Press Releases
Federal Court Recognizes Years of Successful Reforms in Allowing Milwaukee County Foster Care Settlement Exit
Contact: Camilla Jenkins, cjenkins@childrensrights.com MADISON, WI — In a milestone for Milwaukee children in foster care served by Wisconsin’s Department of Children and Families (DCF), a federal court today ordered that the agency may exit federal court oversight of a settlement agreement that resulted in major systems change and tangible results for children and families. […]
September 22, 2021Summary Judgment Victory in Georgia IDEA Class Action for Students in Adult Jail
Contact: Camilla Jenkins, cjenkins@childrensrights.com ATLANTA, GA — On September 16, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia granted Plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment in T.H. v. DeKalb County School District. The Court held that a trial is not necessary for the Plaintiff class to prevail on its claim that the DeKalb County […]
September 14, 2021Children’s Rights Announces Leecia Welch as New Lead Counsel
Contact: Camilla Jenkins, cjenkins@childrensrights.com (New York, NY)—National child welfare organization Children’s Rights has added Leecia Welch to its team as a new Lead Counsel. Welch brings extensive legal experience in the child welfare field, including 16 years at the National Center for Youth Law in Oakland where she was the Senior Director of Child Welfare […]
September 10, 2021Court Allows Lawsuit Challenging New Hampshire’s Systematic and Unlawful Treatment of Older Youth in Foster Care to Continue
Contacts: Children’s Rights: Camilla Jenkins, cjenkins@childrensrights.org, 917.971.1784; New Hampshire Legal Assistance: Sarah Palermo, spalermo@nhla.org, (603) 369-6650 (New Hampshire)–Yesterday the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire issued a ruling largely denying the State’s motion to dismiss G.K. v Sununu, permitting plaintiffs to pursue five of the six claims they raised. The lawsuit, […]
August 3, 2021Shereen A. White to Lead Children’s Rights’ Advocacy Work as New Policy Director
Contact: Camilla Jenkins, cjenkins@childrensrights.org (New York, NY) – Today, national child advocacy organization Children’s Rights announced Shereen A. White as their new Director of Advocacy and Policy. White will lead Children’s Rights’ growing policy team to advocate for policy changes at the federal and state levels to improve children’s well-being. White is currently a Senior […]
July 30, 2021Children’s Rights Responds to Ohio District Court Ruling
A district court in Ohio has held that the named plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit originally filed by Children’s Rights and co-counsel do not have a claim under federal law. The lawsuit, originally filed in November 2020, alleges that the state is violating federal law by refusing to pay approved relative foster parents—often grandparents—the […]
June 17, 2021Children’s Rights Responds to Supreme Court Ruling in Fulton Case
Today, the US Supreme Court ruled that Philadelphia may not bar a Catholic agency that refused to work with same-sex couples from screening potential foster parents. In August 2020, Children’s Rights filed an amicus brief in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia urging SCOTUS to uphold Philadelphia’s non-discrimination policy, arguing that otherwise children in child welfare […]
June 16, 2021Children’s Rights Unveils Bricks for Kids Installation in Hudson Yards to Raise Awareness of Children’s Mental Health
Contact: Camilla Jenkins cjenkins@childrensrights.org (New York, NY) Today New York-based national child advocacy organization Children’s Rights unveiled BRICKS FOR KIDS, a new sculpture on display at 10 Hudson Yards to raise awareness of the critical need to promote child mental health. This colorful seesaw sculpture, crafted out of toy bricks, was created to celebrate the […]
June 7, 2021Michigan Monitoring Report Shows Progress in Some Areas, But Critical Safety Concerns Still Plague the System
The court monitoring team in the ongoing federal child welfare reform lawsuit known as Dwayne B. v. Whitmer released the latest report on the progress of the Michigan Department of Human Services (DHHS), finding critical safety concerns for children under state care. Filed today, this report covers the first half of 2020 (January-June 2020). The […]
May 25, 2021New Report Maps Strategies for Disrupting Racism in Child Welfare
CNN’s Nicquel Terry Ellis to moderate panel discussion this Thursday Contact: Camilla Jenkins, cjenkins@childrensrights.org Event Page: childrensrights.org/fierceurgencyofnow (New York, NY) – Today national child advocacy organization Children’s Rights released Fighting Institutional Racism at the Front End of Child Welfare Systems, a new report that describes how institutional racism contributes to the disproportionate involvement of Black […]