About
Our History
The National Organization of State Associations for Children (NOSAC) was founded in 1993 to facilitate networking and to share information among member associations.
NOSAC is a national organization made up of State Associations who represent children and children services. Our purpose and mission is to facilitate networking and to share information among its member associations. On a national level, we coordinate our issues with other National Organizations and provide uncompromising leadership.
What We Do
Coordinate the sharing of professional development and public policy information among member association directors.
Convene bi-annual meetings around the country to dialogue and advocate with U.S. policy makers.
Collaborate with our national partners- Child Welfare League of America, Alliance for Strong Families and Communities, National Association for Children’s Behavioral Health, National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare, and Council on Accreditation.
Advocate on national public policy issues that impact state associations, providers, and children and families.
Advocacy / Policy Positions
NOSAC Lifts Up Critical Ways to Protect Children and Youth During National Child Abuse Prevention Month
During National Child Abuse Prevention Month, the National Organization of State Associations for Children (NOSAC) believes it is critical to uplift the needs of children and youth who are most at risk of child abuse, and to ensure that we speak out for those that are facing discrimination based on recent changes in federal policy.
NOSAC believes that children, youth, and families have the right to have their basic needs met and the opportunities and resources they need to succeed, and that states only succeed when all of our children, youth, and families thrive. We believe that families are made up of loving adults caring for children who are nurtured and accepted for all the potential of who they are and wish to be.
If we are serious about preventing child abuse, it means adequate investment in making sure that children and their families have access to safe housing, food, healthcare, education, and violence prevention in their communities.
We wish to lift up the real dangers that the LGBTQIA+ community faces relative to child abuse prevention, and the kind of violence that is often experienced by LGBTQIA+ youth. Despite only making up 1.8% the general population, Transgender, Non-Binary, and Gender Non-Conforming and Expansive (TGNC+) youth make up 13.8% of the child welfare system. 73% of these youth have experienced psychological abuse, 39% physical abuse, and 19% sexual abuse. Familial Rejection is the key driver for LGBTQ+ youth involvement in the child welfare system, with 40% of TGNC+ youth being kicked-out, abandoned, or needing to run away, and 17% of LGB+ youth experiencing the same.
We aim to amplify our vision to help combat the actual risks present and the need to be safe when reimagining what abuse prevention looks like all for children, youth, and families, ensuring the availability of protective factors in support of all youth.
For more resources on protective factors and child abuse prevention see below:
Protective factors for LGBTQ+ Youth
- Protective Factors Among Transgender and Gender Variant Youth: A Systematic Review by Socioecological Level
- All Children – All Families: LGBTQ+ Resources for Child Welfare Professionals
- Family Acceptance Project
- Gender Spectrum Resource Page
Child Abuse Prevention Resources
- Protective Factors Conversation Guides
- Prevent Child Abuse Illinois Community Packet
- Child Welfare Information Gateway – Prevention Resources
Statistics cited are from these two sources:
- https://law.yale.edu/sites/default/files/area/center/ghjp/documents/yes-state-of-knowledge-sheet-1-lgbtq-youth-in-the-child-welfare-system.pdf
- https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/148/2/e2020016907/179762/Disparities-in-Childhood-Abuse-Between-Transgender?autologincheck=redirected
News
NOSAC Lifts Up Critical Ways to Protect Children and Youth During National Child Abuse Prevention Month
During National Child Abuse Prevention Month, the National Organization of State Associations for Children
CLM Highlights Opportunities to Improve Outcomes for Young Adults Exiting the State’s Child Welfare System
On March 14th, CLM and partners held a legislative briefing at the Massachusetts State
Congratulations to NOSAC’s own Ohio Children’s Alliance on winning the 2023 Aging Out Institute Award.
Winning an AOI National Award is a significant accomplishment. The applications are judged by
Illinois Collaboration on Youth Partners with Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s All Children-All Families Initiative
One hopeful note that came from the research brief was about how a positive,