Number of foster children in Maine declines – from obscene down to merely outrageous Maine State Capitol Also:   ● Part of the decline isn’t even real – the news story reporting the decline left 143 children out. ● When it co...

ICYMI: NCCPR #childwelfare Blog: Maine touts gains in reducing # of kids in #fostercare. There has been progress, but the numbers are still awful and the state’s record on using kinship foster care is getting worse www.nccprblog.org/2026/04/numb...

Appellate panel weighs when parents 'substantially improve' in In re IDW termination appeal At oral argument, the mother’s appellate counsel said the rebuttable presumption of 'little likelihood' did not arise or was rebutted after treatment and periods of sobriety; the respondent argued the juvenile court properly weighed the parent's long history of relapse and the child's need for speedy permanency. The matter was submitted for decision.

A mother battles for her parental rights as an appellate panel examines the complexities of recovery and the urgent need for her child's permanency.

Read the full story

#WA #CitizenPortal #JuvenileJustice #ChildWelfare #SubstanceUseRecovery

“Me becoming a civil rights lawyer is directly related to the fact that I grew up in South Central Los Angeles.” Chris Martin ( @doc_martin88) 

Link: https://youtu.be/8aa8wvBsRBw

#FosterCarePipeline, #KnowYourRights, #ChildWelfare

Fresno supervisors order independent audit of county social‑services practices after workers, foster families raise concerns The Board of Supervisors unanimously directed the CAO to commission an independent audit of Fresno County Department of Social Services practices after resource parents, former social workers and oversight committees described problems with responsiveness, case follow‑up and alleged overrides of frontline assessments.

Fresno County supervisors have launched an independent audit into social services practices after alarming reports of failures to protect vulnerable children.

Learn more here!

#FresnoCounty #CA #CitizenPortal #ChildWelfare #TransparencyAccountability #SocialServicesAudit

Did you know?

#NAPCE #PastoralCare #Education #Schools #ChildWelfare #StudentWelfare #Teaching #Teacher #mentalhealth

#ChildSafety #ChildWelfare #ChildProtection #FosterCare

ME
USA

Number of foster children in Maine declines – from obscene down to merely outrageous Maine State Capitol Also:   ● Part of the decline isn’t even real – the news story reporting the decline left 143 children out. ● When it co...

NCCPR #childwelfare Blog: Maine touts gains in reducing # of kids in #fostercare. There has been progress, but the numbers are still awful and the state’s record on using kinship foster care is getting worse www.nccprblog.org/2026/04/numb...

Number of foster children in Maine declines – from obscene down to merely outrageous Maine State Capitol Also:   ● Part of the decline isn’t even real – the news story reporting the decline left 143 children out. ● When it co...

NCCPR #childwelfare Blog: Maine touts gains in reducing # of kids in #fostercare. There has been progress, but the news story about it left out 143 foster youth. www.nccprblog.org/2026/04/numb...

NCCPR #childwelfare Blog: There’s been real improvement when it comes to the number of children Maine traps in #fostercare. But Maine is so awful that even with the improvement, it still holds children at more than double the national average www.nccprblog.org/2026/04/numb...

Today’s reminder: In #childwelfare the horror stories go in ALL directions: www.miamiherald.com/news/state/f... #childabuse #fostercare

🎓 #postsecondary #education is a right for #youthincare. Join @melaniemdoucet.bsky.social & colleagues @ontariotechu.bsky.social @otwomen.bsky.social to unpack structural barriers and solutions.

🗓️ Monday, May 4th, 12-1pm ET
➡️ Free Registration: buff.ly/mv0IVmf

#StandWithYouthInCare #ChildWelfare

“Now focused on breaking generational curse, elevated when things started to bother me. That was seeing my people live in the poverty.” Chris Martin ( @doc_martin88) 

Link: https://youtu.be/8aa8wvBsRBw

#FosterCarePipeline, #KnowYourRights, #ChildWelfare

Number of foster children in Maine declines – from obscene down to merely outrageous Maine State Capitol Also:   ● Part of the decline isn’t even real – the news story reporting the decline left 143 children out. ● When it co...

NCCPR #childwelfare Blog: Number of kids in #fostercare in Maine declines – from obscene down to merely outrageous www.nccprblog.org/2026/04/numb... #childabuse #fostercare

“Essentially, for parents, they have no rights which the DCFS or the court system is bound to respect in there.” Chris Martin ( @doc_martin88) 

Link: https://youtu.be/8aa8wvBsRBw

#FosterCarePipeline, #KnowYourRights, #ChildWelfare

She Was Once in Foster Care. Now She Will Run Child Welfare in New York.

“Mamdani named Rebecca Jones Gaston, who as head of child welfare under former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. oversaw the expansion of abuse-prevention services for families, as New York City’s child welfare commissioner on Tuesday.”
www.nytimes.com/2026/04/07/n... #ny #fostercare #childwelfare

NCCPR news and commentary round-up, week ending April 7, 2026 ● A federal judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit in which a disabled couple alleges that the family police agency in metropolitan Pittsbur...

Our weekly round-up of #familypreservation journalism and commentary: www.nccprblog.org/2026/04/nccp... #childabuse #fostercare #childwelfare

Senate committee hears proposals to reestablish citizen review panels for children in out‑of‑home care Sen. Robert Myers’ SB 123 would create state and local citizen review panels to examine case plans for children placed outside the home; supporters argued panels would improve permanency planning and public confidence while OCS said current state panels exist but do not conduct case‑specific reviews.

Senate Bill 123 aims to establish citizen review panels to enhance accountability in the child welfare system, ensuring families receive the support they need during challenging times.

Click to read more!

#AK #CitizenPortal #PermanencyPlanning #ChildWelfare #AlaskaChildren #PublicAccountability

Committee rejects amendment; Senate Bill 515 advances with carve-out through 08/01/2027 Committee debated and rejected an amendment to Senate Bill 515 that members warned would codify an exception to children's right to counsel; after debate the committee approved the bill with a carve-out expiring 08/01/2027 by a 15-1 vote.

New Hampshire's Children and Family Law Committee just approved Senate Bill 515, but not without a fierce debate over children's right to legal counsel that could shape the future of child welfare.

Get the details!

#NH #NewHampshireChildren #PolicyReform #CitizenPortal #LegalRights #ChildWelfare

“Essentially, for parents, they have no rights which the DCFS or the court system is bound to respect in there.” Chris Martin ( @doc_martin88) 

Link: https://youtu.be/8aa8wvBsRBw

#FosterCarePipeline, #KnowYourRights, #ChildWelfare

Episode 43: Navigating Child Custody Challenges From Behind Bars This week’s “Student Voices” episode of Proof Over Precedent explores access to justice issues for incarcerated parents in the child welfare system. HLS student Mia Robertson look…

Child custody cases for an incarcerated parent are fraught with barriers: no in-person hearings, limited attorney communication, possibly no counsel at all. #ProofOverPrecedent looks at the challenging intersection of child welfare & incarceration. buff.ly/JB1ZOST #IncarceratedParents #ChildWelfare

Senate backs bill aiming to make five-day school week the norm, with one recorded no vote Senators passed SB82 on final reading to value a five-day public-school week and limit four-day schedules, citing child-poverty and economic-development concerns; the floor vote was 35 yeas and 1 nay. The bill includes exceptions for already high-performing or existing four-day districts.

Louisiana's Senate just passed a pivotal bill to establish a five-day school week, emphasizing the urgent need for child welfare and local economic growth.

Click to read more!

#LA #CitizenPortal #EducationReform #EconomicDevelopment #ChildWelfare #LouisianaSchools

Committee approves $250,000 for duffel bags for children in foster care Senate Bill 1377, which requires the Department of Human Services to provide duffel bags (rather than trash bags) to children in foster care, was reported out with a due pass; sponsor said the program carries a $250,000 fiscal impact and confirmed bags would remain property of the child.

Oklahoma takes a big step for foster kids by approving $250,000 for duffel bags, ensuring they no longer have to carry their belongings in trash bags!

Learn more here

#OK #CitizenPortal #ChildWelfare #LegislativeAction #CommunitySupport

Civil rights attorney and activist Chris "Doc Martin" Martin joins the Know Your Rights Camp podcast to expose how the child welfare system funnels Black children into incarceration.

Link:  https://youtu.be/8aa8wvBsRBw

#FosterCarePipeline, #KnowYourRights, #ChildWelfare

Opinion | California shouldn’t bail out beleaguered foster family agencies Agencies that put kids in foster homes sought $30 million for insurance, because abuse victims have won multimillion-dollar lawsuits against them.

ICYMI: So many kids faced #childabuse on watch of CA private #fostercare agencies that some can’t afford insurance Instead of cleaning up their acts they’re back in Sacramento demanding a 2nd taxpayer bailout. You know what they say: Fool me once … calmatters.org/commentary/2... #childwelfare

Qld residential care sector CEOs paid up to $679k CEOs in Queensland's residential home care sector are being paid up to $679,000 annually while providers were investing in gold and cryptocurrency, according to a new report.

Call it what it is: Child trafficking.

Amazing how govt productises humans then is shocked – SHOCKED I tells ya – when oligarchs trade those humans as commodities

Now the solution is to trade them … on contracts!

#qldpol #auspol #ChildWelfare #HumanSecuritisation

www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04...

Opinion | California shouldn’t bail out beleaguered foster family agencies Agencies that put kids in foster homes sought $30 million for insurance, because abuse victims have won multimillion-dollar lawsuits against them.

ICYMI: Private #fostercare agencies said sky would fall if they had to close because they can’t afford insurance Now 24 have closed. CA lawmakers: Before you’re suckered into giving them another taxpayer bailout, please step outside and look up: calmatters.org/commentary/2... #childwelfare

Appeals court considers whether grandparents had a "significant preexisting relationship" with child under Blix Grandparents argued a five‑month period of co‑caregiving when the child was an infant plus years of subsequent visitation established a significant preexisting relationship that would make removal harmful; the mother and her counsel said precedent sets a high bar and the trial judge correctly declined to order visitation.

The Massachusetts appeals court is weighing the emotional toll on a child after losing a vital bond with their grandparents, as arguments clash over what constitutes a "significant preexisting relationship."

Get the details!

#MA #CitizenPortal #FamilyLaw #LegalPrecedent #ChildWelfare

DCF tightens sibling-connection and 'family time' policies; new forms and timelines for kinship staffing DCF presenters told the committee about new ‘family time’ terminology replacing 'visitation', a revised sibling-connection form and 90-day staffing cadence for unplaced sibling groups; DCF reported 73.8% of children are placed with at least one sibling and said 402 capacity-exception requests were approved with four denials.

Kansas DCF is reshaping family time policies to strengthen sibling connections in care, ensuring more children grow up with their brothers and sisters.

Get the details!

#KS #CitizenPortal #ChildWelfare #KansasFamilyTime #SiblingConnections #PermanencyOutcomes

DCF to pilot community Family First pathway May 4; issues new RFP for no-eject residential placements Secretary Howard told the joint child-welfare oversight committee that Kansas will test a community referral pathway for four state-funded Family First services starting May 4, and that DCF has issued an RFP seeking residential providers who will accept 'no eject/no reject' placements and meet new outcome measures.

Kansas is launching a groundbreaking community pathway for Family First services on May 4, allowing families to access support without opening a formal case!

Click to read more!

#KS #PreventiveServices #CitizenPortal #ChildWelfare #CommunitySupport #KansasFamilyServices

Why attend Amara's biggest event of the yr, Together We Thrive? Because you can be a part of what fuels our passion to go above & beyond every day for kids & families experiencing the #childwelfare system. Because together, we thrive.
Thurs., April 30, 6-9pm, King Street Ballroom, downtown #Seattle