Hidden Foster Care: All Of The Responsibility, None Of The Resources Outside of the traditional foster care system exists a shadow system of potentially hundreds of thousands of children removed by CPS to their relatives or family friends—without a court case, monetary support, or due process. Roxanna Asgarian
Social Workers Are Rejecting Calls For Them to Replace Police Some say their roles are already too close to those of law enforcement and are organizing for a radical rethinking of the profession. Mia Sato
Children in Residential Treatment Centers Are Especially Vulnerable to COVID-19 Tens of thousands of children are in congregate care settings around the country, and some have already started to get sick. Roxanna Asgarian
Coronavirus Raises Questions On How To Meet Court-Ordered Obligations Many programs for people on parole, probation, or supervision take place in group settings—the exact opposite of what public health officials are recommending in order to stop the spread of COVID-19. Elizabeth Brico
How the Media Can Stigmatize Parents and Separate Families Stories that uncritically blame child welfare agencies for the deaths of children at the hands of their parents can contribute to increases in child removals—with devastating consequences for families. Elizabeth Brico
How Child Services Punishes Mothers With Substance Use Disorder—And Their Children Rather than separating families, child ‘welfare’ agencies should help families get access to the care they need. Elizabeth Brico
New York’s Child Welfare Laws Will Advance Justice Two bills, awaiting Governor Andrew Cuomo’s signature, would help reduce the punitive impact of the child welfare system on kids and their families, including formerly incarcerated parents. Nora McCarthy
The Appeal Podcast: The War on Drugs Continues In Family Court With Miriam Mack and Elizabeth Tuttle Newman of The Bronx Defenders Adam H. Johnson
Parents Threatened With Losing Children Over Cannabis Use Even in states where use is decriminalized, child welfare systems continue to treat it as a sign of neglectful parenting, particularly among families of color. Miriam Mack, Elizabeth Tuttle Newman
A Mother Grapples With an Adoption that Led to Deaths Tammy Scheurich, who lost three biological children in the Hart family crash last year, tells her story for the first time. Roxanna Asgarian
‘I Gotta Be Strong for My Babies’ An Oklahoma woman is serving 18 months in prison after being accused of failing to protect her daughter from the girl’s dad. Roxanna Asgarian
D.A. Charges Pittsburgh Mom After Toddler’s Mysterious Death from Fentanyl in Sippy Cup Despite looming questions about what happened, Jhenea Pratt is now facing life without parole. Joshua Vaughn
Parents Fight For Daughter After ‘Pervasive and Egregious’ Violations By Family Court Volunteers Washington case raises questions about the role of court appointed special advocates. Roxanna Asgarian
Before Children’s Grisly Deaths, a Family Fought for Them and Lost The Hart family’s apparent murder-suicide drew headlines, but the path to the tragedy started much earlier—in Texas. Roxanna Asgarian
Two States Just Made It Easier to Take Babies Away From Mothers Who Use Drugs During Pregnancy Lisa Sangoi
Black Families Matter: How the Child Welfare System Punishes Poor Families of Color Dorothy Roberts, Lisa Sangoi
