FOSTER CARE RESOURCES
These are Foster Care Resources.
Please also see: Adoption Resources
ARTICLES/INFORMATION/RESEARCH
(click here for Organizations/Agencies)
Foster Care as Punishment: The New Reality of 'Jane Crow'
"For most parents, this scenario might be a panic-inducing, but hardly insurmountable, hiccup in the long trial of raising a child. Yet for Ms. Joefield and women in her circumstances — living in poor neighborhoods, with few child care options — the consequences can be severe. Police officers removed Deja from her apartment and the Administration for Children's Services placed her in foster care. Police charged Ms. Joefield with endangering the welfare of a child.
She was caught up in what lawyers and others who represent families say is a troubling and longstanding phenomenon: the power of Children's Services to take children from their parents on the grounds that the child's safety is at risk, even with scant evidence."
NY Times, July 21, 2017
Long Island foster dad accused of sexually abusing eight children in his care acquitted on all charges
"The Suffolk County panel found defendant Cesar Gonzales-Mugaburu not guilty of 17 criminal counts for what prosecutors had called a relentless reign of sexual abuse and terror."
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, May 2, 2017
Sicko Long Island foster dad threatened to kill his adopted son if he didn't act as his sex slave, victim testifies
" "I was afraid of him," the 29-year-old witness said on his second day on the stand at Riverhead County Court.
"(He said) 'I will shoot you. I will run you over with my car. I will kill you.'"
Cesar Gonzales-Mugaburu, 60, is accused of molesting eight foster kids in the Suffolk County house of horrors where he took in more than 140 children over 20 years."
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, April 5, 2017
Florida foster care teen kills herself, is third teen in state foster system to commit suicide in less than a year
" Giulianna Ramos Bermudez, 16, was found dead in her bedroom closet at an Orlando group home in June, Miami Herald reports.
Authorities said Bermudez, who had a 2-year-old daughter, killed herself on June 29 by tying a belt around her neck."
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, August 3, 2017
Seattle Mayor Ed Murray abused former foster son in the 1980s: documents
"NY Daily NewsSeattle Mayor Ed Murray sexually abused his former foster son in the 1980s, and an Oregon child welfare investigation revealed that he wasn't fit to serve as a foster parent ever again, according to documents obtained by The Seattle Times.
The documents — thought to have been destroyed — showed the Oregon Child Protective Services concluded that Murray sexually abused his former foster son, Jeff Simpson."
NY Daily News, July 17, 2017
ACS workers accused of ignoring signs that twins were forced to give oral sex to foster mom's father
"City social workers "ignored" evidence two twins endured forced oral sex in the same Brooklyn foster family where a preteen girl and her sisters also suffered years of sex abuse, new court papers claim."
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, October 26, 2016.
Mental and Physical Health of Children in Foster Care
"CONCLUSIONS: Children in foster care are a vulnerable population in poor health, partially as a result of their early life circumstances."
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org, October 2016.
Long Island Abuse Case Reveals Risks of Out-of-State Foster Care
"Mr. Gonzales-Mugaburu's arrest prompted questions about why it took so long for the alleged abuse to be revealed. But it also drew attention to the practice of sending foster children far from the communities they knew — in this case, nearly 3,000 miles — to find a home."
www.nytimes.com, September 13, 2016.
'House of horrors' foster dad racks up predatory sexual assault charges as 14-year-old victim's guardian sues agency that placed him in home
"Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spoda disclosed the new predatory sexual assault charges by a special grand jury looking at how county, state and New York City officials could have kept sending disabled foster kids to the home of Cesar Gonzales-Mugaburu after multiple complaints that he was abusing kids."
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, September 22, 2016.
Foster mom got more money from city after saying molested child was 'acting up'
"A foster mom accused of abusing a girl in her home and letting her teenage son sexually abuse the victim ended up getting more money from the city to care for her after claiming the child had "emotional problems," according to recently filed court papers."
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, September 6, 2016.
Alleged Long Island pedophile was investigated nine times since 1998 for abusing foster kids, but authorities did nothing
" The Long Island foster dad from hell was branded a molester nine times — starting nearly two decades ago — but vulnerable children kept being sent into his lair.
Suffolk County child protection officials investigated accused pedophile Cesar Gonzales-Mugaburu repeatedly in response to complaints filed by kids in his charge, according to a New York City official familiar with the cases."
www.nytimes.com, APRIL 1, 2016.
An 'Exemplary' Foster Father, a String of Suspicions and Sexual-Abuse Charges
"Over two decades, the city's child welfare agency sent 95 boys to live with Mr. Gonzales-Mugaburu, according to state records. Other child welfare agencies turned to him during that time as well. In all, 106 boys were placed with Mr. Gonzales-Mugaburu, as he became a sort of storybook hero to child welfare workers struggling to find suitable homes for troubled children.
Yet some of the boys who had been in his care tried to tell a different story to anyone who would listen — a school guidance counselor, or social workers. Anonymous tipsters called a child-abuse hotline that feeds reports into a statewide database."
www.nytimes.com, APRIL 1, 2016.
Long Island agency caught in foster care sex abuse case hit with lawsuit for overworked, unpaid workers
" Charity did not begin at home for the Long Island-based agency caught up in a foster care sex abuse case, according to a federal lawsuit.
The SCO Family of Services overworked and underpaid its 150 case workers, stiffing the group on up to 35 hours of unpaid weekly overtime, the lawsuit charges."
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, March 22, 2016.
Foster dad sentenced to 100 years for raping girl, 13, but claims that she wanted him to impregnate her with syringe
"A Nebraska man was sentenced to at least a century in prison for raping his 13-year-old foster daughter and saying that she impregnated herself with a syringe of his semen."
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, February 19, 2016.
Former U.S. Army Major, Wife Convicted of Torturing 3 Foster Kids
"A former U.S. Army major and his wife were convicted Wednesday of torturing their three foster children for years, breaking their bones, force-feeding them hot sauce, denying them water and using one of their biological kids to guard the toilet bowls so the foster children couldn't try to quench their thirst, authorities said."
www.nbcnewyork.com, July 08, 2015.
Transparency lost in reviews of FL child abuse deaths
"In fact, though, reviews of each child death, required under federal law, have become increasingly thin and decreasingly critical, making it difficult for the public and the news media to gauge DCF's performance. At the same time, several respected, highly engaged members of the statewide Death Review Committee, under the auspices of Surgeon General John Armstrong, have been purged."
Tampa Bay Times, December 20, 2014.
Bachelor Detective Takes on Case of Two Pittsburgh Boys
"Kids like 11–year–old Jessee and his 15–year–old brother Josh. Long before their date in court, Jack had been working with them. He really liked these kids and he knew the feeling was mutual. So when they just stopped showing up at the gym one day, Mook went out and found the older boy.
';And he looked terrible—bags under his eyes—12 years old,' recalled Mook.
'And he was asking me about it and then I just cried,' added Josh.
What Mook didn't know—what no one knew until that moment—was just how bad these kids had it. They were in a foster home with foster parents who Mook says were extremely abusive and neglectful....Jack has been their foster parent for almost two years now. And for this tough–guy detective, it's still quite a transition. He says the homework alone is brutal."
CBS News, September 19, 2014.
LBGTQ Kids More Likely to be Mistreated in Foster Care, Wind Up Homeless
"Abuse takes a toll on this vulnerable population when social workers look the other way or foster parents judge gender identity."
takepart.com, August 28, 2014.
Foster children become focus of California schools
"Until now, no state has attempted to identify every foster child in its public schools or to systematically track their progress, much less funnel funds toward those students or require school districts to show they are spending the money effectively.
That changed in California this month as part of a new school funding formula that will direct billions of extra dollars to districts based on how many students they have with low family incomes, learning to speak English or in foster care."
Associated Press, July 13, 2014.
Changing pot laws prompt child endangerment review
"A Colorado man loses custody of his children after getting a medical marijuana card. The daughter of a Michigan couple growing legal medicinal pot is taken by child–protection authorities after an ex–husband says their plants endangered kids. And police officers in New Jersey visit a home after a 9–year–old mentions his mother's hemp advocacy at school.
While the cases were eventually decided in favor of the parents, the incidents underscore a growing dilemma: While a pot plant in the basement may not bring criminal charges in many states, the same plant can become a piece of evidence in child custody or abuse cases."
Associated Press, June 15, 2014.
NC Health News: A Closer Look at Foster Care in the State
"A 2013 scandal involving Wanda Larson, a Union County social services employee and a 11–year–old boy who was found handcuffed to a porch with a dead chicken hanging from his neck prompted state lawmakers to study policies for employees who serve as foster parents in the system."
North Carolina Health News, May 30, 2014.
- Sickening details emerge about abuse of 11–year–old boy found cuffed with dead chicken tied to neck.
"The child's foster parents, Wanda Sue Larson and Dorian Lee Harper, both 57, were indicted on a litany of child abuse charges in North Carolina this week. The indictment revealed more details about the shocking abuse the child endured while living in the Union County home.
Daily News, December 10, 2013
Group care for foster kids: critics seek phase–out
"According to Casey Foundation figures, some states, such as Kansas, now have 5 percent or less of their foster children in group care, while others — including Colorado, Connecticut and Rhode Island — have more than 20 percent."
Associated Press, May 17, 2014.
MN Counties 'screen out' most child abuse reports
"Bill would require better tracking of child abuse cases that are screened out without investigation."
StarTribune, April 21, 2014.
We are abandoning children in foster care
"(CNN)—In 2012 in the United States, 23,439 children in foster care turned 18 and were 'emancipated' or 'aged out.' In simple terms, most of them were put out into the world on their own without housing, financial assistance or emotional support."
CNN.com, April 17, 2014.
Auditor questions state child protective services
"The state agency charged with protecting children from abuse has neglected its own policies in thousands of cases, according to a new audit, heightening concerns among child welfare advocates who fear the Department of Children and Family Services has been stretched too thin to fulfill its function."
The Advocate, April 15, 2014.
477 Child Deaths: How Florida preserved families but lost kids
"The children were not just casualties of bad parenting, but of a deliberate shift in Florida child welfare policy. DCF leaders made a decision, nearly 10 years ago, to reduce by as much as half the number of children taken into state care, adopting a philosophy known as family preservation. They also, simultaneously, slashed services, monitoring and protections for the increased number of children left with their violent, neglectful, mentally ill or drug-addicted parents.
The result: Many more children died."
Tampa Bay Times, March 16, 2014.
Innocents Lost: Preserving Families, but Losing Children
"After Florida cut down on protections for children in troubled homes, deaths soared. The children died in ways cruel, outlandish, predictable and preventable."
Series of reports from the Miami Herald regarding Florida's "broken" Foster Care System, and how its 'Family Preservation' policies harm children.
Foster Parent Adoption: What Parents Should Know
Fact sheet from the National Adoption Information Clearinghouse
Nebraska Supreme Court rules 16–year–old girl in foster care is too immature to get an abortion
The girl, who was not named in court documents, was placed in a foster home by the state and had asked the court for permission to terminate her pregnancy because Nebraska law requires written parental consent for minors seeking an abortion.
Daily News, October 09, 2013
The Girls Who Haven't Come Home
New York Times, June 06, 2013
Children, Families & Foster Care: Analysis & Recommendations
"This journal issue examines the current state of the foster care system and finds that it is really not a cohesive system but a combination of many overlapping and interacting agencies, all charged with providing services, financial support, or other assistance to children and their families. Lack of coordination among agencies, chronic underfunding, and low morale have led to a system that exacts a toll on everyone it touches."
The Future of Children (Princeton–Brookings), February 11, 2013.
Fostering Parenthood at Harvard
Harvard Crimson, December 2, 2002
DCF Aide is Found Drunk, Cops Say
The Miami Herald, July 27, 2002
Fla. Caseworker Charged in Abuse Case
The Associated Press, July 13, 2002
State Agency to Pay $5 Million to 6 Sexually Abused Children
Sun-Sentinel, May 17, 2002
Feds: Woman Trafficked Vermont Girls to NYC
ABC News, December 14, 2001
Boy May Eventually be Returned to His Family if Certain Conditions Met
The Standard-Examiner, November 27, 2001
Lost Children
Washington Post, September 2001
Attorney General: Child Abuse Reports Are Public Record
Sun-Sentinel, July 25, 2001
Strained System Often Splits Up Siblings in Foster Care
Associated Press, July 22, 2001
Foster Kids May Fare Worse After Returning Home
Reuters Health, July 3, 2001
Children Who Return Home From Foster Care: A 6-Year Prospective Study of Behavioral Health Outcomes in AdolescenceA report from PEDIATRICS, Volume 108, No. 1; July 2001
I.N.S. Both Jailer and Parent to Children Without Nation
The New York Times, June 24, 2001
- Nigerian Girl, 8, Released After Year in INS Custody in Miami
The Associated Press, August 11, 2001 - Move Afoot to Change INS Handling of Children Who Are Illegal Immigrants
The Associated Press, February 15, 2002 - Judge Allows INS to Hold Teen
Sun-Sentinel, March 8, 2002 - Kids in Captivity
The Village Voice, February 27 – March 5, 2002
Lost in the System
Sacramento Bee, June 10, 2001
Abused Foster Children Win $3.3 Million Settlement
The Associated Press, May 25, 2001
- Chicago Jury Awards $3.3 Million to Abused Foster Children
The National Law Journal, June 14, 2001
Safety Net Sought for Former Foster Kids as They Enter Adult World
Sun-Sentinel, May 24, 2001
Advocates Criticize Medicating Foster Kids
Miami Herald, April 12, 2001
- Foster Workers Can't OK Kids' Pills
Miami Herald, May 1, 2001 - Advocates Alarmed By Drugs Used For Kids
Miami Herald, May 7, 2001 - Report Decried Giving Drugs to Kids
Miami Herald, May 11, 2001 - 'Cadillac' Plan New Foster Kid Approach
Miami Herald, June 2, 2001
Placement Decisions For Children in Long–term Foster Care: Innovative Practices and Literature Review
Report from the Washington State Institute for Public Policy, February 2001 [PDF]
Foster Care Independence Act of 1999
Final version of the Bill, as passed by both Houses, as well as links to prior versions, references in the Congressional Record, and Bill Summary
Permanency Planning: Sword or Shield?
by Andrew Vachss, Adoptalk, Spring 1984
ORGANIZATIONS/AGENCIES
(click here for Articles/Information/Research)
Agencies by State
www.childwelfare.gov/nfcad
State–by–state listing of foster care agencies, from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.
Center for Healthier Children, Families, and Communities
1100 Glendon Avenue, Suite 850
Los Angeles, CA 90095-6939
Phone: (310) 794-2583
healthychild.ucla.edu
Foster Family-based Treatment Association (FFTA)
FFTA Headquarters
294 Union Street
Hackensack, NJ 07601–4303
Phone: (201) 343–2246
Toll-Free: (800) 414–3382
E-mail: ffta@ffta.org
The Foster Family–based Treatment Association (FFTA) was established in 1988 to develop, promote, and support Treatment Foster Care (TFC). Since that time, FFTA has grown to become the only national, non–profit association that represents treatment foster care programs across North America. FFTA's more than 400 member agencies are located in nearly every U.S. state and Canadian province and provide treatment foster care services to over 50,000 children and youth each year and a larger array of child welfare and mental health services to over 600,000 children and youth.
FFTA
Kinship Care
Child Welfare League of America
440 First Street, N.W., 3rd Floor
Washington, DC 20001-2085
Phone: (202) 638-2952
www.cwla.org/programs/kinship/
National Abandoned Infants Assistance Resource Center
School of Social Welfare, UC Berkeley
1950 Addison Street, Suite 104
Berkeley, CA 94704-1182
Phone: (510) 643-8390
Education and legislative information re "boarder babies," infants prenatally exposed to alcohol, drugs, or HIV, then abandoned in hospitals.
http://cssr.berkeley.edu/ucb_childwelfare/TopicDefault.aspx
National Foster Parent Association
7512 Stanich Ave. #6
Gig Harbor, WA 98335
Phone: (253) 853-4000
Toll-free: 1-800-557-5238
www.nfpainc.org
