Alliance of Child & Family Service Providers » Child Welfare

Child-abuse reports climb in Ohio; Advocates blame ’07 results on increasing economic strain

lstewart — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 17:03:04 +0000

Thursday, April 2, 2009 3:25 AM
By Catherine Candisky

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Ohio’s sinking economy might be causing a spike in reports of child abuse and neglect.

For the first time, new allegations of abuse and neglect topped 100,000, according to a statewide survey released yesterday.

The report by the Public Children Services Association of Ohio found that in 2007, reports of abuse and neglect statewide were up 14 percent from 2005.

To read the entire article, please click here.

To access PCSAO’s report, please click here.

Too Old for Foster Care, and Facing the Recession

lstewart — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 16:23:39 +0000

By JULIE BOSMAN
Published: April 7, 2009

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Even in boom times, young people who become too old for the foster-care system often struggle to make it on their own, lacking families, job skills or adequate educations. Now, the recession has made the challenges of life after foster care even more formidable, especially for those seeking federal housing vouchers, which are contingent on having an income.

To read the rest of the article, please click here.

Next Cultural Battleground: Gay Adoption

lstewart — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 14:35:11 +0000

Sunday, December 7, 2008 3:43 AM

By Bonnie Miller Rubin, Chicago Tribune

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Anne Shelley and Dr. Robin Ross are unwinding after a jam-packed day of ferrying 4-year-old daughter Eva Mae from preschool to ice-skating lessons to speech therapy.

“It’s pretty much your mundane American family,” said Shelley, 46, over a dinner of barbecue at their comfortable home near the Ozarks.

But not everyone sees their domestic situation as a hefty slice of apple pie. Arkansas residents recently voted to ban people who are “cohabitating outside of a valid marriage,” as Shelley and Ross are, from being foster parents or adopting children as these women did.

Click here to read the entire story from the Columbus Dispatch.

California’s Low Payments to Foster Parents Violate Federal Child Welfare Act, Judge Rules

lstewart — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 14:59:53 +0000

Payments fall below the amount needed to generate matching funds. State is ordered to determine the cost of care.

California’s payments to foster parents are so low that the state is in violation of the federal Child Welfare Act, a federal judge in San Francisco ruled Wednesday.

Ruling in favor of three groups of foster caregivers who brought suit against the state, U.S. District Judge William Alsup noted the state’s compensation rate has fallen to as little as 60% of the costs the state is obliged to cover to be eligible for federal matching funds.

View the original article on the Los Angeles Times website.

Overhaul of Connecticut child welfare agency suggested

lstewart — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 16:22:22 +0000

HARTFORD, Conn. – Connecticut’s child welfare agency came under fire Monday from two critics who claim years of reorganizational plans haven’t worked and children are not receiving the best care possible.

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal suggested to state lawmakers that the Department of Children and Families needs to be partially broken up and the management completely overhauled.

View the full article.