Press Releases
Federal 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 […]
July 12, 2013District of Columbia Falls Short on Investigating Child Maltreatment Allegations, Report Finds
While Reform Effort Shows Progress, Some Findings ‘Should Be of Great Concern’ to Child Welfare Officials, Says Children’s Rights (New York)–The District of Columbia’s Children and Family Services Agency (CFSA) has struggled to conduct quality investigations into alleged child abuse and neglect and has fallen short of meeting other court-ordered mandates, according to the latest […]
July 1, 2013Connecticut Moves More Kids Out of Institutions, Falls Short on Mental Health Services, Report Finds
(New York, NY) – Today an independent federal court monitor released a report that reviews the progress of Connecticut’s Department of Children and Families (DCF) in reforming its child welfare system, a longstanding effort spurred by the national advocacy group Children’s Rights. In response to the report, covering the first quarter of 2013, Ira Lustbader, […]
June 24, 2013‘Disappointing’ Progress for Tennessee’s Foster Care System, Report Finds
(New York, NY) — Following years of steady improvement, the reform of Tennessee’s child welfare system stalled in 2012, leaving some kids waiting too long for workers to investigate abuse allegations, and many older youth ill-prepared for life after state care, according to a report filed today.
May 31, 2013First-Person Stories of Foster Care Come to Light for May Campaign
(New York, NY) – On May 1, in honor of National Foster Care Month, national advocacy organization Children’s Rights will launch Fostering the Future, a public awareness campaign that will give first-hand accounts of being a child in state care.
May 30, 2013Lax Supervision, Failure to Act at ‘Boys Home Of The South’ Led to Attack, Sexual Assault of 11 Year Old, Charges Lawsuit
(Abbeville, SC) — Unacceptably lax policies, combined with officials turning a blind eye to child-on-child assaults at an institution licensed and supervised by the South Carolina Department of Social Services (SCDSS), paved the way for an 11-year-old Abbeville County boy to be attacked and sexually assaulted at the facility in March of 2011, charged an amended complaint filed in the Abbeville County Court yesterday.
March 22, 2013Wisconsin Closes in on Final Benchmark of Foster Care Reform Plan
Over the last decade the Wisconsin Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare (BMCW) has made life-changing improvements for kids in its foster care system. Leaders have dramatically cut the rate of abuse and neglect in care, the amount of time kids spend there and the number of children on workers’ caseloads.
March 21, 2013Ruling Upholds Mandate to Ensure Rights of Former Foster Youth
Federal District Judge Nancy G. Edmunds ruled that Michigan’s Young Adult Voluntary Foster Care (YAVFC) program requires ongoing monitoring and enforcement, as mandated in the Modified Settlement Agreement for Dwayne B. v Snyder–a federal class action brought by national advocacy group Children’s Rights.
March 20, 2013Michigan Still Not Protecting Kids from Abuse and Neglect
Five years after Michigan agreed to reform its child welfare system, the state’s Department of Human Services (DHS) is still struggling in its most critical mandate –to keep kids safe from abuse and neglect, according to a report released today by the federal monitors charged with tracking the reform.
