'I haven't seen her in almost six years': Father on pain of losing daughter after Motherisk test

As an independent commission in Ontario released a report Monday slamming Motherisk’s hair analysis program, which led to an untold number of children being taken away from their parents after they failed the now-discredited drug-screening test, one father is speaking up about how the program “destroyed” his family when it stripped them of their little girl.


“I feel I was treated wrongly and unfairly and they accused me of something that I didn’t do,” the man, who cannot be identified because of child privacy laws, told CTV News. “And it’s the little girl who suffers more out of all this than myself and my family.”

More >> 'I haven't seen her in almost six years': Father on pain of losing daughter after Motherisk test

• Motherisk program 'unfair and harmful': reporthttps://www.sachem.ca/news-story/8154956-motherisk-program-unfair-and-harmful-report/

Child protection staff turned a blind eye to Aboriginal men sexually assaulting underage girls because of 'cultural reasons'

Child protection case managers in the Northern Territory underwent mandatory training four years ago after it was revealed a small number of staff members ignored relationships between young girls and much older men because of Aboriginal cultural practices.

More >> Child protection staff turned a blind eye to Aboriginal men sexually assaulting underage girls because of 'cultural reasons'

U.S. government frees LI immigrant teen after 7 months

An immigrant teen from Long Island, who is among the chief plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit against the federal government and its contracted shelter, was released after more than seven months in custody, said the advocacy organization representing him.

More >> U.S. government frees LI immigrant teen after 7 months

Public blocked from Eckerd Connects board meeting amid Hillsborough foster care crisis

The Eckerd Connects Board of Directors, which is now facing a foster care crisis in Hillsborough County, held a closed meeting Wednesday morning in Clearwater despite calls from the governor, DCF and 8 On Your Side attorneys to open up that discussion to the public.

More >> Public blocked from Eckerd Connects board meeting amid Hillsborough foster care crisis

Controversial Child Protective Services supervisor back on the job

A controversial Child Protective Services supervisor is back on the job this month in one North Carolina county, after years of legal wrangling over her October 2015 termination.

More >> Controversial Child Protective Services supervisor back on the job

International adoptions have dropped 72 percent since 2005 – here’s why

When Ethiopia stopped allowing its children to be adopted by foreign parents in January, it became the latest country to eliminate or sharply curtail the practice. In recent decades South Korea, Romania, Guatemala, China, Kazakhstan and Russia – all former leaders in foreign adoption – have also banned or cut back on international custody transfers.

In 2005, almost 46,000 children were adopted across borders, roughly half of them headed to a new life in the United States. By 2015 international adoptions had dropped 72 percent, to 12,000 in total. Just 5,500 of these children ended up in the U.S., with the remainder landing in Italy and Spain.

More >> International adoptions have dropped 72 percent since 2005 – here’s why

Hillsborough foster agency, cash-strapped and overloaded with kids, looks to state to cover $4.1 million shortfall

TAMPA — With three months still left in its fiscal year, the agency that runs foster care in Hillsborough County says it is facing a $4.1 million shortfall and wants the state to help.

Eckerd Connects announced the deficit at a meeting of its board Tuesday. Officials are blaming a 44 percent rise in the number of children in care over the past three years, which they say is the result of the state’s opioid epidemic and high rates of domestic abuse.

More >> Hillsborough foster agency, cash-strapped and overloaded with kids, looks to state to cover $4.1 million shortfall

Oregon officials agree to reduce the use of hotels as temporary homes for foster children

Oregon officials have agreed to drastically reduce by mid-2020 their use of hotels and other unsuitable settings as short-term homes for foster children.

The state's child welfare program in desperation has increasingly relied upon hotels, state offices and even youth detention centers to shelter children in recent years. The main reason: Child welfare officials didn't come up with enough foster parents willing and trained to care for the many Oregon children removed from their parents.

More >> Oregon officials agree to reduce the use of hotels as temporary homes for foster children

An eHarmony for adopting kids? Florida launches novel computer-matching pilot program

Can the same data-crunching technology that matches potential couples based on personality, values and interests help Florida’s foster children get adopted?

More >> An eHarmony for adopting kids? Florida launches novel computer-matching pilot program

What the Florida shooting might tell us about child welfare

In the two weeks since Nikolas Cruz gunned down 17 people at his former high school, we have heard a lot about the failure of law enforcement and the need for gun control. We have even begun to get a sense of Cruz’s own troubled history — not only that he had been prone to violence for years, but also that he had been diagnosed with a behavioral disorder and attended a school for children with special needs several years ago.

More >> What the Florida shooting might tell us about child welfare

DHS takes efforts to help foster kids that fall victim to sex trafficking

PORTLAND, OR (KPTV) - The Oregon Department of Human Services is ramping up efforts to help foster kids who are victims of sex trafficking.

Caseworkers say it's a problem they can't ignore and are partnering with law enforcement to identify victims across the state.

More >> DHS takes efforts to help foster kids that fall victim to sex trafficking

Systems Failure in Juvenile Justice

When other systems, like mental health, child welfare and developmental disabilities fail to provide appropriate services and instead spend more time fighting each other, officers are being forced to do tough work out in the field.

More >> Systems Failure in Juvenile Justice

Foster care system one of the paths to murdered and missing Indigenous women

Tina Fontaine was 15 when she was killed and her body thrown in the Red River. Phoenix Sinclair was five when she was beaten to death and her body hidden away in a landfill. Her death went undetected for nine months. Cameron Ouskan, who was regularly bruised and had head injuries, was only 13 months old when he died.

What these children all have in common is that they were Indigenous and they were all in foster care in the province of Manitoba.

More >> Foster care system one of the paths to murdered and missing Indigenous women

• Government says review of how CFS system handled Tina Fontaine will be released

Kentucky will begin paying relatives who take in children the same as foster parents

The state of Kentucky announced Feb. 13 it would begin paying relatives who provide care for displaced children the same stipend as foster parents -- about $750 per month per child.

Norma Hatfield, who has cared for her two grandchildren since 2014, welcomed the news. Although she was able to provide for the pair without state assistance, she said Monday that few grandparents in her position have the same financial resources.

More >> Kentucky will begin paying relatives who take in children the same as foster parents

Discredited hair-testing program harmed vulnerable families across Ontario, report says

A commission looking into child protection cases involving the Motherisk test lab says bad science removed vulnerable children from more than 50 families based on now-discredited hair analysis, but few parents have a chance of finding a satisfactory legal remedy.

More >> Discredited hair-testing program harmed vulnerable families across Ontario, report says

• Motherisk Commission calls for sweeping changes to child protection system

ACLU Sues Trump Administration After Immigrant Mother Separated From Child

Lawsuit aims to reunite woman from Democratic Republic of Congo with her young daughter

More >> ACLU Sues Trump Administration After Immigrant Mother Separated From Child

• US immigration kept asylum seeker and daughter apart for months, suit says

Child protection cases pile up in Halifax court, straining lawyers and legal system

Lola Gilmer's work is never done.

No matter how hard she works or how efficient she is, the legal aid lawyer's caseload only grows. She's stretched to the limit and says she isn't alone.

More >> Child protection cases pile up in Halifax court, straining lawyers and legal system

New adoption fee could create obstacles

United States (MNN) — After a change in adoption accrediting entities, the U.S. Department of State is adding a $500 intercountry adoption fee, which could create barriers with prospective adoptive families and adopting agencies.


More >> New adoption fee could create obstacles

Father of murdered Nashua toddler sues state agency

MANCHESTER — The state’s child protective service agency is facing another lawsuit over its handling of child abuse allegations.

Attorney Rus Rilee of Bedford confirmed on Friday that he has filed a lawsuit in Hillsborough County Superior Court on behalf of the father of 3-year-old Brielle Gage, of Nashua, whose mother is now serving 45 years to life for second-degree murder in the case.

More >> Father of murdered Nashua toddler sues state agency

Ransomware attacks hit two Ontario children’s aid societies

Ransomware attacks at two children’s aid societies have spurred the Ontario government to tighten cybersecurity around a new, $123-million provincial database for children in care.

One of the agencies — the Children’s Aid Society of Oxford County — paid a $5,000 ransom to regain access to their sensitive data after the malware attack on their local servers on Jan. 18, according to sources with knowledge of the incident.

More >> Ransomware attacks hit two Ontario children’s aid societies

Widespread changes demanded to prevent 'another 100 Tina Fontaines'

The death of Tina Fontaine and the acquittal of the man charged with killing her has sparked demands for widespread changes to prevent more young Indigenous people falling through society's cracks.

"It's time to take action … We all have to come together and focus on solutions and stop allowing the most marginalized people in this country to be discriminated against," Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Grand Chief Sheila North said on the steps of court Thursday, after a jury found Raymond Cormier, 56, not guilty of second-degree murder in the death of the teenager from Sagkeeng First Nation.

More >> Widespread changes demanded to prevent 'another 100 Tina Fontaines'

Studies show foster care a toxic environment

More than a decade ago, Casey Family Programs and Harvard Medical School released a comprehensive study of the outcomes for children placed in foster care. The outcomes were dismal.

The foster children had twice the level of post-traumatic stress disorder as Gulf War veterans, nearly one-third were abused in foster care and, as young adults, only one in five was doing well. Many other studies had found similar outcomes before, and others have since.

More >> Studies show foster care a toxic environment

Plato’s influence on Western child-protection laws of today

Searching for answers about the dysfunctional Western child welfare system, which is unjustly confiscating thousands of children from their families every year, I found a possible answer in Plato, whose profound influence on Western thought is well-known.

More >> Plato’s influence on Western child-protection laws of today

MUM'S HORROR: Fake social workers targeting children

EARLIER this month, a NSW mother had a chilling encounter with two unidentified strangers pretending to be government social workers, who gained access to her home using fake IDs to "inspect" her children.

The case, described by NSW Police as "disturbing", has been likened to a wave of similar incidents which sparked a full-blown national panic in the UK nearly three decades ago - and which remain a mystery to this day.

More >> MUM'S HORROR: Fake social workers targeting children

Ransomware attacks hit two Ontario children’s aid societies

Ransomware attacks at two children’s aid societies have spurred the Ontario government to tighten cybersecurity around a new, $123-million provincial database for children in care.

More >> Ransomware attacks hit two Ontario children’s aid societies

A man was accused of sexually assaulting his foster child, but the charges have been dropped

All charges filed against a Juniata County man accused of sexually assaulting a foster child in his care were dropped Friday.

Charges dropped against Douglas Lee Chubb, 52, of Monroe Township, include felony statutory sexual assault of a child more than 11 years old, involuntary deviant sexual intercourse, unlawful contact with a minor, aggravated indecent assault and corruption of minors, and misdemeanor indecent assault of a person younger than 16.

More >> A man was accused of sexually assaulting his foster child, but the charges have been dropped

• Foster child sexually assaulted by guardian, police say

Murder charges filed in Illinois DCFS worker's death

A man implicated in the death earlier this year of an Illinois child welfare worker has been indicted on first-degree murder charges.

More >> Murder charges filed in Illinois DCFS worker's death

Teen group home to close after 2 years of neighbor complaints

After nearly two years of complaints from neighbors, a home for teens diagnosed with mental and behavioral illnesses will be closing, and the youth moved to other facilities run by the non-profit.

The home, located in a neighborhood in Franklin Township in Hunterdon County, is expected to close by April with the youth to move to other facilities, pending approval from the state Department of Family and Youth services, according to Susan Buchwald, chief operating officer for Legacy Treatment Services.

More >> Teen group home to close after 2 years of neighbor complaints

Arizona DCS head responds to claims of failed foster care protections

The main department in Arizona that oversees the state’s foster care system has come under fire recently for allegedly failing to protect foster children from sexual abuse.

But Director Greg McKay, the head of the Arizona Department of Child Safety, told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Mac and Gaydos that the department is doing the best it can to prevent these types of incidents.

More >> Arizona DCS head responds to claims of failed foster care protections

Report: Increased Deportations Could Put More Kids in Foster Care

The immigration policy changes made thus far by the Trump Administration may, in some states, fuel a surge in the number of children who enter foster care, according to a new report from the Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC).

More >> Report: Increased Deportations Could Put More Kids in Foster Care

Homeschooler back at home after Norway ‘child protection’ officials took him from family

A 12-year-old homeschooled boy chased down near his home in Norway and seized from his parents has been returned to his family.

Kai Kristiansen was chased by child welfare services investigators and police officers, tackled and held face-down in the snow, having been ordered into state custody because his family chose to homeschool.

More >> Homeschooler back at home after Norway ‘child protection’ officials took him from family

Additional charges filed against former foster parent

Additional charges have been filed against a former foster parent accused of sexually assaulting teenagers in his care more than a decade ago.

Gary Reed, 65, of Manitowoc, was initially charged in November 2017 with repeated sexual assault of a child.

More >> Additional charges filed against former foster parent

Mother faces £20,000 costs bill despite successfully challenging care order

Local authorities should not have to cover legal aid funding deficiencies, the Court of Appeal has said, while upholding a mother's challenge against a placement order. A placement order allows the local authority to place a child with suitable adopters following care proceedings, even if the parents do not agree.


More >> Mother faces £20,000 costs bill despite successfully challenging care order

Georgia Senate passes LGBT adoption, foster care ban

The Georgia Senate passed a bill on Friday that allows faith-based agencies receiving public funds to ban LGBT people from adopting children or becoming foster parents.

More >> Georgia Senate passes LGBT adoption, foster care ban

Indiana has thousands of foster kids, but knows little about their education. This bill could change that

Foster children in Indiana – and across the country – likely won’t graduate from high school, and very few of them will go on to college. But foster children are rarely included in state-level discussions about how Indiana is educating its kids.

More >> Indiana has thousands of foster kids, but knows little about their education. This bill could change that

How did parents accused of abuse adopt four young children

Questions are being asked as to how Benito and Carol Gutierrez adopted four young children ages 6 to 12.

The children were discovered being held captive in the couple's Flowing Wells home.

More >> How did parents accused of abuse adopt four young children

Free-range kids: Finally, one state lets kids grow up without helicopter parents

We need to protect the rights of parents to raise their children with the traditional childhood experience of independence.

More >> Free-range kids: Finally, one state lets kids grow up without helicopter parents

Number of Kids in Child Welfare System Strains Public Defenders

The Indiana Task Force on Public Defense is touring the state to hear from attorneys, social workers, and citizens about strains on the public defense system.

More >> Number of Kids in Child Welfare System Strains Public Defenders

Father Files Lawsuit Against Foster Care Program After His 9-Month Old Daughter Dies

A 27-year old man has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the foster care provider who he claims ignored his rights as a parent which contributed to the death of his 9-month old daughter.

More >> Father Files Lawsuit Against Foster Care Program After His 9-Month Old Daughter Dies

Erica Parsons' adoptive parents are charged with murdering the 13-year-old girl and dismembering her body seven years after her disappearance

Nearly seven years after Erica Parsons vanished - and five years after she was reported missing - authorities in North Carolina have indicted her adoptive parents in the child's death and dismemberment.

More >> Erica Parsons' adoptive parents are charged with murdering the 13-year-old girl and dismembering her body seven years after her disappearance

• Erica Parsons was 12 or 13 when her parents killed her and cut up the body, cops say

Jenelle Evans Reveals She Used Drugs While Pregnant, But People Are Furious With How CPS Responded

People should learn to mind their own business.

“Teen Mom 2” star and mother of three Jenelle Eason has landed in hot water once again.

From safety concerns to custody battles, the reality star has repeatedly found herself under the social media spotlight for her parenting decisions.

More >> Jenelle Evans Reveals She Used Drugs While Pregnant, But People Are Furious With How CPS Responded

Though the “Teen Mom 2” star didn't go into specifics, many fans seem to feel that CPS didn't do enough following the incident. One Twitter user wrote: 

Something isn’t right. Tests for weed, CPS says no problem? 

Another commenter wrote that “child protective services should take them all” after her recent admission.

Family sues DCS after CBD oil treatment puts toddler's custody in jeopardy

Two-year-old Jaelah Jerger has been fighting most of her life after being diagnosed with myoclonic seizures in July of 2017.

More >> Family sues DCS after CBD oil treatment puts toddler's custody in jeopardy

Erica Parsons' Adoptive Parents Charged With Murder, Child Abuse

SALISBURY, NC - The adoptive parents of Erica Parsons were charged with First-Degree Murder, Felony Child Abuse, Felony Concealment of Death and Obstruction of Justice Tuesday.

The announcement was made at a news conference by Rowan County Sheriff Kevin Auten. The case was presented to a grand jury Monday.

More >> Erica Parsons' Adoptive Parents Charged With Murder, Child Abuse

Former Hillsborough foster teen says she survived foster care failures exposed by 8 On Your Side

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Hope Austrie is 18 years old, enrolled in college and studying criminology. She’s planning a career in law enforcement and is a member of the Tampa Police Explorers.

But as recently as a year ago, her most ambitious dream was a warm bed, a hot meal and someone who might listen to her story about life as a foster child in Hillsborough County.

More >> Former Hillsborough foster teen says she survived foster care failures exposed by 8 On Your Side

Lawsuit: hundreds of foster kids harmed by being bounced from home to home

An international law firm and a children's advocacy group are suing the Florida Department of Children and Families for failing to provide adequate accommodation and care for foster children.

More >> Lawsuit: hundreds of foster kids harmed by being bounced from home to home

Texas same-sex couple sues after rejection as foster parents

A same-sex married couple in Texas is suing federal officials and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops after the women were rejected as foster parents to refugee children.

Fatma Marouf and Bryn Esplin, who both teach at Texas A&M University, filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday in Washington, D.C.

More >> Texas same-sex couple sues after rejection as foster parents

Bradenton foster care worker claims YFA wrongly fired him due to false sex claim by teen foster

BRADENTON, Fla. (WFLA) – Solomon Atkins says for nine years he worked as a model employee for the foster care agency Youth and Family Alternatives (YFA), transporting foster kids from here to Seattle.

But whatever trust he once earned as YFA’s employee of the year faded instantly 14 months ago, when a 15-year-old foster girl accused Atkins of forcing her to commit a sex act during a road trip between Bradenton and Arcadia.

More >> Bradenton foster care worker claims YFA wrongly fired him due to false sex claim by teen foster

Migrant advocates say U.S. is separating parents from children to discourage illegal immigration and asylum requests

Thousands of parents who crossed illegally into the U.S. in recent years have been held with their children at immigration detention centers. But the case of a Brazilian woman and her son illustrates what migrant advocates call a harsher approach to immigration enforcement that aims to separate parents and children.

More >> Migrant advocates say U.S. is separating parents from children to discourage illegal immigration and asylum requests

I-TEAM: Child abuse trial highlights errors possibly made by CPS

LAS VEGAS - Child Protective Services may not be living up to its name when it comes protecting children. A trial unfolding in Clark County this week highlights CPS' actions as a main point of contention.

According to a CPS worker, back in 2010, a Wednesday's Child segment that aired on 8 News NOW, sparked the attention of  Dwight and Janet Solander.

More >> I-TEAM: Child abuse trial highlights errors possibly made by CPS

Ohio Argues to Strip Parents' Custody For Not Accepting Their Child's Transgenderism

In one of the most blatantly biased headlines to grace the pages of the internet in the last...well, probably five minutes, CNN published a piece entitled, "Parents want custody to block trans teen from hormone treatment."

Correction: “State wants to strip parents of their rights for not conforming to their own child’s mental illness.”

More >> Ohio Argues to Strip Parents' Custody For Not Accepting Their Child's Transgenderism

Child welfare system in 'disrepair', social workers stretched thin

Pennsylvania’s Auditor General is preparing a report about how to fix the state’s broken child welfare system.

In September, Auditor General Eugene DePasquale issued a State-of-the-Child report that found Pennsylvania's child welfare system is in disrepair.

More >> Child welfare system in 'disrepair', social workers stretched thin

Records show neglect of Florida school gunman’s mental health

School and government records on Nikolas Cruz, the 19-year-old gunman in the Parkland, Florida school massacre, show that he has evinced serious mental and emotional problems since middle school. Cruz used an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle to kill 17 people—14 students and three teachers—at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School near Fort Lauderdale last Wednesday.

More >> Records show neglect of Florida school gunman’s mental health

Girl’s undue jailing exemplifies plight of foster youth in custody

A 14-year-old foster youth arrested at a long-troubled San Joaquin County children’s shelter was held in jail for weeks after a court had approved her release, simply because child welfare officials were unable to find a suitable home for her.

The girl’s incarceration ended abruptly Wednesday, hours after a reporter contacted officials at the local juvenile hall to inquire about her case. But the problem of youths being locked up because they have no parents to retrieve them and no placement in the foster care system underscores the serious consequences often facing children arrested at state-licensed facilities.

More >> Girl’s undue jailing exemplifies plight of foster youth in custody

Family devastated after their child was taken from them - NBC

Turpin abuse case prompts California bill to tighten regulation of home schools

California lawmakers are pushing to increase regulation of home schools after a dozen siblings were discovered locked in a dirty, dark house in Riverside County.

The house in Perris had been registered as a private school called Sandcastle Day School.

More >> Turpin abuse case prompts California bill to tighten regulation of home schools

Shooter cut himself on Snapchat, but was ruled stable

Note: I haven't posted much about this case because I don't believe that CPS had anything to do with it.  Yes he was adopted at birth (which usually means private adoption although I don't know for sure), but he wasn't a foster child screwed up by the system.  Adult protective services apparently investigated him a year ago for being an idiot on social media, but I deal with child welfare issues.

What this case should bring to light is the fact that parents of kid with mental health issues are largely left to deal with it themselves with very little help available.  Also, the help that is available is usually a joke because psychology is typically pseudoscience. 

I believe that the adoptive mother was probably a good person who tried like hell to raise him right.

• School gunman has history of abusing his mother

Nikolas Cruz had just broken up with his girlfriend, who had been cheating on him, and he’d gotten into a fight with another boy. He’d drawn a "Nazi symbol" on his book bag. And Broward mental health authorities were worried that his chronic depression was worsening.

More >> Shooter cut himself on Snapchat, but was ruled stable

• Shooter cut himself and drew a Nazi symbol on his book bag, but DCF found him to be stable

• Maine Media and Schools Jumping on the Florida School Shooting Paranoia Bandwagon

Baby P's mum in plea to have womb REMOVED as she fears having more kids

Insiders at HMP Low Newton say the monster has approached medical staff there and begged for the op.

She reckons being unable to have any more kids will increase her chance of getting parole.

More >> Baby P's mum in plea to have womb REMOVED as she fears having more kids

Foster child of Janet Solander testifies in court Friday

LAS VEGAS - The trial for a woman accused of torturing her adoptive children, continued Friday.  Prosecutors say three children suffered for years at the hands of Janet Solander.

Solander and her husband Dwight adopted the girls. Dwight took a plea deal and will be sentenced in May.   According to prosecutors, even after repeated complaints were lodged against Child Protective Services, several other children were placed in the Solander's care.

More >> Foster child of Janet Solander testifies in court Friday

Runaway foster kids raise sex-trafficking fears in Kansas

She was 13, living in a Kansas group home, when an older girl convinced her to run away.

That led to her being sold for sex for the first time.

More >> Runaway foster kids raise sex-trafficking fears in Kansas

Editorial: Sacramento should limit unnecessary arrests for foster youth

Following a Chronicle investigation into the unnecessary arrests of traumatized children in California’s foster-care shelters and residential facilities, state Assemblyman Mike Gipson, D-Carson (Los Angeles County), introduced a bill last week that will set limits on this dangerous and destabilizing practice.

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Gipson’s AB2605 bill would create a three-year moratorium on law enforcement calls by foster-care facilities for non-emergency behavioral management situations.

More >> Editorial: Sacramento should limit unnecessary arrests for foster youth

Autopsy finds St. Paul foster home death of girl was natural causes; license still suspended

A 1-year-old St. Paul girl, whose death prompted an investigation and the suspension of her grandmother’s foster care license, died of natural causes, police said this week.

Before Kristin Nelson — also known as Kristin Carter — passed away in November, she was active and happy. She had a cough, though she was playing and not acting sick, her grandmother said Thursday.

More >> Autopsy finds St. Paul foster home death of girl was natural causes; license still suspended

Moms With Postpartum Depression Keep Getting Reported To Child Services

When U.S. mom Jessica Porten made international headlines last month after she shared a shocking story — how, after Porten asked for help with postpartum depression, her nurse practitioner called the police — her nightmarish experience rang true for new moms across Canada, too.

"It happened to me," said Lindsie Green of Toronto. "A public health nurse came to visit me, I explained how I was feeling and CAS (Children's Aid Society) showed up at my door."


More >> Moms With Postpartum Depression Keep Getting Reported To Child Services

MEDFORD FAMILY TRYING TO ADOPT AGAIN AFTER BEING SCAMMED

A Medford family is opening up to NewsWatch 12 in an exclusive interview about their emotional experience being scammed out of time and money when trying to adopt a child. They want other families looking to adopt to beware of scams across the country.

More >> MEDFORD FAMILY TRYING TO ADOPT AGAIN AFTER BEING SCAMMED

Marshfield Man Charged for Sexually Assaulting Foster Children

-A Marshfield man has been charged for sexually assaulting his foster children.

According to court records, 36-year-old John Hanley met with police and a social worker back in August. Hanley told them he had touched an 11-year-old while they were on the couch watching TV and he also touched a 2 and 4-year-old while they were in the shower. Hanley told authorities that he did it because he had been abused as a child and wanted to feel what it was like to be the aggressor.

More >> Marshfield Man Charged for Sexually Assaulting Foster Children

I-Team: Trial starts for mother accused of torturing adoptive kids

LAS VEGAS - The trial for Janet Solander, a woman accused of torturing her adoptive children, started Thursday, and the revelations made in court were not favorable to Child Protective Services.

During opening statements, prosecutors say three children suffered for years at the hands of their adoptive parents, Dwight and Janet and Solander. Dwight took a plea deal, but as prosecutors at Janet's trial spoke Thursday, they pointed out how CPS failed these children by failing to protect them and take action when people made complaints five times stating that the girls may have been in danger.

More >> I-Team: Trial starts for mother accused of torturing adoptive kids

Texas Claims Foster Child-Care Abuses Were ‘Cherry-Picked’

The Fifth Circuit on Thursday heard Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office defend his state’s foster child-care system by saying that attorneys for the class of 12,000 foster kids “cherry-picked” a dozen tragic cases of foster care abuse, rather than using a random sample.

Texas Assistant Solicitor General Jody Hughes said the class “ultimately failed to show a class-wide problem” during the federal trial. “They hand-picked a few unfortunate cases,” Hughes said.

More >> Texas Claims Foster Child-Care Abuses Were ‘Cherry-Picked’

Child Protective Services Is Abducting Homeschooled Children

The relationship between parent and child is a sacred and time held one. It is a foundation pillar of society. It is the right and proper duty of the parent to assure that their children learn the moral, ethical, and educational building blocks of society, and how to employ them to be good and proper members of said society.

More >> Child Protective Services Is Abducting Homeschooled Children

Tiahleigh Palmer murder accused Rick Foster applies for judge-only trial

THE foster father charged with the murder of Queensland schoolgirl Tiahleigh Palmer will make a rare request from the judge ahead of his trial.

More >> Tiahleigh Palmer murder accused Rick Foster applies for judge-only trial

Court bans 'biological father' from helping neglected child

A New York appeals court has rejected an attempt by a sperm donor to assert parental rights to a child who was removed from a lesbian couple and put in foster care because of neglect complaints.

More >> Court bans 'biological father' from helping neglected child

Oklahoma foster parent charged with rape of 15-year-old boy in her care

Stephanie Cowan DOB 2-6-84 PRYOR — Four children placed with a Mayes County woman in foster care have been removed from her home after she was accused of raping a 15-year-old boy.

Stephanie Cowan, 34, of Salina was charged Jan. 24 in Mayes County District Court with three counts of second-degree rape. She is free on $30,000 bail and set to return to court in March.

More >> Oklahoma foster parent charged with rape of 15-year-old boy in her care

Russian Court Says Foster Mother Unfit Because Of ‘Male Behavior’

A Russian court ruled earlier this month that 40-year-old Yulia Savinovskikh is unfit to foster two children with disabilities, claiming that because she allegedly exudes a 'style of male behavior,' she violated Russian family legislation as well as the 'traditions and mentality' of Russian society.

The two 5-year-old boys had been living with Savinovskikh and her husband for three-and-a-half and two years, respectively.

More >> Russian Court Says Foster Mother Unfit Because Of ‘Male Behavior’

Adoptive brother agrees plea deal over the death of 16-year-old sister he 'drop-kicked down the stairs'

The adoptive brother of a 16-year-old girl who was tortured and then died of malnutrition in her family home, has reached a plea deal with prosecutors.

The tragic teenager was found  in the Iowa home she shared with her adoptive parents, who have also been charged.

More >> Adoptive brother agrees plea deal over the death of 16-year-old sister he 'drop-kicked down the stairs' and who was 'tortured, held captive and starved' before her body was found, weighing just 56 pounds

Suicide foster teen 'failed' ahead of leaving care

The 17-year-old boy, from Powys, killed himself three months before his 18th birthday after becoming anxious about living independently. 

More >> Suicide foster teen 'failed' ahead of leaving care

Charges dropped against foster caretaker accused of child abuse

ALBUQUERQUE, NM —
The foster caretaker charged with child abuse after a baby girl died under her care in Belen had her charges dropped.

But the move does not mean Stephanie Crownover is off the hook.

More >> Charges dropped against foster caretaker accused of child abuse

Teacher charged with child abuse after allegedly making student stand for the Pledge of Allegiance

A teacher accused of assaulting a middle school student who wouldn’t stand for the pledge of allegiance is facing criminal charges.

More >> Teacher charged with child abuse after allegedly making student stand for the Pledge of Allegiance

Kansas DCF Investigated by Task Force: New Director Seeks Funding

A legislative task force investigates the  Kansas Department of Children and Families.   The state has more children than ever in state custody.

More than seven thousand Kansas kids are in foster care. Many people involved are afraid to talk about problems in the system which has operated in a veil of secrecy.    Caseworkers who have  quit the agency and  it’s subcontractor KVC have complained of  caseloads of up to seventy at a time, and  foster parents tell of being threatened or even losing their licenses after complaining about caseworkers.

More >> Kansas DCF Investigated by Task Force: New Director Seeks Funding

Sixties Scoop adoptees want to scuttle $800M settlement, say 'it's just not gonna be enough'

A group of Indigenous Sixties Scoop adoptees is trying to scuttle a proposed $800-million settlement announced last year by the federal government, CBC News has learned.

More >> Sixties Scoop adoptees want to scuttle $800M settlement, say 'it's just not gonna be enough'

Arizona bill prohibiting rules for guns in foster homes advances

Legislation that would prevent the Arizona Department of Child Safety from imposing rules on guns in foster homes has won approval from a state House panel.

More >> Arizona bill prohibiting rules for guns in foster homes advances

'A big state versus a poor family': Canadian's son forcibly removed in Norway

A Canadian mother living in Norway says she is living a nightmare after child welfare authorities came into her home and took away her 12-year-old son over what she calls “a misunderstanding.”

Terese and Leif Kristiansen posted a video to Facebook last Thursday that shows her crying and calling for help while police and social workers chase after their son, Kai, outside the family apartment in As, Norway.

More >> 'A big state versus a poor family': Canadian's son forcibly removed in Norway

DCS: 2-year-old girl in foster care taken by her parents

DCS officials say they are looking for a missing 2-year-old girl in foster care.

According to a statement released Wednesday night, Harmony Victoria Dozier was taken from a Phoenix location by her parents, Tiffany Ivory Moore and Kenneth Gaylord Dozier. Harmony was in the legal custody of the state, due to allegations of severe child abuse committed upon Harmony's sibling by the parents.

More >> DCS: 2-year-old girl in foster care taken by her parents

Report finds holes in child representation in protective services cases

Idaho has serious gaps in representation for children involved in protective services cases, according to a report by the Office of Performance Evaluation.

More >> Report finds holes in child representation in protective services cases

Foster mom of Cypress rape victim 'relieved' after arrest

A foster mom says she is relieved after learning about the arrest of an alleged rapist.

More >> Foster mom of Cypress rape victim 'relieved' after arrest

• Soldier is charged in Cypress rape case

Foster mom evicted, claims homeowner wouldn't solve black mold issue

A local mother faces eviction after she talked to Action News Jax about the black mold growing in her home.

Murcell Tarver's landlord says she is welcome to live elsewhere, and claims efforts were made to fix the problem. He also claims she didn’t pay rent.

More >> Foster mom evicted, claims homeowner wouldn't solve black mold issue

Mum visited by fake welfare workers as authorities issue warning

Authorities have issued a public warning after a man and woman visited a home near Queanbeyan in NSW pretending to be child protection caseworkers.

More >> Mum visited by fake welfare workers as authorities issue warning

• NSW mum visited by fake welfare workers
• Fake FACS workers talk way into family home, view babies and check bedrooms

Oregon Senate passes bill to protect parental rights

In the wake of a high-profile Redmond custody fight, the Oregon Senate voted Friday to pass Senate Bill 1526 A, which prohibits the courts and the Oregon Department of Human Services from removing a child from their parents' care based solely on a parent's disability.

More >> Oregon Senate passes bill to protect parental rights

CHILDREN TAKEN AWAY FROM FOSTER MOM FOLLOWING RAPE CHARGES

Authorities have removed four children placed with a Mayes County woman in foster care.

This comes after 34-year-old Stephanie Cowan was accused of raping a 15-year-old boy.

More >> CHILDREN TAKEN AWAY FROM FOSTER MOM FOLLOWING RAPE CHARGES

Caseworker aware of man's sex crime when placing boy in his custody, York County says

In court documents, York County responded to allegations contained in a lawsuit against it and three employees at the Office of Children, Youth and Families.

More >> Caseworker aware of man's sex crime when placing boy in his custody, York County says

State dispatches nine experts to probe Hillsborough’s foster care troubles

A pattern of leaving teens in foster care unsupervised has already cost a local child welfare agency a $9.2 million contract.

But that may just be the beginning of the fallout. The Florida Department of Children and Families on Monday released details of a plan for an intensive review of Hillsborough County’s foster care system.

More >> State dispatches nine experts to probe Hillsborough’s foster care troubles

Desperate Venezuelans leave children at orphanages

“Would you like to see the little ones?” asked Magdelis Salazar, a social worker, beckoning me toward a crowded playground.

We were at Venezuela’s largest orphanage, just after lunch. The yard was an obstacle course of abandoned children. A little chunk of a boy, on the cusp of 3, sat on a play scooter. He was called El Gordo – the fat one. But when he was left here a few months ago, he was skin and bones.

More >> Desperate Venezuelans leave children at orphanages

Report: Children not always represented in protection cases

Idaho has serious gaps in representation for children involved in protective services cases, according to a report by the Office of Performance Evaluation.

The Joint Legislative Oversight Committee received the lengthy report at a hearing last Monday.

More >> Report: Children not always represented in protection cases

Huntingburg Family Suing Child Protective Service Workers

A Huntingburg couple who claims their daughter was "medically kidnapped" is now suing two Child Protective Services workers.

In the lawsuit filed last week, Lelah and Jade Jerger claim the Indiana Department of Child Services workers ordered their daughter's blood be drawn to make sure Keppra, a medicine for seizures, was in her system.

More >> Huntingburg Family Suing Child Protective Service Workers

Mariah and the Toy Box

SPIDERS CRAWLED UP her tiny limbs, as monkeys danced and bunnies hopped about.

Her fingers curled up in jagged spasms, her belly shook violently, and her pupils grew nearly as wide as her big brown eyes. Her heart pumped as fast as it could to cope with the methamphetamine coursing through her 33-pound body.

More >> Mariah and the Toy Box

President Donald Trump Frets For “Shattered Lives” Of Accused Abusers

While much of the country remains angered and revolted by the photograph of a woman’s bruised face, President Donald Trump is worrying about black eyes on the reputations of men whose “lives are being shattered and destroyed by a mere allegation.”


More >> President Donald Trump Frets For “Shattered Lives” Of Accused Abusers

Do You Need An Attorney When Talking To Child Protective Services?

If you are asked by social workers to talk to child protective services, you may think you are just having a formal or an informal conversation with a service. However, as soon as you enter, they are starting to build a case against you and you need to be aware of that.

More >> Do You Need An Attorney When Talking To Child Protective Services?

Kids in psych center say staff sexually, physically abused them. Why didn’t officials listen?

In April, a 17-year-old with a history of suicide attempts and depression escaped from a south Charlotte psychiatric hospital. Staff members who caught him used unnecessary force, the teen said, and threatened to beat him up if he told anyone.

At the same facility in September, according to court and police records, a teenage girl said she had sex with a staff member. A grand jury later indicted the Strategic Behavioral Center employee on a charge of statutory rape.

More >> Kids in psych center say staff sexually, physically abused them. Why didn’t officials listen?

Teen shelter in Southington neighborhood isn’t welcome by some

The presence of  the Birchcrest Drive shelter, called the Winifred House, among single-family homes isn’t welcome by some neighbors. They’ve started a petition to have the state Department of Children and Families move the home, saying runaway teens and police calls is a disruption to the neighborhood. Town officials have joined the effort and are considering an ordinance that would fine The Bridge for “excessive” police calls. The town has also asked for help from state and federal lawmakers.

More >> Teen shelter in Southington neighborhood isn’t welcome by some

Foster father’s name in birth papers: HC orders probe

Gujarat high court has directed the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) to launch an inquiry into a 12-year-old girl's birth certificate after her biological parents objected to insertion of her foster father's name in the certificate.

More >> Foster father’s name in birth papers: HC orders probe

Young children should not be arrested in school and sent to psychiatric hospitals

Twenty years ago, when a 7-year-old had a temper tantrum in a public school, the school would suspend the child. The police would not be called, and it would be unthinkable to subject the child to an involuntary mental examination in a psychiatric ward of a hospital.

As time went on, and patience wore down, young children with emotional or behavioral disabilities were arrested and placed in juvenile detention facilities. Now, it is increasingly common for a police officer to remove children having tantrums from school and take them to a psychiatric hospital for examination and treatment — without their parents’ consent. Since 2006, there has been a decrease in juvenile arrests, and a dramatic increase in involuntary examinations and commitments under the Florida Mental Health Act, otherwise called the Baker Act. From 2000 to 2016, there has been an 87 percent increase in the number of children subjected to a Baker Act proceeding, and a 76 percent increase in such proceedings against children ages 5-10.

More >> Young children should not be arrested in school and sent to psychiatric hospitals

Child molester, former Soquel foster father, denied new trial

A Santa Cruz County Superior Court Judge on Friday denied a retrial request by a convicted Soquel child molester and former foster parent and school volunteer who filed almost a dozen claims challenging the result of his 2016 trial and conviction, according to court documents.

Steven Weissman, 62, a will be sentenced at 10 a.m. May 29 in Superior Court. He was convicted of 15 felonies: 12 counts of lewd acts with a child younger than 14, lewd acts with a child, aggravated sexual assault of a minor and copulation with a child younger than 10, according to court documents.

More >> Child molester, former Soquel foster father, denied new trial

Protests mount against Norwegian Child Welfare Service

Researchers are working to understand why Norway’s child protective services sometimes resort to the dramatic step of taking a child from its mother right after birth.

More >> Protests mount against Norwegian Child Welfare Service

Don’t believe the hype. The Family First Act is a step backwards for child welfare finance reform

Perhaps you’ve heard. Tacked onto the bill that averted another government shutdown is a child welfare finance “reform” measure called the Family First Prevention Services Act.

The bill was thought to be dead. It was killed last year by what one reformer who transformed his own institution years ago called the group home industry – the collection of private agencies typically paid for every day they hold foster children in the worst form of care, group homes and institutions -- and their public sector allies.

But it came back to life as part of the process of keeping the government open.  Now it’s law.

More >> Don’t believe the hype. The Family First Act is a step backwards for child welfare finance reform

DCF review seeks to ‘get to bottom’ of Hillsborough foster care missteps

TAMPA — The state plans to conduct a "comprehensive review" of Hillsborough County’s foster care system after a child welfare agency lost a $9.2 million contract for leaving children unsupervised.

The review will be conducted by the Florida Department of Children and Families, which pays Eckerd Connects about $73 million per year to run the county’s child welfare system.

More >> DCF review seeks to ‘get to bottom’ of Hillsborough foster care missteps

U.S. budget deals grants $1.5 billion for opioid-addicted babies, families

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. budget deal adopted by Congress on Friday includes what advocates call a landmark compromise to provide an estimated $1.5 billion over 10 years to try to keep struggling families together, including those with babies born dependent on opioids.

More >> U.S. budget deals grants $1.5 billion for opioid-addicted babies, families

State Now Assumes All Homeschoolers Are Child Abusers, Reveals Plans for Involuntary Home Visits

Lawmakers in the state of California are now pushing for families who homeschool their children to be subject to involuntary home visits from state employees—treating those parents with the same oversight and involvement that they would give parents who have abused their children.

The new regulations could consist of forced meetings with child protective services and other government agencies, which would leave the burden on the parents to prove to the government that they are fit to be parents who homeschool their children, according to the state’s guidelines.

More >> State Now Assumes All Homeschoolers Are Child Abusers, Reveals Plans for Involuntary Home Visits

Gov. Scott troubled by Hillsborough’s foster care failures brought to light by 8 On Your Side

Governor Rick Scott has a problem with the failures we recently exposed in our investigation into Hillsborough’s foster care system.

“I’m a father and now a grandfather and you want every child to be treated with respect and fulfill whatever their dreams are,” Gov. Scott told 8 On Your Side.

More >> Gov. Scott troubled by Hillsborough’s foster care failures brought to light by 8 On Your Side

Foster father gets probation after toddler drowned in Upstate community pool

The Solicitor's Office said a man was sentenced to probation after his foster son drowned in a pool in September 2016.

The tragedy occurred at the Partridge Ridge Subdivision on Duncan Chapel Road when officials said 2-year-old Za'Marion Wilcox fell into the water.

More >> Foster father gets probation after toddler drowned in Upstate community pool

Former Live Oak foster parent, scout leader faces new allegations

A new trial date will be set this month after allegations of a new victim disrupted court proceedings for a former Live Oak foster parent, Girl Scouts troop leader and Scotts Valley Unified School District technology director accused of molesting children, according to court documents.

Carl Guerin, 56, faces 16 felonies in connection with lewd acts with children and attempts to dissuade a witness, according to court documents.

More >> Former Live Oak foster parent, scout leader faces new allegations

Former foster father faces more assault charges

Kenosha County prosecutors filed for more charges against a former Twin Lakes foster father who allegedly sexually assaulted children under his care two decades ago.

Gary M. Reed, 65, who was already bound over for trial, faces three counts of repeated sexual assault of the same child.

More >> Former foster father faces more assault charges

Bardstown man accused of sex crimes against foster children

UPDATE: Innes was indicted Feb. 7 on one count of first-degree rape and two counts of sodomy. His bail was set at $500,000 cash only, plus conditions. His arraignment in court is Feb. 22, 2018.

More >> Bardstown man accused of sex crimes against foster children

Foster parents say contract terminated after they spoke out on child they raised for 9 years

John and Jane served as foster parents in B.C. for 30 years.

But the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) cancelled their contract without explanation after they spoke out on behalf of their last foster child, according to them.

More >> Foster parents say contract terminated after they spoke out on child they raised for 9 years

Back-to-back claims: Kids were abused in foster care, and DCS dropped the ball

One claim alleges a decade of horrific abuse and neglect; another documents that a registered sex offender lived in a foster home and abused a young girl.

More >> Back-to-back claims: Kids were abused in foster care, and DCS dropped the ball

Illinois child welfare worker dies after September attack

An Illinois child welfare worker died Thursday from injuries suffered when she was severely beaten last year while trying to take protective custody of a child.

Pamela Sue Knight died at a Chicago hospital, according to Neil Skene, spokesman for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.

More >> Illinois child welfare worker dies after September attack

Foster child placed in a home with a sex offender, document says

"If a common citizen can go put their address in the database to find out how many sex offenders live around him or her, why can't DCS do the same thing when placing a child in foster care?"

More >> Foster child placed in a home with a sex offender, document says

Inside the Native American Foster Care Crisis Tearing Families Apart

Elisia Manuel remembers when she and her husband Tecumseh received their first foster child. “We had to go buy the boy some clothes,” she told me. “We had to get him everything, because he came with nothing. The agency even had to lend us a car seat to bring him home.” Elisia, who comes from the Mescalero Apache and Yaqui tribes, and Tecumseh, an Akimel O’odham from the Gila River Indian Community located just south of Phoenix, were thrilled to get a Native child to care for—even if it meant completely outfitting the little boy, purchasing a heavy-duty washer, and finding other supplies.

More >> Inside the Native American Foster Care Crisis Tearing Families Apart

Australia to apologise to institutional child abuse victims

Australia will apologise to survivors of institutional child sex abuse by the end of the year, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said, after a five-year inquiry detailed harrowing stories from victims.

A royal commission established in 2012 to investigate abuse was contacted by more than 15,000 survivors with claims - some decades-old - involving churches, orphanages, sporting clubs, youth groups and schools.

More >> Australia to apologise to institutional child abuse victims

Many in foster care end up homeless

The law says child maltreatment is when a person responsible for a child permits another person to abuse or neglect a child in either a physical, sexual, emotional or educational way.

If a parent can be charged with this crime and have a child removed by CPS, then doesn’t that make CPS responsible for the child?

CPS takes America’s kids away from their families and places them in someone’s home, who is paid by the government to care for the child until the child is an adult. They have no interest in what happens to a foster child, and if a child asks to go home they are denied their right to be with family. Now CPS is inflicting emotional trauma. Yes, they should be charged with a crime!

More >> Many in foster care end up homeless

Man accused in foster child’s drowning pleads guilty to lesser charge

A Greenville man who was arrested after his 2-year-old foster child drowned in a pool over Labor Day weekend in 2016 pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.

More >> Man accused in foster child’s drowning pleads guilty to lesser charge

Father Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Foster Care Provider

A 27-year-old west suburban man has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against a Chicago-based social service provider, because he said, their negligence contributed to the death of his 9-month-old daughter.

The infant’s name was Cherish Freeman. Her mother, from Joliet, is accused of murdering the girl, who died on Christmas Eve.

More >> Father Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Foster Care Provider

Court docs: Foster father admits to squeezing infant, causing at least 20 broken bones

A foster parent is facing battery and neglect charges after an infant suffered at least 20 broken bones.

Officers were informed by a doctor at Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health on Jan. 31 they were caring for an infant who had bruises, multiple posterior rib fractures and other broken bones across her body.

More >> Court docs: Foster father admits to squeezing infant, causing at least 20 broken bones

Critics say North Carolina's foster care system fails kids - what's being done about it

Concerns about North Carolina's foster care system are validated by the latest U.S. Health and Human Services report on the state. It shows the turnover rate for social workers is rising at an alarming rate. Between 2013 and 2014, it jumped from 23 to 28 percent. For the ones who stay, cases pile up.

More >> Critics say North Carolina's foster care system fails kids - what's being done about it

Child foster agency fired and reported for leaving children unsupervised

TAMPA — A foster care agency has lost a $9.2 million contract and been reported to the state’s abuse hotline after reports that its staff left foster children unsupervised.

Eckerd Connects, the lead child welfare agency in Tampa Bay, said Tuesday it is terminating its contract with Youth and Family Alternatives to provide case management for foster children in Hillsborough County.

More >> Child foster agency fired and reported for leaving children unsupervised

Kids found safe after running away from treatment center

Five young children who ran away from a treatment center Tuesday morning were found safe several hours later, police said.

More >> Kids found safe after running away from treatment center

Man charged with murder in foster child's death

Radcliff police have arrested a foster parent more than eight months after a four-year-old boy in his care died.On May 8, the boy was taken to Norton Children's hospital unconscious, and not breathing. He was accompanied by his foster parent, Bill Embry. The child died two days later.

More >> Man charged with murder in foster child's death

Former foster parent sentenced to eight months for possessing child porn

A former foster father has been sentenced to eight months in jail for possession of child pornography.

The man is not being named to protect the identities of his former foster daughters, whose complaint to police in 2013 led Manitoba RCMP to find more than 800 images of child pornography on the 53-year-old mechanic’s laptop and in his garage.

More >> Former foster parent sentenced to eight months for possessing child porn

Youth will have say in coroner’s review of group and foster home safety

Up to 10 youth with experience in Ontario’s child welfare system will be invited to inform a panel of experts probing the deaths of 11 young people in residential care over the past three years.

More >> Youth will have say in coroner’s review of group and foster home safety

Seattle foster children fed ‘dog food burritos' get $6M from state

A state agency agrees to pay millions to four former foster children sent to the home of a Seattle couple even after the state had revoked their license.

"I would rather have spent an eternity in hell before I spend another day in the Robinsons' house," said a former foster child.

More >> Seattle foster children fed ‘dog food burritos' get $6M from state

Governor Bevin suggest rethinking policy for child welfare cases

Kentucky Governor says the Commonwealth should not put an emphasis on placing children back with families involved in Cabinet for Health and Family Services investigations.

More >> Governor Bevin suggest rethinking policy for child welfare cases

New report finds 76 deaths last year of children in Massachusetts under state supervision

BOSTON -- In fiscal 2017, there were 76 deaths of children under state care or supervision, 25 reports of near-fatalities and nine serious bodily injuries, according to a report released Tuesday by the Office of the Child Advocate.

More >> New report finds 76 deaths last year of children in Massachusetts under state supervision

Foster kids kept in cars at Wawa parking lot in Hillsborough County

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – In a month-long investigation of foster care in Hillsborough County, 8 On Your Side has discovered a disturbing practice of keeping foster kids in cars day and night at a Wawa gas station because they had nowhere else to go.

One day after we started asking questions, Eckerd Connects fired its contractor, Youth and Family Alternatives, the provider of that foster care, citing a lack of proper supervision.

“They’re just sitting there through the night or throughout the day,” said former Youth and Family Alternatives case manager Sharday Moore.

More >> Foster kids kept in cars at Wawa parking lot in Hillsborough County

Foster parents told not to hug or cuddle children they are bringing up in official guidance about the risk of sex abuse

Foster parents are discouraged from hugging or cuddling the children they are bringing up, a scathing report found yesterday.

They are deterred from showing affection by warnings in official guidance about the risk of sex abuse, it said.

More >> Foster parents told not to hug or cuddle children they are bringing up in official guidance about the risk of sex abuse

Family sues CPS workers who investigated after parents gave toddler CBD oil for seizures

The parents of a two-year-old girl are suing the Department of Child Services case workers who they said threatened to take away their child after they gave her cannabidiol oil to treat her epilepsy.

Lelah Jerger, the child's mother, said Child Protective Services arrived at the Jergers' house in Huntingburg in September, after personnel at Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health reported her when she and her husband used CBD oil to treat their daughter Jaelah, rather than Keppra, a prescribed medication.

More >> Family sues CPS workers who investigated after parents gave toddler CBD oil for seizures

Can state child welfare services talk to kids without your consent? Depends on who you ask.

James Luster of Gulfport said he will never forget the events of Monday, Jan. 29. That was the day he learned he was being investigated by Mississippi Child Protective Services.

Luster denies the allegations and said they were “not true.”

More >> Can state child welfare services talk to kids without your consent? Depends on who you ask.

Grandmother of toddler allegedly killed by mother says child services failed them

A South Florida grandmother devastated over the brutal murder of her 2-year-old grandson, allegedly at the hands of his own mother, said state child welfare officials could have done more to prevent his death.

More >> Grandmother of toddler allegedly killed by mother says child services failed them

Lawmakers question whether foster system should speed search for biological parents

JEFFERSON CITY — Searches for biological parents of children in state custody soon could face a much stricter deadline.

House Bill 2027 would excuse the children’s division of Missouri’s Department of Social Services from a search for a child’s biological parent or parents after the child has been in the system for 60 days if certain conditions are met.

More >> Lawmakers question whether foster system should speed search for biological parents

Firebombing suspect has history of threatening caseworkers

The Plains Twp. man accused of firebombing the Luzerne County Children and Youth Services building amid a child custody battle last year has a long history of threatening caseworkers, according to court documents filed Monday.

More >> Firebombing suspect has history of threatening caseworkers

Threat Of Deportation: A Trigger For Toxic Stress In Children Left Behind

On a snowy Saturday morning in January, Selvin, 13, and his mother were in the basement of the First and Summerfield United Methodist Church in New Haven, to support a friend in sanctuary. As they sat there, the boy tried to push away thoughts of how it would be when ICE came to take away his own mother, who is also under a deportation order.

“I’m going to be alone with my little brother and my dad,” Selvin said. “Sometimes I feel I don’t want to talk to anybody. I just go to my room, lock the door, and I feel depressed.”

More >> Threat Of Deportation: A Trigger For Toxic Stress In Children Left Behind

Review board says Dalton grandmother is "too old" to get custody of great-granddaughter

Dalton, GA. — A Dalton great- grandmother says her parenting ability is being judged unfairly.

A review panel in Georgia says the 73-year-old is too old to have permanent custody of her 16-month-old granddaughter.

More >> Review board says Dalton grandmother is "too old" to get custody of great-granddaughter

Kentucky governor explains termination of 'adoption czar'

Kentucky's Republican governor said he terminated a $240,000 no-bid contract for a state "adoption czar" because it was not worth it to keep him on the job even though he praised his performance.

More >> Kentucky governor explains termination of 'adoption czar'

Legal claim against state alleges abuse of foster child

TUCSON, AZ - A $15 million notice of claim alleges the state of Arizona failed to protect a former foster child who spent 12 years in the home of a man convicted of child sex crimes.

The Arizona Daily Star reports the claim was filed against the Department of Child Safety and Department of Economic Security.

The claim is a precursor to a lawsuit.

More >> Legal claim against state alleges abuse of foster child

Leaving Child Home Alone To Be A Crime In Texas If "Sherin's Law" Passed

FYI: This is a knee-jerk reaction.

HOUSTON:  Efforts to have a new law in the US state of Texas which would make it a felony to leave a child alone at home is gathering steam and has won the support of a lawmaker in whose constituency 3-year-old Indian girl Sherin Mathews was found dead in a culvert, a media report said.

The proposed 'Sherin's Law' would make it a felony to leave a child at home alone, US media reports quoted activists involved in the move as saying.

More >> Leaving Child Home Alone To Be A Crime In Texas If "Sherin's Law" Passed

With charges dropped, foster mom accused of killing baby seeks to rebuild life

Tammi Flythe’s pain runs deep.

“It started when that little baby died,” Flythe said.

More >> With charges dropped, foster mom accused of killing baby seeks to rebuild life

Employee Of Child Protection Services Arrested For Sexual Assaults On Minors

Waves of shock have rippled across the country as a man working for the Government Agency for Child Protection was arrested following eight complaints of sexual assault on minors. The police expect more people to come forward with accusations.

More >> Employee Of Child Protection Services Arrested For Sexual Assaults On Minors