'Kids on the Hill' Brings Child Welfare News Coverage to Capitol Hill

WASHINGTON - Sept. 12, 2017 - PRLog -- The U.S. federal government and states spend a combined $30 billion annually on child welfare expenses, and increases in the foster care population have expanded federal budget estimates for the coming year.

There are roughly 428,000 U.S. kids living in foster care placements and 50,000 kids living in youth prisons or other placements designated by juvenile delinquency courts.

And recent research has found that 37 percent of all U.S. children will be investigated as potential victims of child abuse before they turn 18, illustrating that the child welfare system touches the lives of millions of Americans – not only the children who enter foster care and their caregivers.

With certainty that our nation's elected officials should all be cognizant of the complex issues facing the children and families caught up in the system, nonprofit journalism organization Fostering Media Connections (FMC) is publishing a special legislative issue about child welfare and taking it directly to every congressional office on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C.

Entitled "Kids on the Hill," the magazine's stories deal with issues such as opioids and their contribution to rising foster care numbers, immigration policy involving minors and how education services can play a role in outcomes for foster youth. Interviews with members of Congress, a timeline of child welfare's history, estimates of our nation's foster home capacity and pending legislation are also included.

"This issue provides a close up look at some of the child welfare legislation currently pending in Congress as well as highlighting some of the key legislators focusing on child welfare," said Kim Phagan-Hansel, editor of Fostering Families Today. "It's our hope that this publication will help educate legislators, advocates and the general public about the needs of vulnerable children across the country."

FMC staff members will distribute the magazine to the offices of all 535 members of Congress and also to advocates and administrators in all 50 states.

"Kids on the Hill" will also be distributed to media outlets that cover news about federal or state policy. If you are a journalist who would like information about child welfare and/or a copy of "Kids on the Hill," call or email FMC's distribution and engagement manager Holden Slattery.

Kids on the Hill is a duel effort of the news website The Chronicle of Social Change (http://chronicleofsocialchange.org) and the print magazine Fostering Families Today. Both are published by FMC.

Fostering Media Connections is a 501c (3) nonprofit that harnesses the power of journalism and media to improve the lives of children, youth and their families.