Most Of the Time, They Do Not Even Have a Documented Psychiatric Diagnosis. 2023 has hardly started, and we just filed our second lawsuit of the year. This case was brought against the state of Maryland for its woeful lack of oversight in the administration of powerful psychotropic medications to children in foster care. These medications are routinely given to children against their will, with many suffering serious side effects as a result. Maryland is the third state where we are calling out the government for its dangerous failure to serve as adequate custodians for the children in its ..read more

I have experienced the pain and trauma of family separation from both sides. My mother lost her parental rights when I was a child, and my own children were taken from me and placed in foster care. It took me nearly five years to get them back.   Why did this happen? There are lots of complicating factors, but for both my mother and for me, one truth stands out. The system looks at a Black poor woman and sees someone who is going to fail at parenting. The reality is that what has failed is the system itself.  I remember people told me my mother didn’t try hard enough — that’s ..read more

I am a Black woman on a mission to recreate and reimagine the foster care system. It is what I was put on this earth to do.  I have a deep knowledge of child welfare. I grew up in the Kansas foster care system. Even as a little kid, I was good at advocating for myself. And for other kids too. It just comes naturally. I have ten siblings. I was never legally adopted, but my Soul Family took me in and advocated for me. They supported me in everything I did, especially my education. My grandfather used to pay me for A’s and B’s. No money for C’s. As a child, I thought that was crazy becau ..read more

Contact: Holly Stiles, Disability Rights North Carolina, holly.stiles@disabilityrightsnc.org; Deborah Dicks Maxwell, presidentncnaacp@gmail.com; Josh Lanning, Moore & Van Allen, PLLC, joshlanning@mvalaw.com; Camilla Jenkins, Children’s Rights, cjenkins@childrensrights.org Raleigh, NC – Advocates for civil, disability, and children’s rights filed a federal lawsuit today against the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) for its pervasive, system-wide practice of unnecessarily warehousing children with disabilities in foster care in dangerous, locked psychiatric instit ..read more

The data are clear and glaring—Black families face discrimination and unequal outcomes at every stage of the child welfare system. Pexels | Muhammad-taha Ibrahim This article was originally published on the ABA Children’s Rights Litigation Public acknowledgement of the discriminatory harms perpetrated by the child welfare system is long overdue. Every day in the United States, Black children are investigated by the child welfare system and forcibly separated from their parents, at rates far greater than their white peers. Decades of data, research, and lived experiences reveal the deep ..read more

NEW YORK – On Thursday, October 27, Children’s Rights, a leading national organization focused on the rights of children, hosted its annual Benefit & Inspiration Awards event in New York City. Under the banner Childhood Is Our First Right, hundreds of the city’s most committed advocates for children came together to celebrate Children’s Rights, which for over 25 years has been holding governments accountable for protecting children and keeping families together. The event honored four individuals who have put their commitment to the rights of children into bold action: Greg Louganis, Olym ..read more

For the first time in three years, hundreds of Children’s Rights most committed supporters and advocates for children gathered for our annual Benefit & Inspiration Awards at the Mandarin Oriental in New York City. With the backdrop of the glittering Manhattan skyline, we celebrated the lasting impact our community has on the lives of young people across the country. Boldy Standing Up for Kids The event honored four people who shared their stories and commitment to improving the lives of children—so they can have the childhood they deserve.   Children’s Champion Award “When ..read more

For press inquiries: Christina Ostmeyer, costmeyer@kansasappleseed.org; Willis Jacobson, wjacobson@youthlaw.org; Camilla Jenkins, cjenkins@childrensrights.org; Jeffery Rotenber, jeffrey.rotenberg@dlapiper.com (Kansas City, KS) — Today, a report on the State of Kansas’ progress in calendar year 2021 toward achieving the Performance Goals, Practice Improvements, and Outcomes of the McIntyre v. Howard Settlement Agreement was released by the Center for the Study of Social Policy, the Settlement’s independent monitor. The Settlement was approved by a federal court in January 2021. The Settlement A ..read more

UN Committee recommends US take all appropriate measures to eliminate racial discrimination in the child welfare system following testimony from Children’s Rights and partner advocates Media Contact: Camilla Jenkins, cjenkins@childrensrights.org GENEVA —On August 30, The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) issued its Concluding Observations following its review of the performance of the United States on efforts to eliminate racial discrimination. Among its recommendations are two that specifically address actions that the U.S. should take to eliminate ra ..read more

Contact: Camilla Jenkins │917-971-1784 │cjenkins@childrensrights.org NEW YORK –The Sozosei Foundation has awarded Children’s Rights a grant to further its work to end the institutionalization and criminalization of children, youth and young adults with mental health conditions, and instead make sure they get the care they need at home, within their own communities. “At the Sozosei Foundation, our Japanese heritage is manifest in our values and day-to-day operations. Our partnership with Children’s Rights is a living embodiment of “Jissho,” or proof through execution,” said Melissa M. Beck, Exe ..read more