Christina Wilson Remlin is quoted in this article about a federal court’s decision that Philadelphia can refuse to work with child welfare agencies that do not comply with anti-discrimination laws: “Today’s decision signals that discriminating against same-sex couples is illegal and harmful to all children.”

Pointing out the importance of accurate data for LGBTQ youth in foster care, Christina Wilson Remlin is quoted in NBC News opposing HHS’s proposal to eliminate this data collection: “To stop collecting data on LGBTQ foster youth would only serve to render this vulnerable population invisible.”

Ira Lustbader is quoted: “Michael Leach has a clear passion for serving kids and families and is committed to making the system better…We look forward to having [him] in South Carolina and working to get a sufficient number of caseworkers and family placements and for basic health care needs of this vulnerable group of our […]

Sandy Santana is quoted in this investigative piece about a group home in Iowa: “When kids act out with behavior that is symptomatic of their mental health issues, it’s hard for workers to adapt, and very hard for them to access techniques that a well-trained person would access immediately,” Santana said. “So they rely on […]

Ira Lustbader reflects on the closing of the foster care reform campaign in Tennessee, which has now become a road map of hope for kids in foster care.

“You just keep waiting and waiting and hoping and praying for transformational change, and it’s so slow in coming,” said a Texas child welfare advocate of the state’s delayed progress toward change.

Settling in a case brought by Children’s Rights and our partners, Florida has agreed to no longer place children overnight in hotels or unlicensed offices, to stop squeezing more children into foster homes than they are licensed for and to keep children aged 6 and younger out of group foster homes staffed by shift workers.

“We are exceedingly disappointed that after more than ten years, Michigan still finds itself failing the state’s most vulnerable children,” said Samantha Bartosz of Children’s Rights in a press release last week following the latest report. “This long into reform, such grave safety concerns for children clearly suggest a lack of management focus.”

Samantha Bartosz is quoted in this article about the ongoing dangers in Michigan’s child welfare system: “The reform efforts started to go into a state of paralysis and even retreat. We see in this most recent monitoring report some difficult results for kids.”

Children’s Rights’ lawsuit challenging Iowa’s ongoing use of seclusion and a mechanical restraining device known as “the wrap” in a state juvenile home for boys may proceed as class-action litigation, a judge ruled this week.