Child Welfare in the News - March 18, 2011

AR: Alamo ministries appeal dismissal of lawsuit
Associated Press March 17, 2011
An attorney for Tony Alamo Christian Ministries has asked a federal appeals court to reinstate the church's lawsuit against the Arkansas Department of Human Services.
http://washingtonexaminer.com/news/2011/03/alamo-ministries-appeal-dismissal-lawsuit

CA: Project Cuddle helps match adoptive families, children
Orange County Register March 17, 2011
Project Cuddle has had a hand in rescuing 676 children since 1996, including one in Fullerton. Project Cuddle is not an adoption agency, but screens families willing to adopt.
http://www.ocregister.com/news/cuddle-292611-project-magnusen.html

CO: Charges filed against parents of missing Colo boys
Associated Press March 17, 2011
Prosecutors in Colorado charged the adoptive parents of two missing brothers with theft, forgery and other crimes Thursday as authorities searched for the children, who disappeared in 2003 without anyone reporting they were gone.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=13156285

FL: House measure caps child-welfare damages
The News Service of Florida March 17, 2011
A measure that would cap damages for pain and suffering by children in Florida's child welfare system was approved by a House committee Wednesday after impassioned testimony from both supporters and critics.
http://www.theledger.com/article/20110317/NEWS/103175066/1374?Title=House-Measure-Caps-Child-Welfare-Damages&tc=ar

GA: Pilot program to review use of psychotropic prescription drugs in Georgia's foster care system
Associated Press March 18, 2011
The pilot program will be funded by Casey Family Programs and run out of the Barton Child Law and Policy Center at Emory University Law School in partnership with the Georgia Department of Human Services.
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/cb8fff2210184f518492f5067ae08709/GA--Foster-Care-Drugs/

MA: State reneges on college for foster kids, parents charge
WCVB March 17, 2011
Flueckiger received a letter from the state explaining, "the demand for fall fee waivers, unfortunately, has exceeded the $935,000 appropriation for this program" and now "zero funds are available."
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/27230022/detail.html

MO: Mo. House OKs fund to help recruit foster parents
Associated Press March 18, 2011
The Missouri House has approved legislation that would let taxpayers donate part of their state refunds to support for foster care and adoptions.
http://washingtonexaminer.com/news/2011/03/mo-house-oks-fund-help-recruit-foster-parents

NJ: Appeals court rules N.J. woman must adopt baby born through artificial insemination of a surrogate
The Star-Ledger March 18, 2011
The boy, conceived with a donor egg and carried by a surrogate, is not the son of the woman in the eyes of the law because she did not give birth to him and has no genetic link to him, an appellate court declared last month. If she wants be named the child’s mother, she must adopt him, the court said.
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/03/nj_womans_case_exposes_laws_in.html

NY: Helping parents with children in foster care
Epoch Times March 16, 2011
The city's child welfare system has been making an effort to engage birth parents of children living in foster homes, to help these parents improve their situation and maintain a relationship with their children. The Parent Advocate Initiative (PAI) was created to enlist the help of parents who had successfully resolved their cases and brought their children back to a happier home.
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/53120/

OH: Agency says ethnic foster homes tough to recruit
Columbus Dispatch March 17, 2011
Licensed Muslim foster homes were rare in 2003. And despite what the agency calls an all-out recruiting effort, they still are. "We only have one. But it certainly is not for lack of trying," spokeswoman Doris Calloway Moore said.
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/03/17/agency-says-ethnic-foster-homes-tough-to-recruit.html?sid=101

OK: Oklahoma failing to protect children in state custody, report alleges
Tulsa World Mach 17, 2011
A national watchdog group released a report Thursday charging the Oklahoma Department of Human Services with failing to protect children in state custody from abuse or neglect.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=12&articleid=20110317_12_0_Anatio388277
Report available at http://www.childrensrights.org/wp-content/uploads//2011/03/2011-03-17_ok_goad_review_redacted_final.pdf

WA: Fatal fire at Arlington foster home forces changes to state policy
The Herald March 18, 2011
One of those changes may include more in-depth fire safety training for caregivers overseeing children under state supervision. A work group also may be assigned to study issues at homes serving children with special needs, according to a report released Thursday.
http://heraldnet.com/article/20110318/NEWS01/703189902/-1/NEWS01


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