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Issue Brief: Young Children in the Child Welfare System
In Rhode Island and in the U.S., young children under age 6 are more likely to experience maltreatment (neglect or abuse) than older children. Safe, stable, nurturing relationships in the first years of life are fundamental for healthy brain development. Child maltreatment disrupts the development of the brain and biological systems, resulting in short-term harm and long-term negative outcomes.
Young Children in the Child Welfare System provides an overview of data on child maltreatment, how the child welfare system responds to abuse and neglect, the role of kinship and non-kinship foster homes, and includes recommendations for keeping children safe and meeting their developmental needs.
Child Welfare Fact Sheet: Focus on Kinship Care
Kinship care is the full-time care, nurturing, and protection provided to a child by a relative or family friend. Most children living with kin are in informal arrangements established within families.
Children can also be placed with kin by state child welfare agencies when they cannot safely live with their parent(s). For children removed from their homes because of abuse or neglect, placement in kinship foster homes is often the best option for ensuring that they are able to maintain familial and community connections and minimize the trauma of being separated from parents.
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