On the week’s episode, SchoolHouse Connection founder Barbara Duffield joins to discuss the different approaches the U.S. government has for tallying youth and family homelessness. We also discussed recent Trump policy announcements around the McKinney-Vento program and Head Start, and why she thinks these issues would be best handled by the Department of Health and Human Services. 

Barbara Duffield is the founder and executive director of SchoolHouse Connection. She was the Director of Education for the National Coalition for the Homeless from 1994 to 2003.

Reading Room

Missing the Point: When Media, Advocates, and Policymakers Use Data That Exclude Children and Youth
https://schoolhouseconnection.org/article/hud-pit-count-misses-homeless-children-youth

Proposed Head Start Rule Eliminates Critical Protections for Children Experiencing Homelessness
https://schoolhouseconnection.org/article/hud-pit-count-misses-homeless-children-youth

On this week’s episode, we review some recent headlines on youth justice, including Minnesota raising their floor and some questionable comments on the system by officials in Mississippi and New Mexico. 

Liz Ryan joined to talk about her new project aimed at helping journalists and newsrooms with reporting on a complicated system. 

Liz Ryan served as administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention for President Joe Biden. Before that she founded the Campaign for Youth Justice and the Youth First Initiative.

Reading Room

The Youth Justice Style Guide
https://youthjusticestyleguide.substack.com/p/welcome-to-the-youth-justice-style

Summer 2026 Teen Takeover Coverage & What Media Can Learn
https://reportforyouthjustice.org/#blog

Ending Punishing Surveillance: Youth Justice Reformers Lay Out Plan for Probation Reforms
https://imprintnews.org/top-stories/ending-punishing-surveillance-youth-justice-reformers-lay-out-plan-for-probation-reforms/276321

New Minnesota Law Bars Prosecution of Children 12 and Younger
https://imprintnews.org/top-stories/new-minnesota-law-bars-prosecution-of-children-12-and-younger/276312

Raising the Floor on Prosecuting Youth
https://imprintnews.org/podcast/raising-the-floor-prosecuting-youth-ricky-watson

Mississippi Lawmakers Pass Youth Court Overhaul, Approve $29.5M in New Spending
https://www.wlbt.com/2026/07/17/mississippi-lawmakers-pass-youth-court-overhaul-approve-295m-new-spending/

Hearing Held on Juvenile Justice, but Prosecutors not Invited
https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/hearing-held-on-juvenile-justice-but-prosecutors-not-invited/

Scott Administration Proposes Indefinite Pause on Juvenile Justice Reform
https://www.wcax.com/2026/08/04/scott-administration-proposes-indefinite-pause-juvenile-justice-reform/

Snohomish County says State Legally Liable for Juvenile Detention Center Claims
https://myedmondsnews.com/2026/07/snohomish-county-claims-state-legally-liable-for-juvenile-detention-center-abuse/

Michigan Justices Find 50-Year Sentence for Juvenile Murderer ‘Unconstitutionally Excessive’
https://www.mlive.com/news/2026/08/michigan-justices-find-50-year-sentence-for-juvenile-murderer-unconstitutionally-excessive.html

For three years, a collaborative effort was made to develop core principles and concepts around how best to support young adults as they prepared to exit the foster care system. That effort culminated in the publishing of Improving Outcomes for Young Adults and the Systems that Serve Them: A Playbook of Best Practices. 

On this week’s episode we were joined by Natalie Clark and Sarah Goad, two of the many people who worked on the playbook. We talked about how people with lived experience drove the discussions that produced playbook, what core ideas they settled on, and what comes next. 

Natalie Clark is the co-founder and co-executive director of the 1999 Collective. Sarah Goad, is the child welfare manager for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

Reading Room

Improving Outcomes for Young Adults and the Systems that Serve Them: A Playbook of Best Practices

https://issuu.com/youthvillages/docs/improving_outcomes_for_young_adults_and_the_system?fr=sNzAzMzg0Njg5NjA

The Playbook for Helping Foster Youth Become Adults

https://imprintnews.org/opinion/a-playbook-of-best-practices/276160

The National Collaborative for Transition-Age Youth

https://youthvillages.org/collaborative

Creating Extended Foster Care That Works for All

https://cdn.intelligencebank.com/us/share/LONz/GLvrW/kMvb1/original/Creating+Extended+Foster+Care+That+Works+for+All

What happens after you “age out” of foster care? InnerViews host Ivory Bennett sits down with Leigh-Anna Faith, a former foster youth, law student, and advocate, for a candid conversation about navigating adulthood without a traditional safety net. From education and housing instability to mental health, advocacy, and finding community, Leigh-Anna reflects on turning lived experience into a commitment to justice. Together, they explore what young people leaving care truly need—not simply to survive, but to build lives where they can thrive. 

There are dozens of girls incarcerated in Los Angeles’ juvenile justice facilities, and virtually everyone agrees they don’t need to be there. On this episode, we talk to Jessica Nowlan of Reimagine Freedom and Lisa Small of the Liberty Hill Foundation about the Liberation Fund and other efforts to rethink the way Los Angeles supports system-involved girls. 

Jessica Nowlan is the president and CEO of Reimagine Freedom. Lisa Small is Director of Youth and Transformative Justice at the Liberty Hill Foundation. 

Reading Room

$4 Billion Dollars in Sexual Abuse Settlement, But Girls Are Still Locked Up in L.A.
https://imprintnews.org/justice/juvenile-justice-2/4-billion-settlement-does-not-help-incarcerated-girls/260720

Liberation Fund: A Beacon of Hope and Advocacy
https://www.libertyhill.org/news/newsletter/foundations-digest/liberation-fund-a-beacon-of-hope-and-advocacy/

Youth Activists Rally to Support Girls and Young Women Abused in Detention
https://imprintnews.org/justice/juvenile-justice-2/youth-activists-rally-to-support-girls-and-young-women-abused-in-detention/173343

California’s Santa Clara County Aims to Keep Girls Out of Juvenile Lockups
https://imprintnews.org/justice/juvenile-justice-2/californias-santa-clara-county-aims-to-keep-girls-out-of-juvenile-lockups/237692

On this month’s Headlines edition of The Imprint Weekly Podcast, we start by discussing the latest details on A Home for Every Child, which every state in the nation has officially opted in for.

Among the other headline we cover: the new national model licensing standards for foster care; stricter vetting around unaccompanied immigrant children seeking asylum protection; Mississippi’s new law that exposes kids as young as 13 to the adult justice and incarceration system; and much more. 

Reading Room 

All 50 States Are In On ‘A Home for Every Child.’ What’s Next?https://imprintnews.org/youth-services-insider/all-50-states-are-in-on-a-home-for-every-child-whats-next/275917

Trump Administration Wants States to Loosen Requirements for Foster Parents
https://imprintnews.org/youth-services-insider/trump-administration-withdraws-licensing-standards/275531

Feds Want More Vetting of Unaccompanied Minors and Their Potential Sponsors
https://imprintnews.org/youth-services-insider/feds-want-more-vetting-unaccompanied-minors-sponsors/275677

TANF and Work: The Gap Between Perception and Reality
https://acf.gov/system/files/filefield_paths/TANF-WPR-Issue-Brief-FINAL.pdf

Alabama Settles Lawsuit Over Institutionalization of Foster Youth
https://imprintnews.org/youth-services-insider/alabama-settles-lawsuit-over-institutionalization-of-foster-youth/275700

LGBTQ+ Advocates Brace for Consequences as National Christian Foster Care Agency Reverses Inclusion Policy
https://imprintnews.org/top-stories/lgbtq-advocates-brace-for-consequences-as-national-christian-foster-care-agency-reverses-inclusion-policy/275618

New Law Will Send More Mississippi Children to Adult Courts and Prisons
https://imprintnews.org/top-stories/new-law-will-send-more-mississippi-children-to-adult-courts-and-prisons/275871

Liability Insurance Survey by Pennsylvania Council of Children, Youth and Family Services
https://pccyfs.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/PCCYFS-Insurance-Packet-2026.pdf

California Backs $150 Million Bond for Youth Housing
https://imprintnews.org/top-stories/california-lawmakers-back-150-million-bond-for-youth-housing/275589

In this deeply personal episode of InnerViews, host Ivory Bennett welcomes back Dr. Alison Davis for an honest conversation about single motherhood, parenting children who have experienced trauma, and the village so many families are searching for. Together, they explore matrescence, caregiver well-being, emotional safety, and the realities of raising children while navigating healing of your own. Through vulnerability, reflection, and practical insight, this episode reminds us that supporting children begins with supporting the people raising them—and that rebuilding community is essential to breaking intergenerational cycles of trauma.

On this week’s episode we are joined by Wendy Smith, author of the new book "Before Their Crimes: What We're Misunderstanding About Child Trauma, Youth Crime, and the Path to Healing."

Smith, who is a veteran psychotherapist and former professor and dean at the University of Southern California School of Social Work, talked about the visit to one of California’s prisons that sparked the idea for this book, which delves into the childhood experiences of dozens of former prisoners who were convicted and sentenced as teens. We also discussed what themes emerged from the experiences of her interview subjects, how she sees the book informing future policy reforms, and more. 

Wendy Smith is a retired clinical professor of social work and associate dean of curriculum development and assessment at the University of Southern California Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. She had a private practice in psychotherapy for over 35 years, specializing in the treatment of individuals, couples, and survivors of childhood maltreatment.

Reading Room

Before Their Crimes: What We're Misunderstanding About Child Trauma, Youth Crime, and the Path to Healing.
https://www.bloomsbury.com/ca/before-their-crimes-9798881802035/

California Passes Bill Banning Transfer of Juveniles Under 16
https://imprintnews.org/news-2/california-passes-bill-banning-transfer-of-juveniles-under-16/32081

Senate Bill 672 Frequently Asked Questions
https://sd22.senate.ca.gov/senate-bill-672-frequently-asked-questions

On this month’s Headlines edition of The Imprint Weekly Podcast, we start by discussing a new announcement by the First Lady enabling states to start and contribute to Trump Accounts for kids in foster care. We also discuss a new bill that would significantly alter a major federal welfare program, new research on child brain development, and several other headlines. 

Reading Room

Melania Trump Urges Governors and Businesses to Donate to ‘Trump Accounts’ for Foster Youth
https://imprintnews.org/top-stories/melania-trump-urges-governors-and-businesses-to-donate-to-trump-accounts-for-foster-youth/275296

House Considers Bill Tightening Access to TANF
https://imprintnews.org/youth-services-insider/house-considers-bill-tightening-access-to-tanf/275198

Socioeconomic factors are becoming 'biologically embedded' in children's brains
https://www.npr.org/2026/06/11/nx-s1-5849937/child-brain-development-stress-sleep-neighborhood-economics

Kentucky’s only state-funded kinship reunification program to close June 30
https://www.wkyt.com/2026/06/04/kentuckys-only-state-funded-kinship-reunification-program-close-june-30/

Officials open Southern Nevada’s First Foster Care Health and Wellness Clinic
https://knpr.org/health/2026-06-01/officials-open-southern-nevadas-first-foster-care-health-and-wellness-clinic

Hamilton County Juvenile Court Adds New Pre-Trial Requirements for Youth This Summer
https://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/finding-solutions/hamilton-county-juvenile-court-adds-new-pre-trial-requirements-for-youth-this-summer

NYC Poised to Cut Foster Care Prevention Services Amid Budget Tightening
https://imprintnews.org/top-stories/nyc-poised-to-cut-foster-care-prevention-services/275087

‘No Real Choice:’ New Report Examines How Foster Youth View Abortion
https://imprintnews.org/top-stories/new-report-examines-how-foster-youth-view-abortion/275101

Report Finds Foster Youth in NY’s Largest Public School Districts More Likely to Be Suspended
https://imprintnews.org/top-stories/report-finds-foster-youth-in-nys-largest-public-school-districts-more-likely-to-be-suspended/275150

On this week’s podcast we talk to Anthony Pierro, executive director of Strategies for Youth (SFY), a national policy and training organization dedicated to improving interactions between law enforcement and youth. Pierro took the helm at SFY last year from its founder, Lisa Thurau.

We talked about Pierro’s career as a juvenile prosecutor on the New Jersey shore, and how that informed his approach to training law enforcement. We also talked about a justice commission he served on during President Trump’s first term, whether he thinks there will be any traction for youth policy during this administration, and his hopes for a new app for law enforcement that SFY is building. 

Anthony Pierro is the executive director of Strategies for Youth. Pierro served as Chief Juvenile Attorney at the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office in Toms River, New Jersey, from 2003 until his retirement in 2024.

Reading Room

Improving Interactions Between Kids and Cops
https://imprintnews.org/podcast/improving-interactions-between-cops-and-kids

12 Model Law Enforcement Policies for Youth Interaction
https://strategiesforyouth.org/model-policies/

“Kids Are Not a Priority Until They’re A Problem”
https://imprintnews.org/podcast/kids-not-priority-until-problem

Make Training Police on Juvenile Justice, Youth Interaction a National Priority
https://bit.ly/3IFnzbY