Children of diverse backgrounds holding hands around Earth.

Modern Slavery in the UK: How the Law Still Fails Children

Modern slavery did not end with history books. The UK Modern Slavery Act was meant to protect victims and hold traffickers accountable, yet thousands of children remain exploited, re trafficked, and left without real support. This KARA post explains how the law works, where it fails child victims, and what advocates say must change—plus concrete ways you can help push systems toward real protection.

Children holding signs advocating for children's rights and voices.

From Reporting to Preventing: Community Action for Child Abuse Prevention in Minnesota

This list of Minnesota resources—and the note below—is taken directly from CASA Minnesota in recognition of National Child Abuse Prevention Month, a time to reflect on what it really means to build safe, supportive communities where every child can thrive.

Logo for Kara, Kids at Risk Action organization.

What Social Workers Can Do: Reclaiming Hope and Safety for At‑Risk Children

Child welfare social workers stand where children’s trauma meets family hardship and broken systems. This trauma‑informed guide shows how social workers can find invisible kids, demand real accountability, build strong teams, use mandated reporting with courage, support caregivers, protect themselves from burnout, and turn casework into lasting system reform.

Children holding signs advocating for children's rights and voices.

National Volunteer Week: Why CASA/GAL Volunteers Matter for At‑Risk Kids in Minnesota

During National Volunteer Week, we’re shining a light on CASA and Guardian ad Litem volunteers in Minnesota—the trained community members who stand beside abused and neglected children in court, give them a consistent adult voice, and help judges make better decisions about safety, healing, and permanency.

Silhouettes of a family with two adults and one child.

What Foster Parents Can Do: Healing, Advocating, and Transforming Lives

Foster parenting is about much more than providing a bed. This guide shows caregivers how to insist on full trauma histories, document key events, advocate against medication‑only approaches, partner with schools and agencies, and use their lived experience to reform systems and transform children’s lives.

Person peeking through a torn cardboard hole with visible eyes and hands.

April and Preventing Child Abuse in a Time of Rising Risk

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, and in 2026 we’re facing a time of rising risk for children. Economic stress, untreated mental health needs, online exploitation, and overburdened child protection systems are all pushing more families to the edge, while the nonprofits and advocates children rely on are stretched thin. This April, “awareness” isn’t enough. We need honest data about how many children are being hurt, real support for families before crisis, and stronger tools for the people on the front lines—teachers, CASAs, clinicians, social workers, and neighbors—who see abuse first and are often the only ones who can stop it.

Mother comforting her child outside a brick building.

Cash vs. CPS: What $14 Million Really Buys

Flint’s Rx Kids program has spent about $14 million giving pregnant and new parents roughly $6,250 per baby in flexible cash—money families use for rent, food, diapers, and medical care. By contrast, CDC linked research puts the lifetime cost of a single child maltreatment case at roughly $830,000, and a year of foster care can cost $41,000 or more per child. If cash support keeps even a small share of vulnerable families out of CPS, the investment likely pays for itself many times over—while sparing children the trauma of removal and system involvement.

Two hands gently holding each other in a comforting gesture.

From Classrooms to Homeless Shelters: How Our Choices Hurt Children

Compared to other advanced nations America treats children and the people who care for them as an afterthought and then acts surprised when our schools and child‑welfare systems are overwhelmed with troubled children suffering from health and mental health issues.

Silhouettes of a family with two adults and one child.

All About ACEs (Podcast)

This episode of the Kids at Risk Action podcast dives into the science and societal impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)—early life traumas like abuse, neglect, and household instability that dramatically shape physical and mental health outcomes. Through powerful commentary from child advocates

How Media Shapes Child Welfare Perception (#1 in KARA’s Child Welfare Series)

how media coverage of child welfare too often focuses only on tragedy — fueling blame, misunderstanding, and reduced public support for the very systems meant to protect vulnerable children.