Advocates for Children and Youth, along with fellow organizations, recently penned a letter to Governor Hogan and the Maryland Social Services Administration about the Department of Human Services' (DHS) incremental approach in extending the moratorium for youth aging out of…

https://youtu.be/FpdZAH3koMw A Must Read: Baltimore Sun Op-Ed New rule threatens to undercount families in poverty The federal government uses many factors to calculate the official federal poverty level. Until June 21st, 2019, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is…

As a result of HB 911, Rachel White, our Child Welfare Policy Director was appointed to the Maryland General Assembly's Workgroup to Study Shelter and Supportive Services for Unaccompanied Homeless Minors. This workgroup is chaired by Senator Mary Washington and…

Letter to Kirwan Commission

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

On September 29, 2014, Congress passed the Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act (P.L. 113-183/HR 4980). This federal law recognizes the tragic link between foster care involvement and becoming a victim of sex trafficking. Many provisions of the bill…

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. DHR has named the IV-E Waiver "Families Blossom." In…

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…

Our work in this area continues.  The Department of Human Resources is applying for federal benefits, such as Social Security Survivor and Social Security Disability Insurance, on behalf of certain youth in foster care. The State isn’t notifying the foster…

In October 2014, Congress passed the Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act (the Strengthening Families Act). Advocates for Children and Youth is working to ensure that the provisions that become effective in October 2015 are implemented consistent with best…

Maryland's Department Human Resources applied for and received a 5 year grant that gives it flexibility to use federal funding that previously was exclusively earmarked for out-of-home services for foster youth. With the waiver, DHR will focus on reducing the number…

Educational outcomes for foster youth are far below those of their non-system involved peers. There are numerous federal and state laws to improve school stability for foster youth. We are facilitating coordination between Local Departments of Social Services and Local…

Childhood maltreatment is often a strong indicator for future juvenile justice involvement for any youth; however, female youth are particularly vulnerable. Though the population of female youth involved in the delinquency system is often smaller than that of males, a…

Each year, over 26,000 foster youth “age out” of the child welfare system in the United States. In Maryland, the majority of foster youth over the age of 14—a total of 4,100 at the end of FY 2012—will remain in…

Advocates for Children and Youth is the administrative home for the Coalition to Protect Maryland’s Children (CPMC). We are also the Chair and Secretary of CPMC. CPMC’s mission is “To combine and amplify the power of organizations and citizens working…

The chaotic nature of foster youth's lives compromises a young person’s ability to concentrate and excel in school. We are actively working to improve both secondary and post-secondary educational outcomes for Maryland’s foster youth. We are collaborating with experts from…

We are partnering with organizations that work with older youth nearing their emancipation from the child welfare system, as well as with youth who have already emancipated from foster care, to ensure that these young adults know about their rights…

Childhood maltreatment is often a strong indicator for future juvenile justice involvement for any youth; however, female youth are particularly vulnerable. Advocates for Children and Youth is committed to making sustainable changes to policy and practice that help girls dually…

Alternative Response is a more collaborative way for the Department of Social Services (DSS) to respond to families with the least serious child abuse and neglect cases. It allows families to better partner with DSS to jointly determine what, if…