Ira Lustbader is quoted in this article about reports of child abuse in South Carolina. “We knew the problems were deep when we brought this lawsuit, and this report reveals that initial compliance efforts have so far been slow and ineffective,” said Ira Lustbader, litigation director at Children’s Rights.
“We remain deeply concerned about the ability of the state to keep kids safe when they’re in foster care,” said Elizabeth Pitman Gretter, an attorney for Children’s Rights.
In a lawsuit brought by Children’s Rights, a panel of three judges appeared divided on whether Texas has breached the U.S. Constitution in how it treats foster children — and if so, what should be done about it.
Samantha Bartosz is quoted in this article about the Los Angeles foster care system: “Tragedies [in the LA foster care system] make it into the papers, and people care, and that can lead to higher levels of intakes and then the system’s capacity gets challenged. The safety net gets stretched and, too frequently, shredded.”
Children’s Rights’ lawsuit in South Carolina is mentioned in this article about the ongoing dangers faced by children in the state’s foster care system.
Following a settlement agreement in a lawsuit brought by Children’s Rights in Rhode Island, private agencies that provide health and support services to children in state care urged lawmakers to increase funding for child welfare services in the state.
Sandy Santana speaks about the growing number of children entering foster care due to the opioid epidemic: “In those states that have been most affected by the opioid crisis, they are really, really struggling,” says Sandy Santana, executive director of Children’s Rights. “Their foster care systems are reeling.”
“Children are entering foster care because their parents are addicted to opioids, and the epidemic is only getting worse,” writes Sandy Santana in this op-ed in USA Today.
Alyssa, former plaintiff in Children’s Rights’ lawsuit in Texas, is profiled in this article. “For too many of the thousands of young Texans in foster care, the march of time…means potential sexual and physical abuse. It means aging out of foster care and entering the adult world lost, broken and alone.
Should caseworkers collect data about the sexual orientation of children in foster care? Sandy Santana, executive director of Children’s Rights, speaks out against the overall lack of legal guards in many states for LGBTQ youth in care.
