We measure our success by the difference we make in children’s lives.

Children’s Rights has won landmark cases improving child welfare systems in Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.

Much more than mere symbolic victories, our campaigns for comprehensive child welfare reform produce real, measurable improvements in the lives of abused and neglected children.

To list just a few:

 

In New Jersey:

Legal action by Children’s Rights brought about the creation of a cabinet-level children’s agency, among many much-needed reforms. Over just two years, the state increased its number of licensed foster families by more than 1,000 and reduced the number of children waiting to be adopted in the state by 39 percent. In 2007, New Jersey posted a new state record for the number of children adopted out of foster care.

In Tennessee:

Sweeping reforms brought about by Children’s Rights’ advocacy have cut the number of children living in orphanage-style institutions and other non-family settings in half since 2002.

In Connecticut:

Systematic failure to investigate alleged abuse and neglect had been placing thousands of children in danger until Children’s Rights took action, ensuring that more than 90 percent of abuse and neglect allegations are now investigated promptly — and the quality of the investigations has markedly improved. Under the pressure of our settlement agreement, the state’s rate of abuse among children in foster care placements has dropped 80 percent over the past five years.

In Georgia:

Children’s Rights’ work on behalf of children in the Atlanta foster care system resulted in an unprecedented decision establishing children’s constitutional right to effective legal representation throughout their time in the custody of state child welfare systems. Subsequent reforms have brought about major improvements in the quality of Atlanta’s legal services for kids in foster care facing critical decisions about where they will live and whether they will be returned to their families or freed for adoption.

In Missouri:

Children’s Rights helped to overturn a state law that slashed aid to parents adopting children from foster care. Our efforts in Kansas City, Missouri, ensured that more than 90 percent of the children in custody received necessary dental, medical, and mental health care.

Learn More

• Download Results of Reform: Translating Children’s Rights’ Advocacy Into Better Lives for Abused and Neglected Children Nationwide (PDF).
• Read about the details of each of our legal cases.
• Browse our news archive and blog.
• Sign up to receive updates on our individual cases via e-mail or RSS.
• Find out how you can help by making a gift to Children’s Rights or joining our network of supporters.

Latest Victories

• Lawsuit to Reform Harmful Oklahoma Child Welfare System May Proceed as Class Action, Federal Appeals Court Rules
• An initial victory in a fight to save a vital foster care prevention program
• Atlanta County Quickens Reform of Legal Representation for Kids in Foster Care