cr works 9.18.12 single pages final

7/29/2019 CR Works 9.18.12 Single Pages FINAL

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ChidrnsRighsWorks


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In short, far too many kids leave child welfare systems worse off than when they entered.

Amricas fosr chidrn dsrv br. So Chidrns

Righs comps fosr car sysms o do br.

Childrens Rights Works for Americas abused and neglected kids.

All children deserve permanent, safe homes. But far too many of the 650,000

children who spend time in U.S. foster care every year live in unstable, lonely and

even dangerous conditions.

Kids in foster care frequently suffer from abuse and neglect.

to meet the federal standards

for keeping them safe.failAt leASt

25 states

Young people who age out of foster care often brave adulthoodwithout the support or life skills necessary for a productive future.

At leASt 31 eRCet e eleSS R CC SR.

Some nd that healthcare or even a basic education can be nearly impossible to obtain.

l 30.7 eRCet get high school diplomas andjSt 2.5 eRCet graduate from four-year colleges.

Thousandsshunted from home to home.spend their entire childhoods being

A startling number live in restrictive institutions.

Even infants are placed in

eRCRwe

SelteRS.


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th ransformaion of our faiing chid far sysms

is on of h mos imporan socia usic movmnsof our im.

w gh o proc and

dfnd h righs ofchidrn such as:

th 14-yar-od boy growing up in state care who was moved between23 placements in 11 years, and desperately wanted to live in a permanent, loving home.

th 5-yar-od boy who tried to jump out of a moving car so he couldgo to God after being shufed between nine placements in a year.

th baby gir who suffered a fractured skull when she was physically abusedin a foster home, then experienced life-threatening dehydration and seizures when she

was neglected in a group home all before she was a year old.

What these children have endured is a mere sampling of the travesties kids experiencein foster care.


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Sinc 1995, ClReSRtS has usd h por

of h cours o dfnd

h civi righs of chidrnin fosr car, x aiing

chid far sysms and

hp housands of chidrn

safy runi ih hir

famiis or oin ovingadopiv homs.


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rs ho:

w am up ih oca chid advocas to thoroughlyinvestigate state, local and regional foster care systems that are causing physical

and psychological harm to the children they are mandated to protect.

w buid airigh cass that expose pervasive failures, help developlong-term solutions, then negotiate court-enforceable plans that ultimately

transform the way child welfare agencies treat kids.

Once reform strategies are in place, monior sas progrssuntil the children in their care are safe and supported and have a chance at happy,

healthy futures.

w hav producd ra, visib improvmnsto benet children in more than a dozen foster care systems throughout the

country. The life-changing results of some of our most recent reform campaignsdemonstrate that Childrens Rights Works.


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th diffrnc Chidrns Righs maks in chid

far sysms is masurab and maningfu.

Bcaus of our advocacy:

iauk casorkrs

ar rsponsib for far

fr chidrn

Chidrn in jrsy

fosr car rciv mor

comprhnsiv mdica car

ChidrnsRighsWorks

Average number of children on a workers caseload Percent of children who received medicalexaminations within 60 days of entering foster care

1993 2011 20112008


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osr chidrn in Aana

visi ih hir parns

mor frquny

Conncicu no

invsigas a rpors of

chid abus and ngc

Percent of child abuse and neglect reports investigated Approximate percent of foster children, with goalsto rejoin their families, who visited regularly withtheir parents

1990s 2005-Present 2007 2011


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w Kp Kids SafSadly, too many children suffer abuse and neglect at the hands of their own

parents. We expect our child welfare systems to intervene and ensure these kids

grow up in loving, stable homes. While some children live with excellent fosterparents, others nd themselves in even more danger. Childrens Rights reforms

strengthen the child welfare safety net, lead to dramatic drops in abuse of kids in

foster care, and improve investigations when abuse is alleged.

My old home was torture. My brothers

and I were starved. We didnt know i we

were even going to survive in that house.

Our new home is the total opposite.

We dont go hungry. My mom and

dad are loving and caring, and

teach me everything I needto know in lie.

TreShawnParrish,NewJersey

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In the 1990s, roughly 60 percent of abuse and neglect reports in Connecticut

went uninvestigated due to staff shortages. Since 2005, 100 percent of reports have

been investigated.

In 2000, foster homes were so scarce in NewJersey that children spent days livingin child welfare ofces. The state even made some kids live in foster homes where

other children had been abused. In 2012, New Jersey had the capacity to serve more

than twice the number of kids in foster care, and children could be placed in homes

that best t their individual needs.

Michigan had 83 county-based abuse hotlines, making it difcult for the child

welfare system to protect children consistently across the state. In 2012, Michigan

implemented a single centralized hotline to receive reports of child abuse and neglect.

InMilwaukee, the rate at which children were abused and neglected in foster care

was reduced more than tenfold between 2000 and 2011. Allegations of abuse and

neglect that used to sit for months are now referred and investigated within days.

In 2002 and 2003, metropolitan Atlanta closed a pair of dangerous emergency

shelters where children were held for months and even years at a time, and were

beaten, raped, sexually exploited and exposed to gang activity.


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w mprov lif in osr CarFor so many children, life is a blur of shelters, institutions and unfamiliar homes.

Childrens Rights represents some kids who have bounced between 15 placements

or more. Because of us, youth move less and spend less time in foster care. And

we make their lives better in other wayslike helping to ensure they have higher-

quality healthcare, and are moved from institutions that cant meet their needs to

homes that can.

I lived in about 20places rom age 9 to 18.

I cant remember a time

when I elt loved and

welcomed, like I was home.

EmaleeWooton,Texas

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In 2000, one in ve children in Tennessee foster caremore than 2,000 in all

were living in large, orphanage-like institutions. In 2011, only about 330 youth

were living in group facilities, and 92 percent of kids in foster care were living in

family settings.

Childrens Rights work on behalf of metropolitan Atlanta children resulted in

an unprecedented decision establishing childrens constitutional right to effective

legal representation throughout their time in foster care. Attorneys who once were

burdened with caseloads of about 500 kids now represent fewer than 70 children.

In 2000, children in NewJersey foster care received little medical care and were

falling behind in their immunizations. In 2011, 96 percent of kids in state care were

current with their immunizations, and between 2008 and 2011 the percent of kids

who received medical examinations within 60 days of entering foster care jumped

from 27 percent to 97 percent.

Milwaukeeused temporary emergency shelters as homes for kids in foster care.

In 2003, the system put an end to the use of shelters for all children, and moved kids

to foster homes, back with their birth families or to more appropriate facilities.

For decades, Washington,D.C. struggled to secure timely medical examinations

for children in foster care. The system has since established a health clinic, and kids

received timely access to quality healthcare services in 99 percent of 2011 cases.


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Children inMilwaukee are being adopted more quickly. The city nearly doubled the

percentage of adoptions nalized within two years of a child coming into foster care,from just 14 percent in 2003 to 32 percent in 2011.

Children inConnecticut are also being adopted at a faster rate. The state tripled

the percentage of kids who had their adoptions nalized within two years, from only

11.1 percent in 1999 to 33.6 percent in 2011.

In 2006, Childrens Rights helped overturn aMissouri law that sought to strip

nancial aid from parents who adopted young people from foster care.

w ak Sur Chidrn avrmann, loving omsKids need loving familiesand Childrens Rights helps to ensure more children

have them. We encourage safe and prompt reunication with biological parents,

placement with family members whenever possible, or adoption when its in

the best interest of children. Our reform campaigns cause more kids to have

permanent homes, at a quicker rate.

ChidrnsRighsWorks


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I became a Winnerbecause o Childrens Rights.

They kept my sister Deanna

and me rom going back to the

horrible place where we lived

when we were little, and they

helped us both get adopted by

a really great mom and dad.

AlyssaWinner,NewJersey

MetropolitanAtlanta frequently failed to arrange visits between foster children

and their parents, making it difcult for them to safely reunite. In 2007, only about

25 percent of kids with goals of moving back with their families visited regularly with

their parents. This number increased to approximately 86 percent by 2011.

More children are being adopted in Tennessee. In 2000, only 431 children were

adopted. The number jumped to 1,225 in 2007, and has stayed above 750 every year since.


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NewJersey slashed the number of children sent out of state for mental and

behavioral health treatment by more than 95 percent, ensuring kids stay closer to theirhomes and communities. More than 300 children were out of state for such treatment

in 2006, compared to just six in 2011.

In 2004, 43 percent of children in Connecticut state custody were separated from

brothers and sisters. In 2011, 92 percent of children were placed in the same homes as

their siblings.

In 1998, more than one-third of children in Tennessee foster care were placed

outside their home counties, often hundreds of miles away. In 2010, 89 percent of

children were placed within 75 miles of their homes.

w p Kids Say Cos othir amiis and CommuniisBeing in foster care can be traumatic, especially when kids are ripped from

everything they knowseparated from their brothers and sisters, moved far from

their homes and schools. Childrens Rights helps kids stay connected. Our reforms

lead to more siblings living together in foster care, increased visits between siblings,

kids being placed closer to home and more children living with relatives.

ChidrnsRighsWorks


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In 2005, metropolitan Atlanta regularly failed to seek relatives to care for foster

children. But in 2011, workers diligently searched for relatives for approximately

95 percent of children.

More siblings are being placed together in Tennessee foster homes. In 2002, less

than 35 percent of sibling groups were living together while in state custody, compared

to 81 percent in 2011.

The only thing that bothersme is the eeling o not having

a amily and being alone.

In the earlier years when my

brothers and I were separated,

it was hard not knowing what

was going on or where they were.

DavidOliva,Texas


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w Suppor Chid wfar workrsPeople who work in the child welfare eld have a passion for helping kids, but are often

overwhelmed by unmanageable caseloads, antiquated tracking systems and poor training.

Those charged with protecting kids need the tools and support to make decisions that

carry serious consequences for young people. By bringing improvements like robust

training programs, lower caseloads and better computer systems, Childrens Rights reform

campaigns give workers the support they need to keep kids safe.

My case manager really cares about me.

As a case manager you have to have that

passion in your heart. I am sure a lot o

them do, but they get so overwhelmed

with all their dierent cases, that

it is rare to fnd one like mine.

MiaCalvo,Georgia

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InConnecticut, caseloads were high in the early 1990s, sometimes exceeding

60 children per worker. In 2011, 100 percent of the states frontline caseworkers

carried caseloads at or below the mandated 15-20 case standard.

Caseloads dramatically decreased in Washington,D.C. In 1989, some workers

were assigned to more than 250 children. In 2011, the average caseworker was

responsible for no more than 18 children.

In 1999,NewJerseyhad failed to adequately train new caseworkers before

assigning them to complex cases. Training manuals were not even readily available.

Around 2005, the state created a Child Welfare Training Academy to ensure staff are

taught the skills needed to protect children.

For years,Michigan struggled to deliver ongoing training to keep employees current

on best social work practices and skills. In 2011, Michigan, in partnership with the

states schools of social work, began implementing a course-based child welfare

training program to better prepare workers to keep kids safe.

Caseloads in Milwaukee averaged 100 children per caseworker in 1993. In 2011,

the average caseload was 15.7 children.


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Chidrns Righs has

provn ha faiing

chid far sysms

can b ransformd.And so can h ivs of h kids in hir car.

Childrens Rights talented attorneys and staff have built a reputation for being skilled

strategists, tenacious advocates and, most of all, effective reformers when it comes to

improving foster care.

We have won 15 out of the 17 cases we have undertaken, and secured court orders

to mandate top-to-bottom reform of foster care systems in Connecticut, Michigan,

Mississippi, New Mexico, New Jersey, Tennessee, metropolitan Atlanta, Milwaukee and

Washington, D.C.

Most recently, we won a major victory in Oklahomaa state that repeatedly has

ranked amongst the worst in the nation for its rate of abuse of children in foster care.

Oklahomas 8,000 foster youth now have the promise of court-ordered reform. Theynally will be given the protection they need and deservejust like other kids we have

fought for in states throughout the country.


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Childrens Rights is committed to transforming child welfare throughout the U.S.

A Tennessean editorial, written a decade after we settled our lawsuit with the state,

may best sum up our work:

All children can be vulnerable, but children

in oster care are among the most vulnerable.

Since they have no voice o their own, they

must rely on advocates and the governmentto look out or their interests and welare. In

the wake o the lawsuit, the state o Tennessee

stepped up to its obligations and went to bat

or these children who now have a much better

shot at leading happier and more successullives as contributing members o society.

Weve made tremendous headway, but foster children across the country still need

help. And with your support, we can show kids in foster care that they deserve to be

safe and live in stable, loving homes. Together, we can ensure they have nothing less.

wih your hp, Chidrns Righs i coninu o

ork for Amricas abusd and ngcd kids.


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CtACt ClReS RtSor mor informaion:

Childrens Rights

330 Seventh AvenueNew York, NY 10001

212.683.2210

.chidrnsrighs.org

Like Childrens Rights on acbook

Follow us on Twitter @ChidrnsRighs

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