Press Releases
A Second Chance for Youth Tried as Adults in New York State
Governor Kathy Hochul has signed into law a bill providing the right for people who were convicted of a crime when they were under the age of 19, but denied youthful offender status at the time, to reapply for it. Youthful offender status in New York allows young people convicted of a crime to have […]
October 13, 2021Connecticut Monitoring Report Shows Progress in Child Welfare Lawsuit
Contact: Camilla Jenkins, cjenkins@childrensrights.com BRIDGEPORT, CT — The court monitoring team in the ongoing federal child welfare reform lawsuit known as Juan F. v. Lamont released the latest report on the progress of the Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF) amid ongoing efforts to improve its child welfare system. The lawsuit, led by national […]
September 30, 2021Relief Expires Today For 20,000 Foster Youth Aging Out During the Pandemic
On September 30, the federal moratorium on youth aging out during the pandemic will expire, pushing approximately 20,000 young adults out of the system. Nearly 900,000 youth and young adults are eligible for this critical emergency relief. The federal government must move quickly to extend the moratorium to ensure that youth are protected, and states must move quickly to help connect foster youth aging out with the support they need
September 29, 2021Federal Court Recognizes Years of Successful Reforms in Allowing Milwaukee County Foster Care Settlement Exit
Contact: Camilla Jenkins, cjenkins@childrensrights.com MADISON, WI — In a milestone for Milwaukee children in foster care served by Wisconsin’s Department of Children and Families (DCF), a federal court today ordered that the agency may exit federal court oversight of a settlement agreement that resulted in major systems change and tangible results for children and families. […]
September 22, 2021Summary Judgment Victory in Georgia IDEA Class Action for Students in Adult Jail
Contact: Camilla Jenkins, cjenkins@childrensrights.com ATLANTA, GA — On September 16, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia granted Plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment in T.H. v. DeKalb County School District. The Court held that a trial is not necessary for the Plaintiff class to prevail on its claim that the DeKalb County […]
September 14, 2021Children’s Rights Announces Leecia Welch as New Lead Counsel
Contact: Camilla Jenkins, cjenkins@childrensrights.com (New York, NY)—National child welfare organization Children’s Rights has added Leecia Welch to its team as a new Lead Counsel. Welch brings extensive legal experience in the child welfare field, including 16 years at the National Center for Youth Law in Oakland where she was the Senior Director of Child Welfare […]
September 10, 2021Court Allows Lawsuit Challenging New Hampshire’s Systematic and Unlawful Treatment of Older Youth in Foster Care to Continue
Contacts: Children’s Rights: Camilla Jenkins, cjenkins@childrensrights.org, 917.971.1784; New Hampshire Legal Assistance: Sarah Palermo, spalermo@nhla.org, (603) 369-6650 (New Hampshire)–Yesterday the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire issued a ruling largely denying the State’s motion to dismiss G.K. v Sununu, permitting plaintiffs to pursue five of the six claims they raised. The lawsuit, […]
August 3, 2021Shereen A. White to Lead Children’s Rights’ Advocacy Work as New Policy Director
Contact: Camilla Jenkins, cjenkins@childrensrights.org (New York, NY) – Today, national child advocacy organization Children’s Rights announced Shereen A. White as their new Director of Advocacy and Policy. White will lead Children’s Rights’ growing policy team to advocate for policy changes at the federal and state levels to improve children’s well-being. White is currently a Senior […]
July 30, 2021Children’s Rights Responds to Ohio District Court Ruling
A district court in Ohio has held that the named plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit originally filed by Children’s Rights and co-counsel do not have a claim under federal law. The lawsuit, originally filed in November 2020, alleges that the state is violating federal law by refusing to pay approved relative foster parents—often grandparents—the […]
June 17, 2021Children’s Rights Responds to Supreme Court Ruling in Fulton Case
Today, the US Supreme Court ruled that Philadelphia may not bar a Catholic agency that refused to work with same-sex couples from screening potential foster parents. In August 2020, Children’s Rights filed an amicus brief in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia urging SCOTUS to uphold Philadelphia’s non-discrimination policy, arguing that otherwise children in child welfare […]
