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KARA (Kids At Risk Action) tracks current news about at risk children bringing transparency and attention to our youngest and most vulnerable citizens. KARA’s reporting is only sampling of what should be reported – the great majority of child trauma & abuse is never known.
American states are struggling to find answers for ending adverse childhood experiences and saving at risk children by reversing the explosive growth of child abuse and neglect. Today, many state ward children are the 4th and 5th generation of abused children raising their own families without parenting skills and with serious drug, alcohol and mental health issues.
37% of children overall and 57% of Black children are reported to child protection services in America by the time they turn 18.
(American Journal of Public Health 1.17)
12 million children a year are reported to child protection services each year and in many states, 1/3 of foster children are required to take psychotropic medicines
Compilation of information and writing on this page is the hard work of KARA volunteers David Vang, Mike Toronto, Jamar Weston, Adolf Nchanj, Josh Jedlicka and Blaz Zlate, Callie Benscoter, (student volunteers at Century College) Katie Frake, Boston College, Julie O,
KARA’s INVISIBLE CHILDREN Campus Exhibit
All Adults Are The Protectors of All Children
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Arizona lawmakers oppose gun-safety rules for foster homes AZCentral.com For example, medicines in foster homes must be kept in a locked location, she said. Ditto for cleaning supplies. But there’s a difference when it comes to guns, said Rep. David Stringer, R-Prescott. “Cleaning materials don’t involve constitutional rights,” he said. “I believe this bill actually promotes child … Lawmakers Forward Bill Barring Gun Rules in Foster Homes – U.S. News & World Report Arizona bill prohibiting rules for guns in foster homes advances – Arizona Daily Star
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Kentucky will finally make foster care payments owed to relatives raising children The Courier-Journal In a move that will help relatives providing foster care for hundreds of Kentucky children, state officials announced Tuesday they will begin making payments to those relatives under a federal court ruling that became final almost four months ago. That means relatives and some others, such as close … Relatives of abused kids now eligible for pay as foster parents. Here’s how to apply. – Lexington Herald Leader Kentucky To Begin Paying Relatives Who Serve As Foster Parents – WKU Public Radio
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| While Everybody Slept, Congress Did Something Extraordinary for Vulnerable Children
The Intercept Tucked quietly into the most recent congressional measure to keep the government open was the most sweeping and ambitious piece of child welfare legislation passed in at least a decade. It’s an attempt to reshape the entrenched foster care system as a raging opioid epidemic swells the population of … Manatee coalition tackles foster care epidemic – Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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| Supporting foster parents is key as we rebuild Oregon’s child welfare system: Guest opinion
OregonLive.com The recent audit of the Department of Human Services/Child Welfare by Secretary of State Dennis Richardson’s office highlighted some key areas for improvement, including the desperate need for stable, committed foster parents to provide safe homes for Oregon children. Being a foster parent is an act … Guest column: Tell state government to stop underfunding child welfare – Bend Bulletin
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Foster Care Children Receive Backpacks Filled with Comforting Items NBC 29 News Children in the Charlottesville area are receiving comforting items to make their transition to a home away from home a little less scary. The Kiwanis Club gave away 30 “Cozy Comfort” backpacks filled with everything from stuffed animals to fleece blankets to two foster care agencies on Thursday, …
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| Gallery meant to help children in foster care find forever home
WFSB Valentine’s Day is a day for love, but for children in foster care, they’re just looking for a loving forever home. A new gallery was constructed in the hopes of giving them that chance. The state Department of Children and Families has set up the Heart Gallery inside Milford’s Connecticut Post Mall.
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| Judge’s Ruling in Custody Battle Leads to Child’s Abrupt Goodbye with Foster Parents
KSTP.com Foster parents Jason and Danielle Clifford lost their fight to finish the adoption of their 6-year-old foster child KSTP is identifying as “P” because of privacy issues. Hennepin County and a juvenile court judge gave the child’s grandmother custody and the ability to adopt her. Her grandmother, Robyn …
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| Texas pushes back on federal judge’s foster care ruling, though children’s lawyers say let it rip
Dallas News NEW ORLEANS — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office and lawyers representing foster children slugged it out Thursday over whether a federal appeals court should make Texas obey a judge’s demands while the state appeals her ruling that its long-term foster care system is “broken.”.
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| PivIT Global Helps Foster Families by Donating Baby Gear
Noozhawk PivIT Global, an IT solutions provider and supporter of children in foster care, is giving back to the Santa Barbara community with a donation of new portable play yards, baby carriers, diaper bags and baby bottles. Angels Foster Care will distribute the baby–care supplies to local families who are fostering …
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| Four Oaks needs foster families for teens, sibling groups
KCRG Christa Hefel, Recruiting and Engagement Leader with Four Oaks, says they particularly need families that will take in kids 13 and older and sibling groups. Foster parent Tracy Kiernan is a mother of four, but she knows that number can change on any given day. “We have part of a sibling group.
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| Mariah’s Story: How A Bay Area Foster Child Died After Ingesting Meth
mercurynews.com The girl was treated, then returned to the foster home. It was a death sentence. Hundreds of pages of reports and records from San Joaquin County Child Protective Services, the hospital, police and the coroner obtained by this news organization show a series of failures by the people tasked with …
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| Back-to-back claims: Kids were abused in foster care, and DCS dropped the ball
AZCentral.com That claim, which seeks $15 million in damages from the state, states the boy was repeatedly physically and sexually abused by his foster father over the 12 years he was in the home. He also was pimped out by his foster father to a pedophile ring that operated out of Sierra Vista, the claim states.
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| Child foster agency fired and reported for leaving children unsupervised
Tampabay.com Eckerd Connects, the lead child welfare agency for Tampa Bay, said this week it is terminating a $9.2 million contract with Youth and Family Alternatives to provide case management in Hillsborough County. Eckerd officials said they found a pattern of YFA staff leaving foster children unsupervised.
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| Gulf Coast child foster care agency closes Polk County office
The Ledger LAKELAND — Gulf Coast Jewish Family and Community Services, one of four organizations managing care for local foster children, is pulling out of Polk … In reaction, the county’s lead agency for foster care, Heartland for Children, is scrambling to assemble case-management teams for the roughly 540 …
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| Foster parents told not to hug or cuddle children they are bringing up in official guidance about the …
Daily Mail Children have been told not to call their foster parents Mum and Dad and couples have been warned they are not foster parents but merely foster carers. ‘When carers want to love a child, they should not be discouraged by formal guidance or feel intimidated by the remote threat of allegations,’ the report …
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| Former foster child speaks after 8 On Your Side investigation reveals foster kids kept in cars in …
WFLA She grew up in foster care during one of the most difficult times in life – the teenage years. The 25-year-old and her sister were exposed to horrific violence as children. She endured many moments a child should never hear or see. For this young woman, it was a life she survived, one she is now using to …
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| Ex-foster child of convicted pedophile files $15M claim against Arizona DCS
Arizona Daily Star “The foster and other children … were forced to eat hot sauce as punishment, handcuffed to the bed all night, locked outside the home and locked in closets,” the claim said. “John Doe and the other boys were beaten with fists, brooms, belts and other objects to the extent that medical care was frequently …
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| Indianapolis foster parent admits causing infant’s 20 bone fractures, court docs say
Indianapolis Star A doctor described a little girl’s injuries as a “constellation of fractures,” according to court documents, which led to charges against her foster father. The 2-month-old arrived at Riley Hospital for Children on Jan. 31 after a pediatrician advised the infant’s foster mother a bruise on the girl’s leg could …
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| Why are these foster kids living in a gas station parking lot?
Miami Herald Foster kids, deemed behavioral problems and shut out of the offices meant to house them, are apparently being kept in cars day and night at a Wawa gas station’s parking lot. A Tampa television station’s monthlong investigation of foster care in Florida’s Hillsborough County has reported as many as a …
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| Child advocates call for action after 8 On Your Side exposes Hillsborough foster care failures
WFLA TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – One of Florida’s leading child advocates called for the reform of Hillsborough County’s foster care system on Friday after watching the results of our 8 On Your Side investigation. In a call to action released Friday, the Children’s Campaign insists DCF “must conduct a full and … DCF review seeks to ‘get to bottom’ of Hillsborough foster care missteps – Tampabay.com
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| Inside the Native American Foster Care Crisis Tearing Families Apart
VICE Nationwide, American Indian and Alaska Native children are placed into foster care at a rate 2.7 times greater than their proportion in the general population, according to the National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA). With a disproportionate number of Native kids removed from their homes …
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| Private foster care agencies increasing cost of finding children homes
The Guardian Carers are in short supply, but councils are legally obliged to find a foster home for vulnerable children, meaning they are often forced to turn to IFAs if they don’t have in-house carers. Fees paid to IFAs per foster child are almost 92% higher than those paid directly to carers registered with the council, …
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| Will deadlines fix the problem? Oregon seeks to house foster children in homes, not hotels
OregonLive.com Oregon officials who oversee child welfare have considered an aspirational plan to stop housing foster children in hotels, according to information obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive. Doing so would require state child welfare officials to quickly and dramatically expand the pool of foster homes … Sec. of State Richardson makes statement about Oregon’s child welfare system – KOBI-TV NBC5 / KOTI-TV NBC2
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| Audit Finds Wealth Of Problems With Oregon’s Child Welfare Office
OPB News At the same time, the Office of Child Welfare has faced scandals, like the discovery in 2015 that the Give Us This Day foster home in Portland was running “substandard facilities” and using “improper … force against foster children.” On top of potential harm to children, the audit calculated $39 million in … Audit: Oregon foster care needs more money, culture fix – The News Tribune Audit: Oregon’s foster care system faces deep and persistent problems – The Register-Guard Audit faults top administrators for Oregon’s chronic child welfare failures – OregonLive.com
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| Why do we let greedy financiers profit from the pain of foster children?
The Guardian The three girls were born to others elsewhere, yet she calls them her daughters. She is all the family they have here. She helps with their homework and cuddles them through the inevitable tears. Their home is now her Liverpool terrace, its books jostling with African art. Maria is their foster mum. Over 10 …
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| Foster care needs in Garfield and surrounding counties, by the numbers
Aspen Times In November, Garfield County Department of Human Services reported the county — population 58,000 — has about 50 children living in out-of-home care. There are 10 general foster homes, as well as 10 “kinship” foster families, which are relatives that take in a foster child. The program’s coordinators … You may be who a foster child needs – Glenwood Springs Post Independent
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| Councils face huge bills as foster carers jump ship to private agencies
The Guardian Figures from Corporate Watch show that eight private sector foster care agencies made £41m in profits in 2014-15. “It’s using money that should be for the most vulnerable children in society,” says Sarah Anderson, chair of the foster care workers branch of the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain. ‘Support us and children will benefit’: Foster carers on how their role has changed – The Guardian
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| Faith, Hope & Love raising funds to open receiving home for foster children
Journal Times According to the Skookum Kids website, “The Skookum Kids House welcomes children just entering foster care from across western Washington during their first 72 hours (business days) of foster care. This gives their social workers enough time to find the best long-term placement for each child.”.
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| Fix foster care shortfalls
The Register-Guard A blistering audit of Oregon’s foster care system released by Secretary of State Dennis Richardson’s office this week should make Oregonians hang their heads in shame. Children in the foster care system are some of the most vulnerable Oregonians. Many, or most, were placed in foster care because … Child welfare facing serious issues – Herald and News
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| Foster care side: Champions
Kenosha News In the world of foster care, Wendy Griffith and Tammy Rose are champions. Last summer, the women were selected by the Division of Children and Family Services to promote and increase foster parenting options as Foster Parent Champions. The program is designed to aid foster parents in retention, … Foster Care main – Kenosha News FAQ: Foster parenting – Kenosha News Becoming a foster parent – Kenosha News
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| Ex-foster child of convicted Sierra Vista pedophile files $15M claim against DCS
Arizona Daily Star John Doe went to live with foster parents David Frodsham and his wife at their Sierra Vista home in 2004 and remained in their care until 2016, when federal agents arrested Frodsham for “operating a pornographic pedophile ring based in the home,” said the claim, which is a precursor to a lawsuit.
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| Foster Care
Missouri Department of Social Services – MO.gov Foster families provide safe and caring temporary homes for children whose families are currently unable to care for them. Foster parents are part of a team that works together to keep a child healthy and safe while the family works towards their goals and reunification. While in foster care, children have …
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Children rescued in California captivity case to be split up in foster care CBS News The six minors who were found shackled in a California home will be split up between two foster homes, a source close to the investigation tells CBS News. Riverside County will be granted conservatorship over the seven adult siblings and they will be transferred to an assisted living facility for adults, … More heartbreak for 13 house of horrors children as they will be ‘split up between foster homes‘ – Mirror.co.uk California torture family: Will Turpin children be allowed to live together? – Express.co.uk Turpin family: siblings ‘to be split up between foster homes‘ – NEWS.com.au
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| ‘Horror house’ kids will be split up in foster homes
New York Post The 13 siblings rescued from a filthy California house where their parents allegedly imprisoned and tortured them will be split up, it was revealed Wednesday — as a judge is expected to rule whether the couple should be able to contact their kids during trial. Six minors among the children, whose ages …
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| New study shows Oklahoma had greatest increase in foster homes in the nation
kfor.com “We are so proud that all of our hard work over the past five years to improve Oklahoma’s foster care system is being recognized; however, what is most important is that we have improved the experiences of children who come into contact with our system due to abuse or neglect,” said Jami Ledoux, … Oklahoma makes progress in foster–care capacity – Tulsa World Oklahoma foster care gets high marks in national study – Tulsa World
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| Foster parent who can barely speak English axed after repeatedly calling disabled child ‘it’
The Sun Judge Helen Clarke said there were credible accounts of the woman’s “inappropriate” use of the word “it” when referring to her foster son. The woman – who cannot be named – was struck off after the boy was removed from her care amid fears he was “at risk of harm” following an Ofsted probe.
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| A division on foster care in Olympia
Crosscut Various factions of grown-ups — birth parents whose children have been removed by Child Protective Services, relatives who take many of those children into their homes, and licensed foster parents — all want their say. All insist they have children’s best interest at heart. The problem is, they sometimes …
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| Nelson County Department of Social Services sees increase in foster care numbers, cost
Lynchburg News and Advance The department currently cares for 20 children in foster care ranging in age from infant to 19. Nelson’s Family Services Supervisor Grace Deshong said the average number of people in foster care statewide is 12 to 14 per foster care worker. Nelson has one foster care worker, and Nelson DSS currently …
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| Commentary: Saying ‘yes’ to local foster children, plus upcoming foster information events
MLT News We need people who are willing to say “yes” to a child in foster care. Currently there are over 8,000 children in foster care across the state of Washington. It is estimated that 1,500 more foster homes are needed. In Lynnwood, only 10 percent of the children removed from their homes have been placed in …
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News 13 Investigates: More WNC kids in foster care WLOS A spokesperson said they are also working very hard to find a permanent home for a child faster. They say of the 111 children currently in foster care, 37 are living with relatives. Madison County said they’ve seen a 25 percent increase over the same time period. A spokesperson told News 13 last month …
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| Local legislators hear hopes for more training, better rules for foster parents
Youngstown Vindicator Homes for Kids‘ Shannon Harnichar told them one big need is for funding to improve training for foster parents. Many more children are coming into foster care because of the addictions of their parents. But such children also have more serious needs than foster children in the past, Harnichar said.
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| Minister: let children in foster families stay until 21
DutchNews.nl Children in foster care could be allowed to stay with their families until the age of 21 under plans put forward by health minister Hugo de Jonge. At the moment foster families‘ legal responsibilities end when the child reaches 18, along with their funding. ‘Young people who reach the age of 18 still aren’t …
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| Do frequency of visits with birth parents impact children’s mental health and parental stress in …
Cogent OA This article explores whether the number of visits by birth parents influence perceptions of attachment, children’s competence and mental health, and stress levels in foster parents. Foster parents acted as informants regarding 203 children living in kinship and non-kinship foster care. The children were …
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| What foster kids want: a place to call home
The CT Mirror He’s lived in five foster homes, one group home and two short-term placements since entering foster care at 9 years old. He’s also been homeless for six months. He’s been stuck in the emergency room until the state’s child welfare agency picked him up. And he’s been incarcerated. He is now a student … Report: CT Can Make Foster Care Better for Kids – Public News Service
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| ‘Terrible consequences:’ Jane Philpott on Indigenous children in foster care
Macleans.ca In late January, Indigenous Services Minister Jane Philpott will hold an emergency meeting of Indigenous leaders, child-welfare agencies and advocacy groups to confront what she has called a “humanitarian crisis.” Indigenous children are grossly overrepresented in foster care across Canada, with …
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| More can be done to protect Hong Kong children in foster care from abuse
South China Morning Post Taking the recently reported abuses as examples, the government has reduced support for foster parents by increasing the workload of foster care workers who place and should closely supervise the fostered children, as well as advise the parents. Foster care provides the family care all children need.
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| Appeals court temporarily halts federal judge’s order that Texas make big improvements in foster care
Dallas News Earlier in the day, U.S. District Judge Janis Graham Jack of Corpus Christi spelled out numerous remedies Texas must make, including a much better-distributed and managed array of foster homes and treatment center beds and a push within the next five months to protect other kids by putting all … Judge orders more reforms to ‘broken’ Texas foster care system – mySanAntonio.com Judge orders immediate changes to ‘broken’ Texas foster care system – Houston Chronicle Federal judge says Texas still needs oversight to fix its “broken” foster care system – Texas Tribune
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Turpin case: Siblings allegedly starved, shackled and taunted with food CNN As the criminal case proceeds, the future of the children will likely be decided in another courtroom. “When there are serious allegations of child endangerment, most likely child protective services will recommend a fast track to adoption,” said Amy Heilman, director of foster care and adoption at the … 13 Siblings ‘Held Captive’ By Parents, Some In Chains And Starving, Police Say – HuffPost Police Reveal How ‘Courageous’ Teen Led Them to Home Where Her Siblings Were Allegedly … – PEOPLE.com Parents Arrested After Their 12 Children — Ages 2 to 29 — Allegedly Found ‘Shackled’ and … – PEOPLE.com
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| Nonprofit that supports foster care system launches in Linn and Benton counties
Corvallis Gazette Times Every Child also will serve foster families and children by collecting gift cards for DHS to be used to buy food and clothing for kids. The organization also will seek volunteers to provide emergency needs, such as diapers, to DHS. Volunteers also can help by spending time with a child at the DHS office … “You don’t have to be perfect”: Virginia Beach needs more foster parents – Virginian-Pilot Every Child launches in Benton County – KEZI TV
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| Johnson High students plan event for children in foster care
Gainesville Times Arlette Gomez, left, and Giselle Tovar, both seniors at Johnson High School and members of the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America organization, pose for a portrait in Gainesville, on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2018. Tovar and Gomez organized the upcoming carnival event A Luau to Foster Joy …
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| With opioids on the rise, so is need for foster families in the Lynchburg area
Lynchburg News and Advance “The first goal is always reunification with birth parents or family members,” Watson said. “We require foster parents to work alongside birth parents and families to meet the needs of the child. Foster parents often help children in care transition back into their birth homes or connect to relatives or extended …
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Under Bevin’s budget, better days could be ahead for foster children and social workers The Courier-Journal “At age 13 I was stripped from the life that I knew and was thrown into foster care because of neglect, which was ironic because my time in foster care was just a series of me being neglected again by my many social workers, therapists and foster parents,” she said, speaking Thursday at “Children’s Day … Kentucky’s New Child Welfare Czar Out Halfway Through Contract – The Chronicle of Social Change
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| Case of 13 California kids allegedly tortured ‘fits this pattern we’ve been tracking for a long time’
Washington Post And in Ohio, authorities in 2005 discovered 11 home-schooled children with special needs, ages 1 to 14, all of them foster children or adopted, and kept in cages in their home. “We’ve seen so many cases that for us, the Turpin case is not that abnormal,” Coleman said. “It fits this pattern we’ve been …
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| Fostering and Adoption
Newcastle City Council Home · Fostering · Adoption · Build A Future · Supported Lodgings · Stories · FAQS · Get In Touch. Work through challenges. image of Clare. Diane – a place to live. Work through challenges. image of Clare. 1; 2; 3. Pause. I care, could you? Apply Now …
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| Bill To Raise Child Limit For Foster Families Sent To Senate
Indiana Public Radio Sen. Andy Zay (R-Huntington) offers closing remarks for his bill to raise the limit for children in a foster family. (Lauren Chapman/IPB News). A bill that would raise the limit on children in a foster family from five to six is headed to the Senate floor. It passed the Senate Family and Children Services …
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| Why too many children with autism end up in foster care
Spectrum Because all children in foster care are on Medicaid, using Medicaid claims is one of the best ways to study the prevalence and healthcare experiences of children with autism in the system. In our first study using national Medicaid claims, in 2008, we found that 7.3 percent of Medicaid-enrolled children … Opioid epidemic is driving thousands of Florida children into foster care, study finds – Tampabay.com Thousands of children in the US forced into foster homes as the opioid epidemic leaves their … – Daily Mail The Staggering Cost Kids Pay for Parents’ Opioid Prescriptions – Fatherly
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| There’s a special clinic that could hold the key to helping Iowa’s troubled foster kids
DesMoinesRegister.com Walk around this third-floor clinic at Blank Children’s Hospital and you can’t help but think: What if? What if the social workers or police who first connected with Natalie Finn or Sabrina Ray or Malayia Knapp and their siblings in foster care insisted they come here: A clinic designed to treat the special …
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| Foster care system “failed” child refugee
VICE News After finishing a prison sentence for crimes he committed as a young adult, Abdoulkader Abdi hoped to be released last week to a halfway house in Toronto and on his way to being home with family. Instead, he was re-arrested by Canadian border officials and thrown into immigration detention. Now the …
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| CASA volunteers needed to advocate for children in foster care
Brownsville Herald Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) For Children Executive Director Dora Martinez and PR Coordinator and Recruiter Joe Medrano stand in front of their Brownsville office located along 1740 Boca Chica Boulevard Suite 300 as they seek volunteers to help navigate children through the foster …
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| As opioid crisis strains foster care, states aren’t tracking the damage
Reveal New Hampshire social workers are all too familiar with how opioid abuse can push children into foster care. They see it all the time. The chain of events is often the same: After being approached by social workers, addicted parents continue to overdose or start dodging them. State officials deem the …
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| Kansas Child Welfare Wants More Money So Children Can Sleep In Homes Instead Of Offices
KCUR Kansas’ troubled child welfare agency asked lawmakers Monday for money to solve mounting problems — foster kids sleeping on offices, children lost … Legislators and advocates expressed outrage earlier at news that children slept in foster care contractors’ offices because foster homes had no room.
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| Philomath teen collects welcome boxes for foster children
Corvallis Gazette Times Last year, Emily Simmons started collecting snacks, toys and toothbrushes for children entering the foster care system. She places the items in … The welcome boxes are a project of Every Child Oregon, an organization that seeks community support for foster families and children. The boxes are given to …
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| No. 1 reason children in foster care is parental drug use
Wahpeton Daily News Parental substance abuse is the most common primary reason children wind up in foster care, according to a report from Minnesota’s Department of Human Services. It’s the first time drug use has overtaken neglect, the department’s deputy commissioner Chuck Johnson told Minnesota Public Radio …
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| Central Oregon sees shortage of foster homes
KTVZ MADRAS, Ore. – It’s a nationwide problem that’s uprooting kids in Central Oregon from their schools, friends and communities. A shortage of foster parents is hitting rural areas hard. Cherie Ferguson from the Department of Human Services is responsible for finding and retaining foster parents in the …
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| As Christie administration leaves, progress on child welfare reform stalls
NJ.com Siblings split up in different foster homes missed visits with each other, the report said. Caseworkers failed to keep timely visits with parents working regaining their children. Family team meetings, where parents and extended family gather with the caseworker to discuss how to reunite the family, did not …
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| Foster child found dead in Belen home, woman charged
KOB 4 The child and two siblings were initially taken out of her parents care because of drug use, homelessness and allegations of sexual abuse, the police report says. Another foster parent who cared for the children went out of town, so the criminal complaint says Crownover had the children. The two other … CYFD responds after baby found dead in foster care – KRQE News 13 Foster child found dead in filthy Belen home – Albuquerque Journal Mother of baby who died while in foster care says she’s devastated – KOAT Albuquerque
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| Richard Wexler: Child welfare has a foster care addiction
Akron Beacon Journal Though the PCSAO claims Ohio has done a magnificent job reducing the number of children in foster care, the state did no more than go from taking away children at a rate far above the national average to just about average — and still far above states, such as Alabama, that do a far better job keeping …
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| Surge In Foster Children Amid Opioid Crisis
WBUR NBC News: Opioid Crisis Straining Foster System As Kids Pried From Homes — “The case arrives with all the routine of a traffic citation: A baby boy, just 4 days old and exposed to heroin in his mother’s womb, is shuddering through withdrawal in intensive care, his fate now being determined here in a …
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| Season for Sharing: Helping families that want to foster, adopt children in need
AZCentral.com Across Arizona, non-profit agencies are helping to place foster children in safe and loving homes. The Season for Sharing campaign through The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com helped make this possible for hundreds of children around the Valley and state this past year. With the help of readers’ …
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| Missouri couple encourages fostering, adopting children
San Francisco Chronicle Across Missouri, an estimated 13,000 youths live in foster care facilities, according to the Central Missouri Foster Care and Adoption Association. In Boone County, 417 children were served by foster care from April 2016 to March 2017, according to a report by Fostering Court Improvement. But at the …
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| Data shows minority children disproportionately in foster care
The Charlottesville Newsplex Of 115 children in foster care in Charlottesville at one point in 2017, 80 percent were black or of mixed race, according to data provided by Charlottesville Department of Social Services. But only 22 percent of the total population is black or mixed race, according to University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper …
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CYFD investigates tragic death of 11-month-old foster child KOAT Albuquerque Deputies said the foster home in Valencia County was filled with dog feces and urine. “How did this baby end up in this home? We are very committed to finding that answer,” CYFD secretary Monique Jacobson said. Foster parent, Stephanie Crownover is now charged in the child’s death. Deputies said … Woman charged after 11-month-old foster child found dead – wwlp.com Caregiver charged in child’s death got license in October 2016 – KOB 4
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| Drugs are now the top reason Minn. kids are put in foster care
Minnesota Public Radio News Twenty-seven percent of children placed in foster care in 2016 were removed from their homes due to parental drug use, making it the No. 1 reason kids wind up in foster care, according to a report from the state Department of Human Services. This is the first time drug use has overtaken neglect, human …
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| Missouri foster children top agenda for first lady Sheena Greitens
St. Louis Public Radio “Out of Home Care is provided in situations where a parent or parents are incapable of providing a child or children with adequate social, emotional, and physical care. Out of Home Care is defined as care provided in licensed foster or approved relative family homes, in licensed residential facilities, or in …
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| South County mentors needed for foster care youth
Morgan Hill Times “We need CASAs in South County now more than ever,” Scussel added. “A growing number of children in the dependency system are being placed in foster homes in Morgan Hill and Gilroy. It really helps these children to have a CASA from the community to help them make connections and settle in.”.
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| The Opioid Plague’s Youngest Victims: Children in Foster Care
New York Times We can’t end the crisis — or a host of other problems — until we fix our beleaguered child welfare system. As more Americans struggle with opioid addiction and find themselves unable to perform their duties as parents, children are pouring into state and county foster care systems. In Montana, the … About 30 percent of child removals due to parental drug use – St. Cloud Times
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| Montgomery County foster home shortage means costlier placements of kids
MyDaytonDailyNews Montgomery County needs more foster parents, and without them, more children will be housed in contract and group homes that cost taxpayers more money and don’t offer kids a full-time parent figure. “Sometimes because of the lack of local homes willing to take a child, we put a child into a level of …
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In wake of Sabrina Ray and Natalie Finn deaths, Iowa vows to fix its broken adoption and foster … DesMoinesRegister.com Becoming the foster or adoptive parent of a child in Iowa requires a mountain of work, not to mention heaps of patience and perseverance. Prospective parents are questioned about everything from how they discipline and show affection to whether they’ve filed for bankruptcy or had anyone in their …
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| Number of foster care children in Wisconsin on the rise
Madison.com The state’s foster care program is run by counties and overseen by the Department of Children and Families. Children can be placed in foster care because they are in need of protective services related to abuse, neglect or other reasons, and also if they have delinquency issues or if parental rights are … Opioid epidemic helped fuel spike in kids living in foster care, study says – WHYY
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| Report: More than 20000 Ohio children projected in foster care by 2020
News-Herald.com Lawmakers added $15 million a year for the state child protection allocation. Another $15 million a year from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Block Grant to establish a kinship child care program. An Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services Foster Care Advisory Board was also set up …
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| Advocates Needed for Children in Foster Care — Through Franklin County CASA
The Missourian Advocates spend time with children at foster homes, play games, attend school and extracurricular functions, and support the child in other ways. They also are tasked with getting to know the child’s biological family, observing visits and meeting to talk about family history, strengths of the family and …
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| Latino foster family recruitment on docket for 2018
Gainesville Times Judge Joe Diaz in his office at the Hall County Courthouse in Gainesville, on Thursday, Dec. 28, 2017. Judge Diaz is spearheading initiatives to expand the amount of Latino and Spanish-speaking families in the foster care system to help the growing number of children in the demographic. – photo by …
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| WILLE: This kind of homebuilding is a blessing to foster children
Sarasota Herald-Tribune There’s a terrific back story to the Manatee-Sarasota Building Industry Association’s $2,500 donation to Florida Baptist Children’s Homes this holiday season. There is a natural fit between the two organizations — they both build homes. But the way they came together to develop a housing complex for …
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| Seekonk family aids foster children with bags of hope
The Sun Chronicle But that’s not the case when it comes to foster children. They often have to move from house to house, and usually carry their personal items in trash bags. After adopting their first son from foster care, Swansea couple John and Kimberly Gagne saw him carrying his belongings home with him in a trash …
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| Foster mother adopts daughter through Children’s Shelter program
San Antonio Express-News This is the first year that Querry and Mia celebrate Christmas as a permanent family. Querry is one of the individuals and 70 families who took 93 children into their homes this year through the Children’s Shelter foster care treatment program. The children, from birth to 18 years old, were removed from …
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| Audit finds unsafe conditions at group homes for foster children
The Boston Globe A moldy mattress, a broken handrail, a dirty toilet, mildew in the shower, and a bathroom door that didn’t close all the way were among the unsanitary and unsafe conditions found last year during inspections of 30 group homes for foster children in Massachusetts, according to a federal audit released …
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| Ohio child advocates: Opioid crisis straining foster care
ABC News The opioid crisis is overwhelming Ohio’s foster care system as record numbers of children are removed from the homes of drug-addicted parents, the state’s children service advocacy group said Thursday. More than 15,500 children are now in foster care, up from about 12,600 four years ago, according … More Lucas County children enter foster care as opioid crisis continues – Toledo Blade Stark foster care program gets boost due to opioid crisis – Massillon Independent Call for families to consider foster care – Royal Gazette
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| The Foster Care System Is Flooded With Children Of The Opioid Epidemic
NPR The U.S. foster care system is overwhelmed, in part because America’s opioid crisis is overwhelming. Thousands of children have had to be taken out of the care of parents or a parent who is addicted. Indiana is among the states that have seen the largest one-year increase in the number of children who …
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| Warren County in dire need of more foster homes
Cincinnati.com Four Lebanon children, ranging from ages 5 to 14, were removed from their home for neglect stemming from their parent’s drug abuse. Two are with different family members and two are in foster care. One of the kids was on the sophomore football team for his high school. He had to change schools’ …
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| Let’s bring hope, homes, and forever families to foster children this holiday season
The Hill (blog) Every child deserves a family. For some children, the path to a safe, loving, forever family can be arduous — as was the case for Xavier and Nathaniel, the adopted children of one of my Florida constituents, Martin Gill. Xavier and Nathaniel had a difficult start, moving from a situation of neglect to a foster …
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| Report: Some foster kids live in filth; workers not vetted
Boston Herald Foster kids living in state-contracted group homes are sometimes housed in filthy and potentially dangerous conditions, according to federal investigators — who say they found rotting food, fly infestations and scores of workers who didn’t undergo legally required background checks after being hired.
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| Mother says her toddler’s death in foster care was neglect. The state disagrees.
Wichita Eagle Conner Hawes drowned in a moss-covered decorative fish pond at his foster parents‘ home near Fort Scott on Aug. 18, two months shy of his second birthday. His foster father was inside watching television while Conner and three other foster children played outside, a sheriff’s report says. Under state …
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| Christmas love: Royal Palm couple brings foster kids into home, hearts
MyPalmBeachPost From left, Suzette Calderon, Christopher Calderon, 4, Sue Ellen Calderon and Oliver Calderon, 3, pose for a picture in the Calderon home’s backyard in Palm Beach County on Wednesday, December 13, 2017. A year ago, the Calderons adopted Oliver and Christopher separately from foster care.
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‘I will love you forever’: Why one family fosters and adopts dying children Today.com The thought of a child dying alone in a hospital bed is one former bereavement nurse Cori Salchert finds unacceptable. Salchert fosters and adopts children in her home state of Wisconsin who have a terminal or life-limiting illness. While sheknows she cannot make a difference in the life of every sick …
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