Meet KARA board member’s Mike & Greg
(more board members and volunteer short videos to follow)
The federal government has declared a bonfire of deregulation in Child Protective Services (CPS) for 2026. This is part of a broader “parental rights” and religious liberty agenda. MAGA voices, parental and religious rights groups are well organized in this effort, pushing hard in legislatures and courts to narrow when and how government can intervene with families. Note that the U.S. is the only nation in the world that has not ratified the United Nation’s Rights of the Child Treaty of the 1980’s. Arguably, this reality is responsible for all that is about to happen in CPS in 2026.
Executive actions expanding religious exemptions for providers and foster agencies will further complicate state efforts to set consistent standards for screening, training, and placement, especially around LGBTQ+ youth, reproductive care, and mental health treatment. The limited transparency in child safety that is available demonstrates a clear and present danger to children left in toxic homes.
The word “neglect” will be hotly debated in CPS in 2026.
Some states are already redrawing neglect definitions to limit CPS involvement in poverty‑related cases or “free‑range parenting,” which can be a real improvement if paired with robust supports but becomes dangerous when used mainly to shrink caseloads without investing in housing, childcare, and behavioral health. In this climate, “deregulation” risks becoming a one‑way ratchet: fewer tools for intervention and accountability, but no parallel expansion of resources for families who are actually in crisis. This too, is at the center of why things are as they are in CPS.
Sign up here to get weekly updates about this upcoming battle over children’s rights to safety.
Confusing and conflicting laws and statutes that simultaneously demand child safety and deference to parental rights, often without clear guidance have become a legal fog making it easier and safer not to track or report critical child outcome metrics – and harder to defend strong action when children are at risk.
KARA wants you to know the stories and statistics of childhood trauma, and the realities child welfare workers face trying to keep abused and neglected children safe and alive, would win hearts and minds for more effective programs and policies. Check out the READ MORE for KARA’s 2026 projects and plans.
2026 KARA PROJECTS:
Publish America’s Children in 100 Charts (working title) Book.
Working with multiple universities expanding KARA’s social media and college presence.
Launching pilot chatbot on our website page in next step to complete our ai driven interactive child abuse and trauma database.
Expand KARA’s Technical Services Program to CASAs and other child friendly nonprofits
