Child Welfare In the News

CT: Senate unanimously approves mental health bill

The Day - May 23, 2013 -- A bill that creates two children's mental health studies, a mental health public information campaign and a plan to better address children's mental health needs was passed 36-0 in the Senate on Thursday.

DC: Mayor Gray to open resource room for foster parents

The Washington Informer - May 24, 2013 -- The room will be named after the late Eugene N. Hamilton, the former Chief Judge of the D.C. Superior Court. Hamilton, who died in 2011, was an adoptive father of four and foster parent to 50 children.

FL: Department of Children and Families child protective investigator fired in connection with Catalina Bruno case

NBC 6 South Florida - May 24, 2013 -- A Department of Children and Families child protective investigator has been fired for falsifying documents in a case related to the boy who died a week ago after being left in his mother's hot car, the agency's leader said.

KS: Giving kids something to hold: Kansas girls' blanket project wins national recognition

The Kansas City Star - May 23, 2013 -- The girls got the chance to showcase their project at the four-day Odyssey of the Mind world conference at Michigan State University this week.

NE: Plan targeting sex trafficking of juveniles clears a hurdle

World-Herald - May 24, 2013 -- Lawmakers gave 25-0 first-round approval to the bill, which would also allow prosecutors to file felony charges against those who solicit children for sex.

NM: Suit: Authorities didn't protect kids

KRQE - May 23, 2013 -- A lawsuit filed by a victim of a suspected Santa Fe child molester claims police and other authorities repeatedly ignored his and other boy's allegations and that a New Mexico lawmaker used her political influence to protect the suspect.

NV: Child's death prompts changes in welfare system

KSNV & MyNews3 - May 23, 2013 -- With the backing of the Clark County Commission, a three-year $3 million contract was signed with a national organization, that specializes in improving child welfare systems.

NY: From the desk of the DA: Child abuse takes many forms

The Pelham Daily Voice - May 23, 2013 -- Janet DiFiore shares what she is doing as Westchester County District Attorney to work with community partners to enhance the safety of children.

OR: Foster parent hopes to spark partnership between churches, DHS

Statesman Journal - May 23, 2013 -- One year after the first delivery of welcome boxes, which are filled with comforting items for children after they've been removed from their home, 57 churches in the Portland area are associated with Embrace Oregon. They're finding many ways to support the foster care system beyond welcome boxes.

PA: Faith-healing churches linked to 2 dozen child deaths

NBC 10 - May 24, 2013 -- Two Philadelphia faith-healing churches have a long history of the youngest members of their congregation dying because parents refused medical care.

TN: 'Aging out' doesn't end foster care

Cleveland Daily Banner - May 23, 2013 -- Recent years have seen more and more transitional resources being made available for these children to learn how to be live successfully on their own.

TN: Child abuse campaign speaks to children on their level (Video)

WREG - May 21, 2013 -- An innovative new ad campaign that speaks to children on their level is renewing conversation nationwide about preventing child abuse.

WA: Gov. Inslee signs bill giving adoptees more access to birth records

The Olympian - May 22, 2013 -- The legislation - House Bill 1525 - lets those adopted before October 1993 obtain a copy of their original birth record, if the birth parent has not filed papers to prevent it. Under the state's old law only those adopted after 1993 can get access to original birth records without court orders.

WV: Number of CPS cases trending upwards

The Lincoln Journal - May 23, 2013 -- DHHR records reveal that the number of active cases dropped steadily from 2008 to 2010 to as low as 1,483. But the trend started moving upward again and there was an average of 1,542 cases per month in 2012.

US: IRS audits thousands of adoptive families

The Tennessean - May 23, 2013 -- Another day, another headache for the Internal Revenue Service. This time, the federal agency is being accused of mishandling the tax returns of adoptive families.

Taxpayer Advocate report available at http://www.taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/userfiles/file/Full-Report/Most-Serious-Problems-Adoption-Credit-Delays.pdf

US: UNICEF blamed for decline in international adoptions

National Catholic Register - May 22, 2013 -- Critics say the U.N. agency's priorities have played a major role in the steep drop over the last decade.

India: Child adoption made easier in India

Deccan Herald - May 24, 2013 -- The process of adopting a child in the country has been sought to be made transparent and uncomplicated with the government launching a web-based Central information system which would create a database on each adoptable child with registered agencies.

United Arab Emirates: 'Too few children' hits UAE Indian expats' hopes of adoption

The National - May 24, 2013 -- Indian expatriates hoping to adopt from their home country face a long wait after being told there are not enough children.

Australia: Anger as services to keep teens from crime dumped by state goverment

The Border Mail - May 24, 2013 -- Several caseworkers said resources would be spread too thinly under the new arrangements and they would no longer be able to spend time building relationships and supporting young people and families.

Russia: Number of foreign adoption applicants in Russia falls

RAPSI - May 23, 2013 -- The number of applications from foreigners willing to adopt children which were ruled upon by Russian courts in 2012 is 21% lower than in 2011, according to the Russian Supreme Court statistics.

South Africa: SA facing child adoption crisis - report

The Citizen - May 24, 2013 -- Since 2008 there had been no real increase in adoptions to help the country's estimated two million orphans.

ID: Protecting our children: Investigating child abuse in Idaho

KTVB - May 22, 2013 -- We wanted to take a closer look at the child welfare process in Idaho, and went to the person who sees severe abuse firsthand. The medical director with St. Luke's Children at Risk Evaluation Services, Dr. Paul McPherson is Idaho's only child abuse pediatrician.

IL: West Aurora School District, State's Attorney's Office announce agreement targeting abuse

Kane County Chronicle - May 23, 2013 -- Kane County State's Attorney has decided to defer for 60 months prosecuting against any district officials or employees for not reporting suspected child abuse in exchange for the district signing an agreement designed to protect students from abuse.

IN: Department of Child Services to hire more people to address growing caseloads

WSBT-TV - May 22, 2013 -- The number of child abuse and neglect cases in the state of Indiana is going up. That's exactly why the state Department of Child Services is trying to fill nearly 200 positions.

LA: Court reunites parents, children

The Advertiser - May 21, 2013 -- Lafayette Parish is home to three of the state's 48 drug courts, which serve an estimated 3,200 adults and juveniles. There are two Family Preservation Courts in Louisiana, with the other in Shreveport.

MT: Bullock signs new child abuse bills into law

Associated Press - May 22, 2013 -- Gov. Steve Bullock held a signing ceremony in Great Falls Tuesday for two bills aimed at preventing child abuse, selecting a city where five children have died at the hands of their abusers in the past five years.

NV: Gay adoptive parents live as a 'normal family' but yearn for the right to marry

Las Vegas Sun - May 23, 2013 -- Flamer and Whitwell, a gay couple, consider themselves and their adopted daughter a family like anyone else in the gated neighborhood. But the road to becoming a family was a difficult one because of Nevada's ban on same-sex marriage, which added extra steps throughout the adoption process, they said. Flamer and Whitwell are one of eight couples that filed suit in April 2012 to overturn Nevada's ban on same-sex marriage.

OH: Grant aims to keep foster kids in same school

Toledo Blade - May 23, 2013 -- By reducing instability at school and home, a new Lucas County initiative aims to improve the academic performance of children in foster care.

SC: Sex abuse victim shares her story

Aiken Standard - May 21, 2013 -- This is the fourth in a four-part series on child sexual abuse.

SD: SD Social Services Wants Tribes' Lawsuit Tossed

Associated Press - May 21, 2013 -- The head of South Dakota's Department of Social Services has asked a judge to toss out a lawsuit filed by two tribes alleging that the state routinely breaks federal law governing foster care and adoptions for American Indian children.

TN: District attorney: Pain pill arrest surge jamming area jails

Knoxville News Sentinel - May 21, 2013 -- The prosecutor said when mothers go to jail, their children often go into Department of Children's Services custody, "putting strain on an already tenuous, overstressed system."

TX: Law aimed at psychotropic drugs given to foster children (Video)

My FOX Houston - May 22, 2013 -- House Bill 915 will become law this September. The new law mandates CPS to tell biological parents about drugs prescribed to their children. It also requires a medical evaluation every 3 months.

WI: Farmlife: Foster parents needed to make a difference in a child's life

Agri-View - May 22, 2013 -- This week, Agri-View visits with Grace Bauer, foster care coordinator for Wood County Human Services, based in Marshfield. She and her husband Tom also dairy farm near Auburndale. While her husband milks around 40 Holstein cows, Bauer has a 33-year career in social work.

US: Fictional 'Mothers' reveal facts of a painful adoption process

Fresh Air from WHYY - May 22, 2013 -- Gilmore's aim is not to discourage hopeful adoptive parents, but rather to increase awareness of the potential challenges of the adoption process.

US: Foster care youth: The faces of a nation's soul in crisis

Huffington Post - May 22, 2013 -- Claire Pomeroy, Dean of the School of Medicine at the University of California-Davis, only recently began publicly talking about her foster care experience because she realized that speaking out would help foster youth.

United Kingdom: 'Unsung hero' grandparents in line for payouts after legal breakthrough

The Guardian - May 22, 2013 -- Grandparents and other family members bringing up children in place of their parents are set to receive millions of pounds in extra support after a pensioner won the right to be treated as her grandson's foster mother.

United Kingdom: Medical report raises concerns over U.K. child welfare

Digital Journal - May 21, 2013 -- A report issued by the British Medical Association has raised that the U.K.'s child welfare standards are below-par.

Canada: Gaps in oversight of foster kids, says auditor general

CBC News - May 22, 2013 -- Foster children and other kids in care are not being adequately monitored and investigations into alleged abuse are taking too long and are slow to start, Nova Scotia's auditor general said in a report that highlights failings in the province's child welfare system.

Australia: More child abuse officers for NSW

9 News - May 23, 2013 -- An additional 30 positions will be created in NSW's child abuse prevention squad almost a month after a report revealed children are falling through the cracks because of major staffing shortfalls.

Russia: Russia's children rights ombudsman to go to U.S to tackle adoption problem

Russia Beyond the Headlines - May 22, 2013 -- Russian children rights commissioner Pavel Astakhov intends to go to the United States in June and plans to attend establishment of a special bilateral body to deal with adopted children.

AR: Erin's Law: Teaching Arkansas Kids It's OK to Report Abuse

Public News Service - May 22, 2013 -- "If something is being done to them, I want them to raise their hand and tell their teacher," Baine said. "That's basically our bottom-line goal, and that way, mandated reporters under Arkansas law will immediately contact the authorities per the protocols in every school district."

CA: Congressman Vargas Shadowed by San Diego Foster Youth in Honor of Foster Care Month

Imperial Valley News - May 21, 2013 -- Today, in honor of National Foster Care Month, Congressman Juan Vargas (CA-51) participated in the Congressional Foster Youth Shadow Day which is held annually to help youths explore career paths that interest them. Rep. Vargas, a member of the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth, is spending the day with a San Diego foster youth who would like to learn about Congress.

CA: L.A. County keeps troubled foster care contractor

Los Angeles Times - May 21, 2013 -- Los Angeles County Supervisors Michael D. Antonovich and Gloria Molina were unable to win majority support for their push to sever all ties to a foster care contractor with a history of substantiated child abuse and financial malfeasance.

CT: Lawmakers Push Bill On Child Mental Health

Hartford Courant - May 20, 2013 -- The bill states that the proposed Office of Early Childhood must coordinate a system of home-visitation programs that would be available to families with children who have severe depression, substance abuse challenges or special health care needs.

CT: State's child advocate resigns

The Connecticut Mirror - May 20, 2013 -- Jamey Bell has resigned as the state's child advocate, she confirmed Monday.
Her decision to leave comes seven months after becoming head of the watchdog agency overseeing state departments responsible for abused and neglected children.

IL: Chicago Jesuits hid sex crimes: Record abuse settlement details shielding of priest

Chicago Tribune - May 22, 2013 -- Internal church records released Tuesday show that Chicago Jesuits consciously concealed the crimes of convicted sex offender Donald McGuire for more than 40 years as the prominent Roman Catholic priest continued to sexually abuse dozens of children around the globe.

IL: Kane County state's attorney to announce results of West Aurora probe

The Beacon-News - May 21, 2013 -- The Kane County State's Attorney's Office announced plans Tuesday to release the results of an "inquiry" into West Aurora School District's compliance with a state law mandating school officials to report child abuse and neglect at a St. Charles press conference Wednesday morning.

IN: Foster care housing project dawns

Journal-Gazette - May 22, 2013 -- A long-standing south-side eyesore felt the blows of the wrecking ball Tuesday to make way for housing to help young adults who have aged out of the foster care system.
Related: Housing project dedicated to young adults coming out of foster care: http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/local/housing-project-dedicated-to-young-adults-coming-out-of-foster-care

KS: James Shields to host foster care program in 2013

Kansas City Royals - May 22, 2013 -- In addition to treating the kids to a fun night out at the ballpark, the ultimate goal of the program is to raise visibility about the thousands of local foster children in need of homes and the opportunity for families to serve as foster families for these children in need.

MA: Beacon Hill Roll Call: Amendments to state budget: $3 Million for College Tuition for Adopted Children (H 3400)

Wicked Local - May 21, 2013 -- House, 30-125, rejected an amendment that would provide $3 million to pay the tuition and fees for children who were adopted through the state adoption system and are attending any one of 29 state colleges.

MO: Bill would expand adoption subsidy recipients

Associated Press - May 22, 2013 -- Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon is weighing whether to sign legislation that would allow children's non-related legal guardians to receive adoption subsidies. Currently only grandparents, aunts, uncles, adult siblings or cousins can get state-sponsored subsidies when they become the legal guardians of a child.

NC: Help For Cherokee Mothers

WLOS News13 - May 21, 2013 -- A nationally-recognized health program launched today to help low income mothers in the Cherokee community.

NJ: Negligence lawsuit filed against state in case of 8-year-old Irvington girl found dead

Star-Ledger - May 21, 2013 -- A family friend of the neglected Irvington girl whose malnourished, abused body was found in May 2011 is suing the state on behalf of the child, claiming it was negligent in its duties to protect her.

SC: Public-private partnership: Initiative targets child abuse

Myrtle Beach Online - May 21, 2013 -- Under the leadership of Bob and Lisa Castellani, the Silent Tears program was forged last year with the mission of giving "a voice to every child sexually abused." An array of private-public partnerships and the world-renowned expertise of Victor Veith, executive director of the National Child Protection Training Center, provided the foundation for a statewide task force.

SD: State Social Services Wants Tribes' Lawsuit Tossed

TN: DCS caseworker faulted by judge wasn't disciplined

The Tennessean - May 22, 2013 -- A Department of Children's Services caseworker who failed to follow agency guidelines admitted backdating paperwork after a teen's death and provided testimony during a wrongful-death trial in 2012 that a judge called not very credible was never disciplined.

TN: Henry named permanent head of Tennessee Children's Services department

Times Free Press - May 21, 2013 -- Gov. Bill Haslam today named Jim Henry as the permanent head of the state's troubled Department of Children's Services.

TX: US family waives custody of adopted Russian orphans

RAPSI News - May 22, 2013 -- A US court has granted the request of a US family seeking to terminate their custody of three adopted Russian orphans, Texas Department of Family and Protective Services spokeswoman Shari Pulliam, told RIA Novosti.

UT: Is Utah's capital city the gay parenting capital of the United States?

Fox 13 News - May 21, 2013 -- A new study indicates Salt Lake City has the highest rate of same-sex couples raising children, and city leaders aren't surprised; they said Salt Lake City has paved the way for becoming a welcoming place for the LGBT community. Study: http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/research/census-lgbt-demographics-studies/infographic-msas-may-2013/

WA: State wins foster child ruling

The Olympian - May 22, 2013 -- The state will not have to return 15 troubled foster teens it removed because of safety concerns from three private facilities, including one in Lacey, a Thurston County Superior Court judge has ruled in part of an ongoing lawsuit.

US: Mental disorders affect 1 in 5 US children each year

New Scientist - May 20, 2013 -- As many as one in five children aged 3 to 17 years old experiences a mental health disorder each year, according to a new report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Related article (includes link to report): http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/health/mdmama/2013/05/new_report_says_1_out_of_5_children_has_a_mental_disorder.html

Philippines: DSWD XI presents results of child protection rapid assessment

Philippine Information Agency - May 21, 2013 -- Taking the lead of the Child Protection Working Group (CPWG), the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) XI recently presented results of the Child Protection Rapid Assessment (CIPRA) conducted in selected municipalities and provinces affected by Typhoon Pablo.

Australia: NT Govt to strengthen long term child protection orders

ABC News - May 22, 2013 -- The Northern Territory's Child Protection Minister says her Government is redrafting laws to increase stability for vulnerable children in long-term foster care. But the Child Protection Minister says forced adoptions is not on the table.

Tasmania (Australia): Child protection law change to support parents

Tasmania Examiner - May 22, 2013 -- Child protection legislation will be changed to offer more support to parents in a bid to reduce the number of cases that end up in court.

AK: Grown Up: Young Adults Recall Their Life in Foster Care (Includes Video)

KTUU - May 20, 2013 -- Revolving parents - an estimated 1800 young people are in foster care throughout Alaska. May is Foster Care month and advocates are trying to bring attention to this group.

CA: Program at Mather aids former Sacramento County foster kids

Sacramento Bee - May 19, 2013 -- Run by Volunteers of America, the Laverne Adolfo program provides housing in 50 apartments on the former Mather Air Force Base, along with education, employment and mental health services.

KS: First Steps: Aging out of foster care

Great Bend Tribune - May 19, 2013 -- While most grads will look into the audience and find their loved ones, there will be some who will lock eyes with someone other than their parents. They are the small but important percentage of youth who "age out" of the foster care system each year. Kansas accounted for 347 of these youth last year.

MI: State tries to ease load on the foster care system

Detroit News - May 20, 2013 -- The Department of Human Services is testing a pilot project in three counties designed to keep children out of foster care and save the state money.

MO: Social Services Director Resigns

Associated Press - May 20, 2013 -- The director of the Missouri Department of Social Services has resigned after five months on the job.
Gov. Jay Nixon said Monday that Alan Freeman has stepped down to return to his previous private-sector job as president and CEO of Grace Hill Health Centers Inc.

NC: Local agency joins push to help older foster children

Winston-Salem Chronicle - May 19, 2013 -- "Success Beyond 18" was kicked off last week on Capitol Hill.
Approximately 26,000 individuals "age out" of the foster care system each year. In North Carolina, approximately 500 and in Forsyth County, 17 age out each year. In general, these young people are not prepared to live on their own, yet that is what they are asked to do.

ND: Incoming Fargo bishop's former diocese didn't participate in abuse audit

InForum - May 17, 2013 -- An annual report, sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, says an independent audit and study found 2012 had the biggest drop in allegations of sexual abuse by priests in a decade. But the report also singles out one diocese as the only one that refuses to take part in the annual audit and data collection of compliance with the conference's own 2004 Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People: the Diocese of Lincoln, in Nebraska.

OR: Redefining the shadow of the church and aiding foster children

The Oregonian - May 20, 2013 -- Goble signed on with the Portland Leadership Foundation to create Embrace Oregon, which seeks to connect vulnerable children, healthy families and exhausted child-care workers ... and add to the 16 new families that have already opened their homes to foster kids.

PA: Sexual abuse accusations against a Perry County scoutmaster met decades of silence

Patriot News - May 19, 2013 -- Maxwell's lawsuit argues no statute of limitation should apply. It argues that, in 1976, the Boy Scouts told Maxwell's family the matter was in the "right hands." As a result, they believed there was no need or avenue for legal action, according to the lawsuit.

SC: Education is key to prevention of child sex abuse (pt. 3 of a series)

Aiken Standard - May 20, 2013 -- In the Aiken County Public School District, guidance counselors are responsible for educating children about protecting themselves from sexual abuse, according to Gina Bassford, who is the district's liaison for counseling services. She said they follow a set of standards known as "The South Carolina Comprehensive Developmental Guidance and Counseling Program Model."
Pt. 1: http://www.aikenstandard.com/article/20130518/AIK0101/130519492/advocacy-center-aids-victims-of-child-abuse
Pt. 2: http://www.aikenstandard.com/article/20130519/AIK0101/130519456/1004/child-abuse-cases-difficult-to-prosecute-welfare-of-victims-is-a-priority

TN: DCS says foster care needs increasing

Cleveland Daily Banner - May 21, 2013 -- The Tennessee Department of Children's Services has noticed an increasing need for temporary caregivers for children in foster care.
There has been an uptick in the number of children in state DCS custody within the past couple of years.

VA: At-home visits may be the new pre-preschool

Washington Post - May 19, 2013 -- In an effort to close the achievement gap, new programs get to kids early. Here are some of the people Milenka St. Clair, a family support worker with Northern Virginia Family Service, meets on a typical day.

VA: High Stakes for Children in Immigration Reform

Public News Service - May 21, 2013 -- As a U.S. Senate committee prepares to vote this week on a sweeping immigration reform bill, advocates for children say it contains critical provisions for protecting and helping immigrant youth. It includes a pathway to citizenship, and other provisions to keep families together. For kids in Virginia, the legislation would make it easier for the state to offer unauthorized immigrant students in-state college tuition.

WA: & OR: Parents protest New Vision removals

The Columbian - May 18, 2013 -- New Vision Programs, a chain of foster homes for troubled children in Vancouver and Lacey as well as Clackamas and Milwaukie, Ore., has sued the state Department of Social and Health Services for pulling its kids out of its facilities without proper notice or explanation.

US: Adoption credit countdown

Journal-News - May 19, 2013 -- For 2010 and 2011 ONLY, the Adoption Tax Credit was made refundable by the Affordable Care Act. This means that adoptive parents can receive the credit even if they owe no income tax. This refund-ability also applies to any credit carried over to 2010 from any of the previous five tax years.

US: Child Trafficking Victims Protection Act (CTVPA) Approved by Senate Judiciary Committee

roybal-allard.house.gov - May 20, 2013 -- The CTVPA will place child welfare professionals at Customs and Border Patrol stations to provide basic humanitarian assistance to unaccompanied children in federal custody. These trained experts will screen children to identify victims of persecution and trafficking and help to ensure that they are treated appropriately.

US: Church Whistle-Blowers Join Forces on Abuse

New York Times - May 20, 2013 -- They call themselves Catholic Whistleblowers, a newly formed cadre of priests and nuns who say the Roman Catholic Church is still protecting sexual predators.

US: Gay Adoption Bill to be Reintroduced with Bipartisan Sponsors

Edge Boston - May 20, 2013 -- A bill that would cut off federal funding to adoption and foster care agencies that discriminate against gay and lesbian couples seeking to parent is making its way to Congress again with bipartisan support.

United Kingdom: Pre-proceedings process fails to reduce length of care proceedings, but can help divert cases from court

Medical Press - May 20, 2013 -- The findings from the University of East Anglia and University of Bristol study come at a time when the government is seeking to reduce the duration of care proceedings to 26 weeks. The report's authors say that if this is to be achieved, the courts will need to take more account of the pre-proceedings process.

CA: County to Focus on Foster Children AWOL at Group Homes

Associated Press - May 17, 2013 -- Orange County Supervisor Todd Spitzer is raising questions about dozens of foster children who walk away from group homes in the county each month, and the lack of information that the county's top elected leaders receive on the issue.

CA: Lawmaker calls for audit of Child Services

Hi Desert Star - May 14, 2013 -- Donnelly asked the committee to look into how San Bernardino and Sacramento counties deal with reports on child seizures by Child Protective Services, known in San Bernardino County as Children and Family Services. He also asked auditors to look at one additional county, chosen by them.

CT: Niantic prison would get nursery for inmates' infants under proposal

The Day - May 20, 2013 -- A proposal to create a nursery for infants of women inmates at York Correctional Institution has gotten cautious endorsement from two legislative committees, but lawmakers want to know why the price tag is as much as $14 million over two years.

FL: 16 Head Start Facilities to reopen Wednesday

ActionNewsJax - May 19, 2013 -- Several Head Start facilities that closed Friday, will now re-open their doors. The Department of Children and Families says an agreement has been reached to re-open 16 Head Start facilities in Jacksonville this Wednesday, May 22. This move will help more than 1,500 children who are served by Head Start programs.

FL: Abused, isolated: a little boy's hard life

Miami Herald - May 20, 2013 -- Anubis and scores of other Florida children are at the center of a bitter fight over the state's treatment of severely disabled and medically complex children.

FL: Woman Tells Her Story of Sex Trafficking and Incest

NBC Miami - May 18, 2013 -- Noel Thomas, the anti-human trafficking coordinator for the Department of Children and Families, says: "Florida is number three in the United States based on call volume for human trafficking."

MA: When homelessness is part of the student turnover equation

Berkshire Eagle - May 19, 2013 -- Gage said there were about 6,000 overnight stays at the Louison House in 2012, and 25 to 30 percent of clients come in with children each year. For school-aged children, moving into the Louison House, into another shelter or staying with other family members means they might have to change schools.

MO: Bill closes child abuse report loophole

Associated Press - May 17, 2013 -- Missouri now requires mandatory reporters who suspect a child has been abused or neglected to "immediately report" or "cause a report to be made" to the state's Children's Division. But it also allows mandatory reporters to pass the information to another person in their organizations, for a decision on submitting the case to authorities.
The bill would require the mandatory reporter to submit the case directly to state officials.

SC: Advocacy center aids victims of child abuse (pt. 1 of a series)

Aiken Standard - May 18, 2013 -- "One of my assistants who handled child abuse cases, Brenda Brisbin, brought the problem to my attention," Morgan remembered. "She told me that we had a crisis because the resources we needed weren't here and kids weren't getting taken care of appropriately."
Traumatized youngsters had to tell their stories multiple times. They had to wait hours in emergency rooms to be examined. They were questioned in law enforcement interrogation rooms and the back of patrol cars.

SC: Child abuse cases difficult to prosecute (pt. 2 of a series)

Aiken Standard - May 19, 2013 -- "Under the law, defendants have the right to confront their accusers, so the children have to be able to testify for you to go to trial," Agnew said. "But if you go to trial, you're subjecting the victims to reliving the worst, most painful, terrifying moments of their lives in front of a courtroom full of strangers."

SD: State responds to absence at Native American foster care summit

Argus Leader - May 17, 2013 -- NPR reported that families testified at the conference about alleged violations of federal law requiring placements of Indian children to be in Indian homes if possible.

TN: DCS faces challenges over medical maltreatment cases

The Tennessean - May 20, 2013 -- Allegations of abuse were reported to the Department of Children's Services, which opened an investigation related to medical maltreatment for failing to give the proper medications and physical abuse for the cigarette burn. On June 12, just four days after the allegation was made, DCS categorized the medical maltreatment as unfounded. Six days after that, Little Man was dead.

TX: Love's last resort

American Statesman - May 18, 2013 -- Last year, parents of 130 Texas children willingly claimed that they abused or neglected their offspring - even though they had not - because involving Child Protective Services was the only way to provide their children the intensive, and expensive, mental health treatment they needed.

TX: Nelson's bills continue to progress

Flower Mound Leader - May 17, 2013 -- The Texas House of Representatives on Friday passed SB 427 by Texas State Senator Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, which closes a loophole by requiring residential child care contractors and Child Protective Services workers who coordinate services for children in foster care homes to undergo background checks before working with children in the foster care and child placement system.

WA: When there's no other voice for kids

Union Bulletin - May 19, 2013 -- Washington's lawmakers may soon vote on a Senate bill that would make things even harder for foster kids by cutting funds to CASA, or Court Appointed Special Advocate.

WI: Event explains different aspects of child welfare system (with video)

Stevens Point Journal - May 18, 2013 -- On Friday, about 80 members of the community were asked to put themselves in the shoes of children like those taken in by the Rileys. They took part in Journey Home, a bus tour presented by the Coalition for Children, Youth & Families, aimed to educate people about the child welfare system.

US: Child abuse, poverty a greater risk in cohabiting couples

Hays Daily News - May 20, 2013 -- Child abuse is a significant social problem. Studies looking at abuse prevention have found stepparents show much higher levels of abuse both in married and unmarried households. Boyfriends also are more likely to be abusive whether they cohabit with or date mothers.

US: March for Orphans Brings Attention to Broken International Adoption System

Christian Post - May 18, 2013 -- "Today the process is so restrictive, and so bureaucratic and so broken, we are really actually prohibiting families and kids from coming together. It's nuts," Craig Juntunen, president and founder of Both Ends Burning, told The Christian Post as he was marching.

US: Revisiting the 'Crack Babies' Epidemic That Was Not

New York Times - May 20, 2013 -- This week's Retro Report video on "crack babies" (infants born to addicted mothers) lays out how limited scientific studies in the 1980s led to predictions that a generation of children would be damaged for life. Those predictions turned out to be wrong.

Nigeria: Baby Factory: Imo Govt adopts 24 rescued pregnant girls

Osun Defender - May 18, 2013 -- He also ordered the immediate demolition of the centre where the victims were rescued at Umuaka, Njaba LGA, even as he condemned the ugly trend of people making money from child trafficking and other illegal means

CA: Is OC's Child Protective Services a "System of lies"?

KTTV FOX 11 - May 16, 2013 -- Fox 11 investigators began hearing from parents. Desperate parents. They said social workers had taken their children. They said social workers were lying, falsifying reports, perjuring themselves in court.

FL: Secretary of Department of Children and Families talks about Team 6 investigation [Includes video]

NBC 6 South Florida - May 16, 2013 -- A Team 6 Investigation inside DCF showed the challenges of that job. Florida's Secretary of DCF David Wilkins watched that report and spoke to Diana Gonzalez about it on Thursday.

MO: Bill makes older foster kids get college visit

Associated Press - May 15, 2013 -- Missouri foster children would be required to receive a college visit under a bill sent to Gov. Jay Nixon.

NC: Mecklenburg hires child advocate Peggy Eagan as new DSS director

Charlotte Observer - May 16, 2013 -- After a nationwide search for a new Department of Social Services director, Mecklenburg County went down the street Thursday to hire longtime Charlotte children's advocate Peggy Eagan.

RI: Family Court judge: R.I. needs more long-term placements for mentally ill youths

Providence Journal - May 16, 2013 -- The state Family Court's chief judge testified before a Senate oversight hearing Wednesday that Rhode Island lacks adequate long-term residential programs in Rhode Island to care for youth with severe mental health problems.

SD: State officials miss historic meeting with tribes

NPR Morning Edition - May 16, 2013 -- Federal officials met with South Dakota's nine Sioux tribes on Wednesday for a historic summit in Rapid City. A year in the making, it was an effort to address long standing concerns over the high number of Native American children the state places in white foster homes. State officials, however, didn't show up for the meeting.

Related: "Funding to be topic at Indian foster care summit": http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Funding-to-be-topic-at-Indian-foster-care-summit-4524914.php

TN: DCS files: Older siblings' neglect may signal risk

The Tennessean - May 17, 2013 -- Of the 42 child fatality or near-fatality case files a judge ordered the Department of Children's Services to give The Tennessean last week, at least three involved families in which older children were taken away.

TN: DCS to release remaining files 'quickly as possible'

The Tennessean - May 17, 2013 -- The Department of Children's Services said Thursday that it will release remaining files of child deaths or near deaths sought by The Tennessean and other media groups "as quickly as possible" and without waiting for a court order.

TX: Video link to judge lets Southeast Texas foster kids be heard

Beaumont Enterprise - May 16, 2013 -- The family courts are looking at using digital technology to make it easier for judges to communicate with kids in foster care. They are going to start holding hearings through video conferencing, so the judge can talk face to face with foster children and they don't have to come down to the courthouse in person.

VA: Ousted Social Services manager fires back

Richmond Times-Dispatch - May 17, 2013 -- Ousted Richmond Social Services Deputy Director Gayle L. Turner fired back at a jarring report released last week that says the department endangered children's health and safety in an effort to shrink foster-care numbers.

VA: State to launch adoption campaign today

Associated Press - May 17, 2013 -- Gov. Bob McDonnell is launching an ambitious campaign to match more than 1,000 children in foster care with 1,000 adoptive parents.

Related: "Governor Under New Pressure to End Adoption Discrimination": http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/32528-1

US: Gay adoption bill could downsize Catholic agencies

Catholic News Agency - May 17, 2013 -- As a new bill aims to bar federal funding of adoption services that do not place children with gay couples, an Illinois Catholic leader warned a similar law there downsized faith-based agencies.

US: Poverty as a childhood disease

New York Times - May 13, 2013 -- At the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies last week, there was a new call for pediatricians to address childhood poverty as a national problem, rather than wrestling with its consequences case by case in the exam room.

United Kingdom: Social workers' fears over care system changes

BBC News - May 16, 2013 -- Social workers warn changes being brought in to speed up adoption and the family courts might be bad for the welfare of some children.

Canada: Harper government withheld documents in indigenous human-rights case

The Globe and Mail - May 17, 2013 -- The Harper government withheld tens of thousands of documents that it was obligated to disclose as part of a human-rights case in which it is accused of discriminating against indigenous children. Now, it is using its failure to hand over the files to try to get the proceedings put on hold.

CA: Boarding high school for foster kids faces declining enrollment

U-T San Diego - May 15, 2013 -- Two weeks ago, major players in the county's child care system met to discuss a worrisome trend at San Pasqual Academy, the nation's first boarding school for foster children.

CA: Judge says L.A. should end contract with private foster agency

Los Angeles Times - May 14, 2013 -- The presiding judge of L.A. County's Juvenile Court and the head of a court-appointed law firm representing foster children have called on Los Angeles county supervisors to sever the county's contract with Teens Happy Homes.

CO: Background checks delay foster care placement

KREX - May 15, 2013 -- Ariel Clinical Services tells NewsChannel 5 that CBI background checks on parents typically take six to eight weeks, but are now taking up to six months. Officials speculate the backup is due to the spike in background checks for gun sales.

GA: DFCS employees disciplined in controversial adoption case

WSBTV - May 15, 2013 -- Channel 2 Action News has learned that five Fulton County Department of Family and Children Services workers were either disciplined or recommended to be barred from future state employment because of their role in a controversial adoption case. DFCS approved the adoption of three young children even though the adopting family initially withheld information about the aggravated sexual molestation of one family member by another.

KY: Internal investigation of Jefferson County social services office concluding

Herald-Leader - May 15, 2013 -- An internal investigation into one of Kentucky's largest regional child protection and social services office should conclude in coming weeks, said Cabinet for Health and Family Services Secretary Audrey Tayse Haynes.

NJ: Newark baby who died in bathtub was a foster child, state official says

The Star-Ledger - May 15, 2013 -- Circumstances surrounding the death of Kaniiyah Ealey remain unclear but state Department of Children and Families Commissioner Allison Blake said the agency was "working closely with law enforcement to investigate an allegation of neglect regarding supervision of this child in the bathtub."

NY: Helping kids find homes

New York Press - May 15, 2013 -- The Children's Museum of the Arts downtown recently played host to several kids in the foster care system, and Heart Gallery, a non-profit organization that pairs professional photographers with kids and takes their pictures. From there, Heart Gallery, which has over 100 chapters all over the country, displays giant-sized photos of the kids at galleries or in public spaces like Penn Station.

SD: Native Americans trade tales of heartache, anger over displaced children

Rapid City Journal - May 16, 2013 -- Those stories from parents - specifically details about the difficulty in regaining custody of Native children placed in non-Native foster homes - filled the first day of the Great Plains Indian Child Welfare Act Summit in Rapid City.

TN: DCS files raise more questions

The Tennessean - May 16, 2013 -- DCS is working to overhaul the recruitment, training and assessment process for investigators and has established a partnership with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to develop a "concentrated foundational training course" for caseworkers.

TX: Senate backs bill on psychotropic drugs for foster kids

The Texas Tribune - May 15, 2013 -- Lawmakers in both chambers have now endorsed legislation that would require guardians of foster children to take greater caution before giving psychotropic drugs to the children.

VA: New Va. Beach human services director starts in July

The Virginian-Pilot - May 16, 2013 -- Dannette R. Smith comes to the Beach after serving as Seattle's director of human services. She starts July 1.

WV: Process reduces caseload for child protective services

Charleston Daily Mail - May 15, 2013 -- Social workers with the state Division of Child Protective Services are responding to far fewer cases than five years ago. Officials attribute those lower numbers to a three-year-old, three-tier process for responding to potential child abuse cases.

US: Foster families or orphanages: What do alumni say?

The Chronicle of Social Change - May 15, 2013 -- Alumni who have lived in both orphanage and foster placement seem to favor orphanages over the alternatives.

Canada: Foster kids are rising stars

Mississauga.com - May 15, 2013 -- Ontario's inaugural Child and Youth in Care Day falls officially on May 14. The province-wide initiative was prompted by a series of hearings that took place at Queen's Park last year where Ontario youth in care gave recommendations to the government on what can be done to improve support for them.

Kenya: Orphans get Sh43.9 million

allAfrica.com - May 15, 2013 -- "The big challenge is that the programme cannot effectively serve all the deserving cases because the numbers of orphans continues to rise in the district due to high death rate, which is related to HIV/AIDS pandemic," said Area District Children Officer Joseph Otieno.

Australia: Police need more power in child welfare cases, Northern Territory coroner says

The Australian - May 15, 2013 -- NT Coroner Greg Cavanagh on Wednesday released his findings into the deaths of Michael Chisholm, Aaliyaha Webb and Julian Chisholm. Since the deaths, steps had been taken to improve police processes.

Australia: Giles defends call for Aboriginal child adoptions

ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) - May 16, 2013 -- Chief Minister Adam Giles has hit back at critics of his view that adoption could be the right solution for neglected Aboriginal children in the Northern Territory.

CA: County launches 'exceptional' children adoption program

Pomerado Newspaper Group - May 14, 2013 -- The county has launched a campaign that encourages adoption of "exceptional" children who face the possibility never leaving the foster system. The adoption-eligible children - around 45 to 50 annually in San Diego County - are deemed "hard-to-place" because of their age; behavioral, developmental, psychological or medical disabilities; or are siblings who do not want to be separated.

CA: Critic slams Child Welfare for not grabbing at funding grants

Recordnet.com - May 15, 2013 -- A former employee turned critic of county Child Welfare Services says the agency isn't doing enough to bring in grant money.

CA: Lawyer-client secrecy trumps child-abuse reporting duty

SFGate - May 14, 2013 -- A therapist or other medical professional who learns evidence of possible child abuse is required to report it to authorities or face criminal prosecution under California law. But suppose the therapist gets that information while working as an expert consultant for a criminal defense lawyer, whose client communications are supposed to be confidential?

CO: Agencies say foster care demand soaring

Associated Press - May 14, 2013 -- Private organizations that help municipalities connect children in need with foster care families and potential adoption homes are struggling in western Colorado.

CO: Hickenlooper signs child protection reforms into law

KDVR Fox 31 - May 14, 2013 -- Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper took a step toward protecting at-risk children from abuse and neglect Tuesday when he signed five bills into law at the Capitol. The legislation is part of an ongoing effort to address gaps in the state's child welfare system after close to 100 Colorado children have died in the past five years despite having their cases referred to state caseworkers.

GA: Family allowed to adopt 3 kids despite sexual assault history in home

WSB Atlanta - May 14, 2013 -- The family adopting the children failed to admit to a sexual assault inside their home and Channel 2 Action News has learned a background investigation also missed the crime. The adopting family's home was the site of a sexual assault by an 18-year-old family member on a younger family member.

KS: Photo project helps show need for adoptions in Kansas

Hays Daily News - May 14, 2013 -- "It's really a good way to obviously put a face to it," Lada said. "We have professional photographers throughout the state who donate time and resources .... and they take their time to really capture the child's personality.

KY: Kentucky Child Abuse Panel Meeting this Fall

Tristate - May 14, 2013 -- A panel reviewing cases of severe child abuse and neglect expects to issue its first report later this year.
Also: Child abuse review panel could have first report by September: http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20130513/NEWS01/305130062/Child-abuse-review-panel-could-first-report-by-September

LA: Criminal record wouldn't bar adoption under bill OK'd by Senate committee

The Times Picayune - May 14, 2013 -- Louisianians with a criminal record wouldn't be barred from adopting children under a bill approved by a Senate committee Tuesday. The bill was passed without opposition and will now head to the Senate floor for further debate.

NE: Flanagan found place for boys to call home

The Tennessean - May 14, 2013 -- His orphanage, Boys Town, in the western edge of Omaha, Neb., has grown into a village serving hundreds of children, and expanded to 12 more facilities across the United States.

NY: Filling Up an Empty Nest

New York Times - May 14, 2013 -- Some brave older adults are turning the idea of retirement on its head by choosing to adopt children - this when many of their peers are traveling, socializing, taking up intellectual or entrepreneurial pursuits, or just plain relaxing.

PA: Misdemeanor charge filed against two Sullivan County Children & Youth Services employees

Daily Review - May 14, 2013 -- Misdemeanor charges were filed Monday against the director of Sullivan County Children & Youth Services and a caseworker for failing to report to a law enforcement agency a suspected incident of child abuse, police said.

SC: Parents sue over sex-reassignment surgery

UPI - May 14, 2013 -- A South Carolina couple said Tuesday they're suing doctors and the state's child welfare agency for performing sexual-reassignment surgery on their child.

TN: DCS files outline abuse, death of young children

The Tennessean - May 13, 2013 -- Records released by the state Department of Children's Services showing 42 cases where children died or nearly died after the agency had some type of involvement with them shows that half of the kids were under 1 year old. Some of the records didn't even include the child's age.
Related: DCS' delays in records could have put kids, investigations at risk, experts say: http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130515/NEWS21/305150116/2275/RSS05

VA: DSS Director still on job despite call for 'immediate corrective action' (Included Video)

WTVR - May 15, 2013 -- The mayor's office later confirmed by email that Moseley is still working as director, that while she announced retirement Thursday, an exact departure date hasn't been set yet.

VI: Human Services Department plans overhaul of V.I.'s foster care system

Virgin Islands Daily News - May 13, 2013 -- The V.I. Human Services Department plans to change the way it handles foster care to end the territory's reliance on stateside residential care facilities for children with severe emotional and behavioral problems.

US: Most Sex Offenders Against Children Are Family Members

Psychology Today - May 14, 2013 -- Unfortunately, the media's lack of attention to those typical sex offenses against children often perpetuates the myth that "Don't talk to strangers" as the preventive method to keep children safe.

United Kingdom: Child sexual abuse civil court orders criticised

BBC News - May 14, 2013 -- Civil court orders designed to prevent sex offenders targeting children after they are released from prison are "not fit for purpose", a report has found.

Russia: Families in the midst of adopting Russian orphans urge officials to release children

Washington Post - May 14, 2013 -- A group of American families who were in the final stages of adopting children from Russia when that country banned adoptions by Americans recently came to Washington on Tuesday, offering new proposals to address Russian lawmakers' concerns.

AZ: Home Visiting Program grant to serve 40 Verde Valley families

Verde Independent - May 12, 2013 -- The Verde Valley Medical Center (VVMC) Healthy Families program, formerly known as the Verde Valley Parenting Partnership, has been awarded a Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting federal grant to serve 40 families with young children in the Verde Valley area. The program is sponsored by the Verde Valley Medical Center and First Things First will be serving as a conduit to monitor and administer the grant at a local level.

CA: The Child Mill; County cuts off foster agency; Decision comes after new allegations of malfeasance, abuse

Los Angeles Times - May 14, 2013 -- Responding to new allegations of financial malfeasance and abuse, county officials have decided to stop sending children to the private foster care agency Teens Happy Homes.

FL: Child welfare workers to be honored

News Herald - May 12, 2013 -- Shelf-lives of case workers for Children's Home Society Florida (CHS) are often short, according to CHS officials.
CHS will be honoring all the child welfare professionals who devote their careers and lives to protecting and guiding abused, neglected and abandoned children for Child Welfare Professionals Recognition Day on Monday.

FL: Foster care system changes 'let kids be kids,' support their education

Florida Times Union - May 14, 2013 -- Two new watershed laws changing Florida's foster care system will vastly improve children's lives and give foster parents greater flexibility, according to David Wilkins, secretary of the state Department of Children and Families.

ID: Idaho Medical Marijuana Advocate Lindsey Rinehart Got Her Kids Back From the State

Reason.com - May 13, 2013 -- On April 23rd, the Boise-based medical marijuana advocate (and user--Rinehart has multiple sclerosis) had her kids put in foster care when Boise police searched Rinehart's home and found marijuana "in locations...accessible to the children"; the freezer and the bedroom Lindsey shared with husband Josh.

ID: Testing the waters in a program for foster care youth

Arbiter - May 13, 2013 -- Anna Moreshead, a graduate student with the school of social work here at Boise State, is working with the Dean of Students, Chris Wuthrich, the school of social work, and community partners on a pilot program to assist former youth of foster care to be successful in college.

IL: Couple sues Bolingbrook agency over alleged botched adoption

Chicago Sun Times - May 12, 2013 -- About 10 months later, they had to give the boy up because the adoption agency did not properly notify his biological father, according to a lawsuit they filed this spring.
Now the licensing division of the Department of Children and Family Services is investigating the agency.

LA: 'Coerced abortion' would be child abuse under bill passed by Louisiana House

Times-Picayune - May 13, 2013 -- "Coerced abortion" by parents or caretakers would be considered child abuse under a bill passed by the Louisiana House on Monday. The measure was approved 92-0 and now heads to the Senate for further debate.

MD: Court of Appeals revisits parental rights issue

Daily Record - May 12, 2013 -- Courts cannot strip parents of their parental rights while they are appealing a judge's order in the related foster-care case, an attorney for a mother seeking reunification with her son told Maryland's top court.

MO: Bill lets foster care kids re-enter system

Enquirer-Herald - May 13, 2013 -- Children leaving Missouri's foster care system after their 18th birthday would be able to return to state custody under a bill sent to Gov. Jay Nixon.

NC: Partnership gives young moms a boost

Rocky Mount Telegram - May 12, 2013 -- A program called Nurse-Family Partnership is working to help guide first-time, low-income mothers through pregnancy. Registered nurses meet with the moms in their homes on a regular basis during pregnancy and through the second year of their child's life.

NJ: Paramus' Childrens Aid & Family Services Adds Medical Facility

Paramus Patch - May 14, 2013 -- The facility will provide onsite medical screenings, triage and treatment. The center will also work as a liasion to all those involved including the children's medical care, foster care and those involved in planning for the children's futures.

NV: Changes in Family Court Follow I-Team Investigation

8 News Now - May 13, 2013 -- Sweeping changes are underway at the Clark County Family Court. It's a move that follows an I-Team investigation into adoption delays at the court.

NV: Child Welfare Services Promised Overhaul

8 News Now - May 14, 2013 -- A $3 million overhaul of Clark County's Department of Family Services is being pushed forward following several recent tragedies involving children in the system.

NY: Mothers to do jail time at home under new program

CBS News - May 11, 2013 -- The team behind a promising alternative-to-incarceration program for women in Brooklyn, N.Y., is launching a new initiative to coincide with Mother's Day that will allow convicted mothers to carry out their sentences in their own homes.

OH: State Helps Make College Dreams a Reality for Foster Youth

Public News Service - May 14, 2013 -- Dreams of higher education typically don't come true for former foster youth, as research shows only 2 percent of those emancipated from foster care achieve a college degree. But efforts are under way at campuses across Ohio to change that outcome.

OR: Adoption Bill Aims For More Access To Paperwork

Northwest News Network - May 13, 2013 -- Oregon lawmakers are considering a measure that would make it easier for people who were adopted as children to access court records about their biological family. A House committee could vote to advance the measure Tuesday.

PA: Four school districts to participate in the Stewards of Children program to train staff on abuse

Centre Daily Times - May 12, 2013 -- The Bald Eagle Area, Bellefonte, Philipsburg-Osceola and Moshannon Valley school districts will have their employees at all levels take the 21/2-hour course, Long said.

TN: DCS case files show how caseworkers interacted with children

The Tennessean - May 14, 2013 -- "When they write down not only what they observe but also any thoughts they have, it provides the human element," said Christina Riehl, senior staff attorney at the Children's Advocacy Institute of the San Diego School of Law.
Also: DCS papers raise prosecution, autopsy questions: http://www.wkrn.com/story/22239900/lawmaker-dcs-papers-raise-prosecution-autopsy-questions

TX: Home visits key to preventing child abuse

My San Antonio - May 07, 2013 -- The more caseworkers visiting homes to inquire about the health of at-risk kids the better. The Texas Senate currently has proposals to expand home visits through better funding.

US: At rally, immigrants focus on deportation's impact on families

Boston Globe - May 12, 2013 -- Conrado Santos, a Student Immigrant Movement member, said the possibility of new immigration laws offers mixed hopes for those in the country illegally.

US: Law aimed at helping N. Korean orphans

WDSU - May 13, 2013 -- In January, President Obama signed into law a measure designed to help these children. The North Korean Child Welfare Act of 2012 calls for the U.S. State Department to advocate for the "best interests" of North Korean children.

Czech Republic: More abandoned children admitted to families now

Prague Daily Monitor - May 14, 2013 -- More and more abandoned children end up in families instead of in institutional care as a result of one of few successful government social reforms, daily Hospodarske noviny (HN) writes Monday.

Canada: More children supported at home than placed in care

Winnipeg Free Press - May 14, 2013 -- A chart presented at the inquiry showed 9,730 kids in care on March 31, 2012. On the same day, the child-welfare system was providing services to 6,256 families with 11,522 children at home. The number of those cases is growing faster than the number of children taken into care, said Loeppky.

Canada: Social problems at root of foster care in the North

CBC - May 13, 2013 -- The latest census data shows aboriginal children are over-represented in the foster care system and it's even higher in the North.

Singapore: Adoption in Singapore: It may cost up to $28000 for a baby

The Straits Times - May 14, 2013 -- There are now fewer than five adoption agencies with a steady stream of business, down from about a dozen a decade ago, adoption agents say.
And given a shrinking number of Indonesian and Malaysian babies available for adoption, fees have spiked.

Australia: Indigenous adoption push prompts Stolen Generation fears

ABC News (Australia) - May 14, 2013 -- Some Aboriginal advocates say they are "absolutely horrified" by a Northern Territory Government proposal to put Aboriginal children up for adoption if they are victims of extreme neglect.

AR: 'Journey Home' Opens Eyes To Foster System

Times Record - May 12, 2013 -- A group of community leaders embarked on an emotional journey of their own this past week as they toured five different local sites in the foster care system during "Journey Home," sponsored by The CALL (Children of Arkansas Loved for a Lifetime) of Crawford and Sebastian counties in partnership with Sebastian County Sheriff Bill Hollenbeck and Crawford County Sheriff Ron Brown.

CA: CSUSM helps ex-foster kids shine

UT San Diego - May 13, 2013 -- A program geared toward helping former foster youths earn a college degree is surging at Cal State San Marcos.
A total of 50 students are now in the ACE Scholars Services program, and the university will admit 16 freshmen this summer, said the program's director, Jim Mickelson. That's up from last year's enrollment of 10 freshmen.

LA: Senate approves Morrish child abuse bill

American Press - May 12, 2013 -- Sen. Dan "Blade" Morrish, R-Jennings, is backing a measure for parents to request a second opinion in cases where they are suspected of child abuse.
The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 109, and the House Civil Law Committee is scheduled to hear the bill Monday.

NJ: Teens Camp Out for Essex County CASA

Montclair Patch - May 09, 2013 -- Nearly 50 students spent an evening under the stars and gave up their beds for one night to show support for the thousands of children in their community without a safe and permanent home. Timed to coincide with National Foster Care Month in May, CAMP OUT FOR CASA was the first of its kind. A youth-led event that raised social awareness about the challenges faced by foster children and the work of volunteers who are dedicated to improving their futures.

OK: Some mothers haunted over pregnancy drug use

Tulsa - May 12, 2013 -- Following that review of 10 recent infant deaths, the Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth spent 2012 seeking answers to the substance-exposed newborn problem. The commission found several glaring gaps in what should be a safety net for these babies ...

OK: Underserved Oklahomans to receive impactful grants

News OK - May 13, 2013 -- Thanks to a group of 233 central Oklahoma women hoping to improve the lives of their fellow Oklahomans, some homeless young men soon will have a chance to learn a basic life skill - cooking. A new foster home will be built for abused and neglected boys. People in desperate need will receive dental care and people with disabilities will get to experience a specially designed challenge course.

TN: DCS interim commissioner talks of change

Knox News - May 10, 2013 -- Ninety days after he stepped in as interim commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Children's Services, Jim Henry thinks he's identified most of the "cracks in the system."

TN: List of problems at DCS

The Tennessean - May 13, 2013 -- The Tennessee Department of Children's Services has faced scrutiny over mounting problems during the past year: Child advocates and the sheriff in Dickson County said DCS wasn't properly intervening in situations in which children were experiencing severe abuse ...

WA: New Law Gives Parents Behind Bars in Washington State a Way to Hold Onto Their Children

Truth Out - May 11, 2013 -- On May 8, 2013, Washington State governor Jay Inslee signed SHB1284, or the Children of Incarcerated Parents bill, into law. The law guides the courts' discretion to delay the termination of parental rights if the parent's incarceration or prior incarceration is a significant factor for the child's continued stay in the foster care system.

US: Bed Sharing Safely: Not All Co-Sleeping is Created Equal

Public News Service - May 13, 2013 -- When it comes to the potential risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome from a mother sharing her bed with her baby, there is a push to change the message from "just don't do it" to "here is how it's done most safely."

US: Nia Vardalos decides it's time to share: Motherhood compels actress to write book on foster adoption (Requires registration)

Chicago Tribune - May 10, 2013 -- When the adoption was final, Vardalos hugged her social worker and asked, "For all those years, why didn't I know about the kids in foster care waiting for parents?"
"Well, we've been waiting a long time for someone like you," the social worker answered.
"They needed a spokesperson," Vardalos writes. "They needed an advocate. They needed a blabbermouth like me."
She became a spokeswoman for National Adoption Day, appearing on talk shows and giving speeches about matching children with adoptive parents. Telling her story became therapeutic. And easier. And effective.

India: Kusumben: The story of Ahmedabad's very own Mother India

Daily Bhaskar - May 12, 2013 -- Long before former Miss Universe Sushmita Sen became the unofficial ambassador for single women adopting children and even before the society had warmed up to the idea, a Botany lecturer defied convention and adopted not one but two children.

India: Child abuse cases: Govt lays down guidelines

Hindustan Times - May 12, 2013 -- "Newly-implemented Protection of Children from sexual offences (POCSO) Act clearly states that the CWC must take care of every requirement of children. Some members were not aware of it and thus we have issued new guidelines," a senior Delhi government official said.

Serbia: Dacic: Serbia should stand by its citizens abroad

Tanjug - May 13, 2013 -- Serbia's Prime Minister Ivica Dacic said while visiting the Serb family Nastic in San Francisco, whose children were temporarily taken away by the U.S. Child Protective Services back in 2010, that Serbia should stand firmly by its citizens whenever they have problems abroad.

AZ: The big leap: Aging out of Arizona's foster care system

KJZZ - May 07, 2013 -- Every year, hundreds of young adults age out of Arizona's foster care system. It is a big transition that comes with very little support, but there is new legislation intended to lighten the load, though it may only help a little.

CA: Pregnant and homeless: The real cost

CNN NewSource - May 09, 2013 -- "I learned very early on that prenatal care alone was not enough," said Ryan, a 63-year-old registered nurse. "The women that we were serving needed help with housing, mental illness, substance abuse, domestic violence. ... And if we didn't help her with these other issues, then we were not going to be able to help her long term or help her children exit poverty."

FL: Newborn exposure to prescription drugs on rise

Associated Press - May 10, 2013 -- Florida officials are launching a new initiative to tackle the growing problem of newborns exposed to prescription drugs.

KY: Judge give state 30 days to explain why it withheld child abuse information

Lexington Herald Leader - May 09, 2013 -- A Franklin Circuit Court judge has given the state 30 days to tell the state's two largest newspapers why it redacted and took out information from more than 140 case files of children who have been killed or nearly killed from abuse or neglect.

MN: Senate passes bill removing civil statute of limitation on child sex abuse lawsuits

Pioneer Press - May 08, 2013 -- A bill that would make it easier for Minnesotans who were sexually abused as children to bring civil lawsuits against their abuser or the institution that enabled that abuse could soon become law. It passed the Minnesota Senate unanimously on Wednesday, May 8.

NV: Pilot program results in fewer drugs prescribed to kids

8 News Now - May 09, 2013 -- The change came about because of Healthy Minds, a pilot program through Clark County Family Services. It was started in October after the state found a startling number of kids in the system were being given powerful, mood-altering drugs.

SD: Healthy families begin with a Bright Start

Black Hills Pioneer - May 09, 2013 -- "It is called the Bright Start program here in South Dakota and it is using a model called the nurse-family partnership model across the United States," said Carol Stutzman, a registered nurse who visits the homes of first-time pregnant mothers in Butte and Lawrence counties.

VA: Social Services director retires after scathing report

Richmond Times-Dispatch - May 09, 2013 -- Through intimidation and interference, Richmond Department of Social Services managers risked children's health and safety in an effort to reduce foster-care numbers, altering protective and removal orders so judges "would not fully understand the facts reported" and ignoring medical recommendations from doctors, a report presented Thursday says.

US: Eight types of nurses you never knew existed

PBS Newshour - May 09, 2013 -- #5: Drug-Endangered Children's Nurse. As meth production in Appalachia began to spike, there was a sudden influx of children coming into foster care with a whole litany of never-before-seen issues.

US: and SD: Bureau of Indian Affairs to host summit on Native foster care in Rapid City, May 15-17, after strong pressure from South Dakota Sioux tribes

PRWEB - May 06, 2013 -- The Sioux Tribes of South Dakota and their NGO allies, including the Lakota People's Law Project, have been successful in persuading the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to fulfill its promise to Congress for a summit on Native foster care. The historic meeting, to be held May 15-17 in Rapid City, is called the "Great Plains Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) Summit: Bringing Our Children Home and Keeping Our Families Strong" and will be supplemented by a Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Information Center.

US: Immigration proposal could impact children and families

Youth Today - May 09, 2013 -- The Senate proposal promotes reunification of children with detained or deported parents. Alternatively, it ensures relatives have an opportunity to care for children in lieu of child welfare system involvement, makes sure parents who have been deported or are in immigration detention centers can participate in child welfare cases and affords parents due process rights in immigration and child welfare proceedings.

Ireland: Problems identified by child protection inspectors

TheJournal.ie - May 10, 2013 -- Although the HSE in Carlow/Kilkenny was found to be providing services which are safe for children, there were a number of problems identified by the watchdog in a recent inspection.

United Kingdom: Church of England facing new child abuse allegations

The Guardian - May 09, 2013 -- The Church of England is facing a new child protection scandal after accusations that the former archbishop of York failed to report allegations of child abuse by a senior clergyman.

Canada: Alberta child-protection bill will continue despite privacy concerns

The Globe and Mail - May 09, 2013 -- Privacy commissioner Jill Clayton said Wednesday she is concerned there would not be enough safeguards to ensure a child's confidential information didn't end up in the wrong hands.

Australia: Wellington program changing Indigenous lives

ABC News - May 10, 2013 -- The Wellington Aboriginal Health Service says the Nurse Family Partnership Program is having amazing outcomes.

AL: Gov. Bentley signs law streamlining adoption for foster children

WNCF - May 08, 2013 -- The law now shortens the time a child is in state custody from 15 months to 12 months. Courts will have 90 days to determine the parental rights of the child. And a final order will be due within 30 days of the trial.

AZ: Free tuition for Arizona foster kids advances

The Republic - May 08, 2013 -- Arizona's foster children came one step closer to qualifying for free tuition at the state's three universities Wednesday under a bill that requires one more vote to reach Gov. Jan Brewer's desk.

CO: Lawmakers OK Child fatality review, abuse hotline bills

Denver Post - May 07, 2013 -- Two key pieces of legislation to improve Colorado's child welfare system are headed to the governor's desk.

CO: Pueblo youth facility ordered to stop practice of seclusion

Denver Post - May 07, 2013 -- The Colorado Department of Human Services ordered that El Pueblo Boys and Girls Ranch suspend the use of its "reflection cottages" after an inspection that found patients were being inappropriately placed in seclusion and kept alone in a room for up to 14 days.

FL: DCF Sec. Wilkins to testify before Congress

Associated Press - May 09, 2013 -- Department of Children and Families Secretary David Wilkins is slated to testify before Congress about ways state agencies can help foster kids lead more normal lives.

IA: Group wants to extend foster care age to 21

Radio Iowa - May 07, 2013 -- The head of a national advocacy group for foster children is urging Iowa legislators to consider extending the foster care program from age 18 to 21.

IA: Human services officials seek new tack in child neglect cases

Des Moines Register - May 08, 2013 -- Iowa's Department of Human Services plans to put an end to child abuse investigations in minor cases of alleged neglect, hoping that a new, less confrontational approach of working with families will improve the well-being of more children.

MA: Problems for kids

Huffington Post - May 08, 2013 -- We spoke with Marcia Lowry, executive director of Children's Rights, about the Connor B. v. Patrick class action suit and the state of foster care and child welfare in Massachusetts and nationally. Here are excerpts.

NY: Making Mother's Day - by making adoption affordable

Public News Service - May 09, 2013 -- Adoption is an expensive and lengthy process which can take from $30,000 to $50,000 and two years or more. That's where groups such as HelpUsAdopt.org come in. In the past six years, the New York-based group has helped build 73 families by awarding $570,000 in adoption grants.

SC: Foster mom fights for Jaidon's Law for foster kids

FOX Carolina - May 07, 2013 -- Some of the requirements include, that parents lose their rights to their children if they are convicted of homicide by child abuse, fail three drug tests a year or do not undergo court-ordered treatment. The law passed the State House, but it is not yet on its way to a Senate subcommittee.

TN: DCS records for eight children who died aren't available

The Tennessean - May 09, 2013 -- The Department of Children's Services has conducted no investigations into the deaths of eight children for whom it had some oversight in recent years and will produce no records documenting DCS' interaction with those children, according to a recent court filing.

TN: Drug-dependent babies face many challenges after birth

Crossville Chronicle - May 08, 2013 -- The numbers of babies born dependent on drugs has continued to rise in the past decade and many of those seen at East Tennessee Children's Hospital are dependent on prescription pain medication. Nearly 30 percent of the admissions to ETCH are for NAS, babies that would not be at the hospital for any other cause but their drug dependency.

TX: and US: Number of undocumented children who cross U.S. border alone has tripled

Stateline - May 09, 2013 -- Every day, 80 to 120 children cross the Texas border illegally - and alone.

WA: Rep. Hope bill to help foster kids signed

Lake Stevens Journal - May 08, 2013 -- The law will require that the Department of Social and Health Services establish a licensing category for receiving care centers. With this new law, children who are removed from their home can temporarily be placed in short-term emergency and crisis care while their needs are assessed.

US: The case for adoption in Islam

Patheos - May 08, 2013 -- Muslim Americans remain ignorant of the dire need for adoptive and foster parents in this country.

United Kingdom: Scotland at risk of falling head-first into a child poverty crisis thanks to Con-Dem cuts, says leading charity

The Daily Record - May 08, 2013 -- Save the Children says nearly three in 10 of our kids are affected by the tax and benefit reforms while a leading thinktank claims cuts will plunge one million children into poverty by 2020.

Canada: Human rights museum seeks child welfare materials

CBC News - May 07, 2013 -- The Canadian Museum for Human Rights is working on an exhibit that depicts the human-rights violations that took place during what is known as the "Sixties Scoop" that took place from the 1960s through the 1980s in Canada.

Canada: Nearly half of all foster kids aboriginal: Report

The Windsor Star - May 09, 2013 -- Nearly half of children under 14 in foster care in Canada are aboriginal - a number that exceeds even the grimmest estimates of a leading First Nations' child welfare advocate.

Russia: Lack of safety net is behind 'orphan' crisis in Russia

Arizona Daily Star - May 04, 2013 -- Russia has 600,000 "orphans," but 70 percent to 90 percent of them have living birth parents. A number of factors are at work, but central to all of them is the lack of assistance to families under stress.

Mexico: Famed Mexican gay couple helps blaze adoption trail

AFP - May 08, 2013 -- And while it has not been easy, even though they had the law on their side, now Felipe Najera and Jaime Morales are the predominantly Catholic country's first same-sex couple to be able to adopt a child through a public institution -- though others have adopted through private agencies.

CA: County expands search for adoptive parents

fox5sandiego.com - May 07, 2013 -- San Diego County launched a new effort Tuesday to encourage adoptions by looking outside the box when it comes to adoptive parents.

CA: Foster Care Counts To Honor Foster Moms And Families At Mother's Day Celebration Sunday, May 12

PR Newswire - May 07, 2013 -- Foster Care Counts, the non-profit organization founded by Jeanne Pritzker that's dedicated to bettering the lives of foster children and families in Los Angeles, will host its fifth annual Foster Care Counts Mother's Day Celebration Sunday, May 12.

CA: South LA foster child faces uncertain future

89.3 KPCC - May 07, 2013 -- Another reason to stay in the system: If Coriah leaves foster care, she'll lose eligibility for all sorts of scholarships and grants given to foster kids.

ME: Adoption And Fostering Part One: DHHS Makes Plea For More Quality Foster Care Homes [video]

WABI - May 06, 2013 -- As generations begin to age out of the foster care system in Maine, it starts to become evident how their struggles from within may set up their future, for better or for worse.

ME: Adoption And Fostering Part Two: Expanding Your Family Through Adoption [video]

WABI - May 07, 2013 -- We definitely want to be open with the child from the beginning. I want to celebrate the day that child was born, the day we brought them home, I want them to know that they were adopted and that we were lead to find them an have them be a part of our family," said Leonard.

NY: Guest Post | 'Sliding Into Homelessness': A Student Essay and Teaching Resources

The New York Times - May 07, 2013 -- Below, a short introduction by the Youth Communication staff; an essay by a student, Zakkiaya Bowen, about her experiences after leaving foster care; and finally, some questions for classroom discussion about both Ms. Bowen's piece and related Times reporting.

OK: Woman headed to prison for posing as expectant mom in adoption scam

UPI.com - May 07, 2013 -- Authorities alleged she defrauded at least five adoption agencies and adoption law firms, as well as prospective adoptive parents in Florida, Kansas, and Oklahoma.

WA: Audit calls for automatic background rechecks for child-care workers, foster parents

Associated Press - May 07, 2013 -- A new state audit is calling for automatic notifications when someone like a foster parent or child-care worker is suspected of committing a crime any time after they've already passed an initial background check.

WY: SIDS Rates Don't Budge - Prevention Education Upped

Public News Service - May 08, 2013 -- After dropping for years, the rate of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome has stayed somewhat level for some time, and is listed as the third-leading cause of infant mortality by the Congressional Research Service.

US: Notes on the Reorganization of Federal Juvenile Justice Agency

The Chronicle of Social Change - May 08, 2013 -- Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Administrator Bob Listenbee used an annual conference of state juvenile justice advisory groups last week to outline the new organizational structure of his agency, which has been in the works literally for years. One of the biggest goals of the reorganization was to break up the old state relations process, in which the OJJDP staffer who served as a liaison to a state also monitoring that state's compliance.

US: Study examines risk factors in recurrent child abuse, neglect

Medical Xpress - May 07, 2013 -- The shorter the intervals between previous child maltreatment incidents, the greater the likelihood that the child will experience abuse or neglect in the future, suggests a new study by a social work professor at the University of Illinois. Report: "Didn't We Just see You? Time to Recurrence Among Frequently Encountered Families in CPS": http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740913000789.

CA: Breaking the vicious cycle of foster care

Los Angeles Times - May 05, 2013 -- A state Senate bill aims to teach foster children about pregnancy prevention and help those who do get pregnant. But it's only a first step.

CO: Colorado Springs nonprofit Family Connections suspends operations

Denver Post - May 04, 2013 -- A 24-year-old nonprofit that works to prevent child abuse and neglect and operates a respite center where frustrated parents can drop off their children has suspended its operations, citing funding problems.

FL: Inside the Department of Children and Families (Video)

NBC Miami - May 07, 2013 -- From Broward County to the Florida Keys, 215 child protective investigators look into cases of alleged abuse and neglect for the state agency.

FL: Legislature toughens rules for unregulated children's homes

Tampa Bay Times - May 03, 2013 -- In the last gasps of the 60-day legislative session, lawmakers moved to impose new requirements on unlicensed children's homes Friday after a Tampa Bay Times investigation uncovered abuse last year.

IA: Report says more than 11,600 Iowa kids abused or neglected

WQAD 8 - May 06, 2013 -- A new report from the state says more than 11,600 Iowa children were subject to abuse or neglect in 2012, but overall reports and confirmation of child abuse have dropped.
Also: Cases of abused, neglected Iowa children decline slightly in 2012: http://wcfcourier.com/news/local/cases-of-abused-neglected-iowa-children-decline-slightly-in/article_c42170ca-b676-11e2-a74d-001a4bcf887a.html

IN: Criminalized Pregnancies: When One Woman's Suicide Attempt Becomes Murder

RHRealityCheck - May 06, 2013 -- In 2009, in response to a robbery that caused a pregnant woman to lose the twins she was carrying, the Indiana house had voted unanimously to strengthen the state's "feticide" law to include any action that causes an unborn child to die, excluding abortion. The law was meant to add additional punishment to crimes that involved pregnant women, with a sentence of up to twenty years in prison if a pregnancy ended as the result of an illegal act. No one had considered that the law could also be used on a pregnant woman herself, especially not one who had committed her own "crime" as a result of mental illness.

IN: Training develops new skills to benefit Indiana military families

Military Family Research Institute - May 03, 2013 -- The training, held at Camp Camby Conference and Retreat Center in Camby, Ind., was presented by MFRI outreach specialists, who tailored activities and presentations to meet the needs of military-sponsored family readiness group leaders associated with the 2-150 Family Readiness Group (FRG).

LA: Bill to protect parents from false abuse claims heads to Senate

KATC - May 03, 2013 -- A bill to protect parents from false abuse claims is pending Senate approval after a Senate committee gave its approval Wednesday. Senator Dan Morrish, R-Jennings, filed the bill on behalf of an Iota family whose children were taken away from them while the Department of Children & Family Services conducted an investigation.

NC: After-School Program Focuses on Child Abuse

The Daily Dispatch - May 04, 2013 -- Last month, Elementary students from area schools participated in the Guided Growth Afterschool Program at the Warren County Youth Services Bureau. The topic was "Prevent Child Abuse,Safer Home, Safer School, Safer Community."

NC: DSS investigated 215 child protective reports in 2012

Tryon Daily Bulletin - May 07, 2013 -- There were 280 child protective reports made to the Polk County Department of Social Services (DSS) during 2012 with 215 of those reports meeting the legal criteria for an assessment/investigation on allegations of abuse, neglect or dependency by a parent or caretaker.

NC: Where do kids go when homeless mom hospitalized?

Charlotte Observer - May 06, 2013 -- The partnership expects to help about 60 homeless kids a year, which will save the community tens of thousands in tax dollars, organizers say. Those savings will come from keeping kids out of foster care, which costs an average of $19,600 per child each year, officials said.

NY: Abandoned babies find 'Safe Haven' in yellow cabs (Video)

Long Island Report - May 06, 2013 -- This year the Ambulance Medical Technician (AMT) Children of Hope Foundation is going yellow, taxi-cab yellow that is. The AMT Children of Hope Foundation is a non-profit organization located in Mineola, N.Y., and was founded by Timothy Jaccard in an effort to save new born babies from possible abandonment from their birth mothers.

OK: DHS getting boost in funds for child care system

KFOR TV - News Channel 4 - May 05, 2013 -- "Probably the largest portion of that funding will go towards hiring more child welfare case workers and that is something that we are in the process of doing right now," DHS spokesperson Sheree Powell said.

TN: DCS to appeal ruling that limits fees for records

The Tennessean - May 07, 2013 -- Lawyers for the Department of Children's Services say they will appeal a judge's ruling limiting how much the agency can charge the public for records of children who died or nearly died after being brought to its attention.

WA: DSHS solidifies two key leadership roles

Lake Stevens Journal - May 06, 2013 -- Following an extensive community outreach effort, Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) Secretary Kevin W. Quigley has made permanent his appointment of Jennifer Strus as assistant secretary for the Children's Administration and appointed Evelyn Perez to serve as assistant secretary for the Developmental Disabilities Administration

WA: Gov. Inslee encourages support for nonprofits

The Columbian - May 06, 2013 -- On a state level, he added, services for homeless children and children in crisis is a failure.
"The child welfare system in this state is broken," he said. Why? Inslee asked. "Lack of funding," Morrow responded.

US: Gay Adoption Bill Set To Be Reintroduced With Bipartisan Support

Huffington Post - May 06, 2013 -- The Every Child Deserves A Family Act would prohibit programs that receive federal funding from discriminating against potential foster and adoptive families based on sexual orientation, gender identity or marital status.

US: Foster care crucial for unaccompanied minors

Catholic Sun - May 05, 2013 -- Catholic Charities facilitates adoption for children currently in foster care, with licensing and training and helps set up special homes for children with medical needs and homes for unaccompanied minors.

US: Immigration reform: When is family reunification also 'chain migration'?

Christian Science Monitor - May 06, 2013 -- A proposed Senate bill, however, would revamp how the American immigration system deals with families like the Paxtons and millions more separated by long wait times for certain family visas or young undocumented Americans who have seen parents and other family members deported at record levels under the Obama administration.

US: International Adoptions of Children Decreased by 48% Worldwide

Salem-News - May 06, 2013 -- More and more couples without children want to adopt, but on the other hand, there are fewer kids up for adoption. Previously, the lack of kids for adoption, in developed countries was compensated through the adoption abroad. Now this is more complex.

Spain: This Ad Has a Secret Anti-Abuse Message That Only Kids Can See (Video)

Gizmodo - May 06, 2013 -- In an effort to provide abused children with a safe way to reach out for help, a Spanish organization called the Aid to Children and Adolescents at Risk Foundation, or ANAR for short, created an ad that displays a different message for adults and children at the same time.
Also: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-22425388

Uganda: Activists call for tighter laws on adoption

NewVision - May 05, 2013 -- Child rights activists want the Government to halt issuance of legal guardianship orders to anyone seeking adoption, arguing that it has been manipulated by child traffickers.

United Arab Emirates: Grand mufti urges Emiratis to foster children abandoned in the UAE

The National - May 06, 2013 -- Although adoption is not permitted in Islam, the grand mufti said fostering was a moral obligation. "The victims of this problem are innocent and we are responsible as a society to help them."

Fiji: Ministry of Social Welfare to help tackle child abuse and improve family protection

Radio New Zealand International - May 05, 2013 -- The Ministry of Social welfare, women and poverty alleviation in Fiji says a new child protection agreement cements the government's commitment to addressing child abuse.

Australia: Changes to child protection in Tasmania to effect kinship and foster care

The World Today - May 07, 2013 -- Child protection is being reformed in Tasmania after the state's ombudsman found that case workers were judgmental towards the extended family of a 6-year-old boy. They placed the child in foster care rather than assessing the child's next of kin. Case workers in Tasmania will now consider placing a child with their extended family before using foster case.

AZ: Legislative briefs: foster care, playground acidents and ballot measures

Arizona Daily Star - May 04, 2013 -- Gov. Jan Brewer signed legislation Thursday to allow foster children to be placed in homes with youngsters who are not immunized. Schools will not have to report all playground injuries to police or Child Protective Services under the terms of legislation signed Thursday by Brewer.

FL: New law supports foster children leaving system

Tampa Bay Tribune - May 05, 2013 -- The Legislature passed a law that allows for foster care programs to keep kids in the system until they are 21. The new law, which takes effect Jan. 1, provides stipends and opportunities to train and educate and even send some to college.

GA: DFCS report: No. of child deaths 'unusually high' in Middle Georgia

The Telegraph - May 06, 2013 -- The agency in charge of keeping Georgia's children safe has issued its first-ever yearly report on deaths among the children it has involvement with. The report covers the death of every child who received some kind of service from the Division of Family and Children Services -- even if only assistance with food or day care -- during the previous five years.

IL: and NJ: Sex-abuse suit targets Newark Archbishop Myers' former diocese in Illinois

The Record - May 05, 2013 -- While the leader of the Archdiocese of Newark is under intense scrutiny for his handling of a Wyckoff priest-abuse case, Archbishop John J. Myers is also being faulted by those bringing a civil lawsuit in Illinois, claiming that the diocese he led there as a bishop failed to keep an alleged pedophile priest away from children.
Also: 2 call church slow in abuse case: http://tinyurl.com/c5a6uhf

IN: DCS pilot program closes mental health gap

NWI Times - May 04, 2013 -- The Department of Child Services started the program in 11 counties - Elkhart, St. Joseph, Dearborn, Ohio, Switzerland, Franklin, Decatur, Ripley, Boone, Hamilton and Madison - to help children in need of mental health assistance who weren't eligible for Medicaid and lacked private insurance.

MA: In-home therapy benefits families

Cape Cod Times - May 06, 2013 -- The goal of Child & Family Services' in-home therapy program, provided under the umbrella of the state's Child Behavioral Health Initiative, is to get parents to understand a child's diagnosis and help them manage the child's behavior.
The program, which rolled out three years ago, has proved to reduce symptoms, meltdowns and child hospitalizations, program director Kristen Davies said.

MA: Many children with special needs are thriving in foster care

South Coast Today - May 05, 2013 -- "The first priority is to help families raise their children in a healthy and appropriate manner," says Janice Halpern, Director of Public Relations and Fund Raising for the Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange. (MARE) "With about 75 percent of the children in foster care, the goal is reunification with their birth family. For about 25 percent, it becomes clear that adoption is in their best interest. For whatever reason, they cannot be raised by their birth parents."

ME: Maine Child Welfare Groups Weigh in on Transgender Suit

Maine Public Broadcasting Network - May 03, 2013 -- The Maine Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, along with the Maine Chapter of Social Workers and the Maine Psychological Association, are weighing in on a closely-watched court case involving a transgender girl who was forced to stop using the girls' restroom at her Orono elementary school. As Susan Sharon reports, the groups have filed a "friend of the court" brief on behalf of the girl, whose case is being appealed to the Maine Supreme Court.

MI: Wayne County Commissioner Diane Webb sponsors resolution supporting giving relatives preferred role in foster care placement

Press & Guide - May 04, 2013 -- At its full-board meeting April 16, the Wayne County Commission passed a resolution supporting federal legislation that will require states to revise requirements regarding contacting adult relatives of a child removed from the custody of his or her parents.

MN: Hennepin to reform struggling foster care diversion program

Minneapolis Star Tribune - May 04, 2013 -- Hennepin County was once hailed for its ability to keep troubled families intact and keep kids out of foster care. But an increase in reports of children suffering repeated maltreatment at home is forcing the county to change its approach.

MN: Profiles in Excellence: Jessica Rogers

Insight News - May 04, 2013 -- The purpose for which Rogers was born is to work with children in the foster care system. As executive director of Connections to Independence (C2i), Rogers is charged with assisting teens and young adults (ages 15 - 21) that are in the Hennepin County foster care system and helping them to transition into adulthood.

MT: Dan Fox Program seeks foster homes for at-risk Montana children

Missoulian - May 05, 2013 -- Most children who need substitute care are placed into foster homes through the Child and Family Services Division of the Montana Department of Health and Human Services.
At Dan Fox, an admission committee decides which children will be admitted to the Youth Homes programs. Dan Fox programs offer therapeutic foster care, a more involved kind of care that combines a team of counselors, respite care providers and treatment managers who work closely with the foster family to help each child.

NY: Commissioner of Child and Family Services retires

Press Republican - May 05, 2013 -- LePage, 63, has retired as commissioner of the county's Department of Child and Family Services, effective April 26. He sat down with the Press-Republican recently to talk about his career and the issues his department had to deal with.

TX: New program gives support to first-time mothers in Amarillo area

KFDA - May 03, 2013 -- First-time mothers in the Amarillo area now have the chance to have a few helping hands come to their aid during some of those trying times. The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center celebrated its new Nurse-Family Partnership program Friday. A program that's supporting moms, as well as keeping their kids safe and healthy.

WA: Children's Justice Center helps bring healing

The Columbian - May 05, 2013 -- Kauffman, 33, knows her job is a difficult one. As a member of the Arthur D. Curtis Children's Justice Center multidisciplinary team, she is tasked with interviewing children who are alleged to have been the victim of felony-level child abuse -- which includes both physical and sexual abuse.
Knowing that this ordeal may be the hardest thing a child may ever have to go through, Kauffman and the justice center staff have worked hard to make the process as easy as possible.

US: National Foster Care Month: Del. Governor Jack Markell, Child Welfare Experts, and Youth to Launch Success Beyond 18: National Call to Action on Behalf of Older Kids in Foster Care

Reuters - May 06, 2013 -- On May 6, 2013, young people currently or formerly in foster care from six states - Delaware, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Rhode Island, and Tennessee - will join Governor and current National Governors Association Chairman Jack Markell (Delaware), legislators, and child welfare experts from across the country to launch Success Beyond 18, a milestone campaign led by the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative to create a better path for young people transitioning from foster care to adulthood.

United Kingdom: Family court 'delays' on care decisions cut

BBC News - May 03, 2013 -- The time it takes for the family courts to make decisions about whether children should be taken in to care or adopted has been cut.

Canada: NS adult adoptees call for access to family history

Globe Newswire - May 04, 2013 -- Some adult adoptees are raising concerns over closed adoption records in Nova Scotia, saying that cuts off access to their cultural background and family health history.

Australia: Positive impact

Latrobe Valley Express - May 06, 2013 -- Lead agencies working with the vast numbers of vulnerable Latrobe Valley children say new State Government funding and strategies are starting to impact positively on local outcomes.

Russia: US probe 'rules out' negligence in Russian orphan death

RT - May 04, 2013 -- Investigators believe that the boy's death was result of an accident rather than negligence or mistreatment in the family, reports ITAR-TASS. The agency was citing Olga Tarasova, an activist from the US-Russian Civil Society Institute, an NGO working closely with the Russian community in the United States. The probe was conducted in tandem by the local sheriff's office and social security service.

AL: Bill puts attention on child abuse

Associated Press - May 02, 2013 -- The Alabama Legislature is expanding the types of occupations that are required to report cases of suspected child abuse.

AZ: Brewer signs bill on foster kids' immunizations

Associated Press - May 02, 2013 -- Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed a bill Thursday allowing Arizonans to become foster parents even if their own children haven't been immunized, while also advising state officials to exercise caution when placing children in those homes.

AZ: CPS recruitment video frank on tough job

Arizona Daily Star - May 03, 2013 -- It's not the recruitment video you'd expect. One by one, workers hit you with the tough reality of working for Child Protective Services.

CO: Child abuse hotline a closer reality

9News.com - May 02, 2013 -- A single statewide phone number that Coloradans can use to report child abuse is expected to clear a legislative committee Thursday.

CO: Failed to death: Colorado human services offers 23 recommendations for child welfare

Denver Post - May 03, 2013 -- Colorado child protection workers made significant efforts in 2012 to identify more cases of child abuse and neglect, but routine lapses in communication and failures to accurately complete risk and safety assessments continue to affect how county departments handle maltreatment cases, according to a report released this week.

IL: 1 family, 3 dead children: Did state miss warning signs?

Chicago Tribune - May 03, 2013 -- After parents charged in girl's suffocation, experts point to half sister's separate history, say DCFS missed red flags.

IL: A mission to adopt children in need

Southtown Star - May 01, 2013 -- Traci and Scott Heim are just your typical parents of 10 adopted children from three foreign countries.

MI: Kids Belong initiative to highlight Muskegon County's need for more foster and adoptive parents

MLive.com - May 03, 2013 -- Eighteen local pastors on April 28, focused their sermons on a topic rarely discussed from the pulpit: the need for churches to help safeguard foster kids and children seeking adoptive parents. The initiative "Belong Sunday" required the ministers to testify about the importance of caring for vulnerable children often left homeless through abuse, neglect or other unfavorable circumstances.

NC: A place to call home: In their own words [Video]

WXII News - May 02, 2013 -- There are about 9,000 children in our state's foster care system with 2,000 of them waiting to be adopted. But what does adoption mean to some of them in their own words?

ND: Human services budget sets record

Associated Press - May 02, 2013 -- The next two-year budget for North Dakota's Department of Human Services has broken the billion-dollar mark.

NJ: Number of the day: 190

Philly.com - May 02, 2013 -- The rate of international adoption has been steadily dropping in the Garden State and nationally for the past eight years. But the number of children adopted internationally by New Jerseyans dropped to 190, the first time in memory that it has been below 200.

NY: DA can't prosecute 'systemic' Horace Mann abuse

The Riverdale Press - May 01, 2013 -- Bronx DA Robert Johnson says his office cannot prosecute any of the incidents that came up in its investigation because they all exceed the state's statute of limitations.

OK: Budget deal: No pay raise for state workers

The Oklahoman - May 02, 2013 -- Gov. Mary Fallin in her budget proposal submitted to lawmakers to start this year's session in February sought $46 million in new money to pay for recommended changes in a five-year plan to improve child welfare operations at the Department of Human Services. The plan is part of an agreement to settle a federal lawsuit.

US: Child abuse, later PTSD show distinctive genetic signature

Psych Central News - May 02, 2013 -- An international team of researchers has determined that child abuse leaves a distinct change in biological pathways.

Rwanda: Children Council rejects adoption age

allAfrica.com - May 03, 2013 -- Hitimana argued that at 18, one is too immature to adopt a child. He said: "We are saying that this [18 years] is too low an age, and a person hasn't really embarked on a firm path in life. The right age should, at least, be 25 years."

India: Is sexual abuse of minors worse in India? Ink readers debate

New York Times - May 02, 2013 -- The recent death of a 4-year-old girl from Madhya Pradesh, who succumbed to her injuries days after she was raped and dumped near a crematorium in her hometown of Ghansor, has evoked an overwhelming response from India Ink readers.

Ireland: Oireachtas committee backs down from sanctioning Russian officials

The Irish Times - May 02, 2013 -- The Russian ambassador to Ireland wrote to the committee in March warning that any move to introduce a Magnitsky law could "have negative influence" on an adoption agreement between the two countries.

United Kingdom: Adoption: Support and benefits set out in government guide

BBC News - May 02, 2013 -- A guide listing the benefits and support available to would-be adopters in England has been published by the government amid concerns that thousands are put off by the process.

"The adoption passport: a support guide for adopters": http://www.first4adoption.org.uk/being-an-adoptive-parent/the-adoption-passport/

United Kingdom: Problem families helped to improve their behaviour

The Bolton News - May 03, 2013 -- New figures show that 255 families were "challenged and supported" in the first year of the government's "Troubled Families" programme, which has been renamed Families First in Bolton.

Russia: Top doctors ask Putin to allow U.S. parents to adopt 100 children

The Moscow Times - May 02, 2013 -- A group of top Russian child psychologists, psychiatrists and educators have appealed to President Vladimir Putin to allow about 100 Russian children who were in the final stages of the adoption process to be allowed to join their new U.S. parents.

CA: Child advocate: Rising number of Latinos in foster care critical issue

Vallejo Times Herald - May 01, 2013 -- In Solano County the trend of increasing numbers of Latino children in foster care, however, is not that apparent, said Aaron Crutison, Child and Adult Resources Services interim director. Crutison said there are no simple explanations for Solano bucking the apparent trend or what is going on in other parts of the state and country seeing larger numbers of Latino children in foster care.

CA: Children's shelter: Santa Clara County needs to close inadequate intake center

The Mercury News - Apr 30, 2013 -- The Santa Clara County Department of Family and Children Services recently moved its Receiving, Assessment and Intake Center from Union Avenue to a downtown location on East Santa Clara Street. The center is a nonresidential receiving point for children placed in temporary custody by law enforcement officers or social workers because of abuse or neglect.

CA: L.A. County supervisors discuss troubled foster care contractor

Los Angeles Times - Apr 30, 2013 -- Board meets behind closed doors over Teens Happy Homes, found to have repeatedly misused funds and placed children in homes where they were abused, but no action is announced.

FL: One Church One Child of Florida Faith Community Event a success

Santa Rosa Press Gazette - May 01, 2013 -- "The Watch-Care: Help Me Stand Ministry is designed to engage the faith community and improving transitional outcomes for youth who are aging out of the foster care system. Churches are the missing link that can connect to and help bring ongoing hope to our children and support to strengthen our families" noted Executive Director of One Church One Child Dr. Arie Sailor.

FL: Bill extending foster care to age 21 goes to Gov. Rick Scott for signature

Miami Herald - May 01, 2013 -- The Florida House passed a bill Wednesday giving young adults in state custody the option of remaining until age 21 - three years longer than in current law - to reduce their chances of ending up homeless, jobless or in jail.

IL: CASA caseloads on the increase

The Daily Republican - Apr 30, 2013 -- In the last two years, there has been a 20 percent spike in children entering the local court system in need of a CASA to be their voice in court.

LA: Safe Haven bill advances

The Advocate - Apr 30, 2013 -- The time limit when a parent can surrender an infant without facing questions or prosecution would be doubled from 30 days to 60 days under legislation that was approved by the House Health and Welfare committee on Tuesday.

MI: Bill aims to make adoption easier

WIN 98.5 - May 01, 2013 -- The measure would ensure that a birth mother would not lose custody of her child to the father during the adoption process.

MN: County encourages struggling parents to seek help

Hibbing Daily Tribune - May 01, 2013 -- Child abuse and neglect are serious issues in St. Louis County, and cases have been on the rise in recent years. Child protection social workers responded to 1,376 cases that met criteria in 2012. That's up from 1,211 cases in 2011, according to a release from St. Louis County. This year is trending even higher once again.

NM: Gov. to review N.M. child abuse laws

Associated Press - May 02, 2013 -- Gov. Susana Martinez says she's forming a group to recommend improvements in New Mexico's child abuse laws.

TN: 3 DCS workers disciplined over record-handling

The Tennessean - May 01, 2013 -- Three high-ranking employees in the Department of Children's Services were disciplined for failing to keep track of child deaths and for giving out incomplete records when an advocacy group and The Tennessean asked for the information.

US: I wanted 'twins'

New York Times - May 01, 2013 -- KJ Dell'Antonia and Lauren Apfel discuss life as the parents of twins. In KJ's case, "twins" through adoption.

US: Sex-offender registries: Should kids be listed?

Associated Press - May 01, 2013 -- Government authorities should end the practice of placing juveniles' names on publicly accessible sex-offender registries, Human Rights Watch says in a report warning of lasting and unwarranted harm to some youths.

"Raised on the Registry" report: http://www.hrw.org/reports/2013/05/01/raised-registry-0

US: Shamed into silence

The Crime Report - Apr 29, 2013 -- Reliable national figures are not available, but in Vermont's Bennington County for example, the proportion of disabled child sex abuse cases to other child sex abuse cases has risen from almost zero to more than 50 percent in the last seven years, according to Christina Rainville, Chief Deputy State's Attorney.

US: The dark, sad side of domestic adoption

The Atlantic - Apr 30, 2013 -- One family's long quest to adopt a baby.

United Kingdom: Adoption drive could 'distract' from helping needy children, care inquiry finds

The Telegraph - May 01, 2013 -- The inquiry by eight charities concluded that the current system is failing thousands of children, shifting them from placement to placement, severing family ties and friendships rather than encouraging stable relationships.

United Kingdom: Child welfare 'named person' plans questioned by MSPs

BBC News - Apr 30, 2013 -- Under legislation set out in the Children and Young People Bill, every child in Scotland would be assigned a named person, such as a health worker, from birth. The adult would be responsible for safeguarding the child's welfare.

United Kingdom: Rental market 'risk' to children

Express & Star - May 01, 2013 -- The "volatile" rental market is putting children's education and general wellbeing at risk, a housing charity has warned.

Australia: Leaked: child abuse squad's staffing crisis

Illawarra Mercury - May 01, 2013 -- The Wollongong office of the NSW Police Child Abuse Squad is the most under-resourced in the state, according to a leaked report. Keira MP Ryan Park said the leaked internal police review showed the Wollongong office had the most child abuse cases per officer compared to anywhere in NSW.

Australia: Victims left to stop child abuse: study

The Sydney Morning Herald - May 01, 2013 -- The abuse of children by priests and church workers often begins between the ages of six and 10, and generally only stops when victims take action to stop it or avoid it, a new study has found.

AL: Adoption Rocks aims to educate young mothers, adoptive parents

Press-Register - Apr 30, 2013 -- Founded in 2006, Adoption Rocks, a non-profit organization in Mobile educates young mothers on adoption through literature, DVD's, and counseling. Many birth mothers have no knowledge about how adoption works and are surprised to find out the process.

AZ: CPS in need of funding in Arizona

KNXV ABC15 - Apr 30, 2013 -- Valley child advocacy groups rallied at the State Capitol Tuesday afternoon. Foster mom and Arizona Friends of Foster Children worker Kris Jackober said they want to put pressure on legislators to keep Arizona foster kids a top priority. They also want Governor Jan Brewer to move forward with her $77 million budget proposal for Child Protective Services.

CA: Child abuse down slightly, but poverty, health care still issue

The Bakersfield Californian - Apr 30, 2013 -- Substantiated cases of child abuse and neglect have fallen but poverty still dogs nearly a third of Kern County's children, according to the 15th annual Conditions of Children Report Card.

CA: Grandparents, Foster Family Fight For Custody Of 5-Year-Old Girl

CBS Los Angeles - May 01, 2013 -- Daniel and Carol Vos said the Los Angeles County Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS) removed their granddaughter from her drug-addicted mother and placed her with a foster family in 2011. The pair claims they were never notified the child was taken from her home.

HI: House Lawmakers Head Into Final Days of 2013 Session: More than One Hundred Bills Approved

Hawaii Reporter - May 01, 2013 -- SB1340 SD2 HD2 CD1 RELATING TO FOSTER CARE: Establishes the young adult voluntary foster care program to care for and supervise eligible foster youth until age twenty-one. Bill: http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=1340&year=2013

IL: Father of child who died while in foster care files lawsuit

Pantagraph.com - May 01, 2013 -- The father of a child who died while in a Cullom foster home nearly two years ago has filed a six-count lawsuit against the foster parents and The Baby Fold alleging each was responsible for the death of his daughter.

IN: Program aims to adopt out older children

Courier Times - Apr 30, 2013 -- The education and public relations events from the Children's Bureau are a grant-funded program from the state Department of Child Services. Their efforts focus on helping older youth be adopted. The majority of the children are 10 years of age and older.

MI: Volunteer program offers short-term foster care for families in crisis

Michigan Live - Apr 30, 2013 -- Launched in Michigan in March 2011 by Grand Rapids-based Bethany Christian Services, [Safe Families for Children] has some 50 volunteer host families like the Baileys across West Michigan and the Traverse City area with plans to add 25 more and expand to Lansing and Flint. The concept is simple: Extend a helping hand to families in crisis, without involving state bureaucracy, with the goal of keeping children and parents together.

WI: Rep. Paul Ryan now supports gay adoption

USA Today - Apr 30, 2013 -- GOP Rep. Paul Ryan reportedly has changed his views and now says he believes gay couples should be able to adopt children. Asked at a town-hall-style meeting Monday in Wisconsin about the issue, Ryan said he would "vote differently these days" and still opposes gay marriage. In 1999, the congressman voted in favor of banning same-sex couples in the District of Columbia from adopting. Also: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/30/paul-ryan-gay-adoption_n_3188254.html?utm_hp_ref=elections-2012

WV: Vigil a reminder that many children need help

Weirton Daily Times - Apr 30, 2013 -- A total of 441 luminaria were placed around the Wellsburg Town Square and partly down the adjacent Charles Street Monday, each representing a child involved in an abuse or neglect case in Brooke or Hancock counties and aided by A Child's Place Court-Appointed Special Advocate program.

US: Dr. Jane Aronson on the Early Challenges of Adopting

The Daily Beast - Apr 30, 2013 -- World-famous 'orphan doctor' Dr. Jane Aronson on how a New Yorker article almost ruined her plans to adopt a child from Vietnam-and on the unexpected roadblocks many adoptive parents face.

US: Jacqueline Pata Talks ICWA on MSNBC Show Concerning 'Baby Snatching'

Indian Country Today Media Network - Apr 30, 2013 -- April 28, TV host Melissa Harris-Perry likened the removal of American Indian children from their tribal communities, placed in non-Native homes, to unauthorized international adoption. "This is like transnational baby snatching right within U.S. borders," Harris-Perry said.

US: NJ Couple Faces Federal Child Abuse Charges

Associated Press - Apr 30, 2013 -- An Army major and his wife are facing a 17-count indictment in New Jersey that charges they disciplined three foster children by withholding food and water and assaulting them severely enough to cause broken bones. Federal authorities have jurisdiction because the alleged crimes occurred when the couple lived at Picatinny Arsenal, a military installation about 35 miles west of New York City.

US: Presidential Proclamation -- National Foster Care Month, 2013

The White House, Office of the Press Secretary - May 01, 2013 -- As a Nation, we have no task more important than ensuring our children grow up healthy and safe. It is a promise we owe to the hundreds of thousands of youth in foster care -- boys and girls who too often go without the love, protection, and stability of a permanent family. This month, we recommit to giving them that critical support, and we recognize the foster parents and professionals who work every day to lift up the children in their care toward a bright, productive future.

United Kingdom: President gives guidance on urgent appeals in adoption cases

Family Law Week - May 01, 2013 -- . . . the President of the Family Division has given guidance to the profession concerning urgent appeals in adoption cases.

Canada: Child-welfare system better: Flette

Winnipeg Free Press - May 01, 2013 -- The child-welfare system in which Phoenix Sinclair disappeared has been beefed up and is improving, says the head of the Southern Authority. Elsie Flette told the inquiry into the 2005 death of the five-year-old, who was in and out of care from birth, that more money has been injected into agencies responsible for children and ways to ensure they're safe.

Canada: Leaders silent on BC's foster care mess

The Tyee - Apr 30, 2013 -- During last night's debate, no party leader made a peep about fixing foster care or child protection in B.C. But they did awkwardly talk around it. Since 2007, B.C.'s Representative for Children and Youth has been pumping out reports, slamming the province for failing to protect kids, failing administratively, failing to effectively intervene in domestic violence, and failing to fix other problems. The result is, more than half of kids in care will arrive at 19 without a high school diploma, nearly half will have been caught for a crime, and half will go on income assistance within a few months of their birthday.

AR: Reported child abuse cases down, says advocacy official (includes Video)

KAIT - Apr 29, 2013 -- The Northeast Arkansas Children's Advocacy center has worked hard to bring awareness and promote prevention of child abuse in the community.

FL: Center helps victimized children heal

Hernando Today - Apr 28, 2013 -- "The whole purpose of the CAC is to not revictimize a child," said Janine Hammett, program director of the organization. The center is very much a one-stop-shop for law enforcement, the State Attorney's Office, Department of Children and Families, the University of Florida Child Protection Team, advocates and any other "pieces of the puzzle," according to Director of Programs and Operations Patricia Keelean.

NC: Homeless youth on decline, but many still need help

Gaston Gazette - Apr 27, 2013 -- Fewer Cleveland County Schools students were classified as homeless this year.
But more than 160 still meet the homeless definition, meaning they have no permanent home and take residence with friends, in public places and locations not ideal for living.

OR: Bay Area Hospital to head Child Abuse Intervention Center (Video)

KCBY - Apr 29, 2013 -- Coos County District Attorney Paul Frasier announced on Monday that Bay Area Hospital will be the new parent agency to the Child Abuse Intervention Center in the county.

PA: 2 child abuse detectives hired in March already have a dozen cases each

Reading Eagle - Apr 27, 2013 -- Because of the increased number of abuse complaints, Gombar said he was forced to use detectives that had been assigned to financial crimes to investigate child abuse.

SD: Dakotas tribe displeased with planned foster care summit

Bismark Tribune - Apr 27, 2013 -- "We Lakota/Dakota leaders, therefore, find it unacceptable that the BIA's draft summit agenda ... fails to address any of NPR's dominant claims, or to propose what we consider to be serious solutions to our crisis," Standing Rock Sioux tribal chairman Charles Murphy and members of the tribal council wrote in the letter.

TN: Federal judge more upbeat on DCS after new policy for tracking, reviewing child deaths

Associated Press - Apr 29, 2013 -- A federal judge overseeing changes at the Department of Children's Services expressed cautious optimism that the agency's new leadership can resolve some of its problems.

TX: Dallas Rep's bill would allow same-sex parents to both be listed on child's supplementary birth certificate

Dallas Morning News - Apr 30, 2013 -- Rep. Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas, proposed HB 201 to strike the requirement and return the Health and Safety Code to the way it was prior to a 1997 amendment authored by former Rep. Will Hartnett, R-Dallas. Hartnett told the Texas Tribune in January that he would want the measure reconsidered if it was "causing some hardship for the children."

US: Juvenile Justice and Youth Advocates See Impacts from Sequester, Brace for More

Juvenile Justice Information Exchange - Apr 26, 2013 -- In the lead-up to federal budget sequestration, advocates warned of dire consequences for juvenile justice and services to children and youth. Now, with sequestration in effect for nearly two months, impacts are materializing across the country, although some programs have been at least partially spared. Yet in many cases, youth-serving organizations still do not know how they will be impacted, only that there will be impacts.

US: No retirement for these seniors: Grandparents as parents

Asbury Park Press - Apr 27, 2013 -- DeMarco is one of millions of grandparents in the United States living with grandchildren. In 2010, 10 percent - or 7.5 million - of children in the United States lived with a grandparent, according to the U.S. Census. In New Jersey, 127,890 children - more than 6 percent - lived in their grandparents' households in 2010.

Dubai: Child-abuse awareness campaign held in Dubai

Gulf News - Apr 26, 2013 -- Child-abuse prevention messages aimed to educate children on how to act when faced with abuse and violence were spread in the form of colouring books and puppet shows during the 'Children's Caravan' held on Thursday.

Taiwan: Taiwan urged to establish 'Child Protection Day'

Focus Taiwan News Channel - Apr 28, 2013 -- Some 300 people attended an event in Taipei on Sunday to urge the government to designate April 28 as "Child Protection Day" in Taiwan.
"Close to 20,000 children are abused every year in Taiwan, and we hope to raise more public awareness over the issue," Betty Ho, chief executive director of the Taiwan Fund for Children and Families, which organized the event, told CNA.

United Kingdom: 'There was no escape': Victims open up as North Wales care homes probe uncovers 'systemic and serious sexual and physical abuse' over three decades

The Independant - Apr 30, 2013 -- Operation Pallial has now identified 140 allegations relating to 18 care homes, including 76 completely new complaints.
Also: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-22344105

Tajikistan: Bureaucracy leads to growth of child trafficking in Tajikistan - President

Voice of Russia - Apr 26, 2013 -- Tajikistan has around 3,300 orphans, many of whom can not get adopted due to red tape in the adoption procedure, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon said on Friday.

Australia: Boost NSW Police child abuse squad: ALP

Sydney Morning Herald - Apr 30, 2013 -- NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell has distanced himself from calls to personally intervene to protect abused children, saying it's up to the police commissioner to fill any shortfall in staffing.
Wollongong detectives were dealing with 45 cases of child abuse when the recommended amount was no more than 15, with overworked officers forced out due to stress.
Also: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-04-30/nsw-child-abuse-police-27chronically-understaffed27/4659848?section=nsw

CA: Problems keep proliferating at discredited private foster care agency

Los Angeles Times - Apr 28, 2013 -- Interviews and an examination of public records by The Times found that questionable financial practices proliferated in recent years. At the same time, children suffered abuse and neglect repeatedly.

CA: Russian ombudsman to help family in U.S. get baby back

United Press International - Apr 28, 2013 -- A Russian children's rights advocate said he would help a Russian couple living in the United States get their baby back after authorities seized the child.
Also: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20130428/180891340.html

IN: Next step for Fairfield project

Journal-Gazette - Apr 29, 2013 -- A public hearing on proposed state funding for The Courtyard, a $5.2 million residential complex for young adults, is today. The project will serve those who "age out" of foster care.

KY: Banned priest not monitored

Chicago Tribune - Apr 26, 2013 -- Joliet Diocese cleric removed from ministry over abuse allegations has been largely left alone in rural Kentucky.

KY: Louisville-based Sovereign Grace Ministries wants lawsuit ended, says it's shielded from abuse claims

Kentucky Standard - Apr 27, 2013 -- The Louisville-based Sovereign Grace Ministries is arguing that constitutional protections of freedom of religion should shield the denomination from an expanding lawsuit alleging that its demands for unquestioning obedience led to the shielding of sexual predators.

OH: Help center for homeless youths may get state aid

Columbus Dispatch - Apr 29, 2013 -- "We've been scrambling to keep this open. The kids rely on us," said Slesnick, an Ohio State University professor who started the program using federal research money that has since expired. The state appropriation would be about three times the annual budget Slesnick cobbles together.

OR: Oleander Labier abuse case: State will pay $500,000

Oregon Live - Apr 26, 2013 -- The state of Oregon has agreed to pay $500,000 to settle a lawsuit accusing child welfare workers of failing to protect a 5-year-old Gresham girl from dying a torturous death at the hands of her father and his girlfriend.

TN: DCS to present child death investigation plan: Judge required agency to revamp method

The Tennessean - Apr 29, 2013 -- Last week, DCS submitted a detailed 87-page plan to overhaul its child death investigation system.
The agency will now take a "fundamentally different approach," said Dr. Tom Cheetham, newly appointed deputy commissioner for Child Health.

TX: Church Starting Program to Help Emancipated Foster Youth

Texas Home Page - Apr 26, 2013 -- Pastor Bateman says they already have a facility to house 16 kids and eventually plan to expand it to about 70.
Coordinators expect to have The Phased In Project up and running in November.

WI: The foster care gap: More parents retiring; fewer signing up to shelter children

LaCrosse Tribune - Apr 28, 2013 -- "We have some great families who have moved on," Knutson said. "We've had some great people who retired."
Meanwhile, more children in the county need a home. The number of county children in out-of-home care increased from 129 to 175 in less than two years.

US: Keyon Dooling reveals sexual abuse as a child

SBNation - Apr 27, 2013 -- Until that June night in Seattle, which touched off a series of nervous breakdowns over a seven-day period that landed him in a Boston mental institution fearing for his life.
Nine months later, Dooling is back in the NBA with the Memphis Grizzlies, having signed a contract following a stint as player development director with the Celtics. His return to the NBA is a triumphant one, regardless of his statistics, because he is a survivor of sexual abuse.

US: Latino children tragically boom in foster care

VOXXI - Apr 28, 2013 -- "The increase of Latino children in the child welfare system is likely due in part to a growing population of third generation Latino children, who are at greater risk of child welfare involvement than their first and second generation counterparts," said researcher Alan Dettlaff of the University of Illinois, Chicago.

US: Shhh, The Kids Can Hear You Arguing (Even When They're Asleep)

National Public Radio - Apr 29, 2013 -- "What we see for the infants in higher conflict homes is that they are showing greater reactivity to the very angry tone of voice," Graham says, "and that reactivity is in brain regions that we think are important later on in terms of your ability to regulate your emotions and function well."

Ethiopia: Adopted against her will: One woman shares her story (Video)

MSNBC - Apr 28, 2013 -- What would you do if you arrived in a foreign country ready to study on an educational exchange and only to discover you had been "adopted" by a family that thought you were an orphan?
It may sound like a nightmare, but it happened to Tarikuwa Lemma, who told her story on Sunday's Melissa Harris-Perry. Lemma came to the United States from Ethiopia for what she and her family thought was an educational exchange program when she was 13-years-old; after she arrived, she was told she had been adopted.

United Kingdom: Met police rape and child abuse units to merge as part of force shakeup

The Guardian - Apr 26, 2013 -- Scotland Yard's rape command, Sapphire, is to be merged with the child abuse unit as part of a larger overhaul within the Metropolitan police.

United Kingdom: Welsh care home investigation: Police findings published today

WalesOnline - Apr 29, 2013 -- Detectives probing historic allegations of abuse in Welsh care homes will reveal their findings today after more than one hundred victims came forward.

Russia: Putin says French same-sex marriage law puts adoptions at risk

Reuters - Apr 26, 2013 -- President Vladimir Putin signaled on Friday that Moscow would seek changes in an agreement regulating adoptions of Russian children by French parents, saying a French law allowing same-sex marriage went against traditional Russian values.

AL: Bill to accelerate Ala. adoption process passes

Associated Press - Apr 25, 2013 -- The "Best Interest of the Child Act" will shorten the time it takes for prospective parents to adopt a child in state care.

CA: 'It's such an amazing thing to celebrate your birthday'

Highland Community News - Apr 25, 2013 -- "It is the goal of the Bonnes Meres annual birthday party to ensure every child in the San Bernardino foster care system receives a gift on their birthday," began President Robin Bernhardt at the organization's annual fund - and gift-raiser last week.

CO: Failed to Death: Watchdog: Nearly 100 inaccuracies in child fatality review

Denver Post - Apr 25, 2013 -- The investigation, conducted by the Office of Colorado's Child Protection Ombudsman, listed 97 findings that Ombudsman Becky Miller Updike says raise questions about the accuracy and credibility of the fatality review.

FL: Concerned mom not notified when DCF takes her children from school

WFTX - Apr 25, 2013 -- Stegeman called the Tampa headquarters of DCF to find out if it was their policy to
notify parents before taking kids. A spokeswoman told her it is not their policy. Notifying parents could hinder an investigation.

FL: Full Senate jumps on foster care bill as cosponsors

Tampa Bay Times - Apr 25, 2013 -- In one of those rare moments of enthusiastic bipartisan support, the Senate voted 39-0 on Thursday to join Sen. Nancy Detert as co-sponsors of a bill to allow teens and young adults to stay in foster care until age 21.

FL: Legislation addressing abuse at unlicensed religious children's homes passes House after failed attempt to strip it down

Tampa Bay Times - Apr 25, 2013 -- A bill addressing some of the problems exposed by a 2012 Tampa Bay Times investigation into abuse at unlicensed religious children's homes passed the Florida House on Wednesday.

GA: Prevent Child Abuse helping teens, parents of young children

Newton Citizen - Apr 25, 2013 -- Prevent Child Abuse Newton, still forming its new direction since funding cuts occurred last year, is going to be specifically targeting teen parents and parents of children ages 1 to 4. Though in the past, Prevent Child Abuse Newton has focused on parents of school-aged children, there is evidence that children age birth to 4 or 5 are the most vulnerable age group for neglect and abuse, said Dr. Bill Allen, chair of the Prevent Child Abuse Newton Board of Directors.

KY: Kentucky Supreme Court upholds ruling to release child abuse records

Courier-Journal - Apr 26, 2013 -- The Cabinet for Health and Family Services must provide case files following a protocol set out by Judge Phillip Shepherd spelling out what information can be redacted by the cabinet and ordering the cabinet to explain each redaction.

LA: Senate panel approves streamlining Louisiana adoption process

Zachary Today - Apr 25, 2013 -- The "Louisiana Has Faith in Families" act seeks to create incentives for families and streamline an adoption process that is rife with duplication and administrative hurdles.

NC: Marrying a college to a foster care program

Charlotte Observer - Apr 25, 2013 -- Elon Homes and Schools for Children, a community-based foster care program, is moving onto the Johnson C. Smith University campus and the adjacent neighborhood on Beatties Ford Road. The long-term goal is to create a K-12 pipeline to college for kids from whom that reality is often a long-shot.

SC: House passes bill to protect children against parental abuse

The State - Apr 25, 2013 -- A state House bill aimed at giving S.C. courts clearer guidelines on when to terminate parental rights, especially in cases where parents or guardians have a history of child or drug abuse, passed a key vote Thursday.

US: Advocates for VOCA get vocal on Capitol Hill

Public News Service - Apr 25, 2013 -- The Victims of Child Abuse Act, or VOCA, has been eliminated in President Barack Obama's 2014 budget proposal. The same thing happened for the 2013 budget year, and the funding was restored only after an uproar from law enforcement and victims' advocates.

US: U.S.-born Latinos more likely to be in foster care

ABC News - Apr 25, 2013 -- Hispanic youth used to represent a disproportionately small number of all the children in foster care. Unfortunately, they're catching up.

Ireland: Court hears Adoption Authority refusal to recognise Mexican adoptions

RTE News - Apr 25, 2013 -- The Adoption Authority has refused to recognise or register more than a dozen Mexican-born children adopted by Irish families, the High Court has heard. The refusal comes because the children's placements do not comply with provisions of the international agreement on inter-country adoptions.

Canada: Opposition questions skyrocketing legal fees for child welfare

The StarPhoenix - Apr 25, 2013 -- "Since 2008, the Sask. Party government's legal fees for Prince Albert and the north have increased from around $200,000 a year to over $843,000 last year alone," NDP critic Danielle Chartier said in the legislature this week.

Europe: Native adoption trend takes hold in Eastern Europe

World - Apr 25, 2013 -- With international aid cut off, many orphans around the globe have little hope of placement-but their chances are improving in Eastern Europe, where a wave of "indigenous" adoption is sweeping through countries like Romania and Ukraine as Christians and non-Christians alike open their homes.

Russia: Moscow uses Irish adoption threat to block use of Magnitsky list

Financial Times - Apr 25, 2013 -- Russia has threatened to block Irish adoptions of Russian children if the Dublin parliament adopts a US-style "Magnitsky List" imposing sanctions on Russian officials.

CA: Seth Ireland case retrial to focus on $8.5 million award against Fresno County

The Fresno Bee - Apr 23, 2013 -- The question of whether the county is to blame for the fatal beating of 10-year-old Seth Ireland will be tried again, but jurors will decide only if the penalty handed down in February was appropriate -- not the decision.

CA: Report, panel look at mental health challenges among young Latinos

The Davis Enterprise - Apr 25, 2013 -- Latinos face unique issues when it comes to mental health. There are often pressures to assimilate, stress from poverty and anxiety over immigration status, all of which, "when left unaddressed and unresolved, can lead to mental health problems," a report issued last summer said.

ID: Air Force aims to prevent child abuse in Idaho

Public News Service - Apr 25, 2013 -- Connie Powers, family advocacy outreach manager for the 366th Medical Operations Squadron, said the unit offers parenting classes to first-time fathers - buoyed by research that shows that fathers involved during the pregnancy are more likely to be positively involved with their children for years to come.

IL: Reports blister Chicago psychiatric hospital for youths

Chicago Tribune - Apr 25, 2013 -- Richard Calica, director of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, imposed an intake hold on the West Side facility on March 19, prohibiting further admission of DCFS wards there. Calica then dispatched a team of investigators from the University of Illinois at Chicago's psychiatry department to conduct an "emergency review" of conditions at Garfield Park, records show.

IN: Concern over DCS budget negotiation

Indiana News Service - Apr 24, 2013 -- As legislators work to finalize Indiana's budget for the next two years, Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville, has cut proposed Department of Child Services increases by $10 million. Some of the money would be used for pay raises to slow caseworker turnover.

KS: Number of Kansas government workers grew last year

Associated Press - Apr 24, 2013 -- The report found many state agencies stayed at previous staffing levels or reduced employees for fiscal year 2013. The largest cuts were in the Kansas Department for Children and Families, which had 348 fewer employees.

LA: Garden District residents seek closure of troubled group home

The Advocate - Apr 24, 2013 -- The group home, one of several founded by LSU basketball legend Collis B. Temple Jr., was first licensed by the state in 2003. In 2010, state officials revoked the licenses of four of Temple's other group homes in Baton Rouge, prompting him to challenge the constitutionality of a 2009 law that allows for immediate closure of juvenile facilities in which deficiencies are found.

MO: Some Missouri child tragedy records are still sealed

The Kansas City Star - Apr 24, 2013 -- Four days after Missouri child welfare officials pledged more openness on records involving recent child tragedies, they appeared Tuesday to quickly shut the door again.

NC: Surry Co. DSS says need for more foster families critical

News 14 - Apr 24, 2013 -- "Over the last, I would say, two years the number of children coming into DSS' custody has substantially increased," said DSS director Wayne Black. "It's probably doubled or more than doubled."

NC: County DSS head to take over as state director

Elkin Tribune - Apr 22, 2013 -- Wayne Black, Surry County's director of social services, will be packing his bags next month as he prepares to move to Raleigh to take over the North Carolina Division of Social Services.

NC: McCrory signs child abuse, human trafficking bills

Associated Press - Apr 24, 2013 -- McCrory held a public bill-signing ceremony Wednesday for a measure named for a preschooler severely beaten a year ago. The Governor's Office said Kilah Davenport and family members attended the signing of "Kilah's Law" in the old Capitol building.

NJ: State slowly recouping money auditor said was questionably spent on foster care contracts

The Star-Ledger - Apr 23, 2013 -- Following the advice of a blistering audit, the Department of Children and Families has started to recoup some of the $12.2 million in state funds that foster home recruitment agencies either never used or paid for "unallowable" perks such as parties and bonuses.

TX: Local agencies commit to helping drug endangered children

KDBC - Apr 24, 2013 -- On Wednesday, the Texas Alliance for Drug Endangered Children invited more than 20 local agencies to sign a letter reaffirming their commitment to improve how they identify and intervene in situations where children are put in drug endangered environments.

US: Boarding school visual history project gathers oral histories

Indian Country Today Media Network - Apr 24, 2013 -- The project will have a visual history archive and an interactive website meant to educate users about the boarding school system in the United States. The boarding school systems involved the federal government sending American Indian children to schools away from their families, and it started with Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania.

US: Adoptees shouldn't have to use Facebook to find their birth parents

The Atlantic - Apr 24, 2013 -- Simons' success in locating her birth mother via Facebook has inspired countless imitators, both birth parents and adoptees, clogging Facebook feeds with similar messages. These posts have brought questions of adoption and its consequences to the forefront.

US: KidsPeace launches online resource for foster care teens

The Paramus Post - Apr 24, 2013 -- To kick-off National Foster Care Awareness Month next month, KidsPeace today launched a new web portal to provide foster care teens with a dedicated online resource to discuss and cope with issues relevant to their unique experiences.

US: Microsoft Grants $7.5 million in software and technology to Youth Villages; Grant boosts technology for at-risk children

PRWeb - Apr 24, 2013 -- The grant is part of Microsoft's YouthSpark initiative, which is designed to create opportunities for 300 million youth around the world. It will provide software and support on Youth Villages' residential campuses, supply technology for young adults being helped through its transitional living program and improve the organization's internal and external communications systems.

US: Parents use social media to adopt

America Now News - Apr 24, 2013 -- For moms and dads who are trying to adopt, the wait for a child can take months or even years. It can also cost tens of thousands of dollars depending on whether they use an adoption agency, private attorneys or church groups. A growing number of families are turning to the Internet and social media instead of using more familiar ways.

Ireland: Church child protection chief to stand down after six years

The Irish Times - Apr 25, 2013 -- Ian Elliott is to stand down as chief executive of the National Board for Safeguarding Children next month. "My contract expires at the end of June and, when leave is taken into account, I'll be gone by the end of May," he said yesterday.

China: 'Safe haven' program may spread

China Daily - Apr 25, 2013 -- China may expand a controversial pilot program that provides "safe havens" for abandoned children to major cities, a top Ministry of Civil Affairs official said on Tuesday.

United Kingdom: Urgent action needed to protect children in care from sexual exploitation

Huffington Post - Apr 24, 2013 -- Today the NSPCC has published new data showing how many cases of children missing from care occur each year. A shocking 28,000 cases were reported last year alone. The true figure is likely to be much higher.

Canada: Child-welfare reforms now probe's focus

Winnipeg Free Press - Apr 25, 2013 -- Eight years after Phoenix Sinclair was murdered by her caregivers, the inquiry into her death is hearing what's been done to try to mend the child-welfare safety net she fell through.

Australia: A guardian of children - controversial protection scheme

The Australian - Apr 26, 2013 -- By June 15, all people who work with children will have to apply for the check online, and all their criminal history will be viewable by assessors.

Russia: Health Ministry defends adoptions by HIV-positive people

The Moscow News - Apr 24, 2013 -- Currently, all Russians with infections like HIV or hepatitis B and C are obligated to register with their local clinics. A 1996 law prohibits people registered as HIV-positive to adopt children.

AZ: Arizona House votes to allow foster parents to skip kids' vaccines

Associated Press - Apr 23, 2013 -- A bill allowing Arizonans to become foster parents even if their own children haven't been immunized was headed to Gov. Jan Brewer's desk Tuesday after passing the House without an emergency clause that would have put it into effect immediately upon her signature.
The 33-24 House vote fell mainly along party lines after consecutive days of heated debate that pitted majority Republicans supporting the bill against Democrats.

IL: Large number of local children winding up in substitute care

The Southern Illinoisian - Apr 22, 2013 -- Increased poverty and unemployment rates coupled with cuts to social safety net programs over the last decade have landed an astounding number of Southern Illinois' children in substitute care. Between 2003 and 2012, the number of children in substitute care has increased 107 percent in Franklin County, 29 percent in Jackson County and 46 percent in Williamson County, according to the Kids Count 2013 report released by Voices for Illinois Children. Report: http://www.voices4kids.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Moving-Policy-Making-Progress.pdf

IL: Million March Against Child Abuse held in Carbondale

News 12 KFVS - Apr 22, 2013 -- In honor of April being National Child Abuse Prevention Month, many gathered in Carbondale on Monday, April 22 at 3:45 p.m. for the Million March Against Child Abuse. The walk raises awareness and asks for tougher sentencing for violent crimes against children in the U.S. People in over 150 cities and 45 states will join together for the march.

IN: State Child Abuse, Neglect Deaths Up 40% In 2011

Eagle Radio 99.3 FM WSCH - Apr 23, 2013 -- Forty children in Indiana died from abuse or neglect in 2011, a 60 percent increase from the year before. That's according to the newest annual child fatality report from the Indiana Department of Child Services, released Monday in what is Indiana's official Child Abuse Prevention Month. The department reviewed more than 292 child deaths from Indiana's fiscal year 2011, varying in causes ranging from medical conditions, drownings, abuse, neglect, and others. Report: http://www.in.gov/dcs/index.htm

MI: Court: Child welfare workers cannot be sued in Springer case

Sturgis Journal - Apr 23, 2013 -- In her lawsuit, Langdon said Calista would have survived if she had been protected from abuse. But the appeals court said Michigan is not obligated under due process rights to protect citizens from other citizens. "This, of course, means that there may be no recourse against the government in circumstances as tragic as those presented here," the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said last week, affirming a similar decision by a federal judge in Grand Rapids.

MT: Child welfare advocates rally in Great Falls

8 KPAX - Apr 23, 2013 -- April is National Child Abuse Awareness Month, and dozens of people turned out in front of the Cascade County Courthouse on Monday to raise awareness of child abuse and work toward prevention.

OH: Cleveland native Antwone Fisher describes foster care traumas to U.S. Senate Committee

Cleveland Live LLC - Apr 23, 2013 -- The childhood suffering that Glenville native Antwone Fisher endured under Ohio's foster care system has already been the subject of a book and Hollywood film. On Tuesday, it was the subject of a U.S. Senate hearing on ways to reform the child welfare system.

OK: Tulsans march against child abuse and neglect

Tulsa World - Apr 23, 2013 -- Although most of the national message focused on tougher sentencing laws, the Tulsa message stressed reporting abuse. "When crimes happen, we prosecute. What we are doing today is getting in front of that?" asked Tulsa County District Attorney Tim Harris.

PA: Arrow Child & Family Ministries Assumes Operation of the Second Mile Programs

The Wall Street Journal - Apr 23, 2013 -- Arrow Child & Family Ministries (Arrow) will assume operation of certain programs developed by The Second Mile for at-risk youth effective May 1, 2013. The Second Mile filed a petition with the Court of Common Pleas in Centre County on March 15, 2013, requesting the transfer of key self-development, prevention, early intervention, and community-based programs to Arrow together with $200,000 to begin operations of those programs in Pa. The court order granting the request was signed on April 17, 2013.

TX: Services for abused Texas children need more funds, not less

Star-Telegram - Apr 23, 2013 -- But last year, 5,598 children in Tarrant County were confirmed victims of child abuse and neglect, second only to Bexar among Texas counties. For 791 of these children, things were so bad that they needed to be moved to a new home away from their family. The state calls this "substitute care," and it is an obvious first step in protecting children from more abuse and neglect. Despite the need, these critical services are being threatened by funding shortages.

US: Attorney General Holder Launches Task Force to Improve Responses to Violence Against Children in Tribal Communities

The Justice Blog, The U.S. Department of Justice - Apr 17, 2013 -- On Friday, Attorney General Holder outlined the initial steps to implement the recommendations of the department's Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence, part of the Defending Childhood Initiative. The Justice Department will provide additional details on the implementation of the recommendations in the coming months.

US: New Documentary Takes Us Inside Russian Adoption: The Dark Matter of Love

Huffington Post - Apr 23, 2013 -- Early in the 90-minute documentary The Dark Matter of Love, which screened last night at the Capitol Visitor Center at the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., we meet Masha, a ballerina-pretty 11-year-old girl with hazel eyes and a pert nose. There's something gripping about the stark contrast of her beauty and the grim circumstances of her life. Masha lives in a bleak, brick orphanage on a treeless block in Arkhangelsk, Russia, about 900 miles north of Moscow. Early in the film, a doctor speaking in grainy black and white film from half a century ago, asks "Can orphans who've had no affection at all learn to love?"

US: What to Expect When You're . . . Adopted

Slate - Apr 23, 2013 -- I was born to Korean immigrants in Seattle, and my confidential or "closed" adoption at the age of 2 months severed all ties between my birth family and me-until I set out to restore those ties a few years ago. I fully expected my life to change when I became pregnant. But the strong desire to find out more about my original family was not something I had anticipated.

India: DCPCR lays down guidelines to prevent child abuse in the country

Press Trust of India - Apr 24, 2013 -- Amid nationwide outcry over the rape of a 5-year-old girl in the national capital, the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights has formulated guidelines for prevention of child abuse in the country. Related article: http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/draft-guidelines-for-prevention-of-child-abuse-released/article4650066.ece

United Kingdom: Bishop apologises to child abuse victim in Sussex

The Argus - Apr 24, 2013 -- In a letter of apology to a victim, Dr Martin Warner, the Bishop of Chichester, said there had been "deception and cover-up" at his diocese and conceded there had been an "ineptitude and irresponsible lack of professionalism."

United Kingdom: Number of children placed with adoptive families rose by 43% in last year, says ADCS

Family Law Week - Apr 24, 2013 -- The research finds that the number of children placed for adoption, but without an adoption order, at 31st March 2013, is 45% higher than at the same date in 2012. This compares to a 10% increase between March 2011 and March 2012. This finding suggests, says the ADCS, that there has been significant activity within local authorities to increase the number of successful matches of children and adopters.

Australia: Doubts raised on wisdom of rolling out wellbeing checks for young children

The Sydney Morning Herald - Apr 22, 2013 -- A child psychiatrist has questioned the federal government's ability to roll out social and emotional wellbeing checks for three-year-olds this year, saying there is no reliable screening tool available for the controversial policy.
In 2011, the Australian Government announced plans to lower the age for the voluntary Healthy Kids Check to 3 years and incorporate questions about social and emotional wellbeing to allow for more early intervention if problems are detected.

South Africa: Baby for sale on Gumtree

iol news - Apr 24, 2013 -- An adoption advert by a 24-year-old Cape Town woman who wanted to sell her baby on a classified advertising website has prompted Social Development MEC Albert Fritz to warn the public that this practice is illegal. Fritz urged people who wanted to put their children up for adoption to approach his department for assistance.

AR: Parents talk of triumph with help of Child Welfare System

KTHV - Apr 22, 2013 -- Wendy Founds, a 40-year-old wife and mother who abused drugs for more than a decade, told a crowd of child advocates gathered on the steps of the State Capitol on Monday that the child welfare system helped regain custody of her daughter and her life.

AZ: Foster-home vaccination bill proceeds

Arizona Republic - Apr 22, 2013 -- Legislation to eliminate the requirement that foster families fully immunize their own children came one step closer to becoming law on Monday following a bitter partisan House floor debate.

CA: County Releases Stats on Child Abuse

SCVNews - Apr 21, 2013 -- Sheriff Lee Baca participated in a press conference Friday with the Inter-Agency Council on Child Abuse and Neglect (ICAN) to announce two annual reports; Child Death Review Team Report and the ICAN State of Child Abuse in Los Angeles County Report.
ICAN Report: http://ican.co.la.ca.us/PDF/ICAN2012data.pdf

CA: Solano County seeks to extend family program

San Jose Mercury News - Apr 21, 2013 -- Solano County is looking to its extend its Nurse Family Partnership program, which serves low-income, first-time mothers and their families.

FL: DCF using Facebook make neglected girl's dreams come true

Bay News 9 - Apr 22, 2013 -- DCF says the girl is also looking forward to shopping for clothes with her foster mother, and maybe even going to a theme park for the first time.
DCF is asking its Facebook followers for help in making the girl's dreams come true.

FL: Project Seeks to Protect Babies From Drugs

The Ledger - Apr 20, 2013 -- BornDrugFreeFL.com and the helpline at 1-877-233-5656 are meant to educate expectant mothers about the importance of discussing prescription drug use with their doctors and to offer assistance.

FL: Proposed bill would extend foster care

First Coast News - Apr 22, 2013 -- That's the point of a new bill working its way through the legislature that would give children in foster care 3 additional years with their foster families.

GA: DFCS report: 152 Georgia children died with agency history

Atlanta Journal-Constitution - Apr 22, 2013 -- DCFS dismissed past years' figures as inaccurate. And though they say they've improved their data gathering, they acknowledge that even the 2012 accounting may not be complete.

HI: $5.75M settlement approved in Hawaii abuse lawsuit

Associated Press - Apr 22, 2013 -- A $5.75 million settlement has been approved in a class-action lawsuit alleging bullying, assault and rape at the Hawaii School for the Deaf and the Blind.

IN: Indiana child deaths surge in 1st year of hotline

Indianapolis Star - Apr 22, 2013 -- Forty Hoosier children died because of abuse or neglect in 2011, a 60 percent increase in the first year the Indiana Department of Child Services operated its widely scrutinized centralized abuse hotline.

MI: A Supreme Court case about a little known law could be a big deal for Michigan's kids

Michigan Radio - Apr 17, 2013 -- Since Indian children are still over-represented in Michigan's child welfare system, Greenleaf-Maldonado, a Tribal Court Judge for the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, and many others worked for years on an even stronger state version of the law. It passed in January with almost unanimous bi-partisan support.
Now, the U.S. Supreme Court might throw a wrench into Michigan's progress. The court is examining the federal Indian Child Welfare Act and nobody knows what the court will decide.

MO: DSS relents, to turn over records in abuse case

Associated Press - Apr 22, 2013 -- Missouri's child welfare agency has agreed, after nine months, to release documents in the case of a Kansas City girl who was found malnourished, dehydrated and in a locked closet.

NC: Teen's campaign: Making us NOTICE child abuse

Charlotte Observer - Apr 22, 2013 -- So she created the NOTICE campaign. To raise awareness, she sold t-shirts with the word "NOTICE" printed across the front. Bailey added tags to the shirts with child abuse statistics and hotline numbers for Union, Lincoln, Gaston and Mecklenburg counties.

NM: Las Cruces Child Crisis Center closes permanently

Las Cruces Sun News - Apr 21, 2013 -- Donna Richmond, director of La Pi�on Sexual Assault Recovery Services of Southern New Mexico which oversaw the center, formally announced the closure Friday in an news release.

WA: Light shines on domestic abuse among South Asians

Seattle Times - Apr 21, 2013 -- Proceeds from a benefit concert Sunday at Comcast Arena in Everett will help support a Seattle nonprofit that works to address the little-discussed problems of sexual abuse and domestic violence in some Asian communities.

US: Adoption and the Culture Wars

WNYC - Apr 23, 2013 -- Kathryn Joyce, journalist and the author of The Child Catchers: Rescue, Trafficking, and the New Gospel of Adoption (PublicAffairs (April, 2013), looks at international adoptions and conservative Christianity.
Also: Is the "gospel of adoption" always good news: http://ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/gospel-adoption-always-good-news
Also: Responses to 'Hatchet Job' Investigation of Evangelical Adoption Movement: http://blog.christianitytoday.com/ctliveblog/archives/2013/04/evangelical-adoption-movement-kathryn-joyce-investigation.html

US: Child Welfare Privatization Update

Reason Foundation - Apr 22, 2013 -- In 2012 several states continued to implement privatized child welfare efforts.
Full Report: http://reason.org/news/show/apr-2013-state-privatization

US: Walter Olson on the Constitutional Flaws of the Indian Child Welfare Act

Reason Foundation - Apr 22, 2013 -- But lurking just below the surface of both Holyfield and Adoptive Couple are some deeper constitutional questions that the Court may not be able to dodge forever. Because the harder you dig into the premises behind ICWA, the more you wonder-as Chief Justice Roberts may have been wondering on Tuesday-why the law is handing out rights in domestic relations conflicts based on race, lineage, and other grounds that are ordinarily forbidden under our Constitution.

United Kingdom: Social workers must look after themselves and recognise their limits

The Guardian - Apr 23, 2013 -- A study into burnout in child protection social work found that good management and peer support can help retain staff.

Pakistan: At this village, the ties of humanity are stronger than those formed by blood

International Herald Tribune - Apr 23, 2013 -- Here the orphaned and abandoned children aren't being looked after by their 'biological' parents, but that hasn't stopped them from receiving the same kind of love and affection they would if they were to be with their mothers and fathers.

Morocco: Adoption Law Change Leaves Foreigners in Limbo

Naharnet - Apr 22, 2013 -- Last September, Morocco's government amended the law and barred foreigners from adopting, in order to better protect the children's interests and identity, according to Justice Minister Mustapha Ramid.
Since then, foreign couples who had already begun the process fear it may retroactively be invalidated and their cherished hopes dashed.

AR: Pediatrician Honored for Efforts to Prevent Child Abuse (Includes Audio)

Public News Service - Apr 22, 2013 -- A pediatrician who has dedicated her life to preventing child abuse and protecting children is being honored this week by the Children's Advocacy Centers of Arkansas. Executive Director Stacy Thompson said the award will go to Dr. Karen Farst for her career of service and support.

AZ: Life after CPS: What happens to those who age out of the system?

Ahwatukee Foothills News - Apr 19, 2013 -- At Arizona State University, students created Camp H.O.P.E., Helping Orphans Prosper through Education, to encourage orphans in Mexico to attend college.

FL: Walk encourages victims of sex abuse to speak out

News Herald - Apr 19, 2013 -- "It impacts many children; it's a difficult topic to discuss. There are a lot of confusing emotions, typically because the perpetrator is someone who they love and they trust and it makes disclosure very difficult for a lot of children," said Lori Allen, executive director at Children's Advocacy Center. "But we want children to know that it's safe to tell, it's OK to tell and that we, as the child welfare system, will ensure to keep them safe."

IL: Group raises awareness of child abuse in Peoria

Peoria Journal Star - Apr 20, 2013 -- About 100 like-minded supporters and volunteers gathered Friday for the sixth annual Hands Around the Courthouse to raise awareness about child abuse in the community.

KS: Sedgwick County Child Welfare System Undergoing Change, Resolve Remains Strong

KAKE TV - Apr 19, 2013 -- Child abuse is costing the state of Kansas, and taxpayers, more than $815 million a year.
Despite some ongoing changes to the local child welfare system, Sedgwick County leaders say their resolve to end the cycle of child abuse is stronger than ever.

KS: State lawmakers eliminate 30-day adoption wait

KSAL - Apr 21, 2013 -- Kansas lawmakers have eliminated the state's mandatory 30-day waiting period on adoption requests, saying the limbo period can be heart-wrenching for the prospective parents.

KY: Child abuse, sex crimes on the rise locally: Nineteen people were convicted of sex crimes in county in 2011

Central Kentucky News Journal - Apr 17, 2013 -- If statistics are any indication, child abuse and sexual assaults in Taylor County are happening more, or being reported more, than in the past.

MA: Ease of foster care adoptions touted: Mass. group helps form families

News Telegram - Apr 21, 2013 -- "If you do a foreign adoption, you spend $30,000 to $50,000 and we didn't have that kind of money sitting around," Mr. Wenck said. "If you adopt out of foster care, there are no out-of-pocket costs. Depending on the child's needs and issues, there is a possible small subsidy from the state. With foreign adoption, you also have to wait and put out a whole lot of cash to maybe get a baby. Look at the situation in Russia where they stopped all foreign adoptions. What happens to all the Americans who put up $50,000 to get a baby? It is gone."

ME: Dover-Foxcroft police build kid-friendly room for interviewing children about sexual assaults

Bangor Daily News - Apr 22, 2013 -- The station is home to a new interview room that area police agencies will use during investigations of alleged sexual assaults against children. It's part of an effort in Penobscot and Piscataquis counties to change how the state handles interviews involving children and "make it less of an interrogation," according to Gretchen Ziemer of Rape Response Services.

ME: The impact of child abuse and neglect

Sun-Journal - Apr 21, 2013 -- In a study of 17,000 adults, those who were abused as children were more likely to become suicidal; more likely to have heart disease, cancer, chronic lung disease; twice as likely to be smokers; twice as likely to be severely obese; twice as likely to become alcoholics; and three times as likely to develop a drug addiction.

NC: Cherokees plan to create their own DSS agency

Associated Press - Apr 20, 2013 -- Angry over the way Swain County social services workers handled a child abuse case in which a 15-month old girl died, a Native American tribe is planning to form its own agency to protect children on a North Carolina reservation.

ND: At reservation, challenge can be to keep Indian children safe - and Indian

Grand Forks Herald - Apr 21, 2013 -- On a Spirit Lake reservation torn by factional infighting, the leader of an American Indian advocacy group arrives to find 25 percent of all Dakota Indian children living in foster care with white families.

NJ: $6 million and counting: the legal costs of N.J. child welfare reform

Star-Ledger - Apr 21, 2013 -- New Jersey's total tab to pay for lawyers and consultants overseeing a court-ordered makeover of the state's system of protecting its most vulnerable children is $6 million and counting, but advocates and state officials agree more spending is needed because the job isn't finished.

NM: Child abuse taskforce (Video)

KOAT - Apr 21, 2013 -- Governor Martinez wants to see a task force in each jurisdiction; dedicated to saving children from their abusive parents.

NY: Same-sex parent who pays support can seek custody: judge

Reuters - Apr 19, 2013 -- A mother who was awarded child support from her former same-sex partner cannot stop her from seeking custody by arguing she is not legally a parent, a New York judge has ruled.

WA: Child abuse rates high in Thurston county

Nisqually Valley News - Apr 19, 2013 --
According to Shelly Willis, executive director of Family Education and Support Services, in 2011, Thurston County saw a spike in child abuse cases. That high rate remained steady through 2012, and looks to be headed for the same rate in 2013, she said.

WI: Deaths raise questions for child welfare system

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Apr 21, 2013 -- The main question for child welfare officials is whether they should have done more to protect the children, including removing them from the home.

WV: State putting new focus on foster kids who age out

Associated Press - Apr 20, 2013 -- Child-welfare officials acknowledge they could have been doing more to prepare teens like Moore long before they're on the brink of adulthood, though they're unable to discuss specific cases.
In the past two budget years, the Department of Health and Human Resources returned nearly $1 million in unused federal funds aimed at helping young people who age out of the foster system with few skills to succeed in life.

US: Same-sex marriage cases before Supreme Court put the spotlight on children raised by gays

Associated Press - Apr 20, 2013 -- The White House told the Supreme Court it favored same-sex marriage. So did dozens of big corporations, a host of political and legal heavyweights - and 9-year-old Austin Covey.

United Kingdom: Neglect, sex abuse, bullying - 480 children 'at risk' in Sunderland

Sunderland Echo - Apr 22, 2013 -- THERE are 480 children in Sunderland deemed to be at risk.
These young people have been put on the city's child protection register to make sure they do not come to harm in their own home.

Canada: Catholic Children's Aid responds to rise in abused youth who aren't legally in Canada

The Star - Apr 19, 2013 -- The reality is that children who lack legal residency in Canada aren't immune from abuse and neglect, and can be even more vulnerable because of their precarious status.
Child welfare officials are seeing a growing number of children coming into their care whose status in Canada is an issue, said Ronal Ibarra.

CA: Police: Law change makes child abuse hard to track

Associated Press - Apr 19, 2013 -- Law enforcement officers and child welfare advocates are concerned about a little-noticed change to California's child abuse database, saying it could hamper their ability to keep tabs on hundreds of suspected abusers who work with kids outside the home, including teachers, coaches and clergy.

CT: Bill gives intern preference to foster kids

Associated Press - Apr 18, 2013 -- Former foster children once in the care of the Connecticut Department of Children and Families would receive preference for state agency internships under a bill moving through the General Assembly.

CT: Couple charged with smuggling baby

Associated Press - Apr 19, 2013 -- The case may represent the desperate measures prospective parents are willing to take to adopt children from Guatemala since that country shut down its international adoption program more than five years ago.

FL: Local churches sought for foster care, adoption program

Highlands Today - Apr 19, 2013 -- "111 Project Florida is asking the local church to join them in the hope-filled belief that: If every church will commit at least one family for one purpose, we will leave no Florida child without a family," their website states. 111 Project stands for One Church, One Family, One Purpose.

IN: DCS measure in peril: Changes pull some provisions and $10M in funding from budget bill

Indianapolis Star - Apr 19, 2013 -- Child advocates are concerned legislation that would flag and prioritize certain investigations of abuse reported to the Department of Child Services will fail to pass the Indiana General Assembly this year.

MO: Bill would let kids see jailed parents more

Associated Press - Apr 19, 2013 -- The program would provide transportation for children and their caretaker who live more than 50 miles away from their parent's prison for visits.

MO: House defeats measure to give fathers more time to intervene in adoptions

Springfield News-Leader - Apr 18, 2013 -- Currently, men must file a claim of paternity within 15 days of the birth of the child in order to consent or not consent to adoption. Ellington's amendment raised the time to 60 days.

NJ: Foster children abound, CASA volunteers work as courts eyes

Cape May County Herald - Apr 18, 2013 -- In the Cape May-Atlantic county area there are upward of 800 children, birth to age 21, in foster care. Last year, 350 of those children were served by volunteers working with CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocates.

NY: Four out of five at-risk children in Erie County do not have adequate access to mental health services

Springville Journal - Apr 18, 2013 -- Funding for innovative initiatives, like the Court-Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program, is critical to preventing children with mental health issues from making destructive, costly or even deadly decisions in the future. That's why Kennedy and Erie County Mental Health Association are building on the momentum of the past four months and pushing the state to invest more resources into mental health care for Western New York children.

OH: Child abuse cases decline in Greene County

Dayton Daily News - Apr 18, 2013 -- Greene County Jobs and Family Services Director Beth Rubin said changes in the methods used for screening of child abuse reports resulted in fewer reports accepted for investigation and has had an impact on the numbers.

OH: Wayne County Children Service's mentoring program providing children with additional support

The Daily Record - Apr 19, 2013 -- Various social services are in place to support children who have been abused or neglected, and some that work to prevent abuse in the first place. Wayne County Children Services's mentoring program pairs up volunteer mentors with children who have been abused or neglected. While many of the children were removed from abusive situations, the program can function to help set abused and neglected children on a path to success.

OK: Oklahoma woman recalls horrors of child welfare system at 30th anniversary of Institute for Child Advocacy

The Oklahoman - Apr 18, 2013 -- Choate was one of the original plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit against DHS; the lawsuit lasted six years until an agreement was reached in 1984 that placed the oversight functions of DHS under the recently formed Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth. Choate spoke at an event marking the 30th anniversary of the Institute for Child Advocacy, which was founded in 1983 as a result of the lawsuit over the maltreatment of youth in state custody.

TX: House backs bill on psychotropic drugs for foster kids

The Texas Tribune - Apr 18, 2013 -- The Texas House approved legislation Thursday on a voice vote that would require the guardians of foster children to give informed consent before a foster child could be put on psychotropic drugs.

CA: Given up for adoption, but not for lost

Los Angeles Times - Apr 17, 2013 -- Spurred by a deathbed promise to her grandmother, a woman wins a 15-year battle with social workers to be reunited with her younger siblings -- who had been moved across the country.

FL: Human trafficking issue rises to the forefront

Tampa Bay Times - Apr 18, 2013 -- Community leaders point to the increase in documentaries, legislation and training regarding human trafficking as the reasons for growing awareness. Just last year, Gov. Rick Scott signed the Safe Harbor Act into law, allowing children who are rescued from prostitution to get help from child welfare professionals instead of being placed in juvenile delinquency.

MA: Braintree bank uses screens to help foster children find homes

Wicked Local Braintree - Apr 17, 2013 -- Since the middle of March, Braintree Cooperative Bank has been using its interior video screens to seek adoptive homes for children in state foster care. The screens feature slides encouraging customers to contact the Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange to learn if they might be the family a child has been waiting for.

ME: Wabanaki child welfare commission selects executive director

Bangor Daily News - Apr 17, 2013 -- Heather Martin, a College of the Atlantic graduate with a background in community radio, grassroots organizations, civil justice and conflict resolution, took her new post on Monday, according to a commission press release.

NC: Child abuse law passes legislature

Charlotte Observer - Apr 17, 2013 -- A law that would increase the punishment for child abusers who severely injure children unanimously passed the N.C. Senate on Wednesday and could get the governor's signature before the end of the month.

NM: New method aids child-abuse victims

KRQE - Apr 17, 2013 -- Eleven New Mexico counties have adopted a new approach to investigating child-abuse cases, and now the governor is urging the rest to do the same. The 11 have already set up Multi-Disciplinary Teams known as MDTs, which are agreements between various agencies on how they handle child-abuse cases.

PA: Mandated reporter training bill passes House and moves to Senate

The Patriot-News - Apr 17, 2013 -- Professionals who care for or supervise children will be required to receive regular training on identifying signs of child abuse under two pieces of legislation that the House passed today.

TN: Department of Children's Services ordered to release information to media in 50 child deaths

Associated Press - Apr 17, 2013 -- Davidson County Chancellor Carol McCoy also ordered the state to bear the cost of redacting identifying information from the records. The media organizations will pay the cost of making copies.

TN: Sen. Overbey named to panel that reviews cases of child abuse

The Daily Times - Apr 17, 2013 -- State Sen. Doug Overbey, R-Maryville, has been appointed to serve as a member of the Second Look Commission, which review cases and procedures related to severe child abuse to determine if they were handled properly.

US: Americanization, Latino families and the future of foster care

The Chronicle of Social Change - Apr 17, 2013 -- Latino families come to this country for a new life, but two generations later, many are struggling and their children increasingly end up in foster care.

US: Immigration bill includes protections for families broken up by deportation

Colorlines - Apr 17, 2013 -- The comprehensive immigration reform bill, released early this morning by a group of eight Senators, both Republicans and Democrats, includes provisions to reunite families separated by immigration detention and deportation. It also includes provisions to keep U.S. citizen children of deported parents from languishing in foster care, a problem Colorlines has documented, and to protect deportees from losing parental rights.

Northern Ireland: Child abuse levels 'disturbing' says NSPCC report

BBC News - Apr 18, 2013 -- Fewer children are suffering violent deaths in Northern Ireland but the level of child abuse remains disturbing and often "hidden", according to a new report.

Australia: Child advocate's role under scrutiny

ABC News - Apr 18, 2013 -- The Tasmanian Parliament has agreed to review the powers of the children's commissioner.

Russia: Duma to consider lifting ban on child adoptions

The Moscow Times - Apr 17, 2013 -- The State Duma is preparing to discuss a bill to lift the ban on U.S. parents adopting Russian children, even as Russian investigators accuse another U.S. couple of failing to protect their child. It was initially reported that the bill would be discussed on Wednesday, but as of Wednesday afternoon there was no word on it. It is unlikely to be passed by the Duma, where a majority of lawmakers toe the Kremlin line.

Russia: U.S. forms group with Russia to monitor adopted children

The Moscow Times - Apr 18, 2013 -- "The working group will gather twice a year in turn in the U.S. and Russia," Astakhov said on Twitter late Wednesday. "It will consider both urgent problems and investigations and systemic current issues."

AK: Artwork Display Raises Awareness of Child Abuse in Alaska

KTUU - Apr 16, 2013 -- A display at the Sears Mall in Anchorage represents the shocking statistic of how many children have been brought to Alaska CARES (Child Abuse Response and Evaluation Services) for an evaluation of physical or sexual abuse in 2012.

AR: Keeping children and families together

Northeast Arkansas Town-Crier - Apr 16, 2013 -- A message from the Govenor Mike Beebe: Child-welfare programs in Arkansas are becoming more effective and efficient, thanks to a recent shift toward a family-centered approach. Traditionally, it has been thought that removing children from certain situations and placing them in safe homes was always the best policy for the safety of the child. However, recent research has shown that it can be more complicated than that.

CO: Ombudsman probing Colorado child-welfare complaints leaving job after 2 years

Denver Post - Apr 17, 2013 -- Becky Miller Updike, who will become vice president of children and family programs for Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains, said the fight for autonomy has been a "constant and ongoing issue."

FL: DCF campaigning to help new dads

News 13 - Apr 17, 2013 -- "In a situation that ends in tragedy, the individual more likely to demonstrate more violence towards a child is predominately going to be a male figure," said Carrie Hoeppner with the Department of Children and Families.
Now DCF is reaching out to more dads.

IN: Fort Wayne medical pros have a hard time identifying child neglect and abuse

News-Sentinel - Apr 16, 2013 -- A local study on reporting child abuse and neglect by medical professionals who deal with children has found that only 5 percent found it very easy to identify an abused or neglected child.

MD: Juvenile justice reforms: worth the wait: New laws will improve conditions for troubled youths, but there is more to be done

Baltimore Sun - Apr 16, 2013 -- A recent fiscal analysis by Advocates for Children and Youth, "The High Cost of Detaining Youth: A Juvenile Services Challenge and Opportunity," found that Maryland could save more than $1 million per year by shifting children under 14 into alternatives to detention such as electronic monitoring, day and evening reporting centers, shelter care, and treatment foster care.

MO: Bill would allow college visit for foster kids

San Francisco Chronicle - Apr 17, 2013 -- The Missouri Senate has given first-round approval to a bill that would require older children in foster care to visit colleges.

MT: Montanans honored for work to prevent child abuse (Also with Video)

KXLH - Apr 16, 2013 -- One of those who received a standing ovation was 18-year-old Isaiah Wolcott from Butte, who received the Youth Achievement Award.
Wolcott has been able to take his early childhood struggles and turn them into a positive by helping others who find themselves in a similar situation.

NC: Child Advocacy Center helps make abuse less traumatic for youngsters

Hickory Record - Apr 15, 2013 -- The CAC is a nonprofit organization that assists law enforcement, the Department of Social Services and the District Attorney's Office in their investigations involving children alleged to have been sexually or physically abused or are witnesses to a violent crime.

NE: State senator seeking to reduce removal of Native children

Lincoln Journal Star - Apr 16, 2013 -- A state senator from Lincoln said he plans to host a hearing this summer to explore why Native children in Nebraska are removed from their homes at a rate nearly seven times that of other children.

NV: State disputes child abuse rank

Reno Gazette-Journal - Apr 15, 2013 -- Thirteen deaths in Nevada occurred in 2011 due to child abuse, not the 19 listed in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service's Children's Bureau report "Child Maltreatment 2011," said Jill Marano, child welfare deputy administrator for the Division of Child and Family Services.

OK: DHS Cancels 10 Foster Home Recruiting Contracts In Oklahoma

News 9 - Apr 16, 2013 -- "Rather than proceed with something that might not benefit us in the future, let's stop now," said Powell. "Let's regroup, and let's come up with a new process that really incorporates what the providers feel like they can bring to our assistance."

OK: Public input sought for statewide child abuse prevention plan

Muskogee Phoenix - Apr 15, 2013 -- The Oklahoma State Department of Health Office of Child Abuse Prevention is asking for input from private and public agencies and organizations, and private citizens and consumers to use in developing a statewide comprehensive child abuse prevention plan.

TN: Media still fighting for records from DCS

WBIR - Apr 17, 2013 -- The Tennessean and a dozen other media outlets are suing the Tennessee Department of Children's Services for access to reports of hundreds of deaths and near-deaths of children who had contact with the state's child welfare system.
DCS has resisted requests to release those documents by claiming some of the records are not public and that it would cost tens of thousands of dollars to produce the ones that are.

TX: Early child abuse: CPS investigates drug use by expectant mothers

KENS5.com - Apr 16, 2013 -- Jennifer Saucedo is a CPS investigator and hospital liaison for Children's Hospital of San Antonio. It's her job to investigate suspected cases of child abuse, including the abuse of infants.
"If the mother is using drugs during her pregnancy, then the child can be exposed. So when the child is delivered, they're born positive for drugs," Saucedo said.

TX: Heart Gallery event highlights adoption experiences

Corsicana Daily Sun - Apr 16, 2013 -- On Monday, it was at the Cook Center, where Child Advocates of Navarro County celebrated adoption with its second annual Heart Gallery event. Adoptive parents told their heart-warming stories, and potential adoptive parents listened. Pictures of prospective adoptive children lined chairs on the back row of the seating area, and adorned the walls thanks to projectors.

UT: Adoption often leaves older children behind, alone, but waiting families change the future

Deseret News - Apr 16, 2013 -- Babies available for adoption are snapped up; by age 8, the trend turns downward, adoption becoming rarer. For teens, the adoption rate plummets. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says 400,000 abused and neglected children are in foster care nationwide.

WI: Child abuse reports down, awareness up

Journal-Times - Apr 16, 2013 -- Between 2009 and 2012, there was a 21 percent decrease in reports of abuse or neglect that required further assessment by the Racine County Human Services Department - down from 1,382 to 1,095. And local authorities say that accompanying the drop is an increased awareness of the issue among mandatory reporters - like teachers and doctors - and in the community as a whole.

US: Affordable Care Act rules differ for former foster kids

CNN Health - Apr 17, 2013 -- While many young adults are now covered by the Affordable Care Act, able to remain on their parents' insurance until age 26, the rules are different for those like Cox-Reed, who grew up in the foster care system.

US: Child Abuse More Likely if Mom Sees Baby as Bad

MedPage Today - Apr 16, 2013 -- Moms who said their children had negative intentions were more likely to maltreat their child by the time the baby was 26 months old (adjusted odds ratio 1.26, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.56), according to Lisa Berlin, PhD, of the University of Maryland School of Social Work in Baltimore, and colleagues.

US: Emotions Run High As Supreme Court Hears Adoption Case

National Public Radio - Apr 16, 2013 -- The question before the court was whether a Native American biological father who gave up his parental rights and refused to provide financial support to the mother and child could later object after the non-Indian mother gave up the child for adoption.
Also: High court wrestles with Indian adoption dispute: http://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2013/04/16/high-court-wrestles-with-indian-adoption-dispute
Also: The Ugly Side of the Adoption Industry : http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/04/16/ugly-side-adoption-industry
Also: Supreme Court hears custody dispute over adopted girl: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-court-adoption-20130417,0,3600035.story

US: How Evangelical Christians Are Preaching The New Gospel Of Adoption

National Public Radio - Apr 15, 2013 -- We're used to thinking of adoption as a way for infertile couples or single people to start a family or take in a child in need of a home.
What might come as a surprise, however, is the outsized role of evangelical Christians when it comes to overseas adoption.
Also: Evangelicals and the 'New Gospel of Adoption' - Fresh Air: http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=13&prgDate=04-16-2013

US: Investigating effectiveness of clinical interventions needed for maltreated children

News-Medical.Net - Apr 17, 2013 -- Children who have experienced maltreatment are at serious risk for a host of mental health and other problems that can persist throughout childhood and adulthood. Yet the results of a new systematic review of interventions with maltreated children under age 15 reveals striking limitations in the scientific evidence supporting these approaches, according to a review produced by the RTI-UNC Evidence-based Practice Center.

US: Social Services: How to Get Out from Under Federal Oversight

Governing - Apr 11, 2013 -- There are an astonishing number of state and local children and family services agencies currently operating under some sort of federal court oversight -- 21 in all, according to the American Public Human Services Association. Of those, a handful have been under federal oversight for more than 20 years.

Kenya: Is adoption the answer to Kenya's abandoned children?

Capital FM - Apr 17, 2013 -- The stigma that was previously associated with adoption is slowly fading. We used to see couples come (at the centre) in secret�not willing to allow their relatives or friends to find out that they are adopting a child. But that has now changed," says Susan [Utuoma].

Russia: Adopting My Russian Daughter: Not Just Parenting, But Healing

The Daily Beast - Apr 16, 2013 -- The issue of Russian orphans-and whether American adoptive families are successfully parenting them-has become a flashpoint in a complicated political struggle. It began when the U.S. government passed The Magnitsky Act, which took aim at Russia's handling of human rights cases. The conflict escalated after Russia retaliated by shutting down adoptions to Americans after more than two decades. The Russian propagandists are using a small number of notorious cases gone bad to vilify American adoptive parents as a group, and to perpetuate the notion that Americans are monsters.
Also: It Is Far More Dangerous For Russian Children To Be In Domestic Care Than Adopted From Abroad: http://www.businessinsider.com/russian-children-more-in-danger-at-home-2013-4

AL: Stop abuse: Center helps make a difference in children's lives

Montgomery Advertiser - Apr 11, 2013 -- The Family Support Center promotes Child Abuse Prevention Month throughout the month of April in conjunction with the Autauga County Children's Policy Council and the Alabama Department of Child Abuse Prevention, DCAP. This state agency funds prevention-based programs aimed at educating parents and individuals on the disastrous long-term and potential fatal effects of child abuse, neglect and a shaken baby syndrome.
The center provides free parenting classes for parents with young children and also Parent Project, which is for parents and teens ages 13 to 18.

CA: Children Left Behind: Deported Parents, American Kids

Fronteras: The Changing America Desk - Apr 15, 2013 -- Hundreds, if not thousands, of deported parents are trying to reunite with children left behind in the United States. In 2011, some 1,500 children in Southern California were removed from detained or deported parents and placed in state care.
That's according to the Applied Research Center, a think-tank specializing in race issues that previously published a report, "Shattered Families." In it, the ARC projected that between 2012 and 2014, 15,000 more kids could face a similar fate.
Report: http://arc.org/shatteredfamilies

FL: 'Teens-Only Town Hall' Introduces Agency Heads To Their Teen Advisers (includes Audio)

WFSU - Apr 12, 2013 -- A dozen Florida high-schoolers are embarking on a yearlong stint as advisers to government agency leaders on children's issues. The Florida Youth Commission met their state-official counterparts for the first time this week, and they brought some tough questions.

IL: Child abuse cases on the rise in Southern Illinois

KFVS - Apr 15, 2013 -- According to the Voices for Illinois Children Kids Count three counties in Southern Illinois had an increase over a two year period from 2009 to 2011.

MS: Child abuse reforms, signed into law by Gov. Phil Bryant today, take effect July 1

Gulf Live - Apr 15, 2013 -- "House Bill 1259 gives law enforcement in Mississippi the tools they will need to better protect our children and sends a clear message that those who harm children will be held accountable," the governor said.

NJ: Human Services replaces its police director

NJ.com - Apr 15, 2013 -- Donald Haynes, who earned $101,048 as Deputy Director of the 103-member police force, is no longer a state employee, Human Services spokeswoman Nicole Brossoie said.
Glenn Talavera, the department's director of Investigations in the Office of Program Integrity and Accountability, has been named interim Director.
The 103-member police force is assigned to accompany child welfare workers to potentially dangerous homes and guard the state's four psychiatric hospitals and seven developmental centers. Despite his deputy director title, Haynes was the police department's highest ranking official, and had been employed there since 2003, Brossoie said.

NM: State among worst in child abuse deaths

Albuquerque Journal - Apr 15, 2013 -- In 2010, New Mexico ranked second in the nation for per capita deaths caused by child abuse, with 19 deaths, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It was eighth in 2011, the most recent year available, with 15.

TN: DCS to improve training for abuse investigators

Associated Press - Apr 15, 2013 -- The Department of Children's Services is reorganizing following problems that led to the recent resignation of Commissioner Kate O'Day.
One of the biggest changes includes teaming with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to better train child abuse investigators.
Also: DCS shake-up focuses on child safety: http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130416/NEWS0201/304160024/DCS-shake-up-focuses-child-safety

WI: Brown County task force steps up to reduce child abuse

Green Bay Press Gazette - Apr 15, 2013 -- Members have agreed that they need to find ways for agencies to better collaborate on a "culture change," reaching people on a neighborhood level, to convey the message that even the smallest example of maltreatment is unacceptable. Maltreatment includes neglect and physical, sexual and emotional abuse, said Patrick Evans, a Brown County supervisor who heads the task force.

US: Adoption Case Brings Rare Family Law Dispute To High Court

National Public Radio - Apr 16, 2013 -- Take the usual agony of an adoption dispute. Add in the disgraceful U.S. history of ripping Indian children from their Native American families. Mix in a dose of initial fatherly abandonment. And there you have it - a poisonous and painful legal cocktail that goes before the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday.
Also: Supreme Court to hear child custody fight; at crux is law on tribal rights: http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2013/0415/Supreme-Court-to-hear-child-custody-fight-at-crux-is-law-on-tribal-rights

US: USDA Partners with the Department of Defense and the Cooperative Extension Service to Develop Guides Focused on Supporting Military Families

USDA Newsroom - Apr 15, 2013 -- The family members of military members often face unique challenges during and after deployment. In an effort to involve entire communities in supporting these families, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Defense (DoD) developed a series of publications with guidance for various audiences that assist and support members of the military, veterans and their families. The publications were developed in collaboration with the Military Family Research Institute at Purdue University and the National Military Family Association. USDA Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics Catherine Woteki helped unveil these publications at an event in Washington today in support of April as "Month of the Military Child" and the 2-year anniversary of Joining Forces, the initiative to support military families launched by First Lady Michelle Obama and Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden.

Liberia: Orphan Fever: The Evangelical Movement's Adoption Obsession

Mother Jones - Apr 15, 2013 -- In 2005, Above Rubies began advocating adoptions from Liberia, arranged through private Christian ministries. Campbell-whose magazine likened adoption to "missions under our very own roof!"*-spent a week visiting Liberian orphanages and returned with "piles of letters addressed 'To any Mom and Dad.'" She touted the country's cost-effectiveness-"one of the cheapest international adoptions"-and claimed that 1 million infants were dying every year in this nation of fewer than 4 million people. "When we welcome a child into our heart and into our home," she wrote, "we actually welcome Jesus Himself."
Campbell urged readers to contact three Christian groups-Acres of Hope, Children Concerned, and West African Children Support Network (WACSN)-that could arrange adoptions from Liberian orphanages. At the time, none of these groups was accredited in the United States as an adoption agency, yet they all placed Liberian children with American families for a fraction of the $20,000 to $35,000 that international adoptions typically cost.
Related: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/04/charts-international-adoption-trends-liberia-haiti-uganda-congo-ethiopia-kyrgyzstan

Nigeria: Okorocha To Supervise Adoption Of Children

Nigerian Observer - Apr 16, 2013 -- Governor. Rochas Okorocha of Imo has directed that henceforth all child adoption in the state must have his personal approval.

United Kingdom: We need to value foster care, not fixate on adoption

The Guardian - Apr 16, 2013 -- Many children can spend years, and sometimes their entire childhoods, with foster carers, enjoying every benefit of the stability and support they should normally expect from birth families. In fact, only a small minority of the 78,000 British children in the care system are being considered for adoption, and it is important that fostering should not be regarded as some kind of automatic conveyor belt towards adoption.

CA: New program creates 'education champions' for every foster child

Associated Press - Apr 12, 2013 -- A new national initiative to provide a trained adult to act as an education advocate for every foster child in the nation was recently launched in Santa Cruz County, which is piloting the program in California.
"We want to ensure that each foster child has an educational champion, much like an active parent would be," said Jesse Hahnel, director of FosterEd, which is implementing the education advocacy program.

CO: Mother's work inspires Colorado child-abuse law

Durango Herald - Apr 13, 2013 -- Michelle Peterson helped develop reporting policies to protect kids in club team sports from abuse. Her experience as a forensic interviewer and with the club hockey team that her son plays on motivated her involvement in the issue, which culminated in a new law signed by Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper on March 22.

GA: National Crime Victims' Rights Week focuses on child abuse

Daily Tribune News - Apr 14, 2013 -- "We were lucky enough to apply and be awarded a grant in order to partner with people in our community on behalf of National Crime Victims' Rights Week, which is typically the last week in April," said A Better Way Director Rebecca Bentley.
The $5,000 grant from the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice and National Center for Victims of Crime funds opportunities only during the awareness week.

ND: Dakotas tribe holding hearings about foster care

Associated Press - Apr 14, 2013 -- The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe is hosting two hearings about Native Americans in the foster care system ahead of a planned summit next month and the Bureau of Indian Affairs is holding a summit in May in Rapid City to address concerns raised by tribal members.

NV: County commissioners to consider $3 million Family Services contract

Las Vegas Review Journal - Apr 14, 2013 -- Clark County Department of Family Services officials hope to get a $3 million consulting contract approved by county commissioners Tuesday.
Under the contract, the nonprofit would help Family Services implement a new intervention system that would focus more on the actual safety of the child and less on allegations. It would also provide training and coaching for staff.

NY: Dutchess County child-abuse center to expand

Poughkeepsie Journal - Apr 12, 2013 -- "We're seeing a rise in the number of kids we're serving," Murphy said. "We treated 823 children last year and at this rate we're going to see over 1,000 this year."
She said it's important for lawmakers to know that the well-funded center is there for them in their policy-making and for victims who need help.

OH: Child welfare merger with JFS could cut costs, retired CSB director says

Vindy.com - Apr 15, 2013 -- It makes sense for the Mahoning County commissioners to consider merging Children Services Board functions with the Department of Job and Family Services, now that two-thirds of CSB's top management team will have resigned or retired within the first four months of this year, says the CSB's former executive director.

OR: Stepfather's return prompts abuse victim to seek novel approach for protection

Statesman-Journal - Apr 12, 2013 -- He was also surprised to learn that there was no clear legal pathway for child sex-abuse victims to follow in order to bar their abusers from ever contacting them.
So, Harding decided to to sue.
She and her attorney Ken Ammann filed a petition in Marion County Circuit Court on Thursday asking for a temporary protection order and $950,000 in damages.

PA: Pittsburgh nonprofits work to remove stigma attached to state "welfare" agency

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Apr 15, 2013 -- Advocates for the change say that only part of what the department does involves welfare in the way most people think of it -- in the form of cash assistance to the poor. More of what the agency does involves services for children such as adoption and foster care, aid for disabled Pennsylvanians, medical assistance and care for the elderly, they say. The agency also works with counties on child abuse prevention, and licenses and regulates facilities such as child care centers and personal care homes.

PA: State legislators urge redefinition of child abuse

Trib-Live - Apr 15, 2013 -- Pennsylvania's definition of child abuse is skewing statistics kept by welfare officials on how many children die from abuse, keeping the number artificially low.
The 1986 definition is so narrow that 30 children who died from apparent abuse have yet to be counted among victims listed in annual reports from the state Welfare Department between 2008 and 2011, said Cathleen Palm, director of the Protect Our Children Committee, a statewide advocacy group formed to prevent child abuse

TN: DCS to announce major reorganization Monday

WBIR - Apr 12, 2013 -- The Department of Children's Services will announce a reorganization of the state's $630 million child welfare agency on Monday afternoon, the agency said today.
The changes are "aimed at elevating child safety, health and programming," a news release said.

US: Indian Affairs, Adoption, and Race: The Baby Veronica Case Comes to Washington

Atlantic - Apr 14, 2013 -- A little girl is at the heart of a big case at the Supreme Court next week, a racially-tinged fight over Native American rights and state custody laws.
Also: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/baby-veronicas-loved-ones-wait-for-the-supreme-court-to-weigh-in/2013/04/14/7138b5f0-a526-11e2-a8e2-5b98cb59187f_story.html

US: Pain of giving up children for adoption endures through decades

Sacramento Bee - Apr 15, 2013 -- But as with many other mothers of her generation, the loss of her birth child was deep and lasting, a permanent wound. Over the next five decades, Freddie carried a burden of guilt and grief. She couldn't even talk about her firstborn.

US: Show Hope and Tim Tebow Foundation unite to support adoption

Christian Today - Apr 15, 2013 -- By collaboratively addressing their needs, this partnership will have a life-changing impact in illuminating the need for families to adopt children with special needs and by helping to place these children from across the globe with forever families. Additionally, families will be awarded with financial grants to help them overcome the high cost of adoption.

US: States line up in favor of federal adoption law

Associated Press - Apr 14, 2013 -- The U.S. Supreme Court this week will hear an emotional family challenge to longstanding federal law on the adoption of Native American children, with several states, tribes and children's welfare groups lining up to support the current rules.
The 18 states that have signed onto a brief supporting the federal law are Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin.

Ireland: Thorny issues of adoption and parentage will be key battlegrounds

Irish Independent - Apr 15, 2013 -- The resounding vote in favour of a referendum to change the Constitution to allow same-sex marriage is a historic moment for Ireland's gay and lesbian community.
All of the key battlegrounds in a coming referendum campaign relate to children.

Hong Kong: Kids wait in hope for foster homes

The Standard - Apr 15, 2013 -- According to the Hong Kong Family Welfare Society, there is a growing need for foster services and it is hoping that more volunteers will come forward.
More than 100 children are now on the waiting list for foster parents.

South Africa: Fostering grandparents can get grants

News 24 - Apr 14, 2013 -- Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini has welcomed a court ruling making grandparents who care for their grandchildren eligible for foster care grants.

South Korea: Koreans pick more girls for adoption

Korea JoongAng Daily - Apr 15, 2013 -- A survey result by an international adoption agency shows that the preference is definitely in favor of girls in the Korean adoption circle, reversing the country's ingrained tendency to opt for boys.
Holt International Children's Services said that boys make up only 32 percent of all children adopted by Koreans through the agency last year.

New Zealand: Bay child abuse reports skyrocket

The Bay of Plenty Times - Apr 13, 2013 -- Tauranga Child, Youth and Family received more than 5500 reports about the welfare of children last year an increase of 141.6 per cent over the past five years.

CO: Failed to death: Colorado child-fatality reviews would be expanded under proposal

Denver Post - Apr 11, 2013 -- Every child fatality in Colorado - from accident to homicide - would be reviewed under proposed legislation lawmakers say could help identify more deaths by maltreatment and perhaps prevent future mortalities.

CO: Failed to death: Outraged judge lays into child welfare workers at sentencing in toddler beating death

Denver Post - Apr 11, 2013 -- Melonakis called the county's performance "extreme malfeasance" and said they had received reports three days before Michael's death that his older brother had a "suspicious" injury. Nevertheless, social workers never took that child to a doctor, and didn't examine Michael for injuries at all. "This child was literally failed to death," Melonakis said.

FL: Group seeks $2 million for shelter to serve Tampa Bay area human trafficking victims

Tampa Bay Times - Apr 11, 2013 -- The plan, backed by the Clearwater/Tampa Bay Area Task Force Against Human Trafficking, is to build a campus in a secluded area of Pinellas County that would be staffed by therapists and deputies, where victims can stay for long-term help. It would be the first of its kind in the state, she says. Hamilton estimates building the campus will cost $2 million.

FL: 'Let kids be kids' bill ends restrictions on foster parents

Orlando Sentinel - Apr 11, 2013 -- Foster parents can now "let kids be kids," in the words of Gov. Rick Scott, who Thursday signed a bill freeing those parents from restrictions that saw them sometimes have to go to court over something as minor as a change in a child's hairstyle or signing up for a soccer team.

KY: 'Face It' campaign hopes to stop child abuse across Louisville area

The Courier-Journal - Apr 10, 2013 -- As part of Child Abuse Prevention Month, Kosair Charities and 19 other agencies came together Tuesday to announce the "Face It" campaign to raise awareness of child abuse in Louisville.

MO: House speaker calls on Nixon to open records

The Kansas City Star - Apr 11, 2013 -- Gov. Jay Nixon should order the release of records in recent child tragedies or expect lawmakers to take action, the Missouri House speaker said Wednesday.

TN: Victim shares story at deaf abuse awareness event

The Tennessean - Apr 10, 2013 -- "Since their ability to communicate is limited, the percentage of deaf children who are abused is significantly higher," said Poppy Steele, executive director of the Sign Club.

UT: Child abuse rises in state, drops in Ogden, Park City

The Salt Lake Tribune - Apr 11, 2013 -- Two 2nd District courts reported no child-abuse convictions in 2012. The District Court in Ogden and the Silver Summit Court in Park City both saw the number of child-abuse convictions drop to zero in 2012. In 2011, the Park City court reported six child-abuse convictions, while Ogden had three cases.

WA: Treehouse launches high school graduation program for foster kids

Issaquah-Sammamish Reporter - Apr 07, 2013 -- Treehouse's goal for 2017 that foster youth in King County graduate high school at the same rate as their peers.

US: Q&A with Cherokee counsel for Baby Veronica case: The Supreme Court decision will impact every tribe in the country

Indian Country Today Media Network - Apr 11, 2013 -- After the April 8 press conference at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tulsa in which the National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA) and the Cherokee Nation shared the latest developments in the case Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl, Indian Country Today Media Network spoke with Chrissi Nimmo, the counsel of record for the Cherokee Nation.

US: 'Being the stork' for orphans' new families

CNN - Apr 11, 2013 -- Jane Aronson has evaluated more than 10,000 adopted children from around the world. She recently talked to CNN about her new book, and her charity's work.

United Kingdom: Lancashire youngsters entering adoption have a long wait

Lancashire Evening Post - Apr 12, 2013 -- The County Council is one of 36 authorities in England where the average waiting time between the child entering care and adoption is between 692 and 1,082 days.

United Kingdom: Ofsted announces single inspection regime for children's services

Public Finance - Apr 12, 2013 -- Ofsted has ditched plans for separate inspections of child protection and looked-after children services following discussions with councils.
Instead it will bring in a single inspection framework for all social services involving children, including adoption and fostering.

Morocco: Morocco tightens adoption rules, Spanish families hit hard

ANSAmed - Apr 11, 2013 -- Morocco suspended international adoptions in 2012. Until a year ago foreign families could adopt in the country through an easier process than those in other countries.

Australia: Officials 'hinder child protection services'

The Australian - Apr 12, 2013 -- Bureaucratic division, not a lack of money or resources, is the greatest impediment child protection services face in helping troubled families.

AL: Bill to divert money from Children First moves closer to passage

al.com - Apr 10, 2013 -- A bill that could divert an estimated $22 million from the Children First Trust Fund to the state General Fund moved a step closer to passage today.

DC: Taking a leap of faith on a refugee foster child

WAMU 88.5 - Apr 05, 2013 -- Becoming a foster parent - and welcoming a child you barely know into your family - can be a major leap of faith. But some foster parents make an even greater leap, taking in children who are refugees: kids from war-torn regions, many suffering from trauma.

FL: Bill extending age for foster care kids clears another committee

WFSU - Apr 10, 2013 -- The bill essentially extends the age for those out of the foster care system from 18 to 21. And, it directs the Department of Children and Families to make sure there are services for older children in foster care to transition to become more self-sufficient. It also includes an increase in pay for foster parents to teach life-skills to their foster kids.

FL: Failure to report sex abuse not always obvious

Herald-Tribune - Apr 06, 2013 -- Florida's tough sexual abuse reporting law will clearly be a problem for prosecutors.
Related: "Manatee Schools Investigates Another Failure to Report Case": http://www.thebradentontimes.com/news/2013/04/11/schools_and_education/manatee_schools_investigates_another_failure_to_report_case/

FL: Urban League suspended as manager of Head Start programs, cited 25 times over two years

The Florida Times-Union - Apr 10, 2013 -- A DCF spokesman said over the past two years, Head Start programs in Jacksonville have been cited eight times for using physical discipline, nine times for inadequate supervision and eight times for security issues, such as broken fences.

MI: Court targets family reunification: Program uses team approach to help parents as they work to stay sober

Livingston Daily - Apr 10, 2013 -- The voluntary program began in 2010 with a $15,000 planning grant from the Michigan Supreme Court Administrative Office. It is a specialty court of the county's juvenile court that takes a collaborative team approach to provide services and support to parents whose children are involved in the child protection court because of a parent's substance abuse.

NC: Audit uncovers more problems at North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services

WTVD - Apr 09, 2013 -- The audit covers the parts of the department that get federal money, and suggested general mismanagement largely across the board. It looks at foster care in North Carolina and said it went unmonitored in nine counties for at least three years.

NE: Neb. lawmakers advance new child welfare bill

Fremont Tribune - Apr 10, 2013 -- The bill would direct the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services to develop new rules to help more foster care homes qualify for state licenses. The licenses are a key requirement for federal aid.

NJ: NJ can't tell churches about molesters

The Daily Journal - Apr 08, 2013 -- Churches can't count on New Jersey to let them know if a new employee or volunteer is a sexual predator, despite highly touted laws meant to disseminate that information to the public.

OH: Foster-care initiative to ease shift to life on own

The Columbus Dispatch - Apr 11, 2013 -- A new partnership between the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services and Big Brothers Big Sisters is bringing together caseworkers, employment counselors and mentors to help teens and young adults who are moving from foster care to independent living.

TN: Dems urge governor to restore DCS funds

The Tennessean - Apr 10, 2013 -- The cuts Gov. Bill Haslam has proposed for the next fiscal year, beginning July 1, would eliminate 10 administrative positions at the Department of Children's Services' Nashville headquarters and 10 positions within the agency's Office of Information Systems, which oversees its computer tracking systems.

TX: House backs plan to monitor foster kids on psychotropics

The Texas Tribune - Apr 10, 2013 -- The Texas House on Wednesday unanimously approved legislation that would require regular medical checkups for foster children who are prescribed psychotropic drugs.

WA: A home seeker and matchmaker for adoptable children

Douglas County Empire Press - Apr 10, 2013 -- Magnotti is the director of New Life Adoptions, a nonprofit dedicated to recruiting, training and supporting singles and families from all faiths and walks of life who will adopt infants and orphans in Washington state.

WY: Wyoming families benefit from $4 million federal grant

KGWN - Apr 10, 2013 -- Parents as Teachers, which supports early childhood education using a nationally recognized home visiting model, soon will expand its efforts in four Wyoming counties to better serve high-needs families. The expansion is possible through a 3�-year grant from the U.S. Health Resources & Services Administration.

US: Documentary explores role of mothers in prison

The Hour - Apr 10, 2013 -- The film examines the question: Is it possible to become a better mother while serving time in a maximum security prison? "Mothers of Bedford" tries to answer this question through the stories of five women who are incarcerated in the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility in Westchester County.

US: American Academy of Adoption Attorneys discuss Baby Veronica case as it heads to SCOTUS

WCBD - Apr 10, 2013 -- After more than a year of court hearings and appeals, Adoptive Couple V. Baby Girl will be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court next Tuesday. The nation's highest court decided to hear the case to determine if ICWA applies to an unwed father under the legal definition of "parent", and is applicable to block an adoption. In a press conference Wednesday, the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys said this case needs to re-define the law.

US: Child migrants, alone in court

New York Times - Apr 10, 2013 -- In a nation that prides itself on the fact that everyone accused of a crime - murderers, rapists - has the right to a lawyer, undocumented immigrants, even when they are unaccompanied children, are not entitled to a public defender. Although some children are represented by pro bono lawyers or, for the few whose families can afford it, private lawyers, it's estimated that more than half of them go to court alone. These children - some as young as 2 years old - have no one to help them make the case that they should not be deported.

US: Obama proposes new investments in preventing foster teen pregnancies

The Chronicle of Social Change - Apr 10, 2013 -- President Obama's proposal would for the first time focus federal funding specifically on preventing foster teens from getting pregnant. The new initiative would be funded at $12 million per year through unspent abstinence funds. Instead of being returned to the Treasury, these funds would be used to award competitive grants to local and state child welfare agencies that demonstrate leadership and initiative in reducing foster youth pregnancies.

US: Which states accepted the most refugees in 2012?

Governing - Apr 08, 2013 -- "The DeKalb County Department of Family and Children Services has seen a rise in the number of refugee families requiring the intervention of child welfare services thus further straining our State's budget," Michael B. Singleton, Georgia state refugee coordinator, wrote in a letter to the Department of State last August.

Australia: Reports of child abuse fall short of reality

The Australian - Apr 11, 2013 -- Child abuse is being vastly over-reported in Australia, with the head of the government's family research body identifying a wide gulf between notifications of alleged abuse and the claims being substantiated.

Australia: More than $70 million for new services for children and families in the Northern Territory

The Hon Jenny Macklin MP Press Release - Apr 09, 2013 -- Children and families living in remote Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory will benefit from extra support services with a $73.5 million investment over ten years as part of the Gillard Government's Stronger Futures in the Northern Territory package.

IL & Haiti: Bolingbrook Adoption Agency Announces New Haiti Adoption Program

Chicago Tribune - Apr 08, 2013 -- Sunny Ridge Family Center, a Hague-accredited adoption agency in Bolingbrook, Illinois, announced the agency is now accepting applications for a new Haiti Adoption Program. Sunny Ridge was selected as one of the US adoption agencies accredited to operate as an adoption facilitator in Haiti. This accreditation comes as the Haitian government now completes the necessary changes in order to convert their system to Hague Convention standards for intercountry adoption.

AL: Summary of action in Alabama Legislature

Associated Press - Apr 09, 2013 -- Unanimously approved a measure designed to combat child abuse and neglect by broadening the groups and professions that are statutorily required to report suspected cases to authorities.

CO: Child abuse hotline, training program advance in legislature

Denver Post - Apr 10, 2013 -- Colorado would have a statewide hotline to report child abuse and an intensified training program for workers who screen abuse and neglect calls under a key piece of the state's child welfare reform plan passed by a House committee Tuesday. (This article is part of the Failed to Death series.)

CT: Appellate Court backs DCF decision to fire social worker whose foster child died

Journal Inquirer - Apr 09, 2013 -- The state Appellate Court on Monday reinstated a labor arbitrator's decision that the state Department of Children and Families acted properly in firing social worker Suzanne Listro of Mansfield, whose 7-month-old foster child died as a result of injuries possibly sustained under her care in May 2008.

KS: Local children adopted through help from CASA program

Dodge Globe - Apr 10, 2013 -- "I'm on the side of the child as CASA volunteer," Smith said. "My number one priority was to look out for Elly." Bethany commended Smith, and the CASA program, for her help with Elly. "Judy was instrumental in calming our fears. Having the CASA program to advocate for a child makes a world of difference," she said. "The court system is not always great, but with CASA involved the process is a lot smoother."

MD: Child-abuse claims against Rockville teacher divide community

The Washington Post - Apr 10, 2013 -- The case also has placed a spotlight on the Montgomery County school system, which has been inundated with inquiries from parents but which is bound by privacy and child-welfare laws and liability concerns and can say little to the public.

MI: Michigan panel cuts 1,000 human services workers

Associated Press - Apr 09, 2013 -- GOP lawmakers voted to hire fewer additional child protective workers than proposed by Gov. Rick Snyder and cut more than 200 public assistance caseworker positions along with hundreds of other staff in the Department of Human Services. Three juvenile justice facilities also would be closed and the youth offenders sent to private facilities under the budget.
Also: http://www.freep.com/article/20130409/NEWS15/130409014/House-cuts-child-welfare-system-food-assistance

MT: Advocacy center unites agencies to help abused children

Billings Gazette - Apr 09, 2013 -- State and community agencies dedicated to helping children who are victims of abuse gathered Tuesday afternoon for the grand opening of a children's advocacy center. The Yellowstone Valley Children's Advocacy Center...emphasizes the coordination of investigation and intervention services by bringing together professionals and agencies as a team to help victims of child abuse.

NE: Trauma-informed care focus of child welfare conference

Kearney Hub - Apr 09, 2013 -- "Trauma-Informed Care in Child Welfare" will be the focus of the fifth-annual Child Welfare Conference at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. The three speakers will help participants learn about how trauma affects consumers seeking services, what trauma-informed care is, how to create safe environments for people served and ways to avoid re-traumatizing.

NH: Rural Children in welfare system more likely to be given psychotropic medication

fosters.com (Rochester Times) - Apr 08, 2013 -- Rural children in the child welfare system who authorities suspect have been abused are significantly more likely to have been prescribed psychotropic medication than their urban peers, according to new research from the Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire. The new research is presented in the Carsey Institute brief "Psychotropic Medication Use Among Children in the Child Welfare System" conducted by Wendy Walsh, research associate professor of sociology at the UNH Crimes against Children Research Center and research associate at the Carsey Institute, Marybeth Mattingly, director of research on vulnerable families and research assistant professor of sociology at UNH. Report: http://carseyinstitute.unh.edu/sites/carseyinstitute.unh.edu/files/publications/IB-Walsh-Psychotropic-Medication-web.pdf

OH: Adoptive Parents Sue CSB for $3 Mill

WKBN 27 First News - Apr 09, 2013 -- The adoptive parents of a girl raped by her biological parents during what was supposed to be a supervised visit inside the Trumbull County Children Services building in 2011 have sued the agency and three employees for $3 million.

PA: Pennsylvania State Senate panel hears fresh calls for post-Sandusky child abuse law changes

The Patriot News - Apr 09, 2013 -- The chair of the Pennsylvania Senate's Public Heath and Welfare Committee said she wants to see a package of bills designed to strengthen protections for children from all forms of abuse moved to Gov. Corbett's desk by the end of the year.

TX: Big Pharma's Troubling History of Pushing Drugs on Foster Kids, and How a Local Girl May Have Died From It

Current - Apr 10, 2013 -- Pfizer isn't alone. The company and its Big Pharma competitors have become the single largest target of the federal False Claims Act, paying out millions in recent settlements over allegations of illegal marketing of drugs, many of them atypical antipsychotics. "This case is a perfect example, unfortunately, of what can happen" with off-label marketing of pharmaceuticals, contends Brant Mittler, a cardiologist-turned malpractice lawyer who handled the Jo Angel Rodriguez case. "This child didn't need to die."

US: Using Social Media to Search for Birth Families

The Christian Post - Apr 09, 2013 -- Recently, a surge in the number of adoptees turning to Facebook and other social media sites to find their birthfamilies has been highlighted in the media. Since these sites are used by a good majority of the population, they offer a fast way to find and connect with people we may be searching for. Yet, as with any search, there are pros and cons: Particular to social media, there are facets to consider regarding private vs. public sharing.

France & Mali: French families press Mali to scrap ban on foreign adoption

rfi English - Apr 10, 2013 -- As French troops fight armed Islamists in northern Mali, a group of French families is to lobby for a change in the African country's adoption law, amended in 2012, so that only Malian families could adopt Malian children.

India: [Supreme Court] seeks clarity on citizenship status of adopted child

Deccan Herald - Apr 09, 2013 -- A two-judge bench of the Supreme Court (SC) presided by Justice Gyan Sudha Misra on Monday has asked the Centre to explain the citizenship status of a child adopted by a foreign couple.

China: Babies find home in her arms

China Daily USA - Apr 10, 2013 -- By January, there were about 615,000 orphans and abandoned children in China, but just 109,000 of them were in State-run orphanages, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Lou's is one of hundreds of families taking care of abandoned babies or orphans outside the welfare system. Although the practice is illegal, many people are sympathetic to characters such as Lou, who was motivated by the best of intentions, that of saving the life of a child.

South Africa: Child welfare workers picket offices

IOL - Apr 10, 2013 -- Durban and District Child Welfare staff picketed outside the organisation's offices yesterday, demanding better wages and working conditions and calling for the executive director to quit.

AL: Easter Seals works to help babies, first-time mothers

Tuscaloosa News - Apr 07, 2013 -- Easter Seals' nurse TeShawn Cabbil Hobson meets with new mother Jessica Scrivner every week, taking measurements and checking the vital signs on Scrivner's newborn baby boy.
It's part of a special Nurse-Family Partnership program, one of only two of its kind being provided by Easter Seals in the U.S. to help first-time mothers adjust to caring for an infant.

FL: Foster kids in Brandon show happy through camera

Brandon News - Apr 09, 2013 -- A Kid's Place, a group home in Brandon funded with private donations through Kid's Charity of Tampa Bay...recently joined forces with the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts in downtown Tampa to get the foster kids from A Kid's Place out and about, photographing things on the property off Lithia-Pinecrest Road.

MD: Child Abuse Cover Up Bill Passes Maryland Senate

Frederick News Radio - Apr 06, 2013 -- A bill to make it illegal to cover up child abuse passed in the Maryland Senate with a unanimous vote. The bill already passed in the Maryland House of Delegates and will head to Governor Martin O'Malley's desk for his signature.

ME: LePage threatens to pull support of tribal commission if secretary of state is involved

Bangor Daily News - Apr 08, 2013 -- According to Adrienne Bennett, LePage's spokeswoman, the governor sees a conflict of interest around Dunlap's involvement with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which was created in 2011 through a letter of intent signed by LePage and tribal leaders.

MO: Bill would let kids see jailed parents more

Associated Press - Apr 09, 2013 -- Incarcerated parents in Missouri could spend more time with their children under a bill given first-round approval by the Missouri House.
The legislation endorsed Monday would set up a test program that would provide transportation for children who live more than 50 miles away from their parent's prison to visit them

OR: Open adoption fosters relationships that benefit child

Register Guard - Apr 08, 2013 -- Experts believe the era of closed adoption is over because the process of finding birth relatives is both accessible and commonplace. Researchers at the Evan B. Donaldson Institute, a national adoption think tank, report that the Internet has had a "transformative impact" on adoption.

OR: Victims: Drop deadline for child sex-abuse cases

Associated Press - Apr 09, 2013 -- Adult victims of child sex abuse implored Oregon legislators on Monday to eliminate the legal deadline for prosecutors for file charges against alleged abusers.

PA: House approves Pa. child-abuse case subpoena bill

Associated Press - Apr 08, 2013 -- A bill to give Pennsylvania prosecutors administrative subpoena power in child abuse investigations is on its way to the Senate after approval in the state House.

TX: Child abuse reports hit epidemic levels in Tarrant County

Fort Worth Star Telegram - Apr 08, 2013 -- "In Tarrant County, one child abuse victim is too many but 5,598 is epidemic in its proportions," said Julie Evans, Alliance for Children executive director. "We hope this month this community will take the time to acknowledge these children and think, 'What more can I do?' Child abuse is preventable."

US: How Facebook Found This Abandoned Child's Parents

Huffington Post - Apr 08, 2013 -- Social media played a pivotal role in identifying the toddler and leading authorities to her parents. Nearly 2 million people reposted Brown's photos on Facebook. A tip came in identifying Brown.

US: Traveling film shines light on kids stuck in international adoption limbo

KSL-TV - Apr 08, 2013 -- In essence, the movie "Stuck" hopes to bring awareness to the challenges of the international adoption process and perhaps influence change at the highest levels of the U.S. government.

US: Tribal group urges Supreme Court to uphold Indian Child Welfare Act

Tulsa World - Apr 09, 2013 -- Members of the National Indian Child Welfare Association on Monday asked for a federal law to be left intact as the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to take up a Nowata family's case next week.

Indonesia: Child protection a low priority in Indonesia

IRIN News - Apr 08, 2013 -- Efforts to protect children in Indonesia from abuse are obstructed by barriers to crime reporting, which may worsen with the threatened closure of police-run units that handle crimes against women and children.

Ukraine: Foreigners adopt Ukrainian children not actively

For-ua.com - Apr 08, 2013 -- The number of Ukrainian orphans adopted by citizens of foreign countries, despite predictions, has not increased after Russia adopted a law banning international adoption, President's Commissioner for Children's Rights Yuri Pavlenko told a briefing.
Also: http://en.for-ua.com/news/2013/04/08/155558.html

AZ: Child abuse reports on rise

Arizona Daily Sun - Apr 07, 2013 -- Non-relatives providing childcare are accounting for the bulk of child-abuse cases here, said another health worker who reviews child fatalities as head of a Coconino County team attempting to prevent child deaths.
Reports of abuse are up in Coconino County in the past year, with the number of abuse reports to Child Protective Services up 19 percent from mid-2011 into mid-2012, at 815 for the most recent year.

GA: Program Reopens Foster Care Cold Cases

Youth Today - Apr 08, 2013 -- Brandon's history is part of what landed his file on Michelle Barclay's desk. The Atlanta attorney manages the Cold Case Project in the Supreme Court of Georgia's Committee on Justice for Children. The Project aims to change the outcomes for kids like Brandon who are facing a lack of permanency.

IL: Priest cases show abuse issues persist: Joliet Diocese has struggled to fulfill its public promise to better protect children, records show

Chicago Tribune - Apr 07, 2013 -- Virtue's personnel file, which contains 500 pages of letters, memos and reports, reflects the struggles the church faced since its public vow to better protect children after a bruising, national sex abuse scandal. Records obtained by the Tribune reveal several instances in which the diocese's handling of abuse allegations contradicted those promises, adding to concerns about the overall efficacy of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People that U.S. bishops signed amid fanfare in June 2002.

KY: Blue ribbons symbolize continued fight against child abuse in Kentucky

Central Kentucky News - Apr 06, 2013 -- On March 18, Gov. Steve Beshear proclaimed April as Child Abuse Prevention Month in Kentucky. The story of the blue ribbon has become an iconic one in spreading the message of child abuse.
The first blue ribbon was tied to a Virginia woman's van back in 1989 after her grandson died at the hands of his parents.

MT: Group shares updates on Montana child abuse bills

8KPAX.com - Apr 07, 2013 -- Guests at the Great Falls Child Advocacy Response and Evaluation Center's (CARE) second annual fundraiser and community education luncheon on Saturday celebrated a successful day as four bills against child abuse moved onto their next stages.

ND: Spirit Lake tribal judge sees kids' safety as top concern

InForum - Apr 07, 2013 -- "It's been a tough, tough year for the people of Spirit Lake," she said. "But we're moving in the right direction. We are coming together as professional people, we're communicating better, and we're doing the best we can with what we have."
Critics, including a federal whistleblower, have identified several cases of what they allege were the tribe's failure to investigate, arrest or prosecute known offenders. The U.S. attorney for North Dakota, Tim Purdon, has said each of those allegations has been investigated, some were found to be false and some were active.

NH: Child advocates on edge over budget cuts

Eagle Tribune - Apr 05, 2013 -- The federal automatic budget cuts are expected to have a widespread impact on all sectors of society, including in New Hampshire.
The failure of Congress to reach agreement on the federal budget before the March 1 deadline meant millions of dollars in program cuts and job losses. Workers and public agency advocates have voiced their disapproval across the country.
But those who are too young to speak up are among those being affected the most - children, according to representatives for New Hampshire children's organizations.

OH: Finding fixes for ailing foster care system

Cincinnati Enquirer - Apr 07, 2013 -- Judges should have more discretion in terminating parental rights, more counties should seek levies to support abused and neglected children, the state should match that money, and the lawyers who represent abused and neglected kids need more time to do their job.
These are some of 31 recommendations related to the foster care system issued by a 20-member group of lawmakers, judges, prosecutors, social workers and foster parents brought together by Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine after a series of child deaths.

PA: Bill would update abuse definition

The Tribune-Democrat - Apr 06, 2013 -- Even though most child development experts say there is no reason for a parent to strike a child, lawmakers are unwilling to completely bar corporal punishment and they are tying themselves into knots trying to figure out where to draw the line between a legal spanking and an illegal beating.

PA: Child Abuse Prevention Month brings unwelcomed local stats

Times Observer - Apr 08, 2013 -- According to the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare's Annual Child Abuse Report for 2011, Warren County was ranked sixth highest in the state for substantiated abuse per 1,000 children.
For every 1,000 children in Warren County that year, approximately 2.8 suffered substantiated abuse that was reported to authorities.

RI: Riverside CEO in Middle of Transition to 'Trauma-Informed' Help for Kids

East Providence Patch - Apr 07, 2013 -- Margaret Holland McDuff heads Family Service of RI, which has been chosen for a federal project to transform social services for children.
"This will build on the work we started nearly a decade ago when we developed a partnership with the Providence police department to respond 24/7 to children at scenes of crime and violence," said Margaret Holland McDuff, the CEO of Family Service of RI.

TX: Home-visit programs can give kids healthier start

Star-Telegram - Apr 06, 2013 -- Texas has a long tradition of promoting the healthy development of children, especially in the first years of their lives. We have made landmark investments in child-development programs such as the Nurse-Family Partnership, and now we stand ready to expand voluntary, high-quality and accountable programs via the Texas Home Visiting Act.
Texas' home visiting programs pair high-risk families with trained providers who provide support to parents during pregnancy and in the first years of children's lives -- when public investments reap their biggest returns.

TX: Parenting can be overwhelming, but there are places for you to turn, says Child Protective Services (Video)

KENS5.com - Apr 07, 2013 -- Parental exhaustion can be a trigger for child abuse. Child Protective Services's Erica Banuelos and Kelley Logans-Ali offer some tips for overworked parents. They also talk with KENS 5's Sarah Lucero about CPS's Hope & Help campaign, which reminds San Antonians that there are places that overwhelmed parents -- often plagued by unemployment, drug addictions, domestic abuse and other problems -- can turn.

WV: Efforts to prevent child abuse in state are working, experts say

Exponent Telegram - Apr 07, 2013 -- State Division of Health and Human Resource's child protective services records indicate that reports of child abuse and neglect in West Virginia have declined from about 1 in 50 children in 2005 to 1 in 73 children in 2011.
Child advocates have shifted from focusing on teaching children to avoid abuse to educating adults on protective factors, according to Emily Chittenden-Laird, executive director of the West Virginia Child Advocacy Network.

Malaysia: Court releases 28 children back to adoptive parents

The Malaysian Insider - Apr 08, 2013 -- The Bukit Mertajam magistrate's court today ordered 28 children, who are subjects of an alleged child trafficking ring, to be released into the care of their adoptive parents.
The children, between the ages of five months and eight years, were brought to the courthouse in a bus where the court issued the interim custody to the adoptive parents.

Armenia: Ending the Era of Orphanages in Armenia

The Armenian Weekly - Apr 06, 2013 -- "The orphanage is the opposite of a mother. This is the reason that an orphanage is so terrible," Armenian journalist Mher Arshakyan, an orphanage graduate, once said.
Around 5,000 children in Armenia spend all or most of their time in residential childcare institutions, such as orphanages and boarding schools. Over 80 percent of children in orphanages have at least one living parent. The government of Armenia adopted a plan in 2006, as part of their child welfare reforms, to secure the rights of children through the closure of orphanages or their conversion into family and child support institutions. UNICEF has supported this initiative, gently prodding the slow-moving process forward.
Response: http://www.armenianweekly.com/2012/08/16/response-to-barsoumians-ending-the-era-of-orphanages-in-armenia/

Kenya: Adopted kids to get birth certificates

The Star - Apr 06, 2013 -- The High court yesterday ordered the government to issue all adopted children with birth certificates. High court judge Isaac Lenaola directed the Principal Registrar of Births and Deaths to ensure adopted children appearing in the register for adopted children are issued with certificates immediately, based on the particulars appearing in the said register.

Vatican City: Francis to doctrinal office: Act 'decisively' against sex abuse

Catholic News Service - Apr 05, 2013 -- Francis met Friday morning with Archbishop Gerhard L. Muller, prefect of the Vatican's powerful Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, according to a press release.
While the release states the two talked about the various responsibilities of Muller's office, it also says the pope made a particular point of highlighting its work to counter clerical sexual abuse.

AZ: Arizona faces shortage of court advocates for foster kids

The Republic - Apr 04, 2013 -- Arizona has never had enough volunteers to work with children in foster care, and judges this week made an appeal for more court-appointed special advocates. There are about 850 CASAs for more than 14,300 foster children. Arizona Appeals Court Judge Maurice Portley says they can be a foster child's "best friend."

CA: Child abuse prevention at heart of new social media campaign

Victorville Daily Press - Apr 04, 2013 -- On Thursday, the DA's office launched #Justice4Children. The hashtag in the name indicates what the campaign is all about: Using social media to promote the United Way-spearheaded 211 information line as a resource for reporting suspected child abuse and neglect and accessing related services.

CA: Foster children get a voice in Silicon Valley

Peninsula Press - Apr 04, 2013 -- Karen Scussel has been advocating in court for children of the foster care system for more than a decade. Her mission is to change the way the court system takes on foster care cases so that judges and attorneys can be more understanding of the child's background and needs. She is currently on two committees advocating reform within Santa Clara County's foster care system: an independent living skills program for foster youth ages 16-25, and a committee looking at reforms in education within the county that would help foster care children integrate into the school system better.

FL: Manatee group plans six more homes in Ellenton campus

Bradenton Herald - Apr 05, 2013 -- Occupancy by foster parents and six foster children in each dwelling is anticipated by early summer. The children, who have been removed by the state from environments of abandonment, abuse or neglect, will come from DeSoto, Manatee and Sarasota counties, placed by the Safe Children Coalition.

ID: North Idaho foster family program partners with churches

Fig Tree - Apr 01, 2013 -- To support North Idaho's hard-to-place foster children, their birth families and foster families through partnering with faith communities, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare initiated a new program, One Church, One Child (OCOC), a year ago. Jennifer Bokma is developing the program on a one-year contract.

ME: Maine signs on to Indian child welfare lawsuit before US Supreme Court

Associated Press - Apr 05, 2013 -- Maine is joining several other states in defending a federal law that deals with Indian adoption rights and will be a central topic in a case that goes before the U.S. Supreme Court next month, Attorney General Janet Mills announced Thursday.

MP: DYS touts partnership with other agencies, groups to combat crimes against children

Saipan Tribune - Apr 05, 2013 -- The Division of Youth Services emphasized the role of its collaboration with governmental agencies, civic groups, and other community partners to prevent child abuse and neglect.

NE: Bill would help Neb. youth exiting foster care

Fremont Tribune - Apr 04, 2013 -- Nebraska lawmakers began debating a bill that would give housing assistance to youths aging out of foster care. Lincoln Sen. Amanda McGill is sponsoring the measure that would allow former foster children between the ages of 19 and 21 to receive assistance from the state.

NM: Juvenile facility to feature new therapy model

Ruidoso News - Apr 04, 2013 -- Many of the 14- to 17-year-olds who now come into the rehabilitation and therapeutic program at several other New Mexico facilities have had no structure in their lives, said Tom Breedlove, a senior consultant with the Missouri Youth Services Institute.

TN: Program helps dads behind bars improve parenting skills

WBIR - Apr 04, 2013 -- A new program at the Monroe County Jail will help dads behind bars become better parents. On Thursday, about 30 inmates enrolled with Team Dad. Through the program, fathers will be taught parenting and life skills for three hours, every Thursday, for three weeks.

WA: Former Boys Scouts sue over alleged sex abuse at Mount Vernon camp in 1980s

The Seattle Times - Apr 03, 2013 -- Two lawsuits were filed in King County Superior Court on Wednesday on behalf of two former Boy Scouts who were allegedly sexually abused during stays at the Fire Mountain Boy Scout Camp.

WI: Milwaukee archdiocese to release sex abuse files

Associated Press - Apr 03, 2013 -- The Archdiocese of Milwaukee said Wednesday it will release thousands of pages of documents tied to sexual abuse lawsuits, including depositions with some former top officials. The archdiocese, which had been fighting the documents' release, made its announcement the day before the matter was to be decided in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Milwaukee.

US: HelpUsAdopt.org seeks LGBT applicants for adoption-assistance grants

Huffington Post - Apr 04, 2013 -- Through HelpUsAdopt.org, the nonprofit organization Becky Fawcett started five years ago, she helps give out individual grants up to $15,000 to help families with the expenses associated with adopting children. Becky wants more gays and lesbians to apply. Currently, of the approximately 400 applications her organization receives each semiannual cycle, only about 10 to 12 are from gays and lesbians. She wants that number to hit 50 this year, and even more in future years.

Ireland: Childcare court reports will fill 'void', says judge

Irish Times - Apr 05, 2013 -- A pioneering new reporting project will go a long way to filling a "void of information" on how the courts deal with sensitive childcare cases, the president of the District Court has said. Speaking at the launch of the Child Care Law Reporting Project, which will give the public an insight for the first time into proceedings where children are taken into State care, Judge Rosemary Horgan said the initiative would help dispel public misapprehensions about the area.

Ireland: Children in Donegal 10 times more likely to end up in care

Belfast Telegraph - Apr 05, 2013 -- The significant countrywide difference in childcare orders granted for neglect and abuse has emerged under a new project designed to remove the 'cloak of secrecy' from the state system. It unveils the circumstances surrounding 30 child-care cases for the first time -- as under current laws such cases are held behind closed doors -- depicting families ravaged by alcohol abuse, drug dependency and mental health issues.

United Kingdom: Council plans to prevent families crisis

Burton Mail - Apr 04, 2013 -- Derbyshire is rated as one of the worst places in the country for troubled families. Last year the county council pledged to pump around �4 million into tackling the issue, but crucially, this scheme is looking to identify families at risk of becoming 'troubled' and stepping in before they fall into that category.

United Kingdom: Revealed: Postcode lottery for children awaiting adoption as maps show councils with worst waiting times

Mail Online - Apr 05, 2013 -- Massive inequalities in the amount of time children have to wait to be adopted in neighbouring authorities have been revealed by the Government. Children throughout the country can wait up to nearly three years to be adopted, with authorities across London, the North West, the North East, the West Midlands and the South West being named among the worst for waiting times. The Government launched a new online service to support prospective adopters and tackle the backlog of cases.

Related: "Stripping councils' adoption role 'a reckless gamble'": http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-22014390

Russia: Giving children with challenges a chance

Russia Beyond the Headlines - Apr 04, 2013 -- A mother tells how visiting orphanages inspired her to adopt two children rejected by other couples. "Like 90 percent of candidates, at first I wanted a healthy, beautiful, Slavic girl," Yelena says in an interview in her small, two-bedroom apartment in a Moscow suburb. "But such children have the highest chance to find a family, after all. The biggest problem is children with serious diseases that wait for parents for years."

CO: Adoptive parents get $6.75 million in suit against Adams County

Denver Post - Apr 04, 2013 -- In a case with potentially wide-ranging impact, Adams County has agreed to pay the largest settlement of its kind ever in Colorado - $6.75 million - to a family who adopted three severely abused children from foster care and were not told that the profoundly traumatized children would need extensive treatment.

CO: Retail store for foster kids to open in downtown Colorado Springs

KOAA - Apr 03, 2013 -- The Hanger is the first and only retail store in the area created exclusively to serve the 300+ foster kids between the ages of 12 and 21 in El Paso and Teller Counties. The store allows kids to come in once a month and pick out 5 items free of charge. The store will also employ foster kids to give them a glimpse into the working world, something many of them never see before they exit the system.

CT: State takes new steps to fight sex slavery

NBC Connecticut - Apr 03, 2013 -- For nearly five years, Connecticut's Department of Children and Families has been working on a problem that in some respects has surprised them. It was 2008 when they were called in on a case of international child sex trafficking. Since then, they've developed a program to deal with sex trafficking in the state. What they've learned is it's more of a domestic problem than they first thought.

FL: DCF launches new child abuse prevention campaign

Associated Press - Apr 04, 2013 -- Florida child welfare officials are planting a pinwheel garden with the Tallahassee elementary school children to speak out about child abuse.

FL: Organization in search of 1,200 foster parents

Seminole Chronicle - Apr 03, 2013 -- A non-profit organization is on a mission to recruit 1,200 new foster families from Seminole, Orange and Osceola Counties. Merrilu Bennett, Communications and Media Coordinator of Florida United Methodist Children's Home said there is a need for foster families across the state but the need is critical in those counties.

KY: Daviess County treatment center receives federal grant [Video]

Tristatehomepage.com - Apr 03, 2013 -- Daviess County receives federal aid to battle substance abuse and child neglect. Governor Steve Beshear announces a $2.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to help fund the Sobriety Treatment and Recovery Teams program. The program in Kentucky is only the second program of its kind in the country.

NC: Future uncertain for family drug courts in Cumberland, Robeson counties without state funding

The Fayetteville Observer - Apr 03, 2013 -- All of the programs face uncertain futures and serve too few participants because of unstable funding sources. Many of the drug treatment courts are funded through various federal grants, including Robeson's program. Others, like those in Mecklenburg County, have been folded into the county budget.

Cumberland County's program, spearheaded by Chief District Court Judge Beth Keever, started in 2005 without any funding. "Family Drug Court was one we thought would be an asset for our children," Keever said. "We thought it was important even if we had to limit the number of participants."

NJ: Free family-focused support services coming to Union Beach

Asbury Park Press - Apr 04, 2013 -- The Community YMCA and the state Department of Children and Families have united to help residents in the area. The one-stop center will be offering services such as support and assistance to families with storm-related issues, building healthy relationships and stabilizing their everyday coping situations, said George Hunt, vice president of counseling and social services for the CYMCA.

OK: Federal judge rules Oklahoma must pay $6 million to New York child advocacy group

The Oklahoman - Apr 04, 2013 -- Children's Rights last year asked for $9,520,419 in attorney fees and expenses.

The Department of Human Services argued the group should get only $2.6 million to $3.7 million "if the court determines that the plaintiffs are entitled to an award at all." In a March 31 order, U.S. District Judge Gregory Frizzell awarded the group $6,011,888.

OK: Panel to release Okla. child abuse death report

Associated Press - Apr 04, 2013 -- A committee that has studied child abuse and neglect deaths in the state is scheduled to release its recommendations. The panel will discuss its findings on Thursday at the offices of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services.

OR: Bill would let Oregon foster parents unionize

Associated Press - Apr 03, 2013 -- The Oregon Senate is considering legislation that would allow foster parents to form a union. Foster parents are paid by the state, and the measure would allow them to form a union as public employees and bargain collectively. They would be prohibited from striking.

OR: Ore. study: Child abuse costly, preventable

KTVZ - Apr 03, 2013 -- Child abuse affects more Oregon children than autism, juvenile diabetes and all forms of childhood cancer combined, according to a report released Wednesday by the Children's Trust Fund of Oregon and Prevent Child Abuse Oregon. The report, "Preserving Childhood: Oregon's Leading Efforts to Prevent Child Abuse and Strengthen Families," examines the prevalence and cost of child abuse in Oregon while also recommending best practice strategies to prevent child abuse and neglect.
Preserving Childhood report: http://ctfo.org/about/preserving-childhood-report/

SC: Nurses for poor mothers linked to healthy births in SC

The State - Apr 03, 2013 -- A new study by the state Department of Health and Environmental Control shows the Nurse Family Partnership program is working, and its success could mean huge savings for the state in reducing Medicaid costs if the program were made available to more mothers, health officials say. Tony Keck, director of the state Department of Health and Human Services, said his agency will soon announce plans to expand nurse-family partnerships in the state, recognizing that health is about "much more than health services."

TN: DCS revamp of child tracking computer system called 'big step forward'

WBIR - Apr 04, 2013 -- Federal monitors charged with ensuring the Tennessee Department of Children's Services is protecting the state's most vulnerable kids filed a new report this week detailing the agency's progress in fixing its computer system. That $27 million system, called the Tennessee Family and Child Tracking System, or TFACTS, has been plagued by problems from its inception in August 2010. But it is finally in good enough shape to inform federal oversight of the state's child welfare system.

TX: Bill would screen welfare applicants for drug use

Houston Chronicle - Apr 02, 2013 -- House Bill 1582 authored by Rep. Debbie Riddle, R-Spring, proposes random drug screenings for TANF applicants, drug testing those found to be at a high risk, revoking benefits and blocking future applications for at least six months if the test is positive, and reporting those who fail a drug test to state child protective services for investigation. House Bill 1244, authored by Republican Rep. Ken King of Canadian, is similar to SB 11 except that it would not report people who fail a test to state child welfare agents.

US: My post-adoption depression

Slate - Apr 03, 2013 -- A March 2012 Purdue University study suggests that between 18 and 26 percent of adoptive mothers struggle with post-adoption depression, brought on by extreme fatigue, unrealistic expectations of parenthood or a lack of community support.

Ghana: Child protection worsens as more children live in orphanages in Ghana

Ghana News Agency - Apr 02, 2013 -- UNICEF has stated that 5,000 children live in orphanages and other residential care institutions in Ghana as child protection continued to worsen despite great strides made to bring children back from unnecessary institutionalization.

Guatemala: In Guatemala, UNICEF Executive Director welcomes steps towards greater focus on child protection systems

The Guatemala Times - Apr 03, 2013 -- While challenges remain, Guatemala has taken steps towards improving child protection systems, establishing more specialized Children's Courts, pledging to resolve 'transition adoption' cases, preventing children ending up in institutions, supporting families to keep their children and punishing crimes against children.

India: Central Adoption Resource Authority to open 8 new child adoption centres

The Times of India - Apr 04, 2013 -- With the growing demand of adoptions, the Union ministry for women and child development, on the recommendation of the state government, is set to open eight new adoption agencies at Patna, Gaya, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Munger, Saharsa, Purnia and Saran. Each centre will get Rs13.86 lakh from the central government.

Australia: NSW child protection workers strike

The Australian - Apr 03, 2013 -- Child protection workers in Sydney's west and northwest have held stop work meetings to protest over understaffing and a lack of resources.

Australia: Child abuse inquiry sits for first time

Associated Press - Apr 03, 2013 -- The head of an Australia-wide commission looking into allegations of child sex abuse in state and religious institutions as well as community groups said more than 5,000 victims are likely to give evidence of their harrowing experiences.

Russia: Children's rights ombudsman: 33 Russian kids not allowed to join U.S. adoptive parents

Russia Beyond the Headlines - Apr 03, 2013 -- St. Petersburg's commissioner for children's rights, Svetlana Agapitova, has asked Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to look into a situation where 33 orphans from the city who have formally been adopted by Americans and have already met their adoptive parents are not being let out of Russia.

TX & Haiti: Orphaned Haitian children wait three years for new San Antonio parents

Kens5 - Apr 02, 2013 -- After three long years, Britt and his wife are in the last stages with the Haitian government to adopt Moise and Esther. The parents have been back and forth to Haiti about six times to spend time with their new kids.

TX & Russia: More adopted Russian kids at risk: Texas parents suspected of abuse

RT News - Apr 03, 2013 -- Two teenage Russian girls have been removed from their adoptive parents and placed in a foster family as Texan authorities begin a probe into suspected threats and possible sexual abuse. The investigation was confirmed by the Texas Department for Family and Protective Services, Russian news services reported. According to officials the incident took place in the town of Silsbee.

FL: Where To?

Florida Weekly (Fort Myers) - Apr 03, 2013 -- A recent bill dubbed the "Normalcy Bill" has made its way through the Florida legislature and was en route to the governor's desk. The bill intends to give foster kids a more "normal" life by strengthening the rights of foster parents. It would allow caregivers to make parental decisions - allowing kids to go on a field trip or go on a prom date without waiting for permission from the state. Another bill looks to extend foster care to the age of 21.

GA: Milton crafts child abuse policy: All volunteers, employees must report abuse

NorthFulton.com - Apr 02, 2013 -- Under new laws that take effect this summer, employees and volunteers who work with city programs and who suspect children may be victims of child abuse must report their suspicions.

IN: Child abuse, neglect reports to DCS on rise

rtv6 abc - Apr 02, 2013 -- The number of abuse and neglect reports to the Indiana Department of Child Services has increased 15 percent, according to numbers obtained by the Call 6 Investigators.

MD: Montgomery County Launches Child Abuse Prevention Campaign in Rockville

Rockville Patch - Apr 02, 2013 -- The child abuse prevention campaign called The Power of One was kicked off in Rockville. The campaign is a national effort sponsored by Prevent Child Abuse America. The blue pinwheels-Pinwheels for Prevention-were meant to be a reminder of childhood and "the bright future that all children deserve."

MI: New push to save babies from being shaken

clickondetroit.com - Apr 02, 2013 -- Nazer is part of a new program that hopes to prevent cases of Shaken Baby Syndrome, by educating parents and the public about something called the Period of PURPLE Crying. PURPLE is an acronym. "When parents are educated, and they know that this is a period that they have to deal with, then they anticipate it versus just being very surprised by the amount of crying the baby does," said Nazer.

MN: The baby fell - and then the Plymouth parents' real pain began

StarTribune - Apr 03, 2013 -- The Slavens' bid to sue the Hennepin County in federal court ended unsuccessfully late last month, but they say their case is Exhibit A of a "guilty until proven innocent" child welfare system. "It seems that societally, we weigh so heavily in favor of the safety of the children that we want to incur the cost of procedural due process rights," said their attorney, Erick Kaardal.

NC: Lawmaker introduces bill sparked by 9 investigation

9 wsoctv.com - Apr 02, 2013 -- Rep. Tricia Cotham proposed a foster care children's bill of rights in Raleigh. If passed, the bill would make it law for foster children to be placed in safe homes free of violence, abuse and danger. It would also require that biological parents be informed if a foster child receives immunizations.

NE: Making room for one more child

Star Herald - Apr 02, 2013 -- According to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, the state of Nebraska has 5,042 state wards as of April 1. The foster program breakdown includes 1,625 that are in home and 3,777 out of the home in youth shelters, such as CAPWN's Youth Shelter or in foster homes like the Goldens. With so many children in need of a home, TFI Family Services Inc. a nonprofit organization, is looking for more family foster homes.

TX: High number of children in foster care in Hidalgo County [video]

kgbt4tv - Apr 02, 2013 -- Hidalgo County ranks in the top 5 counties in the state for the most children in foster care

UT: Governor signs adoption fraud legislation

Daily Herald - Apr 02, 2013 -- Utah Gov. Gary Herbert has approved legislation aimed at curbing adoption fraud. The law requires agencies to implement rules barring employees from misinforming adoptive parents about children they intend to adopt. Lawmakers say it will reduce the growing number of women traveling to Utah to give babies up for adoption without first consulting the birth father. The proposal comes on the heels of a Utah Supreme Court ruling in February that pulled a 2-year-old girl from the home she had been raised in since birth and gave custody to her birth father.

WA: Health Department seeks community input on programs

The Bellingham Herald - Apr 03, 2013 -- The $1.6 million reduction we are facing in Title XIX Medicaid Administrative Match, the main funding source for the Family Support Centers and Nurse-Family Partnership program, is only the most recent bad news. We are also anticipating further federal cuts from the sequester. What resources can we leverage, as a community, to help us save these important programs?

China: UNICEF on Tuesday welcomed the adoption of the Arms Trade Treaty by the United Nations General Assembly as a crucial step toward protecting children by regulating the transfer of weapons from one country to another

English.news.cn - Apr 03, 2013 -- UNICEF on Tuesday welcomed the adoption of the Arms Trade Treaty by the United Nations General Assembly as a crucial step toward protecting children by regulating the transfer of weapons from one country to another. The lack of any consistent global oversight of the arms trade has allowed weapons to be misused on a mass scale, resulting in the widespread killing and maiming of civilians, UNICEF said in a press release issued here.

United Arab Emirates: Emiratis can be foster parents now

Khaleej Times - Apr 03, 2013 -- Emirati families now have the chance to take in abandoned children and give them a chance of a decent life. Director-General of the Community Development Authority (CDA) Khaled Al Kamda made the announcement on Tuesday morning as part of a programme billed 'Ihtidan' or 'Embrace'.

Ukraine: Pavlenko to check in US compliance with rights of adopted children from Ukraine

NRCU - Ukrainian Radio - Apr 02, 2013 -- The Ukrainian president's commissioner for children's rights, Yuriy Pavlenko, [is] on a visit to the United States April 1-4. The purpose of the visit is to study the state of compliance with the rights of Ukrainian children who were adopted by U.S. citizens.

Australia: Child abuse victims to have free legal advice for Royal Commission

ABC News Australia - Apr 03, 2013 -- The Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has announced that child abuse victims giving evidence will have access to a free legal advice service.

Russia: Putin Wants to Stop Foreign Gay Couples From Adopting Russian Children

Advocate.com - Apr 01, 2013 -- According to the website RT, the [Russian] government and the Supreme Court have been ordered to propose amendments to the law as soon as July 1. Tension surrounding the issue of same-sex couples adopting has increased dramatically in the country since the French National Assembly approved a bill in mid-February that would legalize marriage and adoption by same-sex couples. It was shortly thereafter that Russian children's rights ombudsman Pavel Astakhov declared he would work toward a future in which Russian orphans would be placed only with heterosexual couples.

AK: Covenant House Provides Safe Haven for Homeless Youth: Nonprofit raising funds via Facebook

KTVA - Mar 29, 2013 -- Youth homelessness has grown though, according to Covenant House spokesperson Lauren Rice. Last year the organization helped 6,000 young people.
Rice said it's growing because of a growing population. She said kids move from the villages and end up with no "safe place to stay." She added that the foster care system is growing and once kids age out at 18, they often times end up homeless.

AL: House to Consider Protecting Children First Trust Fund

Alabama Political Reporter - Apr 02, 2013 -- Fifteen years ago, our government, in a bipartisan effort, passed a special trust for the neediest of our children, who had no voice and no vote. This fund, known as the Children First Trust Fund (CFTF) was, and still is, by law funded by 46 percent of all Tobacco Settlement dollars paid to Alabama.
Unlike a lot of state spending, the CFTF's dollars are carefully targeted to programs that meet critical needs of our children. The appropriated funds require strict accountability and are getting results.

AZ: State CPS still struggles despite scrutiny

AZ Central - Apr 01, 2013 -- Two new reports from Arizona's Child Protective Services show the number of children in foster care is increasing while the agency remains hundreds of workers short of state caseload standards and administrators are struggling with a record backlog of nearly 13,000 cases.
The numbers also show that the agency still is unable to investigate all the reports alleging child maltreatment that come through the state's child-abuse hotline.

CA: Lifeline opens home for former foster children

UT San Diego - Apr 01, 2013 -- North County Lifeline in Vista held an opening ceremony Tuesday for its LifeSpring House, a home for young people transitioning out of the foster care system.
The house on 302 N. Indiana Avenue will be home to young adults, ages 18 to 24, as they learn the skills necessary to help them thrive after life in foster care, officials said

MD: Protecting children from abuse, cover-ups

Frederick News-Post - Apr 02, 2013 -- The manager of a day care center could browbeat a teacher into not reporting suspected or known child abuse by another teacher or parent. Sadly, Maryland may be facilitating this kind of behavior, because under current state law it is not a crime for a mandatory reporter to fail to notify authorities.
Delegate Michael Hough, R-District 3B, has introduced legislation in the House of Delegates that would correct this obvious loophole in the law. Specifically, his bill would make it a misdemeanor for someone to deliberately interfere with mandatory reporting of alleged child abuse or neglect.

MS: More of the story: Meridian native Sela Ward says State could become a national model for revamping foster care system

Clarion-Ledger - Apr 01, 2013 -- She's coming back to her hometown April 20 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Meridian charity she founded in 2002 called Hope Village for Children. It's a residential group home for abused and neglected children with an emergency shelter to serve those in danger of immediate removal, as well as permanent group homes and transition houses.

NE: Lady homeless after aging out of foster care helps support others

Channel 8 Eyewitness News -- KLKNTV - Apr 01, 2013 -- When kids age out of the foster care system at 19, many of them don't know where to turn. Some senators are trying to pass a bill that would help those kids be more successful.
The bill that's in the legislature this session would extend benefits to kids until they were 21 and change the requirements. It would provide a housing stipend. Instead of mandating school, the former wards could also get a job. The adolescents would also be able to decide after aging out that they want help, instead of being bogged down with paperwork the minute they lose support.

NH: Changes to NH child services might have to wait

Associated Press - Apr 01, 2013 -- When funding for the state's primary system connecting at-risk children and their families with a broad range of social services was rolled back two years ago, the result was immediate and dramatic, according to law enforcement, educators and service providers.
With support from Gov. Maggie Hassan and both houses of the Legislature, the Children in Need of Services program, known as CHINS, is likely to be restored, but many child advocates see this as an opportunity to improve the program, which they say needed changes even before being shrunk.

NV: Thanks to two Girl Scouts, new foster children get guide to intimidating system

Las Vegas Sun - Apr 02, 2013 -- Thanks to two Girl Scouts, the Legal Aid Center finally has a book it thinks does the dual job of engaging foster children while still delivering the essential information. The scouts and the center will be honored Tuesday morning by the Clark County Commission.
Four years ago, Legal Aid set out with the goal to provide every foster child in Clark County with a pamphlet summarizing the rights afforded all foster children and explaining some of the most common legal proceedings and situations they will face.
Bookled: http://www.lasvegassun.com/photos/galleries/2013/apr/02/foster-child-rights-booklet/

OH: Housing, education help available: Valley young people beat the odds, start paths toward success

Vindy.com - Apr 01, 2013 -- Many who age out of in-home care end up poor, in jail, pregnant, homeless. A higher percentage suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder than do Vietnam War veterans.
But some young adults in Mahoning and Trumbull counties who have grown too old for the foster-care system are managing to survive and even thrive. They've done so with persistence, effort, positive attitudes and the help of caring foster parents, counselors and government programs.
Also: http://www.vindy.com/news/2013/apr/01/success-stories-life-after-foster-care/

OH: Mistreated kids might suffer brain trauma

Columbus Dispatch - Apr 02, 2013 -- He is seeking a fresh review of the cases by an expert who wants to help change the way America's child-welfare systems evaluate and treat traumatized children.
Dr. Bruce Perry said current approaches often fail because they don't address the ways that trauma alters a developing child's brain. Violence, threats, neglect and chaos affect developing neural systems and can make it biologically impossible for children to regulate their emotions and behavior.

OH: Roth employees help aged-out foster-care youth

Individual.com - Apr 01, 2013 -- The volunteer group has set its sights on helping youths who age-out of foster care by linking them with mentors, housing, furnishings and jobs, Cook said.
"We are working with state employees to learn the needs of young adults in the foster-care system ... and we are working with some great people in our community to establish mentors, job leads and resources for housing," he said.

TX: Flags Outside of Courthouse for Child Abuse Prevention Month

KIII TV 3 - Apr 01, 2013 -- 212 flags were places outside of the Nueces County Courthouse on Monday, each one symbolizing a child victim of abuse.
April 1 marked "Go Blue Day," the official start to a month-long observation of Child Abuse Prevention Month.

TX: Panhandle holds highest rates for child abuse in Texas

Connect Amarillo - Apr 01, 2013 -- Child abuse has continued to be an issue in the Texas Panhandle. According to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, the Texas Panhandle had some of the highest reported cases of child abuse in the state last year.
There are about 68,000 children in Randall and Potter County and of those, there have been 1,029 confirmed victims of child abuse and neglect.

WV: State takes 'New View' for foster care cold cases

Associated Press - Mar 30, 2013 -- Two branches of government that try to help troubled West Virginia kids but often function as adversaries are teaming up on a project to find permanent homes for 50 foster children.
The New View initiative involves seven attorneys picked by the state Supreme Court and dozens of cold cases chosen from an initial pool of 200 at the state Department of Health and Human Resources.

US: Foreign adoption comes with obstacles, but parents advised to 'stay the course' (Requires registration)

Chicago Tribune - Apr 02, 2013 -- Kara Chlebek takes a deep breath before describing the ordeal she and her husband, Tom, endured in their attempt to adopt a child internationally.
The three-year process included multiple interviews, a forest of paperwork, monthslong delays, referrals for children in Poland and China, and several lengthy airline flights.

US: Sexual abuse, neglect predicted teen pregnancy

Healio.com - Apr 01, 2013 -- Teenage girls who were sexually abused or neglected were more than twice as likely to experience teen childbirth compared with those who were not maltreated, according to new study results.
"One explanation for the persistently high US birth rate is that there are risk factors for teen pregnancy and childbirth that are not addressed in current prevention efforts," the researchers wrote.
Report: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2013/03/18/peds.2012-3072.abstract

US: When stars adopt, the world notices

USA Today - Apr 02, 2013 -- "I think the public has the impression that celebrities have an edge on and get breaks with everything, including adoption," says adoption expert Devon Brooks, an associate professor of social work at the University of Southern California. "Having said that, I don't think the public has the impression that celebrities who adopt get to break all the laws and rules. The American public is inspired by celebrity adoptions because they epitomize the American experience."

Guatemala: Executive Director welcomes steps towards greater focus on child protection systems

Unicef - Apr 01, 2013 -- While challenges remain, Guatemala has taken steps towards improving child protection systems, establishing more specialized Children's Courts, pledging to resolve 'transition adoption' cases, preventing children ending up in institutions, supporting families to keep their children and punishing crimes against children.

Canada: Canadian Human Rights Tribunal Finally Hears Aboriginal Child Welfare Case

Indian Country Today - Apr 01, 2013 -- After a seven-year legal fight waged by a prominent aboriginal-children's advocate and the Assembly of First Nations against the federal government, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal is finally hearing a case about the welfare of on-reserve aboriginal children.

Africa: Effects of Orphanages in Sub-Saharan Africa

The Emory Wheel - Apr 01, 2013 -- There are currently an estimated 53.1 million orphans in sub-Saharan Africa, which comprises 12 percent of all children throughout the continent.
A number of strategies have been introduced to provide care and support for these children, the most common response being the expansion of orphanage institutions. Institutionalization should be the last resort for children. Orphanages have an extremely limited capacity. They are financially inefficient, and there are long-term psychosocial ramifications.