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April 5, 2024
The US Is Failing Substance-Exposed Infants
Key Points Due to infrequent and inconsistent testing, there is no reliable count of how many infants are exposed to substances in utero, yet recent data on drug use and…
March 27, 2024
Narcan Babies
“As medical professionals who work with pregnant patients, you face numerous medical, legal, and ethical decision points when treating a patient for substance use during pregnancy, and when providing care…
March 21, 2024
Why Foster Kids Aren’t Getting the Mental Health Care They need
Last fall, a 15-year-old foster child in Kansas took his own life. According to a local news report, the boy’s foster family “immediately called for help when they discovered the…
March 14, 2024
The Chipping Away at Safe Haven Laws
“No Shame, No Blame, No Names.” That’s how one billboard advertises Safe Haven baby boxes, where a mother can anonymously leave her newborn at a fire station or other emergency…
March 1, 2024
How the Children’s Bureau Lost Its Way
“It’s definitely very empowering when you get involved. Like anytime I finish a pair of beaded earrings. I feel like, wow, I just did that.” This message of empowerment through…
November 11, 2023
Why is NYC Telling Teachers to Not Keep Kids Safe?
When you see something, should you say something? According to the Office of Children and Family Services, it depends on the race of the victim. New guidance released last month for New…
October 10, 2023
The Best Place for Kids Isn’t Always Their Home
If it’s true that you can judge a society by how it treats its weakest members, then one shortcut to judging societies would be looking at their child welfare systems….
October 10, 2023
Judge Erik Pitchal’s Warped Mindset Led to Baby Ella Vitalis’ Death
Ella Vitalis was only three weeks old when her parents brought her to the hospital with two broken ankles, a fractured skull and a brain hemorrhage. The couple, who had been…
October 5, 2023
DCS Has Failed Children It Was Supposed to Protect, This Lawsuit Shows Why
What should anger us most about the life of Kimberly F., a 15-year-old Indiana girl in the custody of the state’s Department of Child Services? That she was repeatedly sexually…
August 14, 2023
What ‘Earth Mama’ Doesn’t Tell Us About Foster Care
There are plenty of movies that start in the middle of the story. But typically the director will eventually go back and tell you what happened at the beginning. This…