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| DC: Mayor Bowser Appoints Hilary Cairns as Acting Director of the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (Press release) (Includes audio) |
| Office of the Mayor of the District of Columbia Muriel Bowser – July 06, 2021 |
| Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced the appointment of Hilary Cairns as Acting Director of the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS). For the past decade, Acting Director Cairns has served the Department of Human Services (DHS) as Program Manager and Deputy Administrator of the Youth Services. In this role, she led the creation of the city’s diversion program and the agency’s prevention and intervention initiatives to decrease juvenile justice and child welfare involvement. |
| https://dc.gov/release/mayor-bowser-appoints-hilary-cairns-acting-director-department-youth-rehabilitation-services |
|
| FL: Trauma-Informed Care Remains Top Priority for All Star Children’s Foundation (Press release) |
| All Star Children’s Foundation – June 29, 2021 |
| A partnership between All Star and Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation is seeking to build brighter futures for children in foster care and the families who support them. The effort is focusing on providing direct support for families currently caring for foster children, while also providing the most-cutting edge trauma-informed therapy to help heal the emotional tolls on the child. |
| https://www.tampabaynewswire.com/2021/07/03/trauma-informed-care-remains-top-priority-for-all-star-childrens-foundation-99356 |
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| NV: More volunteers needed to advocate for foster children |
| Las Vegas Sun – July 05, 2021 |
| The Court Appointed Special Advocate program in Las Vegas has 381 volunteers, but there are more than 3,500 foster children in Clark County, said Mary Ann Price, a spokeswoman for Nevada Eighth Judicial District Court, which handles family and juvenile cases. More volunteers are needed, program officials said. |
| https://lasvegassun.com//news/2021/jul/05/more-volunteers-needed-to-advocate-for-foster-chil/ |
|
| NY: New York City boosts funding for foster youth mentorship program |
| NYN Media – July 06, 2021 |
| New York City’s recently passed budget includes increased funding for a mentorship program for foster youth, with $20 million allocated for this fiscal year and $12 million to continue funding it in subsequent years. The Fair Futures initiative, which provides life coaches to support foster youth, launched in 2019 with $10 million in funding. The program was nearly dropped last year as a result of budget constraints brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic before being allocated $2.7 million in the budget, though the city Administration for Children’s Services managed to find about $9 million to keep it afloat. |
| https://www.nynmedia.com/content/new-york-city-boosts-funding-foster-youth-mentorship-program |
|
| US: LGBTQ Youth Make Up One Third of Foster Care, But Are Often Poorly Served |
| Imprint – July 06, 2021 |
| A closely watched Supreme Court decision last month upheld the right of a Philadelphia faith-based nonprofit agency to turn away same-sex couples interested in caring for abused and neglected children. Amid a nationwide shortage of foster homes for older teens, 11 states have passed laws that allow government-licensed foster care agencies to refuse to serve children or families on religious grounds, according to the nonprofit advocacy group Family Equality. And this year, five more states proposed similar legislation. In the wake of the highest court’s decision, some child welfare agencies are reaffirming their support for LGBTQ caregivers and foster youth. |
| https://imprintnews.org/top-stories/lgbtq-youth-face-overrepresentation-challenges-in-foster-care/56680 |
|
| US: PCA pursues partnership with Lifeline Children’s Services as ‘preferred’ adoption agency over BCS |
| Christian Post – July 03, 2021 |
| The Presbyterian Church in America has endorsed Lifeline Children’s Services as its “preferred adoption and orphan care ministry” due to its “commitment to the sanctity of life” and not Bethany Christian Services, which recently announced it would be offering its services to LGBT couples. The endorsement of Lifeline comes three months after the Michigan-based group Bethany, which is the nation’s largest Protestant adoption and foster agency, announced it would begin placing children with adults who identify as LGBT. |
| https://www.christianpost.com/news/pca-endorses-lifeline-childrens-services-as-preferred-adoption-agency.html |
|
| International: 11 million girls worldwide at risk of not returning to school after COVID-19, U.N. says |
| CBS News – July 03, 2021 |
| The weight of the pandemic’s economic toll has fallen disproportionately on women’s shoulders, as work-from-home shone a light on the reality that women still carry a majority of child care responsibilities. Now, a generation of girls can potentially be left behind from the socioeconomic benefits of education access. |
| Also: Report: Covid-19 school closures around the world will hit girls hardest: https://bit.ly/3ywIOHc |
| https://www.cbsnews.com/news/girls-education-after-covid-19-un/ |
|
| Child Welfare in the News is distributed at no charge by Child Welfare Information Gateway (https://www.childwelfare.gov), a service of the Children’s Bureau/ACF/HHS (https://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb). It features news stories on topics of interest to child welfare and related professionals. Inclusion does not imply endorsement of any view expressed in a resource, and opinions or views do not reflect those of Child Welfare Information Gateway, the Children’s Bureau, or staff. |
| We are always eager to get your feedback or to know how you are using Child Welfare in the News. To comment on this service, contact cwn@childwelfare.gov. |
|
| AK: Governor’s budget vetoes include foster system cuts, drawing strong opposition from advocates |
| KTUU – July 02, 2021 |
| Former Representative Les Gara knows what it’s like to be a foster kid. “I know from growing up in foster care that you would rather be with your natural parents,” he said. Now, he advocates for kids who are currently in the system. He says Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s budget vetoes of about $286,000 in funding from the Circles of Support grant program, along with $3.4 million from the Alaska Tribal Child Welfare Compact, would have a detrimental impact on foster youth and the system in general, Gara said. |
| https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2021/07/03/governors-budget-vetoes-include-foster-system-cuts-drawing-strong-opposition-advocates/ |
|
| CT: A Reminder from CT Kids’ Safety Expert about Summer Dangers (Includes audio) |
| Public News Service (PNS) – July 05, 2021 |
| Summer is here, and with it comes more opportunity for kids to get involved in preventable accidents. Children’s safety groups are asking parents and others to educate themselves about how to keep the worst from occurring. Comments by Amy Watkins, manager, Watch for Me CT at the Connecticut Children’s Injury Prevention Center, and director, Safe Kids Connecticut. |
| https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2021-07-05/childrens/a-reminder-from-ct-kids-safety-expert-about-summer-dangers/a74869-1 |
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| FL: Florida Literacy Coalition funds health literacy for area families |
| Tampa Bay Newswire – July 03, 2021 |
| The Florida Literacy Coalition, Inc. — with the generous support of the Florida Blue Foundation — recently awarded a grant of $5,000 to Safe Children Coalition for its HIPPY (Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters) program. The grant will help area families with young children to learn to make informed decisions about their health and healthcare by promoting health literacy about nutrition, preventative health care and healthy lifestyle choices. The goal is to help parents become equipped with knowledge about the available community resources to assist them in finding appropriate family health care while further enhancing their English language and literacy skills. |
| https://www.tampabaynewswire.com/2021/07/03/florida-literacy-coalition-funds-health-literacy-for-area-families-99324 |
|
| GU: Ohala’: Better adoption services would benefit kids (Includes video) |
| Pacific Daily News – July 04, 2021 |
| Improved adoption services would benefit children on Guam whose birth parents are unable to care for them, says Lori Boss, executive director of Ohala’ Adoptions. The move to involve independent adoption agencies in the Bureau of Social Services Administration’s process for finding children homes has become a heated issue for lawmakers in the past week. Sen. Mary Camacho Torres introduced two measures to do so, Bills 108 and 109. Bill 108 would streamline the adoption process by allowing adoption agencies to help in the screening and placement of children who are available for adoption. Bill 109 meanwhile would give adoption agencies involvement in the placement of newborns who are given up by their mothers through the Newborn Infant Safe Haven Act. |
Bill 108: https://bit.ly/3jPi2po
Bill 109: https://bit.ly/3xmOi6X |
| https://www.guampdn.com/story/news/local/2021/07/04/ohala-better-adoption-services-would-benefit-kids/7857677002/ |
|
| MI: ‘There is no safety net’: Michigan boy waits 21 days for psych bed after suicide attempt (Includes video) |
| WXYZ – July 02, 2021 |
| Carrie Sparks was sitting in the front seat of her car, just steps away from the emergency room of McLaren Hospital in Lapeer, Michigan. For the last 18 days, she’d been practically living inside the hospital ER with her 12-year-old son, Casey, who suffers from developmental disabilities and mood disorders. Casey was being held there, sometimes in five-point restraints, because the only state-run hospital for children didn’t have room to treat him. “If my child came in here with a broken foot, they wouldn’t make him sit 18 days before he was treated,” she said into her cell phone as she recorded a video journal to document the wait. “But because of the way our state is handling mental health and special needs mental health, this is where we’re at.” |
| https://www.kztv10.com/news/national/there-is-no-safety-net-michigan-boy-waits-21-days-for-psych-bed-after-suicide-attempt |
|
| MO: Foster youth program hopes Springfield, more SWMO communities will utilize its vouchers for housing (Includes video) |
| KY3 – July 05, 2021 |
| There are more than 3,200 kids in foster care in southwest Missouri. When they age out of the program, they are hit with a lot of economic disadvantages. It’s a problem that the Foster Youth to Independence Initiative aims to address. The program is organized through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. For Springfield, it turns out the city has extra vouchers through the program that they are currently not using. |
| https://www.ky3.com/2021/07/05/foster-youth-program-hopes-springfield-more-swmo-communities-will-utilize-its-vouchers-housing/ |
|
| MO: Missouri governor signs off on $35.6 billion budget, vetoing $115 million (Includes video) (May require subscription) |
| Springfield News-Leader – July 03, 2021 |
| Among the governor’s vetoes are $24 million for wage hikes in the Department of Mental Health, $5 million for charter school repairs and $2 million for the Department of Social Services’ Children’s Division, which handles foster care and child abuse cases. A proposed raise for the director of the department was cut by Parson, as well as $300,000 to hire additional security at the Capitol in Jefferson City. |
| https://www.news-leader.com/story/news/politics/2021/07/03/missouri-governor-signs-off-state-budget-vetoing-115-million/7841579002/ |
|
| MT: New Faith-Based Nonprofit Offers Support for Foster Families |
| Flathead Beacon – July 05, 2021 |
| Seventy percent of human trafficking victims in the U.S. spent time in foster care, 65% of inmates aged out of foster care and many of the 2 million people ages 18-24 currently homeless in the U.S. spent time in foster care, according to Promise 686 Additionally, the nonprofit says 71% of young women become pregnant within one year of aging out of foster care. Seeing a need to better support foster families, Scofield launched the Montana Initiative of Promise 686 in January. As the organization’s director, Scofield mobilizes local church communities to support foster families by implementing a step-by-step model called Family Advocacy Ministries (FAMs). FAMs give churches training and tools to serve the foster and adoptive community, as well as biological families in crisis. |
| https://flatheadbeacon.com/2021/07/05/new-faith-based-nonprofit-offers-support-for-foster-families/ |
|
| NE: Nebraska Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiatives celebrates 10th anniversary (Includes video) |
| Nebraska City News-Press – July 02, 2021 |
| Representatives of the Otoe County government, law enforcement, and legal communities came together Wednesday, June 30, at the Otoe County Courthouse to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI). Otoe County has been part of the statewide program since 2016, when then-Otoe County Attorney David Partsch and Judge Robert O’Neal led efforts to become part of the program fter 18 youth were detained in 2015. |
| https://www.ncnewspress.com/story/news/2021/07/02/nebraska-juvenile-detention-alternatives-celebrates-10-years/7841542002/ |
|
| NJ: Murphy signs laws to fight opioid addiction in N.J., which claimed 3,000 lives in 2020 (Includes video) |
| NJ.com – July 02, 2021 |
| Naloxone, the opioid overdose-reversing drug that saves thousands of lives in the state every year, will become vastly easier to obtain in New Jersey under a bipartisan package of bills Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law Friday. Better known by its brand name Narcan, Naloxone was administered 14,437 times in 2020, according to information from the state Attorney General’s Office. Still, 3,046 people in New Jersey died in 2020 from suspected drug overdoses, up from 3,021 in 2019. Drug addiction and overdoses have wreaked havoc on families. Murphy also signed legislation, S3814, that would require the child welfare system and the family courts to make efforts to place children with relatives instead of foster care. |
| Also: Senate Bill 3814: https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2020/Bills/S4000/3814_R1.PDF |
| https://www.nj.com/politics/2021/07/murphy-signs-laws-to-fight-opioid-addiction-in-nj-which-claimed-3000-lives-in-2020.html |
|
| NM: Whistleblower lawsuits: CYFD actions put kids in danger (Commentary) (May require subscription) |
| Albuquerque Journal – July 03, 2021 |
| It’s a tragic case that has put New Mexico’s child welfare system on trial. CYFD is fighting three civil actions alleging the agency negligently returned the children to their biological parents and covered up its mistakes. CYFD attorneys deny the allegations. The agency is alleged to have prevented police from issuing an Amber Alert by insisting the children weren’t in danger and initially blocked the 5th Judicial District Attorney from pressing criminal charges of custodial interference against the parents. CYFD is also accused of attempting to silence and retaliate against a foster mother and two CYFD caseworkers who criticized the agency’s actions. One of the two caseworkers was removed from the case and no longer works for the agency. All three describe themselves as whistleblowers. |
| https://www.abqjournal.com/2406247/whistleblower-lawsuits-cyfd-actions-put-kids-in-danger.html |
|
| NY: & US: Nearly 100 say they were abused in Capital Region Boy Scouts over decades (Includes video) |
| Times Union – July 02, 2021 |
| The Boy Scouts of America declared bankruptcy last year, and since then more than 80,000 people have stepped forward to say they were sexually abused as Scouts, a number that dwarfs the roughly 9,000 who have alleged abuse at the hands of Catholic priests, according to one estimate by The New York Times. Experts are careful to point out, however, that many or even most abuse survivors won’t come forward, so estimates like these are not fully reliable. In the Capital Region, about 74 percent of CVA cases have been against the Albany Roman Catholic Diocese, with 9 percent against the Boy Scouts. In recent weeks, however, the trickle of cases against the Boy Scouts has increased, with more coming in Albany against the Scouts than against the church. The deadline for CVA cases is next month. |
| https://www.timesunion.com/state/article/abuse-in-the-boy-scouts-capital-region-16282312.php |
|
| OH: Foundation grants focus on mental health (Press release) |
| Dalton-Whitfield Community Foundation – July 05, 2021 |
| The Dalton-Whitfield Community Foundation recently announced it awarded $56,900 in grants to 18 local nonprofit organizations. “In the wake of the pandemic, many of the churches and nonprofit organizations in our community are experiencing a rise in clients seeking mental health services,” said Donna Hair, chair of the foundation’s board of directors. “In response to this need, we have awarded two grants to local organizations that link their clients to mental health services.” Hair noted that the foundation awarded a $3,800 grant to the Northwest Georgia Family Crisis Center to provide 40 individual and group counseling sessions for victims of domestic violence. |
| https://www.dailycitizen.news/news/local_news/foundation-grants-focus-on-mental-health/article_a5868450-8777-5673-8be4-e83160855f0e.html |
|
| OR: Lawmakers OK more than $700 million for housing needs |
| Portland Tribune – July 04, 2021 |
| Oregon lawmakers have approved more than $700 million for housing needs that go beyond the emergency prompted by the coronavirus pandemic. Their actions went beyond moratoriums on evictions and foreclosures. “We … have gone to great lengths to keep Oregonians housed through a combination of compassionate policy and sound investments,” House Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland, said in a statement summarizing housing legislation. “Evictions and foreclosures can have a generational devastating impact on families,” Rep. Julie Fahey, a Democrat from Eugene and leader of the Housing Committee, said. |
| https://pamplinmedia.com/pt/9-news/514312-410845-lawmakers-ok-more-than-700-million-for-housing-needs |
|
| SD: Young People Formerly In Foster Care May Qualify For Pandemic Relief (May require subscription) |
| Yankton Daily Press and Dakotan – July 05, 2021 |
| Young people between the ages of 18-27 who were previously in foster care may be eligible for COVID-19 financial relief and some can choose to re-enter foster care. The South Dakota Department of Social Services (DSS) Independent Living Program is set to receive more than $1.5 million in federal pandemic funding to help meet these needs. The money is intended to protect and support youth and young adults currently in or formerly in foster care. |
| https://www.yankton.net/community/article_ecf65e32-de01-11eb-ad39-f3a240bf3cc7.html |
|
| TX: Opinion: Child protection saw wins but still lacks prevention dollars (Includes video) |
| Austin American-Statesman – July 04, 2021 |
| While the Texas Legislature met this session, our state’s foster care crisis continued to unfold in real time. With reports of children dying and others’ safety at high risk in the state’s care, many lawmakers and advocates pointed at this grim reality as an urgent cry for investing in child abuse and neglect prevention. And while many wins were realized this session that ensure Texas children are protected from the trauma of abuse and neglect, we did not see the much-needed investment in prevention that could transform the entire system by preventing abuse in the first place. |
| https://www.statesman.com/story/opinion/columns/your-voice/2021/07/04/texas-child-protection-saw-wins-but-still-lacks-prevention-dollars/7810359002/ |
|
| US: Homeschooling: Harvard conference highlights need for regulation (Opinion) |
| Child Welfare Monitor – July 06, 2021 |
| The shift to virtual education caused by the coronavirus pandemic has raised serious concerns about the risks to children’s educational performance and personal safety without the in-person support and monitoring provided by schools. Yet, homeschooled children were in this situation before the pandemic and will remain in it once schools re-open. |
| https://childwelfaremonitor.org/2021/07/06/homeschooling-harvard-conference-highlights-need-for-regulation/ |
|
| US: Migrant kids play, watch TV in what US calls ‘model’ shelter (Includes audio) (Includes video) |
| Associated Press – July 05, 2021 |
| The Biden administration on Friday gave a rare look inside an emergency shelter it opened to house migrant children who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border alone, calling the California facility a model among its large-scale sites. |
| https://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/article252539098.html |
|
| US: COVID-19: CBC Holds Health Disparities Briefing With National Institute of Health (Press release) |
| Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) – July 04, 2021 |
| The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated the quality of life of the most vulnerable populations. Many American lives have been lost, families shaken, businesses destroyed, and the rural and farming communities have lost tremendous resources; the time is now to restore what was broken. President Biden’s FY2022 Budget request includes investment in public health infrastructure, community mental health services, child welfare competitive grants, and funding for rural healthcare providers. |
| http://www.blackstarnews.com/us-politics/policy/covid-19-cbc-holds-health-disparities-briefing-with-national-0 |
|
| US: A Third of Unaccompanied Minors Don’t Have Close Family in U.S., HHS Data Shows (Includes video) (May require subscription) |
| Newsweek – July 02, 2021 |
| A third of the 5,300 unaccompanied migrant children being housed at emergency shelters don’t have close family in the U.S., according to Health and Human Services data. Advocates for the emergency shelters say the facilities are meant to safely shelter children for a couple of weeks while the U.S. government tries to find relatives in the country. |
| https://www.newsweek.com/third-unaccompanied-minors-dont-have-close-family-us-hhs-data-shows-1606573 |
|
| US: The Other ACE (Not the Winning Card) (Opinion) |
| Crozet Gazette – July 02, 2021 |
| Take a guess: what is a major risk factor for the development of alcoholism and also increases the chances of getting arthritis and cancer? The answer is ACEs, or Adverse Childhood Experiences. For many years there was a “nature vs nurture” debate about which is the most significant determiner of our health and personality, genes or environment? Spoiler alert: it’s both. While much about us is genetically determined, or “pre-wired,” we all know that our life experiences have a large impact on our health and life trajectory. The social and emotional costs of childhood trauma-related mental illness, crime and violence, homelessness, child abuse, lower educational achievement, etc. are much more difficult to measure. |
| https://www.crozetgazette.com/2021/07/02/the-other-ace-not-the-winning-card/ |
|
| Australia: Australia’s Family Court system failing to protect children (Opinion) (Includes video) |
| Independent Australia – July 04, 2021 |
| Six years of fighting Family Court battles to try and protect her son from abuse has left one woman feeling powerless to keep him safe. This is her personal account. She notes in her account that “I am writing this, not for publicity but to raise awareness of injustice in the Family Court and police systems. And to help other people in Family Court battles, who are fighting, not for themselves but to protect their children.” |
| https://independentaustralia.net/life/life-display/australias-family-court-system-failing-to-protect-children,15252 |
|
| International: $40B for Gender Equality: 14 Biggest Pledges From the Generation Equality Forum in Paris |
| Global Citizen – July 02, 2021 |
| A three-day international conference drawing nearly 50,000 people, mostly virtually, just made history in mobilizing the largest amount of investments to advance gender equality and women’s rights to date. Governments, philanthropy, civil society, youth organizations, and the private sector confirmed $40 billion of investments and major policy and program commitments at the Generation Equality Forum (GEF) that concluded in Paris on Friday. |
Also: Why Must We #ActForEqual To Achieve Gender Equality in Africa in Our Lifetime? (Opinion): https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/why-must-we-actforequal-to-achieve-gender-equality/
Also: Generation Equality Forum concludes in Paris with Announcement of Revolutionary Commitments and Global Acceleration Plan to Advance Gender Equality by 2026 (Press release) |
| https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/generation-equality-forum-40-billion-commitments/ |
|
| Child Welfare in the News is distributed at no charge by Child Welfare Information Gateway (https://www.childwelfare.gov), a service of the Children’s Bureau/ACF/HHS (https://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb). It features news stories on topics of interest to child welfare and related professionals. Inclusion does not imply endorsement of any view expressed in a resource, and opinions or views do not reflect those of Child Welfare Information Gateway, the Children’s Bureau, or staff. |
| We are always eager to get your feedback or to know how you are using Child Welfare in the News. To comment on this service, contact cwn@childwelfare.gov. |
|
|
| CA: California’s Spending Plan Invests in Families and Children Still Reeling From the Pandemic |
| Imprint – July 01, 2021 |
| California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state Legislature reached an agreement this week on a record $262 billion budget, using a tax-revenue windfall to seed several big child welfare investments. The Democratic governor announced a $76 billion surplus in May as a result of the mushrooming income of California’s highest earners during the pandemic. That led to robust investments in funding to address the state’s homelesness crisis, stimulus checks for middle- and low-income residents and the creation of a universal transitional kindergarten program for all 4-year-olds in the state. |
| Also: California Budget 2021-22: http://www.ebudget.ca.gov/ |
| https://imprintnews.org/top-stories/californias-budget-invests-in-families-and-children/56647 |
|
| CA: Los Angeles Seeks to Delay Sweeping Juvenile Justice Reform Plan |
| Imprint – June 29, 2021 |
| Last November, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors championed a sweeping proposal to transform its juvenile justice system, part of a newfound mission to provide “care first, jail last.” The Youth Justice Reimagined Plan crafted by scores of community leaders included “safe and healing centers” to replace juvenile detention facilities. Rather than relying solely on arrest, incarceration and probation, teams of mediators, counselors and people with lived experience in the justice system would work in therapeutic settings with youth found breaking the law. |
| Also: Youth Justice Reimagined: Phase One Budget Analysis: http://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/bos/supdocs/159496.pdf |
| https://imprintnews.org/top-stories/los-angeles-seeks-to-delay-sweeping-juvenile-justice-reform-plan/56585 |
|
| CO: Colorado Expands Services for Transitional Foster Youth |
| Imprint – July 01, 2021 |
| Colorado youth who have transitioned out of foster care can re-enter the system if they wish to access services expanded under a new state law. The state Department of Human Services’ Division of Child Welfare will attempt to reach out to eligible youth to let them know about the change, but from there it’ll be up to the youth to petition the juvenile court or the child welfare agency in their county. |
| Also: HB21-1094: Foster Youth In Transition Program: https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb21-1094 |
| https://imprintnews.org/news-briefs/colorado-services-for-transitional-foster-youth/56640 |
|
| CO: More opportunities, less Colorado barriers for Natives |
| Indian Country Today – July 01, 2021 |
| The Colorado state legislative session wrapped up in early June and a slew of bills benefiting tribes in the state were passed and signed into law as recently as this week. Gov. Jared Polis signed two bills on Monday: one extends in-state tuition to students who do not live in the state but are citizens of 48 tribes with historical ties to the state; and the second is the prohibition of the use of Native themed mascots by “public schools, including charter and institute charter schools, and public institutions of higher education.” The third bill was signed back in mid-May that allows for federally recognized tribes the ability to certify its own foster homes. Previously, only a county department of human or social services or a child placement agency had the ability to do so. Polis signed the foster homes bill at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, and said the foster homes bill will help make Colorado’s laws more aligned with federal law that already exist under the Indian Child Welfare Act. |
| https://indiancountrytoday.com/news/more-opportunities-less-colorado-barriers-for-natives |
|
| DE: 2 families file lawsuits against Nemours claiming they were wrongfully reported to DFS over suspected child abuse |
| WDEL – July 01, 2021 |
| Within the hour of his little girl’s death, the cause unknown to him, Watson said he was being interrogated. “Instead of being told what happened and why, he was escorted into an interrogation room, where he was interrogated by police, by the Department of Family Services, by the staff at Nemours for four hours,” said his attorney Renée J. Leverette. Leverette said police swarmed a relative’s home, where Watson’s other children were staying and took them away for a month-and-a-half. Watson was ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing by DFS, according to his attorney, and now he and one other family are claiming their being reported to Family Services was racially motivated. Watson filed his lawsuit on June 29, 2021. |
| https://www.wdel.com/news/2-families-file-lawsuits-against-nemours-claiming-they-were-wrongfully-reported-to-dfs-over-suspected/article_cfe88202-da91-11eb-b516-5f64622669aa.html |
|
| KS: Gov. Kelly won’t discuss federal grants to take unaccompanied minors |
| Sentinel – July 01, 2021 |
| Sen. Richard Hilderbrand, a Baxter Springs Republican, is finding it difficult to get information about Kansas being paid to resettle unaccompanied minors who enter the country illegally. Hilderbrand, Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee chair, asked Governor Kelly a month ago if Kansas participates in that program but there has been no response. |
| https://sentinelksmo.org/gov-kelly-wont-discuss-federal-grants-to-take-unaccompanied-minors/ |
|
| KY: Beshear: LGBTQ+ anti-discrimination terms cut from contract, but Baptist agency wants more (Includes video) (May require subscription) |
| Louisville Courier Journal – July 01, 2021 |
| Kentucky child welfare officials have removed LGBTQ anti-discrimination language from a proposed contract with a Baptist children’s agency, following a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling on a similar situation in Philadelphia. But the contract dispute continues because Sunrise Children’s Services still refuses to sign it, even with the wording its leaders found objectionable removed, Gov. Andy Beshear said Thursday. “They now want significant, additional terms,” Beshear said. “This isn’t a chance to negotiate for more. You got what you asked for.” |
| https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/2021/07/01/baptist-agencys-lgbtq-related-contract-dispute-kentucky-continues-despite-changes/7827426002/ |
|
| PA: Advocates address obstacles in Pa’s child welfare system (Includes video) |
| WPMT – July 01, 2021 |
| Those who work within the child welfare system in Pennsylvania say there are challenges. The current system is mostly county-administered with some state oversight. FOX43’s Grace Griffaton spoke with attorneys and advocates about the biggest obstacles they see. “The most challenging thing is working within the system,” Nicole Mulholland, who oversees Pressley Ridge’s Community Resident Rehabilitation program said. “It’s hard because you work with probation. You work with children and youth. In the state of Pennsylvania, we’re a county-run Children and Youth state so there are 67 ways to do things.” |
| https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/advocated-obstacles-pa-welfare-system-local/521-11123d16-22d2-4ce1-a1d6-74c60b73c53f |
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| PA: Clark: ‘Waning public confidence in justice system’ must be addressed (Opinion) |
| New Pittsburgh Courier – July 01, 2021 |
| Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas President Judge Kim Berkeley Clark, the first Black person to hold the court’s top position in its history, boldly declared that the court must address the “waning public confidence in the justice system amidst the growing and compelling evidence that persons of color are at a greater risk of death or serious bodily injury at the hands of the police and are more likely to languish in the child welfare and juvenile and criminal justice systems than White persons.” |
| https://newpittsburghcourier.com/2021/07/01/clark-waning-public-confidence-in-justice-system-must-be-addressed/ |
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| US: The investigation that will change how America thinks about its past (Opinion) |
| Week Magazine – July 02, 2021 |
| U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced that for the first time, the United States will search the grounds of its former Indigenous boarding schools for the remains of children who for over a century were forcibly taken from their families and brutally stripped of their culture (including Haaland’s grandparents). The move will mean a serious national reckoning among non-Indigenous Americans about the cultural genocide in our not-so-distant past, and the revelations, conversations, and policies that could ensue set Haaland up to be one of the most consequential Interior Secretaries in modern history. |
| Also: The sad legacy of American Indian boarding schools in Minnesota and the U.S. (Commentary): https://www.minnpost.com/mnopedia/2016/06/sad-legacy-american-indian-boarding-schools-minnesota-and-us/ |
| https://theweek.com/us/1002172/deb-haaland-indigenous-boarding-schools |
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| US: Bacon, Bass, Langevin and Mullin Introduce Legislation to Offer Stability to Foster Youth (Press release) |
| Office of Don Bacon, U.S. Senator for Nebraska – July 01, 2021 |
| Reps. Don Bacon (NE-02) Karen Bass (CA-37), Jim Langevin (RI-2) and Markwayne Mullin (OK-02) today introduced the Foster Care Stabilization Act, which seeks to improve pre-placement services for children placed in foster care, especially those in emergency situations that may lack basic supplies, like clothing or other incidentals. |
| https://agilitypr.news/Bacon,-Bass,-Langevin-and-Mullin-Introdu-22021 |
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| US: Changing the Child Welfare System Starts With Reframing Our View of Families (Opinion) |
| Imprint – July 01, 2021 |
| Over the past year, national groups have called for sweeping child welfare reforms, like repealing the Adoption and Safe Families Act or eradicating mandatory reporting laws. Some have voiced support for abolishing the child welfare system, or at least foster care, replacing it with a new public health approach rooted in supporting families with concrete resources like income, housing and child care. These calls for reform – now being embraced by a diverse and unlikely group of stakeholders – have sparked long overdue conversations. |
| https://imprintnews.org/opinion/changing-the-child-welfare-system-starts-with-reframing-our-view-of-families/56633 |
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| Child Welfare in the News is distributed at no charge by Child Welfare Information Gateway (https://www.childwelfare.gov), a service of the Children’s Bureau/ACF/HHS (https://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb). It features news stories on topics of interest to child welfare and related professionals. Inclusion does not imply endorsement of any view expressed in a resource, and opinions or views do not reflect those of Child Welfare Information Gateway, the Children’s Bureau, or staff. |
| We are always eager to get your feedback or to know how you are using Child Welfare in the News. To comment on this service, contact cwn@childwelfare.gov. |
|
| CA: County Board of Supervisors Appoints First Five Youth Commissioners |
| San Fernando Valley Sun – June 30, 2021 |
| The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors have appointed the first five Youth Commissioners to join Los Angeles County’s first-ever Youth Commission. The Commission will formally launch in July, once a total of 15 Commissioners have joined. It will be the first of its kind in LA County to give youth with lived experience in foster care, child welfare, and juvenile justice the opportunity to recommend specific policies that will lead to substantive change for those currently being impacted by these systems. |
| https://sanfernandosun.com/2021/06/30/county-board-of-supervisors-appoints-first-five-youth-commissioners/ |
|
| WV: WV foster parent shortage leaves kids with no homes (Includes video) |
| WVNS – June 30, 2021 |
| According to Brittany Pugh, the Foster Care Program Director at NECCO, there are at least 7,000 children in the foster program in West Virginia and that number is only growing. “School getting back in, we have seen an increase in referrals due to the fact that people are reporting,” said Pugh. An increase in referrals combined with a shortage means most kids do not have a place to go. |
| https://www.wvnstv.com/top-stories/wv-foster-parent-shortage-leaves-kids-with-no-homes/ |
|
| US: Brown Announces Bipartisan Resolution Passes the Senate, Recognizing the Work of Ohio Child and Youth Advocates (Press release) |
| Office of Sherrod Brown, U.S. Senator for Ohio – June 30, 2021 |
| U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced that his bipartisan resolution he recently introduced with Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) to recognize specially trained volunteers who advocate in courtrooms and other settings on behalf of child survivors of abuse, neglect, and abandonment, passed the Senate late last week. The CASA Volunteers’ Day Resolution would honor Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) and Guardian Ad Litem (GAL) volunteers for their life-changing work with children experiencing abuse or neglect. |
| Also: Resolution Designating May 18, 2021, as ”CASA/GAL Volunteers’ Day”: https://www.brown.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/gal_day.pdf |
| https://www.brown.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/bipartisan-resolution-passes-recognizing-the-work-of-ohio-child-and-youth-advocates |
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| US: Envisioning a Different Future for Child Welfare (Opinion) (Requires subscription) |
| Imprint – June 30, 2021 |
| Two documents went into circulation this month that envision a radical shift from child welfare business as usual. One proposes a top-down framework for the actual abolition of what its authors call “family policing”; the other presents a model aimed at creating a parallel community response that authors hope would eventually eliminate the need for a government response that starts with reports and investigations. |
| https://imprintnews.org/youth-services-insider/envisioning-the-future-of-the-child-welfare-system/56601 |
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| US: The US must adopt child welfare strategies for unaccompanied minors (Opinion) |
| Hill – June 30, 2021 |
| Since January 2021, more than 65,000 unaccompanied children have arrived at the U.S./Mexico border seeking refuge from violence, natural disaster, food insecurity, and poverty in Central America and other struggling countries, creating what many are calling a “crisis.” But as experts in child welfare and immigration, we view this not as a crisis but a failure of our government to welcome children with compassion, or at the very least with consideration of the best interest principles that drive our U.S. domestic child welfare system. |
| https://thehill.com/opinion/immigration/560981-the-us-must-adopt-child-welfare-strategies-for-unaccompanied-minors |
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| US: Biden administration to review Native American boarding schools’ dark history (Includes video) |
| Associated Press – June 23, 2021 |
| The federal government will investigate its past oversight of Native American boarding schools and work to “uncover the truth about the loss of human life and the lasting consequences” of policies that over the decades forced hundreds of thousands of children from their families and communities, U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced Tuesday. The unprecedented work will include compiling and reviewing records to identify past boarding schools, locate known and possible burial sites at or near those schools, and uncover the names and tribal affiliations of students, she said. |
| https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/biden-administration-review-native-american-boarding-schools-dark-history-n1272082 |
|
| Child Welfare in the News is distributed at no charge by Child Welfare Information Gateway (https://www.childwelfare.gov), a service of the Children’s Bureau/ACF/HHS (https://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb). It features news stories on topics of interest to child welfare and related professionals. Inclusion does not imply endorsement of any view expressed in a resource, and opinions or views do not reflect those of Child Welfare Information Gateway, the Children’s Bureau, or staff. |
| We are always eager to get your feedback or to know how you are using Child Welfare in the News. To comment on this service, contact cwn@childwelfare.gov. |
|
KARA advocates for the people, policies and programs.
