to work on behalf of children, youth and families.
American Academy of Pediatrics
An organization of 60,000 pediatricians committed to the attainment of optimal physical, mental, and social health and well-being for all infants, children, adolescents, and young adults.
Chapin Hall
A research and development center that brings the highest standards of scholarship to the real-world challenges of policymakers and service providers struggling to ensure that children grow, thrive, and take their place in a formidable world.
Ronald McDonald House Charities
By creating, finding and supporting programs that directly improve the health and well being of children, Ronald McDonald House Charities is working to better the lives of children and their families around the world.
Children's Defense Fund
Provides a strong, effective voice for all the children of America who cannot vote, lobby, or speak for themselves. We pay particular attention to the needs of poor and minority children and those with disabilities.
Children Now
A research and action organization dedicated to assuring that children grow up in economically secure families, where parents can go to work confident that their children are supported by quality health coverage, a positive media environment, a good early education, and safe, enriching activities to do after school.
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Formerly the National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information and the National Adoption Information Clearinghouse, Child Welfare Information Gateway provides access to information and resources to help protect children and strengthen families. A service of the Children's Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Organizations Against Violence
Not specific to child abuse, these organizations provide information and resources to end violence.
The Texas Council on Family Violence
Working to end violence against women through partnerships, advocacy and direct services for women, children and men.
Family Violence Prevention Fund
Works to prevent violence within the home, and in the community, to help those whose lives are devastated by violence because everyone has the right to live free of violence.
National Center for Victims of Crime
Nationally committed to help victims of crime rebuild their lives. We are dedicated to serving individuals, families, and communities harmed by crime.
Child Trauma Academy
Helps the lives of traumatized and maltreated children.
Child Abuse & Prevention
Research, articles, and projects regarding issues of child abuse and prevention.
Travis County Official Report
A Petition in Behalf of the Forsaken Children of Texas to the Governor and the 76th Legislature
Texas Child and Family Service Review Statewide Assessment (SWA)
On this TDFPS web site you can read about the first phase of the federal Child and Family Services Review (CFSR). To complete the SWA, an array of stakeholders from across the state in partnership with TDFPS came together to form a Task Force.
Texas Family Code
Texas Legislation Online
Child Trends - Research Brief
(Acrobat Document 82 KB)The Multiple Dimensions of Child Abuse & Neglect: New Insights Into an Old Problem. By Rosemary Chalk, Alison Gibbons, and Harriet J. Scarupa.
Blue Ribbon Panel on Child Protection
On April 25, 2002, the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) revealed that one of its Miami wards, 5-year-old Rilya Wilson, had disappeared 15 months earlier from her custodial home and had not been seen since. This revelation, and others subsequently, engulfed DCF in scandal. In response, Gov. Jeb Bush on May 6 appointed a four-member Governor's Blue-Ribbon Panel on Child Protection to investigate and report back to him quickly.
Publications
Read about child abuse prevention and child well-being online.
The Heartbeat
The Texas CASA Newsletter.
TDFPS Releases & Newsletters
Texas Department of Family and Protective Services news releases and newsletter, including an archive.
Children's Voice
Magazine of the Child Welfare League of America. Highlighted articles are available online.
Children's Bureau Express
Designed for professionals concerned with child abuse and neglect, child welfare, and adoption. Supported by the Children's Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, US Department of Health and Human Services and published by the National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information and the National Adoption Information Clearinghouse.
Texans Care For Children Email Newsletter
Sent once per month, right to your inbox. Keeps you informed of policy developments in children's issues, opportunities for action, and what Texans Care for Children have been up to lately!
Annie E. Casey Foundation Publications
All of the publications on the AECF website can be viewed in this section, including newsletters, magazines, updates, research studies, and books. Browse by publication topic or type.
The Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care - Newsletter
Established to develop recommendations to improve outcomes for children in the foster care system. Of primary importance are expediting the movement of such children from foster care into safe, permanent, nurturing families, and preventing unnecessary placements in foster care.
Youth
Research, articles, and projects regarding issues effecting youth.
UCLA School of Public Health
A study on Role Models, Ethnic Identity, and Health Risk Behaviors in Urban Adolescents.
The Casey Journalism Center on Children and Families
Coverage in Context: How thoroughly the News Media Report Five Key Children's Issues. Crime and Suffering Dominate News Coverage of Children: Context Rarely Reported.
For Youth
Find services, programs, opportunities, support groups and more, just for youth.
Teen Victim Project
Did you know that teens are twice as likely as other age groups to be victims of violent crime? Crime victims your age often feel hopeless, depressed, guilty, anxious, or ashamed. Being a victim of crime may cause you to do poorly in school, abuse drugs or alcohol, or have problems eating or sleeping.
Free Vibe
A site designed for teens looking to find out what the real deal is behind illegal drugs. Brought to you by the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign.
At The Table
Grounded in the conviction that institutions and communities benefit from the voices of young people, a growing national movement of youth and adults is working to secure a place for youth "at the table" where decisions are made that affect them.
What Kids Can Do
We challenge young people intellectually, enlist their help with real problems, nourish their diverse talents, support their perseverance, and encourage their contributions as citizens.
WireTap
Is the independent information source by and for socially conscious youth. We showcase investigative news articles, personal essays and opinions, artwork and activism resources that challenge stereotypes, inspire creativity, foster dialogue and give young people a voice in the media.
TakingITGlobal (TIG)
An international organization, led by youth, empowered by technology. TIG brings together young people in more than 200 countries within international networks to collaborate on concrete projects addressing global problems and creating positive change.
mpower: musicians for mental health
mpower is a new youth awareness campaign that's harnessing the power of music to change youth attitudes about mental health and fight the stigma facing the 1 in 5 youth with mental health problems.
Infants & Toddlers
Research, articles, and projects specific to infants and toddlers.
Zero to Three
Supports the healthy development and well-being of infants, toddlers and their families.
Birth to Three Developmental Center
Nurtures infants & toddlers with developmental disabilities and to provide early intervention services for children & families, enhancing development for a lifetime.
Birth to Three Developmental Center
Nurtures infants & toddlers with developmental disabilities and to provide early intervention services for children & families, enhancing development for a lifetime.
Families & Care Givers
Research, articles, and projects about families and care givers.
Texas Department of Family and Protective Services Child Care Licensing
Search child care facilities in the State of Texas.
Promising Practices Network (PPN)
Highlights programs and practices that credible research indicates are effective in improving outcomes for children, youth, and families.
For Families & Care Givers
Find services, programs, opportunities, support groups and more, just for families and caregivers.
Connect for Kids
Helps adults make their communities better places for families and children. The Web site offers a place on the Internet for adults—parents, grandparents, educators, policy makers and others—who want to become more active citizens, from volunteering to voting with kids in mind.
Child Trauma Academy
Free online Courses: The Amazing Human Brain and Human Development, Surviving Childhood: An Introduction to the Impact of Trauma, The Cost of Caring: Secondary Traumatic Stress and the Impact of Working with High-Risk Children and Families Bonding, Attachment in Maltreated Children, and Ethical Issues in Working with Children. Available for CEU credit.
Talking With Kids About Tough Issues
Is a national initiative by Children Now and the Kaiser Family Foundation to encourage parents to talk with their children earlier and more often about tough issues like sex, HIV/AIDS, violence, alcohol, and drug abuse.
After a Disaster: A Guide for Parents and Teachers
Whether a child has personally experienced trauma or has merely seen the event on television or heard it discussed by adults, it is important for parents and teachers to be informed and ready to help if reactions to stress begin to occur.
Cultural Competence in Serving Children and Adolescents With Mental Health Problems
Culturally competent "systems of care" provide appropriate services to children and families of all cultures.
The Innovation Center
The Innovation Center seeks, tests and promotes innovative concepts and practices, providing cutting edge tools for youth workers in diverse settings.
Law Focused Education, Inc.
Their mission is to plan, promote and support law-related education programs which are aimed at preparing elementary, middle and high school students for effective, responsible citizenship, and which are committed to liberty, justice and the Rule of Law.
The Bureau for At-Risk Youth
The nation’s leading supplier of guidance and prevention materials for K-12 schools, youth service and juvenile justice organizations.
Healthy Families America
Strives to provide all expectant and new parents with the opportunity to receive the education and support they need at the time their baby is born.
National Institute on Media and the Family
We help families and educators to maximize the benefits and minimize the harm of mass media on children through research, education and advocacy. You can help your family to make wise media choices with our many online tools and resources.
Your Child and the Emergency Room
This year, one out of every 2.4 children will be seen in the nation's 6000 or so emergency rooms. It may be a cold, an earache, a cut, a broken bone from a fall, or a breathing problem. Whatever the illness or injury, an emergency room visit can be overwhelming and even scary to the parent unfamiliar to the inside of an emergency room.
The Digital Living Project
Provides tools, services, information and education programs to help families safely enjoy life in the digital age.
Get Net Wise
The Internet is an increasingly important place to work, play and learn for both adults and children. At the same time, we are concerned about the risks we face online. The challenge is to stay "one-click" ahead of would-be pornographers, hackers, child-predators and those who would misuse your and your child's sensitive information.
PBS Parents Talking With Kids
Strategies for talking with kids about everything.
Foster Care and Adoption
Research, articles, and projects about foster care and adoption. Find out how to become or help foster or adoptive parents.
Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care
Established to develop recommendations to improve outcomes for children in the foster care system. Of primary importance are expediting the movement of such children from foster care into safe, permanent, nurturing families, and preventing unnecessary placements in foster care.
THE PEW COMMISSION FINAL REPORT FOSTERING THE FUTURE: Safety, Permanence Well-Being for Children in Foster Care.
(Acrobat Document 263 KB)
Its recommendations focus on reforming federal child welfare financing and strengthening court oversight of children in foster care. These two issues are at the root of many of the problems that frustrate child welfare administrators, case workers, and judges as they seek to move children quickly from foster care to safe, permanent homes – or to avoid the need to put them in foster care in the first place.
Home At Last (HAL)
Mission: to support outreach and educational efforts, both nationally and in targeted states, that encourage action on the recommendations of the Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care.
Ensuring the Healthy Development of Infants in Foster Care: A Guide for Judges, Advocates and Child Welfare Professionals
(Acrobat Document 7 MB)
This handbook is a working tool to help you understand the questions to ask
and the resources that can address the special needs of infants in foster care and
strengthen their families.
Checklist for the Healthy Development of Infants and Toddlers in Foster Care
(Acrobat Document 99 KB)
From birth to age three, children experience the most rapid brain growth in their life. Brain growth and development that occur during this narrow window is heavily influenced by experiences and early relationships. These experiences and relationships lay the foundation for an infant or toddler's later learning, greatly influencing a child's chance at growing up to live a happy, healthy, and productive life.
Psychotropic Medication Utilization Parameters for Foster Children
(Acrobat Document 32 KB)
Developed by: Texas Department of State Health Services. The use of psychotropic medications by children is an issue confronting parents, other caregivers, and health care professionals across the United States. Foster children, in particular, have multiple needs, including those related to emotional or psychological stress
Use of Psychoactive Medication in Texas Foster Children State Fiscal Year 2005
(Acrobat Document 144 KB)
Concerns were raised regarding the use of psychotropic medications in Texas foster children after the release of an Office of Inspector General (OIG) report in September 2004. Since then, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC), the Department of State Health Services (DSHS), and the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) have implemented a number of strategies to get a more detailed assessment of the problem and to assist providers in utilizing psychoactive medication appropriately.
What Keeps Children in Foster Care from Succeeding in School? Views of Early Adolescents and the Adults in Their Lives
(Acrobat Document 661 KB)
Research conducted by the Vera Institute of Justice. This study draws on interviews with foster children and adults to better understand how being in foster care affects a child’s education on a day-to-day basis, and how the adults around these children can help them perform more successfully in school.
Texas Department of Family and Protective Services Adoption and Foster Care Information
How to Become a Foster/Adopt Parent in Texas
Texas Department of Family and Protective Services Foster Care and Adoption Interest Forms
Submit this on-line interest form. Someone from your area will contact you by phone, e-mail or letter. You may also view the schedule for foster care and adoption information meetings in your Texas County.
Casey Foster Care Info
Casey Family Programs’ mission is to provide and improve—and ultimately to prevent the need for—foster care.
Child Welfare Information Gateway - Adoption
Resources on all aspects of domestic and intercountry adoption, including adoption from foster care. Includes information for prospective and adoptive parents; information about searching for birth relatives; and resources for professionals on recruiting adoptive families, preparing children and youth, supporting birth parents, and providing postadoption services.
The American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Adoption and Foster Care
Dedicated to improving the health and well being of children in foster care and those who have been adopted.
State Bar of Texas - Adoption Options
Find answers to these questions and more: How and to whom do we apply? How long must we wait? How are we "matched" with our particular child? What are the costs? What are the pitfalls and problems we need to be concerned about? How do we find a private placement? What is an "open" adoption as opposed to an anonymous placement? What costs or expenses may legally be paid?
Foster Care Today by Kathy Barbell and Madelyn Freundlich - from the Casey Family Programs
This paper is an examination of foster care at the start of the 21st century. It beings by looking at the demographic trends that currently shape foster care, such as child abuse and neglect rates, number of children in care, and length of stay in care, as well as the demographic characteristics of the children in foster care. It then discusses the factors that affect the families and children served through foster care - poverty, homelessness, adolescent parenthood, parental substance abuse, and HIV/AIDS.
Children Awaiting Parents, Inc. (CAP)
For 30 years, we have been dedicated to finding adoptive homes for America’s waiting children. The children we serve are special needs children—older, minority, may have mental, physical and/or emotional disabilities.
Supporting Loving Families: After the Adoption
For children who have been adopted from the child welfare system, permanency is a start but not a solution, and a loving family is a blessing but not a cure-all. When an adoption is finalized, it may put an end to the paperwork, but it doesn't end the special needs of adoptive families and children.
The Mockingbird Society
An independent, nonprofit organization that is dedicated to improving the safety, quality of life and future of the children and adolescents living in the Washington State foster care/group home system. We are committed to saving and improving children’s lives by providing resources, leadership and expertise to the Washington State foster care/group home system.
The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption
Our mission is to dramatically increase the number of adoptions of waiting children in North America.
Evidence-Based Practices in Mental Health Services for Foster Youth
(Acrobat Document 374 KB)By Lynne Marsenich, LCSW. This report is an example of the constructive manner in which research information can be presented to inform the decision making of those planning and providing mental health services. In addition to reviewing evidence regarding mental health services for foster children, the author systematically analyzes other mental health research to identify that most relevant to foster youth. Lastly, she integrates feedback provided by those working in the California foster care system to highlight practices that may best meet the needs of our communities.
For Foster and Adoptive Parents
Find services, programs, opportunities, support groups and more, just for foster and adoptive parents.
Center for Adoption Support and Education
Our mission is to provide education and related resources to the community and to help strengthen adoptive families.
Federal Tax Benefits for Foster and Adoptive Parents and Kinship Caregivers - from the Casey Family Programs
Written by Michael O'Connor it is a resource that helps guide foster and adoptive parents through the basic rules on tax benefits for them. It also provides tips on ways that families can legally claim the maximum tax benefits available to them.
The National Foster Parent Association
Supports foster parents in achieving safety, permanence and well-being for the children and youth in their care.
For Foster and Adopted Youth
Find services, programs, opportunities, support groups and more, just for foster and adopted youth.
FosterClub
FosterClub's mission is to provide foster children with a network that allows them to communicate with other other and provide them with education, motivation, and benefits that the foster care system does not usually provide.
The Orphan Foundation of America (OFA)
Mission: Provide opportunities for America's foster youth to continue their education, raise awareness of the number and plight of older teens leaving the system, illustrate the bureaucratic maze of foster care that youth encounter, highlight the potential of America's foster youth and show the importance of supporting their dreams, and to offer direct opportunities for citizens, business and civic organizations to assist older foster youth
FYI3
The website provides foster youth between ages 14 and 23 opportunities to become involved, informed and independent in their transitioning journey towards adulthood.
Youth Advocacy Center
Our mission is to teach young people in foster care to advocate for themselves and take control of their lives. YAC believes in the aspirations and potential of teenagers in foster care.
Casey Life Skills
This site provides resources to help prepare youths for living on their own.
Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative
Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative is a major national effort that helps youth in foster care make a successful transition to adulthood.
Teens Only
Designed to helps teens develop strategies for handling questions and comments about adoption, examine thoughts and feelings about being adopted, and strengthen confidence and self-esteem.
Kids Only
Website for adopted youth to helps develop strategies for handling questions and comments about adoption, examine thoughts and feelings about being adopted, and strengthen confidence and self-esteem.
Foster Care Alumni of America
Organization transforming the lives of children, youth and adults who share the foster care experience by connecting them into a community and ensuring they become a powerful, collective voice of change for both individuals and whole systems of care.
Kinship Care
Information for and about grandparents and other relatives raising children.
Generations United
Generations United (GU) National Center on Grandparents and Other Relatives Raising Children seeks to improve the quality of life of these caregivers and the children they are raising. Using an intergenerational framework that considers the needs of each generation in these families, we are educating policy makers at the national, state and local levels, raising awareness among professionals in the public and private sectors, and providing education and training to service practitioners.
Children's Defense Fund Kinship Care
Articles, resources and guides. Titles include; Financial Assistance for Grandparents and Other Relatives Raising Children and Summary of Kinship Caregiver Support Act.
State Fact Sheets for Grandparents and Other Relatives Raising Children
Kinship caregivers often lack the information and range of supports they need to fulfill their parenting role. In an effort to remedy this situation, a group of child and aging advocacy and research organizations has prepared Kinship Care Fact Sheets
Finding Help to Raise a Grandchild
Some topics include: Your Legal Status, Your Finances, Your Grandchild's Education, Your Grandchild's Health, Your Health, and Resources.
For Men
Find services, programs, opportunities, support groups and more, just for men.
Men's Nonviolence Project
Men's Nonviolence Project will pursue safety and justice for women, work to hold men accountable for their violence and abuse, and strive to eradicate the sexism from which violence against women grows.
Men Stopping Violence
A social change organization dedicated to ending men's violence against women.
Dads & Daughters
Dads and Daughters is the national advocacy nonprofit for fathers and daughters. DADs inspires fathers to actively and deeply engage in the lives of their daughters and galvanizes fathers and others to transform the pervasive cultural messages that devalue girls and women.
New Dads
If you are a first-time dad, this website is for you! It is filled with practical and sound advice on starting a new family from an elite core of experts - our Boot Camp Veterans.
Dads at a Distance
Designed to help fathers, who have to be away from their children, to maintain and strengthen the relationships they have with their children while they are away.
Substance Abuse
Information pertaining to issues surrounding substance abuse.
SAMHSA's National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information
The Nation's one-stop resource for information about substance abuse prevention and addiction treatment.
Drug Strategies
Drug Strategies promotes more effective approaches to the nation's drug problems and supports private and public efforts to reduce the demand for drugs through prevention, education, treatment, law enforcement and community initiatives.
The National Cross-Site Evaluation of High-Risk Youth Demonstration Grant Program
The National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information
The demonstration grant program focused on identifying promising approaches to prevention and produced knowledge about risk and protective factors related to substance use that helped to identify model programs and best practices for effective prevention. Research and experience in the Program also contributed to the awareness of the importance of culturally sensitive, age-appropriate, and gender-specific programming.
Courts That Heal - Children's Voice Article, March/April 2003
One successful, cost-effective innovation in working with families involved in the child welfare system that have alcohol and other drug abuse issues is family drug courts, which provide timely, coordinated access to treatment and support services for families.
The Anti-Drug
Created by the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign to equip parents and other adult caregivers with the tools they need to raise drug-free kids.
Sexual Abuse
Information pertaining to issues of sexual abuse.
Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers
Founded to foster research, facilitate information exchange, further professional education and provide for the advancement of professional standards and practices in the field of sex offender evaluation and treatment. Focused specifically on the prevention of sexual abuse through effective management of sex offenders.
Adolescent Pregnancy
Information pertaining to issues of adolescent pregnancy and teen parenting.
Adolescent Sexuality, Pregnancy Prevention, and Parenting
A Child Welfare League of America Program serving as a resource and advocate for 30 Florence Crittenton agencies in the United States, in addition to other CWLA member agencies that provide adolescent pregnancy prevention and teen parenting services.
National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy
The Campaign's mission is to improve the well-being of children, youth, and families by reducing teen pregnancy. Our goal is to reduce the rate of teen pregnancy by one-third between 1996 and 2005.
Children of Prisoners
Information pertaining to issues of the children of prisoners.
Family and Corrections Network
An organization for and about families of prisoners. We offer information, training and technical assistance on children of prisoners, parenting programs for prisoners, prison visiting, incarcerated fathers and mothers, hospitality programs, keeping in touch, returning to the community, the impact of the justice system on families, and prison marriage.
Federal Resource Center for Children of Prisoners
The Resource Center, located in Washington, DC, will conduct research and evaluation, collect and disseminate information, provide training and technical assistance, and increase awareness among the many disciplines and service systems that come in contact with families separated by incarceration. The Resource Center’s ultimate goal is to improve the quality of information available about children with incarcerated parents and to develop resources that will help create better outcomes for these children and their families.
The Center for Children of Incarcerated Parents
Our mission is the prevention of intergenerational crime and incarceration. Our goals are the production of high quality documentation on and the development of model services for children of criminal offenders and their families.
Women’s Prison Association
A service and advocacy organization committed to helping women with criminal justice histories realize new possibilities for themselves and their families. Our program services make it possible for women to obtain work, housing, and health care; to rebuild their families; and to participate fully in civic life. Through the Institute on Women & Criminal Justice, WPA pursues a rigorous policy, advocacy, and research agenda to bring new perspectives to public debates on women and criminal justice.
Centerforce
Provides services for prisoners, ex-prisoners, and family members of prisoners through direct services, its annual conference and, through consultation and training for government agencies, community-based organizations and correctional facilities across the country and internationally. Direct services for clients are provided by our four Service Areas: Children and Families Services, Transitional Services, Prisoner Service, and Informational Services.
Amachi Mentoring
A unique partnership of secular and faith-based organizations working together to provide mentoring to children of incarcerated parents. Faith institutions work with human service providers and public agencies (particularly justice institutions) to identify children of prisoners and match them with caring adults.
Friends Outside
Provide support and assistance for inmate families, offenders and ex-offenders. The also offer diversion, intervention and prevention programs.
Mentoring Children of Prisoners Program
The purpose of the Mentoring Children of Prisoners program, established in 2003, is to make competitive grants to applicants serving urban, suburban, rural, or tribal populations with substantial numbers of children of incarcerated parents and to support the establishment and operation of mentoring programs.
How to explain Jails and Prisons to Children
This booklet may help explain to children and families what it is like to have a mother, father, or other close family member who is incarcerated.
Bereavement
Information pertaining to bereavement and loss.
Grief & Loss
Links to organizations offering bereavement support, a final details checklist, ways to remember, and more.
General information about childhood bereavement from Largo Canyon School
Online resources for bereaved children or adults who were bereaved as children.
The Compassionate Friends
Assist families toward the positive resolution of grief following the death of a child of any age and to provide information to help others be supportive.
How to Deal With Grief
Grief is the normal response of sorrow, emotion, and confusion that comes from losing someone or something important to you. It is a natural part of life. Grief is a typical reaction to death, divorce, job loss, a move away from family and friends, or loss of good health due to illness.
Disaster and Trauma
Information about and resources for people dealing with a disaster or traumatic situation.
After a Disaster: A Guide for Parents and Teachers
Whether a child has personally experienced trauma or has merely seen the event on television or heard it discussed by adults, it is important for parents and teachers to be informed and ready to help if reactions to stress begin to occur.
Reaction of Children to a Disaster
Many feelings and reactions are shared by people of all ages in response to a disaster. However, special attention is required to meet the needs of children.
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Fact sheets and resources in English and Spanish. Titles include, Helping Children After a Disaster, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Children and Grief, When to Seek Help for your Child, and Where to Seek Help for your Child.
The ChildTrauma Academy
The mission of the Academy is to help improve the lives of traumatized and maltreated children in three, primary ways: education, service delivery and program consultation.
National Center for Children Exposed to Violence (NCCEV)
Mission: To increase the capacity of individuals and communities to reduce the incidence and impact of violence on children and families; to train and support the professionals who provide intervention and treatment to children and families affected by violence; and, to increase professional and public awareness of the effects of violence on children, families, communities and society.
Hospice Foundation of America
Provides leadership in the development and application of hospice and its philosophy of care with the goal of enhancing the American health care system and the role of hospice within it. Hospice is a special concept of care designed to provide comfort and support to patients and their families when a life-limiting illness no longer responds to cure-oriented treatments.
Mental Health
Information pertaining to issues of mental health, illness, and behavior.
Psychotropic Medication Utilization Parameters for Foster Children
(Acrobat Document 32 KB)
Developed by:
Texas Department of State Health Services. The use of psychotropic medications by children is an issue confronting parents, other caregivers, and health care professionals across the United States. Foster children, in particular, have multiple needs, including those related to emotional or psychological stress.
Use of Psychoactive Medication in Texas Foster Children State Fiscal Year 2005
(Acrobat Document 144 KB)
Concerns were raised regarding the use of psychotropic medications in Texas foster children after the release of an Office of Inspector General (OIG) report in September 2004. Since then, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC), the Department of State Health Services (DSHS), and the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) have implemented a number of strategies to get a more detailed assessment of the problem and to assist providers in utilizing psychoactive medication appropriately.
National Mental Health Information Center
Developed for users of mental health services and their families, the general public, policy makers, providers, and the media.
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Find "Facts for Families" and other resources for understanding children's mental health issues and needs.
SAMHSA The Center for Mental Health Services
The Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) is charged with leading the national system that delivers mental health services. The goal of this system is to provide the treatment and support services needed by adults with mental disorders and children with serious emotional problems.
The Office of Child Development and Mental Health
The primary focus of the OCDMH is the transfer of knowledge of childhood development, developmental traumatology, neuropsychiatry (brain disorders) and mental health to judicial officers in the field.
Infant and Toddler Mental Health
From Zero to Three
Attachment, Bonding, and Reciprocal Connectedness: Limitations of Attachment Theory in the Juvenile and Family Court
(Acrobat Document 108 KB)Written by Dr. Arredondo, the founding director of SOLOMON. He presented to the Cluster Court Judges in March 2002.
Critical Issues for Parents with Mental Illness and their Families
This report integrates the available knowledge regarding parents with mental illness and their families... Ignorance and misinformation about mental illness, pregnancy and parenting, and the ways services are organized and policies are implemented compromise outcomes for children and adults. Innovative and promising programs are being developed to enhance outcomes for both children and parents.
Children and Adolescents with Anxiety Disorders
Children and adolescents with anxiety disorders typically experience intense fear, worry, or uneasiness that can last for long periods of time and significantly affect their lives.
Major Depression in Children and Adolescents
In this fact sheet, "mental health problems" for children and adolescents refers to the range of all diagnosable emotional, behavioral, and mental disorders. They include depression, attention- deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and anxiety, conduct, and eating disorders.
Children and Adolescents with Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
A chronic condition and the most commonly diagnosed behavioral disorder among children and adolescents.
Cultural Competence in Serving Children and Adolescents With Mental Health Problems
Culturally competent "systems of care" provide appropriate services to children and families of all cultures.
Evidence-Based Practices in Mental Health Services for Foster Youth
(Acrobat Document 374 KB)By Lynne Marsenich, LCSW. This report is an example of the constructive manner in which research information can be presented to inform the decision making of those planning and providing mental health services. In addition to reviewing evidence regarding mental health services for foster children, the author systematically analyzes other mental health research to identify that most relevant to foster youth. Lastly, she integrates feedback provided by those working in the California foster care system to highlight practices that may best meet the needs of our communities.
Hospice Foundation of America
Provides leadership in the development and application of hospice and its philosophy of care with the goal of enhancing the American health care system and the role of hospice within it. Hospice is a special concept of care designed to provide comfort and support to patients and their families when a life-limiting illness no longer responds to cure-oriented treatments.
mpower: musicians for mental health
mpower is a new youth awareness campaign that's harnessing the power of music to change youth attitudes about mental health and fight the stigma facing the 1 in 5 youth with mental health problems.
Mentoring
Organizations with mentor programs and information about mentoring.
National Mentoring Center
One of the preeminent national training and technical assistance providers for mentoring programs across the United States. Created and funded primarily by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), the National Mentoring Center provides a range of services including: Large-scale training conference and workshop design and implementation, In-depth coaching and program consulting, Electronic information resources development and management, Print material development and dissemination, Data collection and evaluation, Projects that support state and national initiatives.
Contemporary Issues in Mentoring
Mentoring is now commonly accepted as a valuable activity for youth; but good press, good intentions and earnest desire alone will not enable mentoring to reach its full potential. There are still operational questions to answer and real-life barriers to overcome: What are the essential elements of an effective mentoring program? How do you measure and document the quality of a mentoring program? What does mentoring cost? Where do we find volunteers? Without answers to such key questions, mentoring’s potential will never be realized. This volume, sponsored by The Commonwealth Fund, reviews what the field has learned to date.
Making a Difference An Impact Study of Big Brothers Big Sisters
This is a re-issue of Public/Private Ventures's 1995 impact study of Big Brothers Big Sisters, Making a Difference, which proved that high-quality mentoring can have tangible and significant effects on the lives of youth. Researchers examined the lives of 1,000 10- to 16-year-olds who applied to Big Brothers Big Sisters for mentors.
Mentoring Children of Prisoners Program
The purpose of the Mentoring Children of Prisoners program, established in 2003, is to make competitive grants to applicants serving urban, suburban, rural, or tribal populations with substantial numbers of children of incarcerated parents and to support the establishment and operation of mentoring programs.
MENTOR
MENTOR Recognizes that, although nearly 17.6 million young Americans need or want mentoring, only about 2.5 million are in formal, high-quality mentoring relationships. That means more than 15 million young people still need mentors. That unmet need constitutes what we call the "mentoring gap." MENTOR works to close that gap.
Resources for People in Need
An array of resources.
Texas Information & Referral Network
This is the front door to a system that will allow you to search for assistance with health and human services in your community or throughout the State of Texas.
United Way
Our mission is to improve people's lives by mobilizing the caring power of communities.
Texas Low Income Housing Information Service
Supports low-income Texans' efforts to achieve the American dream of a decent, affordable home in a quality neighborhood.
Meals on Wheels and More
Created to assist elderly and homebound people in need. Now serving hundreds of others through its four other programs: Groceries To Go, Care Calls, Medi Wheels and Handy Wheels.
Hospice Foundation of America
Provides leadership in the development and application of hospice and its philosophy of care with the goal of enhancing the American health care system and the role of hospice within it. Hospice is a special concept of care designed to provide comfort and support to patients and their families when a life-limiting illness no longer responds to cure-oriented treatments.
Legal Questions
Internet research is not a substitute for professional legal advice. Your own research efforts can answer simple questions, help you get started, and lead to more cost- and time- efficient professional consultation.
Texas Law Help
Your one stop, online resource for free and low-cost civil legal assistance in Texas. Get answers to common legal questions. Find free and low-cost legal assistance in your area. Help with non-legal problems from local organizations.
State Bar of Texas
The State Bar of Texas, Texas Young Lawyers Association, and Texas Bar Foundation have produced more than 50 pamphlets, handbooks, and videos on legal issues that effect Texas citizens and young people in their everyday lives.
National Criminal Justice Reference Service
NCJRS is a federally funded resource offering justice and substance abuse information to support research, policy, and program development worldwide.
Tax Information for Survivors of Domestic Abuse
(Acrobat Document 168 KB)
Domestic abuse is not just physical abuse. It often includes economic control. As a survivor of domestic abuse, you can take control of your finances. An important part of managing your finances is understanding your tax rights and responsibilities.
Domestic Violence Law Search
Statutes database. The files that make up the statutes database do not constitute the official text of the statutes and are intended only to be a reference tool.
Law Focused Education, Inc.
Their mission is to plan, promote and support law-related education programs which are aimed at preparing elementary, middle and high school students for effective, responsible citizenship, and which are committed to liberty, justice and the Rule of Law.
Legal Engine
Developed as an online legal gateway that summarizes the most important state and federal law related links in a comprehensive and easy to navigate legal meta-search index.
Legal Information Institute (Cornell)
Mission: To carry out applied research on the use of digital information technology in the distribution of legal information, the delivery of legal education, and the practice of law. To make law more accessible not only to U.S. legal professionals but to students, teachers, and the general public in the US and abroad. To carry out these activities in partnership with but not under the control or direction of such other key actors as law firms, bar associations, public law making and applying bodies, commercial publishers, and other academic institutions.
Find Law
Channels to look at are Legal Professionals, Students, Business, The Public and News. Information for Legal Professionals is organized by; Cases and Codes, Forms, Legal Subjects, Federal, State, Library, and Boards. There are also links to Law Firm Sites and Legal Jobs. You can sign up for bulletin emails on new cases.
Courts.net
Designed as a centralized directory, providing pointers and links to other sites, where one can go to find every trial-level court in the United States which currently has a web site. The existence of such a centralized site also permits us to offer courts which have not set up their own sites a place to do so without having to incur tremendous costs.
Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics
Statistics on Crime and Victims, Criminal Offenders, Special Topics, Law Enforcement, Prosecution, the Federal Justice System, Courts and Sentencing, Corrections, Expenditure and Employment, and Criminal Record Systems.
Federal Gateway
Consolidates many agencies into one Internet site thereby greatly simplifying the task of acquiring United States Federal, State, and Local Government information.
THOMAS: US Congress on the Internet
A Library of Congress team makes federal legislative information freely available to the Internet public, including bills, committee reports, bill status, and voting records. A "Congress Now" section includes the following: House Floor This Week, House Floor Now, and Senate Schedule.
National Congress of State Legislatures
NCSL is your forum for advancing ideas in your home state, across other states, and on Capitol Hill; for promoting information-sharing, one-on-one and collectively; and for providing you with the knowledge and resources you need to get America's ideas working.
Texas Legislative Reference Library (Guide to Texas Legislative History)
The primary purpose of the Legislative Reference Library is to satisfy the research and reference demands of the Legislature, its committees and staff, and, where possible within that framework, to assist other state departments and agencies and the general public with legislative research.
Lobbying
Find out how to make a difference through lobbying and about the laws that govern lobbyists.
Charity Lobbying in the Public Interest
Works to dispel the myths that lobbying by charities is unimportant, inappropriate, or illegal by providing information on the important role of lobbying in achieving an organization's mission.
Texas Association of Non Profit Organizations - Legislative Advocacy
In every session of the Texas Legislature, numerous bills are introduced that directly or indirectly affect nonprofit organizations.
Other
Star Fund
Name a Star in the sky after a friend or loved one and up to 25% of the sale will be donated back to Texas CASA.
What's Happening in Court?
An Activity Book for Children Who Are Going to Court In California.
Immigrant Legal Resource Center
Through a unique project, the ILRC helps abused and abandoned immigrant children in foster care become permanent U.S. residents. The ILRC consults with juvenile court judges, county workers, and children's advocates working on "special immigrant juvenile" petitions. We work regionally and nationally to promote humane treatment for all immigrant children.
which you can download from this link:
