Category: Child Protection and Advocacy

Turnover among New Mexico’s child protective services workers outstrips the national average and is more than double the level considered optimal. Some kids in the custody of the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department are sleeping at agency offices — sometimes for weeks — because of a lack of other options. Advocates are raising concerns CYFD workers looking for signs of willful child neglect are penalizing families for poverty — and in the process taking up bandwidth badly needed for children suffering true abuse and neglect.

Read More

Read More

Read More

World Vision Financial Accountability 8% Fundraising + 3% Management 89% Programs In 2023, 89% of World Vision’s total operating expenses were used for programs that benefit children, families, and communities in need. Learn More  every single penny counts we’re an open book we maximize your impact

Read More

Read More

Read More

Tuesday, May 28, 2024TOPICS: Faculty and Staff, Politics and Law Share This Post SAN DIEGO (May 28, 2024) – University of San Diego (USD) School of Law Children’s Advocacy Institute’s (CAI) Amy Harfeld, National Policy Advocate and Senior Staff Attorney, was quoted by The New York Times in a story entitled, “Foster Children Fight to Stop States From Taking Federal Benefits.” According to the article, the longstanding practice of using a child’s federal survivor and disability benefits to defray the cost of foster care is under scrutiny in Congress and…

Read More

When four children entered the foster care system over 20 years ago, questions arose about what would happen to them. They needed appropriate caretakers. So Julie Jones, then working with Child Protective Services (CPS), broke through barriers in order to fight for the family. “I was bound and determined to keep them together,” Jones said. With time and effort, Jones was able to see the siblings adopted together. “That case probably had the most impact on me because I had to stand up and be their advocate more than I…

Read More

Tuesday, May 21, 2024TOPICS: Politics and Law Share This Post Amy Harfeld, National Policy Director at Children’s Advocacy Institute SAN DIEGO (May 17, 2024) – University of San Diego (USD) School of Law Children’s Advocacy Institute’s (CAI) Amy Harfeld, National Policy Advocate and Senior Staff Attorney, was quoted by ABC News in a story entitled, “For decades, states have taken foster children’s benefits. That’s starting to change.” According to the article, states have for decades been using foster children’s federal Social Security benefits to help cover the costs of state…

Read More

Currently, if a child protection caseworker in Colorado gets caught falsifying records or lying about checking on children in one county, that person can still get a job in another county. Colorado law also says without a criminal case, a new employer does not have to be informed about that individual’s past behavior. The Colorado Sun reporter Jennifer Brown joined KUNC’s Michael Lyle, Jr. to share more about her story and why this gap in the system has stirred controversy amongst some childcare advocates. “What’s happening is there’s been a…

Read More