Press Releases
Florida Department of Children and Families Puts Foster Youth at Risk of Physical, Psychological Harm in Miami-Dade/Monroe, New Suit Charges
Drastic Shortage of Foster Homes and Lack of Mental Health Services Re-Victimizing Children; Kids Frequently Moved 20 or More Times, Infants and Toddlers Warehoused in Group Care Contact: Wende Gozan Brown, 646-216-3329, wbrown@childrensrights.org; Mary Kate Martin, 312-861-8254, MaryKate.Martin@bakermckenzie.com (Tallahassee, FL) – An extreme shortage of foster homes in Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties leaves children adrift and at […]
February 9, 2018Children’s Rights Responds to Budget Deal
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Wende Gozan Brown at 347-526-5520; wbrown@childrensrights.org In response to the budget deal that President Trump signed into law today, Sandy Santana, executive director for Children’s Rights, issued the following statement: “This deal is a step in the right direction for children. While it took tireless advocacy to add in key provisions at the […]
January 9, 2018Federal Court Allows Missouri Foster Care Suit to Proceed
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Daniel Kessel at 646-216-3343, dkessel@childrensrights.org Maria Tsikalas at 314-977-3077, maria.tsikalas@slu.edu Lewis Cohen at 510-469-3007, lcohen@youthlaw.org ——- Plaintiffs’ Counsel ‘Gratified the Court Has Ruled in Favor of Youth,’ Notes Children ‘Continue to be Prescribed Powerful and Potentially Dangerous Drugs … Without Proper Oversight’ (Kansas City, MO) – For the first time, a […]
January 8, 2018Rhode Island, Plaintiffs Settle Long-Standing Foster Care Case
Contact: Wende Gozan Brown at 646-216-3329; wbrown@childrensrights.org In Resolving the Lawsuit, Officials Have Entered a Historic Agreement …With the Vital Purpose of Transforming Young Lives’ (Providence, RI) – Attorneys for plaintiff children in Rhode Island foster care, Governor Gina Raimondo and Dr. Trista Piccola of the Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF) have agreed to settle […]
December 14, 2017DCS ‘Has Maintained A Steady Level’ of Progress Since Recent Exit From Lawsuit, New Report Shows
Contact: Wende Gozan Brown, 646-216-3329, wbrown@childrensrights.org (Nashville, TN) — The first in a series of reports shows that Tennessee’s Department of Children’s Services (DCS) is sustaining progress made during the 16-year effort to reform its child welfare system. These reports, which an “External Accountability Center” creates, denote the final, 18-month phase that requires continued public reporting. In […]
December 13, 2017Advocates and Connecticut State Officials Agree to Streamlined Child Welfare Reform Plan
Contact: Wende Gozan Brown at 646-216-3329; wbrown@childrensrights.org New Plan Reduces Remaining Goals from 22 to 10; Lowers Caseload Limits; Protects Resources Required to ‘Achieve Sustained Compliance’ (Bridgeport, CT) – A federal court today approved a streamlined child welfare reform plan today that protects vulnerable children and puts Connecticut’s Department of Children and Families (DCF) closer […]
November 27, 2017Iowa ‘School’ Relies on Solitary, Restraints, Dangerous Drugs, Instead of Giving Boys Needed Mental Health Care, Lawsuit Alleges
Contact: Wende Gozan Brown, 646-216-3329, wbrown@childrensrights.org (national media); Nathan Kirstein, 515-278-2502 x25, nkirstein@driowa.org (Iowa media) (Des Moines, Iowa)—State officials are knowingly employing unconstitutional and illegal practices at the Boys State Training School in Eldora, Iowa, causing lasting harm to youth with significant mental illnesses, according to a federal class action lawsuit filed today in the U.S. District Court […]
November 3, 2017GOP Plan to Eliminate Adoption Tax Credit ‘Stands in Stark Contrast to a Purported Support of Family Values’
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Wende Gozan Brown: wbrown@childrensrights.org (New York, NY) – In response to the news that proposed GOP tax reform would eliminate the adoption tax credit, Sandy Santana, executive director of Children’s Rights, released the following statement: “As we enter National Adoption Month, when our federal government is bringing attention to the need […]
October 2, 2017Congress Must Act Now to Protect Healthcare Funding for Millions of Children, Says Children’s Rights
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Wende Gozan Brown at 646-216-3329; wbrown@childrensrights.org. In response to Congress’ failure to reauthorize the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Sandy Santana, executive director of Children’s Rights, released the following statement: “Congress placed young lives at risk over the weekend when it failed to reauthorize CHIP by the September 30 deadline. Nearly […]
September 13, 2017First Report from Independent Court Monitors Shows South Carolina DSS Has Made Progress, but Faces Many Challenges in Reforming Child Welfare
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Wende Gozan Brown at 646-216-3329; wbrown@childrensrights.org —- Agency Has ‘Demonstrated a Commitment to Reforming Its Foster Care System,’ but ‘In the Vast Majority of Areas…a Lot of Work Needs to Be Done,’ According to Report (Charleston, S.C.) — Independent monitors filed their first report today on South Carolina’s efforts to reform […]
