Press Releases
Children’s Rights Moves to Hold District of Columbia in Contempt of Court
WASHINGTON, DC — Citing the ongoing failure of the District’s Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA) to meet the performance standards of a court-ordered reform plan in the federal class action brought on behalf of both the approximately 2,500 children in CFSA custody and thousands more reported for abuse or neglect, national advocacy group Children’s […]
July 22, 2008Report: DeKalb County Meeting Requirements to Improve Legal Representation of Foster Children
ATLANTA, GA — The settlement of a landmark class-action lawsuit seeking reform of the Atlanta child welfare system on behalf of thousands of children in its custody has produced vast improvements in the quality of legal representation foster children in DeKalb County’s receive in Juvenile Court, according to a new report released today by an […]
July 17, 2008Under New Court Order, Connecticut Must Act Aggressively to Address Persistent Child Welfare Failures
BRIDGEPORT, CT — Two months after the national advocacy group Children’s Rights and Connecticut co-counsel triggered noncompliance proceedings against the state of Connecticut under the terms of the court-enforceable federal class action settlement mandating the comprehensive reform of the state’s child welfare system, Senior U.S.District Judge Alan H. Nevas today approved and ordered into effect […]
July 3, 2008Michigan Settles Reform Lawsuit, Agrees to Overhaul of Failing Child Welfare System
DETROIT, MI — A settlement agreement mandating top-to-bottom reform and federal court oversight of Michigan’s long-failing child welfare system has been reached in the federal class action brought against the state by the national advocacy group Children’s Rights and a team of attorneys from Michigan and across the country. The settlement, to be submitted for […]
May 14, 2008Atlanta Child Welfare Reform Efforts Slipping in Critical Areas
ATLANTA, GA — Rates of abuse and neglect among children in the custody of Atlanta’s child welfare system continue to rise and critical service needs for children and their families are not being met, according to a new report issued today by the court-appointed independent monitors in the federal class action reform lawsuit brought against […]
May 5, 2008Advocates Seek Partial Federal Takeover of Connecticut Child Welfare System
Citing the ongoing failure of Connecticut’s Department of Children and Families to meet performance standards mandated by the settlement of a federal class action reform lawsuit brought against the state on behalf of approximately 6,000 children in state custody and thousands more at risk of entering state custody, the national advocacy group Children’s Rights and […]
April 16, 2008New Jersey Continues Making Progress toward Child Welfare Reform
NEWARK, NJ — New Jersey’s child welfare agency remains on pace in implementing the first phase of a massive reform effort mandated by the landmark settlement of a federal class action brought by Children’s Rights on behalf of children in the state’s custody, according to report released today by the court-appointed independent monitor in the […]
March 18, 2008Children in Connecticut Foster Care, Needing Families, Stuck in Emergency Facilities Instead
BRIDGEPORT, CT — Due in large part to the ongoing failure of Connecticut’s Department of Children and Families (DCF) to maintain an adequate pool of available foster families, the agency holds a substantial number of foster children for overly long periods of time in emergency and temporary facilities rather than family placements, according to a […]
February 13, 2008Advocates File Federal Class Action Lawsuit Seeking Reform of Oklahoma Child Welfare System
TULSA, OK — Outlining a decade-long slide into disrepair and across-the-board failure to protect children in state custody from often extreme abuse and neglect, the national child advocacy group Children’s Rights has joined four Oklahoma law firms and the international firm Kaye Scholer in filing a federal class action today seeking top-to-bottom reform of Oklahoma’s […]
February 11, 2008Report Blames Michigan Child Welfare System for Abuse, Death of Children in Foster Care
DETROIT, MI — Likening the management of Michigan’s Department of Human Services to “blindfolded school bus drivers,” unable to see and respond to impending dangers to the children in its custody, a scathing new report by an expert in Children’s Rights’ child welfare reform lawsuit against the state of Michigan lays the blame for several […]
