Press Releases
Advances Made for Kids in Connecticut Foster Care, Report Shows
(New York, NY) — The Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF) has made significant strides in improving care for abused, neglected and “at risk” children, but some serious systematic issues remain, according to a report released today.
January 7, 2014DHS Misses the Mark with First Attempts at Foster Care Reform
(Tulsa, OK) — An initial report by the three monitors chosen to assess Oklahoma’s progress on child welfare reform shows that its Department of Human Services (DHS) is failing to meet important initial goals, has been unable to provide data needed to accurately assess progress, and is facing a crisis if it doesn’t effectively address staff turnover.
December 24, 2013NYC’S Incoming Child Welfare Commissioner Must Immediately Address Longstanding Foster Care Failings
‘Clearly There is a Missing Ingredient When It Comes to Keeping the City’s Children Safe’ (New York, NY) — Yesterday mayor-elect Bill de Blasio named Gladys Carrión as his child welfare commissioner for New York City’s Administration for Children’s Services (ACS). In response, Marcia Robinson Lowry, executive director of Children’s Rights, released the following statement: […]
November 25, 2013MA Department of Children and Families Failed to Comply with National Standards, State and Federal Requirements and its Own Internal Policies, Federal Judge Finds
(New York, NY) — A federal judge who has ruled that the failings of Massachusetts’ child welfare system did not warrant injunctive relief found in a recently issued opinion that the state’s Department of Children and Families (DCF) “has failed not only to comport with national standards of care and state and federal requirements but also to comply with its own internal policies” for protecting and supporting children in foster care.
October 8, 2013Children Still Being Harmed in Michigan Foster Care, Report Shows
(New York, NY) —- Michigan is five years into a court-ordered reform of its foster care system, but the state’s Department of Human Services (DHS) is still struggling in its most crucial mission — to protect kids from abuse and neglect, according to a report released today by federal monitors.
October 2, 2013DCF Improves Case Planning for Foster Children, but Backslides in Crucial Area — Keeping Kids Safe From Repeat Abuse and Neglect
While New Jersey’s Department of Children and Families (DCF) recently made critical improvements in aspects of child welfare, the state is still struggling to meet its obligations in some core areas, such as keeping children safe from repeat maltreatment and finding them permanent homes, according to a progress report released by an independent federal court monitor.
October 1, 2013DCF Improves Case Planning for Foster Children, but Backslides in Crucial Area–Keeping Kids Safe From Repeat Abuse and Neglect
(New York) — While New Jersey’s Department of Children and Families (DCF) recently made critical improvements in aspects of child welfare, the state is still struggling to meet its obligations in some core areas, such as keeping children safe from repeat maltreatment and finding them permanent homes, according to a progress report released today by an independent federal court monitor.
September 27, 2013Milwaukee Moves Closer to Reaching Final Goal of Foster Care Reform
Today, the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families’ Bureau of Performance Management released the latest report tracking the progress of the Wisconsin Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare (BMCW). The report, covering the first half of 2013, shows improvement in placement stability, the last unfulfilled Settlement Agreement requirement for foster care reform. In response, Eric Thompson, […]
August 28, 2013Federal Court Rules that Lawsuit Against State of Texas Can Proceed On Behalf of All Children In Long Term Foster Care
Children in permanent foster care in Texas can move forward with their lawsuit against the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS), claiming that the state has violated their constitutional rights and subjected them to harm, a federal court has ruled. In a 107-page decision (PDF) handed down this week, Senior U.S. District Judge Janis […]
August 7, 2013Metro Atlanta Backslides on Protecting Kids in Foster Care
New Report Shows Higher Rate of Maltreatment, Poorer Safety Monitoring (New York) — As Georgia experiences major changes in its child welfare leadership, new data shows that metropolitan Atlanta’s effort to protect abused and neglected children in foster care has suffered. According to the latest report from federal court monitors, the performance of the Department […]