Press Releases
Connecticut Fails to Meet Basic Needs of Abused and Neglected Kids — Advocates Threaten Further Legal Action
HARTFORD, CT — The Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF) is failing to meet its fundamental obligations to the abused and neglected children who depend on it, says the national advocacy group behind a long-running federal class action to reform the Connecticut child welfare system — and the advocates have notified DCFthat it is […]
April 5, 2010Federal Court Holds DC Mayor Fenty in Contempt for Child Welfare Failings; District Must Fully Implement Reforms
WASHINGTON, DC — The federal judge presiding over a long-running Children’s Rights class action seeking the reform of the Washington, DC, child welfare system today handed down a ruling that holds the District and its mayor, Adrian Fenty, in civil contempt for failing to comply with the requirements of federal court orders mandating widespread improvements […]
March 24, 2010Kids in Foster Care Suffer as Oklahoma Child Welfare Agency Fails to Track Workers’ Caseloads
TULSA, OK — As a new expert review of children in the custody of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services draws connections between the agency’s failures and horrific incidences of child abuse and neglect on its watch,DHS has admitted that it does not systematically track the total number of cases it assigns to the child […]
March 22, 2010Huge Victory for Abused and Neglected Kids as Tennessee Repeals Law Interfering with Juvenile Court Hearings
NASHVILLE, TN — Under pressure from legal action by Children’s Rights to protect vulnerable children facing life-altering decisions in juvenile court hearings, the Tennessee General Assembly has voted to repeal a misguided law aimed at interfering with local judges’ decision-making, and sent the revised legislation to be signed by Governor Phil Bredesen. Under the law, […]
March 21, 2010Milwaukee Must Focus on Maintaining Stability in Foster Care Placements and Returning Kids Home More Quickly
MILWAUKEE, WI — While the Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare (BMCW) has made important progress in implementing widespread reforms required under a court order secured by Children’s Rights — including dramatically reducing the number of children who suffer abuse or neglect in their foster homes — a new progress report shows that too many children […]
March 15, 2010Georgia Child Welfare Practices May Risk Kids’ Lives, Children’s Rights Advocates Charge in Federal Court
ATLANTA, GA — The Georgia Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) may be endangering the safety and well-being of thousands of vulnerable children by diverting them from the custody of the state child welfare system and failing to provide the services and protections necessary to keep them safe, according to papers filed in federal […]
March 9, 2010Michigan Reforms Stall and Too Many Children Remain Stranded in Foster Care; Stable Leadership Needed Immediately
DETROIT, MI — After making some initial progress in a comprehensive child welfare reform effort required under a federal court order secured by Children’s Rights, a new progress report shows Michigan has still not found safe, permanent families for thousands of children stranded in foster care, and is at risk of backsliding further unless the […]
February 8, 2010Lawsuit to Reform Harmful Oklahoma Child Welfare System May Proceed as Class Action, Federal Appeals Court Rules
DENVER, CO — Strongly rejecting state officials’ claims that a district court judge abused his discretion in granting class action status to a lawsuit aimed at reforming the harmful child welfare system of Oklahoma, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver today unanimously upheld the lower court’s May 2009 decision to allow the lawsuit […]
January 22, 2010New Report Shows Atlanta Backsliding on Child Welfare Reforms, Threatening Abused and Neglected Kids’ Safety
ATLANTA, GA — Children in the metropolitan Atlanta child welfare system are now suffering abuse and neglect in their foster homes at a rate three times the national standard, says a new report on progress toward implementing widespread child welfare reforms — and Children’s Rights, the national advocacy organization that spurred the reform effort, says […]
January 7, 2010New Jersey Must Maintain Focus on Child Welfare Reform to Continue Important Progress for Abused and Neglected Kids
NEWARK, NJ — The New Jersey Department of Children and Families (DCF) continues to produce vital improvements in the care and protection it provides abused and neglected children, according to a new progress report released today on a long-running effort to reform the state’s once-failing child welfare system under a federal court order secured by […]