The Imprint Weekly

The Imprint
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The Imprint Weekly Podcast offers listeners a regular review of news and trends in America's child welfare and juvenile justice systems, along with other critical services for youth and families. Join Imprint Senior Editor John Kelly for a discussion of the week's major headlines, plus interviews with leaders in the field.

  1. 3d ago

    Headlines: Trump Accounts, TANF Changes, and More Headlines

    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

    28 min

  2. Jun 9

    Getting Police to Think Differently About Kids

    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

    55 min

  3. Jun 1

    High Risk and Hard to Reach

    On today’s episode we are joined by David Muhammad, founder and executive director of the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform. We talked to Muhammad about “high risk, hard to reach youth,” which is a term he and fellow justice reformer Vinny Schiraldi have coined to describe the relatively small group of youth they believe should be the focus of the next phase of youth justice reform. This group of youth, he says, have come more into view after decades of declining incarceration rates and greater attention to community alternatives.  David Muhammad is the founder and executive director of the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform. He was the chief of committed services for Washington, D.C.’s juvenile justice agency, and served as the first executive director of the Anti-Recidivism Coalition.  Reading Room HR Squared: Effective Services and Supports for Youth Who Are High Risk and Hard to Reach https://nicjr.org/files/galleries/HR2_Report_V8_2_13_26.pdf What Happened When America Emptied Its Youth Prisons https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/28/magazine/juvenile-prison-crime-rates.html

    49 min

  4. May 26

    InnerViews – Healing, Masculinity & The Stories We Tell Ourselves

    In this powerful episode of InnerViews, Ivory Bennett sits down with author, musician, and creative visionary Qpidluv for a deeply honest conversation about foster care, masculinity, identity, and healing through storytelling. From entering foster care as an infant to creating The Safe Home Chronicles and the Forever Home Project, Qpidluv reflects on survival, imagination, and the search for belonging. Together, Ivory and Qpidluv explore what home really means—and how creativity can become both refuge and reclamation.

    36 min

  5. May 18

    Headlines: D.C. Activity, Parental Relinquishments, Fentanyl Legislation and More

    On this week’s Headlines edition of the podcast, we discuss the latest on the Trump administration’s A Home for Every Child initiative and some child welfare bills moving in Congress. We also discuss The Imprint’s recent reporting on parental relinquishments, a law in Oklahoma prompted by a child fentanyl death, foster youth and chronic absenteeism, and more.  Thanks to iFoster for sponsoring this episode. Reading Room A Home for Every Child Innovation Challenge https://acf.gov/home-every-child-innovation-challenge The Imprint’s Who Cares Project FosterCareCapacity.com New Focus on Psychotropic Medication Use in Foster Care Declared at RFK ‘Overmedicalization’ Summit https://imprintnews.org/youth-services-insider/top-federal-child-welfare-official-focused-on-psychotropics/274408 Trump’s Planned Spending on Child Welfare and Youth Justice https://imprintnews.org/youth-services-insider/trumps-budget-plan-on-child-welfare-and-youth-justice/274224 Federal Bill Aims to Address Sibling Separation in Foster Care https://imprintnews.org/top-stories/federal-bill-aims-to-address-sibling-separation-in-foster-care/274283 House Committee Moves Bills to Support Current, Former Foster Youth https://imprintnews.org/subscriber-content/house-committee-moves-bills-to-support-current-former-foster-youth/274257 Lawmakers Seek to End Ban on Medicaid Covering Foster Youths’ Residential Care https://imprintnews.org/youth-services-insider/bill-would-end-ban-on-medicaid-covering-foster-youths-residential-care/273791 Foster Care for Mental Health Treatment: Parents Surrender Thousands of Kids Each Year In Search of Help https://imprintnews.org/top-stories/foster-care-for-mental-health-treatment-parents-surrender-thousands-of-kids-each-year-in-search-of-help/273355 Adopted and Locked Away: Kids promised ‘forever homes’ instead confined in for-profit institutions https://apnews.com/article/adopted-children-boarding-schools-treatment-investigation-e5d8dab2e4db1f2f4c5abbfaf0d97c52 At CT DCF, staff turnover is high. The costs can be devastating. https://ctmirror.org/2026/05/10/ct-dcf-staff-turnover/ ‘This is where they came to die’: Historical marker highlights horrors at segregated reform school https://marylandmatters.org/2026/05/07/this-is-where-they-came-to-die-historical-marker-highlights-horrors-at-segregated-reform-school/ Leo's Law to protect children from fentanyl approved by the Oklahoma Senate https://okcfox.com/news/local/leos-law-to-protect-children-from-fentanyl-approved-by-the-oklahoma-senate When Life ‘Explodes’: New Research Explores Why California Foster Youth Miss School https://imprintnews.org/top-stories/when-life-explodes-new-research-explores-why-california-foster-youth-miss-school/274367 California Lawmakers Try to Avoid Foster Youth Going Hungry Following Federal Food Stamp Cuts https://imprintnews.org/top-stories/california-lawmakers-looking-to-avoid-foster-youth-going-hungry/274537 Indigenous People Honor and Raise Awareness for Relatives Who are Missing or Have Been Killed https://imprintnews.org/top-stories/indigenous-people-raise-awareness-for-missing-murdered-relatives/274252 ‘The Little Flowers Are Me, Unbloomed:’ Georgia Foster Teens Find Their Voices Through Art Exhibit https://imprintnews.org/top-stories/the-little-flowers-are-me-unbloomed-georgia-foster-teens-find-their-voices-through-art-exhibit/274098

    57 min

  6. May 11

    The Sun Keeps Rising, with Christopher Baker-Scott

    In 2021, Christopher Baker-Scott joined The Imprint Weekly Podcast to talk about Sun Scholars, a new nonprofit he started to help support Connecticut foster youth on college campuses. Unlike many school-based approaches around the country, Sun Scholars is a centrally located organization serving youth on a number of campuses around the state.  Five years later, Baker-Scott joined us to talk about what’s gone well, what’s changed, and what he hopes to accomplish in the future as Sun Scholars continues to grow in the state.  Christopher Scott is the founder and Executive Director of SUN Scholars Inc. Drawing from his personal experience in the Connecticut foster care system, Scott has led SUN to achieve a graduation rate 10 times the national average for this demographic.  Thanks to iFoster for sponsoring this episode. Reading Room Supporting Foster Youth on College Campuses https://imprintnews.org/podcast/supporting-foster-youth-on-college-campuses The Imprint’s coverage of Education https://imprintnews.org/topic/education

    57 min

  7. May 4

    A Fashion Forward Experience for Foster Youth with Sixto Cancel and Sharon McDaniel

    On this week’s episode, we were joined by Sixto Cancel, founder and CEO of Think of Us, and Sharon McDaniel, founder and CEO of A Second Chance. We talked first about their relatively new joint venture between the two organizations called Fashion Forward Kinspire, which is entering its second year of helping expose youth in kinship or foster care to the world of fashion culminating with a trip to Fashion Week in New York City.  They stuck around to discuss the recent efforts to update the federal Chafee program for transition-age foster youth, the future of kinship care, and more.  Thanks to iFoster for sponsoring this episode.  Reading Room Application for the Fashion Forward Kinspire Program https://asecondchance-kinship.com/fashion-forward-kinspire/ InStylePhD: Fashioned to Lead https://www.youtube.com/@sharonmcdaniel6321 Trump’s Planned Spending on Child Welfare and Youth Justice https://imprintnews.org/youth-services-insider/trumps-budget-plan-on-child-welfare-and-youth-justice/274224 A Model Standard for Approving Kinship Caregivers https://imprintnews.org/youth-services-insider/model-standard-approving-kinship-caregivers/245279 Biden Proposes Major Spending Shifts to Prioritize Kin, Foster Care Prevention https://imprintnews.org/youth-services-insider/biden-prioritize-kin-foster-care-prevention/63821

    54 min

  8. Apr 27

    InnerViews – The Amazing Begins to Outweigh the Terror: Entering the ‘It Gets Better’ Era

    In this episode of InnerViews, Ivory Bennett sits down with Nesta N. Johnson to explore what it means to reach an “It Gets Better” era after surviving systems and trauma. Together, they unpack the slow, nonlinear journey toward healing, the power of storytelling as both release and responsibility, and what it means to hold hope for the next generation. This conversation is honest, grounding, and deeply affirming for anyone navigating life after survival. Guest Bio: Nesta N. Johnson is a lived expert and storyteller whose work centers on healing, reflection, and the power of narrative. With a deep commitment to honesty and growth, Nesta uses their voice to explore the complexities of surviving systems, processing trauma, and stepping into a new chapter where hope and possibility begin to take root. Their perspective offers both grounding and inspiration for individuals navigating their own journeys toward healing.

    1h 25m
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About

The Imprint Weekly Podcast offers listeners a regular review of news and trends in America's child welfare and juvenile justice systems, along with other critical services for youth and families. Join Imprint Senior Editor John Kelly for a discussion of the week's major headlines, plus interviews with leaders in the field.

Information

  • Creator
    The Imprint
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    278
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Imprint Weekly
  • Show Website
    The Imprint Weekly

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