Press Releases
Children’s Rights Scores Major Victory for New Jersey’s Abused and Neglected Children
TRENTON, NJ — Children’s Rights today secured a new commitment from New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine to protect the state’s children from abuse and neglect by jumpstarting what has been a stalled effort to reform its beleaguered child welfare system with concrete measures that will produce genuine results for children. The settlement was reached today […]
May 3, 2006Immediate Judgment Called for in Mississippi Foster Care Reform Lawsuit
Children’s Rights and Mississippi co-counsel filed for summary judgment this week on behalf of plaintiff children in the case of Olivia Y. v. Barbour, asserting that the facts admitted to by the state demonstrate that Mississippi has unconstitutionally failed to protect children that depend on the state for their basic needs and safety. Plaintiffs have […]
May 2, 2006Federal Judge Blocks Harmful Missouri Adoption Law from Taking Effect
Kansas City, MO — A federal judge today issued an order permanently banning a Missouri law from taking effect that would have cut critical adoption assistance subsidies for thousands of abused and neglected children. In the case, E.C. v. Blunt, a judge ruled that the Missouri law violated the federal rights of abused and neglected […]
May 1, 2006At Least One-Third of Children in Foster Care Have Disabilities
NEW YORK, NY — A report released today by United Cerebral Palsy and Children’s Rights reveals that at least one-third of the more than 500,000 children and youth in American foster care systems today may have disabilities. The report, titled Forgotten Children: A Case for Action for Children and Youth with Disabilities in Foster Care, […]
April 3, 2006State’s Own Study Blasts Mississippi Child Welfare
The Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) has issued a report for Mississippi that finds the state’s Child Welfare program has been chronically starved of resources. Major findings of this review of the Mississippi Department of Human Services (DHS) Division of Family and Children’s Services (DFCS) include: “DFCS is under-staffed at all levels.” Caseworkers and […]
March 23, 2006New Settlement Guarantees the Right to Legal Counsel for Abused and Neglected Children in DeKalb County, Georgia
ATLANTA, GA — A new settlement agreement was announced today in the Kenny A. v. Perdue civil rights class action lawsuit to reform the Georgia child welfare system. The agreement requires the DeKalb County government, the second largest in the state, to provide “adequate and effective” legal representation to all abused and neglected children who […]
April 5, 2005Understaffed Mississippi Department of Human Services Abandons Children in Emergency Shelters for Over a Year
A Mississippi Department of Human Services (DHS) document obtained as part of the ongoing child welfare reform lawsuit, Olivia Y. v. Barbour, identifies 168 children in emergency shelters statewide who, as of December 2004, had been left there an average of 124 days (over 4 months) each during their current shelter stay. 3 children in […]
March 29, 2005Lawsuit Reveals Backlog of Nearly Three Thousand Child Abuse Investigations in Mississippi
Mississippi Department of Human Services (DHS) documents recently obtained by attorneys for the plaintiffs as part of the child welfare reform lawsuit Olivia Y. v. Barbour reveal that DHS has a backlog of 2,863 child abuse investigations statewide. In addition, DHS caseworkers are not able to respond to child abuse complaints for an average of […]
March 15, 2005Mississippi DHS: Child Abuse and Neglect Caseloads at “Beyond Danger!” Levels
Documents obtained as part of the child welfare reform lawsuit Olivia Y. v. Barbour show that Mississippi’s Department of Human Services (DHS), Division of Family and Children’s Services (DFCS), is allowing average caseloads of 48 cases per caseworker across the state to place thousands of children at risk of serious harm. The state’s own category […]
March 7, 2005First Report From Expert Panel Shows New Jersey Children Still At Risk
The New Jersey Child Welfare Panel today issued its first report on the state’s progress in reforming its child welfare system as a result of the Children’s Rights class action lawsuit Charlie and Nadine H. v. McGreevey. The report by the group of experts, charged with monitoring New Jersey’s court-ordered child welfare reform shows pockets […]
