LK Announcement

Good morning.

I have decided to retire Legally Kidnapped. 

After over 12 years of bring you the latest headlines regarding CPS fraud, failures and fuck-ups, I have decided it's time for me to move on to bigger and better things.  I still have no love for CPS so I will still be around in some capacity.  I just haven't figured it out yet.  

LK has simply become a burden and a dead horse that I can no longer do anything with.  My life circumstances have changed.  There are also technical issues with the blog that I can no longer overcome.  For example, thousands of dead links to articles that are no longer there on the servers.  This prevents me achieving any growth or earning any revenue for the hours of work that I put in and the fact that there are costs associated with running and growing any blog requires that.  

I would love for somebody else to take over, but I doubt anybody would be willing to put in the work.  I still own the domain name and haven't figured out what to do with it.  Should anybody be interested, you can contact me through Facebook and we can talk about it.

I want to thank all of my loyal followers.  I wish you all the best of luck in your fights against this evil system that has brought so much pain and suffering to to children and their families.  You will all be in my prayers.   

LK

I’m a Mom Fighting for Custody — & the Parents Giving it Up for College Aid Make Me Sick

A group of Illinois parents has been in the news recently for taking advantage of a legal loophole in order to get their kids college financial aid: The parents are giving up custody of their kids in order to game the system. As a mom who’s currently engaged in a difficult custody battle of my own, these parents are rubbing salt in my wounds. Not only are they taking for granted the very thing that so many of us parents fight long and hard for — custody of our children — but they are relinquishing it in order to get financial breaks they don’t deserve.

Similar to the college admissions scandal a few months ago — during which rich Hollywood parents used bribery to get their not-necessarily-deserving kids into college — here we are again, faced with the sobering reality of class warfare. But how did we get here? How did college admission and aid become a war? Why can’t the privileged check themselves and give the financial assistance to vulnerable families who truly need it?

More >> I’m a Mom Fighting for Custody — & the Parents Giving it Up for College Aid Make Me Sick

What's next for the former Corpus Christi officer accused of impersonating a CPS worker?

A former Corpus Christi police officer accused of posing as a Child Protective Services worker will go to trial in September after a judge rejected her offer to plead guilty.

Norma DeLeon resigned from the Corpus Christi Police Department in March, and is accused of pretending to be a CPS worker during a welfare check.

More >> What's next for the former Corpus Christi officer accused of impersonating a CPS worker?

• Judge rejects plea deal for former CCPD officer accused of impersonating CPS worker

Foster Parents Who Beat 2-Year-Old to Death Cry as They Are Found Guilty of Murder

On Thursday, a Georgia jury convicted a 30-year-old woman and her 29-year-old husband of murdering their 2-year-old foster daughter in 2015, according to multiple reports.

Jennifer and Joseph Rosenbaum were both facing 49 counts stemming from the death of Laila Daniel.

More >> Foster Parents Who Beat 2-Year-Old to Death Cry as They Are Found Guilty of Murder

DCF declines to pursue case after witness claims to see child punished at restaurant

The Department of Children and Families has declined to pursue a case after a witness called police about what was viewed as excessive force used on a child at a restaurant in The Villages.

The witness called law enforcement on the evening of July 27 after she saw a man remove his three-year-old daughter from Chili’s restaurant on Avenida Central, according to an incident report from the Lady Lake Police Department. The father later admitted to police he had spanked the child in the parking. The witness claimed the father had spanked the child so hard she was finding it hard to catch her breath, the report said.

More >> DCF declines to pursue case after witness claims to see child punished at restaurant

School-lunch debt cleared; N.E. Pa. superintendent ‘appalled and upset’ by district’s foster-care threats to parents

As of Thursday, no family in the Northeastern Pennsylvania school district that attracted national attention for its efforts to collect student lunch debt.

More >> School-lunch debt cleared; N.E. Pa. superintendent ‘appalled and upset’ by district’s foster-care threats to parents

Foster grandparent pleads guilty to child sex abuse

A Franklin County foster grandparent is in prison for sexually abusing five children.

James Horton pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of child sex abuse. Investigators say Horton abused five kindergarten children in the foster grandparent program. As part of the plea deal, Horton was sentenced to seven years in prison.

More >> Foster grandparent pleads guilty to child sex abuse

Foster care providers fear loss of funding due to Family First Act

A successful foster care provider in Saline County is fighting for kids he serves.

For 19 years, Second Chance Youth Ranch has housed foster children and supported foster families.

“We provide the support, the knowledge, the wisdom,” said Perry Black, founder of the non-profit organization. “We take off a lot of those responsibilities of the families. We help them with budgeting, planning, safety factors, transportation. We provide the house and the utilities.”

More >> Foster care providers fear loss of funding due to Family First Act

Illinois DCFS: Agency didn't track kids sleeping in offices

The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services has acknowledged it didn't track how many children were forced to sleep in its offices until recently.

The agency reports 16 children were forced to sleep in DCFS offices between May 6 and June 28 of this year. It says it didn't track those numbers before May 6.

More >> Illinois DCFS: Agency didn't track kids sleeping in offices

IN DEPTH: Incarcerated parents learn to live away from their children while remaining relevant to families

Marcus and Jasson Jr. can’t wait to wrestle with their dad.

The brothers sat with their grandmother, Kim Howell, on July 3 inside the family’s living room in Portage. It was a fairly normal evening, and just earlier that week, they had spoken to their father, Jasson Howell Sr.

More >> IN DEPTH: Incarcerated parents learn to live away from their children while remaining relevant to families

A police officer tried to report suspected child neglect to the state’s 24-hour hotline. He was told to leave a message and wait up to 4 days for a callback.

A small police department in the northwest suburbs had received several calls about a local family, raising the possibility that young children might be living in a dangerous home.

Concerned citizens began contacting the McCullom Lake Police Department in March to relay a number of allegations: The children were playing alone in the street and on the roof of the house, a baby strapped into a car seat was left unattended on the front porch and someone inside the home threatened to beat the children, according to police reports obtained by the Tribune in a public records request.

More >> A police officer tried to report suspected child neglect to the state’s 24-hour hotline. He was told to leave a message and wait up to 4 days for a callback.

Voices for Children report shows racial disparity in calls to Nebraska abuse/neglect hotline

A report by Voices for Children in Nebraska shows children of minority groups are more likely to be the subject of maltreatment reports to the state's child abuse/neglect hotline.

The report, "Equality Before the Law: Race and Ethnicity in the Front End of Nebraska’s Child Welfare System," examined calls to the child abuse and neglect hotline and the immediate child welfare system response.

More >> Voices for Children report shows racial disparity in calls to Nebraska abuse/neglect hotline

US asylum laws foster child trafficking at southern border, Utah Sen. Mike Lee says

Left unchanged, U.S. asylum laws will continue to let human traffickers bring children across the southern border and sell them as sex slaves, Sen. Mike Lee told a U.S. Senate committee Thursday.

"Children are brought to the border by cartels who know the U.S. government will essentially complete the trafficking route for them at the end of the road by releasing the child into the interior, in some cases to sponsors who claim to be relatives but in fact are only the final link in the trafficking chain," he said.

More >> US asylum laws foster child trafficking at southern border, Utah Sen. Mike Lee says

• Doctors call for investigation after 3 migrant children in custody die of flu
• These Horrifying Family Separation Cases Have All Happened Since Trump “Ended” the Policy
• 'Timely Action Is Critical': Doctors Call On Congress to Investigate Children's Deaths In Migrant Detention Centers
• ‘Why did you leave me?’ In new testimonies, migrants describe the ‘torment’ of child separation

Wrongful death lawsuit names CYFD, foster parent

An amended lawsuit brings on new accusations in the 2017 death of a baby girl in the care of a state-licensed foster parent.

CYFD, social workers, supervisors, and an office manager are now named as defendants in the lawsuit against Stephanie Crownover, a foster mom accused in the December 2017 death of Ariza Barreras in Valencia County.

More >> Wrongful death lawsuit names CYFD, foster parent

Birth mom charged in adoption fraud case locked up on new bond violation

A birth mother charged in a nationwide adoption fraud case has been locked up once again. Enhelica Wiggins appeared in U. S. District Court in Detroit Thursday to face a Federal Magistrate Judge, after she turned herself in Wednesday night. Wiggins is accused of violating her bond.

The 29-year-old from Saginaw had previously placed children through unlicensed Macomb County adoption worker Tara Lee.

Lee is charged with 23 counts of wire fraud, and 1 count of aggravated identity theft.

More >> Birth mom charged in adoption fraud case locked up on new bond violation

Jada Pinkett-Smith and Will Smith were once accused of ‘abusing and not feeding’ daughter Willow

Jada Pinkett-Smith and her husband Will Smith were once accused of ‘abusing’ and ‘not feeding’ their daughter Willow.

Jada, 47, revealed that someone called the child protective services in 2014 after a photo was shared showing Willow, then 13, lying on a bed with her shirtless Disney star pal, Moises Arias, then 20.

More >> Jada Pinkett-Smith and Will Smith were once accused of ‘abusing and not feeding’ daughter Willow

• Jada Pinkett Smith EXCLUSIVE: 'We’ve survived so much as a family' Actress recalls child protective services being called amid false claims she was 'abusing' daughter Willow

‘A deeply broken process’: DCFS on how kids in its care end up sleeping in offices

The recent revelation that children under the care of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services had been sleeping in administrative offices may be “merely the tip of a very large iceberg,” a county watchdog says.

Internal emails show DCFS recognized last month that it had a “deeply broken process” that led to children spending the night in office space, sometimes on the floor.

More >> ‘A deeply broken process’: DCFS on how kids in its care end up sleeping in offices

Erica Parsons' adoptive mother pleads guilty to murder, child abuse

Casey Parsons, the adoptive mother of slain Rowan County teenager Erica Parsons, pleaded guilty Friday morning to murder and child abuse in the girl’s death.

Casey Parsons entered a guilty plea to all three charges against her -- murder, child abuse and obstruction of justice -- and will spend the rest of her life in prison.

More >> Erica Parsons' adoptive mother pleads guilty to murder, child abuse

Department of Children doesn't know identity of 37 childcare facilities at 'critical' level of risk

THE DEPARTMENT OF Children has said it does not know the identity of the 37 childcare facilities which Tusla has identified where critical levels of non-compliance are occuring.

The agency’s Director of Quality Assurance Brian Lee told the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs yesterday that 37 facilities are on the highest level of risk on Tusla’s risk register.

More >> Department of Children doesn't know identity of 37 childcare facilities at 'critical' level of risk

A Parent’s Worst Nightmare

Suppose one day you arrived home and learned that you no longer had authority over your minor teenage son.  Unbeknownst to you, your son received advice from a legal aid group on how to become emancipated. No court hearings, no opportunity to be part of the legal process, and now no access to school records or medical records…no rights any longer as a parent.  Then you find out that your son was receiving without your permission or even your knowledge hormone treatments in order to transition from male to female. Would you be shocked? Would you wonder how such legal action could take place and you not even know about it?

More >> A Parent’s Worst Nightmare

Texas pediatrician on border crisis: ‘Kids don’t go in cages’

Over a 13-year career as a pediatrician in Texas, Dr. Marsha Griffin has visited every government facility that could hold newly arrived migrant children in the Rio Grande Valley.

She visited U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facilities during the 2013 and 2014 surge in unaccompanied minors arriving from Central America, when the agency retrofitted a warehouse in McAllen, Texas, into its largest detention center for unauthorized immigrants. Over the past 12 months, she has been visiting the facilities again – including a new temporary CBP facility in Donna, Texas, amid another surge in unaccompanied minors and families from Central America.

More >> Texas pediatrician on border crisis: ‘Kids don’t go in cages’

• Advocates: 'Horrible deja vu' in continued family separation
• ACLU says Trump admin has separated over 900 migrant children in past year
• Editorial: The Trump administration is using any excuse it can find to separate migrant families
• US has taken nearly 1,000 child migrants from their parents since judge ordered stop to border separations, ACLU says
• Booker on detention facilities for unauthorized border crossings
• N.C. shut down a group home last year. The US just gave it a contract to house migrant children
• Lindsey Graham to change rules, break ties with Democrats to curb asylum seekers at US border
• Her toddler died weeks after leaving ICE custody. She's suing a private prison company for $40 million

After boy’s death, family sues L.A. County’s child welfare agency for $50 million

Even years later, tears still flow easily for Maria Barron when she describes her efforts to rescue her nephew, Anthony Avalos, from his abusive Antelope Valley home.

She had been a constant presence in Anthony’s life — potty training, consulting with his teachers in preschool, hearing his boyhood dreams about being a fireman. Before his death at age 10, the boy confided in her and her husband about the abuse, too.

More >> After boy’s death, family sues L.A. County’s child welfare agency for $50 million

White Couple That Abused Adopted African Children Avoid Jail Time

A white couple made headlines last year after they adopted two African children only to neglect, starve and force them to live in deplorable conditions. One year later, the pair has escaped any jail time. Why are we not surprised?

More >> White Couple That Abused Adopted African Children Avoid Jail Time

Independent Report Finds Shortcomings in RI DCYF

An independent report on Rhode Island's child welfare agency has found serious shortcomings.

The Providence Journal reports that the Public Consulting Group Inc. report found that the Department of Children, Youth and Families failed to meet the target outcomes in 12 of 20 performance areas. The report covers the second half of 2018.

More >> Independent Report Finds Shortcomings in RI DCYF

Couple found guilty in the murder of two-year-old foster child

It was jaw dropping and tearful moment in a Henry County courtroom as a couple learned they were found guilty of murdering a two-year-old toddler.

More >> Couple found guilty in the murder of two-year-old foster child

Jury being sequestered in trial for foster parents accused in toddler's death

 The jury has officially been sequestered in the trial against a Henry County couple accused of killing their 2-year-old foster child.

Jennifer and Joseph Rosenbaum have been on trial for weeks for the death of Laila Daniel.

More >> Jury being sequestered in trial for foster parents accused in toddler's death

Massachusetts House votes to require more reporting from Department of Children and Families on foster care system; wellness bill passes 156-0

The Massachusetts House on Wednesday passed a bill that would require the Department of Children and Families to report on its efforts to improve the foster care system, in light of a litany of complaints from foster parents.

The Republican/MassLive.com reported earlier this year on a number of foster parents who complained of disrespectful treatment, a lack of information and bureaucratic hurdles from DCF. Parents said they were not given information about children’s medical records or court dates and about what resources were available to help them care for children.

More >> Massachusetts House votes to require more reporting from Department of Children and Families on foster care system; wellness bill passes 156-0

Parents giving up legal rights to their children to get more financial aid exposes deep flaws in U.S. college system

Just months after the college admissions scandal, more evidence has surfaced of the lengths well-off parents will go to get ahead in the college process.

Dozens of parents in the suburbs of Chicago transferred guardianship of their high-school-age children to relatives or friends and then used the new legal status to declare their children as independent for purposes of qualifying for federal, state and institutional financial aid, according to reports ProPublica and The Wall Street Journal published this week.

More >> Parents giving up legal rights to their children to get more financial aid exposes deep flaws in U.S. college system

• Officials look at ways to put end to 'student aid fraud scheme'

Whistleblower Evidence Claims Corruption at Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services

I'll bet a lot of parents are making similar claims...

In connection with a lawsuit for child custody, a former employee of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) asserts in a July 2019 affidavit obtained by The Epoch Times that the agency falsifies evidence to justify taking children from their parents.

In addition, a DCFS caseworker alleges that the department interfered in the case by removing the caseworker’s notes from her report in the custody case, according to text messages and court transcripts obtained by The Epoch Times.

More >> Whistleblower Evidence Claims Corruption at Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services

CYFD and foster parent sued over baby’s death

The state Children, Youth and Families Department and several of its employees, supervisors and an approved foster parent have been named in a lawsuit alleging, among other things, the wrongful death of a child in December 2017.

The lawsuit also alleges negligence and causing the “physical injury, pain and severe emotional distress” of the deceased child’s two siblings.

More >> CYFD and foster parent sued over baby’s death

Slidell man arrested for sex crimes against juveniles

A Northshore man has been booked on sex crimes against juveniles, according to the Louisiana Attorney General's Office.

Investigators said they received a tip Friday afternoon involving Michael Reynolds. By Friday evening, the AG's Office said Reynolds was arrested on dozens of counts.

More >> Slidell man arrested for sex crimes against juveniles

Children in care in Nottingham 'abused by predators'

Hundreds of children were sexually abused by predatory foster carers and residential home staff who were allowed to thrive, an inquiry has found.

Nottingham City and Nottinghamshire County councils exposed vulnerable children to repeated rapes and physical abuse, a report said.

More >> Children in care in Nottingham 'abused by predators'

• Nottinghamshire children in care abused for decades – report

Marcia Lowry, With New Secret Funding Source, Resumes Lawsuit Against New York City Foster Care

A nonprofit law firm representing a group of New York City foster youth has resumed long-running litigation against the city’s Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) and the state agency that oversees it.

A Better Childhood (ABC), along with its white-shoe litigation partner Cravath, Swaine & Moore, has delivered a nearly 300-page filing to a federal courthouse in lower Manhattan, with new evidence and allegations of money grabbing by nonprofit foster care agencies, frequent protocol violations, and too-frequent abuse of children, many of whom are staying too long in foster care in violation of federal law.

More >> Marcia Lowry, With New Secret Funding Source, Resumes Lawsuit Against New York City Foster Care

Judge keeps Macomb County mom in adoption fraud case locked up

A Macomb County mother at the center of a national adoption fraud case will stay behind bars until her trial. That’s the decision of a federal judge who said Tara Lee has shown a lack of respect for the law.

Tara Lee looked visibly nervous while in court Tuesday; her legs were shaking and at one point she seemed like she was near tears. Lee also tried to apologize to the Judge Bernard Friedman for her behavior, but he stopped her to keep her from possibly incriminating herself.

More >> Judge keeps Macomb County mom in adoption fraud case locked up

Oregon's foster care system will take time to fix

If Oregonians were expecting to see problems in the state's foster care system disappear overnight, they're in for a disappointment. As the Department of Human Services' July report on child welfare demonstrates, some things are improving; others, not so much.


More >> Oregon's foster care system will take time to fix

ACLU Says Trump Admin Has Separated 900 Migrant Children Despite Court Order

The American Civil Liberties Union told a judge Tuesday that President Donald Trump’s administration has separated more than 900 migrant children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border since June 2018, despite a court order for the government to slow down the practice.

In its 200-plus-page filing, the ACLU alleges that the government has separated 911 children by way of a loophole the court allowed for children whose parents had a criminal history or showed signs of disease or neglect.

More >> ACLU Says Trump Admin Has Separated 900 Migrant Children Despite Court Order

• ‘I was scared I’d get sick’: the pregnant migrant women detained by the US

Former Waukesha County juvenile social worker indicted for possession and distribution of child pornography

A former juvenile social worker for the Waukesha County Department of Health and Human Services has been indicted on suspicion of possession and distribution of child pornography.

A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment against Bernard J. Trokan, 53, of Hartland on July 23, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

More >> Former Waukesha County juvenile social worker indicted for possession and distribution of child pornography

Foster dad gets 10 years for child-sex abuse

A Winnipeg man who sexually abused three foster children over the course of nearly a decade has condemned his victims to a "lifetime of trauma and pain," a judge said Tuesday.

"There are no adjectives to properly describe the court's repugnance, repudiation and rejection of your vile and depraved acts," provincial court Judge Ray Wyant told the 49-year-old man, before sentencing him to 10 years in prison.

More >> Foster dad gets 10 years for child-sex abuse

California father, son charged with sexual abuse of multiple foster children for years

Police in Antioch, California have arrested a father and son on charges of sexually abusing multiple children under their care for six years.

Simon Mendoza Chavez, 64, and his son Simon Magana Chavez, 31, provided foster care for children between 2011 and 2017.

More >> California father, son charged with sexual abuse of multiple foster children for years

• Antioch father, son charged with sexual abuse of multiple foster children for years

MAJOR ZUCK-UP Facebook risks hindering child abuse and terrorism investigations by hiding online messages, warns Priti Patel

FACEBOOK has been warned by the new Home Secretary that its plans to hide online messages risks police investigations into child abuse and terrorism.

Priti Patel told the tech giant that increasing users’ privacy by making their chats secret will hinder detectives as they try to track down paedophiles and extremists.

More >> MAJOR ZUCK-UP Facebook risks hindering child abuse and terrorism investigations by hiding online messages, warns Priti Patel

New Zealand rocked by Māori protests on child removals and use of sacred land

Māori leaders are staging two major protests in New Zealand, straining relations with the Labour coalition government and drawing accusations that Jacinda Ardern – who is visiting the remote Pacific territory of Tokelau – is a “part-time prime minister”.

On Tuesday, hundreds of activists marched on parliament house in Wellington, as well as other New Zealand cities, calling for an overhaul of the government’s child welfare agency, Oranga Tamariki [Ministry for Children], amid a series of controversial cases in which Māori children and newborns were taken into state care.

More >> New Zealand rocked by Māori protests on child removals and use of sacred land

Still no verdict for ex-foster parents accused in 2-year-old’s death

Laila Marie Daniel, 2-years-old, died in November 2015. Her foster mother and father, Jennifer and Joseph Rosenbaum, went on trial beginning July 8, 2019, on murder charges in connection with her death. HANDOUT

More >> Still no verdict for ex-foster parents accused in 2-year-old’s death

Baby mix-up scandal women now planning legal action against adoption society

The women at the centre of the St Patrick's Guild baby mix-up scandal are seeking court approval to bring lawsuits against the former adoption society.

A joint application on behalf of Helen Maguire (71) and Christine Skipsey (52) was filed with the High Court by their solicitors last week, the Irish Independent has learned.

More >> Baby mix-up scandal women now planning legal action against adoption society

NYC lawmakers to ease off parents who use cannabis

New York City Council has signalled its intention to relax marijuana laws by pushing through a raft of new legislation focused around cannabis.

The authority gave the green light to two resolutions last week as part of a package of related changes to local legislation in anticipation of a global sea change in attitude toward cannabis.

More >> NYC lawmakers to ease off parents who use cannabis

Tampa Bay area lawmakers refile 'Jordan's Law' to protect children in Florida's child welfare system

Protecting children in the state of Florida. That's what several local lawmakers plan to do by refiling 'Jordan's Law' Monday. The law is named after Jordan Belliveau, who investigators say was murdered by his mother in September 2018.

Largo Police and five Tampa Bay area lawmakers announced the refiling of Jordan's Law on what would have been Belliveau's third birthday.

More >> Tampa Bay area lawmakers refile 'Jordan's Law' to protect children in Florida's child welfare system

Child Abuse Inquiry to hear evidence against 7 Scottish boarding schools in 2020

The Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry has announced it will hold hearings into abuse allegations in boarding schools in summer next year.

Chairwoman Lady Smith urged anyone with evidence to get in touch with the inquiry, even if they have already spoken to police or been involved in other investigations.

More >> Child Abuse Inquiry to hear evidence against 7 Scottish boarding schools in 2020

Grandmother Says She Reported Abuse To Oklahoma DHS A Month Before Child's Death

The grandmother of a 3-year-old girl, who died last year after alleged abuse, said she notified DHS about the abuse, but the agency did nothing. 

On Thursday, July 25 Baylee Sowards, 23, was charged with child abuse, and Lola's mother Alexis Nicole Caplan, 25, was charged with enabling child abuse.

More >> Grandmother Says She Reported Abuse To Oklahoma DHS A Month Before Child's Death

Fugitive Family: Couple flees Georgia to keep their children after ruling by juvenile judge

The Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) shoulders the blame when a child is abused or dies. But there is only one authority that actually has the power to remove a child from their parents: a judge.

Yet, when families disagree with a court’s ruling, holding a judge accountable for that decision can seem almost impossible.

More >> Fugitive Family: Couple flees Georgia to keep their children after ruling by juvenile judge

Silent No More Against Maine's DHHS held a rally in Skowhegan

A group called Silent No More Against Maine's Department of Health and Human Services rallied outside of the DHHS office in Skowhegan Tuesday.

More >> Silent No More Against Maine's DHHS held a rally in Skowhegan

Amy Schumer, Andy Cohen and More Stars Speak Out About Reuniting Migrant Families Separated at Border

A star-studded roster of celebrities has teamed up with the organization Immigrant Families Together as part of a new campaign dedicated to reuniting every single migrant family that has been separated at the southern border.

To mark the launch of IFT’s Every. Last. One campaign, nearly 60 famous faces banded together for a video released Monday pushing their message forward.

More >> Amy Schumer, Andy Cohen and More Stars Speak Out About Reuniting Migrant Families Separated at Border

Foster dad pleads guilty to child sex crimes in Lauderdale County

One of the suspects in one of the worst child abuse cases ever for the Shoals has pleaded guilty.

More >> Foster dad pleads guilty to child sex crimes in Lauderdale County

• Former foster parent pleads to 14 counts of abuse

Children in Need. Children Ignored. | John DeGarmo, Ed.D. | TEDxGeorgiaTech

Former foster family says state not meeting needs of foster children

Thousands of children in Tennessee are in foster care.

But a recent foster family says the Department of Children’s Services (DCS) does not give parents the support they need.

More >> Former foster family says state not meeting needs of foster children

Medicaid expansion may prevent child neglect, UW study shows

More than 4 million reports of child maltreatment involving about 7.5 million children were made in 2017 to Child Protective Services. While much work has been done to reduce these high rates of child abuse and neglect in the United States, few programs have been consistently effective.

Now, new research from the University of Washington suggests that expanding Medicaid may help prevent child neglect. After the expansion of Medicaid in 2014, mandated by the Affordable Care Act, there were 422 fewer cases of neglect per 100,000 children under the age of 6 reported each year in states that expanded Medicaid than in states that did not. The study was published June 14 in JAMA Network Open.

More >> Medicaid expansion may prevent child neglect, UW study shows

Russia rips adopted kids from gay dads using its anti-gay propaganda law

After a gay male couple brought their adopted children to a Moscow hospital for appendicitis, Russian authorities hunted the couple down and took their kids away because of the country’s law forbidding the exposure of minors to “gay propaganda.”

So much for Putin’s assertion that Russia has “no problem with LGBT persons.”

More >>  Russia rips adopted kids from gay dads using its anti-gay propaganda law

Northamptonshire children's services are INADEQUATE says Ofsted in damning report released today

Northamptonshire children’s services have been graded as inadequate by Ofsted which has found some looked-after children are living in unsafe accommodation and other care leavers have become homeless.

In a damning report the government watchdog has found after a full inspection last month that the service being provided by Northamptonshire is not fit for purpose and is failing vulnerable children in its care.

More >> Northamptonshire children's services are INADEQUATE says Ofsted in damning report released today

NJ SCHOOLS REQUIRED TO SHOW CHILD ABUSE HOTLINE FOR KIDS TO CALL

New Jersey has a new law that requires all schools to post information about the state child abuse hotline in their buildings starting this fall.

“It’s an additional tool for children if they’re suffering abuse and neglect at home or elsewhere. They will then have the information themselves and can make the phone call,” said Christine Norbut Beyer, commissioner of the state Department of Children and Families.

More >> NJ SCHOOLS REQUIRED TO SHOW CHILD ABUSE HOTLINE FOR KIDS TO CALL

Foster father, son accused of sexually abusing children, Contra Costa DA says

A foster parent and his son are accused of sexually abusing multiple children in Antioch, the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office said Monday.

The foster father, identified by the district attorney as 64-year-old Simon Chavez, cared for young children for at least 18 years at his home in Antioch.

More >> Foster father, son accused of sexually abusing children, Contra Costa DA says

• East Bay foster care father, adult son charged with sexually abusing children

2 mothers unhappy about 'raid' at private treatment program

Reaction to the state's shutdown of a private adolescent treatment program in northwestern Montana over allegations of physical and psychological abuse range from relief to anger to defiance.

Some former participants and staff said they were glad the state removed more than two dozen children from the Ranch for Kids on July 23 and suspended its license.

More >> 2 mothers unhappy about 'raid' at private treatment program

Breaking: Murdered GOP AR State Senator Told Sources She Found Child Pornography From Foster Kids On Judge Ex-Husband’s Computer Days Before She Died

Multiple confirmed sources have informed CD Media that murdered Arkansas State Senator Linda Collins-Smith told them she found child pornography made with foster children in care of the Arkansas Department of Human Services on her ex-husband’s, former Judge Phillip Smith, government-provided laptop computer. She was concerned the videos had been made in his judicial chambers where allegedly all cameras had been removed.

More >> Breaking: Murdered GOP AR State Senator Told Sources She Found Child Pornography From Foster Kids On Judge Ex-Husband’s Computer Days Before She Died

Jury deliberations begin in trial of foster parents accused in death of toddler

Jury deliberations are expected to begin Monday in the controversial Rosenbaum trial, after three weeks of arguments from both sides.

Closing arguments wrapped up Friday with high emotions and raised voices as former foster parents Jennifer and Joseph Rosenbaum stand accused of killing their 2 year-old foster child Laila Daniel in 2015.

More >> Jury deliberations begin in trial of foster parents accused in death of toddler

Oregon officials ask judge to dismiss federal foster care lawsuit

Gov. Kate Brown and Oregon’s child welfare agency are asking a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit over the state’s foster care system, after settlement talks failed to produce a resolution earlier this summer.

In April, a national advocacy group and Disability Rights Oregon filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of 10 children in state foster care ranging in age from 18 months to 17 years old. They accused the state of violating the children’s rights guaranteed by federal laws and the U.S. Constitution.

More >> Oregon officials ask judge to dismiss federal foster care lawsuit

What you need to know about the Texas foster care system before a CPS case

If your child is involved in a CPS case in the state of Texas then you need to be aware that he or she could be removed from your home and placed into foster care. I hate to put it to you so bluntly, but that is the reality of the situation. That doesn’t mean that he or she is never going to come home to you. What it does mean is that you are going to have to work to get him or her returned home.

Part of that work is learning about the CPS process and the people and institutions that are involved. The foster care system is one that figures to weigh heavily on your case in the event that your child is removed from your home. Today’s blog post from the Law Office of Bryan Fagan will seek to provide you with more information that we think is relevant to have as you begin your case.

More >> What you need to know about the Texas foster care system before a CPS case

Snatched! Government 'illegally' takes child from parents

The group contends the child was “illegally taken” from his family by Child Protective Services on June 20.

The family was given no explanation when the boy was seized, and CPS agents refused to answer their questions. The agents simply showed up at the family’s home, accompanied by armed officers, and demanded the child.

More >> Snatched! Government 'illegally' takes child from parents

Mother says DCF may take child because she is seeking alternative treatment to child's cancer

Action News Jax is investigating parental rights following a call from a local woman who has a dying daughter.

She claims the Florida Department of Children and Families may try to take her daughter away because she wants to discontinue chemotherapy and use natural remedies for the child.

More >> Mother says DCF may take child because she is seeking alternative treatment to child's cancer

Ongoing staffing crisis crippling children’s trust improvement efforts

The “high and sometimes sudden turnover” of social work staff at a children’s services trust is continuing to cripple improvement efforts, an Ofsted monitoring visit has found.

The visit found that Brighter Futures for Children (BFfC), which took over services from Reading council in 2018, was continuing to experience staffing problems “at all levels of the organisation”.

More >> Ongoing staffing crisis crippling children’s trust improvement efforts

US migrant detention centres are overcrowded and families are still being separated

It has fake grass, a pop-up medical clinic and a soccer pitch. It sits at the end of a dry and dusty road in southwest Texas, near some old lodging that was once used by oil workers.

More >> US migrant detention centres are overcrowded and families are still being separated

• 'I Know That They're Cared For." Why One Mom Has Chosen To Foster Migrant Children
• Their children cry at night after border separation. These fathers are seeking damages for the harm they suffered
• Plan halted to house migrant kids at Oklahoma’s Fort Sill
• Senator Dianne Feinstein Speaks Against Bill Ending Protections for Immigrant Children and Families
• Senator intervenes at border to help Mexican family apply for asylum

School official loses job after letter threatening child custody over lunch debts

The fallout continues from a letter sent by a Pennsylvania school district to parents who owed lunch money debts.

More >> School official loses job after letter threatening child custody over lunch debts

Osceola Couple Accused of Neglecting Their Adopted Children Avoid Prison

An Osceola couple who admitted to keeping their two children in plastic-lined rooms and forcing them to use buckets as toilets has avoided prison time.

Kelly Fry and Kenny Fry were arrested last summer and charged with neglect or abandonment and child endangerment causing bodily injury.

More >> Osceola Couple Accused of Neglecting Their Adopted Children Avoid Prison

Wesley Mathews, foster dad of Sherin, starts life term over her death...

Houston: Wesley Mathews, sentenced to life in prison for the death of his foster child Sherin Mathew...


More >> Wesley Mathews, foster dad of Sherin, starts life term over her death...

Former CCPD Officer accused of impersonating a CPS worker may have violated bond

The former Corpus Christi police officer who's accused of impersonating a Child Protective Services case worker may have violated her bond.

Norma Deleon appeared in the 117th District Court this morning for a pretrial and plea deadline hearing. Deleon is facing a charge of impersonating a public servant.

More >> Former CCPD Officer accused of impersonating a CPS worker may have violated bond

Oregon officials ask judge to dismiss federal foster care lawsuit

Gov. Kate Brown and Oregon’s child welfare agency are asking a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit over the state’s foster care system, after settlement talks failed to produce a resolution earlier this summer.

In April, a national advocacy group and Disability Rights Oregon filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of 10 children in state foster care ranging in age from 18 months to 17 years old. They accused the state of violating the children’s rights guaranteed by federal laws and the U.S. Constitution.

More >> Oregon officials ask judge to dismiss federal foster care lawsuit

Foster father accused of raping, assaulting children

A Chelsea man was arraigned Monday after he was accused of sexually assaulting his two foster children.

Michael Diaz, 33, was arrested July 19 on nine counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, six counts of aggravated rape of a child under 16 and one count of distribution matter harmful to a minor.

More >> Foster father accused of raping, assaulting children

• Chelsea Man Charged With Raping His 2 Foster Children

Ex-youth center workers accused of rape; state investigates

New Hampshire's attorney general launched an investigation Thursday into the state youth detention center after two former counselors were charged with raping a teenage boy 82 times, at least once at gunpoint, in the late 1990s.

The "comprehensive, multi-faceted" investigation into the Sununu Youth Services Center will initially focus on the center's operations and employees from 1990 to 2000 and will address whether other children were physically or sexually abused, and whether other laws were broken, Attorney General Gordon MacDonald said in a news release.


More >> Ex-youth center workers accused of rape; state investigates

DCFS Proposes Stricter Rules for Illinois Foster Homes

The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services is proposing new rules for licensed foster homes that include vaccination of children and a no-smoking policy.

 DCFS spokesman Jassen Strokosch says the proposed rules are meant to comply with National Model Foster Family Home Licensing Standards adopted in February by the Children's Bureau of the Administration for Children and Families, a part of U.S. Department of Health and Human Service.

More >> DCFS Proposes Stricter Rules for Illinois Foster Homes

Expert says foster mom killed tot girl on accident. She was found with broken bones, ‘loop-shaped’ bruising & ruptured pancreas [Court]

A former GBI medical examiner testified Thursday morning that internal injuries that killed a Georgia toddler were caused by attempts by her foster mother to save the little girl’s life.

11Alive reports that Dr. Kris Sperry took the stand for the defense inside a Henry County courtroom, where foster parents Jennifer and Joseph Rosenbaum are currently on trial, facing murder charges in connection with the 2015 death of 2-year-old Laila Marie Daniel.

More >> Expert says foster mom killed tot girl on accident. She was found with broken bones, ‘loop-shaped’ bruising & ruptured pancreas [Court]

• Closing arguments set for this afternoon in foster parents’ trial

‘Foster dad begged for custody of girl, 7, he said was in danger then raped her’

Eric Schrecengost, 37, was arrested Tuesday in Keizer, Oregon for allegedly raping and sexually abusing the girl. The Oregon Department of Human Services and Child Welfare placed the girl in Schrecengost’s custody last year after he filed a motion for temporary custody due to immediate danger.

More >> ‘Foster dad begged for custody of girl, 7, he said was in danger then raped her’

• Man accused of sexually abusing girl Oregon child welfare workers put in his custody

Great-grandma allegedly banned from funeral of boy who had begged not to be reunited with parents

The great-grandmother of a California boy who suspiciously died under his birth parents's care was banned from attending his funeral on Thursday, KTTV reports.

This week, civil rights activist Najee Ali led a silent protest during a private viewing at the funeral of 4-year-old Noah Cuatro, after the boy's parents banned Eva Hernandez from attending. Hernandez's allegations of child abuse did not purportedly sit well with Noah's parents Jose and Ursula.

More >> Great-grandma allegedly banned from funeral of boy who had begged not to be reunited with parents

Raid removing 27 kids from Montana ranch 'may be the tip of the iceberg,' lawmaker says

The removal of 27 children at a private facility for adopted children in Montana this week was the culmination of years of efforts to effectively regulate private youth treatment programs — and it "may just be the tip of the iceberg," the lawmaker who spearheaded the reform effort said Thursday.

The children were removed Tuesday from the Ranch for Kids in Rexford, in Lincoln County along the Canadian border, in response to what state officials called frequent and severe allegations of physical and psychological abuse. Some have already been reunited with their parents, state officials said.

More >> Raid removing 27 kids from Montana ranch 'may be the tip of the iceberg,' lawmaker says

• Children interviewed amid abuse allegations at Montana ranch
• Moms angry over how state removed children from Ranch for Kids

U.S., Guatemala Sign Treaty Denying U.S. Asylum to Migrants

Guatemala has signed a comprehensive migration reform deal which allows U.S. border officials to legally block asylum claims by migrants who pass through that country, President Donald Trump said Friday.

More >> U.S., Guatemala Sign Treaty Denying U.S. Asylum to Migrants

• Rep. Karen Bass: Trump admin. engaging in 'state-sponsored child abuse' by separating migrant kids
• Exclusive: Red flags on family separation were raised internally in Trump admin, documents show
• Trump’s Declaration of Inhuman Rights Includes Children in Migrant Jails
• Trump Is Targeting the Most Vulnerable Among Us
• Their children cry at night after border separation. These fathers are seeking damages for the harm they suffered
• Inhofe spokesperson: Plans to house migrant children at Ft. Sill 'on hold'
• After 3 children who are U.S. citizens were detained at O’Hare, Illinois lawmakers are pressing border patrol for answers

After CPS Removal of Four-Year-Old Upheld, Kaufman County Family Will Request Court Reconsideration

It’s been over a month since Child Protective Services (CPS) removed four-year-old Kaleb (Drake) Pardo from his home. Now, several weeks after a court ruling that favored CPS, his parents and their lawyers are preparing to challenge the court’s decision.

The ruling on July 2 granted CPS temporary managing conservatorship.

If the family does nothing, the case could last another year before the permanency hearing, according to CPS policy.


More >> After CPS Removal of Four-Year-Old Upheld, Kaufman County Family Will Request Court Reconsideration

Independent report finds shortcomings in DCYF

An independent report on Rhode Island's child welfare agency has found serious shortcomings.

More >> Independent report finds shortcomings in DCYF

Adoption system 'out of step with reality' in age of social media, review finds

Social media has changed the landscape in terms of adopted people tracing their birth relatives to such an extent that service providers here "are out of step with the reality".

That was one of the findings highlighted by participants in a Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA) review and consultation on the potential introduction of open or semi-open adoption in Ireland.

More >> Adoption system 'out of step with reality' in age of social media, review finds

Huger couple accused of international adoption scheme to appear in Federal Court Thursday

Charleston, SC The couple accused of trying to smuggle a baby out of Japan is set to appear before a federal judge Thursday.

Stephanie Jean Locker and Gerald Vincent Locker, Jr. are set for arraignment  at 9:45 AM in Charleston Courtroom #5, U. S. Court House on Broad Street before Magistrate Judge Bristow Marchant.

More >> Huger couple accused of international adoption scheme to appear in Federal Court Thursday

Thousands of unaccompanied migrant children could be detained indefinitely

An unprecedented number of unaccompanied migrant children are at risk of spending the rest of their childhoods in federal custody, CBS News learned in an exclusive interview with the head of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), the agency that cares for these children.

The federal government is required to pursue "prompt and continuous efforts toward family reunification" of unaccompanied migrant children, according to a landmark court settlement, but for thousands of kids in ORR care, that reunion may never happen.

More >> Thousands of unaccompanied migrant children could be detained indefinitely

• A growing number of migrant children might spend their entire childhoods in U.S. custody
• Number of detained migrant children without U.S. sponsors spikes, federal official says
• VIDEO: Mother of 2 taken into custody by ICE in Los Angeles as neighbor tries to intervene
• They're immigrants. Their kids are US citizens. And they're scared
• 18-Year-Old U.S. Citizen Was Detained By ICE For Nearly A Month Despite 

Pennsylvania district sorry it warned that lunch debt could lead to foster care, accepts $22K donation

A Pennsylvania school district is apologizing for threatening students’ parents with possible foster care over unpaid lunch debts and has accepted a donation that will cover the unpaid fees.

More >> Pennsylvania district sorry it warned that lunch debt could lead to foster care, accepts $22K donation

• Pa. School District Reverses Course And Will Now Accept Donations To Cover Lunch Debt
• School district that warned parents of foster care wouldn't let me erase lunch debts, CEO says

Stricter rules proposed for Illinois foster homes

Licensed foster homes in Illinois will likely have to comply with a host of new rules starting later this year, including strict vaccination and no-smoking policies, as well as rules governing kitchens, bathrooms, swimming pools and transportation.

The state Department of Children and Family Services announced the proposed rules July 12, when they were published in the Illinois Register, the official state document for public notices of rulemaking by state agencies.

More >> Stricter rules proposed for Illinois foster homes

SC couple accused of falsifying overseas adoption documents to appear in court Thursday

The Huger couple accused of falsifying overseas adoption documents is expected to appear in court Thursday morning.

The U.S. Department of Justice says Stephanie Jean Locker and Gerald Vincent Locker Jr. tried to get around overseas adoption rules by telling immigration officials a baby they adopted in the Philippines was their biological child.

More >> SC couple accused of falsifying overseas adoption documents to appear in court Thursday

When ‘You’re Adopted’ Is Used as an Insult

I don’t remember exactly how old I was the first time I heard one of my classmates hurl “You’re adopted” at another as an insult. But I was old enough to know two things: First, that my parents’ process of adopting me was long, complicated, and emotionally exhausting—not to mention expensive; and second, that some kids’ parents euphemistically called them “surprises.” To my young mind, being adopted meant being desperately wanted and prayed for; some of my friends had little siblings who joined their families purely by accident, but I was a long-awaited miracle. So when I heard a kid my own age sneer at a classmate, “You’re adopted,” I was bewildered.

More >> When ‘You’re Adopted’ Is Used as an Insult

Bill protects parents with disabilities in custody cases

Parents with disabilities delivered emotional testimony to lawmakers, urging passage of a bill they said would protect them from discrimination in child custody cases.

Bills filed by Sen. Joan Lovely and Rep. Kay Khan (S 983, H 1487) would prohibit a parent's disability from being used as a negative factor in custody matters without a written, evidence-based finding from a court showing "the nexus between the parent's disability, or its manifestations, and harm to the child," and whether that harm could be prevented with adaptive equipment or supportive services.

More >> Bill protects parents with disabilities in custody cases

Pedophile convicted for inventing claims about child abuse by VIPs

A man who falsely alleged he had been a victim of a supposed child sex ring decades ago involving high-profile individuals including senior political and military figures was found guilty on Monday of perverting the course of justice.

Carl Beech, who was known by the pseudonym of “Nick,” told detectives he had been abused at military locations and at apartments close to parliament, and also said the pedophile gang had murdered three young boys.

More >> Pedophile convicted for inventing claims about child abuse by VIPs

Should siblings be kept together in foster care?

Should siblings be kept together in foster care?

That is the conversation Massachusetts lawmakers are having as they consider a bill that would require the state Department of Children and Families to prioritize sibling unity.

More >> Should siblings be kept together in foster care?

Pennsylvania County Says It Will Never Put Children in Foster Care for School Lunch Debt

People in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, were shocked last week when a local school district sent hundreds of letters telling parents who owed lunch money for their children to pay up or else the kids could go into foster care.

“Nobody’s coming to take your kids in the middle of the night,” County Manager David Pedri assured residents on Monday, July 22 on “CNN Newsroom.”

More >> Pennsylvania County Says It Will Never Put Children in Foster Care for School Lunch Debt

Foster father’s mother says she never saw injuries on Laila, Millie

The mother of a man accused in the death of his 2-year-old foster child testified Tuesday that she never saw injuries on the girl or her older sister.

“I never had any inkling at all that there were injuries to either one of them,” Mary Rosenbaum told the Henry County jury.

More >> Foster father’s mother says she never saw injuries on Laila, Millie

• Foster parents left ‘loop shaped bruising’ and fist marks on tot girl, who died after months of abuse, doctor testifies

Gay couple from Georgia sues over US refusal to recognize kid as citizen

A same-sex couple in Georgia said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that the U.S. State Department is unconstitutionally refusing to recognize their daughter's rightful American citizenship.

The State Department's policy treats married same-sex couples as if their marriages do not exist and treats them differently from married straight couples in violation of the law and the Constitution, according to the suit filed in federal court in Atlanta. It was filed on behalf of Derek Mize and Jonathan Gregg, whose daughter Simone was born in England in July 2018 via surrogate.

More >> Gay couple from Georgia sues over US refusal to recognize kid as citizen

Social worker accused of sex crimes no longer with St. Louis County

The social worker charged with felony criminal sexual conduct with a victim to whom he’d been assigned no longer works for St. Louis County.

“Michael Bryant is no longer an employee of St. Louis County,” spokeswoman Dana Kazel said Tuesday. “We continue to work toward a timely resolution of the employment complaint.”

More >> Social worker accused of sex crimes no longer with St. Louis County

Foster Mothers Challenge Philadelphia’s ‘Discriminatory’ Adoption Agenda

Two Philadelphia foster mothers are asking the Supreme Court to defend religious adoption agencies from a city policy that would declare them discriminatory and shut them down.

Sharonell Fulton, who has fostered more than 40 children through Catholic Social Services (CSS), and Toni Simms-Busch, a former social worker, want the Court to overturn a Philadelphia policy that targets religious groups for holding traditional views of marriage. Philadelphia currently has 6,000 children in foster care, but the regulation would shutter some of the longest-serving adoption agencies in the city.

More >> Foster Mothers Challenge Philadelphia’s ‘Discriminatory’ Adoption Agenda

• Moms take fight against city’s foster care ban on faith-based agencies to the Supreme Court

'Hit, kicked ... spit on': Montana alleges abuse, removes kids from private youth program

In an unprecedented action, the state of Montana removed 27 children from the Ranch for Kids in Lincoln County on Tuesday morning after receiving multiple complaints of physical and psychological abuse and neglect at the private program for troubled youth.

Acting on an order from Lincoln County District Court Judge Matthew J. Cuffe, and with support of law enforcement, the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services personnel took the children from the remote ranch outside Rexford, and suspended its license.

More >> 'Hit, kicked ... spit on': Montana alleges abuse, removes kids from private youth program

After DCFS Caseworker Killed on the Job, Her Husband Works for Change at the Troubled Agency

Recent child deaths in Illinois have shined a light on the Department of Children and Family Services, the agency charged with protecting vulnerable children in a home, often their own. One man is speaking out to honor his wife and is on a quest to change things at DCFS for her.

More >> After DCFS Caseworker Killed on the Job, Her Husband Works for Change at the Troubled Agency

What Happens When Parents Wait to Tell a Child He’s Adopted

A predictable sequence of events nearly always ensues after I mention to someone that I’m adopted. First, people blink, then quickly apologize for whatever assumption forced the clarification—that it must be my dad who’s tall, or that it must be my mom who passed down her olive skin to me … that some distinctive feature of mine must run in my family. Then come the questions: “Do you know your birth parents?” “How old were you when you were adopted?” And, almost without fail, “When did you find out you were adopted?” Whatever conversation was going on before the subject of adoption came up, I am always sorry to find, is now lost to history and forgotten.

More >> What Happens When Parents Wait to Tell a Child He’s Adopted

Evangelical foster care agency expands program to include Catholics amid lawsuit over state funding

An evangelical Christian nonprofit that is South Carolina's largest adoption agency and only places children with Christian families recently announced its decision to expand its foster program to include Catholics.

Earlier this month, Miracle Hill Ministries announced that it was officially clarifying that Roman Catholics who affirm the nonprofit’s statement of faith can serve as foster parents or employees.

More >> Evangelical foster care agency expands program to include Catholics amid lawsuit over state funding

Russian lawmakers back creation of child adopters blacklist

The State Duma passed a bill creating a special register of bad faith adoptive parents and guardians in the third and final reading on Tuesday.

The blacklist will help regulate the information exchange between authorized bodies to prevent adopters and guardians deprived of parental rights from repeated child adoption, the statement released on the website of the parliament’s lower house reads.

More >> Russian lawmakers back creation of child adopters blacklist

Man convicted for inventing false claims about child abuse by VIPs

A man who falsely alleged he had been a victim of a supposed child sex ring decades ago involving high-profile individuals including senior political and military figures was found guilty on Monday of perverting the course of justice.

Carl Beech, who was known by the pseudonym of “Nick”, told detectives he had been abused at military locations and at apartments close to parliament, and also said the paedophile gang had murdered three young boys.

More >> Man convicted for inventing false claims about child abuse by VIPs

I-Team Exclusive: Grandma calls out CPS after toddler killed

A 2-year-old child is dead, and according to a local grandmother, Child Protective Services could have protected her grandson.

“I just miss him,” said Shelby Mannino, grandmother. “I just miss him a lot.”

More >> I-Team Exclusive: Grandma calls out CPS after toddler killed

DHS official claims she was punished for reporting wrongdoing with state contracts

A compliance officer at the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) said she was the victim of retaliation after she raised alarms about the legality of contracts at the social services agency.

Faye K. Bernstein, a lead contract specialist at DHS, said she was verbally reprimanded and sidelined from her duties after she pointed out “serious non-compliance issues” with a group of contracts approved by leaders in the agency’s behavioral health division, which awards millions of dollars each year in contracts for mental health and substance use treatment and services.

More >> DHS official claims she was punished for reporting wrongdoing with state contracts

Who First Reported Abuse At The McMartin Preschool? Judy Johnson’s Shocking Allegations

In the summer 1983, mother of two Judy Johnson made a complaint to the Manhattan Beach Police Department that would ignite one of the most infamous criminal investigations in U.S. history.

Speaking with an officer, Johnson said she was calling to “report a crime.”

More >> Who First Reported Abuse At The McMartin Preschool? Judy Johnson’s Shocking Allegations

Countless migrant children could soon be headed to Fort Worth. Here’s why

Fort Worth for years has been a temporary home to countless unaccompanied migrant children.

And it could soon house even more.

More >> Countless migrant children could soon be headed to Fort Worth. Here’s why

• Opponents of U.S. border policy chant ‘Never again is now’
• How detention centers affect the health of immigrant children: A research roundup
• Ocasio-Cortez calls for an independent investigation into child separation policies

Under New Illinois Law, Parents Of Justice-Involved Children Don’t Have To Trade Custody For Treatment

A new Illinois law aims to ensure that parents of justice-involved youth who need costly mental health services don’t have to trade custody for treatment for their child.

Cook County Public Guardian Charles Golbert advocated for this change to the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Administrative Act.

More >> Under New Illinois Law, Parents Of Justice-Involved Children Don’t Have To Trade Custody For Treatment

Event highlights problems facing kids who age out of foster care system

Statistics show that many of the kids can either find themselves homeless or caught in human trafficking, Louis Barrios said.

More >> Event highlights problems facing kids who age out of foster care system

Insurer wins coverage dispute over foster child’s death

A foster care agency’s insurer has prevailed in coverage litigation over the murder of a 4-year old girl by her foster mother.

Foster care agency The Baby Fold, based in Normal, Illinois, placed Kianna Rudesill in the care of Joshua and Heather Lamie in 2010, according to Friday’s ruling by the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago in Philadelphia Indemnity Insurance Co. v. The Chicago Trust Co., as administrator of the Estate of Kianna Rudesill, and The Baby Fold.

More >> Insurer wins coverage dispute over foster child’s death

Judge halts Children Services strike for 60 days

A day after a state board determined a strike by Montgomery County’s child welfare workers presented a clear and present danger to children, a judge on Monday ruled to extend for 60 days a restraining order he issued last week that halted the strike and ordered the sides to three negotiating sessions, including two in public.

More >> Judge halts Children Services strike for 60 days

Bartow DFCS case manager awarded for reuniting 19 children with biological parents

“Surprised and excited” by the honor, Jamie Crews was recognized by the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services for reuniting 19 foster children with their parents. The Kennesaw resident has served as a social services case manager at Bartow County Department of Family and Children Services since 2017.

More >> Bartow DFCS case manager awarded for reuniting 19 children with biological parents