By: Justin Grosz, Esquire Oregon’s child welfare system is finally responding to a crisis that’s been building for years. After the heartbreaking death of a 17-year-old foster teen who had been living in a hotel for weeks, lawmakers introduced Senate Bill 875, a much-needed effort to give Oregon foster youth more rights,... View Article
Results & verdicts
more results & verdictsCategories for Foster Children
Sealed Records, Silenced Survivors: What the C.G. versus City of New York Case Tells Us About Systemic Failure
By: Justin Grosz, Esquire In C.G. v. City of New York, Slip Op 31708(U), the plaintiff filed a case under the Child Victims Act (CVA) of New York, claiming that during the early 1990s, she was subjected to repeated sexual abuse by her foster father and foster brother while living in... View Article
Another Child Lost: The Tragic Death of Mackenzi Felmlee Exposes Critical Failures in Illinois Foster Care System
By: Julianna Walo, Esquire I’ve spent decades fighting for children’s rights, and I thought I’d seen the worst of systems who fail kids. Then I read about Mackenzi Felmlee, and I realized that Illinois’ DCFS is exactly where it was 36 years ago when the landmark ACLU class action lawsuit... View Article
Left Behind at 18: Why Texas Must Expand Foster Care to Prevent Homelessness and Harm
By: Howard Talenfeld, Esquire When Foster Care Ends, the Struggle Often Begins For many young people in the Texas foster care system, turning 18 does not feel like a celebration; it feels like being cut off. No more stable housing. No guaranteed help with school or work. No one to... View Article
As reported by the Orlando Sentinel, Daniel Ryan Lamppin, a youth pastor in Osceola County, is accused of sexually abusing two girls under his foster care. He was taken into custody on Tuesday by the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office and faces two dozen sexual battery charges. According to reports,... View Article
By: Julianna Walo, Esquire Foster care agencies across Illinois claim they are facing an unprecedented insurance crisis. Insurance companies say they are dramatically scaling back coverage for community foster care agencies throughout the state, creating a picture of higher costs and reduced protection for vulnerable children. As a Chicago child welfare practice... View Article
As reported by KTLA, a San Bernardino County couple and their adult daughter have been accused of allegedly torturing six foster children, whose ages ranged from 4 to 16. According to a press release from the district attorney’s office, the trio allegedly subjected the children to “years of physical, emotional,... View Article
By: Julianna Walo, Esquire The Illinois child welfare system faces unprecedented challenges in protecting our state’s most vulnerable children. As child protection services struggle with systemic issues and DCFS oversight remains under scrutiny, families and advocates need clear information about the foster care system. Here are the most pressing questions... View Article
Oregon Capital Chronicle: Oregon DHS and Disability Rights Oregon settle long-running class-action foster care lawsuit
As reported by the Oregon Capital Chronicle, the Oregon Department of Human Services has agreed to a settlement in a class action lawsuit filed on behalf of the state’s foster children. The agreement, which ends five years of litigation, will hold the state agency more accountable for improving the Oregon... View Article
Gov. DeSantis Signs Bill to Close Support Gap for Foster Youth in Transition to Adulthood
A new Florida law will provide youth in Florida’s foster care system with more support as they become adults. This legislation makes an existing Independent Living support called Aftercare Services available to a population of youth who were placed with relatives, non-relatives, or adopted as a teen. Previously, they were... View Article