The 31st edition of the Annie E. Casey Foundation's KIDS COUNT® Data Book describes how children across the United States were faring before the coronavirus pandemic began. As always, policymakers, researchers and advocates can continue using this information to help shape their work and build a stronger future for children, families and communities.

This paper explores the efficacy of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Convention, UN General Assembly, 1989) through the lens of the over-representation of First Nations children placed in out-of-home care in Canada and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in Australia.

This policy paper by Save the Children outlines some of the main threats the COVID-19 pandemic poses to children in Africa and suggests some of the political and programmatic responses to protect children’s rights.

The Children’s Commissioner of New Zealand undertook a thematic review of the policies, processes and practices of Oranga Tamariki Ministry for Children relating to care and protection issues for pēpi Māori (Māori infants) aged 0-3 months. This first report presents the insights gained from interviews with mums and whānau (family) who had experience with pēpi (aged 0-3 months) who had either been removed, or were at risk of being removed, from their whānau by Oranga Tamariki or its predecessor Child, Youth and Family.

This report from ODI and UNICEF critically reviews the case for universal child benefits (UCBs). It seeks to contribute to a burgeoning and lively debate on the (potential) role of UCBs as a policy instrument in the pursuit of child poverty reduction and universal social protection.

This paper from Just for Kids Law (JfKL) explores an issue that the organization has come across through their work: cases of under 18s (mainly 16- and 17-year olds) in the UK who are facing homelessness and do not receive the support they are entitled to from local authority children’s services. 

This TACTYC funded research highlights the role that Maintained Nursery Schools (MNS) play in supporting families within areas of extreme social deprivation in the UK.

This paper examines the frequency with which transition-age foster youth receive asset building services and whether the youth who receive services experience improved outcomes compared to those who do not.

This article argues that the current system of care in most jurisdictions forces foster youth to be financially and socially independent at an earlier age, despite insufficient preparation, and notes that healthcare providers can be important advocates for youth in care by championing their medical and psychological needs and serving as a bridge that lasts beyond foster care.

This dashboard draws on periodic country office reporting against an evolving questionnaire, first initiated on 12 March 2020, representing important early indications of the impacts of COVID-19 on the disruption of essential services for children and families.