Editor’s note: From the time she was a little girl growing up in the Upper Valley in the 1980s, Becky Dunbar has struggled with the impact of what she believes was the state’s failure to protect her from abuse as a young girl. This three-part series by Matt Hongoltz-Hetling, published in the Sunday Valley News through Jan. 6, tells the story of Dunbar’s life as she lost her childhood, her sense of safety and, ultimately, custody of her own children.
More >> What Becky lost: A system’s broken promises
Monday, December 31, 2018
Kaufman County Sheriff's Office investigating 5-month-old foster child's death at Forney-area home
The Kaufman County Sheriff's Office is investigating a five-month-old foster child's death at a Forney-area home on Saturday.
Early Saturday morning, the Kaufman County Sheriff's Office was dispatched to a home in the 2000 block of Chisholm Trail in the Windmill Farms neighborhood for an unresponsive five-month-old child.
More >> Kaufman County Sheriff's Office investigating 5-month-old foster child's death at Forney-area home
Early Saturday morning, the Kaufman County Sheriff's Office was dispatched to a home in the 2000 block of Chisholm Trail in the Windmill Farms neighborhood for an unresponsive five-month-old child.
More >> Kaufman County Sheriff's Office investigating 5-month-old foster child's death at Forney-area home
Canadian fights to see son in Japan, where legal system leaves many parents behind
A Canadian man living in Japan who has spent years trying to reconnect with his son after a marriage breakdown says under the current system, his best chance at restoring visitation would be to move — all the way back to Canada.
Tim Terstege, a 44-year-old Barrie, Ont., native, says he last saw his son during a supervised visit three years ago. Today, he doesn't know where his wife and son are but suspects they are in the city of Yokohama, about 40 kilometres south of Tokyo, where his wife took his son after the couple split.
More >> Canadian fights to see son in Japan, where legal system leaves many parents behind
Tim Terstege, a 44-year-old Barrie, Ont., native, says he last saw his son during a supervised visit three years ago. Today, he doesn't know where his wife and son are but suspects they are in the city of Yokohama, about 40 kilometres south of Tokyo, where his wife took his son after the couple split.
More >> Canadian fights to see son in Japan, where legal system leaves many parents behind
Kelly blames Sessions for family separations
Outgoing White House chief of staff John Kelly is blaming former Attorney General Jeff Sessions for a policy that led to the separations of thousands of migrant families at the southern border.
“What happened was Jeff Sessions, he was the one that instituted the zero-tolerance process on the border that resulted in both people being detained and the family separation,” Kelly told the Los Angeles Times.
More >> Kelly blames Sessions for family separations
“What happened was Jeff Sessions, he was the one that instituted the zero-tolerance process on the border that resulted in both people being detained and the family separation,” Kelly told the Los Angeles Times.
More >> Kelly blames Sessions for family separations
Greece child protection services 'disjointed and inadequate'
When two children from the small, remote Greek island of Leros were taken to one of the largest paediatric hospitals in Athens for a psychological evaluation, they were about to fall prey to one of the country's rarely talked about problems.
More >> Greece child protection services 'disjointed and inadequate'
More >> Greece child protection services 'disjointed and inadequate'
Videos showing shelter staffers pushing, shoving migrant children under review for possible criminal charges
A case regarding the alleged abuse of migrant children in a Southwest Key shelter will be referred to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office for review and to determine whether criminal charges will be filed, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.
The news comes after the Arizona Republic obtained surveillance videos through an open records request that show staffers pushing and dragging migrant children in a shelter operated by Southwest Key, the nation's largest provider of migrant children shelters.
More >> Videos showing shelter staffers pushing, shoving migrant children under review for possible criminal charges
The news comes after the Arizona Republic obtained surveillance videos through an open records request that show staffers pushing and dragging migrant children in a shelter operated by Southwest Key, the nation's largest provider of migrant children shelters.
More >> Videos showing shelter staffers pushing, shoving migrant children under review for possible criminal charges
Is Child Protective Services Trafficking Children?
Here’s the ugly truth: most Americans who are victims of sex trafficking come from our nation’s own foster care system. It’s a deeply broken system that leaves thousands vulnerable to pimps as children and grooms them for the illegal sex trade as young adults...Most people don’t know about our nation’s foster care to sex trafficking pipeline, but the facts are sobering. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) found that “of the more than 18,500 endangered runaways reported to NCMEC in 2016, one in six were likely victims of child sex trafficking. Of those, 86 percent were in the care of social services when they went missing.
More >> Is Child Protective Services Trafficking Children?
Report: Frequent moves for Florida children in foster care
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — An analysis of state child welfare records shows that thousands of foster children in Florida have led transient lives, staying just a few nights in one place before being moved to another family or group home.
The Tampa Bay Times reviewed over 1 million child welfare records regarding 280,000 foster children in Florida between 2000 and 2017.
The records showed that roughly 1,500 children stayed in 12 different homes in a single year. Over 7,500 children moved about once a month over a six-month period. Almost 2,000 children had six placements in a single month.
More >> Report: Frequent moves for Florida children in foster care
The Tampa Bay Times reviewed over 1 million child welfare records regarding 280,000 foster children in Florida between 2000 and 2017.
The records showed that roughly 1,500 children stayed in 12 different homes in a single year. Over 7,500 children moved about once a month over a six-month period. Almost 2,000 children had six placements in a single month.
More >> Report: Frequent moves for Florida children in foster care
Saturday, December 29, 2018
Chinese Schools Adopting ‘Smart Uniforms’ With GPS That Track Student Location
A growing number of Chinese schools are using uniforms with computer chips to keep tabs on their students, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports. Not only do these uniforms allow parents and school officials to track students using GPS, facial recognition systems at school entrances ensure crafty students aren’t cheating the system.
Leaving the grounds during school hours triggers an audible alarm in the clothing. An app allows parents to see entry and departure times along with video footage.
More >> Chinese Schools Adopting ‘Smart Uniforms’ With GPS That Track Student Location
Leaving the grounds during school hours triggers an audible alarm in the clothing. An app allows parents to see entry and departure times along with video footage.
More >> Chinese Schools Adopting ‘Smart Uniforms’ With GPS That Track Student Location
Born on drugs: For moms trying to keep kids and stay sober, they’re at the mercy of Child Protective Services
Her first baby, now a 1-year-old toddler, was swept into state custody in 2017. Her next baby was due at the end of 2018.
Tahtiana R. fiddled with the sheaf of papers on the conference table before her — writing assignments from the Mariposa Center, where she received counseling to help her accept, and transcend, a painful past.
More >> Born on drugs: For moms trying to keep kids and stay sober, they’re at the mercy of Child Protective Services
Tahtiana R. fiddled with the sheaf of papers on the conference table before her — writing assignments from the Mariposa Center, where she received counseling to help her accept, and transcend, a painful past.
More >> Born on drugs: For moms trying to keep kids and stay sober, they’re at the mercy of Child Protective Services
Baugh: The foster care-to-prison pipeline
Nelson Mandela once said that a society’s soul should be judged by the way it treats its children. In the United States, the soul of our society would be judged harshly, particularly because of the way we treat wards of the state.
In recent years, attention has been given to America’s children in the “School-To-Prison Pipeline.” Zero-tolerance policies, the criminalization of adolescence and the pushing of disadvantaged children out of the classrooms have fed a number of youthss into justice systems — many of them foster youths. Home and state systems, like group homes, foster care and youths institutions, set children up for emotional and relational trauma when children are uprooted from their biological families and have multiple home placements.
More >> Baugh: The foster care-to-prison pipeline
In recent years, attention has been given to America’s children in the “School-To-Prison Pipeline.” Zero-tolerance policies, the criminalization of adolescence and the pushing of disadvantaged children out of the classrooms have fed a number of youthss into justice systems — many of them foster youths. Home and state systems, like group homes, foster care and youths institutions, set children up for emotional and relational trauma when children are uprooted from their biological families and have multiple home placements.
More >> Baugh: The foster care-to-prison pipeline
Court rules mothers’ drug use in pregnancy isn’t child abuse
Pennsylvania’s highest court ruled Friday that mothers who use illegal drugs while pregnant cannot be considered perpetrators of child abuse against their newly born children under the state’s child protection law.
The Supreme Court’s main opinion said the law’s definition of a child does not include fetuses or unborn children, and victims of perpetrators must be children under the Child Protective Services Law.
More >> Court rules mothers’ drug use in pregnancy isn’t child abuse
The Supreme Court’s main opinion said the law’s definition of a child does not include fetuses or unborn children, and victims of perpetrators must be children under the Child Protective Services Law.
More >> Court rules mothers’ drug use in pregnancy isn’t child abuse
Guatemala Cautious on Young Migrants’ Deaths, Wary of Angering U.S.
The deaths of two Guatemalan children in Border Patrol custody raised a furor in the United States, but drew a far more muted response in their own country, where a government focused on its survival is afraid that antagonizing the Trump administration could end American support.
The children, Felipe Gómez Alonso, 8, and Jakelin Caal Maquín, 7, fell ill and died this month after they crossed the southwestern border into the United States with their fathers, in separate events, and were detained by the Border Patrol.
More >> Guatemala Cautious on Young Migrants’ Deaths, Wary of Angering U.S.
The children, Felipe Gómez Alonso, 8, and Jakelin Caal Maquín, 7, fell ill and died this month after they crossed the southwestern border into the United States with their fathers, in separate events, and were detained by the Border Patrol.
More >> Guatemala Cautious on Young Migrants’ Deaths, Wary of Angering U.S.
Westside foster home director accused of covering up child abuse, children removed from home
Director of i.K.A.R.E. Youth and Family Services Torrance D. Gary, 48, was arrested Dec. 19 after JSO says he told employees at the facility to not report an act of suspected lewd molestation reportedly caught on camera.
More >> Westside foster home director accused of covering up child abuse, children removed from home
Foster mother loses High Court action over manner child was taken from her
A woman has lost her High Court challenge over the manner in which the Child and Family Agency removed a child she was fostering from her care.
In his judgment, Mr Justice Garrett Simons said that the proceedings were inadmissible because the foster mother brought her action outside of the three month period legally allowed to have the agency’s actions judicially reviewed.
More >> Foster mother loses High Court action over manner child was taken from her
In his judgment, Mr Justice Garrett Simons said that the proceedings were inadmissible because the foster mother brought her action outside of the three month period legally allowed to have the agency’s actions judicially reviewed.
More >> Foster mother loses High Court action over manner child was taken from her
Friday, December 28, 2018
Church of Scientology Flag Service Organization: The Inside Look at Florida’s Foster Care System
“It’s broken,” said an infuriated audience member in denouncing Florida’s privatized foster care system. On November 29, 2018, to raise awareness of the flaws in the foster care system, The Way to Happiness Association of Tampa Bay held a screening of the documentary Foster Shock, directed by Mari Frankel, to raise awareness of the issue. Tammi Martin, Guardian ad litem, who works directly to represent foster children in the legal system, was present for the showing.
Foster Shock is a series of interviews with teens who have “aged out” of the foster care system, giving you the inside look of what it’s like to grow up in foster care in Florida. The abuse and neglect of the privatized system was documented in the film, as well as vendors taking advantage of state funding. “We’re nuts to be doing it,” said a parent—requesting anonymity—who’s been fostering for 15 years, “but we love these kids.”
More >> Church of Scientology Flag Service Organization: The Inside Look at Florida’s Foster Care System
Foster Shock is a series of interviews with teens who have “aged out” of the foster care system, giving you the inside look of what it’s like to grow up in foster care in Florida. The abuse and neglect of the privatized system was documented in the film, as well as vendors taking advantage of state funding. “We’re nuts to be doing it,” said a parent—requesting anonymity—who’s been fostering for 15 years, “but we love these kids.”
More >> Church of Scientology Flag Service Organization: The Inside Look at Florida’s Foster Care System
Guatemalan boy who died in U.S. custody had the flu, medical investigator says
The New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator said Thursday that an 8-year-old boy who died in U.S. custody on Christmas Eve tested positive for influenza B.
The medical investigator's office cautioned in a statement that the cause of death for Felipe Gómez Alonzo, who died minutes before midnight on Dec. 24, was still under investigation, but it was determined that he had been suffering from the flu.
More >> Guatemalan boy who died in U.S. custody had the flu, medical investigator says
The medical investigator's office cautioned in a statement that the cause of death for Felipe Gómez Alonzo, who died minutes before midnight on Dec. 24, was still under investigation, but it was determined that he had been suffering from the flu.
More >> Guatemalan boy who died in U.S. custody had the flu, medical investigator says
What happens to birth mothers after the adoption hoopla?
For birth mothers, often invisible members of the adoption triad that includes children and adoptive parents, the holiday season brings a wrenching mix of gratitude and sorrow, delight, guilt, and regret. Their children may be thriving. Just not with them.
More >> What happens to birth mothers after the adoption hoopla?
More >> What happens to birth mothers after the adoption hoopla?
Ex-DSHS worker from Toppenish sentenced for child sex abuse
A former state Department of Social and Health Services worker could spend the rest of his life in prison for multiple charges of child rape and molestation.
Rodolfo De Leon, 51, was sentenced in Yakima County Superior Court Thursday to a minimum of 26.5 years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of first-degree child rape and three counts of first-degree child molestation in October. De Leon initially was charged with 18 counts of child sexual abuse.
More >> Ex-DSHS worker from Toppenish sentenced for child sex abuse
Foster home director arrested on child neglect charges, documents show
The director of a group home for foster children in Jacksonville is charged with child neglect and failure to report child abuse. According to court documents obtained by News4Jax, the director tried to cover up an allegation of molestation at the group home.
Torrance Gary, 48, the director of the IKARE facility on the Westside, was released on a $25,000 bond.
More >> Foster home director arrested on child neglect charges, documents show
Torrance Gary, 48, the director of the IKARE facility on the Westside, was released on a $25,000 bond.
More >> Foster home director arrested on child neglect charges, documents show
Two children have died in US border custody this month. Before that, none in a decade. Why now?
On Christmas Eve, an 8-year-old Guatemalan boy who suffered a cough, vomiting and fever died in U.S. custody at a New Mexico hospital. The boy, identified by Guatemalan officials as Felipe Gomez Alonzo, was the second child in three weeks to die while being detained near the U.S.-Mexico border by U.S. authorities.
Jakelin Caal, 7, also Guatemalan, died Dec. 8. at an El Paso children's hospital after being detained with her father and while preparing to travel by bus to a Border Patrol station in New Mexico.
More >> Two children have died in US border custody this month. Before that, none in a decade. Why now?
Jakelin Caal, 7, also Guatemalan, died Dec. 8. at an El Paso children's hospital after being detained with her father and while preparing to travel by bus to a Border Patrol station in New Mexico.
More >> Two children have died in US border custody this month. Before that, none in a decade. Why now?
Alabama Father killed during child custody exchange
A father is dead after a shooting during a custody exchange in the parking lot of a police station on Christmas day in Hamilton.
According to Hamilton Police, Joe Garcia has been identified as the victim.
19 and cut off: B.C. foster youth plead for change to system
British Columbia’s government has pledged to do more to support former foster youth – but it still cuts off aid at a younger age than some other provinces, leaving many at risk of poverty, drug use and suicide. Meet the young people urging the province for more time
Mother suing DHHS and staff, charging negligence
A mother is suing the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (HHS), its Secretary Bill Crouch, Lori Williams, Jenifer Pigott and Ashley Smith, citing alleged negligence, violation of due process rights, breach of fiduciary duty, fraud and more.
Tabitha Snyder formerly Tabitha Krysmalski, individually and on behalf of her children Paige Krysmalski and Parker Krysmalski filed a complaint in Kanawha Circuit Court against the defendants alleging that they failed to protect plaintiffs in keeping with the statutory purpose, goals and child protective powers, and negligently failed to perform their duties.
More >> Mother suing DHHS and staff, charging negligence
Tabitha Snyder formerly Tabitha Krysmalski, individually and on behalf of her children Paige Krysmalski and Parker Krysmalski filed a complaint in Kanawha Circuit Court against the defendants alleging that they failed to protect plaintiffs in keeping with the statutory purpose, goals and child protective powers, and negligently failed to perform their duties.
More >> Mother suing DHHS and staff, charging negligence
Thursday, December 27, 2018
Willimantic Man charged with threatening DCF, judge in Facebook live video
An apparently disgruntled father was charged early Thursday after state police say he made threats against Department of Children and Families employees and a judge in a lengthy Facebook Live video posted on Christmas about how his children were “kidnapped."
More >> Willimantic Man charged with threatening DCF, judge in Facebook live video
More >> Willimantic Man charged with threatening DCF, judge in Facebook live video
‘I couldn’t fight to get my children back’: the impact of legal aid cuts
Caroline (not her real name) believes a lack of legal aid led to her ending up in prison, deprived her of a life with her children and rendered her homeless. The 55-year-old is still trying to reverse the multiple miscarriages of justice she says she has endured.
She and her husband separated after she alleged he was violent and had threatened to kill her. He complained to social services that she was neglecting their children because of a dispute over schooling.
More >> ‘I couldn’t fight to get my children back’: the impact of legal aid cuts
She and her husband separated after she alleged he was violent and had threatened to kill her. He complained to social services that she was neglecting their children because of a dispute over schooling.
More >> ‘I couldn’t fight to get my children back’: the impact of legal aid cuts
Take action against foster parents involved in sexual abuse of girl in their care: Maneka Gandhi to Sarbananda Sonowal
Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi has asked Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal to immediately take action against foster parents involved in the alleged sexual abuse of a girl under their care. A 13-year-old girl was given for foster care to a couple in Silchar in Cachar district of Assam on May 9 by child care institution Nivedita Nari Sangstha (NNS). During the follow-up visit of the NNS officials , the girl complained of not being being comfortable with her foster parents, Gandhi said.
After three months, the child was surrendered back into the child care institution and when medical examination on the girl was conducted it was found that she was sexually abused over a period of three months by the male parent, she said. The NNS lodged a police complaint in September but no action has been taken so far, Gandhi said in a letter to Sonowal.
More >> Take action against foster parents involved in sexual abuse of girl in their care: Maneka Gandhi to Sarbananda Sonowal
After three months, the child was surrendered back into the child care institution and when medical examination on the girl was conducted it was found that she was sexually abused over a period of three months by the male parent, she said. The NNS lodged a police complaint in September but no action has been taken so far, Gandhi said in a letter to Sonowal.
More >> Take action against foster parents involved in sexual abuse of girl in their care: Maneka Gandhi to Sarbananda Sonowal
Numerous school lockdowns are traumatizing kids
Locked behind their green classroom door, MaKenzie Woody and 25 other first-graders huddled in the darkness. She sat on the vinyl tile floor against a far wall, beneath a taped-up list of phrases the kids were encouraged to say to each other: “I like you,” “You’re a rainbow,” “Are you OK?”
In that moment, though, the 6-year-old didn’t say anything at all, because she believed that a man with a gun was stalking the hallways of her school in the nation’s capital, and MaKenzie feared what he might do to her.
More >> Numerous school lockdowns are traumatizing kids
In that moment, though, the 6-year-old didn’t say anything at all, because she believed that a man with a gun was stalking the hallways of her school in the nation’s capital, and MaKenzie feared what he might do to her.
More >> Numerous school lockdowns are traumatizing kids
District Judge Stefany Miley arrested on domestic violence charge
Clark County District Judge Stefany Miley was charged with battery domestic violence this weekend in connection with an incident involving her 18-year-old son, according to an attorney who called police.
Miley, who has served on the bench since 2005, faces one count under her maiden name Stefany Tewell, stemming from an incident that occurred Saturday, according to Las Vegas Municipal Court records.
More >> District Judge Stefany Miley arrested on domestic violence charge
Kim Brooks On ‘Parenthood In The Age of Fear’; The Need For High-Speed Internet In Rural Areas
On this encore edition of The 21st: Chicago author Kim Brooks joins us to talk about her book, "Small Animals: Parenthood in the Age of Fear." But first, millions of rural households still don’t have high-speed internet, and for those in the farming business, that makes life even harder.
For the parents out there, imagine asking your child to run outside to walk the dog. Now imagine that because of this, the police might come to your door.
More >> Kim Brooks On ‘Parenthood In The Age of Fear’; The Need For High-Speed Internet In Rural Areas
For the parents out there, imagine asking your child to run outside to walk the dog. Now imagine that because of this, the police might come to your door.
More >> Kim Brooks On ‘Parenthood In The Age of Fear’; The Need For High-Speed Internet In Rural Areas
Nowhere to call home: Thousands of foster children move so much they risk psychological harm
A Tampa Bay Times investigation finds Florida’s overburdened foster care system repeatedly bounces children from home to home and family to family.
More >> Nowhere to call home: Thousands of foster children move so much they risk psychological harm
Raleigh woman accused of plotting to kidnap daughter from foster care
A North Carolina woman charged last summer with child abuse tried to persuade a friend to abduct her daughter and hide the child in Florida last week, according to an arrest warrant.
Lindsey Michelle Smith, 38, and Russell Jay Smith, 47, were charged this summer with negligent child abuse inflicting serious physical injury and misdemeanor child abuse.
More >> Raleigh woman accused of plotting to kidnap daughter from foster care
Lindsey Michelle Smith, 38, and Russell Jay Smith, 47, were charged this summer with negligent child abuse inflicting serious physical injury and misdemeanor child abuse.
More >> Raleigh woman accused of plotting to kidnap daughter from foster care
Wednesday, December 26, 2018
‘Baby box’ bill could be headed to Snyder’s desk
If Gov. Rick Snyder signs the bill into law, Michigan fire departments, police departments and hospitals would be allowed to install “baby boxes” at their facilities.
Named “safe delivery of newborn law,” the bill allows for the installation of these units that would safely hold a newborn, providing warmth and oxygen, locking from the outside. It also sends a 911 call to alert authorities to the infant’s presence within 30 seconds.
More >> ‘Baby box’ bill could be headed to Snyder’s desk
Named “safe delivery of newborn law,” the bill allows for the installation of these units that would safely hold a newborn, providing warmth and oxygen, locking from the outside. It also sends a 911 call to alert authorities to the infant’s presence within 30 seconds.
More >> ‘Baby box’ bill could be headed to Snyder’s desk
Dix Hills Father Gets Jail for Punching Caseworker
A Dix Hills man was sentenced to five months in jail Wednesday for punching a county case worker in the face.
Jason Warshaw, 40, pleaded guilty two months ago. He was sentenced by Family Court Justice Anthony S. Senft Jr. in Riverhead.
More >> Dix Hills Father Gets Jail for Punching Caseworker
Jason Warshaw, 40, pleaded guilty two months ago. He was sentenced by Family Court Justice Anthony S. Senft Jr. in Riverhead.
More >> Dix Hills Father Gets Jail for Punching Caseworker
No. 8 story of 2018: Child dies in care of foster parent, man indicted for murder
A 5-year-old boy died in the care of foster parents who were in the process to adopt him, and one of the parents was indicted for murder and involuntary manslaughter.
According to a 911 call placed on June 2, Nathaniel Gard had been wrestling with one of his foster parents and a 6-year-old brother. Gard had "started breathing weird" and then become unresponsive, the caller said. He then stopped breathing and CPR was started by Gard's other foster parent, 30-year-old Kenneth Schulz.
More >> No. 8 story of 2018: Child dies in care of foster parent, man indicted for murder
All migrant children in US custody will have medical checks after second child's death
U.S. Customs and Border Protection ordered medical checks on every child in its custody Tuesday after an 8-year-old boy from Guatemala died, marking the second death of an immigrant child in the agency's care this month.
The death came during an ongoing dispute over border security and with a partial government shutdown underway over President Donald Trump's request for border wall funding.
More >> All migrant children in US custody will have medical checks after second child's death
The death came during an ongoing dispute over border security and with a partial government shutdown underway over President Donald Trump's request for border wall funding.
More >> All migrant children in US custody will have medical checks after second child's death
‘It’s like a trap; it’s like they don’t want you to succeed’
For most youths experiencing homelessness, it’s the systems that are – on their surface – intended to protect them that can play a major role in their descent to the streets.
According to a 2016 report from the Homeless Hub, part of the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness, three in five Canadian youths going through homelessness have experience with the foster system.
More >> ‘It’s like a trap; it’s like they don’t want you to succeed’
According to a 2016 report from the Homeless Hub, part of the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness, three in five Canadian youths going through homelessness have experience with the foster system.
More >> ‘It’s like a trap; it’s like they don’t want you to succeed’
These 7 siblings were adopted together just in time for Christmas
Note: What they mean is these 7 kids were adopted just in time to get this years adoption tax incentives. Ka Ching!!!
A set of seven brothers and sisters have found a forever home after spending 1,035 days in foster care.
The siblings -- Dawson, 15, Kyndal, 11, Lacey, 10, Layna, 10, Addiley, 9, Arria, 9 and Nixson, 8, -- were adopted by Michael and Terri Hawthorn of Hot Springs, Arkansas, on Dec. 3.
More >> These 7 siblings were adopted together just in time for Christmas
A set of seven brothers and sisters have found a forever home after spending 1,035 days in foster care.
The siblings -- Dawson, 15, Kyndal, 11, Lacey, 10, Layna, 10, Addiley, 9, Arria, 9 and Nixson, 8, -- were adopted by Michael and Terri Hawthorn of Hot Springs, Arkansas, on Dec. 3.
More >> These 7 siblings were adopted together just in time for Christmas
8-year-old Guatemalan boy dies in U.S. custody, immigration authorities say
An 8-year-old boy from Guatemala died in government custody in New Mexico early Tuesday, U.S. immigration authorities said, marking the second death of an immigrant child in detention this month.
The death came during an ongoing dispute over border security and with a partial government shutdown underway over President Donald Trump's request for border wall funding.
More >> 8-year-old Guatemalan boy dies in U.S. custody, immigration authorities say
The death came during an ongoing dispute over border security and with a partial government shutdown underway over President Donald Trump's request for border wall funding.
More >> 8-year-old Guatemalan boy dies in U.S. custody, immigration authorities say
Monday, December 24, 2018
Amazon's Alexa Tells User to Kill Foster Parents During Chatbot Experiment
Most Amazon Alexa owners count on their devices to share information about the weather, the day's events, or random facts from the internet. As a part of its ongoing efforts to the make the product and its AI software better, Amazon launched a program in 2016 called the Alexa Prize, which allowed for the creation of chatbots that would (in theory) teach Alexa better conversational skills. Reuters reports that during the experiment, some Alexa owners heard very unexpected responses from their devices, including vulgar references to sex acts and suggestions of murder.
More >> Amazon's Alexa Tells User to Kill Foster Parents During Chatbot Experiment
ACLU report questions police presence in schools, says programs fuel ‘school to prison’ pipeline
In one case, police were called over elementary school-age brothers yelling and cursing at each other.
In another, a school employee referred a student for stealing a candy bar from her desk.
A third involved a middle school student caught writing on her desk.
The ACLU of Nebraska cited these and other cases in a new report questioning how school police programs operate in Nebraska. The report, released Thursday, says the programs fuel a “school to prison” pipeline and disproportionately affect students of color and students with disabilities.
More >> ACLU report questions police presence in schools, says programs fuel ‘school to prison’ pipeline
In another, a school employee referred a student for stealing a candy bar from her desk.
A third involved a middle school student caught writing on her desk.
The ACLU of Nebraska cited these and other cases in a new report questioning how school police programs operate in Nebraska. The report, released Thursday, says the programs fuel a “school to prison” pipeline and disproportionately affect students of color and students with disabilities.
More >> ACLU report questions police presence in schools, says programs fuel ‘school to prison’ pipeline
‘I just want my dad back.’ Kansas families with deported parent have one holiday wish
For the first time, Kevin and 9-year-old brother Antony, both American citizens, are spending the holidays without Dad.
It’s not what they imagined in April, when — shortly after their father’s arrest by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — Mendez-Ramirez’s children gathered with volunteers to write letters pleading for his release from the Morgan County Jail under ICE custody.
More >> ‘I just want my dad back.’ Kansas families with deported parent have one holiday wish
It’s not what they imagined in April, when — shortly after their father’s arrest by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — Mendez-Ramirez’s children gathered with volunteers to write letters pleading for his release from the Morgan County Jail under ICE custody.
More >> ‘I just want my dad back.’ Kansas families with deported parent have one holiday wish
Too good for fairy tales, two sisters separated by adoption reunited again after half a century
Who says long lost sisters meeting for the first time in 50 years after being separated since birth only happened in novels and fairy tales? It definitely is a reality for Parameswari Govindasamy, 57, and Fathima Bibi, 53.
Mdm Parameswari, who works as a TV performer, always thought that she was an only child. Little did she know that the world was actually smaller than it seems, for it was her friend, Seeni, who made the call to Mdm Fathima. Seeni is the husband of Mdm Fathima and they have always known the truth of the situation for 30 years now. Wanting to wait until the right moment, they believe that now was the time for the big reveal and Mdm Fathima was ready to meet her sister.
More >> Too good for fairy tales, two sisters separated by adoption reunited again after half a century
Mdm Parameswari, who works as a TV performer, always thought that she was an only child. Little did she know that the world was actually smaller than it seems, for it was her friend, Seeni, who made the call to Mdm Fathima. Seeni is the husband of Mdm Fathima and they have always known the truth of the situation for 30 years now. Wanting to wait until the right moment, they believe that now was the time for the big reveal and Mdm Fathima was ready to meet her sister.
More >> Too good for fairy tales, two sisters separated by adoption reunited again after half a century
Sunday, December 23, 2018
Sexually abused by foster father for months, child awaits justice
A child care institution from Assam has approached central agencies for help in a shocking case of alleged sexual abuse of a child by her foster father.
Silchar-based Nivedita Naari Sansthan (NNS) has written to Central Adoption Resource Agency (CARA) under the Ministry of Women and Child Development among other agencies about their struggle to get justice for a child who was placed in foster care on May 9 this year and curiously returned by the family on August 30 after months of alleged sexual assault by the foster father.
More >> Sexually abused by foster father for months, child awaits justice
Silchar-based Nivedita Naari Sansthan (NNS) has written to Central Adoption Resource Agency (CARA) under the Ministry of Women and Child Development among other agencies about their struggle to get justice for a child who was placed in foster care on May 9 this year and curiously returned by the family on August 30 after months of alleged sexual assault by the foster father.
More >> Sexually abused by foster father for months, child awaits justice
Child welfare worker charged with possessing child porn
A Florida child welfare worker is under arrest for possessing child pornography.
The Polk County Sheriff's Office charged 28-year-old William Smith with 15 counts of possessing child pornography on Friday night.
More >> Child welfare worker charged with possessing child porn
The Polk County Sheriff's Office charged 28-year-old William Smith with 15 counts of possessing child pornography on Friday night.
More >> Child welfare worker charged with possessing child porn
Family Reunification Law Takes Effect
A new Maine law calls for state officials to make "reasonable efforts" to keep families together instead of making it a "priority" as required by previous law.
Republican Gov. Paul LePage and lawmakers pressed for the bills after the deaths of two girls, 4-year-old Kendall Chick in December in Wiscasset and 10-year-old Marissa Kennedy in Stockton Springs in February.
More >> Family Reunification Law Takes Effect
Republican Gov. Paul LePage and lawmakers pressed for the bills after the deaths of two girls, 4-year-old Kendall Chick in December in Wiscasset and 10-year-old Marissa Kennedy in Stockton Springs in February.
More >> Family Reunification Law Takes Effect
Saturday, December 22, 2018
His job is to protect kids. That makes what cops found on his computer more disturbing.
A major part of William Smith’s social services job is to make sure the welfare of children is ensured. Smith is a case manager for Youth & Family Alternatives in Lakeland, Florida.
But on Friday, deputies from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office arrested and charged Smith, 28, with 15 counts of possessing child pornography.
More >> His job is to protect kids. That makes what cops found on his computer more disturbing.
But on Friday, deputies from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office arrested and charged Smith, 28, with 15 counts of possessing child pornography.
More >> His job is to protect kids. That makes what cops found on his computer more disturbing.
AMAZON'S ALEXA VIRTUAL PERSONAL ASSISTANT TOLD USERS "KILL YOUR FOSTER PARENTS"
Amazon’s virtual personal assistant told a customer to “kill your foster parents,” according to an investigation.
The unidentified customer who heard Alexa make the command last year told Reuters they described the incident as a “whole new level of creepy” in a scathing review on Amazon’s website.
More >> AMAZON'S ALEXA VIRTUAL PERSONAL ASSISTANT TOLD USERS "KILL YOUR FOSTER PARENTS"
The unidentified customer who heard Alexa make the command last year told Reuters they described the incident as a “whole new level of creepy” in a scathing review on Amazon’s website.
More >> AMAZON'S ALEXA VIRTUAL PERSONAL ASSISTANT TOLD USERS "KILL YOUR FOSTER PARENTS"
When Native American Children Are Adopted By White Families, It Isn't Always A Happy Ending
In the 1950s and '60s, thousands of Native American children were adopted to white families. Because the adoptions were mostly closed, many of those children had unanswered questions about their birth parents and their identities.
Susan Harness of Fort Collins was one of those children. When Harness was 18 months old, social workers removed her from the Flathead Reservation in Montana and placed her with a white family. She wrote about the experience in her new book, "Bitterroot."
A boy separated from his mom at the border faces his first Christmas without her
The boy stood in the front of the church, flanked by his cousins yet utterly alone.
It was the Sunday after Thanksgiving and the four children had been called before their congregation to speak. One by one, they listed the things for which they were grateful: their friends, their siblings and, above all, their parents.
More >> A boy separated from his mom at the border faces his first Christmas without her
It was the Sunday after Thanksgiving and the four children had been called before their congregation to speak. One by one, they listed the things for which they were grateful: their friends, their siblings and, above all, their parents.
More >> A boy separated from his mom at the border faces his first Christmas without her
WSAZ Investigates: Fixing foster care, study shows children in Ohio lagging the nation
Some of the most vulnerable children in our area are falling behind at staggering rates, according to a new report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation on the transition from foster care to adulthood.
More >> WSAZ Investigates: Fixing foster care, study shows children in Ohio lagging the nation
More >> WSAZ Investigates: Fixing foster care, study shows children in Ohio lagging the nation
Plaintiff: ‘Warehousing’ Children Can Ignite Feelings of ‘No Self-Worth’
More than 800 foster children who were hospitalized in Illinois for mental health issues between 2015 and 2017 were confined beyond the point of medical necessity. For some, that meant a hospital stay that was months longer than their treatment required.
That’s according to a class-action lawsuit against the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, which claims the agency is “warehousing” kids in psychiatric hospitals instead of finding them appropriate placement elsewhere.
More >> Plaintiff: ‘Warehousing’ Children Can Ignite Feelings of ‘No Self-Worth’
That’s according to a class-action lawsuit against the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, which claims the agency is “warehousing” kids in psychiatric hospitals instead of finding them appropriate placement elsewhere.
More >> Plaintiff: ‘Warehousing’ Children Can Ignite Feelings of ‘No Self-Worth’
Children describe how they were criminalised while in care
Four children and young people who were criminalised while living in residential care have told their stories in a new briefing published by the Howard League for Penal Reform.
One young person, Eddie*, who was taken into care at 11 and again at 13, reveals that he attempted suicide in a children’s home on Christmas Day. He says that a care worker’s response to his self-harming led to him being charged with assault and spending a night in a police cell.
More >> Children describe how they were criminalised while in care
One young person, Eddie*, who was taken into care at 11 and again at 13, reveals that he attempted suicide in a children’s home on Christmas Day. He says that a care worker’s response to his self-harming led to him being charged with assault and spending a night in a police cell.
More >> Children describe how they were criminalised while in care
No evidence found that Palmetto Youth Academy worker kissed teen
Nearly six months after a staff member at the Palmetto Youth Academy was accused of kissing a 17-year-old boy housed in the residential program, the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice has concluded its investigation and found no evidence that the kiss occurred, according to a report released last week.
The department’s investigation got underway in June after another boy housed in the program told the clinical director that he had seen a staffer kissing another boy. It was reported to the Department of Children and Families, which did not investigate the allegation because of a lack of details, including time and names.
More >> No evidence found that Palmetto Youth Academy worker kissed teen
The department’s investigation got underway in June after another boy housed in the program told the clinical director that he had seen a staffer kissing another boy. It was reported to the Department of Children and Families, which did not investigate the allegation because of a lack of details, including time and names.
More >> No evidence found that Palmetto Youth Academy worker kissed teen
Man held for gun and bomb threat at family court
A man who claimed to have a gun and bomb caused a security alert in a family law court in Dublin yesterday.
At 11:30am, as Judge Susan Ryan was hearing a case at Phoenix House in Smithfield, the man produced what he said was a firearm from a bag and claimed to have a bomb.
More >> Man held for gun and bomb threat at family court
At 11:30am, as Judge Susan Ryan was hearing a case at Phoenix House in Smithfield, the man produced what he said was a firearm from a bag and claimed to have a bomb.
More >> Man held for gun and bomb threat at family court
Friday, December 21, 2018
Poland accepts refugee mother who fled Norway’s child welfare services
A mother and child became the first Norwegian refugees since the Second World War when Poland accepted their application for asylum last week.
Silje Garmo, 37, fled to Warsaw with her 23-month-old infant Eira in 2017 when she suspected that Norway’s child protection agency, known as the Barnvernet, was about to take the child away.
More >> Poland accepts refugee mother who fled Norway’s child welfare services
Silje Garmo, 37, fled to Warsaw with her 23-month-old infant Eira in 2017 when she suspected that Norway’s child protection agency, known as the Barnvernet, was about to take the child away.
More >> Poland accepts refugee mother who fled Norway’s child welfare services
Ukrainian girl soon to age out of adoption; Gallatin family hopes for Christmas miracle
This Christmas, one Gallatin family and a Ukrainian teenage girl are hoping for a miracle.
Nastya has about one more month until she is no longer eligible for adoption.
More >> Ukrainian girl soon to age out of adoption; Gallatin family hopes for Christmas miracle
Nastya has about one more month until she is no longer eligible for adoption.
More >> Ukrainian girl soon to age out of adoption; Gallatin family hopes for Christmas miracle
Thursday, December 20, 2018
Advocates: Black Kids Are More Likely To Land In Foster Care, Just One Thing That Needs Fixing
African-American children are much more likely to land in the Kansas foster care system than white children.
A report from Strengthen Families Rebuild Hope, a coalition of organizations and people who have experience with the foster care system, concluded that Kansas falls in line with national trends. But the disparity in Kansas, with black children 75 percent more likely than white children to be pulled from their homes, has gotten worse in the past two years.
More >> Advocates: Black Kids Are More Likely To Land In Foster Care, Just One Thing That Needs Fixing
A report from Strengthen Families Rebuild Hope, a coalition of organizations and people who have experience with the foster care system, concluded that Kansas falls in line with national trends. But the disparity in Kansas, with black children 75 percent more likely than white children to be pulled from their homes, has gotten worse in the past two years.
More >> Advocates: Black Kids Are More Likely To Land In Foster Care, Just One Thing That Needs Fixing
She’s desperate to get her four grandchildren out of foster care. A stranger is offering her help
Linda Huff is a grieving grandmother and unemployed child-care worker who sleeps on a sofa, for $150 a month, in the living room of a shared backyard unit in Lynwood.
Former nurse Gayle Coyle-Ikemoto is a health insurance executive who lives comfortably in a two-story house in Torrance with her husband, a semi-retired graphic designer.
More >> She’s desperate to get her four grandchildren out of foster care. A stranger is offering her help
Former nurse Gayle Coyle-Ikemoto is a health insurance executive who lives comfortably in a two-story house in Torrance with her husband, a semi-retired graphic designer.
More >> She’s desperate to get her four grandchildren out of foster care. A stranger is offering her help
900 detained immigrant kids are in 1 NY nonprofit's care
In under five years, a New York social-services organization called Cayuga Centers has gone from newcomer to one of the biggest names in the $1.5 billion-a-year business of housing immigrant children under government detention.
Now one of the nation's five largest providers, Cayuga was caring for nearly 900 migrant children as of Monday, 78 percent more than a year ago, according to confidential government data obtained by The Associated Press . The nonprofit has helped make New York second only to Texas in the number of such youngsters, with 1,653 spread around the Empire State, the data show.
More >> 900 detained immigrant kids are in 1 NY nonprofit's care
Now one of the nation's five largest providers, Cayuga was caring for nearly 900 migrant children as of Monday, 78 percent more than a year ago, according to confidential government data obtained by The Associated Press . The nonprofit has helped make New York second only to Texas in the number of such youngsters, with 1,653 spread around the Empire State, the data show.
More >> 900 detained immigrant kids are in 1 NY nonprofit's care
Mother, 26, jailed for having sex with adopted son, 17
A social worker has been jailed for having sex with a 17 year-old boy she adopted. Lauren Myers, 26, was sent down Thursday after striking up an inappropriate relationship with her victim when he was placed in foster care, and she was assigned to become his caseworker.\
More >> Mother, 26, jailed for having sex with adopted son, 17
In nationwide adoption scam, NC woman admits to scheme involving fake ultrasound, DA says
The scam started to unravel when a couple from Ohio called the police in Carolina Beach, North Carolina, according to WWAY. They told police that they had been sending money to a woman who said she was pregnant and would let them adopt her baby, the television station reports.
Prosecutors say the North Carolina woman posted on adoption websites and social media looking for people who are trying to adopt a baby, according to WECT. She had victims around the country send her money to cover food, housing and doctor appointments, the station reports. But she wasn’t actually pregnant.
More >> In nationwide adoption scam, NC woman admits to scheme involving fake ultrasound, DA says
Prosecutors say the North Carolina woman posted on adoption websites and social media looking for people who are trying to adopt a baby, according to WECT. She had victims around the country send her money to cover food, housing and doctor appointments, the station reports. But she wasn’t actually pregnant.
More >> In nationwide adoption scam, NC woman admits to scheme involving fake ultrasound, DA says
Saskatchewan's apology for Sixties Scoop is just 'the tip of the iceberg,' says one survivor
Premier Scott Moe will apologize to Sixties Scoop survivors early in the new year, but there will be no monetary compensation.
The apology is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 7, at 10 a.m. CST in the Rotunda of the Legislature Building. It will be preceded by a pipe ceremony.
More >> Saskatchewan's apology for Sixties Scoop is just 'the tip of the iceberg,' says one survivor
The apology is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 7, at 10 a.m. CST in the Rotunda of the Legislature Building. It will be preceded by a pipe ceremony.
More >> Saskatchewan's apology for Sixties Scoop is just 'the tip of the iceberg,' says one survivor
Wednesday, December 19, 2018
Trump Officials Plan to Rescind Obama-Era School Discipline Policies
The Trump administration is planning to roll back Obama-era policies aimed at ensuring that minority children are not unfairly disciplined, arguing that the efforts have eased up on punishment and contributed to rising violence in the nation’s schools, according to documents obtained by The New York Times.
The decision culminates a nearly yearlong effort begun by the Trump administration after the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. The deaths of 17 students and staff members on Feb. 14 prompted lawmakers in both parties to demand tougher gun laws, but after a brief flirtation with gun control, President Trump abandoned that focus and instead empowered a school safety commission, led by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.
More >> Trump Officials Plan to Rescind Obama-Era School Discipline Policies
The decision culminates a nearly yearlong effort begun by the Trump administration after the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. The deaths of 17 students and staff members on Feb. 14 prompted lawmakers in both parties to demand tougher gun laws, but after a brief flirtation with gun control, President Trump abandoned that focus and instead empowered a school safety commission, led by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.
More >> Trump Officials Plan to Rescind Obama-Era School Discipline Policies
Muncie foster parent accused of sexually abusing boys
A Muncie foster parent stands accused of sexually abusing two children who had been placed in his care.
Jaythan Lee Patterson, 41, of the 3500 block of West Johnson Circle, was arrested early Saturday, preliminarily charged with two counts each of child molesting and vicarious sexual gratification.
More >> Muncie foster parent accused of sexually abusing boys
Feds reverse policy that kept immigrant children in custody
The Trump administration is reversing a controversial policy implemented this summer that immigration advocates say caused thousands of unaccompanied migrant children to remain in shelters for extended periods.
The Department of Health and Human Services is no longer requiring fingerprint checks for all adult members of a sponsor's household when the sponsor applies to take in unaccompanied minors, a spokesperson for the agency said. Sponsors must still be fingerprinted and undergo background checks before unaccompanied minors are released into their care, the spokesperson said.
More >> Feds reverse policy that kept immigrant children in custody
The Department of Health and Human Services is no longer requiring fingerprint checks for all adult members of a sponsor's household when the sponsor applies to take in unaccompanied minors, a spokesperson for the agency said. Sponsors must still be fingerprinted and undergo background checks before unaccompanied minors are released into their care, the spokesperson said.
More >> Feds reverse policy that kept immigrant children in custody
New York Threatens Faith-Based Adoption Agency With Closure Over Policy of Placing Kids With Married Mother and Father
Yet another successful US adoption agency is being threatened and told to change its policies, or shut down. The reason? A preference for placing children with a married mother and father.
The Washington Examiner reports that New Hope Family Services, located in Syracuse, New York, has just received an ultimatum from the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OFCS): either “revise its policy prioritizing the placement of the children it serves in homes with a married mother and father, or close.”
More >> New York Threatens Faith-Based Adoption Agency With Closure Over Policy of Placing Kids With Married Mother and Father
The Washington Examiner reports that New Hope Family Services, located in Syracuse, New York, has just received an ultimatum from the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OFCS): either “revise its policy prioritizing the placement of the children it serves in homes with a married mother and father, or close.”
More >> New York Threatens Faith-Based Adoption Agency With Closure Over Policy of Placing Kids With Married Mother and Father
Portland man convicted of threatening child welfare workers with knife during safety visit
Freddy Velasquez-Soto, 51, threatened two Oregon Department of Human Services caseworkers who were at his home in August 2017 to discuss safety planning for his son.
More >> Portland man convicted of threatening child welfare workers with knife during safety visit
Texas high school teacher accused of abusing foster children
A high school teacher in Texas has been placed on administrative leave after being arrested for alleged abuse of his foster children.
Joshua Bruce, a teacher and coach for New Caney ISD, was arrested by the Liberty County Sheriff's Office on Thursday, Dec. 13.
More >> Texas high school teacher accused of abusing foster children
‘Foster mum from Hell’ forced vulnerable kids to soil themselves, eat dog food and sexually assaulted them during decades of sickening abuse
The "evil" woman was said to have put numerous children through horrendous torment including forcing them to soil themselves, eat dog and be beaten and raped by kitchen utensils.
More >> ‘Foster mum from Hell’ forced vulnerable kids to soil themselves, eat dog food and sexually assaulted them during decades of sickening abuse
More >> ‘Foster mum from Hell’ forced vulnerable kids to soil themselves, eat dog food and sexually assaulted them during decades of sickening abuse
Tuesday, December 18, 2018
Family court secrecy lets judges get away with mistakes, senior judge says
Secrecy in family courts could be allowing judges to get away with mistakes, the most senior family judge in England and Wales has said.
Speaking at an event on Tuesday evening, Sir James Munby, president of the high court's family division, said that judges were "grotesquely overworked" and "tired" and so more likely to make errors.
More >> Family court secrecy lets judges get away with mistakes, senior judge says
Speaking at an event on Tuesday evening, Sir James Munby, president of the high court's family division, said that judges were "grotesquely overworked" and "tired" and so more likely to make errors.
More >> Family court secrecy lets judges get away with mistakes, senior judge says
Father of 7-Year-Old Who Died in Border Patrol Custody Calls for 'Thorough Investigation' of Her Death
The father of the 7-year-old who died earlier this month after being taken into Border Patrol custody is calling for an “objective and thorough investigation” of her death.
Nery Caal Cuz, who is currently staying at a shelter in El Paso, Texas, released a statement prepared by his lawyers Saturday, about the death of Jakelin Caal Maquin after they crossed the U.S.-Mexico border together. The pair had been traveling from Guatemala in hopes of seeking asylum in the United States.
More >> Father of 7-Year-Old Who Died in Border Patrol Custody Calls for 'Thorough Investigation' of Her Death
Nery Caal Cuz, who is currently staying at a shelter in El Paso, Texas, released a statement prepared by his lawyers Saturday, about the death of Jakelin Caal Maquin after they crossed the U.S.-Mexico border together. The pair had been traveling from Guatemala in hopes of seeking asylum in the United States.
More >> Father of 7-Year-Old Who Died in Border Patrol Custody Calls for 'Thorough Investigation' of Her Death
Foster Children Who Run Away
Aside from the fact that leaving a foster home is not a crime, the use of warrants and arrests actively undermines the work of foster care providers. When youths leave their foster homes, they are often running to a place that is familiar and comfortable as they try to cope with the trauma and instability inherent to placement in foster care.
Issuing a warrant for this noncriminal behavior contributes to the systemic criminalization of young people of color, and says to this vulnerable population that whether or not you commit a crime, you can still be arrested and sit in jail. There are other options.
More >> Foster Children Who Run Away
Issuing a warrant for this noncriminal behavior contributes to the systemic criminalization of young people of color, and says to this vulnerable population that whether or not you commit a crime, you can still be arrested and sit in jail. There are other options.
More >> Foster Children Who Run Away
Monday, December 17, 2018
State should have to meet higher bar before removing children from home
When Dillon and Melissa Bright’s infant son fell from a chair and bumped his head, they rushed him to Texas Children’s Hospital to get him checked out. It began a months-long nightmare encounter with Child Protective Services that reached its climax on November 8, when state district Judge Michael Schneider issued an unprecedented sanction of $127,000 against the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services for wrongful removal. Just this week, the Brights’ attorneys revealed shocking new allegations that CPS put pressure on local law enforcement to file criminal charges against Melissa Bright after Judge Schneider’s sanction order.
The case highlights the desperate need for greater transparency and accountability in CPS investigations.
More >> State should have to meet higher bar before removing children from home
The case highlights the desperate need for greater transparency and accountability in CPS investigations.
More >> State should have to meet higher bar before removing children from home
Kansas Sued Over Foster Care That’s Bounced Several Children Between 100 Homes
A lawsuit filed Friday contends Kansas violates foster children’s civil rights by moving them too often, adding to their trauma and restricting their access to necessary mental health treatment.
The National Center for Youth Law, Children’s Rights and Kansas Appleseed filed the suit against Gov. Jeff Colyer and the heads of the Department for Children and Families, the Department for Aging and Disability Services and the Department of Health and Environment.
More >> Kansas Sued Over Foster Care That’s Bounced Several Children Between 100 Homes
The National Center for Youth Law, Children’s Rights and Kansas Appleseed filed the suit against Gov. Jeff Colyer and the heads of the Department for Children and Families, the Department for Aging and Disability Services and the Department of Health and Environment.
More >> Kansas Sued Over Foster Care That’s Bounced Several Children Between 100 Homes
Hundreds of trafficked children ‘lost’ by local authorities
A quarter of trafficked children who were in the care of local authorities in the UK last year have going missing from the system, according to new research by two British charities that work with vulnerable children.
The new figures raise serious questions about the capacity of local authorities to provide a safe environment for vulnerable children who arrive in the UK alone, or after being rescued from trafficking gangs. The report – to be published this week and seen by the Observer – shows that of the 1,015 children reported by local authorities as identified or suspected victims of trafficking in 2017, 24% – 276 – have gone missing from the care system.
More >> Hundreds of trafficked children ‘lost’ by local authorities
The new figures raise serious questions about the capacity of local authorities to provide a safe environment for vulnerable children who arrive in the UK alone, or after being rescued from trafficking gangs. The report – to be published this week and seen by the Observer – shows that of the 1,015 children reported by local authorities as identified or suspected victims of trafficking in 2017, 24% – 276 – have gone missing from the care system.
More >> Hundreds of trafficked children ‘lost’ by local authorities
Mother in viral video where New York police yank toddler from her arms speaks out
A mother who had her toddler yanked from her arms by New York police in a widely seen video said in an interview published Sunday that she went into "defense mode."
"In my head, I told myself they're not going to let me leave," Jazmine Headley told The New York Times. "I was so afraid. I was combative with my thoughts."
More >> Mother in viral video where New York police yank toddler from her arms speaks out
"In my head, I told myself they're not going to let me leave," Jazmine Headley told The New York Times. "I was so afraid. I was combative with my thoughts."
More >> Mother in viral video where New York police yank toddler from her arms speaks out
Sunday, December 16, 2018
When Families Un-Adopt a Child
The little girl in the photograph squints and smiles broadly in the sunlight. According to a now-deleted public post on Second Chance Adoptions’ Facebook page, the girl, who the agency calls “Reese” to protect her privacy, is 10 years old, and she has been a member of her family since she was born—first in foster care, then legally adopted just before her first birthday. She loves to laugh, her adopted mom says, and she smiles all the time. She loves pink. She has no special needs. But she needs a new home.
More >> When Families Un-Adopt a Child
More >> When Families Un-Adopt a Child
Siblings separated in foster care celebrate the holidays together
Circus’ Adventuredome hosted St. Jude’s Ranch for Children’s their annual “Gift of Giving” for siblings separated in foster care, Saturday.
The event brought brothers and sisters, who live in different foster homes, together to celebrate the Holidays.
More >> Siblings separated in foster care celebrate the holidays together
The event brought brothers and sisters, who live in different foster homes, together to celebrate the Holidays.
More >> Siblings separated in foster care celebrate the holidays together
A couple who agreed to adopt a baby were devastated after learning that the mother was never pregnant in the first place
A couple in California say they're victims of an "emotional crime" after their adoption process turned out to be a hoax allegedly made up by the woman who told them they could have her baby.
Matt and Laura Trayte, from Lake Forest, California, met Beth Jones, of Nickelsville, Virginia, on Facebook after a months-long attempt at adopting a child, according to the Orange County Register.
More >> A couple who agreed to adopt a baby were devastated after learning that the mother was never pregnant in the first place
Matt and Laura Trayte, from Lake Forest, California, met Beth Jones, of Nickelsville, Virginia, on Facebook after a months-long attempt at adopting a child, according to the Orange County Register.
More >> A couple who agreed to adopt a baby were devastated after learning that the mother was never pregnant in the first place
Text of Marijuana Notice Posted at Springfield YMCA
Please be advised there have been several complaints about parents, guardians and other adults smelling of marijuana entering and leaving our YMCA facilities (the downtown facility as well as afterschool locations).
Staff at the YMCA of Greater Springfield have smelled some of you out and have been instructed to document instances of anyone suspected of being under the influence.
More >> Text of Marijuana Notice Posted at Springfield YMCA
Staff at the YMCA of Greater Springfield have smelled some of you out and have been instructed to document instances of anyone suspected of being under the influence.
More >> Text of Marijuana Notice Posted at Springfield YMCA
Saturday, December 15, 2018
System failed Manitoba girl returned to parent without support, checks: advocate
Manitoba's advocate for children and youth says a girl who suffered repeated sexual abuse and died of a drug overdose was failed over and over again by the province's child welfare system.
The girl -- identified only as Angel -- was born to a mother with addiction issues and was apprehended by social workers 14 times by the time she was 12, says a 118-page report from Daphne Penrose released Thursday.
More >> System failed Manitoba girl returned to parent without support, checks: advocate
The girl -- identified only as Angel -- was born to a mother with addiction issues and was apprehended by social workers 14 times by the time she was 12, says a 118-page report from Daphne Penrose released Thursday.
More >> System failed Manitoba girl returned to parent without support, checks: advocate
Detained migrant could lose daughter, who's a U.S. citizen
For the last seven months, Vilma Carrillo has been separated from her 11-year-old daughter after arriving in the U.S. to seek asylum, having fled her native Guatemala and a husband who she says beat her.
“I’m sick, my head hurts, I just want to see my daughter,” Carrillo, 38, said in Spanish by phone from a detention center in Irwin, Georgia.
More >> Detained migrant could lose daughter, who's a U.S. citizen
“I’m sick, my head hurts, I just want to see my daughter,” Carrillo, 38, said in Spanish by phone from a detention center in Irwin, Georgia.
More >> Detained migrant could lose daughter, who's a U.S. citizen
Teenager who died in care was under the age of two when she was first sexually assaulted, life didn’t get much better says report
The life and death of a 17-year-old First Nations girl is the subject of a new ‘disturbing’ report released by the Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth.
The report titled In Need of Protection: Angel’s Story documents the teen’s, who is only referred to by her first name, involvement with Child and Family Services beginning at the age of one and ending with her tragic death in 2015.
More >> Teenager who died in care was under the age of two when she was first sexually assaulted, life didn’t get much better says report
The report titled In Need of Protection: Angel’s Story documents the teen’s, who is only referred to by her first name, involvement with Child and Family Services beginning at the age of one and ending with her tragic death in 2015.
More >> Teenager who died in care was under the age of two when she was first sexually assaulted, life didn’t get much better says report
Child Abuse In Shelter Homes: Central Team Continues Inspection
A day after the Central team accused the Odisha Government of not following the guidelines on protection of children at shelter homes, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) continued its inspection in various Child Care Institutions (CCIs) across the State on Friday.
The NCPCR team along with officials of Odisha State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (OSCPCR), Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and Angul District Child Protection Officer (DCPO) carried out inspection at Adrut Children Home and Bajirout Chhatrabas in the district.
More >> Child Abuse In Shelter Homes: Central Team Continues Inspection
The NCPCR team along with officials of Odisha State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (OSCPCR), Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and Angul District Child Protection Officer (DCPO) carried out inspection at Adrut Children Home and Bajirout Chhatrabas in the district.
More >> Child Abuse In Shelter Homes: Central Team Continues Inspection
Child abuse at care home not properly investigated, council admits
A council has admitted failings at a care home where a worker sexually abused young boys.
Victims of Brian Newman came forward following the Jimmy Saville scandal and a report has revealed numerous problems at the Woodhead Road children’s unit, where the abuse took place between 1990 and 1996.
More >> Child abuse at care home not properly investigated, council admits
Victims of Brian Newman came forward following the Jimmy Saville scandal and a report has revealed numerous problems at the Woodhead Road children’s unit, where the abuse took place between 1990 and 1996.
More >> Child abuse at care home not properly investigated, council admits
How American Politicians Abandoned Family Values for Tax Cuts and Debt Relief
In 2009, California Representative and future Republican House Majority Leader and dad Kevin McCarthy said that he was worried about the America he was building for his kids. “When I think of the future, I think of my 15-year-old son Connor and my 12-year-old daughter Meghan,” he said. “I worry about the future because your kids are as important to you as mine are to me.”
Less than ten years later, McCarthy led his party’s effort to cut the rescissions package, effectively killing funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which insures 11 million American children and had previously been given bipartisan rubber-stamp treatment. Although the Senate ultimately rejected those cuts, McCarthy’s realpolitiking put the lives of thousands of kids in danger in service of paying down a national debt. McCarthy then voted to cut taxes.
More >> How American Politicians Abandoned Family Values for Tax Cuts and Debt Relief
Less than ten years later, McCarthy led his party’s effort to cut the rescissions package, effectively killing funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which insures 11 million American children and had previously been given bipartisan rubber-stamp treatment. Although the Senate ultimately rejected those cuts, McCarthy’s realpolitiking put the lives of thousands of kids in danger in service of paying down a national debt. McCarthy then voted to cut taxes.
More >> How American Politicians Abandoned Family Values for Tax Cuts and Debt Relief
White House Rejects Responsibility for Death of Migrant Child in US Custody
The Trump administration does not take responsibility for the death of a 7-year-old girl in US immigration custody, White House Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley told reporters.
More >> White House Rejects Responsibility for Death of Migrant Child in US Custody
More >> White House Rejects Responsibility for Death of Migrant Child in US Custody
New Lawsuit Accuses DCFS of ‘Warehousing’ Children in Psych Hospitals
Fifteen-year-old Skyler was placed inside Hartgrove Behavioral Health System, a psychiatric hospital on Chicago’s West Side, for what was supposed to be a three-month stay in November 2014. But three months came and went, and Skyler wasn’t allowed to leave the hospital.
More >> New Lawsuit Accuses DCFS of ‘Warehousing’ Children in Psych Hospitals
More >> New Lawsuit Accuses DCFS of ‘Warehousing’ Children in Psych Hospitals
Report: Pa. DHS failing vulnerable children due to lack of oversight at placement facilities
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) has failed the state’s most vulnerable children by allowing its system of residentialSubscribe to read more!
More >> Report: Pa. DHS failing vulnerable children due to lack of oversight at placement facilities
More >> Report: Pa. DHS failing vulnerable children due to lack of oversight at placement facilities
Illinois DCFS Sued Over Care of Mentally Ill Foster Children
A county public guardian in Illinois is suing the state's Department of Children and Family Services over what it contends is the "immense harm" the agency is doing to mentally ill foster children that are kept in psychiatric hospitals beyond their medical discharge dates.
The federal lawsuit that was filed by Cook County's public guardian after reports by the Chicago Tribune and ProPublica Illinois about the issue contends that repeated budget cuts for appropriate treatment facilities and foster care worsens the conditions of the children's lives and that keeping them so long at the psychiatric hospitals is "inhumane" and costs taxpayers more than $125,000 a month.
More >> Illinois DCFS Sued Over Care of Mentally Ill Foster Children
The federal lawsuit that was filed by Cook County's public guardian after reports by the Chicago Tribune and ProPublica Illinois about the issue contends that repeated budget cuts for appropriate treatment facilities and foster care worsens the conditions of the children's lives and that keeping them so long at the psychiatric hospitals is "inhumane" and costs taxpayers more than $125,000 a month.
More >> Illinois DCFS Sued Over Care of Mentally Ill Foster Children
The foster care-to-prison pipeline
Nelson Mandela once said that a society’s soul should be judged by the way it treats its children. In the United States, the soul of our society would be judged harshly, particularly because of the way we treat wards of the state.
In recent years, attention has been given to America’s children in the ‘School-To-Prison Pipeline.’ Zero-tolerance policies, the criminalization of adolescence and the pushing of disadvantaged children out of the classrooms have fed a number of youths into justice systems — many of them foster youth. Home and state systems, like group homes, foster care and youth institutions, set children up for emotional and relational trauma when children are uprooted from their biological families and have multiple home placements.
More >> The foster care-to-prison pipeline
In recent years, attention has been given to America’s children in the ‘School-To-Prison Pipeline.’ Zero-tolerance policies, the criminalization of adolescence and the pushing of disadvantaged children out of the classrooms have fed a number of youths into justice systems — many of them foster youth. Home and state systems, like group homes, foster care and youth institutions, set children up for emotional and relational trauma when children are uprooted from their biological families and have multiple home placements.
More >> The foster care-to-prison pipeline
Friday, December 14, 2018
6-Year-Old Separated From His Father Tells Judge He Wants to Go Home
The Salvadoran boy who appeared alone in immigration court last month returned this week with his father’s lawyer in tow. The law puts the decision to return to his family in his small hands.
More >> 6-Year-Old Separated From His Father Tells Judge He Wants to Go Home
Virginia Social Services says it will fix broken foster care system after critical audit
The Virginia Department of Social Services has vowed to fix concerns with the state’s foster care system that are detailed in a new report by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission.
“The [VDSS] fully supports the findings-based recommendations of the recent [JLARC] study of our foster care system,” Cletisha Lovelace, a spokesperson for VDSS, told Watchdog.org. “The challenges outlined within the report point to critical areas of needed improvement we are aware of and have been actively working to address. While many of the recommendations within the report are underway, we recognize the need to address other areas of program improvement with urgency in order to achieve better outcomes for the children we serve.”
More >> Virginia Social Services says it will fix broken foster care system after critical audit
“The [VDSS] fully supports the findings-based recommendations of the recent [JLARC] study of our foster care system,” Cletisha Lovelace, a spokesperson for VDSS, told Watchdog.org. “The challenges outlined within the report point to critical areas of needed improvement we are aware of and have been actively working to address. While many of the recommendations within the report are underway, we recognize the need to address other areas of program improvement with urgency in order to achieve better outcomes for the children we serve.”
More >> Virginia Social Services says it will fix broken foster care system after critical audit
Teen placed in CFS 46 times before death by overdose; report calls her care 'very disturbing'
A 17-year-old girl who died of an accidental drug overdose was the victim of repeated sexual exploitation and didn't get the help she needed during her time in the child welfare system, Manitoba's children's advocate said Thursday.
The advocate released a photo and the first name of the girl, Angel, who died in September 2015, with a report that gives the Manitoba government six recommendations to address the "massive deficiencies" evident in her care and to help prevent such tragedies in the future.
More >> Teen placed in CFS 46 times before death by overdose; report calls her care 'very disturbing'
The advocate released a photo and the first name of the girl, Angel, who died in September 2015, with a report that gives the Manitoba government six recommendations to address the "massive deficiencies" evident in her care and to help prevent such tragedies in the future.
More >> Teen placed in CFS 46 times before death by overdose; report calls her care 'very disturbing'
Kids missing from group homes a common thread in Milwaukee sex trafficking
Many sex trafficking victims in Milwaukee have a history of being reported missing from group homes.
Most have experienced significant trauma — such as witnessing or being the victims of sexual assault, domestic violence or child abuse — by age 13 or younger, according to Milwaukee Police Department reports.
More >> Kids missing from group homes a common thread in Milwaukee sex trafficking
Most have experienced significant trauma — such as witnessing or being the victims of sexual assault, domestic violence or child abuse — by age 13 or younger, according to Milwaukee Police Department reports.
More >> Kids missing from group homes a common thread in Milwaukee sex trafficking
How events unfolded in cruelty case couple’s bid to regain adopted child
Karrissa Cox and Richard Carter claimed they were victims of a miscarriage of justice.
More >> How events unfolded in cruelty case couple’s bid to regain adopted child | Wirral Globe:
More >> How events unfolded in cruelty case couple’s bid to regain adopted child | Wirral Globe:
Angelina Jolie 'told son Pax that Brad Pitt never wanted to adopt him' during their bitter divorce
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's split may have been more bitter than anyone realized.
The actress is alleged to have told their 15-year-old son Pax that his father 'never wanted to adopt him,' according to an Us Weekly source.
The 43-year-old also allegedly told the boy during the fallout that Brad 'was angry' she had proceeded with the adoption.
More >> Angelina Jolie 'told son Pax that Brad Pitt never wanted to adopt him' during their bitter divorce
Thursday, December 13, 2018
Abuse, neglect violations found in Texas' foster care system, report shows
When a child goes into foster care, the hope is that they are going to a better situation than before. For some in Texas, it ends up staying the same or sometimes getting worse.
More >> Abuse, neglect violations found in Texas' foster care system, report shows
More >> Abuse, neglect violations found in Texas' foster care system, report shows
Town Judge charged with endangering welfare of a child
A Genesee County town judge finds himself on the wrong side of the bench after being charged with endangering the welfare of a child and harassment.
More >> Town Judge charged with endangering welfare of a child
More >> Town Judge charged with endangering welfare of a child
DCFS sued over 'inhumane' practice of leaving kids too long in psych hospitals
Cook County’s public guardian sued the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services on Thursday, alleging the beleaguered child welfare agency is causing “immense harm” to mentally ill foster children by keeping them in psychiatric hospitals beyond medical discharge dates as it struggles to find them homes with appropriate services.
More >> DCFS sued over 'inhumane' practice of leaving kids too long in psych hospitals
More >> DCFS sued over 'inhumane' practice of leaving kids too long in psych hospitals
Former B.C. children’s representative says she warned province about lack of case visits
A former B.C. children’s representative says she repeatedly warned the province that government social workers were failing to visit vulnerable children — a problem underscored this week in a report about an Indigenous boy with autism who went years without ever meeting a ministry social worker despite numerous complaints.
Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, who left the position she’d held for a decade two years ago and now teaches law at the University of British Columbia, authored three reports dating back to 2011 raising concerns that children who were the subject of child protection complaints were never seen by ministry social workers. All three related to children with complex needs, and two were Indigenous.
More >> Former B.C. children’s representative says she warned province about lack of case visits
Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, who left the position she’d held for a decade two years ago and now teaches law at the University of British Columbia, authored three reports dating back to 2011 raising concerns that children who were the subject of child protection complaints were never seen by ministry social workers. All three related to children with complex needs, and two were Indigenous.
More >> Former B.C. children’s representative says she warned province about lack of case visits
New Jersey Republican urges Trump administration to crack down on international parental child abduction
House Foreign Affairs subcommittee Chairman Chris Smith called on the Trump administration to take concerted action to stop international parental child abduction.
“The Trump administration can and must use current law, especially the tools embedded in the Goldman Act, to more aggressively bring American children home to their families,” Smith (R-N.J.) said at a hearing on Monday that featured testimony from parents whose children were abducted abroad.
More >> New Jersey Republican urges Trump administration to crack down on international parental child abduction
“The Trump administration can and must use current law, especially the tools embedded in the Goldman Act, to more aggressively bring American children home to their families,” Smith (R-N.J.) said at a hearing on Monday that featured testimony from parents whose children were abducted abroad.
More >> New Jersey Republican urges Trump administration to crack down on international parental child abduction
Mom furious after DCF worker picks up wrong child from day care: 'How does this even happen?
A Department of Children and Families worker ended up leaving with the wrong child after going to pick up the child from a Massachusetts KinderCare.
More >> Mom furious after DCF worker picks up wrong child from day care: 'How does this even happen?
More >> Mom furious after DCF worker picks up wrong child from day care: 'How does this even happen?
Grandmother fears she will lose her grandson to foster care system
If something should happen to your children, do you have any right to be in your grandchildren’s lives?
One grandmother is sharing her story hoping it isn’t too late for her to make sure her grandson is not lost to foster care.
More >> Grandmother fears she will lose her grandson to foster care system
One grandmother is sharing her story hoping it isn’t too late for her to make sure her grandson is not lost to foster care.
More >> Grandmother fears she will lose her grandson to foster care system
Wednesday, December 12, 2018
‘Devastating’ state report highlights major health and safety problems in Virginia’s foster care system
Virginia’s foster care system is failing to meet the basic health and safety needs of the children under its care, according to state auditors, who released a scathing report Monday that found 98 cases in which basic safety protocols weren’t met.
In one, a child was placed in a home for nearly three weeks even though no background check had been run on the parent.
More >> ‘Devastating’ state report highlights major health and safety problems in Virginia’s foster care system
In one, a child was placed in a home for nearly three weeks even though no background check had been run on the parent.
More >> ‘Devastating’ state report highlights major health and safety problems in Virginia’s foster care system
9-Year-Old Girl Calls 911 on Parents for Making Her Clean Her Room
As kids, most of us wanted to call the police on our parents for putting us in time out or not taking us to Chuck E. Cheese's whenever we wanted. Buzz60's Mercer Morrison has the story.
Police yank baby from Black mother at SNAP office
Brooklyn police officers tried to rip a one-year-old baby away from his mother while she waited at a public assistance office, a video uploaded to Facebook on Friday shows. Jazmine Headley had been sitting on the floor of the crowded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program office for hours before an argument between her and a security guard prompted someone to call the police.
More >> Police yank baby from Black mother at SNAP office
NM foster care company shutting down following reports of safety lapses
La Familia-Namaste, one of New Mexico’s largest private foster care companies, is closing its doors at the end of the year.
The closure comes on the heels of an investigation by Searchlight New Mexico revealing that the 30-year-old nonprofit failed to properly vet foster parents for past abusive behavior, placing children in environments that in some cases have led to severe child abuse.
Hundreds of sexual abuse cases reported at children's camps across U.S.
CBS News has identified hundreds of reports of sexual abuse that occurred at children's camps across the United States. We found reports of more than 500 victims who were allegedly sexually abused at children's camps over the past 55 years. At least 21 of those cases surfaced this year alone.
Victims' advocates tell us the real number of abuse cases is likely much higher, since many are never reported.
More >> Hundreds of sexual abuse cases reported at children's camps across U.S.
Victims' advocates tell us the real number of abuse cases is likely much higher, since many are never reported.
More >> Hundreds of sexual abuse cases reported at children's camps across U.S.
The White House can help foster kids
The Trump administration has taken an interest in foster care and adoption. Andrew Bremberg, director of the President’s Domestic Policy Council, hosted a White House meeting Nov. 29 seeking ideas for how to make things better for the 437,000 children in foster care nationwide.
Among the questions on the agenda: What can the federal government do to “streamline” the adoption and foster process? How can Washington strengthen “the bridge between government, children and parents”? And what about the 123,000 children who are waiting to be adopted? Since child welfare is run by state and local governments, Washington can start by enforcing laws already on the books.
More >> The White House can help foster kids
Among the questions on the agenda: What can the federal government do to “streamline” the adoption and foster process? How can Washington strengthen “the bridge between government, children and parents”? And what about the 123,000 children who are waiting to be adopted? Since child welfare is run by state and local governments, Washington can start by enforcing laws already on the books.
More >> The White House can help foster kids
A court ruling may allow migrant families to be held indefinitely
It had been six months since Maria fled for the U.S.
She spent the first two weeks running from her tiny hometown in southern Guatemala, where she said gangs had threatened to kill her and her 7-year-old son, Jerson. After traveling through Mexico, they requested asylum at the U.S. border.
More >> A court ruling may allow migrant families to be held indefinitely
She spent the first two weeks running from her tiny hometown in southern Guatemala, where she said gangs had threatened to kill her and her 7-year-old son, Jerson. After traveling through Mexico, they requested asylum at the U.S. border.
More >> A court ruling may allow migrant families to be held indefinitely
Report highlights the trauma that thousands of Texas families have experienced with incarceration
With more than 200,000 people in Texas jails and prisons, and nearly half a million children in Texas who have experienced a parent getting locked up, a new national report highlighted something Texas families are well aware of: family incarceration leads to potentially devastating emotional and financial effects.
Half of American adults — 113 million people in the country — have had a family member incarcerated, according to the report, which was released Thursday by the bipartisan advocacy and policy organization FWD.us and Cornell University.
More >> Report highlights the trauma that thousands of Texas families have experienced with incarceration
Half of American adults — 113 million people in the country — have had a family member incarcerated, according to the report, which was released Thursday by the bipartisan advocacy and policy organization FWD.us and Cornell University.
More >> Report highlights the trauma that thousands of Texas families have experienced with incarceration
Report highlights state's poor oversight of local foster care programs
Virginia does such a poor job of supervising local foster care programs that the state doesn’t have a list of foster parents currently in the system, according to a new legislative study.
The study by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission finds that the state’s 120 foster care programs don’t do a good job of recruiting foster parents, especially relatives, or working to reunite children with birth parents.
More >> Report highlights state's poor oversight of local foster care programs
The study by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission finds that the state’s 120 foster care programs don’t do a good job of recruiting foster parents, especially relatives, or working to reunite children with birth parents.
More >> Report highlights state's poor oversight of local foster care programs
Tuesday, December 11, 2018
Opinion: Georgia must do better educating children in foster care
Richard L. Jackson is chairman and CEO of Jackson Healthcare. A former foster child, he is chairman of the board of FaithBridge Foster Care.
In this guest column, Jackson discusses the academic underperformance of children in foster care and the need for the state to address how to help these kids overcome the odds.
More >> Opinion: Georgia must do better educating children in foster care
In this guest column, Jackson discusses the academic underperformance of children in foster care and the need for the state to address how to help these kids overcome the odds.
More >> Opinion: Georgia must do better educating children in foster care
Adoption fight pits great-aunt against child welfare worker
Time is running out for a toddler removed from her family and placed with a child welfare agency employee who wants to adopt her, raising eyebrows among experts and insiders who describe the placement as a blatant conflict of interest.
Three-year-old Ryleigh continues to live with Safe Children Coalition employee Jolee Grobleski despite her great-aunt Kathleen McGinty’s repeated attempts to gain custody and despite the recommendation of a neutral committee siding with McGinty.
More >> Adoption fight pits great-aunt against child welfare worker
Three-year-old Ryleigh continues to live with Safe Children Coalition employee Jolee Grobleski despite her great-aunt Kathleen McGinty’s repeated attempts to gain custody and despite the recommendation of a neutral committee siding with McGinty.
More >> Adoption fight pits great-aunt against child welfare worker
Women recall maternity homes as ‘shamed-filled’ prisons
Karen Wilson Buterbaugh was 16 in the fall of 1965 when she got pregnant by her steady boyfriend. Terrified and in denial, she hid her growing body under an oversized sweater for five months. When she could no longer hide the pregnancy, she finally told her parents.
They shipped her off to a maternity home without telling her where she was going.
More >> Women recall maternity homes as ‘shamed-filled’ prisons
They shipped her off to a maternity home without telling her where she was going.
More >> Women recall maternity homes as ‘shamed-filled’ prisons
‘Disastrous for children’: 100 foster kids in King County stayed in hotels, report says
The problem is especially acute in King County and counties to the north, where the overall number of nights in hotels was more than 1,000 between September 2017 and August 2018.
More >> ‘Disastrous for children’: 100 foster kids in King County stayed in hotels, report says
More >> ‘Disastrous for children’: 100 foster kids in King County stayed in hotels, report says
88-year-old mother reunites with daughter she thought died during childbirth
Since she was just a little girl, Connie Moultroup has had the same Christmas wish every year: to meet her biological mother. This week -- after 69 long years -- she finally did, all thanks to a DNA ancestry kit.
More >> 88-year-old mother reunites with daughter she thought died during childbirth
More >> 88-year-old mother reunites with daughter she thought died during childbirth
DCF worker picks up wrong child at KinderCare in West Bridgewater
A Department of Children and Families worker ended up leaving with the wrong child after going to pick up the child from the KinderCare in West Bridgewater.
KinderCare said they received notices on Friday about two children who shared the same name, with one getting picked up by a DCF worker and the other by a family friend.
More >> DCF worker picks up wrong child at KinderCare in West Bridgewater
KinderCare said they received notices on Friday about two children who shared the same name, with one getting picked up by a DCF worker and the other by a family friend.
More >> DCF worker picks up wrong child at KinderCare in West Bridgewater
L.A. Foster Parents Face an Agonizing Reality
Note: The wording in this article makes me want to smack people. "Low risk for foster parents?" Fuck them! What about the risk for real parents?
Late last year, husbands Ivano and Stephen were at a playground in a West Hollywood park. A double stroller sat next to them; in it, a little boy and a little girl, both less than a year old, slept. The infants were entrusted to them by the Los Angeles County Department of Child and Family Services. The men told me their dream is to permanently adopt both kids one day. But Ivano and Stephen, who asked that their real names not be used while they have ongoing placements with DCFS, no longer get their hopes up too high. They’ve already had to say goodbye to two other children. Their first foster placement was a newborn girl they cared for from the time she was seven days old to just before her first birthday. “She was tiny and sweet,” says Stephen, who was there when she took her first steps. The second foster child was a girl who was with them for the first nine months of her life. “She had a heart problem and needed regular medication and to be driven to specialists,” says Ivano.
In each case there was a biological grandmother who initially told social workers she didn’t want the baby. This scenario is what social workers will sometimes characterize as “low-risk” for foster parents, meaning a reunion with a child’s biological family seems unlikely. Social workers, says Stephen, “always make it sound as low-risk as possible.” But shortly after the two men had bonded with the first infant in their care, the grandmother changed her mind, and a judge later decided in the grandmother’s favor when it came to custody. After the child left their home, Stephen describes feeling so sad that it was like “having a rock in your heart.” History repeated itself with the couple’s second placement. The pair’s story resonates with me not just as a writer but also as someone who chose to start a foster family with his partner. The process is known as fost-adopt, and it’s an emotionally fraught path that offers no certainties. Over and over again, my partner and I encountered people who told us they’d love to fost-adopt but couldn’t put themselves through the possibility of bonding with and then losing a child. One friend told me point-blank, “You can’t do this to yourself.”
More >> L.A. Foster Parents Face an Agonizing Reality
Late last year, husbands Ivano and Stephen were at a playground in a West Hollywood park. A double stroller sat next to them; in it, a little boy and a little girl, both less than a year old, slept. The infants were entrusted to them by the Los Angeles County Department of Child and Family Services. The men told me their dream is to permanently adopt both kids one day. But Ivano and Stephen, who asked that their real names not be used while they have ongoing placements with DCFS, no longer get their hopes up too high. They’ve already had to say goodbye to two other children. Their first foster placement was a newborn girl they cared for from the time she was seven days old to just before her first birthday. “She was tiny and sweet,” says Stephen, who was there when she took her first steps. The second foster child was a girl who was with them for the first nine months of her life. “She had a heart problem and needed regular medication and to be driven to specialists,” says Ivano.
In each case there was a biological grandmother who initially told social workers she didn’t want the baby. This scenario is what social workers will sometimes characterize as “low-risk” for foster parents, meaning a reunion with a child’s biological family seems unlikely. Social workers, says Stephen, “always make it sound as low-risk as possible.” But shortly after the two men had bonded with the first infant in their care, the grandmother changed her mind, and a judge later decided in the grandmother’s favor when it came to custody. After the child left their home, Stephen describes feeling so sad that it was like “having a rock in your heart.” History repeated itself with the couple’s second placement. The pair’s story resonates with me not just as a writer but also as someone who chose to start a foster family with his partner. The process is known as fost-adopt, and it’s an emotionally fraught path that offers no certainties. Over and over again, my partner and I encountered people who told us they’d love to fost-adopt but couldn’t put themselves through the possibility of bonding with and then losing a child. One friend told me point-blank, “You can’t do this to yourself.”
More >> L.A. Foster Parents Face an Agonizing Reality