We protect, strengthen and stabilize families by recommending programs and policies to keep children and youth safe in their homes, schools and communities to foster opportunities for positive development.
Featured Child IndicatorsRead More
InitiativesRead More
The Homeless Youth Count
The Homeless Youth Count will be occurring in Baltimore City from April 1st- April 14th. There was a training for the Youth Ambassadors on Tuesday, March 28th, 6-8 pm at Youth Empowerment Society. Registration information: https://goo.gl/fSokqY Advocates for Children…
Legislative PrioritiesRead More
Make technical fixes to the Tuition Waiver for Foster Youth and Unaccompanied Homeless Youth
Maryland has a tuition waiver (Education §15-106.1) for unaccompanied homeless youth and foster youth to attend Maryland’s public colleges and universities. This bill is simply a technical bill to fix 2 small issues. First, during the 2016 Legislative Session, in…
Codify the Dustin R. opinion so foster youth with disabilities who transition from DHR’s care to DHMH at age 21 have bridge services available as they make that transition
Foster youth with significant developmental disabilities, who cannot live independently when they turn 21, transition from the care of Maryland’s Department of Human Resources (DHR) to the responsibility of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH). For these most…
Advocate for legislation which permits eligible foster youth to retain federal benefits currently being retained by the state of Maryland
Currently DHR applies for Social Security Disability (SSDI) and Social Security Survivor (OASDI) benefits for children in their care who have been abused and/or neglected and live in a foster home, group home, or treatment center. Rather than using that…
2017 Legislation to Watch: Child Welfare
SB 27- Child Abuse and Neglect- Substance Exposed Newborns- Reporting SB 27 helps protect newborn babies that test positive for drugs or show symptoms of withdrawal from drugs when they are born. It bring Maryland into compliance with new federal requirements…
NewsRead More
Video News Report: Homeless youth numbers grow in Baltimore
'Loving Arms' is the only city shelter for Baltimore's youth There's a growing number of homeless children navigating life on the streets alone in Baltimore, and there's only one shelter that will take them, according to a recent report written…
Policy PrioritiesRead More
Agency: Train stakeholders on prevention of sex trafficking and the importance of foster children being allowed to live a normal life
The incidence of sex trafficking in the United States is growing. The National Human Trafficking Resource Center received 24,062 “signals,” or reports, of human trafficking in 2014. Of those, nearly 3,600 were related to sex trafficking, up from nearly 3,400…
Agency: Oversee and publicize information about DHR’s implementation of the IV-E Waiver across Maryland
In September 2014, Maryland was awarded a $650 million Title IV-E Waiver grant which allows the Department of Human Resources (DHR) greater flexibility in how it spends its federal Title IV-E child welfare funds over 5 years. DHR has named…
Agency: Facilitate LDSS & Local Education Agencies (LEAs) coming together to increase education stability for foster youth
As a way of improving educational outcomes for foster youth, ACY is working with Local Departments of Social Services (LDSS) and Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to facilitate agreements that will allow foster youth to remain in their schools even when…
Improve higher education outcomes for foster and homeless youth
Advocates for Children and Youth has partnered with the Public Justice Center and the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth to create the Maryland Higher Education Network (HEN). Our goal is to improve higher education outcomes for…