"Psst - hey bud. Ya wanna see an AFCARS report?" Yesterday (March 13, 2025) was an anniversary of sorts.  It marked the first anniversary of the last time the federal government published something called The AFCARS Report.   AFCARS stands for Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System. The annual reports are the most important single source for national data about the family policing system.  In addition to the national report, there’s one for every state. The reports tell us things like how many children were taken from their homes over the co ..read more

Courts in New York, Texas, Arizona and at least 11 other states demand that fathers control the mothers of their children, punish fathers who don’t and, worst of all, deprive children of loving parents who have done them no harm. New York’s highest court is being asked to put a stop to it. See also the press release about the litigation from Pregnancy Justice A New York City mother, known in court papers as Ms. W., used drugs during her pregnancy.  When Ms. W. gave birth, the newborn tested positive for methadone – which had been prescribed to Ms. W. to control her addiction.  But N ..read more

● A lawsuit alleges that a child who wandered out of his mother’s home in West Virginia was placed – for that reason alone -- in foster care.  He wandered out of the foster home and died. I have a blog post about why this tragedy is a failure not only of West Virginia foster care but also of West Virginia journalism, with links to news accounts about the lawsuit from WTAP-TV, The Parkersburg News and Sentinel and WCHS-TV.  ● Acting on recommendations from a task force aiming for less mandated reporting and more mandated supporting, The Imprint reports, California lawmakers have intro ..read more

Here are all the stories I could find in West Virginia on the topic of the needless removal of children from their homes. A lawsuit alleges that a child who wandered out of his mother’s home was placed – for that reason -- in foster care.  He wandered out of the foster home and died. Here’s what allegedly happened to a three-year-old boy in West Virginia known in court papers as PS, according to a lawsuit filed by his mother, as reported by The Parkersburg News and Sentinel,WTAP-TV and WCHS-TV:  The boy was autistic, nonverbal and had a tendency to wander out of the home on ..read more

● “They literally took her off my breast in the hallway with her screaming at the court hearing,” says Kristen Clark-Hassell, of the day her newborn was taken.   It’s bad enough that Clark-Hassell had her daughter and other children taken by Georgia’s family police agency for reasons that sure sound like the confusion of poverty with neglect. It’s worse that she was subjected to constant drug testing even though there was no allegation of drug abuse. Worse still, The Current reports, when test results conflicted, the family police ignored the ones where results came out negative and ..read more

This is probably the first time I've ever agreed with Texas Chief Justice Jimmy Blacklock. There's a good chance it may never happen again.  But there are data to back up his words.  Blacklock ended his State of the Judiciary Address with some remarkable comments about the new Texas laws curbing the power of the family police. And he called for limits on terminating children’s rights to their parents – a more accurate term than termination of parental rights.  You can watch what he said here.    Here’s the text of that portion of his remarks:  Using the ..read more

Before the news: A big virtual event next week. You can register here to learn about “The Protective Power of Cash” at a virtual teach-in March 3 from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm ET.  In the news:  ● There’s a new issue of the Family Justice Journal out – filled with articles about “The Practice of Connection.” I particularly want to call attention to the Foreword on Page 8. It’s by Sandy Santana, executive director of Children’s Rights.  This remarkable essay makes clear that CR is backing up its recent change in rhetoric with action. I have a blog post about the transformation.  O ..read more

There's lots of good stuff in the latest issue of the Family Justice Journal But in particular, don't miss the Foreword on Page 8,  A few years ago, when the group’s rhetoric changed, I was skeptical about whether there’d be a change in substance.  I was wrong.  For nearly 30 years no group has been in a better position to make real change for the better in “child welfare” than the group known as “Children’s Rights.”  But for much of the group’s history, they squandered the opportunity.    In state after state, their media-savvy founder and first executiv ..read more

It’s taken more than half a century but slowly, some people in family policing (a more accurate term than “child welfare”) are realizing that mandatory child abuse reporting laws were a huge mistake.  These laws force many professionals who deal with children, and, in some states, everyone, to report their slightest suspicion of whatever state law considers child abuse or neglect.  The research is clear: Mandatory reporting has backfired. It drives families away from seeking help. They fear that if they confide that they are under stress or take their child to the ER with ..read more

Witnesses testify in favor of the Maryland "Know Before They Knock" bill. You can watch the entire video here. If you don’t know your rights, you don’t have your rights. When impoverished families hear that pounding at the door in the middle of the night from a worker for child protective services, often they don’t know their rights.    A lot of CPS agencies want to keep it that way.  But five states have passed what are commonly known as “family Miranda laws,” requiring the agency to tell families their rights – including their right to consult a lawyer.  In Maryl ..read more