Free and Discounted Resources for Youth (+ Holiday Gifting)

Adoption, Foster and Kinship Care, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, KARA News and Events, Mikes Favorite Posts, Reporting and News - MN Specific, Reporting and News - US Based

Children and youth in foster care often have needs that are not available to be filled by the County or their caregivers. Christmas and the holiday season can be hard on families with limited resources. If you know of a foster child or foster family who would benefit from the resources on this page, send this link to them and share this page widely.

Do you have examples of resources not shown here? Send them to info@invisiblechildren.org with FOSTER RESOURCES in the subject line

Why Saving CASA Matters: The Revival of Child Advocacy in Minnesota’s Courts

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Protection, KARA News and Events, Public Policy, Reporting and News - MN Specific

This former CASA Guardian ad Litem is happy to see the saving and rebuilding of the CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) program in Minnesota. Thank you to Kathleen Blatz and the MN State GAL board for your hard work and dedication to this important program.

The Importance of Foster Youth Rights (find your State here)

Adoption, Foster and Kinship Care, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Featured Articles, Mikes Favorite Posts, Public Policy, Reporting and News - MN Specific, Reporting and News - US Based, The States

This article is derived from Hana Ikramuddin’s excellent Imprint News Article about Fosters not being notified of their rights – Read the Imprint article here.

Hana tells us the story of AIayna Ghost’s years in Foster Care from ages 7 to 18 and how she ran away almost every year looking for her family. From the article: In foster care, she did not learn she had an older sister until a social worker told her at age 13.

Revisiting the Death Of Eric Dean (& where we are today)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, Public Policy, Reporting and News - MN Specific, Their stories

In 2014, Safe Passage for Minnesota Children reported that Pope County would face no legal penalty for its role in the slow tortured death of 4-year-old Eric Dean at the hands of his stepmother Amanda Peltier. Brandon Stahl presented Star Tribune readers with the sad fact that four Minnesota counties screen out 90% of child abuse calls.  Read more for a review of child abuse death since Eric Dean.

CASA Volunteers Save Money (Multiple State Investigation Results)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Protection, Reporting and News - MN Specific, Reporting and News - US Based, The States

The following CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) investigations demonstrate the cost savings and economic impact of CASA programs in child protection across the nation. They do not include the value a trained community volunteer brings to each child caught up in the difficult institutional court process of Child Protective Services. What’s it like being a…

The Value of Shared Information (share this with your State Representative)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Abuse and Deaths, invisible children, Public Policy, Reporting and News - MN Specific

For too long, the dire conditions facing Minnesota’s State Ward children have remained almost invisible to the public and to lawmakers.

Abused and neglected children are rarely seen or heard amidst the violence and chaos we see in our media every day.

Child Endangerment (Star Tribune “IN HARM’S WAY”)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child self harm and suicide, Children's Rights, Reporting and News - MN Specific

The Star Tribune’s investigative report titled “IN HARM’S WAY” provides a rare glimpse into the world of Child Protective Services. This report illuminates the disheartening fact that children often do not have a right to safety.

What’s It Like Being A Foster Child In Child Protection? (podcast/video)

Adoption, Foster and Kinship Care, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Children's Rights, PODCAST & STREAMING, Public Policy, Reporting and News - MN Specific, Reporting and News - US Based, Videos

Think about being a foster child taken from the only home you have ever known because of the terrible things done to you by your parents. Waking up in a strange house or group home where you don’t know anyone. A different school, no friends or familiar faces, things, or routines to soften your day.…

What Makes a Good Guardian ad Litem Program Leader (part 3)

KARA News and Events, Public Policy, Reporting and News - MN Specific, Reporting and News - US Based

Transforming the Guardian ad Litem Program Leadership for Lasting Change: With the guidance of leaders who refuse to cut corners and who hold public policy accountable  Guardian ad Litem programs can move from mere compliance toward authentic justice and opportunity for every child who enters their care.

What Makes a Good Guardian ad Litem Program Leader? (part 2)

Child Protection, KARA News and Events, Public Policy, Reporting and News - MN Specific, Reporting and News - US Based

The director of a Guardian ad Litem program must operate with a keen understanding that human lives, not mechanical products, are being shaped by their agency’s decisions. Directors know that their staff and volunteer advocates impact the safety, healing, and future success of children navigating trauma, mental health and behavior challenges, and disruption.

What Makes a Good Guardian ad Litem Program Leader? (part 1)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, KARA News and Events, Reporting and News - MN Specific, Reporting and News - US Based

Strong leadership in the Guardian ad Litem Program is very different from typical American industries. In manufacturing, managers drive output and profitability—metrics our culture worships.

In child protection, the stakes are human and long-term: it’s about children’s safety, trauma recovery, and the lifelong wellbeing

If You Live In MN You Should Do This

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Abuse and Deaths, KARA News and Events, Reporting and News - MN Specific

The Safe Passage Report on Child Maltreatment Deaths is a remarkable report – not in a good way. It demonstrates how common it is for Minnesota children to die from abuse in the home even after they have become known to CPS. This report is still only the the tip of the horrors facing abused children as;

DHS did not cooperate with the investigator,
Four counties did not respond,
Child deaths reported were only those that had court filings or had been reported in the media

All Adults Are the Protectors of All Children (Don Shelby)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Abuse and Deaths, Children's Rights, Public Policy, Reporting and News - International, Reporting and News - MN Specific, Reporting and News - US Based

Policies that keep children in homes with life‑threatening harm on the grounds of unproven or unscientific beliefs—account for avoidable homicidal deaths of hundreds of MN children and many more tortured and near-death experiences annually. When Child Protection becomes more transparent when studies like the one linked above become common, this reality will be recognized in all…

International Rights of the Child Treaty (& why jails are full)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Children's Rights, Juvenile + Criminal Justice, Mikes Favorite Posts, Public Policy, Religion, Politics + the Law, Reporting and News - International, Reporting and News - MN Specific, Reporting and News - US Based

Over 25 years ago the rest of the world (194 nations) decided that children have basic human rights and begin signing the International Rights of the Child Treaty. Under this document, children are to have the rights to education, safety and well being including not to be made soldiers, not to be enslaved).

America is the only nation that has not signed that agreement, largely because we still demand that southern states continue to militarize youth as young as eleven, through military schools.

Terminating the CASA Volunteer GAL Program Will Cost Children’s Lives and Taxpayers Money

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Abuse and Deaths, Reporting and News - MN Specific, Reporting and News - US Based

On Tuesday, 4.22.25 National CASA/GAL received notice that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has terminated (CASA National) federal grant awards – among 360 notices of termination the DOJ issued this week. All 12 million dollars.

In this fast moving effort to “cut waste” and “save money”

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

#childabuse, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, Media, PODCAST & STREAMING, PODCASTS, Reporting and News - MN Specific, Reporting and News - US Based

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.

This year’s Budget, Bills, and Abused Children

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Abuse and Deaths, Public Policy, Reporting and News - MN Specific

For the next biennium, legislators appropriated 40 million dollars to modernize Minnesota’s Social Services Information System. This will create more training, collection of child welfare data, clarity, transparency, and best practices throughout the “life of a case” and shine a light on how well or poorly programs and policies are working. This upgrade of our…

What Happened to Aaliya Goodwin (a KARA Podcast)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, PODCAST & STREAMING, Reporting and News - MN Specific, Their stories

the heartbreaking case of five-month-old Aaliya Goodwin, who died of positional asphyxia while under the care of her drug-abusing parents. Despite multiple reports of neglect, substance abuse, and unsafe conditions, Aaliya remained in the home due to systemic failures in Minnesota’s child protection system

A Win For Abused Children of Minnesota

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, Child self harm and suicide, Reporting and News - MN Specific, Stunning Statistics

Safe Passage For Children of Minnesota has helped bring the issue of transparency of child abuse death and near death into the light and Legislature in our State. In about three weeks, Minnesota will create a statewide child fatality and near fatality review panel to track cases of children dying and suffering egregious harm while…

MN Guardian ad Litem Program by the Numbers

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, Public Policy, Reporting and News - MN Specific

47 years ago, the CASA volunteer Guardian ad Litem program came to Minnesota. At the time, some children were not able to have a CASA Guardian assigned because there were not enough volunteers to keep up with growing caseloads. This CASA remembers between 50 and 100 children throughout the year not having a CASA to…

Vulnerabilities in the Foster Care System (podcast)

Adoption, Foster and Kinship Care, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, Featured Articles, PODCAST & STREAMING, Reporting and News - MN Specific, Reporting and News - US Based

In this episode of Kids at Risk Action, hosts Ashley and Alex discuss a heartbreaking case in which a 7-week-old infant suffered 13 fractures while in foster care, allegedly inflicted by the foster mother. This case highlights the systemic issues within the foster care system, including inadequate resources, lack of oversight, and insufficient training and support for foster parents.

The Critical Need for Child Advocacy Centers (podcast)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, Education, Featured Articles, KARA News and Events, PODCAST & STREAMING, Reporting and News - MN Specific, Reporting and News - US Based

Kids at Risk Action, the hosts discuss the critical issue of funding cuts to Child Advocacy Centers (CACs) in Minnesota, which are essential in providing support for abused and neglected children. CACs offer services like forensic interviews, victim advocacy, and medical exams, but with the loss of 80% of their federal funding, these centers could be forced to close, leaving thousands of children without protection.

Best and Worst Practices in Minnesota CPS (part 4 of 4)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Protection, KARA News and Events, Media, Public Policy, Reporting and News - MN Specific

Jessie Van Berkel wrote a very strong piece about the CASA Guardian ad Litem program in the Star Tribune recently. She brought attention to how a few bad decisions from new management can almost end a community volunteer institution at a time when it is most needed.

Best and Worst Practices in Minnesota CPS (part 3 of 4)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, KARA News and Events, Reporting and News - International, Reporting and News - MN Specific

If you ran an institution that found it hard to keep up with the demands being met in it you would most likely have only one or two choices to meet those demands. Find ways to do the work by simply making people do more with less, or, find more people to provide the service you have been mandated to provide. 

Best and Worst Practices in Minnesota CPS (part 2 of 4)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Protection, KARA News and Events, Public Policy, Reporting and News - MN Specific

Imagine you ran an office full of Guardians ad Litem with different talents and these people worked hard to fix the problems of people with a wide range of complex problems.

It would be useful to allow your talented worker bees to select those cases that fit their requests and talents

Doing the Math in Child Protective Services (podcast)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Protection, Education, Featured Articles, invisible children, Juvenile + Criminal Justice, PODCAST & STREAMING, Reporting and News - MN Specific, Statistics

Kids at Risk Action, Michael and John examine the staggering costs and human impact of child protective services (CPS) and the interconnected child welfare and juvenile justice systems. They highlight troubling statistics, such as the high number of children reported to CPS each year, the underreporting of abuse, and the alarming link between CPS involvement and later incarceration.

There Is No Constituency For Abused & Neglected Children

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Abuse and Deaths, Reporting and News - MN Specific

how 13 Minnesota Child Advocacy Centers (CAC’s) are losing 80% of their Federal funding. If this happens they will likely disappear or become a shell of what they were in a very short time.

CAC’s keep safe and provide services to children and families who have reported abuse and provide services to help them live through and recover from child abuse, domestic violence, and the traumas that come from it.

Child Death and Public Non Disclosure (thank you Marie Cohen)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Abuse and Deaths, Reporting and News - MN Specific, Reporting and News - US Based

Much of this article is taken from Marie Cohen’s remarkable research at the American Enterprise Institute. For those of you concerned with Child Protective Services in your community, Marie’s article is detailed and powerful. It could change your State Representative’s mind about transparency in CPS (Child Protective Services) where you live (share this state rep…