DCYF investigated fewer child abuse reports as result of policy stance, panel finds

The state's child welfare agency launched fewer and fewer investigations over the last three years into reports of child abuse -- possibly with deadly results.

The Department of Children, Youth and Families, experts say, has been misusing a policy under which it has classified everything from allegations of substance abuse to the death of child as an "information/referral" that does not warrant investigation.

More >> DCYF investigated fewer child abuse reports as result of policy stance, panel finds

Homicide charge stays for Greenville Co. foster parent

A Greenville County judge denied a motion to dismiss homicide by child abuse charges for Travis Wagner.

More >> Homicide charge stays for Greenville Co. foster parent

Oregon's DHS Director Didn't See Major Child Abuse Report Until A Lawmaker Sent It

In one Oregon home, rats were coming through a rotten floor to bite children, while another kid, in need of a physician, threw their urine soaked clothing on the floor.


More >> Oregon's DHS Director Didn't See Major Child Abuse Report Until A Lawmaker Sent It

Saving children from the system meant to protect them

What should be done with a caregiver who knowingly places or allows children to remain in conditions or surroundings where “rape, abuse, psychotropic medication, and instability are the norm?” The Texas Legislature is currently grappling with this seemingly simple question.

More >> Saving children from the system meant to protect them

Kiddie Porn Shot at Children’s Aid Society Triggers Suit

The former court officer and child care assistant who exploited New York City welfare children for child porn face a civil suit from an angry father.

More >> Kiddie Porn Shot at Children’s Aid Society Triggers Suit

State of Oregon, child welfare sued over alleged child abuse

A $15.3 million lawsuit against the Oregon Department of Human Services and child welfare workers accuses them of allowing two girls to live with a known registered sex offender.

More >> State of Oregon, child welfare sued over alleged child abuse

Adopted children remain with mom convicted of abuse

A year before she escaped, child abuse victim Malayia Knapp was locked in a small basement room with no food and little water for seven days. She spoke with the Des Moines Register's Readers Watchdog about her experience.

More >> Adopted children remain with mom convicted of abuse

Trump policy of separating children from immigrant parents is plain evil

They’re so scared, these refuge-seekers in President Donald Trump’s America, that their immigration attorney will not even identify the country from which they fled rampant violence. But it was one of Central America’s violent northern triangle countries, meaning Guatemala, Honduras, or El Salvador.

More >> Trump policy of separating children from immigrant parents is plain evil

Report ranks CPS in Monroe County among worst in NY

A report released Monday shows that Child Protective Services in Monroe County is significantly below average compared to other counties in New York.

More >> Report ranks CPS in Monroe County among worst in NY

Extreme confidentiality conceals CPS wrongdoing, hurts the children

Most people who have never been through it have no idea how easily it can happen to them. Everyone has heard of Child Protective Services, or CPS. Many envision them as saviors of horribly abused children, guardians of innocence. But an accidental fall, a medical misdiagnosis, a difference of belief or values, a choice to homeschool, domestic violence, or a vindictive partner, family member or neighbor can trigger CPS to swoop in and shatter your entire world.

More >> Extreme confidentiality conceals CPS wrongdoing, hurts the children

Man accused of abusing children files complaint against Luzerne County C&Y caseworker

A man accused of abusing children on two different occasions — including choking an infant — has now filed a complaint against a caseworker with Luzerne County Children and Youth.

More >> Man accused of abusing children files complaint against Luzerne County C&Y caseworker

State ‘failed’ disabled teenager in abuse case

Serious deficiencies in child protection services have been exposed after a new report found that an intellectually disabled woman was left in a home for two years after allegations of sexual abuse were made against her foster father.

More >> State ‘failed’ disabled teenager in abuse case

Increase in gas prices associated with increase in child maltreatment

Increases in gasoline prices are associated with increases in child maltreatment referral rates, finds a new study from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.

More >> Increase in gas prices associated with increase in child maltreatment

Shirley Couple Arrested for Abuse of Adopted Children

A Van Buren county couple is arrested for child abuse.

Richard and Martha Roesch were accused of physically and emotionally abusing their four adopted children.

More >> Shirley Couple Arrested for Abuse of Adopted Children

Faith-Based Child Welfare Providers Threaten to Stop Services if ‘Religious Freedom’ Bill Doesn’t Pass

In the midst of the state’s tragic child welfare crisis, faith-based providers on Wednesday threatened to slow or completely stop services if a bill protecting religious “rights of conscience” doesn’t pass.

More >> Faith-Based Child Welfare Providers Threaten to Stop Services if ‘Religious Freedom’ Bill Doesn’t Pass

Ont. government asks schools to take down controversial Motherisk flyers

The provincial government is asking schools to take down posters about the Motherisk Commission, after the province's Children and Youth Advocate warned they could be damaging to kids involved with Children's Aid Societies.

More >> Ont. government asks schools to take down controversial Motherisk flyers

Judge reviewing motion to dismiss foster parent’s homicide charges

A Greenville County Judge is reviewing a motion to dismiss charges for foster parent Travis Wagner.

More >> Judge reviewing motion to dismiss foster parent’s homicide charges

ADA in trial opening says foster dad ‘hand-picked’ victims

The Ridge man on trial for sexually abusing his foster children used the system that placed the boys in his care like it was a “candy store,” a Suffolk prosecutor said Wednesday in an opening statement in a Riverhead courtroom.

More >> ADA in trial opening says foster dad ‘hand-picked’ victims

• Long Island foster father’s home a ‘horrific place’: prosecutor
• Trial starts for Long Island foster parent charged with beating, sexually abusing children in his care

Discovery of mass child graves in Ireland exposes Church's history of abuse

The discovery of mass child graves in Tuam, Ireland last month has reportedly exposed the Catholic Church's long history of abuse targeting unmarried mothers who marred society's conservative image.

More >> Discovery of mass child graves in Ireland exposes Church's history of abuse

Bill Could Bring Much-Needed Mental-Health Support to Child-Welfare Caseworkers

A bill makings its way through the Colorado Legislature would create a task force to support child-welfare caseworkers in Colorado — especially in the area of mental health.

More >> Bill Could Bring Much-Needed Mental-Health Support to Child-Welfare Caseworkers

The Dangerous Way The Media Is Failing D.C.’s Missing Girls

At a town hall meeting in Washington, D.C. Wednesday, a packed room of hundreds of concerned adults—mostly African-American—sought answers about the increased reports of Black girls going missing in the city. One young woman stood at the mic and broke down in tears as she expressed her safety concerns.

More >> The Dangerous Way The Media Is Failing D.C.’s Missing Girls

Suit: DCFS contractor failed to monitor kids abused by caregiver

A Cook County public guardian is suing a state contractor for negligence on behalf of two children who were sexually abused by a caregiver the agency was supposed to monitor.

More >> Suit: DCFS contractor failed to monitor kids abused by caregiver

Prostitute picked family to adopt her baby. But there was one thing she forgot to tell them, cops say.

A Bradenton prostitute with a slew of fraud convictions faces a new fraud charge after a detectives says she claimed to be pregnant to gain financial support from an adoption agency. But she wasn’t pregnant.

More >> Prostitute picked family to adopt her baby. But there was one thing she forgot to tell them, cops say.

Yes, we know the system is broken

On Monday, federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett came to Winnipeg to talk about child welfare. She laid out tiny moccasins to represent the indigenous newborns taken into care and declared "the system is broken."

More >> Yes, we know the system is broken

Adoptive parents to be paid like foster carers in NSW

But despite wanting to formally adopt Casey, who is now 18, she was unable to because state government payments to foster carers cease on adoption.

More >> Adoptive parents to be paid like foster carers in NSW

Federal Audit: DCF Struggles To Assess Risk To Children In Troubled Households

A new federal audit released Tuesday said the state's child-protection agency struggles to accurately assess risky households, and was inconsistent when it comes to effectively interviewing child victims or vetting the fitness of relatives to serve as foster parents.

More >> Federal Audit: DCF Struggles To Assess Risk To Children In Troubled Households

• Feds: ‘Systemic issues’ still hamper DCF care for foster kids

New York foster father faces trial in sex abuse case

A foster father who took in more than 100 troubled boys over 20 years is set to go on trial on charges he sexually abused eight of the children. In addition to the alleged abuse of the boys, prosecutors also said the man sexually abused a dog in front of a child.

More >> New York foster father faces trial in sex abuse case

Pervert who treated foster daughter 'like sex slave' wasn't prosecuted for abusing step-daughter

The police and social services have been criticised for not prosecuting a self-confessed paedophile who sexually abused his step-daughter in the 1980s - leaving him free to foster a vulnerable teenage girl whom he twice made pregnant.

More >> Pervert who treated foster daughter 'like sex slave' wasn't prosecuted for abusing step-daughter

Did DCF create media frenzy after foster child’s suicide to distract from agency errors?

Naika Venant’s mother vehemently refutes narratives by the state agency in a March 13 report, including suggestion she ‘allegedly’ commented on Facebook Live thread taunting daughter while watching and did nothing; lawyer says agencies ‘abysmally failed’ Naika.

More >> Did DCF create media frenzy after foster child’s suicide to distract from agency errors?

Social workers who 'failed to save boy from abuse' will face trial in his death

The 8-year-old California boy had been on everyone’s radar: He went to school with bald spots and bruises, black eyes and split lips, according to court testimony. Once, he told his teacher that his mother had shot him with a BB gun.

More >> Social workers who 'failed to save boy from abuse' will face trial in his death

Oregon wants to snatch more kids!!!

An alarming report arrived at an Oregon child protective services office in February 2016. A mother was hallucinating. She was getting a gun.

Two months passed before a social worker checked in on her kids, a new review showed.

More >> Children left in unsafe homes by Oregon social workers nearly half the time, report says

• Report: Social workers often miss threats to child welfare

Parents Arrested After Taking Baby From a Foster Home

Parents are under arrest and the infant who was the subject of an amber alert is now in state custody.

Gordo, Alabama police say 19-year-old Blake Perkins and 18-year-old Tandra Goff, the non-custodial parents of 11-month-old Christian Clay Perkins, are facing felony charges of interfering with custody.

More >> Parents Arrested After Taking Baby From a Foster Home

A Number Of Police Have Been Arrested For Human Trafficking — Could They Be A Part Of The Missing Girls In DC?

The increased media coverage of the black and latinx girls missing in DC has started a national discussion on whether the cause is human trafficking. Black lawmakers are now calling for the FBI to investigate. In part, social media has been vital in exposing the cases of many of these missing girls. Although many assume these missing cases have been attributed to human trafficking, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Acting Chief of Police Newsham have stated that there’s no connection between the cases and human trafficking. There are a total of 38 missing persons cases open in D.C. right now.

More >> A Number Of Police Have Been Arrested For Human Trafficking — Could They Be A Part Of The Missing Girls In DC?

Upstate South Carolina jury rules against Department of Social Services, awards $3.75 million to child abuse victim

A jury in Spartanburg awarded $3.75 million on Thursday to a child who had been abused for months by her mother and her mother's boyfriend. The child's lawyers argued that the Department of Social Services was warned about the ongoing abuse, but did nothing to stop it.

More >> Upstate South Carolina jury rules against Department of Social Services, awards $3.75 million to child abuse victim 

Examining DC's foster care system

“Panic is never good.”

But a lot of you are panicking about D.C.’s missing children, so what went wrong?

More >> Examining DC's foster care system

Foster parent accused of sexually assaulting three foster children

An Omaha foster parent and retired captain with the Omaha Fire Department is in jail, accused of sexually assaulting three foster children.

Lee Dunbar, Sr., has been in the Douglas County Jail since mid-December. The 66-year-old is behind bars because of the charges leveled against him by foster children.

More >> Foster parent accused of sexually assaulting three foster children

Detention and Deportation Will Open Foster Care Floodgates

If President Trump follows through on his campaign promise to deport as many as 2 million to 3 million undocumented immigrants, we know that many of those being deported will be parents of children born in the United States. Consequently, child welfare advocates fear that the surge will prompt a spike in foster care admissions for those children left "abandoned." What else is supposed to happen when a child gets home from school to find that his or her parents have been taken away?

More >> Detention and Deportation Will Open Foster Care Floodgates

Oregon Legislature Considering Foster Children’s ‘Sibling Bill Of Rights’

The Oregon legislature is considering a bill, Oregon House Bill 2216 (HB 2216), that would create a foster children’s “Sibling Bill of Rights.” The goal is to focus state efforts on supporting and maintaining relationships among siblings placed in foster care. The legislation was introduced on January 9, 2017, and was passed by the House on March 16, 2017.

More >> Oregon Legislature Considering Foster Children’s ‘Sibling Bill Of Rights’

Adoption by same-sex couple opposed by Catholic birth parents

A court has allowed a four-year-old girl to be adopted by a same-sex couple despite her birth parents' opposition on the basis of their Catholic faith.

More >> Adoption by same-sex couple opposed by Catholic birth parents

Police: Foster parents in custody after boys found tied to bed in dark room, denied water

Police say the three boys were kept in a room without any light, were duct-taped on their mouths and hands and forced to wear diapers.

More >> Police: Foster parents in custody after boys found tied to bed in dark room, denied water

Couple wants IDEA Services to 'learn its lesson' after disabled son is neglected in foster care

It began with four pills down the side of a teenager's wheelchair.

It ended with a complaint being lodged with the Human Rights Review Tribunal over New Zealand's largest provider of health services for disabled people.

More >> Couple wants IDEA Services to 'learn its lesson' after disabled son is neglected in foster care

Lawmakers pitch fix for child welfare caseworker crisis

Colorado lawmakers want to create a task force to address high turnover among the state's child welfare caseworkers.

More >> Lawmakers pitch fix for child welfare caseworker crisis

Orphaned siblings write to PM seeking help to exchange Rs 96,500 in old notes

The sudden discovery of Rs 96,500 cash in demonetised notes left by their late mother has created a difficult situation for an orphan brother-sister duo in Kota.

More >> Orphaned siblings write to PM seeking help to exchange Rs 96,500 in old notes

Penn State’s former president convicted of endangering child

A jury found former Penn State University President Graham Spanier guilty of one misdemeanor count of child endangerment Friday, ending a case that dragged on for more than four years over whether Spanier and two other university executives covered up previous allegations made against former Penn State assistant football coach and convicted child molester Jerry Sandusky.

More >> Penn State’s former president convicted of endangering child

Most federal money intended for Arizona's poorest families goes to child-safety efforts

While Arizona has one of the nation’s highest child-poverty rates, federal money intended to help the poorest families is instead being spent here on foster care, adoptions and services to children who have been removed from their families.

More >> Most federal money intended for Arizona's poorest families goes to child-safety efforts

DC missing girl says she was never missing, stayed in contact with social worker

An 18-year-old listed as a critical missing person said she was never hiding or in danger, insisting she stayed in contact with her social worker while the Metropolitan Police Department launched an effort to find her

More >> DC missing girl says she was never missing, stayed in contact with social worker

Letter: Who is to blame for inadequate staffing at DCYF?

The Monitor’s recent article “DCYF still faces sizable case backlog” (Sunday Monitor front page, March 12) noted that an outside review of DCYF deemed current staffing inadequate and recommended the addition of 35 child protection workers to investigate claims of abuse and neglect. But the article did not provide any figures for how many child protection workers the department currently has, so the reader had no sense of how those 35 workers might impact the size of the overall department.


More >> Letter: Who is to blame for inadequate staffing at DCYF?

Parents rights not being respected by DSS, advocates say

In May of 2015, Greenville attorney Trey Ingram and his wife, Kelli, brought a three-week-old boy into their home to give him a temporary foster family.

More >> Parents rights not being respected by DSS, advocates say

Roy foster parents arrested for abusing 3 sons, police say

A husband and wife who have been licensed to provide foster care in Utah since 2013 have been arrested for investigation of abusing their sons.

More >> Roy foster parents arrested for abusing 3 sons, police say

Foster child who killed herself on Facebook Live was given medicine with suicide warning

When a Miami psychologist examined Naika Venant in June 2015, she found a “depressed, angry and fearful young girl” who thought often about death and dying. “She expects people to abandon and betray her,” the psychologist wrote.

More >> Foster child who killed herself on Facebook Live was given medicine with suicide warning

Warnings to R.I. agency failed to save four at-risk babies

The state left four babies who have died since August at risk despite warnings from family, friends, hospital workers or police, according to a review ordered by the state child advocate. The report calls for an overhaul of the way the Child Protective Services assesses risk and investigates phone calls placed to its hotline.

More >> Warnings to R.I. agency failed to save four at-risk babies

• RI Child Advocate recommends system overhaul after deaths of four children

Police Suspect Social Worker May Have Molested Multiple Children

Los Angeles police are asking for help locating children who may have been sexually abused by a former social worker tasked with protecting them.

More >> Police Suspect Social Worker May Have Molested Multiple Children

Mother claims child suffered years of abuse in foster care

A woman has spoken out after her child was sent overseas for treatment without her consent — claiming the teenager had suffered years of abuse under foster care.

More >> Mother claims child suffered years of abuse in foster care

Psychotropic cocktail may have contributed to Facebook Live suicide

Part of a psychological evaluation administered to Naika Venant in June 2015 included a sentence completion test.

More >> Psychotropic cocktail may have contributed to Facebook Live suicide

Teen gets 20 years in Stafford for brutally beating his foster mother

A Stafford County teenager who permanently injured his foster mother last year by pummeling her with a baseball bat was ordered Thursday to serve 20 years in prison.

More >> Teen gets 20 years in Stafford for brutally beating his foster mother

Del. Man Charged With Physically Assaulting 2-Year-Old Foster Child

A man in Delaware is accused of physically assaulting his 2-year-old foster child.

More >> Del. Man Charged With Physically Assaulting 2-Year-Old Foster Child

Lewes man charged with assault for reported abuse of foster child

Delaware State Police say a Lewes man has been arrested for allegedly assaulting his foster child.

More >> Lewes man charged with assault for reported abuse of foster child

Lawsuit accuses child protection agency and sheriff's office of negligence in death of Hollywood boy

Attorneys representing the estate of a 3-year-old boy found dead in the laundry room of his family’s Hollywood home have filed a lawsuit against the Broward Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Children and Families, accusing the agencies of failing to protect the child when they should have known his life was in danger.

More >> Lawsuit accuses child protection agency and sheriff's office of negligence in death of Hollywood boy

Arizona child-welfare agency drops policy on 'covert' use of controversial lie-detection technology

Arizona’s Department of Child Safety says it has dropped a 3-month-old policy that let investigators secretly record interviews with parents or caregivers suspected of crimes using a controversial and questionable technology meant to detect lying.

More >> Arizona child-welfare agency drops policy on 'covert' use of controversial lie-detection technology

Legal representatives for children 'are paid more than President Higgins'

Legal representatives for children have been paid "more than the president", the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has been told.

More >> Legal representatives for children 'are paid more than President Higgins'

Child Services responds to criticism after recent deaths

A spokesman for the Administration for Child Services responded Wednesday to criticism of the agency, after the deaths of multiple children at homes that were at one time probed by the agency.

More >> Child Services responds to criticism after recent deaths

Bill would require child abuse hotline posters at schools

A toll-free hotline to report child abuse and neglect would be posted at Nevada public schools if a bill presented to a Senate committee today becomes law.

More >> Bill would require child abuse hotline posters at schools

Whistleblower disputes HSE claims on ‘Grace’

The HSE knew gardaí had no issue with a damning report into the Grace sex abuse scandal being published as far back as 2011 but only published it this year, it has emerged.

More >> Whistleblower disputes HSE claims on ‘Grace’

• Member of HSE ‘Grace’ panel continues to work for public service

The AHCA’s Dangers for Foster Youth

Tomorrow, the U.S. House of Representatives will vote on the American Health Care Act. Child welfare advocates across the country are deeply concerned about the threats this legislation poses to children in the foster care system. The cuts this legislation would have on Medicaid would have a significant negative impact on the child welfare system and pose a special threat to youth with disabilities.


More >> The AHCA’s Dangers for Foster Youth

Investigation Results in Reorganization of DSS Social Work Staff

The interim county social services director told the agency's board Wednesday afternoon that she has implemented a reorganization of its social work staff in a move to bring caseload sizes inline with state standards.

More >> Investigation Results in Reorganization of DSS Social Work Staff

Manitoba child welfare agency in ‘chaos,’ children put at risk following political intervention: source

A Manitoba child welfare agency serving some of the poorest First Nations in the country is in “chaos” following the political intervention of chiefs who forced the temporary suspension of its executive director, according to an internal source.

More >> Manitoba child welfare agency in ‘chaos,’ children put at risk following political intervention: source

Boston Firefighter, Foster Parent Charged With 7 Counts of Child Rape

A Boston firefighter and foster parent who lives on Cape Cod is facing child rape charges.

Edward Kulik Jr., a 56, of the Centerville section of Barnstable, Massachusetts, is charged with three counts of rape of a child with force, three counts of rape and one count of indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or older. A court clerk said the alleged assaults occurred in 2010 and 2012.

More >> Boston Firefighter, Foster Parent Charged With 7 Counts of Child Rape

Man accused of lewdness with foster child had history of harassment, wife says

During a drive home from a valley doughnut shop, only a religious ad on the radio compelled a man to interrupt the groping of his young foster daughter.

More >> Man accused of lewdness with foster child had history of harassment, wife says

Alabama House passes bill preventing adoption agencies from being forced to place kids with same-sex couples

The Alabama House of Representatives voted 60-14 in favor of protecting adoption agencies from government discrimination last week.

More >> Alabama House passes bill preventing adoption agencies from being forced to place kids with same-sex couples

Arkansas rejected a bill to allow gay parents to be listed on their kids’ birth certificates

The Arkansas state legislature has rejected a bill that would have given same-sex parents the right to have their names listed on their children’s birth certificates.

More >> Arkansas rejected a bill to allow gay parents to be listed on their kids’ birth certificates

NH bill changes burden of proof for terminating parents' rights

New Hampshire lawmakers are clarifying the burden of proof the state faced by terminating a parent's rights.

More >> NH bill changes burden of proof for terminating parents' rights

AZ Child Safety Department under fire for ‘voodoo science’ voice analysis of secret recorded interviews

The Arizona Department of Child Safety has come under fire after a policy memo revealed the Office of Child Welfare Investigations (OCWI) was allowed to record interviews without an individual’s consent, that would be used for “Computer Voice Stress Analysis” (CVSA).

More >> AZ Child Safety Department under fire for ‘voodoo science’ voice analysis of secret recorded interviews

Judge suspended again for actions in child custody case

A Kentucky judge was suspended without pay Tuesday for the second time in about six months for violating judicial rules in a child custody case.

More >> Judge suspended again for actions in child custody case

Anti-child abuse laws overburdening Pennsylvania Child and Youth agencies

This week, former Penn State University president Graham Spanier is in court for his role in the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal. This trial is one of the final chapters in a legal saga that has stretched since Sandusky was arrested in 2011.

More >> Anti-child abuse laws overburdening Pennsylvania Child and Youth agencies

Why are parents being arrested for letting kids play?

The stories pop up in the news now and then, a mom is arrested for letting her son play at the playground a few blocks from home, another is arrested for letting kids play right outside while she watched, a dad arrested for letting his son walk home from the mall – a mile and a half away.

More >> Why are parents being arrested for letting kids play?

Glitch causes Pasztor's child services records to disappear

Records in the murder case against a 29-year-old Fort Wayne woman accused of smothering her two children appear to have been inadvertently blocked from public view.

The records seemingly vanished from the state’s online case management system after Elkhart County Circuit Judge Michael Christofeno ordered all records temporarily sealed in the case against Amber Pasztor pending an April 25 hearing on whether the records should be made public again or remain sealed.

More >> Glitch causes Pasztor's child services records to disappear

SOCIAL WORKER REMOVED FROM THE REGISTER FOR POSSESSING INDECENT IMAGES OF CHILDREN

A social worker has been found unfit to practise and removed from the Social Care Register after a Care Council for Wales Fitness to Practise hearing found he’d downloaded indecent images of children.

The hearing at the Care Council’s Cardiff office last week heard that Michael Robert Paton was found to have downloaded and searched for indecent images of children for his own sexual gratification between May 2012 and May 2014.

More >> SOCIAL WORKER REMOVED FROM THE REGISTER FOR POSSESSING INDECENT IMAGES OF CHILDREN

Will criminal charges against 4 social workers improve LA's child welfare system?

Four former L.A. County social workers were ordered this week to stand trial for the 2013 death of 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez.

More >> Will criminal charges against 4 social workers improve LA's child welfare system?

DHS worker ‘unlawfully’ searched home and ‘threatened’ couple, lawsuit says

A Lee County couple filed a federal lawsuit Friday against the Mississippi Department of Human Services and a former worker in Hancock County, alleging the worker unconstitutionally searched their home and made false statements in court that led to the unwarranted removal of their children.

More >> DHS worker ‘unlawfully’ searched home and ‘threatened’ couple, lawsuit says

Arizona child-welfare agency scraps secret recordings

Arizona's child-welfare agency says it's tossing out a new policy allowing for secret recordings of adults suspected of child abuse.

More >> Arizona child-welfare agency scraps secret recordings

Local school officials suspended for failing to report child abuse

Three Howard School employees have been suspended for failure to report alleged child abuse.

More >> Local school officials suspended for failing to report child abuse

‘Grace’ commission of investigation to be formally approved

On Tuesday, the Government will formally approve the commission of investigation into the case of “Grace” and another 46 individuals who lived in a foster home in the southeast.

More >> ‘Grace’ commission of investigation to be formally approved

B.C. foster parents say ministry blackballed them for speaking out

A B.C. couple says the Ministry of Child and Family Development is penalizing them for breaking protocol after the nine-year-old boy who had been in their care since he was a baby was returned to his birth mother.

More >> B.C. foster parents say ministry blackballed them for speaking out

4 L.A. County social workers to face trial in horrific death of 8-year-old boy

A Los Angeles County judge ruled Monday that four social workers should stand trial on child abuse and other charges in the death of an 8-year-old Palmdale boy they were assigned to protect, allowing prosecutors to push ahead with a case that has sent a chill through the ranks of child protection workers nationwide.


More >> 4 L.A. County social workers to face trial in horrific death of 8-year-old boy

Report: Wife of man accused of lewdness with child, sex assault believes allegations against husband

An arrest report released Monday said the wife of the man accused of having inappropriate contact with a child under the age of 14 believes the allegations against her husband.

More >> Report: Wife of man accused of lewdness with child, sex assault believes allegations against husband

Sugar Grove man convicted of sexually abusing foster child

A west suburban man has been convicted of sexually abusing a foster child who was living with his family in Sugar Grove more than a decade ago.

More >> Sugar Grove man convicted of sexually abusing foster child

Kissimmee DCF contractor charged with falsifying reports

A Kissimmee-based Department of Children and Families case worker is accused of lying in her reports and not returning more than a dozen calls from children in her caseload, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

More >> Kissimmee DCF contractor charged with falsifying reports

Milwaukee woman charged with physically abusing 3-month-old foster son

A Milwaukee woman was charged for abusing her 3-month-old foster son, breaking his arms and legs.

More >> Milwaukee woman charged with physically abusing 3-month-old foster son

• “These kids are getting on my nerves:” Woman accused of severely abusing 3-month-old foster child
• Foster mom accused of physically beatin 3-month-old says she wasn't abusive
• Foster Mom Accused of Throwing Car Seat with 3-Month-Old Inside

Carolina Beach woman charged with running an adoption scam involving an unborn child

A woman faces multiple felony charges in an adoption scam involving several victims in various parts of the country, including Ohio and Nebraska.

More >> Carolina Beach woman charged with running an adoption scam involving an unborn child

‘Your child is safe’: Schools address deportation fears among immigrant families

The schools superintendent in Harrisonburg, Va., was meeting parents this month when a mother broke down in tears, explaining that she was undocumented. What would the school do, she asked, if she became separated from her children?

More >> ‘Your child is safe’: Schools address deportation fears among immigrant families 

Child abuse reporting system leads to parents being wrongly accused

A requirement for doctors to log all suspected child abuse cases has led to a significant rise in parents being wrongly accused.

More >> Child abuse reporting system leads to parents being wrongly accused

DUTCH DOCTORS OFTEN MISDIAGNOSE CHILD ABUSE: REPORT

A mandatory questionnaire Dutch doctors have to fill in to detect child abuse very often leads to false accusations, according to medical researcher Maartje Schouten. In more than 9 out of 10 cases in which the questionnaire indicates child abuse, the accusations are unfounded, she said to NOS.


More >> DUTCH DOCTORS OFTEN MISDIAGNOSE CHILD ABUSE: REPORT

Proposed bill would require more training for foster parents in Arizona

Bradley has been a foster parent for about 10 months and said, in that short time, her eyes have already been opened to the chaos of the child care system.

"I can't believe that we weren't trained more in just how to parent," Bradley explained. "Because you can't parent a trauma kid the way that you parent your biological kids, who have had... as normal of a home as you can provide for them."

More >> Proposed bill would require more training for foster parents in Arizona

Federal judge throws out Arizona challenge to Indian Child Welfare Act

A judge has thrown out a challenge to a federal law that critics claim is racist because it places the desires and rights of Native American tribes over the constitutionally protected best interests of children.

More >> Federal judge throws out Arizona challenge to Indian Child Welfare Act

'A child that dies shouldn't be anonymous,' ex-youth advocate argues

Bernard Richard warned New Brunswick that the detection of child neglect required a sense of urgency.

More >> 'A child that dies shouldn't be anonymous,' ex-youth advocate argues

NSW parliamentary inquiry finds child protection system in crisis

The NSW child protection system is in crisis, overseen by a department incapable of addressing long-standing problems which result in "generations of lost children", according to findings of a parliamentary inquiry into the troubled system.

More >> NSW parliamentary inquiry finds child protection system in crisis

'Crisis levels' of Indigenous children in out-of-home care in the ACT

The number of children in state care in the ACT has jumped 40 per cent and Canberra now has the second-highest rate of Indigenous children in care in the country.

More >> 'Crisis levels' of Indigenous children in out-of-home care in the ACT

HSE contacts families in foster care inquiry

The Health Service Executive has written to the families of former service users who spent time in the 'Grace' foster home in the southeast.

More >> HSE contacts families in foster care inquiry

Release of woman in child’s death stirs painful memories for mother

Sally Ann Schofield, 55, a former state child caseworker who suffocated the 5-year-old foster child with duct tape, was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 17 years in prison. Schofield remains at the Maine Correctional Center in Windham and is due to be released on probation on April 25.

More >> Release of woman in child’s death stirs painful memories for mother

Mother of teen who committed suicide on Facebook Live speaks to Local 10 News

The mother of a 14-year-old who committed suicide live on Facebook spoke exclusively to Local 10 News' Shyann Malone to dispute recent reports that she says paint her as a villain.

More >> Mother of teen who committed suicide on Facebook Live speaks to Local 10 News

Social worker accused of hiding religious sect abuse resigns

A veteran social worker accused of coaching congregants and their children on what to say during a 2015 child abuse investigation of her secretive religious sect has resigned, an attorney for a child welfare agency said Friday.

More >> Social worker accused of hiding religious sect abuse resigns

Pennsylvania focuses on helping opioid-addicted parents kick habit, keep their children

The hard reality was that her drug use could cost her custody of her child.

Was it worth it?

Hundreds of parents are faced with that question in Westmoreland County and across Pennsylvania, where parental substance abuse accounted for 8,423 valid child abuse allegations — 19 percent of the total, according to a 2015 report from the state Department of Human Services.

More >> Pennsylvania focuses on helping opioid-addicted parents kick habit, keep their children

Teen Wrongfully Taken From Loving Parents, Placed in Foster Care & Abused

Aimee Gardiner is plagued by nightmares as she struggles to rebuild her life…. she is a survivor of systemic abuse in social services, who was wrongfully taken from the family who loved her and placed into a foster care home where she was horribly abused, assaulted and neglected.

More >> Teen Wrongfully Taken From Loving Parents, Placed in Foster Care & Abused

Youth Aging Out of Foster Care Struggle in 'Real World'

When Breanna Bullock turned 18 this year, she moved in with her boyfriend, got a job and became responsible for her own life.

More >> Youth Aging Out of Foster Care Struggle in 'Real World'

Were foster child's claims about Packers taken seriously?

The screaming would go on for hours every day.

When Sara and David Packer put their 4-year-old foster daughter down to sleep, the girl would howl in a tiny bedroom with an alarm on the door, another former foster child of the Packers said.

More >> Were foster child's claims about Packers taken seriously?

Federal judge in Texas foster care suit scolds CPS leaders for withholding information

The federal judge in a lawsuit over Texas foster care has chided state officials for rebuffing information requests and has vowed to stick to her previously stated timetables for fashioning remedies that will overhaul the system, two plaintiffs' lawyers said Friday.

More >> Federal judge in Texas foster care suit scolds CPS leaders for withholding information

Cape Coral man says foster son was wrongfully suspected of crime

A Cape Coral man says his foster son was suspected of being involved with a bank robbery in Fort Myers and was arrested because Lee County deputies thought he was linked to it.

More >> Cape Coral man says foster son was wrongfully suspected of crime

Former foster parent raped and sexually abused children in Dunfermline

A FORMER foster parent was told he faces a long prison sentence after raping and sexually abusing children in Dunfermline.

More >> Former foster parent raped and sexually abused children in Dunfermline

Missing Foster Child Found; Spent Night With Biological Father

An 11-year-old Azusa boy in foster care who ran away from the Walnut/Pomona area spent the night with his biological father, who returned him Friday to a Department of Children and Family Services office in Glendora, police said.

More >> Missing Foster Child Found; Spent Night With Biological Father

• Biological Father Returned Missing Walnut Foster Child, Police Say

Sugar Grove man convicted of abusing foster child

A jury late Friday afternoon convicted a 49-year-old Sugar Grove man of sexually assaulting a foster child 13 years ago.

More >> Sugar Grove man convicted of abusing foster child

Former Las Vegas foster parent, longtime Boy Scout leader arrested on sex assault charge

Las Vegas police have arrested a 51-year-old former foster parent after a child previously in his care accused him of sexual assault.

More >> Former Las Vegas foster parent, longtime Boy Scout leader arrested on sex assault charge

• Cops: Longtime Vegas Foster Parent Sexually Assaulted Girl
• Foster parent arrested for sexual assault of child; Las Vegas police seek additional victims

Foster parent arrested for sexual assault of child; Las Vegas police seek additional victims

Las Vegas police are seeking additional victims after a foster parent was arrested on charges of sexually assaulting a child.

More >> Foster parent arrested for sexual assault of child; Las Vegas police seek additional victims

Iowa Teen Girl Who Starved to Death in Adoptive Mom’s Home Was Allegedly Found in Diapers, Lying in Waste

Recently unsealed court documents allege that the final days of a 16-year-old Iowa girl who died five months ago from starvation were even worse than initially reported.

According to multiple news outlets, an arrest affidavit alleges an emaciated Natalie Finn was found unresponsive and wearing adult diapers when police responded to an emergency call at her adoptive mom’s home on Oct. 24. (PEOPLE has not been able to independently obtain the court documents.)


More >> Iowa Teen Girl Who Starved to Death in Adoptive Mom’s Home Was Allegedly Found in Diapers, Lying in Waste

• Girl, 16, 'starved to death by adoptive parents' found wearing a nappy, lying in her own waste

Loudoun’s Overwhelmed Child Protective Services Hope for Budget Help

If county supervisors keep a $138,887 line item in the proposed fiscal year 2018 budget to hire two additional workers in Child Protective Services, it will come as a welcome relief to the overworked employees in that department.

More >> Loudoun’s Overwhelmed Child Protective Services Hope for Budget Help

Keeping Families Together

The first month of the Trump presidency was punctuated by a series of anti-immigrant executive orders and implementation memos that resulted in chaos at airports around the world, immigration raids around the country, and a widespread fear among communities.1 The Trump administration’s actions and directives ostensibly target the 11 million unauthorized immigrants who live in the United States, but they will also harm millions of American citizens all across the country who live and work beside these immigrants every day.2 A new analysis by University of Southern California’s Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration, or CSII, and the Center for American Progress shows that millions of people, citizens or otherwise, live in mixed-status families with at least one unauthorized family member in the same household. Undeniably, there is no way to separate immigrants out from the U.S.-born population; there can be no us versus them.

More >> Keeping Families Together

Nations have separated children from parents before. It never ends well.

The Trump administration has already proposed a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, a ban on travel from six countries, a shutdown of the refugee program and extensive detentions and deportations of undocumented immigrants. This month, officials floated a new tactic: splitting families up.

More >> Nations have separated children from parents before. It never ends well.

Adoption changes may cut time for biological parents to change minds

Adopting a child in Pennsylvania is too hard, according to lawmakers who say the state needs to streamline the process to get more of the 2,500 children awaiting adoption into loving homes as quickly as possible.

More >> Adoption changes may cut time for biological parents to change minds

Foster care: Fewer Queensland children being placed with relatives

QUEENSLAND foster parents are carrying the heaviest burden in the country, with many juggling two or more children in need of care.

More >> Foster care: Fewer Queensland children being placed with relatives

Grand jury report blasts NY foster care system

A foster parent accused of sexually abusing boys in his care could have been stopped years earlier if not for “abysmal” communication among the child-welfare agencies involved, according to a special grand jury report obtained by The Associated Press.

More >> Grand jury report blasts NY foster care system

Group Home Worker Charged With Sexually Assaulting 2 Wards

A worker at a western Pennsylvania group home for troubled youths has been charged with sexually assaulting two residents, one of whom was a minor.

More >> Group Home Worker Charged With Sexually Assaulting 2 Wards

Yukon’s lack of foster parents means preschoolers are staying in group homes

Kids as young as three are staying in the territory’s group homes, sometimes living with older children, the News has learned.

More >> Yukon’s lack of foster parents means preschoolers are staying in group homes

Note: They could also try not to snatch so many kids.

Foster parents concerned after child taken to live with birth mother

Worried foster parents are speaking out after a child taken from their care and given back to his First Nations birth mother was left home alone.

More >> Foster parents concerned after child taken to live with birth mother

Death of 4-year-old: Foster mother held

According to Kattankudy Police, the child had injuries on his body. The foster mother had taken the child to Arayampathy hospital. Hospital authorities found that the child was dead and informed the Police.

More >> Death of 4-year-old: Foster mother held

Texas Child welfare workers fear legislative push to outsource their jobs

For 30 years, Sheila Hazley worked to ensure that abused and neglected children were settling into foster homes and getting the care they needed. Now, the retired caseworker and manager for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services is side-eyeing a legislative proposal to have nonprofit organizations do the same work she and her team did.


More >> Child welfare workers fear legislative push to outsource their jobs

Child safety Queensland: More than 70 per cent of investigations unsubstantiated

Note: Looks like Australia has a Rat problem.

More than seven in 10 finalised child protection investigations in Queensland were not substantiated in the past financial year.

More >> Child safety Queensland: More than 70 per cent of investigations unsubstantiated

Foster parents must adapt to tougher DCS safety inspections

Before welcoming a newborn into their home, Michelle and Scott Medved prepared as many parents would. They installed magnetic locks on their cabinets, put together a detailed first aid kit and carefully plotted out an evacuation plan, marking the exits in each room in their home.

More >> Foster parents must adapt to tougher DCS safety inspections

Foster father's murder trial is adjourned until May.

The man accused of murdering Logan schoolgirl, Tialeigh Palmer, has briefly had his matter heard in Court.

More >>  Foster father's murder trial is adjourned until May. 

• Tiahleigh Palmer’s foster mother and brother to be sentenced in July

Harrowing tales of 'forced adoption' amid call for inquiry

Women who had their newborns taken from them and adopted out to married couples from the late 1950s to 1980s are calling for an inquiry into forced adoption.

More >> Harrowing tales of 'forced adoption' amid call for inquiry

Council criticised after social worker removed girl without telling carers

Essex council has agreed to pay £1,800 to a family after its decision to remove a girl from her aunt and uncle’s care without warning caused “considerable distress”.

More >> Council criticised after social worker removed girl without telling carers

Victim Of Child Abuse Sues Government For Negligence

A young man who suffered horrific abuse at the hands of his own mother is suing the provincial government for negligence. Some of the material in this report is graphic.

More >> Victim Of Child Abuse Sues Government For Negligence

Man convicted of sexually assaulting foster children

A foster parent has been convicted of sexually assaulting two children placed in his care by the Ministry for Children and Family Development.

On Thursday, a B.C. Supreme Court jury convicted Kurk MacKay, 42, of two counts of invitation to sexual touching and sexually assaulting two children.

More >> Man convicted of sexually assaulting foster children

Mom says child was bitten by dog at foster home in St. Johns County

Investigators want to know how a child got injured while in foster care.

The child's mother called Action News Jax after noticing during a visitation that her son had stitches.

More >> Mom says child was bitten by dog at foster home in St. Johns County

Foster kids need face time with parents, but in LA County that's not easy

According to a recent Los Angeles County report, nearly 10,000 children in the county's foster care system are receiving "reunification services" designed to help repair their families and return them to their parents — and visitation is a core, legally required component.

More >> Foster kids need face time with parents, but in LA County that's not easy

Mom Finds Her 19-Year-Old Biological Son Through a Google Search After Giving Him Up for Adoption

A North Carolina mom wasn’t expecting to find her biological son through a Google search, so when his picture popped up, she almost couldn’t believe it.

More >> Mom Finds Her 19-Year-Old Biological Son Through a Google Search After Giving Him Up for Adoption

Child welfare providers object to proposed Health and Human Services cuts

When Susan Pickel became a foster parent, she found that the State Department of Health and Human Services didn’t have the time or resources to help her family.

More >> Child welfare providers object to proposed Health and Human Services cuts

A young mom took a leap and sued DHS. It may have been doomed to fail.

A federal court dismissed a lawsuit Friday that accused the Mississippi Department of Human Services and two of its employees of falsifying records to “steal” a woman’s two children.

More >> A young mom took a leap and sued DHS. It may have been doomed to fail.

Murdered youth demonstrates lack of supports for Alberta kids in child welfare

Just nine months after aging out of the child welfare system, 18-year-old Peter was murdered.


More >> Murdered youth demonstrates lack of supports for Alberta kids in child welfare

Liberal bill empowers gvmt to take kids from Ontario parents who don’t accept gender ideology: legal experts

An Ontario Liberal bill that legal experts warn gives the state greater power to seize children and can be used to enforce gender ideology in the home sailed unopposed through second reading last week.

More >> Liberal bill empowers gvmt to take kids from Ontario parents who don’t accept gender ideology: legal experts

Sununu puts head of child protective services on administrative leave

Republican Gov. Chris Sununu put the head of the state’s child protective services on administrative leave Monday, following aMonitor story that revealed the agency suspended normal procedures to close more than 1,500 abuse and neglect investigations over two days.

More >> Sununu puts head of child protective services on administrative leave

Ex-social worker sacked over indecent child images allegations poses 'significant risk' to children, hearing told

A SENIOR social worker who was sacked over allegations of possessing indecent images poses a “significant risk” to children, a hearing has heard.

More >> Ex-social worker sacked over indecent child images allegations poses 'significant risk' to children, hearing told

A Broken System: Unconstitutionality of Family Law

Often people emerge from these ordeals bewildered and in disbelief by the lack of remedies available to protect oneself from having their rights violated — due process denied — access to recourse (justice) unattainable — and at the mercy of courts that can impose countless penalties, fees, fines and utilize mechanisms that create a form of “legal” extortion — using children and financial ability (or rather inability) as leverage against a mother or father.


More >> A Broken System: Unconstitutionality of Family Law

The story behind the ‘Family Wanted’ plea of five Kansas siblings

First they were stolen from their parents.  Then they were brainwashed while bouncing through the system.  Then they are prettied up for the cameras and used in a marketing campaign for CPS.

Five Kansas siblings looking for an adoptive family have set off a burst of interest never before seen at the website promoting the childrens’ desire to stay together. 

“This is a viral response ... and it’s pretty insane,” said Corey Lada of the Kansas Children’s Service League, which contracts with the state to run AdoptKSKids.org. “In 13-plus years of working here I’ve seen nothing like this. Nothing." 

More >> The story behind the ‘Family Wanted’ plea of five Kansas siblings

Mother of Facebook Live suicide teen may have taunted her while watching

In a twist to a horrible tragedy in Miami in January, a foster child who committed suicide live on social media may have been watched by her mother, according to a Florida Department of Children (DCF) and Families report released to the media Monday.

More >> Mother of Facebook Live suicide teen may have taunted her while watching

• Girl who hanged herself on Facebook Live was sexually abused, beaten, rejected, DCF says

DYCF introduces new ‘Safe and Secure Baby Court’

A new initiative was put in place at the Rhode Island Family Court Monday.

More >> DYCF introduces new ‘Safe and Secure Baby Court’

Nebraska's budget squeeze puts post-adoption help at risk

Patti Sherwin understands the kind of desperation that led a stream of parents and guardians nine years ago to leave troubled children at hospitals under Nebraska’s former safe haven law.

More >> Nebraska's budget squeeze puts 
post-adoption help at risk

Two former Penn State officials plead guilty to child endangerment in Sandusky case

Two former Penn State officials, ex-athletic director Tim Curley and ex-vice president Gary Schultz, pleaded guilty Monday to misdemeanor child endangerment in connection with the Jerry Sandusky case. They could get up to five years in prison in a deal with prosecutors, who dropped three felony charges of child endangerment and conspiracy.

More >> Two former Penn State officials plead guilty to child endangerment in Sandusky case

Child welfare officials held after 40 teenagers die in Guatemala fire

Three people responsible for overseeing a government-run children's shelter in Guatemala where 40 teenage girls died after a fire have been arrested on suspicion of homicide.

More >> Child welfare officials held after 40 teenagers die in Guatemala fire

Auditor General To Determine If Heavy Caseloads Are Holding Back CYF Workers

In the wake of a 39 percent jump in reports to Pennsylvania’s child abuse hotline in 2015,  the Auditor General’s office is examining the safety of at-risk children by assessing the stresses on caseworkers at children and youth agencies.

More >> Auditor General To Determine If Heavy Caseloads Are Holding Back CYF Workers

2 Teens Steal Van From Group Home In Sevier County; Lead Officers On Chase That Ends With Crash Near Chickamauga Dam

Two teens stole a van from a group home on Sunday and led officers on a chase that ended in a crash near Chickamauga Dam on Sunday night.

More >> 2 Teens Steal Van From Group Home In Sevier County; Lead Officers On Chase That Ends With Crash Near Chickamauga Dam

HSE under pressure to explain foster care inconsistencies

The HSE is accused of a systematic cover-up in regard to how Grace came to be left in the foster home in the South-East for 20 years, despite serious concerns being raised about the home.

More >> HSE under pressure to explain foster care inconsistencies

Eleven children died in care placements arranged by the State in four years

Eleven children died in care placements arranged by the State between 2011 and 2015.

The deaths included four suicides and one drug overdose while six of youngsters died from natural causes.

More >> Eleven children died in care placements arranged by the State in four years

Woman Starts Petition To Repeal Adoption Bill

South Dakota is the fourth state in the nation to pass a so-called religious exemption bill concerning adoption and foster care. Governor Dennis Daugaard recently signed Senate Bill 149 into law March 10.

More >> Woman Starts Petition To Repeal Adoption Bill

Child Welfare Lawyers To Judge: We Made A ‘Simple Mistake’

Florida Department of Children & Families lawyers told a judge they made a “simple mistake” when they gave her incorrect information about the welfare of foster children who may have witnessed a teen hang herself on Facebook live.

More >> Child Welfare Lawyers To Judge: We Made A ‘Simple Mistake’

Dad who lost kids over abuse allegations now fighting at Capitol

Chances are, he'll never see his four daughters again, but Cary Flagg wants something different for other parents.

More >> Dad who lost kids over abuse allegations now fighting at Capitol

Fearful parents sign papers for friends to care for kids in case they're deported

She saw the news of the raids happening around the country and felt helpless. Scared. She had lived here for more than a decade, following her father’s advice: Work hard and stay out of trouble.

More >> Fearful parents sign papers for friends to care for kids in case they're deported

Children on the cusp: The transition from foster care to adulthood is leaving some behind

While DFS’ primary goal is to reunite and strengthen families, that’s not always an option. Nationally, about 26,000 teens age out each year, meaning they turn 18 without having been adopted or reunited with their families. Their preparation starts at 14, when they’re enrolled in Independent Living programs designed to instill basic life skills most kids learn from their parents.

The system is their only bridge.

More >> Children on the cusp: The transition from foster care to adulthood is leaving some behind

Youth aging out of foster struggle to survive in the 'real world'

When Breanna Bullock turned 18 this year, she moved in with her boyfriend, got a job and became responsible for her own life.

More >> Youth aging out of foster struggle to survive in the 'real world'

DCF lawyers not in contempt, judge finds

A Miami judge has ruled that state child welfare lawyers were not in contempt of court when they gave her erroneous information about a girl who was in the same home as a foster sibling who hanged herself — while livestreaming on Facebook.

More >> DCF lawyers not in contempt, judge finds

Public records show DCYF rapidly closed 1,500 cases of suspected child abuse

Months after a review of the agency was announced, the Division for Children, Youth and Families suspended normal procedures to shrink a large backlog of open investigations.

Over two days in February 2016, state child protective services closed out more than 1,500 abuse and neglect investigations – almost 15 percent of the reports it gets in a year, records show.

More >> Public records show DCYF rapidly closed 1,500 cases of suspected child abuse

Bail set at $100,000 for Buffalo mom who prompted Amber Alert

The Buffalo woman who is accused of taking her four-year-old daughter from a bus stop Thursday afternoon, prompting an Amber Alert to be issued in the middle of the night, has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges against her.

More >> Bail set at $100,000 for Buffalo mom who prompted Amber Alert

Separating children from parents may be response to court order

A controversial tactic currently being considered by the Trump Administration that would separate undocumented children from their parents after they are caught illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border may be more about circumventing court action and less about deterrence, immigrant advocates said.

More >> Separating children from parents may be response to court order

'They snatched our girl because they fell out with us': Council ripped teenager, 15, from loving family into foster home where she was abused and left to eat CAT FOOD, inquiry finds

Social workers snatched a vulnerable 15-year-old girl from her school without any warning and placed her in a new home where she was abused, it was revealed yesterday.

More >> 'They snatched our girl because they fell out with us': Council ripped teenager, 15, from loving family into foster home where she was abused and left to eat CAT FOOD, inquiry finds

Will Refusing Vaccines Soon Lead to CPS Kidnapping Your Children for “Medical Neglect”?

Amidst the ever changing, controversial white waters of vaccine safety, parents who choose natural immunity are being targeted by certain members of the medical, legal and public health communities as being guilty of medical neglect.

More >> Will Refusing Vaccines Soon Lead to CPS Kidnapping Your Children for “Medical Neglect”?

Death of foster child being investigated, Ulster County sheriff says

The Ulster County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the death of a child in foster care, authorities said Friday.

More >> Death of foster child being investigated, Ulster County sheriff says

Kentucky governor to hire 'adoption czar' to fix state's foster care system

Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin is hiring an "adoption czar" to help fix Kentucky's foster care system.

More >> Kentucky governor to hire 'adoption czar' to fix state's foster care system

Note: They could also try helping more families and not taking so many kids.   Just a thought.

Real action is needed to curb abuse in foster care

Imagine for a moment how Iowa officials would respond had two horrifying child abuse cases come to light over just a few months, both involving children harmed by their parents, even after repeated warnings to authorities.

More >> Real action is needed to curb abuse in foster care

Starkville woman accused of abuse locked foster child outside

A Starkville woman arrested on a felony child abuse charge Wednesday is accused of locking a foster child outside and refusing to let the child in from the elements.

More >> Starkville woman accused of abuse locked foster child outside

Bill Would Allow Texas to Refuse Same-Sex Couples, Non-Christians as Foster Parents

The proposal would also protect contractors who send children to parochial schools and deny abortion access to young women in their care.

More >> Bill Would Allow Texas to Refuse Same-Sex Couples, Non-Christians as Foster Parents

Ex-Springfield teacher sentenced for sexually abusing teen in her foster care

A former Springfield teacher convicted of statutory sodomy said in court Friday that she made mistakes, but it was the then-14-year-old former student in her foster care who initiated physical contact.

More >> Ex-Springfield teacher sentenced for sexually abusing teen in her foster care

Former DHHS worker convicted in death of 5-year-old to be released

A former DHHS caseworker convicted in the death of a 5-year-old girl will soon be released from prison.

More >> Former DHHS worker convicted in death of 5-year-old to be released

• Former foster carer, 79, and son sentenced over child abuse

Foster carer jailed for sexually abusing vulnerable children in his care as young as 2-years-old

A foster carer who raped and sexually abused vulnerable children in his care - some as young as two - has been jailed for 16 years.

More >> Foster carer jailed for sexually abusing vulnerable children in his care as young as 2-years-old

After Two Suicides In 60 Days, Lawyer Says Florida's Privatization Of Foster Care Is A Failure

A preliminary hearing was held Thursday in the case of Naika Venant, the 14-year-old girl who broadcast her suicide on Facebook Live  from her Miami Gardens foster home earlier this year. It was the second suicide of a teenager in foster care overseen by the agency Our Kids in less than 60 days. In December, 16-year-old Lauryn Martin hanged herself with a scarf in her room at the Florida Keys Children's Shelter on Plantation Key.

More >> After Two Suicides In 60 Days, Lawyer Says Florida's Privatization Of Foster Care Is A Failure

Children in foster care could be offered an attorney

Children as young as 10 who have been removed from their homes have the right to an attorney to represent their wishes in the foster care system.

More >> Children in foster care could be offered an attorney

Cape Coral foster parents await extradition on 700 child abuse charges

Lee County, Fla. - A Cape Coral couple was arrested and charged with a total of 700 counts of child abuse and other charges against their 11 adopted and foster children.  Investigators say some of the victims were under the age of 12.

More >> Cape Coral foster parents await extradition on 700 child abuse charges

New details emerge in case of foster mother charged in murder of Tampa-area toddler

All the red flags were there.

There was a toddler with medical needs; a medically untrained, first-time foster parent with occasional problems falling behind on rent and a possible need for extra income in raising her two biological children; and multiple visits to the hospital, according to news reports and information gathered independently by FloridaPolitics.com Thursday.

More >> New details emerge in case of foster mother charged in murder of Tampa-area toddler

'Their lives were robbed' - Sister of 'Sarah' who lived in the Grace Foster Home speaks about 'horrific sex abuse'

The sister of a child who spent time in the 'Grace' Foster Home has claimed her sister 'Sarah', also suffered horrific sexual abuse at the home.

More >> 'Their lives were robbed' - Sister of 'Sarah' who lived in the Grace Foster Home speaks about 'horrific sex abuse'

• 'As a parent, this is your worst nightmare': Sister of child at 'Grace' home speaks out
• Sister of child who spent time in 'Grace' foster home reveals 'absolute horror'

Child welfare lawyers to judge: We made a 'simple mistake'

Florida Department of Children & Families lawyers told a judge they made a "simple mistake" when they gave her incorrect information about the welfare of foster children who may have witnessed a teen hang herself on Facebook live.

More >> Child welfare lawyers to judge: We made a 'simple mistake'

Gov. Mary Fallin says number of children in state custody declining

The fewest children in “a long, long time” are in state custody, Gov. Mary Fallin said Thursday.

“At one point a couple of years ago, we had more than 11,000 children in state custody. Now we’re down to 9,400. That’s a remarkable drop,” Fallin said following an appearance at the Tandy Family YMCA in Tulsa.

More >> Gov. Mary Fallin says number of children in state custody declining

Can You Sue Child Protective Services for Emotional Distress?

If you've ever been visited by Child Protective Services, you know just how stressful and distressing it can feel. Even the best of parents can get frazzled when someone with the legal authority to take aware their kids is present.

More >> Can You Sue Child Protective Services for Emotional Distress?

Family complains about noisy, alleged drug-dealing neighbors; gets DCF-style investigation by Sheriff’s office

A mother and father have had enough of their neighbors’ drug-dealing, late-night romps that devolve from friendly partying into “screaming matches,” court records in a lawsuit filed in early March indicate.

More >> Family complains about noisy, alleged drug-dealing neighbors; gets DCF-style investigation by Sheriff’s office

DCF to judge: We didn’t lie; we made a mistake

Lawyers for the state’s shaky child welfare agency assured a Miami judge Wednesday that it was a “simple mistake,” rather than a deliberate lie, when they gave her incorrect information about a girl who might have witnessed the suicide of a foster sibling.

More >> DCF to judge: We didn’t lie; we made a mistake

Bill Would Give Oregon Foster Kids The Ability To Switch Case Workers

Oregon lawmakers are considering a measure that would let children age 12 and older switch their foster care case workers.

More >> Bill Would Give Oregon Foster Kids The Ability To Switch Case Workers

Note: The sad thing is that too many of these kids are so drugged up while in care that they wouldn't be able to understand their rights.