The following are current articles about at risk children’s issues that have made the news in the past 2 weeks (state news in alphabetical order international news listed below state news) All states are reported;
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CA: Advocates push equal financial support for kinship caregivers
The Chronicle of Social Change – February 13, 2014
California is the last remaining state that provides no foster care support at all to relatives of children who are not eligible for federal foster care support, according to John Burton Foundation Policy Director Amy Lemley.
https://chronicleofsocialchange.org/news/california-advocates-push-equal-financial-support-for-kinship-caregivers/5281
FL: Court dog’s job: Unconditional love for traumatized children
The Tampa Tribune – February 14, 2014
Tibet, known as a facility dog, is graduating this week from the Canine Companions for Independence campus in Orlando, after two years of special training to provide comfort and support to children who have been removed from their homes because they have been harmed or neglected by their parents. There are 51 such dogs in 21 states, but Tibet will be the first in Florida.
http://tbo.com/news/court-dogs-job-unconditional-love-for-traumatized-children-20140214/
FL: Group offers foster kids a decorated dorm room
Sun Sentinel – February 13, 2014
Kaye created Dream Dorm Decorators, a project of the Boca Raton-based Best Foot Forward Foundation, which supports Palm Beach County foster kids through the academic process, including college. Last year, he raised $6,000, which helped furnish the dorms and apartments of six foster kids who have graduated high school.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/palm-beach/boca-raton/fl-dream-dorm-decorators-20140215,0,366734.story
IN: Court rules Indiana child welfare agency went too far by taking children from struggling mom
Associated Press – February 13, 2014
The justices ruled unanimously that not all special-needs children of low-income parents need to be taken from their families.
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/c79c2f8371f949fa89ff721d6ea36e7f/IN–Indiana-State-Custody-Limits
MA: Grieving mother of tot under DCF watch: ‘I want to know how he died’
Boston Herald – February 14, 2014
Investigators are probing the death of a Yarmouth toddler who died while under the watch of state child welfare officials yesterday morning, as the grieving mom told the Herald last night she wants answers.
http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2014/02/grieving_mother_of_tot_under_dcf_watch_i_want_to_know_how_he
MA: Past felonies could restrict Mass. foster parents
Associated Press – February 13, 2014
The Massachusetts Senate on Thursday approved a measure that would put a six-month moratorium on the placement of any child with a foster parent who has been convicted of a felony.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/2014/02/13/past-felonies-could-restrict-mass-foster-parents/P8GSvirdF8D9lmpmiUJC8J/story.html
MO: Child welfare officials explain process in cases like one alleging 3-year-old kept in cage, starved
Springfield News-Leader – February 13, 2014
Child welfare officials today explained procedures. They say it takes evidence to remove a child from a home and a removal indicates that something bad has already happened, or is likely to happen. Also, “How investigators assess child abuse cases” http://www.kspr.com/news/local/how-investigators-assess-child-abuse-cases/21051620_24471158
http://www.news-leader.com/article/20140213/NEWS01/302130146/Child-welfare-officials-explain-process-in-cases-like-one-alleging-3-year-old-kept-in-cage-starved
MS: Lawmakers want to expedite foreign adoptions in Mississippi
Clarion Ledger – February 11, 2014
Senate Bill 2180 would exempt those seeking to adopt foreign children from a six months waiting period. The bill, which now goes to the House, prohibits adoptions by couples of the same gender.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20140211/NEWS01/140211007/Lawmakers-want-expedite-foreign-adoptions-Mississippi
NM: Lawmakers scramble to address child abuse
Associated Press – February 14, 2014
A flurry of bills and memorials introduced this session tackle everything from staffing problems and overwhelming caseloads within the state’s embattled child welfare agency to tougher penalties for abusers, more responsibility for citizens to report abuse and more power for child services workers to take immediate custody of children who show signs of abuse.
http://www.wral.com/nm-lawmakers-scramble-to-address-child-abuse/13394615/
NV: Clark County prosecutors will no longer identify child abuse, sex crime victims in court documents
Las Vegas Review-Journal – February 13, 2014
The new policy was outlined in a Jan. 27 memo from Assistant District Attorney Christopher Lalli and circulated within the office’s criminal division. Lalli said in the two-page memo that the policy became necessary after a mother discovered through a Google search court documents that gave explicit details of sex acts committed against her child.
http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/clark-county-prosecutors-will-no-longer-identify-child-abuse-sex-crime-victims-court-documents
OH: Birth certificate is legal, not biological document (Editorial)
cincinnati.com – February 13, 2014
Four same-sex couples sued in Cincinnati Monday for the right to be listed on their children’s birth certificates.
http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20140213/EDIT01/302130081/Birth-certificate-legal-not-biological-document?nclick_check=1
OH: Extending foster care (48 minute video)
WOSU Public Media – February 13, 2014
Several states have moved to extend the age when foster care ends to 21, and that movement has recently gained momentum in Ohio. This hour, we weigh the societal and financial costs and benefits of letting kids stay a little longer.
http://wosu.org/2012/allsides/extending-foster-care/
OR: 5 Oregon siblings seeking adoptive family: Some answers to readers’ questions
The Oregonian – February 10, 2014
Boys and Girls Aid has had over 5,000 inquiries this week about the siblings and other children featured in the past weeks. And people have had lots of questions – the most common is whether the agency will consider out-of-state adoptions.
http://www.oregonlive.com/living/index.ssf/2014/02/5_oregon_siblings_seeking_adop.html
TX: Temple: Police unveil child abuse awareness program
KWTX – February 13, 2014
Abuse Ceases Today, or ACT, is aimed at promoting the recognition and prevention of child abuse. The City of Temple reported an increase in injury to a child cases since 2011 when there were 25 incidents. That number nearly doubled by 2013.
http://www.kwtx.com/ourtown/home/headlines/Temple-Police-Unveil-Child-Abuse-Awareness-Program-245461021.html
UT: Against chaotic backgrounds, some kids emerge resilient and intact
Deseret News – February 14, 2014
Child welfare experts have long debated what factors enable some children to rise above seemingly impossible circumstances and flourish while others flounder. Nowhere is the lack of stability or the failure of parents more evident than in the American child welfare system. That makes it a good place to explore what makes some children so resilient.
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865596419/Against-chaotic-backgrounds-some-kids-emerge-resilient-and-intact.html
UT: State may take lead in protection of fathers’ rights in adoption cases
The Salt Lake Tribune – February 12, 2014
The Senate Health and Human Services Standing Committee gave a nod to SB63, which would create an interstate compact to share putative father registry information. Adoption agencies and attorneys are supposed to search such registries to locate unwed fathers who want to be notified of adoption proceedings. Also, “Fathers sue Utah over law allowing mothers to secretly give up babies for adoption” http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/02/13/fathers-sue-utah-over-law-allowing-mothers-to-secretly-give-up-babies-for/
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/57537228-78/utah-fathers-adoption-state.html.csp
WA: “A right long overdue” could be given to foster kids
The Suburban Times – February 13, 2014
SB 6126 would require a court to appoint an attorney for a child in a dependency proceeding within 72 hours of granting a petition to legally terminate the parent-child relationship.
http://thesubtimes.com/2014/02/13/a-right-long-overdue-could-be-given-to-foster-kids/
WI: Assembly votes to limit child custody transfers
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel – February 13, 2014
The measure, passed 97-0, would also bar people from advertising online the availability of children for informal adoptions – updating an existing prohibition on such advertisements in newspapers and on television.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/assembly-to-vote-on-bill-limiting-child-custody-transfers-b99204159z1-245353431.html
WI: Archdiocese offers $4 million to abuse victims
Associated Press – February 12, 2014
The Archdiocese of Milwaukee said on Wednesday that it was prepared to set aside $4 million in its bankruptcy reorganization plan to compensate victims of clergy sexual abuse, an amount one victim called “obscene” in its stinginess.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/13/us/wisconsin-archdiocese-offers-4-million-to-abuse-victims.html?_r=0
US: Churches are helping orphans, changing lives, saving taxpayers, AEI panel highlights (Includes video)
The Christian Post – February 14, 2014
The recent devotion of churches to caring for orphans has changed the lives of not only the children they saved, but the communities in which they serve and the churches themselves, panelists pointed out at a Wednesday event hosted by the American Enterprise Institute. With 400,000 kids still in foster care in the United States, though, there is more work to be done.
http://www.christianpost.com/news/churches-are-helping-orphans-changing-lives-saving-taxpayers-aei-panel-highlights-114586/
US: Reichert bill aims to help foster kids, stop sex trafficking (Includes audio)
MyNorthwest.com – February 13, 2014
Reichert is sponsoring a bill in the U.S. House that would help identify victims of child sex trafficking, gather more data on the issue and force states to develop plans to rapidly locate foster child runaways and determine if they’ve been victimized by sex trafficking.
http://mynorthwest.com/11/2457150/Reichert-bill-aims-to-help-foster-kids-stop-sex-trafficking
INTERNATIONAL
Canada: & Ukraine: Regina doctor who lied to Ukrainian authorities on adoption papers can’t raise children in Canada, court rules
National Post – February 12, 2014
A Regina medical doctor has been barred from raising her newly adopted children in Canada after immigration officials ruled she unlawfully secured the children from a Ukrainian orphanage through an elaborate ruse.
http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/02/12/regina-doctor-who-lied-to-ukrainian-authorities-on-adoption-papers-cant-raise-children-in-canada-court-rules/
Greece: Adoption procedure in Greece a nightmare
Greek Reporter – February 13, 2014
The Greek adoption procedure is an exhausting, time-consuming procedure for parents, and usually requires quite a bit of bureaucracy. Parents might need to wait up to five years in order to finally adopt a child.
http://greece.greekreporter.com/2014/02/13/adoption-procedure-in-greece-a-nightmare/
Jamaica: Police probing child-sale allegations
Jamaica Observer – February 14, 2014
The head of the police’s National Intelligence Bureau, Assistant Commissioner Kevin Blake, says the constabulary is duty bound to investigate reports of children being ‘sold’ to prospective ‘adoptive parents’ who are attempting to duck the formal process for varying reasons.
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Police-probing-child-sale-allegations_16037207
South Korea: Biracial couple gets raw deal on adoption
The Korea Times – February 14, 2014
In August 2012, the couple decided to adopt. They soon found they faced an uphill struggle and nearly gave up. Three major adoption agencies they contacted said they had no idea how they could arrange an adoption for a Korean-foreigner couple under the revised Adoption Law.
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2014/02/116_151647.html
United Kingdom: Rochdale Council launches new service for child protection
LocalGov – February 13, 2014
Rochdale BC has joined forces with Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and the borough’s local NHS to launch the Multi-Agency Screening Service (MASS), which aims to boost communication, understanding and analysis of safeguarding intelligence in the region.
http://www.localgov.co.uk/Rochdale-Council-launches-new-service-for-child-protection/35609
United Kingdom: Film targets child abuse in African-Caribbean community (Video)
BBC News – February 12, 2014
BBC London’s Ayshea Buksh spoke to the film maker Fredi Nwaka, Fiona Small, from the community group the Young Mums Support Network, and a victim of child abuse.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-26161167
CA: Foster care operator admits embezzlement
Inland Empire News – February 11, 2014
Vivian Benn, the former owner and CEO of a Riverside foster family agency, is bound for prison in an embezzlement case.
http://www.inlandnewstoday.com/story.php?s=32223
FL: Legislation may return years after foster child’s suicide
The News Service of Florida – February 10, 2014
The suicide of 7-year-old Gabriel Myers in foster care shocked the child-welfare system in 2009. It led to a series of recommendations about Florida’s use of psychotropic medications on foster kids and how to protect already-traumatized children from sexual abuse by other abused children.
http://tbo.com/news/politics/legislation-may-return-years-after-foster-childs-suicide-20140210/
IN: Initiative Helps Meet Children’s Mental Health Needs
Public News Service – February 12, 2014
A relatively new program in Indiana is helping to ensure all children who need mental health services are able to access them. The Children’s Mental Health Initiative began as a pilot in 2012 and is being expanded statewide.
http://www.publicnewsservice.org/2014-02-12/childrens-issues/indiana-initiative-helps-meet-children/a37507-1
MA: Harvard and BC Professors Support Adoption Legislation
Harvard Crimson – February 11, 2014
Harvard and Boston College faculty members have written a letter encouraging Congress to pass the Children in Families First Act, which aims to reform the adoption system in the United States.
http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2014/2/11/adoption-law-HLS/
NJ: Bill opening birth records for adoptees approved by NJ Assembly panel
The Star-Ledger – February 11, 2014
The Assembly Human Services Committee voted 4-0 vote with one abstention to approve the bill allowing an adopted adult or an adoptive parent on a child’s behalf to request his or her birth certificate from the state Health Department.
http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/02/n_j_assembly_approves_bill_opening_birth_records_for_adoptees.html
PA: Fayette County, Commissioner Zimmerlink accused of making public email with child abuse allegations
TribLive – February 11, 2014
A Uniontown attorney has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit alleging Fayette County and Commissioner Angela Zimmerlink violated his unidentified clients’ civil rights by forwarding to the media an email containing confidential child abuse allegations.
http://triblive.com/news/fayette/5579683-74/child-county-goodwin#axzz2t5O9P4Ir
SC: Christian School Faulted for Halting Abuse Study
New York Times – February 11, 2014
For decades, students at Bob Jones University who sought counseling for sexual abuse were told not to report it because turning in an abuser from a fundamentalist Christian community would damage Jesus Christ. Administrators called victims liars and sinners.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/12/education/christian-school-faulted-for-halting-abuse-study.html?_r=0
SD: Panel approves child sex abuse task force
Associated Press – February 11, 2014
South Dakota’s Senate Education Committee unanimously approved a bill Tuesday to establish a task force that would study the impact of child sexual abuse.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/feb/11/sd-panel-approves-child-sex-abuse-task-force/
TX: Child abuse deaths drop in Texas but rise in Dallas County
Dallas Morning News – February 11, 2014
Abuse-related deaths of Texas children decreased last year, though they were up significantly in Dallas County, the Department of Family and Protective Services reported Tuesday.
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/headlines/20140211-child-abuse-deaths-drop-in-texas-but-rise-in-dallas-county.ece
US: Four Employees of Adoption Services Provider Charged with Conspiracy to Defraud the United States in Connection with Ethiopia Operations
U.S. Department of Justice – February 11, 2014
Four current and former employees of International Adoption Guides Inc. (IAG), an adoption services provider, have been indicted by a grand jury in South Carolina for allegedly conspiring to defraud the United States in connection with IAG’s adoption services in Ethiopia. IAG is a South Carolina company that identified children in Ethiopia for adoption and arranged for their adoption by U.S.-based parents.
http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2014/February/14-crm-149.html
US: Kids may suffer in gap between haves and have-nots
Reuters – February 11, 2014
In U.S. counties where personal incomes cluster on opposite sides of the rich and poor spectrum, children might endure more neglect and abuse, according to a new U.S. study.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/11/us-kids-gap-idUSBREA1A21A20140211
US: Letter: Applaud Sen. Landrieu’s work (Rebuttal to Criticism of Sen. Landrieu by Link Savoie, from Dr. Charles H. Zeanah, vice chairman, child and adolescent psychiatry, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans)
The Advocate – February 11, 2014
Mr. Savoie may be unaware of the work Sen. Landrieu has done to improve the U.S. foster care system and the laws she enacted to better protect and increase adoption of American children.
http://theadvocate.com/news/opinion/8349915-123/letter-applaud-sen-landrieus-work
US: Tribes gain power to prosecute non-American Indian abuse suspects
United Press International – February 07, 2014
Some tribal authorities can for the first time prosecute non-American Indians accused of domestic or dating violence on tribal lands, federal officials say. The pilot project with three tribes in the western United States was announced Thursday in a statement by the U.S. Justice Department.
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2014/02/07/Tribes-gain-power-to-prosecute-non-American-Indian-abuse-suspects/UPI-84561391798956/
INTERNATIONAL
Canada: Child abuse charges stayed against 3 in Mennonite community (Includes Video)
CBC News – February 11, 2014
The crown said while it will pursue charges against four men, charges against at least three others have been stayed after they agreed to sign peace bonds, which requires they follow certain conditions.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/child-abuse-charges-stayed-against-3-in-mennonite-community-1.2532503
Israel: BGU Conference on welfare of the child tackles pressing issues about child abuse and poverty
Jerusalem Post – February 11, 2014
Child victims of abuse should not pay a price for remaining silent, Supreme Court Justice Edna Arbel said. She spoke during her opening speech at the Beersheba Conference on the Welfare of the Child, which took place on Monday and Tuesday at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
http://www.jpost.com/National-News/BGU-Conference-on-welfare-of-the-child-tackles-pressing-issues-about-child-abuse-and-poverty-341118
AZ: Sen. Leah Landrum Taylor working to get aid for kinship foster families in Arizona
ABC15 – February 10, 2014
Foster families that are not related to the child get anywhere from $500 to $900 a month per child. Currently the state gives kinship foster families just $75 per child, while some families don’t get a dime. There simply isn’t enough funding.
http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/region_phoenix_metro/central_phoenix/sen-leah-landrum-taylor-working-to-get-aid-for-kinship-foster-families-in-arizona
AZ: Brewer signs bill to give $6.9 million to child welfare agency
Ahwatukee Foothills News – February 07, 2014
The funding will pay for 192 new staffers for new Division of Child Safety and Family Services which is replacing the old Child Protective Services. That includes 126 caseworkers. It is designed to deal with the increasing number of complaints of abuse and make a dent in the backlog of 10,000 cases that have been listed as inactive because they have not been addressed in at least two months.
http://www.ahwatukee.com/news/valley_and_state/article_a6143aee-35f6-5ba5-8b92-f562a585b8e4.html
GA: Deal: Foster Care Privatization Bill Has ‘Real Promise’ (Includes audio)
WABE – February 10, 2014
A bill that would privatize the state’s foster care system could come up for a Senate committee vote sometime this week, and Gov. Nathan Deal is weighing in on the proposal.
http://wabe.org/post/deal-foster-care-privatization-bill-has-real-promise
HI: Department of Human Services director steps down
HawaiiNewsNow – February 07, 2014
Patricia McManaman, the director of Hawaii’s Department of Human Services, announced Friday she will be stepping down from her position due to personal reasons.
http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/24667836/hawaiis-department-of-human-services-director-steps-down
LA: Children of incarcerated parents offered safe place to express themselves
Shreveport Times – February 08, 2014
“These children deal with a lot of issues and challenges in their lives,” said Myra Robinson, who founded the non-profit Robinson Foundation which hosted the first Symposium for Children of Incarcerated Parents Saturday. “These children need to know they have a connection with somebody.”
http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20140208/NEWS01/302080031/Children-incarcerated-parents-offered-safe-place-express-themselves?nclick_check=1
MA: Mass. ranks low in children’s welfare: Data show state trailing in visits, protection from abuse (Summary)
Boston Globe – February 09, 2014
Massachusetts is used to being near the top in national rankings-from education to health care to technological innovation. But when it comes to protecting vulnerable children from mistreatment, the state has languished closer to the bottom for years, according to watchdog groups and an assortment of federal data.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/2014/02/10/child-protection-efforts-massachusetts-among-the-worst-the-nation-watchdogs-say/hh04ea10brYWAzXJdeQf6L/story.html
MA: DCF clears 557 convicts to live with foster kids in 2013 (Includes video)
Boston Herald – February 08, 2014
The state’s embattled child welfare agency admitted there are at least 475 convicted criminals now living in foster homes that care for at-risk kids, according to stunning data for 2013 released to the Herald last night. The Department of Children and Families – already under fire from lawmakers – cleared the unnamed cons despite their checkered pasts.
http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2014/02/dcf_clears_557_convicts_to_live_with_foster_kids_in_13
MD: Officials release Caring for Maryland’s Children plan to improve child welfare
Baynet.com – February 09, 2014
Lt. Governor Anthony G. Brown and County Executive Ken Ulman released their Caring for Maryland’s Children plan to improve child welfare, the sixth major policy proposal of their campaign for Governor and Lt. Governor. The proposal will reduce the number of children in foster care by 1,000 over the next four years, from 5,848 in 2013 to 4,848 in 2018 – a decrease of 17%. And it will cut the percentage of youth who leave foster care for a permanent home but are forced to return to the system by 10% over the same period.
http://www.thebaynet.com/news/index.cfm/fa/viewstory/story_ID/35410
MN: Minnesota faces penalties for failed placements of foster children
Star Tribune – February 09, 2014
For years, Minnesota officials have boasted of their success at reducing the population of children living in government-funded foster care; among states, Minnesota ranks No. 1 for the share of foster children returned to their biological parents within a year. But some child advocates warn that Minnesota’s aggressive focus on family unification sometimes puts children in harm’s way by returning them to parents with histories of abuse or neglect. Federal authorities may agree: The state is facing the possibility of a federal fine of up to $570,000 because of its failure to reduce the number of children who bounce back into foster care after being returned to their parents.
http://www.startribune.com/local/244571021.html
MT: Why kids from the Flathead end up out of the area in an emergency (Includes audio)
Montana Public Radio – February 07, 2014
Youth Dynamics is a non-profit organization operating across Montana. Katie Gerten works out of the Kalispell office licensing people to be foster parents. She said in the past six months she’s has about 20 children referred to her office to be placed in foster care that she had to turn down. She said it’s hard to find people up for becoming foster parents.
http://mtpr.org/post/why-kids-flathead-end-out-area-emergency
NY: Administration for Children’s Services failing to prevent tragedies despite city efforts to make changes
New York Daily News – February 09, 2014
Every mayor from Ed Koch to Michael Bloomberg has tried to fix the city’s troubled child protection unit, the Administration for Children’s Services. Its name has changed four times since the 1960s-each rebranding part of a city effort, usually spurred by tragedy, to make systemic changes that would keep at-risk children safe.
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/administration-children-services-failing-prevent-tragedies-article-1.1607516
NY: Adoption records bill up again in NY Legislature
Associated Press – February 07, 2014
A 20-year-old bill that would make it easier for adoptees over the age of 18 to get their original birth records is up again in the New York Legislature, where backers say it has more momentum than in the past.
http://online.wsj.com/article/AP9289ef77897d44a6bb70426cac316a34.html
OH: Initiative seeks to reduce overuse of psychiatric drugs in children
Akron Beacon Journal – February 10, 2014
Ohio decided to launch the Minds Matter program based on national concerns about rising use of atypical antipsychotics among children covered by Medicaid, especially those in foster care, said Dr. Mary Applegate, medical director of the Ohio Department of Medicaid.
http://www.ohio.com/news/local/initiative-seeks-to-reduce-overuse-of-psychiatric-drugs-in-children-1.465485?localLinksEnabled=false
OR: Portland’s Korean adoptees help others uncover old roots and new
The Oregonian – February 07, 2014
She was adopted from Korea in the 1970s. Since figuring out her birth documents were faked, she can only guess at her birth year. “Supposedly 1976,” said Huynh. Today Huynh is helping other Korean adoptees connect with their pasts and their heritage through the group she helped form, Adult Korean Adoptees of Portland.
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2014/02/portlands_korean_adoptees_help.html
PA: Corbett budget addresses child abuse recommendations
Scranton Times-Tribune – February 10, 2014
The governor’s proposed budget provides $2 million in state aid for the first time to help Children’s Advocacy Centers do their work, a key recommendation of a special task force that called for an overhaul of the child protection system after the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal.
http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/corbett-budget-addresses-child-abuse-recommendations-1.1631794
SD: Valenti to lead South Dakota Social Services Department
Associated Press – February 09, 2014
Valenti has been the department’s deputy secretary since 2011. She will replace Kim Malsam-Rysdon, who is leaving the Department of Social Services to join the governor’s office as a senior adviser.
http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/valenti-to-lead-south-dakota-social-services-department/article_2d1b6b59-40a4-5f04-8b78-97ba0db191aa.html
TN: Gov. Bill Haslam proposes DCS funding increase
The Tennessean – February 10, 2014
$6.4M budget bump would allow agency to add caseworkers, raise payments to foster parents.
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20140210/NEWS0201/302100036/1972/NEWS02
TX: State looks closer at Child Protective Services
Associated Press – February 09, 2014
Mistakes made by Child Protective Services caseworkers contributed to the deaths of two children and the serious injury of another during the past year, according to state records.
http://www.burlesonstar.net/texasnews/ci_25098718
TX: Judges won’t budge on lawyer salary increases
El Paso Times – February 08, 2014
The Council of Judges in December approved a $15 increase in attorneys’ fees in indigent defense, juvenile, and child welfare cases. Since then, Commissioners Court has argued that the county does not have the resources to cover the increase and asked the council to reconsider its decision.
http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_25090286/judges-wont-budge-lawyer-salary-increases
TX: Mentors Help Parents Navigate Child Welfare System
UTEP Prospect – February 07, 2014
The University of Texas at El Paso is one of two Texas universities selected by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) to launch the Texas CPS Parent Partners project, a yearlong pilot program with Child Protective Services (CPS). With the support of a $100,000 grant from DFPS, faculty from the Department of Social Work in the College of Health Sciences are training three mothers – who successfully regained custody of their children after they were placed with CPS – to serve as role models for 65 parents whose children are currently in foster care.
http://newsuc.utep.edu/index.php/research-news/1360-mentors-help-parents-navigate-child-welfare-system
WA: Bill to help foster kids in hands of Senate committee
Northwest Cable News – February 08, 2014
The Senate Ways and Means Committee has not yet scheduled a hearing on a bill aimed at protecting the rights of abused and neglected children in Washington state. If that doesn’t happen by Tuesday, the landmark bill will die. The proposal, SB 6126, sponsored by the Chair of the Senate Human Services and Corrections Committee, Sen. Steve O’Ban (R-University Place) was drafted after reporting by the KING 5 Investigators. The series of reports, “Fostering Justice,” exposed how Washington law lags behind the country in providing legal advocates for foster children.
http://www.nwcn.com/news/Milestone-bill-to-help-foster-kids-in-hands-of-Senate-committee-244555791.html
WI: Foster care pilot starts in state
WHBY – February 07, 2014
The Care 4 Kids program connects kids with a team of doctors, mental health experts, and dentists, all under one roof.
http://www.whby.com/index.php/News/WHBY_News/258315
WI: Safe Haven law protects Wis. newborns unable to be properly cared for
WXOW – February 07, 2014
In Wisconsin, a Safe Haven Law is in place to protect newborns whose parents are unable to properly care for them. Under the law, the parent of a newborn can relinquish a child to a law enforcement officer, an emergency medical technician or a hospital staff member as long as the child is 72 hours old or younger and is unharmed.
http://www.wxow.com/story/24668058/2014/02/07/safe-haven-law-protects-wis-newborns-unable-to-be-properly-cared-for
US: Christians and the struggle to report child abuse
Religion News Service – February 07, 2014
A church elder once told me that if he received a disclosure of child sexual abuse, his first response would be to interview the alleged victim. His rationale was that he wanted to “be sure that the allegations are legitimate before reporting to the police and ruining the man’s reputation”. When asked what training he had to conduct a child forensic interview, the man was silent
http://boz.religionnews.com/2014/02/07/struggle-report/
US: Why Our Society Has Trouble Believing Victims of Child Abuse
Think Progress – February 07, 2014
This week, the renewed allegations that Woody Allen sexually abused his adopted daughter Dylan Farrow have reignited a national conversation about sexual assault, the legal system and the appropriate response to victims who choose to come forward. Many observers have emphasized that Allen was never convicted of a crime, and should therefore be presumed to be innocent – kicking off a debate about whether children frequently lie about being abused, and whether the people who say they’re victims of sexual crimes can ever be trusted.
http://www.care2.com/causes/why-our-society-has-trouble-believing-victims-of-child-abuse.html
INTERNATIONAL
India: NGOs take on ‘massive adoption racket’: Foreigners are easily buying babies as Indian couples languish on the waiting list
Daily Mail India – February 08, 2014
Under the garb of adoption it’s an international scandal where Indian children are actually bought for Rs 30 to Rs 40 lakh while the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA), which is the apex body governing adoption and works under Union Women and Child Development Ministry, turns a blind eye even though it claims all rules are being enforced.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-2554843/Lawyers-blast-massive-adoption-racket-Foreigners-easily-buying-babies-Indian-couples-languish-waiting-list.html
Russia: Minnesota mom goes on Russian TV to challenge adoption ban
Bring Me the News – February 07, 2014
Renee Thomas has led a long, agonizing effort to win an exception to a 1-year-old Russian ban on adoptions of Russian children by Americans. She and her husband John have been trying to adopt her son’s biological brother Nikolai from an orphanage in Kursk. In an 11-minute segment Thursday on TV Dozhd (TV Rain), a popular independent station, Thomas made an emotional plea, weeping as she described her family’s resolve to make the adoption happen, the AP reports.
http://www.bringmethenews.com/2014/02/07/minnesota-mom-goes-on-russian-tv-to-challenge-adoption-ban/
Vatican City: Vatican Seeks to Defuse Row With UN Over Child Abuse Report
Reuters – February 08, 2014
The Vatican sought to defuse tensions with the United Nations on Friday after a damning report which accused the church of covering up child sex abuse by priests.
http://www.voanews.com/content/reu-vatican-seeks-to-defuse-row-with-un-over-child-abuse-report/1846801.html
AR: National Child Protection Training Center unveiled at NWACC
The City Wire – February 06, 2014
The Melba Shewmaker Southern Region National Child Protection Training Center took two years to complete. The center, one of just four in the nation, is located on the NorthWest Arkansas Community College campus. It is equipped with two mock courtrooms, staged residence areas, interactive video and classrooms and training space.
http://www.thecitywire.com/node/31604#.UvTp-bQYsqU
AZ: Latest AZ abuse report update shows most kids seen
Associated Press – February 07, 2014
Three of the cases are on Indian reservations and out of the state’s jurisdiction. Those cases have been referred to tribal authorities.
http://azdailysun.com/news/state-and-regional/latest-az-abuse-report-update-shows-most-kids-seen/article_01fe7268-6d69-5d57-894d-6b887e59cef7.html
FL: Children’s Home in Tampa gets $395,000 surprise
The Tampa Tribune – February 06, 2014
On Thursday, The Children’s Home received a posthumous gift in a roundabout way. Florida’s chief financial officer, Jeff Atwater, presented Children’s Home board members with a check for $395,000 from the state’s unclaimed property account.
http://tbo.com/news/politics/childrens-home-in-tampa-gets-395000-surprise-20140206/
GA: Bill to privatize child welfare clears first vote
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution – February 06, 2014
A controversial bill to privatize the bulk of Georgia’s child welfare system cleared an early legislative hurdle Thursday when it was voted out of a healthcare subcommittee.
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/bill-to-privatize-child-welfare-clears-first-vote/ndGDc/
ID: Gannon bill would limit ‘faith healing’
Twin Falls Times-News – February 07, 2014
Idaho Rep. John Gannon, D-Boise, introduced legislation Wednesday that would limit the “faith-healing” exemption in Idaho’s injury-to-a-child crime laws. Idaho law now holds parents blameless if their religious beliefs put a child’s life at risk.
http://magicvalley.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/rep-gannon-introduces-legislation-to-limit-faith-healing/article_8dac7282-8fb1-11e3-be30-001a4bcf887a.html
MA: Adoptive mom says DCF retaliated for Herald tip (Includes video)
Boston Herald – February 07, 2014
An adoptive mom who sounded the alarm in the Herald yesterday over four at-risk kids being pushed to visit their abusive birth parents has been put on the hot seat by the beleaguered Department of Children and Families for speaking out.
http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2014/02/adoptive_mom_says_dcf_retaliated_for_herald_tip
MA: Rep. David Linsky demands tally of abuse cases involving criminals (Includes video)
Boston Herald – February 07, 2014
Child welfare officials reported 70 cases of abuse and neglect inside foster homes in 2012, but state officials told the Herald yesterday they still don’t know how many convicted criminals may have been involved in those heartless incidents.
http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2014/02/rep_david_linsky_demands_tally_of_abuse_cases_involving
MA: Child welfare agency chief meets with lawmakers reviewing system after boy vanishes
Associated Press – February 06, 2014
The head of the state Department of Children and Families, which has been under scrutiny since social workers lost track of a 5-year-old Fitchburg boy, said a closed-door meeting Thursday with lawmakers examining the agency was productive.
http://www.dailyjournal.net/view/story/fb5ad10650f24f63845145ebbf7d0045/MA–Missing-Boy-Mass/#.UvTqNLQYsqU
NM: Bill would require removal of abused children
Albuquerque Journal – February 07, 2014
Legislation dubbed “Omaree’s Law” after a 9-year-old Albuquerque boy allegedly killed by his mother would require the Children, Youth and Families Department to take immediate custody of children who show certain signs of abuse.
http://www.abqjournal.com/349490
NY: Prevention of child abuse must begin early
The Buffalo News – February 07, 2014
Written by Deborah Merrifield, past commissioner of the Erie County Department of Social Services, and current executive director of the Family Help Center and chairwoman of WECAN, Western New York Ending Child Abuse and Neglect.
http://www.buffalonews.com/opinion/another-voice/prevention-of-child-abuse-must-begin-early-20140207
PA: A haven for children who live in houses of pain
The Pike County Courier – February 06, 2014
The Children’s Advocacy Center of Northeastern Pennsylvania in Scranton recently added a Teen Advocacy Center, the first of its kind in the nation, to give teenaged victims of abuse the same help they offer younger children.
http://pikecountycourier.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20140206/NEWS01/140209976
TN: MTSU poll: Tennesseans unsure DCS is protecting foster kids
Shelbyville Times-Gazette – February 07, 2014
More than twice as many Tennesseans say that the Department of Children’s Services is not doing a good job keeping children in the foster care system safe than say that DCS is doing a good job, but most say they are unsure or don’t know.
http://www.t-g.com/story/2049308.html
US: How we failed Dylan Farrow: What we’ve learned since 1992
Salon – February 07, 2014
As several legal experts, child advocates and survivors of childhood sexual abuse the author spoke with explained, a lot has changed since 1992. Considerable advances in forensic interviews and the way child sexual abuse is investigated raise important, troubling questions.
http://www.salon.com/2014/02/07/how_we_failed_dylan_farrow_what_weve_learned_since_1992/
US: Tammy Baldwin introduces bill to boost health care for foster children
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel – February 07, 2014
The bill – the Quality Foster Care Services Act – seeks to clarify Medicaid policy for foster children with serious medical, psychological, emotional and social needs, Baldwin said in a news release Thursday.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/tammy-baldwin-introduces-bill-to-boost-health-care-for-foster-children-b99199895z1-244020771.html
US: & Russia: Prospective parents still fighting to adopt Russian orphans
Chicago Tribune – February 06, 2014
Since returning, Boehm and his wife, Heather, have made multiple trips to Washington, meeting with State Department and Russian officials. They have channeled their energy into petitions and pleas to lift the suspension, widely considered retaliation for a U.S. law imposing sanctions on Russian officials accused of human rights violations.
http://tinyurl.com/lnxdom5
US: The internet cheers for little girl whose adoption finally became official
Huffington Post – February 06, 2014
A representative for the Dave Thomas Foundation said that Gina’s photo has sparked interest in adoptions with more than 11,000 comments and questions on the photo. “Many of the comments are people looking for more information on adopting from foster care. It has created so much interest in adoption that DTFA’s website crashed.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/06/internet-cheers-adoption-photo_n_4740019.html
INTERNATIONAL
Canada: B.C. teen’s suicide blamed on ‘dysfunctional’ child welfare system
CBC News – February 06, 2014
Neither the school nor the Ministry of Health did anything about her learning disabilities or her complaints of sexual abuse, and medical professionals who knew this girl was at risk never reported it, the report concluded. It also notes the Ministry of Children and Family Development regional office in the girl’s area was chaotic and chronically understaffed.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/b-c-teen-s-suicide-blamed-on-dysfunctional-child-welfare-system-1.2526230
Ireland: Child welfare groups want slapping outlawed
The Irish Examiner – February 07, 2014
Child welfare groups have called for slapping to be outlawed after a survey found two in five parents admit to hitting their child.
http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/child-welfare-groups-want-slapping-outlawed-258025.html
South Korea: & Japan: South Korea, an ‘adoption superpower’ debates the best way forward
Asahi Shimbun GLOBE – February 06, 2014
In South Korea, a heated debate is under way about adoption. More than 160,000 South Korean children were adopted overseas in the years following the Korean War. The country has now become an unlikely “adoption superpower,” with around 2,500 children finding adopted homes each year, mainly within South Korea. In 2012, a law was passed making it compulsory for birth parents to register their child’s birth. Since then, the number of abandoned children has soared, prompting some to call for the law to be changed. What should Japan learn from South Korea’s experience?
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/views/opinion/AJ201402060030
AZ: Local experts like new efforts to investigate child abuse, but they also call for prevention
The Daily Courier – February 06, 2014
Rebecca Ruffner, executive director of Prevent Child Abuse Arizona, is heartened to hear that the new Division of Child Safety and Family Services will include an Office of Prevention and Family Support, too.
http://www.dcourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=128213
CA: Child welfare records in 3-year-old’s death still secret
KTVU – February 05, 2014
Napa County Child Welfare officials say a juvenile court judge denied their request to release more information about previous contact with Kayleigh Slusher before the child was found dead on Feb. 1.
http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/crime-law/child-welfare-records-3-year-olds-death-still-secr/ndFKC/
FL: Weaver Policy Center calls on legislators to expand help for sex-trafficking victims, build on Safe Harbor Act
The Florida Times-Union – February 05, 2014
Terry Coonan, executive director of Florida State University’s Center for the Advancement of Human Rights, urged the lawmakers to be “very, very cautious” about involuntary hospitalization of sex-trafficking victims.
http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2014-02-05/story/weaver-policy-center-calls-legislators-expand-help-sex-trafficking
FL: Draft proposal would professionalize child abuse investigators
The Florida Current – February 04, 2014
The chair of the Senate Children, Families and Elder Affairs Committee wants all future child investigators and supervisors hired by the Department of Children and Families to hold either a bachelor’s or master’s degree in social work. In order to recruit a better trained team to protect children, she’s promoting a plan that includes a loan repayment program for new hires and tuition exemption for current employees. Also, “As Florida Social Workers Hail New DCF Overhaul Proposal, Others Urge Caution” http://news.wfsu.org/post/florida-social-workers-hail-new-dcf-overhaul-proposal-others-urge-caution
http://www.thefloridacurrent.com/article.cfm?id=36334036
GA: Bill requires follow-up to charges of child abuse
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution – February 05, 2014
Teachers who report concerns of child abuse must be told within 24 hours that the report was received and must follow up when an investigation is complete, under bipartisan legislation filed in the state House.
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/bill-requires-follow-up-to-charges-of-child-abuse/ndDkg/
HI: Bill would open child abuse hearings
Honolulu Star-Advertiser – February 03, 2014
Court hearings involving children whose parents are accused of neglect or abuse would be open to the public under a bill headed for a hearing Tuesday. Subscription required to read full story.
http://www.staradvertiser.com/s?action=login&f=y&id=243285951
IA: Judge orders state to reopen Iowa Juvenile Home
The Gazette – February 05, 2014
The state-run facility has been the subject of controversy since this summer when the advocacy group Disability Rights Iowa criticized the home’s practices of placing young girls in extended isolation. Also, “DHS chief takes ‘some responsibility’ for juvenile home problems” http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20140204/NEWS10/302040098/DHS-chief-takes-some-responsibility-juvenile-home-problems
http://thegazette.com/2014/02/05/breaking-judge-orders-state-to-reopen-iowa-juvenile-home/
IA: Social services offers supportive family meetings
The Daily Iowan – February 05, 2014
Johnson County Social Services officials hope a new trial program, starting Feb. 10, will assist struggling families to prevent future problems. Social Services has allocated $2,000 of state funding to create support sessions under the Family Team Meetings Program.
http://www.dailyiowan.com/2014/02/05/Metro/36459.html
IN: New Indiana DCS director Mary Beth Bonaventura answers probing questions about embattled agency (Includes video)
RTV6 – February 05, 2014
The new director of the Indiana Department of Child Services sat down with Call 6 Investigator Kara Kenney to answer tough questions about an embattled state agency, child deaths, staff turnover and violations of state law. It’s the first time Mary Beth Bonaventura agreed to a sit-down interview since taking office in March 2013.
http://www.theindychannel.com/news/call-6-investigators/new-indiana-dcs-director-answers-probing-questions-about-embattled-agency
KS: Judge’s ruling against grandma puts toddler in foster care limbo
Associated Press – February 05, 2014
A South Carolina great-grandmother’s ties with a 2-year-old Wichita girl aren’t sufficient to negate a wide age difference and inadequate finances, a Sedgwick County judge said this week in denying the 67-year-old woman’s adoption request.
http://cjonline.com/news/2014-02-05/judges-ruling-against-grandma-puts-toddler-foster-care-limbo
MA: DCF pushed visitation in alleged abuse case
Boston Herald – February 06, 2014
The Worcester child welfare office spent years advocating that four at-risk foster children be allowed to visit their mother and father, even after documents obtained by the Herald show the agency’s own investigators found the parents had sexually and physically abused the kids in what an adoptive mother of one called a “house of horrors.”
http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2014/02/dcf_pushed_visitation_in_alleged_abuse_case
MD: In Md. governor’s race, Brown promises to reduce the number of children in foster care
The Washington Post – February 06, 2014
Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Anthony G. Brown is pledging to reduce the number of Maryland children in foster care by 1,000 if he is elected governor, using an “aggressive” public service campaign and more visible profiles of those eligible for adoption on a state Web site.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/in-md-governors-race-brown-promises-to-reduce-the-number-of-children-in-foster-care/2014/02/06/59f3da80-8f2e-11e3-b46a-5a3d0d2130da_story.html
ME: Governor cites ‘troubling epidemic’ of addicted babies
New York Times – February 05, 2014
Mr. LePage said that 927 “drug-addicted babies” were born in Maine in 2013, more than 7 percent of all births. Speaking to the Legislature during his State of the State address, the governor called the births a “troubling epidemic” that was “tearing at the social fabric of our communities.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/06/us/maine-state-of-the-state-addicted-babies.html
MO: Problems with MO parental rights termination bill
Missourinet – February 06, 2014
An effort to speed up the termination of parental rights of parents who are into drugs has been slowed down in the state senate.
http://www.ozarksfirst.com/story/d/story/problems-with-mo-parental-rights-termination-bill/20973/oQvzqXMfdEueTLqwbjl3OA
OR: Foster care ombudsman for Oregon (Includes audio)
Jefferson Public Radio – February 05, 2014
Pamela Butler and Zach Miller explain the steps in adding a foster care ombudsman.
http://ijpr.org/post/foster-care-ombudsman-oregon
PA: Fighting the good fight: Penn State Hershey uses IT to prevent child abuse
Penn State News – February 05, 2014
As director for the Center for the Protection of Children (CPC) at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Levi and his team are working on several technologies to help streamline and standardize child abuse reporting methods and intervention data organization.
http://news.psu.edu/story/302705/2014/02/05/impact/fighting-good-fight-penn-state-hershey-uses-it-prevent-child-abuse
TX: CPS previously investigated parents of 2-year-old boy found dead Saturday in Fort Worth
The Dallas Morning News – February 04, 2014
The parents of a 2-year-old boy found dead Saturday have been investigated by Child Protective Services four times.
http://crimeblog.dallasnews.com/2014/02/no-one-charged-in-fort-worth-toddlers-death-yet-family-was-previously-investigated-by-cps.html/
WI: New program aims to streamline health care for foster kids, treat trauma (Includes audio)
WUWM – February 05, 2014
On Wednesday, state officials were in Milwaukee to unveil a new ‘medical home’ program for children in foster care.
http://wuwm.com/post/new-program-aims-streamline-health-care-foster-kids-treat-trauma
US: New law brings adoptee birth date information into accord
Philadelphia Inquirer – February 06, 2014
Last month, President Obama signed the Accuracy for Adoptees Act, which brings competing birth information into accord by requiring federal agencies to honor more factual birth dates as determined by state courts.
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/nation_world/20140206_New_law_brings_adoptee_birth_date_information_into_accord.html
US: Foster care is costly, and some states send more kids to relatives (Includes audio)
Marketplace / American Public Media – February 04, 2014
Almost all the experts agree that children do best when they’re with their own families. Which means, as Feild explains, diversion to family care isn’t the problem; it’s only problematic “if it’s done wrong,” and there’s a lack of oversight for children. But too often, she says, that’s the case.
http://www.marketplace.org/topics/wealth-poverty/foster-care-costly-and-some-states-send-more-kids-relatives
US: Teens as young as 13 rescued from Super Bowl sex trafficking
ABC News – February 04, 2014
Osborne said he calls taking the young people off the street “recoveries,” because the children are not charged. In child exploitation cases like this, law enforcement officials said operations are designed to remove the young victims from a life of exploitation and abuse.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/teens-young-13-rescued-super-bowl-sex-trafficking/story?id=22361909
INTERNATIONAL
Canada: Metro Vancouver pilot project gets boost to help youth transition out of care
24 hours Vancouver – February 05, 2014
The Ministry of Children and Family Development is offering $250,000 to the YWCA Metro Vancouver’s Strive program, which includes mentorship programs, workshops, job and life skills, and even small debt relief to help youth get a fresh start.
http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/2014/02/05/metro-vancouver-pilot-project-gets-boost-to-help-youth-transition-out-of-care
Canada: No big fix needed for child welfare, Jeffrey Baldwin inquest is told
Toronto Star – February 05, 2014
The agency that placed Jeffrey Baldwin in his grandparents’ care – where he was locked in a bedroom and starved to death – says Ontario’s child welfare system may need some “tweaks,” but not an overhaul.
http://www.thestar.com/news/crime/2014/02/05/no_big_fix_needed_for_child_welfare_jeffrey_baldwin_inquest_is_told.html
United Kingdom: 70% of shelved child abuse inquiries could be reopened following complaints by victims
The Independent – February 05, 2014
The figures emerged yesterday after senior police accepted that the “whole system” of investigating child abuse cases had to be improved after bungled investigations into child-grooming cases and the failure to call Jimmy Savile to account while he was alive.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/70-of-shelved-child-abuse-inquiries-could-be-reopened-following-complaints-by-victims-9110066.html
CA: Local child abuse prevention campaign to launch in April
Napa Valley Register – February 05, 2014
In April, the Napa County Child Abuse Prevention Council will launch the “Enough Abuse” campaign. This is part of a nationwide effort to provide educational information to parents, youth, professionals, and other concerned adults, to prevent people from victimizing children today, and to prevent children from developing abusive behaviors in the future.
http://napavalleyregister.com/news/opinion/mailbag/local-child-abuse-prevention-campaign-to-launch-in-april/article_f8a13d32-8dfb-11e3-ad28-001a4bcf887a.html
CA: Face of Safely Surrendered Baby Law: Adopted boy ‘brings such joy’ (Includes Video)
KBAK/KBFX – February 04, 2014
This is the second year that February is being recognized as Safely Surrender Baby Awareness month. In Kern County since the program took effect, 39 babies have been surrendered.
http://www.bakersfieldnow.com/news/health/The-face-of-Safely-Surrendered-Baby-Law-Adopted-boy-brings-such-joy-243611061.html
IN: Senate plan would curb drug abuse among women
Associated Press – February 05, 2014
The Indiana Senate has given unanimous approval to a measure aimed at curbing drug abuse among pregnant women.
http://www.kansascity.com/2014/02/05/4799141/senate-plan-would-curb-drug-abuse.html
MA: Gov defends policy allowing criminals to qualify as prospective foster parents (Includes Video)
Boston Herald – February 04, 2014
Gov. Deval Patrick acknowledged today that under Massachusetts policy, prospective foster parents can have a criminal record, but said he has faith in officials at the embattled Department of Children and Families to weed out those who could harm at-risk children. Also: DCF Commissioner Olga Roche summoned to closed-door meeting: http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2014/02/roche_summoned_to_closed_door_meeting
http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2014/02/gov_defends_policy_allowing_criminals_to_qualify_as_prospective
MO: American tragedy: Increase in child abuse, its impact, take toll on children
Salem News – February 04, 2014
There are an estimated 1,400 cases of Shaken Baby Syndrome in America each year, and about half those babies do not survive. But the toll of shaking babies and child abuse in general is a statistical target so large that few health organizations can tackle it.
http://www.thesalemnewsonline.com/opinion/publishers_column/donald_dodd/article_b848295e-8db9-11e3-b305-0017a43b2370.html
NC: Woman charged in child abuse case answers to new charges (Includes Video)
WSOC Charlotte – February 04, 2014
Wanda Larson, the former Department of Social Services supervisor accused of handcuffing a child to her porch with a dead chicken around his neck appeared in Union County court this morning. Larson said she was aware of the additional charges, which include false imprisonment, maiming without malice, intentional child abuse and three counts of negligent child abuse.
http://www.wsoctv.com/news/news/local/woman-charged-child-abuse-case-answers-new-charges/ndCdk/
NY: City Kids Struggle as They Age Out of Foster Care (Includes Video)
NY1 – February 04, 2014
The city’s child welfare agency is legally required to make sure foster kids are prepared to live on their own – the subject of a lawsuit two years ago.
http://www.ny1.com/content/news/203086/city-kids-struggle-as-they-age-out-of-foster-care
OK: Award Nominations Sought for Excellence in Child Abuse Prevention
Daily Ardmoreite – February 04, 2014
The Family Support and Prevention Service at the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) is accepting nominations for awards to recognize persons and organizations for their demonstrated outstanding commitment and dedication to child abuse prevention in Oklahoma. Nominations are due by close of business on Wednesday, March 12, 2014.
http://www.ardmoreite.com/article/20140204/NEWS/140209896/1001/NEWS
OR: Portland State University foster care project nationally recognized for helping youths transition to adulthood
The Oregonian – February 04, 2014
A Portland State University project that helps teenagers transition out of foster care won national recognition this month from the Center for the Study of Social Policy in Washington, DC.
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2014/02/portland_state_university_proj.html
SC: Dorchester County Coroner Chris Nisbet named chairman of foster care board
The Post and Courier – February 04, 2014
The five volunteer members of the local Foster Care Review Board were appointed by the governor. They’re charged with reviewing cases of children who spend longer than four consecutive months in foster care.
http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20140204/PC16/140209753/1005/dorchester-county-coroner-chris-nisbet-named-chairman-of-foster-care-board
US: Dylan Farrow’s Child-Abuse Accusations: What We’ve Learned About When, and How Children Should Confront Abuse
Time Health & Family – February 04, 2014
Farrow’s letter provides an opportunity to understand what psychologists have learned about when it’s too early to address child abuse with victims (making it too traumatizing) and when it can do harm (if children are forced to relive the experience without proper support).
http://healthland.time.com/2014/02/04/dylan-farrows-child-abuse-accusations-what-weve-learned-about-when-and-how-children-should-confront-abuse/?xid=rss-topstories
INTERNATIONAL
India: CBSE directs schools to pledge students against child abuse
TNN – February 04, 2014
In wake of the increasing incidents of child abuse and exploitation, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has asked all its affiliated schools across the country to make the ‘Pledge for An Abuse-Free World for Children’ – coined by the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights – an integral part of special and class assemblies.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/education/news/CBSE-directs-schools-to-pledge-students-against-child-abuse/articleshow/29863557.cms
Qatar: Qatar denies request by US couple charged with child starvation to leave, see other children
Associated Press – February 05, 2014
A Qatari court has turned down a request from an American couple charged with starving their adopted daughter to death that they be allowed to leave the Gulf country temporarily to see their other children.
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/f381aa3bda0349c7b74e231b62b731ee/ML-Qatar-Adoption-Case-
United Kingdom: Organisation representing Muslim family in lesbian adoption row ‘not confident’ in council investigation
getwestlondon – February 05, 2014
Muslim protesters have managed to suspend the adoption of a child by a lesbian couple following protests, but the organisation representing the family have criticised Harrow Council’s handling of the situation. Related: Need for more foster carers and adoptive parents from ethnic backgrounds says leader of Harrow Borough Council: http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/news/10987520.Need_for_more_foster_carers_and_adoptive_parents_from_ethnic_backgrounds_says_council_leader/
http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/news/local-news/organisation-representing-muslim-family-lesbian-6674614
Vatican: UN condemns Vatican child abuse cover up
Al Jazeera – February 05, 2014
The UN has rejected a Vatican argument that it cannot implement a children’s rights convention beyond its walls, saying the church has “placed the reputation of the church and the protection of the perpetrators above children’s interests.”
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2014/02/un-condemns-vatican-child-abuse-cover-up-20142511225303257.html
AR: Pen Pal Project Pairs Adoption Judge With Girl, Family He Impacted
Times Record – February 01, 2014
There were many days Sebastian County Circuit Judge Jim Spears wondered if what he did really made a difference. Now he knows it does. As a member of the Fort Smith Rotary Club, Spears takes part in a pen pal program with local elementary students. The students and Rotary members are paired together randomly.
http://swtimes.com/features/pen-pal-project-pairs-adoption-judge-girl-family-he-impacted
AZ: Report: Arizona child welfare needs full overhaul
Associated Press – January 31, 2014
An independent team named by Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer to review the state’s troubled child welfare agency on Friday called for a top-to-bottom overhaul of the department to focus it purely on child safety. The team released a 54-page review outlining steps needed to address yearslong problems at Child Protective Services. Also: No firings at CPS after agency ignored tips; report finds poor culture: http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/blog/business/2014/02/arizona-cps-no-firings-after-agency.html
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ARIZONA_CHILD_ABUSE?SITE=KOIN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
CA: Michael Galper Named Board Chair of Hathaway-Sycamores Child and Family Services
Tolucan Times – January 31, 2014
Hathaway-Sycamores Child and Family Services – one of Los Angeles County’s largest nonprofit, private children’s mental-health and welfare agencies – has named Lake Hollywood resident Michael Galper to serve as chair of the organization’s Board of Directors.
http://tolucantimes.info/section/inside-this-issue/michael-galper-named-board-chair-of-hathaway-sycamores-child-and-family-services/
GA: Helping all our children thrive
Cherokee Tribune – February 01, 2014
Over 13,000 children came through Georgia’s foster care system last year, and on any given day over 7,000 children are in foster care. In our state, there are numerous community-based organizations that help these children, including the Court Appointed Special Advocates program.
http://cherokeetribune.com/bookmark/24500049-Helping-all-our-children-thrive
IL: University of Chicago doctor advances child abuse pediatrics
The Chicago Maroon – January 31, 2014
Glick works at Comer Children’s Hospital and has devoted her career to pushing the young subspecialty of child abuse pediatrics toward full legitimacy within the medical profession. In addition, she has worked to improve communication between doctors, law enforcement officers, and social service workers from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS).
http://chicagomaroon.com/2014/01/31/uchicago-pediatrician-fights-against-child-abuse/
MA: Savage toll of abuse for children in DCF care
Boston Globe – February 02, 2014
Though Governor Deval Patrick last week described Oliver’s disappearance as a unique tragedy in which state officials failed to do their jobs, state records show that children under the watch of the Department of Children and Families actually die with alarming regularity.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/02/02/massachusetts-children-under-state-protection-die-from-abuse-with-alarming-frequency/2TcwcpIbWnrANkKKQs1CVP/story.html
NC: NCSU STUDY: Forensic Experts Compile Guide on How to ID Child Abuse, Starvation
Stanly News & Press – February 01, 2014
“By pulling all of this information together in one place, we hope that we can save the lives of some children and find justice for others,” says Dr. Ann Ross, a professor of anthropology at NC State and lead author of the paper. Ross is also co-editor of the book “The Juvenile Skeleton in Forensic Abuse Investigations.”
http://www.thesnaponline.com/statenews/x1782765554/NCSU-STUDY-Forensic-Experts-Compile-Guide-on-How-to-ID-Child-Abuse-Starvation
ND: Child abuse and neglect is rising in ND
Wahpeton Daily News – January 31, 2014
According to a press release issued by the North Dakota Kids Count program, operated by North Dakota State University, in 2012 1,402 children in the state were victims of maltreatment as determined by the North Dakota Department of Human Services. This amounts to 9.1 victims for every 1,000 children in the state.
http://www.wahpetondailynews.com/news/article_6acdbb18-8aa7-11e3-b7f0-0019bb2963f4.html
NM: CYFD chief defends agency, explains staff vacancies
Las Cruces Sun News – January 31, 2014
The head of the state’s Children, Youth and Families Department defended her agency Friday, telling lawmakers that even an influx of money cannot solve all the problems that make protecting children one of the hardest jobs in state government.
http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-news/ci_25039295/cyfd-chief-defends-agency-explains-staff-vacancies
NV: Foster care lawsuit against Clark County Family Services drags on
Las Vegas Review Journal – February 02, 2014
The 13 children named as plaintiffs in the lawsuit are no longer with the child welfare agency. They were adopted, returned to their biological parents or aged out of the system. It had been a class action suit but now seeks monetary damages for eight plaintiffs. “The damages will be substantial because the damages were serious and long-lasting,” Grimm said.
http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/foster-care-lawsuit-against-clark-county-family-services-drags
OH: Foster care numbers declining
Findlay Courier – February 03, 2014
Hancock County’s renewed effort to keep children out of foster care is showing results. In 2013, Hancock County Job & Family Services hired a part-time worker, Diana Hoover, dedicated to finding relatives to help troubled families. Hoover, a former administrator with Children Protective Services, said families have been receptive to the idea.
http://thecourier.com/local-news/2014/02/03/foster-care-numbers-declining/
OR: Kids Help with Hiring of OR’s First Foster Care Ombudsman (Includes audio)
Public News Service – February 03, 2014
Interviews are under way to select Oregon’s first ombudsman for youth in foster care – and who better to ask the tough questions than people with firsthand experience in the system? The Oregon Foster Youth Connection is a group of current and former foster children, ages 14 to 25, that spent the past few years convincing the legislature of the need for a clear Bill of Rights for foster children.
http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/37289-1
PA: Lawmaker Says Bill to Prevent Child Abuse in Schools Mothballed by PA House
WESA – February 01, 2014
Philadelphia Democrat Tony Williams says his measure aims to stop what’s called “passing the trash” – allowing people accused of child sexual abuse to relocate to another school without their new employer being aware of their history.
http://wesa.fm/post/lawmaker-says-bill-prevent-child-abuse-schools-mothballed-pa-house
PA: 5 ways to prevent another sex scandal like Susquehanna Township School District’s
PennLive – January 31, 2014
A Susquehanna Township School District administrator was so focused on whether students were spreading rumors about an assistant principal that she failed to investigate an alleged sexual assault on a girl, a Dauphin County grand jury reported.
http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2014/01/5_ways_to_prevent_another_sex.html
RI: State seeks dismissal of lawsuit against Department of Children, Youth and Families
Providence Journal – February 01, 2014
Lawyers representing a New York-based child-advocacy group have not demonstrated that systemic deficiencies harmed and endangered children in Rhode Island’s child-welfare system, according to a defense motion that asks a federal judge to toss out the lawsuit.
http://www.providencejournal.com/news/courts/20140201-rhode-island-seeks-dismissal-of-lawsuit-against-department-of-children-youth-and-families.ece
TX: The food battlefield with children
Odessa American – February 03, 2014
Why do we make food such a battlefield? This food issue is typical among foster and adoptive children. Just because we don’t know the history, doesn’t mean we cannot respond humanely. We are often more understanding of dogs that come from abusive backgrounds than we are of children who come from abusive backgrounds.
http://www.oaoa.com/people/lifestyle/centers_piece/article_048ef79e-8c79-11e3-b870-001a4bcf6878.html
VA: General Assembly: Budget amendments give glimpses of need
Associated Press – February 02, 2014
Pogge, who hosted 15 foster kids over an eight-year period before her fourth child’s birth, wants to boost the Virginia Juvenile Community Crime Control Act by $4 million over the next two years. That $47.4 million program funds a wide range of services – such as substance abuse screening, anger management and parenting classes and electronic monitoring – intended to keep kids in trouble with the law from getting into worse trouble.
http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/latest-news-ap/virginia-general-assembly-budget-amendments-give-glimpses-of-need/article_f79312be-8c23-11e3-aaee-001a4bcf6878.html
WI: Senate considers bill to address ‘re-homing’ of adopted children
Ashland Daily Press – February 01, 2014
The issue of re-homing made headlines a few months ago after a Reuters investigation revealed that people were advertising unwanted adopted children using the Internet and passing them on to others with little to no regulation. Wisconsin made an appearance in the investigation – the Reuters series highlighted a case of re-homing that started in the state.
http://www.ashlandwi.com/news/regional/article_0376715a-8a87-11e3-b114-001a4bcf887a.html
WI: Teachers at La Crosse’s juvenile detention center work to change lives
La Crosse Tribune – January 27, 2014
Berger and McRoberts are part of a team of four educators who work in La Crosse County’s juvenile detention center. They’re the only two teachers who work full-time in La Crosse County’s Health and Human Services building, in the secure detention area and the adjacent non-secure teen center, which caters to foster children and children undergoing substance abuse treatment.
http://lacrossetribune.com/news/local/monday-profile-teachers-at-la-crosse-s-juvenile-detention-center/article_56b4ea7d-2663-5ef7-b8bc-0715bbe68144.html
US: When Your Parent Is the State, It’s Tough For Young Adults To Stay Insured
Kaiser Health News – February 03, 2014
A little-known provision of federal health law now extends Medicaid coverage to former foster youths until they turn 26, regardless of where they live or how much they earn. The only requirements: They must have been in foster care when they turned 18 and have previously received Medicaid, the state-run insurance plan for the poor known as Medi-Cal in California.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/when-your-parent-is-the-state-its-tough-for-young-adults-to-stay-insured/2014/02/03/1943a8ca-8cbe-11e3-9ed8-259977a48789_story.html
INTERNATIONAL
Australia: Child abuse victim Lewis Blayse’s final interview: ‘Let no child walk this path again’ (Includes video)
ABC News (Australia) – February 03, 2014
In the interview Mr Blayse said he hoped the final result of the royal commission and the work of campaigners would be that the next generation of children are spared the same pain.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-02-03/abuse-victim-lewis-blayse-final-interview/5235734
International: Pope considers establishing commission for child protection under CDF
Independent Catholic News – February 01, 2014
“On this occasion, I would also like to thank you for your efforts in dealing with sensitive issues regarding the most serious crimes, in particular, the cases of the sexual abuse of minors by clerics. Think of the welfare of children and the young, who in the Christian community must always be protected and supported in their human and spiritual growth. In this sense, the possibility is being looked into of connecting the specific Commission for the Protection of Minors, which I have established, to your dicastery. Also: Church must always protect, support children against abuse, pope says: http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1400435.htm
http://www.indcatholicnews.com/news.php?viewStory=24073
Saudi Arabia: Foster parents last resort for abused children
Arab News – February 02, 2014
The Ministry of Social Affairs and the Ministry of Education have signed an agreement to assist physically and emotionally abused students in an effort to reduce the number of domestic violence cases. Officials from the two ministries decided that the last resort for abused children should be the decision to give them into the care of foster parents.
http://www.arabnews.com/news/519206
Ukraine: Ukraine Is America’s New Adoption Mecca
Daily Beast – February 01, 2014
A year after Russia halted adoptions to the U.S. in retaliation for sanctions, neighboring Ukraine is becoming an attractive alternative for hopeful parents. But will the country’s protests strand orphans in need?
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/02/01/ukraine-is-america-s-new-adoption-mecca.html
United Arab Emirates: Indian residents in the UAE want faster adoption process
The National – February 01, 2014
With the decision to resume adoptions this week from overseas parents such as her, she is urging authorities to speed up the process so couples don’t shy away from adopting.
http://www.thenational.ae/uae/indian-residents-in-the-uae-want-faster-adoption-process
AZ: $6.8 million more for child protection awaits Brewer’s OK
Arizona Daily Star – January 30, 2014
State lawmakers gave final approval Thursday to $6.8 million in additional funds for the state’s new child-welfare agency.
http://azstarnet.com/news/state-and-regional/million-more-for-child-protection-awaits-brewer-s-ok/article_1da9fe44-91d5-508c-8372-cf77b5ce8eb4.html
AZ: Foster Care Review Board needs help serving 3,000 kids (Includes video)
KVOA – January 30, 2014
Now that CPS is under fire the state is tasked with reviewing 6,500 never before reviewed cases, putting pressure on the foster care review board which tracks the progress of children in foster care and makes recommendations on placement to the court.
http://www.kvoa.com/news/foster-care-review-board-needs-help-serving-3-000-kids/
IL: $3.15 million settlement reached in Archdiocese sex abuse lawsuit
Chicago Tribune – January 30, 2014
The victim filed the lawsuit in 2010 against the Archdiocese of Chicago and Cardinal Francis George alleging that both failed to remove McCormack and allowed him access to children despite complaints that he had sexually abused minors, according to a news release from the victim’s attorneys.
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2014-01-30/news/chi-35-million-settlement-reached-in-sex-abuse-suit-against-archdiocese-20140130_1_abused-doe-archdiocese-west-side-catholic-school
KY: House panel approves bill requiring child abuse awareness training for doctors
Lexington Herald-Leader – January 30, 2014
House Bill 157 would require the State Board of Medical Licensure to include training on recognizing head trauma caused by child abuse in its continuing education requirements for pediatricians, radiologists, family practitioners, and emergency medicine and urgent-care physicians.
http://www.kentucky.com/2014/01/30/3061118/house-panel-approves-bill-requiring.html
MN: No charges in Archdiocese’s handling of abuse case
Associated Press – January 29, 2014
Minnesota prosecutors said Wednesday they would not charge members of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis over the way they handled allegations of sexual abuse by a priest, saying there was not enough evidence to prove anyone – including another priest who learned during a confession of the molestation – violated the law.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/charges-minn-church-leaders-abuse-case-22282660
MN: DHS funds network of services for sexually exploited youth
Minnesota Department of Human Services – January 27, 2014
With $1 million in funding from the department, these organizations, under two-year contracts with the department, will provide emergency shelter, transitional and supportive housing specific to the needs of sex-trafficked minors. They will include on-site support services, appropriate security, assistance from survivors of sex trafficking, and collaboration with law enforcement and juvenile justice systems.
http://mn.gov/dhs/media/news/news-detail.jsp?id=252-112646
NM: Juveniles claim YDDC beatings, sex abuse
Albuquerque Journal – January 28, 2014
All the incidents are alleged to have occurred between January and April of 2012 at the facility, which is operated by the state Children, Youth and Families Department and while all four plaintiffs were in CYFD custody.
http://www.abqjournal.com/344533/news/juveniles-claim-yddc-beatings-sexual-abuse-2.html
NY: Judge dismisses suit accusing Yeshiva University of hiding abuse
New York Times – January 30, 2014
The lawsuit sought to hold the school, former administrators and former trustees accountable for hundreds of acts of abuse by two rabbis and an alumnus during the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s. But the judge, John G. Koeltl of United States District Court in Manhattan, ruled on Thursday that it could not proceed because too many years had elapsed since the abuses took place.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/31/nyregion/judge-dismisses-suit-accusing-yeshiva-university-of-hiding-abuse.html?_r=0
OH: Online adoption dos and don’ts (Includes video)
FOX 8 Cleveland – January 30, 2014
In the past, finding a baby to adopt was often expensive, stressful and time-consuming. But Ohio attorney Tommy Taneff said that has all changed with this “new age of social media” websites. Taneff said online adoptions make up about 30% of his cases and those numbers are similar across the country.
http://fox8.com/2014/01/30/web-extra-online-adoption-dos-and-donts/
PA: Penn State football: Assistant coach Herb Hand brings experience with child-abuse programs to community healing from Sandusky scandal
Centre Daily Times – January 30, 2014
He’s yet to nail down specifics, but it seems as though his passion to help young men on the field of battle is rivaled only by his will to assist even younger people with their personal battles.
http://www.centredaily.com/2014/01/30/4010899/penn-state-football-assistant.html
WA: Adoption bill aims to prevent cases like the fatal Hana Williams tragedy
Skagit Valley Herald – January 29, 2014
The bill addresses several of the recommendations that came out of the 2012 report, including stepping up the thoroughness of pre- and post-placement reports, tracking adoptions that end or are interrupted and increasing training for state workers who review potential adoptive homes.
http://www.goskagit.com/all_access/adoption-bill-aims-to-prevent-cases-like-the-fatal-hana/article_b6e599a2-65bb-5550-8065-401a71074a3b.html
US: & MO: Pediatrician warns parents of expected increase in child abuse surrounding Super Bowl
41 Action News – January 30, 2014
Dr. Jim Anderst is a child abuse pediatrician at Children’s Mercy Hospital and says child abuse consultations go up about 30 percent during the week before, the week of, and the week after the Super Bowl.
http://www.kshb.com/dpp/news/local_news/pediatrician-warns-parents-of-expected-increase-in-child-abuse-surrounding-super-bowl
US: Adoption and genetics: Implications for adoptive parents
Huffington Post – January 30, 2014
Behavioral genetics indicates that the more we know about the birth families, the better parents we can be.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/e-kay-trimberger/adoption-and-genetics-imp_b_4682667.html
US: Philomena Lee, US lawmaker push adoption rights
Associated Press – January 30, 2014
Her experience is a powerful argument for Ireland to open the adoption records for thousands more mothers whose children ended up in U.S. cities such as St. Louis, Philadelphia, Boston and New York, Sen. Claire McCaskill said Thursday after a meeting with Lee.
http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/philomena-lee-us-lawmaker-push-adoption-rights-22297992
US: A court’s all-hands approach aids girls most at risk
New York Times – January 28, 2014
Girls Court brings an all-hands-on-deck approach to the lives of vulnerable girls, linking them to social service agencies, providing informal Saturday sessions on everything from body image to legal jargon, and offering a team of adults in whom they can develop trust. And while still in its early years, the system is showing promise.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/29/us/a-courts-all-hands-approach-aids-girls-most-at-risk.html?emc=edit_tnt_20140128&tntemail0=y
INTERNATIONAL
Canada: Phoenix Sinclair inquiry report to be released today
CBC News – January 31, 2014
The Manitoba government is set to release the final report today from the Phoenix Sinclair inquiry, which examined how the province’s child welfare system failed the five-year-old girl before she was murdered by her mother and stepfather in 2005.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/phoenix-sinclair-inquiry-report-to-be-released-today-1.2518147
Ireland: Agency a ‘once in a lifetime’ chance to reform child welfare services, says Taoiseach
The Irish Times – January 31, 2014
In all, some 4,000 people have transferred to the organisation, which will have a budget of about ?600 million. The creation of the agency follows a number of highly critical reports into how children were failed by the system, often as a result of poor co-operation between State agencies.
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/agency-a-once-in-a-lifetime-chance-to-reform-child-welfare-services-says-taoiseach-1.1674280
Ireland: New law to permit adoption by same-sex civil partners
The Irish Times – January 31, 2014
Existing laws dating from the 1950s state that only married couples or sole applicants can seek to adopt a child. New laws would extend the right to apply to adopt to same-sex civil partners.
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/new-law-to-permit-adoption-by-same-sex-civil-partners-1.1674066
Romania: A lost boy finds his calling (Includes video)
The Washington Post – January 30, 2014
Izidor Ruckel tells American audiences about his childhood and the plight of orphans in Romania today. He has been trying to raise money to make a documentary with fellow Romanian adoptee Alex King, to help improve conditions there.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/style/2014/01/30/a-lost-boy-finds-his-calling/
Russia: Constitutional Court reviews adoption rules for people tried for violent crimes
RAPSI – January 31, 2014
Russia’s Constitutional Court on Friday instructed lawmakers to review the Criminal Code articles punishment under which entails a lifelong ban on adoption, the court said.
http://rapsinews.com/judicial_news/20140131/270606848.html
AZ: Emergency bill to fund child welfare agency could be on Brewer’s desk Thursday (Includes video)
CBS 5 – January 29, 2014
If this spending bill is passed, $6.86 million would go toward hiring and training more than 120 cases workers as well as their support staff and supervisors.
http://www.kpho.com/story/24584458/emergency-bill-to-fund-child-welfare-agency-could-be-on-brewers-desk-thursday
CT: Officials urge unified effort against child sex trafficking
The Day – January 29, 2014
Presenters at a forum on sex trafficking of children Wednesday told stories meant to spark outrage and action among the audience of nearly 300 people at the Connecticut Convention Center. The state has documented 198 cases of domestic minor sex trafficking in the past five years. Most of the 198 victims were runaways who had been involved with the child welfare agency at some point in their young lives.
http://www.theday.com/article/20140129/NWS12/140129627/1047/nws
FL: Stricter rules making international adoptions more difficult
News 13 – January 30, 2014
As part of an effort to end child trafficking, a new law will take effect with stricter rules when it comes to people in the United States adopting children internationally.
http://mynews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/news/article.html/content/news/articles/cfn/2014/1/30/in_an_effort_to_end_.html
FL: Proposed state budget gives dollars to struggling child protection agencies
The News-Press – January 29, 2014
Gov. Rick Scott’s proposed budget allocates more funds to the state’s struggling child protection agencies. He proposed giving an extra $31 million to the Department of Children and Families, in an effort to reduce caseloads for child protective investigators, and allow for the creation of two-person teams to investigate high risk-cases.
http://www.news-press.com/interactive/article/20140129/NEWS01/140129007/Gov-Scott-seeks-help-small-businesses-proposed-budget?nclick_check=1
ID: Impact Scholars impacts former foster youth
Arbiter Online – January 30, 2014
Impact Scholars is currently the only program in Idaho with a full-time staff member aiding former foster youth in achieving higher education. Fall 2013 was the pilot semester of Impact Scholars at Boise State, and according to Moreshead, it was successful.
http://arbiteronline.com/2014/01/30/impact-scholars-impacts-former-foster-youth/
MA: Advocates pitch lawmakers on foster care system changes
Nashoba Publishing – January 29, 2014
As controversy continues to surround the Department of Children and Families, lawmakers listened Tuesday to supporters of a legislative proposal to improve care for foster children, which includes creating an expert panel to review child abuse and neglect cases.
http://www.nashobapublishing.com/ci_25016809/advocates-pitch-lawmakers-foster-care-system-changes
NM: Legislature: CYFD chief tells lawmakers: No way to ensure child tragedies never happen
Santa Fe New Mexican – January 29, 2014
Faced with hard questions about the death of a 9-year-old Albuquerque boy whose past abuse was known to her department, the Cabinet secretary in charge of protecting children implored lawmakers to fill vacant positions at her agency in order to keep vulnerable kids safer.
http://www.qcsunonline.com/2014/01/29/legislature-cyfd-chief-tells-lawmakers-no-way-to-ensure-child-tragedies-never-happen/
OH: Foster care agencies and local church team up to train foster parents
WCPO – January 30, 2014
“Three years ago we launched the idea of inviting a foster agency onto a church campus to host training, and the results were good,” says Chris Combs, executive director of the Coalition of Care. “This new effort is a collaborative next step, with multiple agencies working together to train on the church campus. As a result, more families welcome more children into their homes, and everybody wins.”
http://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/foster-care-agencies-and-local-church-team-up-to-train-foster-parents
OH: House passes bill easing adoptions
The Columbus Dispatch – January 30, 2014
A bill that supporters say would cut the time and cost of adoption in Ohio passed the House yesterday with bipartisan support, despite the concern of some that it is off-target.
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/01/30/house-passes-bill-easing-adoptions.html
OH: Kids want foster-care support to age 21
The Columbus Dispatch – January 30, 2014
“As a former foster youth who aged out in the 1980s, I assumed that youth wouldn’t be interested” in possible care to age 21, Dickson said. “I was wrong.”
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/01/30/kids-want-foster-care-support-to-age-21.html
OK: Oklahoma bill would require adoption consent be given in front of judge
KOCO – January 28, 2014
An Oklahoma lawmaker has authored a bill in response to the custody dispute over a girl who was eventually adopted by a South Carolina couple. The legislation would also require paternity testing and allow an identified father to successfully contest an adoption.
http://www.koco.com/news/politics/oklahoma-bill-would-require-adoption-consent-be-given-in-front-of-judge/-/9843896/24160416/-/igdo40z/-/index.html#mid=17948481
SD: Lawsuit can proceed against South Dakota Social Services over Native American foster care
Associated Press – January 29, 2014
A lawsuit from two tribes and three parents accusing South Dakota of routinely violating the federal law governing foster care and adoptions for American Indian children can proceed as a class-action case, a judge ruled.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/01/29/lawsuit-can-proceed-against-south-dakota-social-services-over-native-american/
TX: Family of slain Plano toddler seeks answers from Child Protective Services
The Dallas Morning News – January 29, 2014
CPS officials are reviewing their involvement to see if anything could have been done differently as they and Plano police continue to investigate Grace’s death.
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-news/plano/headlines/20140129-family-of-slain-plano-toddler-seeks-answers-from-cps.ece?nclick_check=1
VA: Legislation on gay adoptions faces likely death
The Virginian-Pilot – January 30, 2014
While two gay couples wait to make their case for marrying in Norfolk’s federal court, another issue close to the hearts of many homosexual couples – second-parent adoption – has essentially died for the legislative session.
http://hamptonroads.com/2014/01/virginia-legislation-gay-adoptions-faces-likely-death
WA: Man with juvenile sex crime history was licensed as foster parent, abused more kids
Q13 FOX, KCPQ-TV – January 29, 2014
“The vetting process is supposed to be stringent. In this case you have to ask yourself, here we have a serial sex offender who DSHS housed in their own facility. How is that missed?” asked attorney Tim Tesh, who filed a lawsuit against the state on behalf of the boy who was victimized.
http://q13fox.com/2014/01/29/man-with-juvenile-sex-crime-history-licensed-as-foster-parent-abuses-more-kids/#axzz2rt0cQhfH
WI: Assembly approves bill to prohibit advertising children for adoption online
The Daily Cardinal – January 29, 2014
The Wisconsin state Assembly unanimously passed a bill Tuesday that would prohibit advertising children for adoption over the Internet and mandate court approval for delegation of parental powers.
http://host.madison.com/daily-cardinal/news/assembly-approves-bill-to-prohibit-advertising-children-for-adoption-online/article_4472f220-88af-11e3-b7be-001a4bcf887a.html
US: Sex abuse at schools: Systems for reporting suspicions lacking in many areas, says federal report spurred by Mt. Diablo case
Contra Costa Times – January 29, 2014
School districts across the country have different rules on reporting student sex abuse, often hinder investigations, and only about a third require that employees receive training on how to report suspected abuse, according to a federal study released late Wednesday and available at http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-14-42
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_25023002/reporting-by-schools-suspected-child-abuse-lacking-many
INTERNATIONAL
Australia: ACT child-protection investigations lag behind other states
The Canberra Times – January 31, 2014
The ACT government spends less money and delivers poorer outcomes on child protection than most other states and territories, the 2014 Report on Government Services has found.
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/act-childprotection-investigations-lag-behind-other-states-20140130-31pxi.html
Canada: Agencies hit with cash cuts: Child-welfare workers face lower wages, threat of layoffs
Winnipeg Free Press – January 30, 2014
Child-welfare workers across the province are scrambling to deal with a retroactive four per cent funding cut made days after the provincial government received the Phoenix Sinclair inquiry report.
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/agencies-hit-with-cash-cuts-242708251.html
Canada: Alberta panel agrees all child deaths should be investigated
Edmonton Journal – January 29, 2014
Alberta needs strong new legislation to support a renewed child death review system that investigates all child deaths – not only those of children known to intervention authorities, experts agreed Tuesday.
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/health/Alberta+panel+agrees+child+deaths+should+investigated/9440150/story.html
Canada: Premier tosses her notes as Alberta roundtable hears from former foster kids about publication ban
Edmonton Journal – January 29, 2014
Three young women who grew up in foster care told a roundtable Wednesday that a sweeping publication ban has the power to make youth in care feel invisible. The women’s appearance at the Child Intervention Roundtable offered an unprecedented opportunity to hear how foster children feel about an Alberta law that makes it illegal to publish their names and photographs, even if they die while in care.
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/life/Premier+tosses+notes+Alberta+roundtable+hears+from+former+foster+kids+about+publication/9444490/story.html
AZ: Emergency bill to fund child welfare agency could be on Brewer’s desk Thursday (Includes video)
CBS 5 – January 29, 2014
If this spending bill is passed, $6.86 million would go toward hiring and training more than 120 cases workers as well as their support staff and supervisors.
http://www.kpho.com/story/24584458/emergency-bill-to-fund-child-welfare-agency-could-be-on-brewers-desk-thursday
CT: Officials urge unified effort against child sex trafficking
The Day – January 29, 2014
Presenters at a forum on sex trafficking of children Wednesday told stories meant to spark outrage and action among the audience of nearly 300 people at the Connecticut Convention Center. The state has documented 198 cases of domestic minor sex trafficking in the past five years. Most of the 198 victims were runaways who had been involved with the child welfare agency at some point in their young lives.
http://www.theday.com/article/20140129/NWS12/140129627/1047/nws
FL: Stricter rules making international adoptions more difficult
News 13 – January 30, 2014
As part of an effort to end child trafficking, a new law will take effect with stricter rules when it comes to people in the United States adopting children internationally.
http://mynews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/news/article.html/content/news/articles/cfn/2014/1/30/in_an_effort_to_end_.html
FL: Proposed state budget gives dollars to struggling child protection agencies
The News-Press – January 29, 2014
Gov. Rick Scott’s proposed budget allocates more funds to the state’s struggling child protection agencies. He proposed giving an extra $31 million to the Department of Children and Families, in an effort to reduce caseloads for child protective investigators, and allow for the creation of two-person teams to investigate high risk-cases.
http://www.news-press.com/interactive/article/20140129/NEWS01/140129007/Gov-Scott-seeks-help-small-businesses-proposed-budget?nclick_check=1
ID: Impact Scholars impacts former foster youth
Arbiter Online – January 30, 2014
Impact Scholars is currently the only program in Idaho with a full-time staff member aiding former foster youth in achieving higher education. Fall 2013 was the pilot semester of Impact Scholars at Boise State, and according to Moreshead, it was successful.
http://arbiteronline.com/2014/01/30/impact-scholars-impacts-former-foster-youth/
MA: Advocates pitch lawmakers on foster care system changes
Nashoba Publishing – January 29, 2014
As controversy continues to surround the Department of Children and Families, lawmakers listened Tuesday to supporters of a legislative proposal to improve care for foster children, which includes creating an expert panel to review child abuse and neglect cases.
http://www.nashobapublishing.com/ci_25016809/advocates-pitch-lawmakers-foster-care-system-changes
NM: Legislature: CYFD chief tells lawmakers: No way to ensure child tragedies never happen
Santa Fe New Mexican – January 29, 2014
Faced with hard questions about the death of a 9-year-old Albuquerque boy whose past abuse was known to her department, the Cabinet secretary in charge of protecting children implored lawmakers to fill vacant positions at her agency in order to keep vulnerable kids safer.
http://www.qcsunonline.com/2014/01/29/legislature-cyfd-chief-tells-lawmakers-no-way-to-ensure-child-tragedies-never-happen/
OH: Foster care agencies and local church team up to train foster parents
WCPO – January 30, 2014
“Three years ago we launched the idea of inviting a foster agency onto a church campus to host training, and the results were good,” says Chris Combs, executive director of the Coalition of Care. “This new effort is a collaborative next step, with multiple agencies working together to train on the church campus. As a result, more families welcome more children into their homes, and everybody wins.”
http://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/foster-care-agencies-and-local-church-team-up-to-train-foster-parents
OH: House passes bill easing adoptions
The Columbus Dispatch – January 30, 2014
A bill that supporters say would cut the time and cost of adoption in Ohio passed the House yesterday with bipartisan support, despite the concern of some that it is off-target.
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/01/30/house-passes-bill-easing-adoptions.html
OH: Kids want foster-care support to age 21
The Columbus Dispatch – January 30, 2014
“As a former foster youth who aged out in the 1980s, I assumed that youth wouldn’t be interested” in possible care to age 21, Dickson said. “I was wrong.”
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/01/30/kids-want-foster-care-support-to-age-21.html
OK: Oklahoma bill would require adoption consent be given in front of judge
KOCO – January 28, 2014
An Oklahoma lawmaker has authored a bill in response to the custody dispute over a girl who was eventually adopted by a South Carolina couple. The legislation would also require paternity testing and allow an identified father to successfully contest an adoption.
http://www.koco.com/news/politics/oklahoma-bill-would-require-adoption-consent-be-given-in-front-of-judge/-/9843896/24160416/-/igdo40z/-/index.html#mid=17948481
SD: Lawsuit can proceed against South Dakota Social Services over Native American foster care
Associated Press – January 29, 2014
A lawsuit from two tribes and three parents accusing South Dakota of routinely violating the federal law governing foster care and adoptions for American Indian children can proceed as a class-action case, a judge ruled.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/01/29/lawsuit-can-proceed-against-south-dakota-social-services-over-native-american/
TX: Family of slain Plano toddler seeks answers from Child Protective Services
The Dallas Morning News – January 29, 2014
CPS officials are reviewing their involvement to see if anything could have been done differently as they and Plano police continue to investigate Grace’s death.
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-news/plano/headlines/20140129-family-of-slain-plano-toddler-seeks-answers-from-cps.ece?nclick_check=1
VA: Legislation on gay adoptions faces likely death
The Virginian-Pilot – January 30, 2014
While two gay couples wait to make their case for marrying in Norfolk’s federal court, another issue close to the hearts of many homosexual couples – second-parent adoption – has essentially died for the legislative session.
http://hamptonroads.com/2014/01/virginia-legislation-gay-adoptions-faces-likely-death
WA: Man with juvenile sex crime history was licensed as foster parent, abused more kids
Q13 FOX, KCPQ-TV – January 29, 2014
“The vetting process is supposed to be stringent. In this case you have to ask yourself, here we have a serial sex offender who DSHS housed in their own facility. How is that missed?” asked attorney Tim Tesh, who filed a lawsuit against the state on behalf of the boy who was victimized.
http://q13fox.com/2014/01/29/man-with-juvenile-sex-crime-history-licensed-as-foster-parent-abuses-more-kids/#axzz2rt0cQhfH
WI: Assembly approves bill to prohibit advertising children for adoption online
The Daily Cardinal – January 29, 2014
The Wisconsin state Assembly unanimously passed a bill Tuesday that would prohibit advertising children for adoption over the Internet and mandate court approval for delegation of parental powers.
http://host.madison.com/daily-cardinal/news/assembly-approves-bill-to-prohibit-advertising-children-for-adoption-online/article_4472f220-88af-11e3-b7be-001a4bcf887a.html
US: Sex abuse at schools: Systems for reporting suspicions lacking in many areas, says federal report spurred by Mt. Diablo case
Contra Costa Times – January 29, 2014
School districts across the country have different rules on reporting student sex abuse, often hinder investigations, and only about a third require that employees receive training on how to report suspected abuse, according to a federal study released late Wednesday and available at http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-14-42
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_25023002/reporting-by-schools-suspected-child-abuse-lacking-many
INTERNATIONAL
Australia: ACT child-protection investigations lag behind other states
The Canberra Times – January 31, 2014
The ACT government spends less money and delivers poorer outcomes on child protection than most other states and territories, the 2014 Report on Government Services has found.
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/act-childprotection-investigations-lag-behind-other-states-20140130-31pxi.html
Canada: Agencies hit with cash cuts: Child-welfare workers face lower wages, threat of layoffs
Winnipeg Free Press – January 30, 2014
Child-welfare workers across the province are scrambling to deal with a retroactive four per cent funding cut made days after the provincial government received the Phoenix Sinclair inquiry report.
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/agencies-hit-with-cash-cuts-242708251.html
Canada: Alberta panel agrees all child deaths should be investigated
Edmonton Journal – January 29, 2014
Alberta needs strong new legislation to support a renewed child death review system that investigates all child deaths – not only those of children known to intervention authorities, experts agreed Tuesday.
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/health/Alberta+panel+agrees+child+deaths+should+investigated/9440150/story.html
Canada: Premier tosses her notes as Alberta roundtable hears from former foster kids about publication ban
Edmonton Journal – January 29, 2014
Three young women who grew up in foster care told a roundtable Wednesday that a sweeping publication ban has the power to make youth in care feel invisible. The women’s appearance at the Child Intervention Roundtable offered an unprecedented opportunity to hear how foster children feel about an Alberta law that makes it illegal to publish their names and photographs, even if they die while in care.
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/life/Premier+tosses+notes+Alberta+roundtable+hears+from+former+foster+kids+about+publication/9444490/story.html
AZ: All child abuse cases now assigned
Associated Press – January 28, 2014
A team assigned to review more than 6,500 child abuse and neglect reports that weren’t investigated by Arizona child welfare officials has assigned nearly all of those cases to investigators.
http://www.trivalleycentral.com/casa_grande_dispatch/arizona_news/all-child-abuse-cases-now-assigned/article_6c0be520-8838-11e3-a8e6-001a4bcf887a.html
AZ: Arizona Senate panel OKs millions in extra CPS cash
Associated Press – January 28, 2014
The Arizona Legislature has taken the first step needed to give Gov. Jan Brewer more than $6.8 million to allow the state’s child welfare agency to hire 192 new workers right away.
http://www.wsmv.com/story/24566968/arizona-senate-panel-oks-millions-in-extra-cps-cash
CA: Supervisors won’t immediately act on foster care recommendations
Los Angeles Times – January 28, 2014
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has decided to delay action on the interim recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Commission on Child Protection until a final report is issued in April.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-foster-care-overhaul-20140128,0,6037445.story?track=rss#axzz2rlBT7xod
GA: In Georgia, a Push and a Push Back to Privatize Foster Care
Youth Today – January 28, 2014
The issue has also been brought up because the window to apply for a federal waiver expires this year. The Title IV-E waiver allows states more flexibility in spending federal dollars on child welfare services, and other states have already taken advantage of it, Bill Hancock, founder and CEO of FaithBridge Foster Care in Alpharetta, Ga., said.
http://www.youthtoday.org/view_article.cfm?article_id=6410
IA: Iowa’s family treatment courts help protect vulnerable kids
DesMoines Register – January 20, 2014
In his Condition of the Judiciary address this year, the Chief Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court told legislators that the goal of protecting Iowa’s children is within reach. Related: Iowa lawmakers told family treatment court helps end cycle of broken families: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20140122/NEWS09/301220123/Iowa-lawmakers-told-family-treatment-court-helps-end-cycle-broken-families
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20140121/COMM/301210029/1011/news10/Iowa-s-family-treatment-courts-help-protect-vulnerable-kids
KS: Closing arguments set in adoption case
The Witchita Eagle – January 28, 2014
A deciding factor is whether Judge Robb Rumsey finds that the Kansas Department for Children and Families made a reasonable effort in approving a decision to place the girl and her 3-year-old brother with their 67-year-old great-grandmother in South Carolina.
http://www.kansas.com/2014/01/28/3254734/closing-arguments-set-in-adoption.html
MI: Dearborn’s Gino Polidori dies; served as fire chief, councilman and state rep
Detroit Free Press – January 28, 2014
In 2005, Polidori worked with the Amer family in Dearborn to introduce a bill that said the state should give preference to placing children in foster care with other family members or, if that’s not possible, with people who share the same religion as the parents. It was signed into law by Gov. Jennifer Granholm in 2010.
http://www.freep.com/article/20140128/NEWS/301280123/Dearborn-Gino-Polidori-dies-fire-chief-councilman-state-representative
MN: Legislators discuss protecting Minnesota’s most vulnerable children by providing smoke-free foster care
PR Newswire – January 28, 2014
The House Health and Human Services Policy Committee heard testimony in support of HF1966 today, a bill that would make foster care homes smoke-free.
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/legislators-discuss-protecting-minnesotas-most-vulnerable-children-by-providing-smoke-free-foster-care-242453261.html
NJ: State Senate panel approves bill giving adoptees their original birth certificates
The Star-Ledger – January 28, 2014
A state Senate committee with a long history of supporting adoption rights overwhelmingly approved a bill Monday that would allow adopted people to obtain their original birth certificates that reveal their parents’ names.
http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/01/nj_senate_panel_approves_bill_giving_adoptees_their_origional_birth_certificates.html
NY: Judge Alarms Gay Parents by Finding Marriage Law Negates Need for Adoption
New York Times – January 28, 2014
Judge López Torres acknowledged her ruling left couples facing a legal risk. But she said that was an issue for the courts in other states to settle. Moreover, she wrote that granting the adoption would mean that “true marriage equality remains yet to be attained” and that “a same-sex marriage remains somehow insufficient to establish a parent-child relationship.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/29/nyregion/ny-judge-alarms-gay-parents-by-finding-marriage-law-negates-need-for-adoption.html?_r=0
US: Group Schools Hill Staffers on Foster Youths’ Educational Struggles
The Chronicle of Social Change – January 28, 2014
A national working group, The National Working Group on Foster Care and Education, conducted back-to-back briefings with Capitol Hill staffers today, urging them to consider how the federal government can help improve the flow and quality of education for children in the foster care system.
https://chronicleofsocialchange.org/news/group-schools-hill-staffers-on-foster-youths-educational-struggles/5034
US: House panel addresses human trafficking at Super Bowl
USA Today / Gannett – January 28, 2014
Federal officials say the Super Bowl is the largest human-trafficking event in the U.S. each year, and they are working with transportation officials and the public to help identify and rescue victims.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2014/01/28/human-trafficking-super-bowl/4949159/
US: The Price of a Stolen Childhood
New York Times Magazine – January 24, 2014
When Nicole was a child, her father took pornographic pictures of her that still circulate on the internet. Related: American Bar Association Journal: Should Those Who Download Child Pornography Pay the Victims? at http://bit.ly/ABAJournal Brief: http://bit.ly/USSCdocs
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/27/magazine/how-much-can-restitution-help-victims-of-child-pornography.html?hpw&_r=1&
INTERNATIONAL
Canada: Ontario needs ‘Angel’s Cradle’ for unwanted babies, group says (Includes Video)
Global News – January 28, 2014
The Canadian Centre for Abuse Awareness aims to give abandoned babies a respectful burial while raising awareness for services that would allow women to anonymously give up an unwanted infant.
http://globalnews.ca/news/1113201/ontario-needs-angels-cradle-for-unwanted-babies-group-says/
Greece: Seven Arrests in Greece Over Baby Trafficking
New Tang Dynasty Television – January 28, 2014
Illegal adoption, in some cases involving trafficked children, has flourished in Greece, where birth rates are low and official adoption procedures gruelling.
http://www.ntd.tv/en/news/world/europe/20140128/86534-seven-arrests-in-greece-over-baby-trafficking.html
Israel: High Court Orders Israel to Recognize Gay Adoption of Child Born Through Surrogacy
Jerusalem Post – January 28, 2014
The High Court of Justice on Tuesday night, by a split 5-2 vote, ordered the state to recognize the gay adoption of a child born through surrogacy, including registering both the biological father and his partner as fathers of the child. Simultaneously, the High Court rejected 7-0 the request of another gay couple for recognition of their right to gay adoption.
http://www.jpost.com/National-News/High-Court-orders-Israel-to-recognize-gay-adoption-of-child-born-through-surrogacy-339655
United Kingdom: Calls reporting child abuse to charity surged by 30% in past year
STV News – January 29, 2014
NSPCC Scotland said that there was a 44.5% increase in referrals made to social work services or police in Scotland.
http://news.stv.tv/scotland/262029-calls-reporting-child-abuse-to-nspcc-surged-by-30-in-past-year/
United Kingdom: Northern Ireland abuse inquiry: Two Catholic orders apologise
BBC News – January 14, 2014
The comments were made on the second day of the inquiry into historical abuse in 13 Northern Ireland care homes and borstals between 1922 and 1995. Related: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/child-abuse-inquiry-churchrun-hell-hole-homes-were-like-nazi-concentration-camps-29957460.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-25730998
FL: Bay leads state in rate of kids removed from homes
News Herald – January 26, 2014
With 320 local children currently removed from their homes due to child abuse and neglect, Bay County has the highest rate of children taken from their homes of any county in Florida, authorities said. But the county only has 47 foster homes, meaning most foster children must go to foster homes in other counties.
http://www.newsherald.com/news/government/bay-leads-state-in-rate-of-kids-removed-from-homes-1.268180
KS: Agency official explains actions in adoption trial involving FaithBuilders director
Wichita Eagle – January 28, 2014
A top official at the Kansas Department for Children and Families’ Wichita office went against agency policy in an adoption matter, according to testimony Monday in a separate case. The information appears to be linked to allegations raised by DCF in an investigation completed earlier this month that said the Wichita office under the previous director gave preferential treatment to FaithBuilders executive director Andrea Dixon and her organization when it came to child placement decisions.
http://www.kansas.com/2014/01/28/3253467/agency-official-explains-actions.html
MA: Patrick To Address Controversy Surrounding Child Welfare Agency
Associated Press – January 27, 2014
The failure of the Department of Children and Families to keep track of a missing 5-year-old boy whose family had been under its supervision is inexcusable but has given the state an opportunity to re-examine the agency and make changes, Gov. Deval Patrick said Monday. Also: Gov. Patrick: DCF review to be completed by the spring: http://www.myfoxboston.com/story/24554144/2014/01/27/gov-patrick-to-discuss-dcf-probe#ixzz2rh7CVuAs
http://www.wbur.org/2014/01/27/patrick-speak-dcf-controversy
NE: Head of state Health and Human Services department working on culture change
Lincoln Journal Star – January 26, 2014
“Too often I don’t think employees feel sufficiently empowered to go outside the range of what they’ve always done to administer a program,” Winterer said. HHS has faced one controversy after another in the past decade, and particularly the past several years. Winterer has been at the helm for four-and-a-half years.
http://journalstar.com/news/state-and-regional/statehouse/head-of-state-health-and-human-services-department-working-on/article_6051d47b-8b27-5d5d-8d02-3c9726051e63.html
NH: Creating Cultural Connections: Children Adopted From China, Families Celebrate New Year
Valley News – January 27, 2014
One of the main goals of the get-togethers, said parents at Sunday’s event, was to foster a sense of community among adopted Chinese children in a racially homogenous area, as well as keep them connected to their culture. “It’s really invaluable,” said Marianna McKim, of Meriden, who came to Sunday’s event with her daughter Emma and husband Reinhart Sonnenburg. “It would be a very different experience to be isolated.”
http://www.vnews.com/lifetimes/10396697-95/creating-cultural-connections-children-adopted-from-china-families-celebrate-new-year
NY: Deputy Mayor for Social Services Now Has a Boss Who Shares Her Agenda
New York Times – January 26, 2014
A former nun, Ms. Barrios-Paoli, in her highest-ranking city job yet, oversees the agencies that deliver services to vulnerable populations like children in need of protection and the homeless. Deputy mayors are supposed to make sure their agencies carry out the mayor’s policies and vision, but Ms. Barrios-Paoli also brings an insider’s view. She has served variously as the commissioner of employment, personnel, housing, welfare and aging.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/27/nyregion/deputy-mayor-for-social-services-now-has-a-boss-who-shares-her-agenda.html?_r=0
OH: Could You Lose The Right To Make Medical Decisions For Your Child?
Forbes – January 27, 2014
That is the difficult question facing a court of appeals in Ohio. What are the constitutional rights of parents to make life-or-death medical decisions for their child? What if the decision the parents make flies in the face of conventional medicine and, according to traditional doctors, means the child will die in less than a year?
http://www.forbes.com/sites/trialandheirs/2014/01/27/could-you-lose-the-right-to-make-medical-decisions-for-your-child/
TN: DCS hit with stinging audit; lawmakers want agency on ‘tight leash’
The Tennessean – January 27, 2014
A stinging audit of the Department of Children’s Services drew stern questions Monday from state lawmakers, who demanding a follow up audit of the department in six months. Lawmakers then took the unusual step of voting for a three-year re-authorization of the agency, instead of taking a routine vote to authorize the agency for another four years. Also: Audit of Tennessee child welfare agency finds problems: http://northgeorgia.timesfreepress.com/news/2014/jan/28/audit-tennessee-child-welfare-agency-finds-problem/?breakingnews
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20140127/NEWS21/301270060/UPDATE-DCS-hit-with-stinging-audit-lawmakers-want-agency-on-tight-leash-
TN: Roane County industrial park could welcome foster kids (Includes video)
WBIR TV – January 26, 2013
It’s a project that could give children in need a place to stay, but its location had certain people asking questions. In early January, the Roane County Commission approved a proposal to rezone an unused building in an industrial park.
http://www.wbir.com/story/news/local/kingston-harriman-roane/2014/01/26/roane-county-industrial-park-could-welcome-foster-kids/4923855/
WA: Testifying about lawyer bills for foster kids
Crosscut – January 27, 2014
Supporters of Rep. Roger Goodman’s attempt to mandate legal representation for parent-less minors spoke out in Olympia last week.
http://crosscut.com/2014/01/27/Kidsatrisk/118472/lawyer-bills-foster-kids/
US: Abuse Cases Lead To Safe Sport Report & Review In US
Swim Vortex – January 27, 2014
An eight-person task force has been appointed to review findings and make recommendations for implementation of a plan suggested by a report into USA Swimming’s Safe Sport Program by Gundersen National Child Protection Training Center. The USA has been rocked in recent years by a wave of abuse cases in which some coaches have been accused of misdemeanors, charged and even convicted years after misconduct took place.
http://www.swimvortex.com/abuse-cases-lead-to-safe-sport-report-review-in-us/
US: The Particular Challenge of Helping Homeless LGBTQ Youth
Atlantic Cities – January 27, 2014
On the evening of the count, volunteers and staff of social service agencies and nonprofits fan out across the nighttime landscape, trying to find the homeless. It’s a notoriously difficult task, and not everyone is counted. According to researchers at the Urban Institute, one subgroup in particular remains under-counted: lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth. Young people in general are often missed by the traditional counts because they try to avoid drawing attention to themselves, fearing they’ll end up in the custody of child protective services agencies.
http://www.theatlanticcities.com/housing/2014/01/particular-challenge-helping-homeless-lgtbq-youth/8212/
INTERNATIONAL
India: Foster care takes root in India. How does it differ from adoption?
Christian Science Monitor – January 27, 2014
Internationally, the push for non-institutionalized programs to place children in family settings is still taking shape. Here is a primer on the basic differences between adoption and foster care from an international perspective.
http://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Family/Modern-Parenthood/2014/0127/Foster-care-takes-root-in-India.-How-does-it-differ-from-adoption
Slovakia: Ombudsman for children’s issues to be introduced soon
Slovak Spectator – January 27, 2014
Slovakia cannot turn a blind eye to child abuse, therefore it will launch for setting up the office of children’s ombudsman, Labour Ministry State Secretary Jozef Burian told the public-service Slovak Radio on January 25. Burian referred to a nation-wide survey which showed that around 20 percent of children in Slovakia are abused, either physically or mentally.
http://spectator.sme.sk/articles/view/52752/10/ombudsman_for_childrens_issues_to_be_introduced_soon.html
Sweden: More Registered Muslim Foster Families Can Lend Swedish Authorities A Hand
National News Agency of Malaysia – January 27, 2014
More registered Muslim foster families could give Swedish authorities some option to place any Muslim children while waiting the completion of any investigation involving their parents. President of the Federation for Swedish Muslims for Peace and Justice, Yasri Khan said this shortage left the authorities with no choice but to place the children with non-Muslim foster families.
http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v7/ge/newsgeneral.php?id=1010351
AZ: Increased information about Arizona’s child welfare agency will continue, new boss says
Arizona Daily Star – January 27, 2014
Arizona’s child welfare crisis is providing residents with a glimpse of something rarely seen from the agency charged with protecting kids in the state: transparency. A group of investigators, called the CARE Team, updates an online site daily so the public can monitor progress on 6,554 previously ignored reports of possible child abuse or neglect.
http://azstarnet.com/news/local/increased-information-about-arizona-s-child-welfare-agency-will-continue/article_bfdd3da6-7045-5642-bb37-d239278ae4a5.html
AZ: Head of new child-services agency criticizes delay of welfare report
AZ Central – January 24, 2014
A required report detailing the state of child welfare in Arizona is nearly a month overdue, a situation the new chief of the agency formerly known as Child Protective Services said is unacceptable.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/politics/articles/20140124head-new-child-services-agencycriticizes-delay-welfare-report.html
CA: Blueprint proposed to boost oversight of child welfare
Los Angeles Times – January 25, 2014
A commission is calling for greater oversight of private foster care agencies and the creation of the post of child welfare czar to boost coordination between agencies.
http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-foster-reform-20140125,0,7995260.story#axzz2rYJzmA3x
CA: County Approves Funds to Fight Child Sex Trafficking
Eastern Group Publications News – January 23, 2014
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Tuesday approved a $200,000, two-year program to fight child sex trafficking.
http://egpnews.com/2014/01/county-approves-funds-to-fight-child-sex-trafficking/
CA: San Jose Airport Workers Trained to Detect Human Trafficking (Includes video)
NBC Bay Area – January 23, 2014
Rep. Mike Honda, D-San Jose, and heads of organizations against human trafficking attended a training session in San Jose Thursday for airport and airline employees on how to spot young victims of trafficking at airports or on planes.
http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/San-Jose-Airport-Workers-Trained-to-Detect-Human-Trafficking-241758811.html
GA: Law may privatize foster care: Legislation would establish fully integrated private-public partnership
Gainesville Times – January 26, 2014
Hancock said the proposed legislation would allow SafeBridge and other organizations greater breadth and flexibility in both placing kids in need of foster homes within their communities, and working to stabilize households on the child welfare radar.
http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/section/6/article/94726/
GA: Future for more child welfare funding looks bright (Includes Video)
CBS Atlanta – January 24, 2014
The plan to reform Georgia’s child welfare system took one step closer to becoming reality. The state House of Representatives on Friday approved a proposal to hire 95 more workers at the Division of Family and Children’s Services.
http://www.cbsatlanta.com/story/24543075/future-for-more-child-welfare-funding-looks-bright
HI: Lawsuit: Mormon church covered up sexual abuse at Hawaii camps
Salt Lake Tribune – January 23, 2014
A lawsuit filed Wednesday in the 2nd Circuit Court in Hawaii, alleges that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Maui Land and Pineapple Company Inc. and Youth Developmental Enterprises, recruited youths from Mormon communities in Utah and southern Idaho to go to camps in Maui to pick pineapples in the 1970s and 1980s, which led to them being sexually molested.
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/57438270-78/church-lawsuit-sexual-camps.html.csp
IA: Trial starts Tuesday in mother’s lawsuit against DHS
Eastern Iowa Gazette – January 27, 2014
A mother who is suing the Iowa Department of Human Services for placing her child in foster care based on a false allegation takes her case before a Johnson County jury Tuesday, arguing the policy used for removal is a violation of Iowa law and unconstitutional.
http://thegazette.com/2014/01/27/trial-starts-tuesday-in-mothers-lawsuit-against-dhs/
IL: Quinn names new state child welfare chief
Chicago Sun Times – January 24, 2014
Arthur Bishop, now chief of the state Department of Juvenile Justice, was appointed DCFS director Friday by Gov. Pat Quinn, effective immediately. He replaces Richard Calica, who resigned in November and died in December after battling cancer.
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/25162972-418/quinn-names-new-state-child-welfare-chief.html
MD: Maryland child & domestic abuse victim laws weakest in nation
Cecil Daily – January 24, 2014
Of the 50 states, 47 impose civil penalties on those who knowingly and willfully fail to report suspected child abuse. Maryland is one of only three states (in addition to North Carolina and Wyoming) in the nation that fails to impose a penalty on those who knowingly and willingly fail to report suspected child abuse.
http://www.cecildaily.com/opinion/columns/article_9d307ba3-4263-5688-ab0f-a57098c5039b.html
MI: Snyder makes appointment, reappointments to Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect
Michigan.gov – January 24, 2014
Gov. Rick Snyder today announced one appointment and five reappointments to the Governor’s Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect. Executive Order 2013-4 established the task force, which is an 18-member panel consisting of professionals with knowledge and experience relating to the criminal justice system and issues of child physical abuse, child neglect, child sexual abuse and exploitation, and child maltreatment related fatalities.
http://www.michigan.gov/minewswire/0,4629,7-136-3452-320199–,00.html
MI: Staggering child abuse, neglect rates in Jackson County far outrank state
Mlive – January 24, 2014
Jackson County far outranks the state with the rate of children who are confirmed victims of abuse and neglect and in 2012 had a higher rate of abuse victims than 55 other Michigan counties, according to the Kids Count in Michigan report released by the Michigan League for Public Policy. Besides physical abuse, malnourished children also fall into the abuse and neglect category.
http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2014/01/jackson_county_outranking_stat.html
NC: State tells Union DSS to reopen child abuse checks
Associated Press – January 25, 2014
North Carolina officials say Union County’s social services department will have to reopen or review a handful of cases of possible child abuse and neglect to make sure workers didn’t mishandle them.
http://www.ajc.com/news/ap/kids-family/nc-tells-union-dss-to-reopen-child-abuse-checks/nc27d/
ND: Serving the ‘invisible population’: Fraser works to provide area’s first supportive housing for homeless youths
InForum – January 24, 2014
There are a couple of similar programs for adults in Moorhead and Fargo, but this one, exclusively for ages 18 to 26, will be the first of its kind in the metro area and in North Dakota.
http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/424609/
NM: Gov. pitches 15 child abuse-related bills
KRQE – January 25, 2014
The governor is making a big pitch to fix up the state’s child abuse laws, backing 15 different proposed ideas related to the issue. A lot of those would hopefully fix what the governor calls dangerous loopholes. One of those proposals is to make it clear that anyone who sees or suspects child abuse is required to report it, something the Court of Appeals ruled was unclear in state law.
http://krqe.com/2014/01/24/gov-pitches-15-child-abuse-related-bills/
OK: ‘Baby Veronica’ Case Spurs Proposed Change In Oklahoma Adoption Law
News9 – January 26, 2014
A new bill has been proposed that would change adoption law in Oklahoma. State Representative Wade Rousselot, (D) Okay, has introduced House Bill 2442 or, what he calls, the Truth in Adoption bill. The bill would require both birth parents to go before a judge to sign away their parental rights. The parents would not have to appear at the same time. Under current Oklahoma law, a birth parent does not have to go before a judge and can use a notary public to sign away parental rights.
http://www.news9.com/story/24550427/new-oklahoma-adoption-bill-aims-at-protecting-biological-parents-rights
US: Growing Up ‘White,’ Transracial Adoptee Learned To Be Black (Includes audio)
National Public Radio – January 26, 2014
“One of the things I think was hardest for me is I didn’t have any independent relationships with black people, especially adult black people, till I was an adult,” he says. “I was 25 before I saw a black doctor.” Related: When White Parents Adopt Black Children: http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2014/01/24/closure_documentary_and_melissa_harris_perry_add_a_personal_voice_to_transracial.html Gateway Resource: https://www.childwelfare.gov/adoption/adoptive/minority_groups.cfm
http://www.npr.org/2014/01/26/266434175/growing-up-white-transracial-adoptee-learned-to-be-black
US: Financial Impact of Adoption
Huffington Post – January 25, 2014
For now, unless Congress extends the 2012 limits, the maximum tax credit amount will revert in 2013 to the original $5,000 cap ($6,000 for a special need child). No word yet on what the maximum income phase-out range will be after 2012.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jason-alderman/financial-impact-of-adopt_b_1403920.html
US: A Disturbing Phenomenon: Unaccompanied Minors Are Entering The US More Rapidly Than Ever
Business Insider – January 24, 2014
According to the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), which is alerting the public about this new trend, the numbers of children who will cross into the US without adult supervision is expected to be 60,000 this year. This represents nearly a tenfold increase in the number of unaccompanied minors in just three years.
http://www.businessinsider.com/unaccompanied-minors-entering-the-us-more-rapidly-than-ever-2014-1
US: Adoption in America is changing as more are turning to open adoptions (Includes Video)
KSHB – January 23, 2014
Adoption in America is undergoing a huge transformation — from a world of secrecy to many more open adoptions. Recent reports found just 5 percent of adoptions in America are what have called a closed adoption.
http://www.kshb.com/dpp/news/health/adoption-in-america-is-changing-as-more-are-turning-to-open-adoptions
INTERNATIONAL
Canada: Fatal Care: Hundreds known to Alberta child welfare authorities died in the care of their parents. Why?
Edmonton Journal – January 25, 2014
Nearly 500 children like Jenny have died in Alberta over the past 13 years. All of these children were known to child welfare authorities, but they remained in the care of their parents, where they died.
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/life/Fatal+Care+Hundreds+known+Alberta+child+welfare+authorities/9430245/story.html
Canada: Draude responds to criticism of child welfare system (Includes audio)
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation – January 23, 2014
Saskatchewan’s Minister of Social Services says the province is working on ways to improve its system. Parents have come forward with concerns after it was reported 484 children died while in contact with the ministry over the past 20 years.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/draude-responds-to-criticism-of-child-welfare-system-1.2507918
Japan: On the Signing and Deposit of the Instrument of Acceptance of the Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (the Hague Convention)
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan – January 24, 2014
The Hague Convention will enter into force for Japan on April 1, and the Central Authority in charge of implementation of the Convention will be launched. Also: Japan ratifies child protection treaty: http://blogs.vancouversun.com/2014/01/24/japan-ratifies-child-protection-treaty/
http://www.mofa.go.jp/press/release/press18e_000032.html
