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A former state policy that banned gay couples from becoming foster parents was the same as a “whites only” employment sign, the Nebraska Supreme Court wrote in a ruling released on Friday that affirmed a lower court’s decision. The ruling comes four years after three same-sex couples filed a lawsuit against Nebraska, arguing that a 1995 state policy prohibiting gay couples from being foster care parents and adopting wards of the state is unconstitutional. Follow here for the full article.

Alysia Wilson is living proof that teenagers can be adopted. Wilson shared her story of her time in foster care and recent adoption at the Fairfield County Job and Family Services' child abuse prevention month kickoff Wednesday. She was adopted March 30, a week before her 18th birthday. Now, the Pickerington Central senior is working on a documentary about the system. Read the article here .

Earlier this month, two teenagers in foster care were struck by a vehicle after running away from Child Protective Services (CPS) offices in Houston, where they had been staying because of a lack of appropriate placement options. One, a 15-year-old girl, died from her injuries. The tragic fatality has heightened attention on Texas’ foster care capacity crisis, but it is important to recognize that the issues Texas must address are much broader. Due to challenges with how information was...

If you follow child welfare news at all, you know Texas has been overhauling and prioritizing changes to their foster care system. As the Texas Legislature grapples with how to fund child welfare, they are considering statewide performance-based contracting for the child welfare provider network, which serves the majority of children placed in Texas foster care. Two new bills will include provisions to strengthen the Texas child welfare system, as well as focus on trauma-informed care and...

One Friday afternoon, as Jana was on her way to pickup her grandson from school , she received a very disturbing call. The police had come to her daughter’s apartment the night before, arrested her for drug involvement and taken her grandson, David, into the custody of Marin County’s Child Protective Services . After meeting with CPS, she was able to obtain temporary custody of D avid and take him home with her to Napa. She was not prepared to instantly become a mother again . David’s father...

Minnesota has put more Native American children in foster care than any other state in the nation. Despite being one of the least-represented minorities in Minnesota, nearly one in every 10 Native children is in the foster system, compared to only one in every 100 white children. One of key individuals who has spearheaded research into this issue is Professor Priscilla Day, director of the Center for Regional and Tribal Child Welfare at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. Day has focused on...

When fathers are involved with their children, a strong base of research shows that there are considerable benefits to the health and well-being of children, mothers and even the fathers themselves. The issue of engaging fathers has been the focal point for federal efforts like the Responsible Fatherhood Grants and the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse. But in the effort to emphasize the importance of paternal parenting, young fathers and those who are involved with the child...

When Jessica Kluck signed the adoption papers in 2015, she was on her own. Kluck, a single woman living in Bismarck, adopted five Native American children, ages 5 to 16, all siblings, after serving as their foster parent through PATH foster care agency. Kluck said she was certain she was destined to help these kids, who were traumatized while living with their parents on a reservation in North Dakota. "It's been a hard road, but I've never regretted it," said Kluck, 37. Her kids received...

A growing body of evidence suggests that children who cannot live with their biological parents fare better overall when living with extended family than with nonrelated foster parents. Acknowledging the benefits of kinship care arrangements, federal laws and public policies increasingly favor placing children with family members rather than in nonrelative foster care. Despite overall better outcomes, families providing kinship care endure many hardships, and the children experience many of...

A delegation of law enforcement and public health workers from Wales visited the Manchester Police Department Tuesday. They were there to learn about a city program that connects children who have experienced trauma with mental health services. The program (ACERT) trains police officers in the effects of trauma on child development, and coordinates with social workers to help recruit affected families into trauma-therapy and other programs. To read the article, click here . ACERT stands for...

A new film focusing on Florida’s troubled foster care system drew a large crowd at a screening in Gulfport Wednesday night. ‘ Foster Shock ’ is a documentary highlighting the ills of the state’s child welfare system showed how a government body had completely turned over the responsibility and care of children to contracted, for-profit companies, who, in turn, contract out the work to other companies, exposing minors to dangers such as violence, drugs, sex trafficking and criminalization.

The Texas Senate and House of Representatives unanimously voted to pass bills for reform of Child Protective Services. During the State of the State address, Gov. Greg Abbott noted “over one hundred deaths” of children in foster care services within the last year. A CPS reform was one of the four policies Texas Gov. Greg Abbott listed as emergency items for the legislative session. “You will cast thousands of votes this session. Few will involve life or death decisions. Your vote on CPS is...