What's New

News, Notes, and Current Items of Interest From NJ ARCH

Our "What's New" Page is a great place to find out about adoption related news for both NJ ARCH and the greater adoption community. Please check in on our What's New Page often, as it will be continually updated.
To jump to a specific entry, simply click on one of the links.

The following are listed in cooperation with the Child Welfare Information Gateway:

http://www.childwelfare.gov/

05/15/2013
NJ: Newark baby who died in bathtub was a foster child, state official says

05/13/2013
NY: Helping kids find homes

04/03/2013
United Arab Emirates: Emiratis can be foster parents now

04/03/2013
Ukraine: Pavlenko to check in US compliance with rights of adopted children from Ukraine

04/03/2013
Australia: Child abuse victims to have free legal advice for Royal Commission

04/03/2013
Russia: Putin Wants to Stop Foreign Gay Couples From Adopting Russian Children

04/02/2013
US: Foreign adoption comes with obstacles, but parents advised to 'stay the course' (Requires registration)

04/02/2013
US: Sexual abuse, neglect predicted teen pregnancy

04/02/2013
US: When stars adopt, the world notices

04/02/2013
Guatemala: Executive Director welcomes steps towards greater focus on child protection systems

04/02/2013
Canada: Canadian Human Rights Tribunal Finally Hears Aboriginal Child Welfare Case

04/02/2013
Africa: Effects of Orphanages in Sub-Saharan Africa

04/01/2013
US: Sexual Trauma: One Legacy of the Boarding School Era

04/01/2013
US: Foster care and adoption myths answered by Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption (Photos)

04/01/2013
US: Presidential Proclamation -- National Child Abuse Prevention Month, 2013

04/01/2013
Uganda: Number of abandoned children increasing

04/01/2013
Canada: Native Children Ask for Equal Rights in 'Letters to Canada' Video

03/29/2013
PA: & UT: Utah Supreme Court weighs Pennsylvanian's adoption fight

03/29/2013
US: Lawmaker introduces 'Kilah Davenport Child Protection Act'

04/01/2013
April Is National Child Abuse Prevention Month

03/25/2013
NET CETERA Chatting with Kids About Being Online

03/25/2013
CT: 10 Children Living In Limbo As Judge Fails To Act, DCF Alleges

03/25/2013
RI: Bill would teach kids how to prevent abuse

03/25/2013
US: Birth rate among sexually abused, neglected teens is 5 times higher than national average, says study

03/25/2013
France: France protests gay marriage law and child adoption

03/25/2013
India: Child units a must at police stations

03/25/2013
United Kingdom: New Hope of Better Outcomes for Children in Care

03/25/2013
NY: The McMahon/Ryan Child Advocacy Center has a new leader

03/25/2013
PA: Mensch Supports Protection for Child Abuse Whistleblowers

03/25/2013
US: Connecting dots on child abuse to save lives

03/25/2013
US: Mountain View Mom Awarded for Adoption Search on Spokeo

03/25/2013
US: Study suggests new risk factor for autism

03/25/2013
China: Is Adoption from China Ending?

03/25/2013
Russia: Moscow to create database of Russian children with foreign families - Lavrov

03/22/2013
NY: Oswego County Judge accused of placing infant in dangerous home with sex offender

03/22/2013
US: Children Of Gay Parents Support Same-Sex Marriage

03/22/2013
US: House Makes Case for Improving Foster Care and Adoption

03/22/2013
US: The collateral consequences of mass deportation

03/22/2013
US: The Foster Care System: What Parents Wish We Knew

03/22/2013
Canada: Government of Canada Announces Enhanced Adoption Tax Credit

03/22/2013
Russia: Russia, U.S. to hold consultations on destiny of adopted children soon - Russian Education Ministry

03/22/2013
Netherlands: Turkey, Dutch leaders spar over boy's foster case

03/21/2013
US: Pediatricians' group comes out in support of gay marriage and adoptions by homosexual single parents

03/21/2013
Australia: Australian PM apologizes for forced adoptions

03/21/2013
Northern Ireland: NSPCC helpline calls up 58% in Northern Ireland

03/21/2013
Russia: Russia seeks Interpol investigation of deaths in adoptive US families

03/20/2013
NJ: Family says NJ overreacted to boy's gun photo

03/20/2013
US: Meth-Addicted Moms Have Babies With Odd Stress Response

03/19/2013
United Kingdom: Child protection in Northamptonshire is 'inadequate'

03/19/2013
Russia: Fury over adoptive boy's death in US

03/19/2013
Vatican City: Pope Francis supports zero tolerance of child abuse

03/18/2013
PA: Bills would overhaul Pa.'s child-abuse reporting system

03/18/2013
United Kingdom: Youth justice system fails children in care, says the Commons Justice Committee

03/18/2013
Europe: States should pursue child sex offenders for acts committed abroad, says PACE committee

03/18/201
Australia: Australian Jews debate media role in abuse cases

03/18/2013
Vatican City: Pope Francis was often quiet on Argentine sex abuse cases as archbishop

03/18/2013
US: Family law attorneys lobby for improvements to adoption process

03/18/2013
India: Protesters lift lid on child abuse in India

03/18/2013
Bahamas: Child Abuse On The Rise With 'Many Cases Unreported'

03/18/2013
Europe: PACE parliamentary network in Berlin compares national strategies on child sex abuse

03/18/2013
Netherlands: MPs call for more Muslims to 'take responsibility' as foster parents

03/15/2013
US: Child abuse linked to asthma in black women

03/15/2013
US: Negative public images hamper child welfare investigators

03/15/2013
US: Russia's adoption ban costs families their tax credit

03/15/2013
Singapore: Govt to improve adoption process

03/15/2013
Portugal: Hundreds of children abandoned during first half of 2012

03/13/2013
US: How small bruises lead to big ones in child-abuse cases

03/13/2013
Uganda: A meet on illegal child adoptions

03/13/2013
United Kingdom: Majority of British children will soon be living in poverty, report warns

03/13/2013
United Kingdom: More 'very high profile' celebrities set to be arrested over child sex allegations within next few weeks

03/13/2013
United Kingdom: Warning over 'needless criminalization' of children in care

03/13/2013
United Kingdom: Armed forces personnel exempt from Government's 'bedroom tax'

03/13/2013
United Kingdom: Report shows sexually abused children aren't believed

03/13/2013
Australia: Union backs NSW child protection move

03/13/2013
New Zealand: More than 200 people marched through Kaitaia calling for an end to child abuse

03/12/2013
NJ: Woman relives painful past after child she gave up for adoption reaches out

03/12/2013
PA: Group: Pennsylvania underreports child abuse

03/12/2013
PA: Montgomery County leads the way in better foster care

03/12/2013
US: Gwen Moore re-introduces legislation to provide legal support to parents, guardians, for child welfare cases

03/12/2013
Ireland: Ireland has largest number of children in the expanded European Union

03/12/2013
United Kingdom: Catastrophic neglect behind child deaths often overlooked

03/11/2013
NY: County looking for Spanish-speaking foster parents

03/11/2013
NY: Women religious open doors for mothers released from prison

03/11/2013
PA: At Penn State, Academics Drive Effort to Hire Child-Abuse Experts

03/11/2013
India: UNICEF praises Rajasthan Govt. efforts for child welfare

03/07/2013
US: Website shows foster kids their wishes are worthwhile

03/07/2013
Australia: Child Protection Inquiry chief accuses child protection officers of 'over-reacting' and seeks review of children in care

03/07/2013
Australia: Welfare Critical problem: Investigators target worst cases of child abuse

03/07/2013
India: A fight to save baby girls in India

03/07/2013
Russia: 33 Russian kids' adoption still in limbo after US ban

03/07/2013
NY: State may ease statute of limitations for decades-old child sex abuse claims

03/06/2013
CT: & MI: Surrogate Gives Birth Despite Adoptive Family's Wishes

03/06/2013
US: Old Triumph Over Young In Federal Spending, And Sequester Makes It Worse

03/06/2013
United Kingdom: Adoption reforms must slow down and give more support to parents, say peers

03/06/2013
Canada: Report highlights flaws in Newfoundland's child welfare system

03/06/2013
Australia: Vic mums gain right to know adoptees

03/06/2013
Saudi Arabia: Database helps Saudi Arabia tackle child abuse

03/04/2013
PA: Lancaster County couples find innovative ways to cover adoption costs

03/04/2013
US: Craigslist ad: 'Looking to adopt your baby'

03/04/2013
US: Supreme Court's upcoming child-custody decision: The Baby Veronica case

03/04/2013
Australia: At-risk kids in career crisis as Department for Child Protection struggles to find accommodation

03/04/2013
Russia: Lavrov Praises Kerry's Vow to Probe Russian Adoptees' Deaths

03/01/2013
PA: New center for child abuse treatment to open this spring in Juniata Park

03/01/2013
Canada: Change is coming on aboriginal child welfare, author says

03/01/2013
India: Child abuse in orphanages on rise in India

03/01/2013
Russia: Adoption made easier for Russian citizens

03/01/2013
Russia: The First Victim Of Moscow's Adoption Ban? Disabled Russian Orphans

03/01/2013
United Kingdom: Adoptive families headed by same-sex couples are as likely to thrive as those adopted by heterosexuals

03/01/2013
United Kingdom: Shock toll of child-on-child abuse

03/01/2013
NJ: Paterson building would be home to grandparents and former foster kids

03/01/2013
PA: Advocates: Pa. child abuse system needs reforms

03/01/2013
US: Documentary explores decline in international adoptions

05/15/2013
NJ: Newark baby who died in bathtub was a foster child, state official says

The Star-Ledger - May 15, 2013
Circumstances surrounding the death of Kaniiyah Ealey remain unclear but state Department of Children and Families Commissioner Allison Blake said the agency was "working closely with law enforcement to investigate an allegation of neglect regarding supervision of this child in the bathtub."
http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/05/newark_baby_left_to_die_in_bat.html

05/13/2013
NY: Helping kids find homes

New York Press - May 15, 2013
The Children's Museum of the Arts downtown recently played host to several kids in the foster care system, and Heart Gallery, a non-profit organization that pairs professional photographers with kids and takes their pictures. From there, Heart Gallery, which has over 100 chapters all over the country, displays giant-sized photos of the kids at galleries or in public spaces like Penn Station.
http://nypress.com/helping-kids-find-homes/

05/15/2013
US: Foster families or orphanages: What do alumni say?

The Chronicle of Social Change - May 15, 2013
Alumni who have lived in both orphanage and foster placement seem to favor orphanages over the alternatives.
https://chronicleofsocialchange.org/analysis/2013/05/15/foster-families-or-orphanages-what-do-alumni-say/

05/15/2013
Australia: Police need more power in child welfare cases, Northern Territory coroner says

The Australian - May 15, 2013
NT Coroner Greg Cavanagh on Wednesday released his findings into the deaths of Michael Chisholm, Aaliyaha Webb and Julian Chisholm. Since the deaths, steps had been taken to improve police processes.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/police-need-more-power-in-child-welfare-cases-northern-territory-coroner-says/story-e6frg6nf-1226643069793

05/15/2013
Australia: Giles defends call for Aboriginal child adoptions

ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) - May 16, 2013
Chief Minister Adam Giles has hit back at critics of his view that adoption could be the right solution for neglected Aboriginal children in the Northern Territory.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-16/giles-defends-adoptions-of-neglected-aboriginal-children/4693462?section=nt

05/15/2013
Canada: Foster kids are rising stars

Mississauga.com - May 15, 2013
Ontario's inaugural Child and Youth in Care Day falls officially on May 14. The province-wide initiative was prompted by a series of hearings that took place at Queen's Park last year where Ontario youth in care gave recommendations to the government on what can be done to improve support for them.
http://www.mississauga.com/news/article/1617410--foster-kids-are-rising-stars

05/15/2013
Kenya: Orphans get Sh43.9 million

allAfrica.com - May 15, 2013
"The big challenge is that the programme cannot effectively serve all the deserving cases because the numbers of orphans continues to rise in the district due to high death rate, which is related to HIV/AIDS pandemic," said Area District Children Officer Joseph Otieno.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201305160567.html

05/15/2013
Christie Administration Launches NJ Hopeline Call Center
New Jersey’s First Suicide Hotline Call Center Operated at UMDNJ

PISCATAWAY – New Jersey Department of Human Services Commissioner (DHS) Jennifer Velez today toured the state’s first suicide hotline call center, which launched on May 1. The NJ Hopeline is operated by University Behavioral HealthCare (UBHC) at the University of Medicine and Dentistry, using only New Jersey-based volunteer counselors. According to the Centers for Disease Control’s latest data, New Jersey has the second lowest suicide rate in the nation. However, the rate for adults age 35 to 64 spiked 31 percent from 1999 to 2010. It is also anticipated that stress related to property damage and loss from Superstorm Sandy could have a severe, long-term emotional impact on some residents. “It’s important for residents who are feeling alone, desperate or in distress to have a safe outlet, someone who they can connect with and who can provide professional counsel,” Commissioner Velez said. “Using trained counselors who are based in New Jersey helps callers to relate easier, and can help lead to fewer suicides.” DHS awarded the $648,981 contract in March after a competitive bidding process. Under the contract, people who call the hotline will get a live, trained professional or volunteer and will never have their calls answered by or routed to an automated system. Beginning July 1, UBHC/UMDNJ will become a part of Rutgers University.
The hotline – NJHOPELINE (855-654-6735) – will operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and will serve as a backup to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline network during times of excess call volume or after the Lifeline Crisis Centers’ operating hours.
Suicide ranks as a leading cause of death for young people ages 10 to 24 – third to accidents and homicides. Research has shown that most adolescent suicides occur in the afternoon or early evening and in the teen's home. The suicide rate increase in New Jersey among adults and minors was comparable to the national upturn of 28 percent over the same time period. “The rate of suicides in the United States is rapidly escalating. It has risen by more than 30 percent in the past 10 years. The State of New Jersey is taking definitive action to help reduce the rate of suicides by funding the New Jersey Hopeline, the first, statewide suicide prevention hotline,” said Christopher Kosseff, vice president and chief executive officer for UBHC’s mental health services. “University Behavioral HealthCare is honored to have been selected to run this important suicide intervention.”
Find us on Facebook@ www.Facebook.com/NJDHS

05/15/2013
Dr. Jane Aronson Discusses Her New Book On Adoption

CBS 2's Cindy Hsu sits down with the founder of the Worldwide Orphans Foundation this Mother’s Day on her new book “Carried in our Hearts”.
Click here to view: http://newyork.cbslocal.com/video/8870101-dr-jane-aronson-discusses-her-new-book-on-adoption/#.UZPJZcqtfmM.email

05/14/2013
NY: Filling Up an Empty Nest

New York Times - May 14, 2013
Some brave older adults are turning the idea of retirement on its head by choosing to adopt children - this when many of their peers are traveling, socializing, taking up intellectual or entrepreneurial pursuits, or just plain relaxing.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/15/business/retirementspecial/some-older-adults-are-adopting-children.html?pagewanted=all

05/14/2013
PA: Misdemeanor charge filed against two Sullivan County Children & Youth Services employees

Daily Review - May 14, 2013
Misdemeanor charges were filed Monday against the director of Sullivan County Children & Youth Services and a caseworker for failing to report to a law enforcement agency a suspected incident of child abuse, police said.
http://thedailyreview.com/news/misdemeanor-charge-filed-against-two-sullivan-county-children-youth-services-employees-1.1488666

05/14/2013
US: Most Sex Offenders Against Children Are Family Members

Psychology Today - May 14, 2013
Unfortunately, the media's lack of attention to those typical sex offenses against children often perpetuates the myth that "Don't talk to strangers" as the preventive method to keep children safe.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-justice-and-responsibility-league/201305/most-sex-offenders-against-children-are-family-mem

05/14/2013
United Kingdom: Child sexual abuse civil court orders criticized

BBC News - May 14, 2013
Civil court orders designed to prevent sex offenders targeting children after they are released from prison are "not fit for purpose", a report has found.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22519566

05/14/2013
Russia: Families in the midst of adopting Russian orphans urge officials to release children

Washington Post - May 14, 2013
A group of American families who were in the final stages of adopting children from Russia when that country banned adoptions by Americans recently came to Washington on Tuesday, offering new proposals to address Russian lawmakers' concerns.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/families-in-the-midst-of-adopting-russian-orphans-urge-officials-to-release-children/2013/05/14/46ad2a42-bca4-11e2-97d4-a479289a31f9_story.html

05/14/2013
NJ: Paramus' Childrens Aid & Family Services Adds Medical Facility

Paramus Patch - May 14, 2013
The facility will provide onsite medical screenings, triage and treatment. The center will also work as a liaison to all those involved including the children's medical care, foster care and those involved in planning for the children's futures.
http://paramus.patch.com/articles/childrens-aid-family-services-add-medical-care

05/14/2013
NY: Mothers to do jail time at home under new program

CBS News - May 11, 2013
The team behind a promising alternative-to-incarceration program for women in Brooklyn, N.Y., is launching a new initiative to coincide with Mother's Day that will allow convicted mothers to carry out their sentences in their own homes.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57583983/mothers-to-do-jail-time-at-home-under-new-program/

05/14/2013
PA: Four school districts to participate in the Stewards of Children program to train staff on abuse

Centre Daily Times - May 12, 2013
The Bald Eagle Area, Bellefonte, Philipsburg-Osceola and Moshannon Valley school districts will have their employees at all levels take the 21/2-hour course, Long said.
http://www.centredaily.com/2013/05/12/3614127/four-school-districts-to-take.html

05/14/2013
US: At rally, immigrants focus on deportation's impact on families

Boston Globe - May 12, 2013
Conrado Santos, a Student Immigrant Movement member, said the possibility of new immigration laws offers mixed hopes for those in the country illegally.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/05/11/immigrants-call-for-new-laws-honor-mother-day/E0tDvt4pY2NLbNVPkTD2WK/story.html

05/14/2013
US: Law aimed at helping N. Korean orphans

WDSU - May 13, 2013
In January, President Obama signed into law a measure designed to help these children. The North Korean Child Welfare Act of 2012 calls for the U.S. State Department to advocate for the "best interests" of North Korean children.
http://www.wdsu.com/news/national/U-S-law-aimed-at-helping-N-Korean-orphans/-/9853500/20132480/-/mauqqv/-/index.html

05/14/2013
Czech Republic: More abandoned children admitted to families now

Prague Daily Monitor - May 14, 2013
More and more abandoned children end up in families instead of in institutional care as a result of one of few successful government social reforms, daily Hospodarske noviny (HN) writes Monday.
http://praguemonitor.com/2013/05/14/hn-more-abandoned-children-admitted-families-now

05/14/2013
Canada: More children supported at home than placed in care

Winnipeg Free Press - May 14, 2013
A chart presented at the inquiry showed 9,730 kids in care on March 31, 2012. On the same day, the child-welfare system was providing services to 6,256 families with 11,522 children at home. The number of those cases is growing faster than the number of children taken into care, said Loeppky.
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/more-children-supported-at-home-than-placed-in-care-207330761.html

05/14/2013
Canada: Social problems at root of foster care in the North

CBC - May 13, 2013
The latest census data shows aboriginal children are over-represented in the foster care system and it's even higher in the North.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/story/2013/05/13/north-foster-children-higher.html

05/14/2013
Singapore: Adoption in Singapore: It may cost up to $28000 for a baby

The Straits Times - May 14, 2013
There are now fewer than five adoption agencies with a steady stream of business, down from about a dozen a decade ago, adoption agents say. And given a shrinking number of Indonesian and Malaysian babies available for adoption, fees have spiked.
http://yourhealth.asiaone.com/content/adoption-singapore-it-may-cost-28000-baby

05/14/2013
Australia: Indigenous adoption push prompts Stolen Generation fears

ABC News (Australia) - May 14, 2013
Some Aboriginal advocates say they are "absolutely horrified" by a Northern Territory Government proposal to put Aboriginal children up for adoption if they are victims of extreme neglect.
http://au.news.yahoo.com/latest/a/-/article/17139731/indigenous-adoption-push-comes-under-fire/

05/13/2013
US: Bed Sharing Safely: Not All Co-Sleeping is Created Equal

Public News Service - May 13, 2013
When it comes to the potential risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome from a mother sharing her bed with her baby, there is a push to change the message from "just don't do it" to "here is how it's done most safely."
http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/32438-1

05/13/2013
India: Kusumben: The story of Ahmedabad's very own Mother India

Daily Bhaskar - May 12, 2013
Long before former Miss Universe Sushmita Sen became the unofficial ambassador for single women adopting children and even before the society had warmed up to the idea, a Botany lecturer defied convention and adopted not one but two children.
http://daily.bhaskar.com/article/GUJ-AHD-kusumben-ahmedabads-very-own-mother-india-4261435-NOR.html

05/13/2013
India: Child abuse cases: Govt lays down guidelines

Hindustan Times - May 12, 2013
"Newly-implemented Protection of Children from sexual offences (POCSO) Act clearly states that the CWC must take care of every requirement of children. Some members were not aware of it and thus we have issued new guidelines," a senior Delhi government official said.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/Child-abuse-cases-Govt-lays-down-guidelines/Article1-1058894.aspx

05/132013
Serbia: Dacic: Serbia should stand by its citizens abroad

Tanjug - May 13, 2013
Serbia's Prime Minister Ivica Dacic said while visiting the Serb family Nastic in San Francisco, whose children were temporarily taken away by the U.S. Child Protective Services back in 2010, that Serbia should stand firmly by its citizens whenever they have problems abroad.
http://www.tanjug.rs/news/86720/dacic--serbia-should-stand-by-its-citizens-abroad.htm

05/10/2013
US: Nia Vardalos decides it's time to share: Motherhood compels actress to write book on foster adoption (Requires registration)

Chicago Tribune - May 10, 2013
When the adoption was final, Vardalos hugged her social worker and asked, "For all those years, why didn't I know about the kids in foster care waiting for parents?" "Well, we've been waiting a long time for someone like you," the social worker answered. "They needed a spokesperson," Vardalos writes. "They needed an advocate. They needed a blabbermouth like me." She became a spokeswoman for National Adoption Day, appearing on talk shows and giving speeches about matching children with adoptive parents. http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/life/sc-fam-0507-nia-vardalos-20130510,0,7717068.story?page=1

05/10/2013
US: Eight types of nurses you never knew existed

PBS Newshour - May 09, 2013
#5: Drug-Endangered Children's Nurse. As meth production in Appalachia began to spike, there was a sudden influx of children coming into foster care with a whole litany of never-before-seen issues.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2013/05/eight-nurses-you-never-knew-existed.html

05/10/2013
US: and SD: Bureau of Indian Affairs to host summit on Native foster care in Rapid City, May 15-17, after strong pressure from South Dakota Sioux tribes

PRWEB - May 06, 2013
The Sioux Tribes of South Dakota and their NGO allies, including the Lakota People's Law Project, have been successful in persuading the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to fulfill its promise to Congress for a summit on Native foster care. The historic meeting, to be held May 15-17 in Rapid City, is called the "Great Plains Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) Summit: Bringing Our Children Home and Keeping Our Families Strong" and will be supplemented by a Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Information Center.
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/5/prweb10703402.htm

05/10/2013
US: Immigration proposal could impact children and families

Youth Today - May 09, 2013
The Senate proposal promotes reunification of children with detained or deported parents. Alternatively, it ensures relatives have an opportunity to care for children in lieu of child welfare system involvement, makes sure parents who have been deported or are in immigration detention centers can participate in child welfare cases and affords parents due process rights in immigration and child welfare proceedings.
http://www.youthtoday.org/view_article.cfm?article_id=6025

05/10/2013
Australia: Wellington program changing Indigenous lives

ABC News - May 10, 2013
The Wellington Aboriginal Health Service says the Nurse Family Partnership Program is having amazing outcomes.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-10/wello-babies/4680974

0510/2013
Canada: Alberta child-protection bill will continue despite privacy concerns

The Globe and Mail - May 09, 2013
Privacy commissioner Jill Clayton said Wednesday she is concerned there would not be enough safeguards to ensure a child's confidential information didn't end up in the wrong hands.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/alberta-child-protection-bill-will-continue-despite-privacy-concerns/article11838175/?cmpid=rss1

05/10/2013
Ireland: Problems identified by child protection inspectors

TheJournal.ie - May 10, 2013
Although the HSE in Carlow/Kilkenny was found to be providing services which are safe for children, there were a number of problems identified by the watchdog in a recent inspection.
http://www.thejournal.ie/problems-identified-by-child-protection-inspectors-903382-May2013/

05/10/2013
United Kingdom: Church of England facing new child abuse allegations

The Guardian - May 09, 2013
The Church of England is facing a new child protection scandal after accusations that the former archbishop of York failed to report allegations of child abuse by a senior clergyman.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/may/10/church-england-child-abuse-allegations

05/09/2013
NJ: Teens Camp Out for Essex County CASA

Montclair Patch - May 09, 2013
Nearly 50 students spent an evening under the stars and gave up their beds for one night to show support for the thousands of children in their community without a safe and permanent home. Timed to coincide with National Foster Care Month in May, CAMP OUT FOR CASA was the first of its kind. A youth-led event that raised social awareness about the challenges faced by foster children and the work of volunteers who are dedicated to improving their futures.
http://montclair.patch.com/blog_posts/high-school-students-camp-out-for-casa-to-show-support-for-children-in-foster-care-in-essex-county-12258fbb

05/08/2013
NY: Guest Post | 'Sliding Into Homelessness': A Student Essay and Teaching Resources

The New York Times - May 07, 2013
Below, a short introduction by the Youth Communication staff; an essay by a student, Zakkiaya Bowen, about her experiences after leaving foster care; and finally, some questions for classroom discussion about both Ms. Bowen's piece and related Times reporting.
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/07/guest-post-sliding-into-homelessness-a-student-essay-and-teaching-resources/?smid=fb-share

05/08/2013
US: Notes on the Reorganization of Federal Juvenile Justice Agency

The Chronicle of Social Change - May 08, 2013
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Administrator Bob Listenbee used an annual conference of state juvenile justice advisory groups last week to outline the new organizational structure of his agency, which has been in the works literally for years. One of the biggest goals of the reorganization was to break up the old state relations process, in which the OJJDP staffer who served as a liaison to a state also monitoring that state's compliance.
https://chronicleofsocialchange.org/analysis/2013/05/08/notes-on-the-reorganization-of-federal-juvenile-justice-agency/

05/08/2013
US: Study examines risk factors in recurrent child abuse, neglect

Medical Xpress - May 07, 2013
The shorter the intervals between previous child maltreatment incidents, the greater the likelihood that the child will experience abuse or neglect in the future, suggests a new study by a social work professor at the University of Illinois. Report: "Didn't We Just see You? Time to Recurrence Among Frequently Encountered Families in CPS": http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740913000789.
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-factors-recurrent-child-abuse-neglect.html

05/06/2013
NY: Abandoned babies find 'Safe Haven' in yellow cabs (Video)

Long Island Report - May 06, 2013
This year the Ambulance Medical Technician (AMT) Children of Hope Foundation is going yellow, taxi-cab yellow that is. The AMT Children of Hope Foundation is a non-profit organization located in Mineola, N.Y., and was founded by Timothy Jaccard in an effort to save new born babies from possible abandonment from their birth mothers.
http://longislandreport.org/multimedia/abandoned-babies-find-safe-haven-in-yellow-cabs/17902

05/06/2013
US: Gay Adoption Bill Set To Be Reintroduced With Bipartisan Support

Huffington Post - May 06, 2013
The Every Child Deserves A Family Act would prohibit programs that receive federal funding from discriminating against potential foster and adoptive families based on sexual orientation, gender identity or marital status.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/06/gay-adoption-bill_n_3223435.html

05/06/2013
US: Foster care crucial for unaccompanied minors

Catholic Sun - May 05, 2013
Catholic Charities facilitates adoption for children currently in foster care, with licensing and training and helps set up special homes for children with medical needs and homes for unaccompanied minors.
http://www.catholicsun.org/2013/05/05/foster-care-crucial-for-unaccompanied-minors/

05/06/2013
US: Immigration reform: When is family reunification also 'chain migration'?

Christian Science Monitor - May 06, 2013
A proposed Senate bill, however, would revamp how the American immigration system deals with families like the Paxtons and millions more separated by long wait times for certain family visas or young undocumented Americans who have seen parents and other family members deported at record levels under the Obama administration.
http://news.yahoo.com/immigration-reform-family-reunification-chain-migration-130841745.html

05/06/2013
US: International Adoptions of Children Decreased by 48% Worldwide

Salem-News - May 06, 2013
More and more couples without children want to adopt, but on the other hand, there are fewer kids up for adoption. Previously, the lack of kids for adoption, in developed countries was compensated through the adoption abroad. Now this is more complex.
http://www.salem-news.com/articles/may062013/adoption-decrease.php

05/06/2013
Spain: This Ad Has a Secret Anti-Abuse Message That Only Kids Can See (Video)

Gizmodo - May 06, 2013
In an effort to provide abused children with a safe way to reach out for help, a Spanish organization called the Aid to Children and Adolescents at Risk Foundation, or ANAR for short, created an ad that displays a different message for adults and children at the same time. Also: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-22425388
http://gizmodo.com/this-ad-has-a-secret-anti-abuse-message-that-only-kids-493108460

05/06/2013
Uganda: Activists call for tighter laws on adoption

NewVision - May 05, 2013
Child rights activists want the Government to halt issuance of legal guardianship orders to anyone seeking adoption, arguing that it has been manipulated by child traffickers.
http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/642353-activists-call-for-tighter-laws-on-adoption.html

05/06/2013
United Arab Emirates: Grand mufti urges Emiratis to foster children abandoned in the UAE

The National - May 06, 2013
Although adoption is not permitted in Islam, the grand mufti said fostering was a moral obligation. "The victims of this problem are innocent and we are responsible as a society to help them."
http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/grand-mufti-urges-emiratis-to-foster-children-abandoned-in-the-uae

05/06/2013
Fiji: Ministry of Social Welfare to help tackle child abuse and improve family protection

Radio New Zealand International - May 05, 2013
The Ministry of Social welfare, women and poverty alleviation in Fiji says a new child protection agreement cements the government's commitment to addressing child abuse.
http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=75781

05/06/2013
Australia: Changes to child protection in Tasmania to effect kinship and foster care

The World Today - May 07, 2013
Child protection is being reformed in Tasmania after the state's ombudsman found that case workers were judgmental towards the extended family of a 6-year-old boy. They placed the child in foster care rather than assessing the child's next of kin. Case workers in Tasmania will now consider placing a child with their extended family before using foster case.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-07/changes-to-child-protection-in-tasmania-to-effect/4674844?section=tas

05/06/2013
NY: Commissioner of Child and Family Services retires

Press Republican - May 05, 2013
LePage, 63, has retired as commissioner of the county's Department of Child and Family Services, effective April 26. He sat down with the Press-Republican recently to talk about his career and the issues his department had to deal with.
http://pressrepublican.com/spectrum/x1169347600/Commissioner-of-Child-and-Family-Services-retires

05/06/2013
US: National Foster Care Month: Del. Governor Jack Markell, Child Welfare Experts, and Youth to Launch Success Beyond 18: National Call to Action on Behalf of Older Kids in Foster Care

Reuters - May 06, 2013
On May 6, 2013, young people currently or formerly in foster care from six states - Delaware, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Rhode Island, and Tennessee - will join Governor and current National Governors Association Chairman Jack Markell (Delaware), legislators, and child welfare experts from across the country to launch Success Beyond 18, a milestone campaign led by the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative to create a better path for young people transitioning from foster care to adulthood.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/05/foster-care-initiative-idUSnBw055002a+100+BSW20130505

05/06/2013
United Kingdom: Family court 'delays' on care decisions cut

BBC News - May 03, 2013
The time it takes for the family courts to make decisions about whether children should be taken in to care or adopted has been cut.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-22388091

05/06/2013
Canada: NS adult adoptees call for access to family history

Globe Newswire - May 04, 2013
Some adult adoptees are raising concerns over closed adoption records in Nova Scotia, saying that cuts off access to their cultural background and family health history.
http://globalnews.ca/news/534288/adult-adoptees-call-for-change-in-nova-scotia/

05/06/2013
Australia: Positive impact

Latrobe Valley Express - May 06, 2013
Lead agencies working with the vast numbers of vulnerable Latrobe Valley children say new State Government funding and strategies are starting to impact positively on local outcomes.
http://www.latrobevalleyexpress.com.au/story/1480169/positive-impact/

05/06/2013
Russia: US probe 'rules out' negligence in Russian orphan death

RT - May 04, 2013
Investigators believe that the boy's death was result of an accident rather than negligence or mistreatment in the family, reports ITAR-TASS. The agency was citing Olga Tarasova, an activist from the US-Russian Civil Society Institute, an NGO working closely with the Russian community in the United States. The probe was conducted in tandem by the local sheriff's office and social security service.
http://rt.com/news/russian-orphan-death-probe-815/

05/02/2013
NJ: Number of the day: 190

Philly.com - May 02, 2013
The rate of international adoption has been steadily dropping in the Garden State and nationally for the past eight years. But the number of children adopted internationally by New Jerseyans dropped to 190, the first time in memory that it has been below 200.
http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/njspotlight/njspotlight_20130502_Number_of_the_Day__190.html

05/02/2013
NY: DA can't prosecute 'systemic' Horace Mann abuse

The Riverdale Press - May 01, 2013
Bronx DA Robert Johnson says his office cannot prosecute any of the incidents that came up in its investigation because they all exceed the state's statute of limitations.
http://riverdalepress.com/stories/DA-cant-prosecute-systemic-Horace-Mann-abuse,52387

05/02/2013
US: Child abuse, later PTSD show distinctive genetic signature

Psych Central News - May 02, 2013
An international team of researchers has determined that child abuse leaves a distinct change in biological pathways.
http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/05/02/child-abuse-later-ptsd-show-distinctive-genetic-signature/54377.html

05/02/2013
India: Is sexual abuse of minors worse in India? Ink readers debate

New York Times - May 02, 2013
The recent death of a 4-year-old girl from Madhya Pradesh, who succumbed to her injuries days after she was raped and dumped near a crematorium in her hometown of Ghansor, has evoked an overwhelming response from India Ink readers.
http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/02/is-sexual-abuse-of-minors-worse-in-india-ink-readers-debate/

05/02/2013
Ireland: Oireachtas committee backs down from sanctioning Russian officials

The Irish Times - May 02, 2013
The Russian ambassador to Ireland wrote to the committee in March warning that any move to introduce a Magnitsky law could "have negative influence" on an adoption agreement between the two countries.
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/oireachtas-committee-backs-down-from-sanctioning-russian-officials-1.1379404

05/02/2013
Russia: Top doctors ask Putin to allow U.S. parents to adopt 100 children

The Moscow Times - May 02, 2013
A group of top Russian child psychologists, psychiatrists and educators have appealed to President Vladimir Putin to allow about 100 Russian children who were in the final stages of the adoption process to be allowed to join their new U.S. parents.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/top-doctors-ask-putin-to-allow-us-parents-to-adopt-100-children/479533.html

05/02/2013
Rwanda: Children Council rejects adoption age

allAfrica.com - May 03, 2013
Hitimana argued that at 18, one is too immature to adopt a child. He said: "We are saying that this [18 years] is too low an age, and a person hasn't really embarked on a firm path in life. The right age should, at least, be 25 years."
http://allafrica.com/stories/201305030180.html

05/02/2013
United Kingdom: Adoption: Support and benefits set out in government guide

BBC News - May 02, 2013
A guide listing the benefits and support available to would-be adopters in England has been published by the government amid concerns that thousands are put off by the process. "The adoption passport: a support guide for adopters": http://www.first4adoption.org.uk/being-an-adoptive-parent/the-adoption-passport/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22384011

05/02/2013
United Kingdom: Problem families helped to improve their behavior

The Bolton News - May 03, 2013
New figures show that 255 families were "challenged and supported" in the first year of the government's "Troubled Families" programme, which has been renamed Families First in Bolton.
http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/local/10398285.Problem_families_helped_to_improve_their_behaviour/

05/02/2013
US: I wanted 'twins'

New York Times - May 01, 2013
KJ Dell'Antonia and Lauren Apfel discuss life as the parents of twins. In KJ's case, "twins" through adoption.
http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/01/i-wanted-twins/

05/02/2013
US: Sex-offender registries: Should kids be listed?

Associated Press - May 01, 2013
Government authorities should end the practice of placing juveniles' names on publicly accessible sex-offender registries, Human Rights Watch says in a report warning of lasting and unwarranted harm to some youths. "Raised on the Registry" report: http://www.hrw.org/reports/2013/05/01/raised-registry-0
http://www.bigstory.ap.org/article/sex-offender-registries-should-kids-be-listed-0

05/02/2013
US: Shamed into silence

The Crime Report - April 29, 2013
Reliable national figures are not available, but in Vermont's Bennington County for example, the proportion of disabled child sex abuse cases to other child sex abuse cases has risen from almost zero to more than 50 percent in the last seven years, according to Christina Rainville, Chief Deputy State's Attorney.
http://www.thecrimereport.org/news/articles/2013-04-shamed-into-silence

05/02/2013
US: The dark, sad side of domestic adoption

The Atlantic - April 30, 2013
One family's long quest to adopt a baby.
http://www.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2013/04/the-dark-sad-side-of-domestic-adoption/275370/

05/02/2013
Australia: Leaked: child abuse squad's staffing crisis

Illawarra Mercury - May 01, 2013
The Wollongong office of the NSW Police Child Abuse Squad is the most under-resourced in the state, according to a leaked report. Keira MP Ryan Park said the leaked internal police review showed the Wollongong office had the most child abuse cases per officer compared to anywhere in NSW.
http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/1468833/leaked-child-abuse-squads-staffing-crisis/?cs=300

05/02/2013
Australia: Victims left to stop child abuse: study

The Sydney Morning Herald - May 01, 2013
The abuse of children by priests and church workers often begins between the ages of six and 10, and generally only stops when victims take action to stop it or avoid it, a new study has found.
http://www.smh.com.au/national/victims-left-to-stop-child-abuse-study-20130501-2itah.html

05/02/2013
United Kingdom: Adoption drive could 'distract' from helping needy children, care inquiry finds

The Telegraph - May 01, 2013
The inquiry by eight charities concluded that the current system is failing thousands of children, shifting them from placement to placement, severing family ties and friendships rather than encouraging stable relationships.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10028664/Adoption-drive-could-distract-from-helping-needy-children-care-inquiry-finds.html

05/02/2013
United Kingdom: Child welfare 'named person' plans questioned by MSPs

BBC News - April 30, 2013
Under legislation set out in the Children and Young People Bill, every child in Scotland would be assigned a named person, such as a health worker, from birth. The adult would be responsible for safeguarding the child's welfare.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-22355717

05/02/2013
United Kingdom: Rental market 'risk' to children

Express & Star - May 01, 2013
The "volatile" rental market is putting children's education and general wellbeing at risk, a housing charity has warned.
http://www.expressandstar.com/business/uk-money/2013/05/01/rental-market-risk-to-children/

05/02/2013
Dr. Jane Aronson on the Early Challenges of Adopting

2 days ago - by Dr. Jane Aronson
World-famous ‘orphan doctor’ Dr. Jane Aronson on how a New Yorker article almost ruined her plans to adopt a child from Vietnam—and on the unexpected roadblocks many adoptive parents face.
To read more please click here.

05/01/2013
US: Jacqueline Pata Talks ICWA on MSNBC Show Concerning 'Baby Snatching'

Indian Country Today Media Network - April 30, 2013
April 28, TV host Melissa Harris-Perry likened the removal of American Indian children from their tribal communities, placed in non-Native homes, to unauthorized international adoption. "This is like transnational baby snatching right within U.S. borders," Harris-Perry said.
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/04/30/jacqueline-pata-talks-icwa-msnbc-show-concerning-baby-snatching-149094

05/01/2013
US: NJ Couple Faces Federal Child Abuse Charges

Associated Press - April 30, 2013
An Army major and his wife are facing a 17-count indictment in New Jersey that charges they disciplined three foster children by withholding food and water and assaulting them severely enough to cause broken bones. Federal authorities have jurisdiction because the alleged crimes occurred when the couple lived at Picatinny Arsenal, a military installation about 35 miles west of New York City.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/army-major-wife-face-child-abuse-charges-nj-19074851#.UYEeYKKG1ic

05/01/2013
US: Presidential Proclamation -- National Foster Care Month, 2013

The White House, Office of the Press Secretary - May 01, 2013
As a Nation, we have no task more important than ensuring our children grow up healthy and safe. It is a promise we owe to the hundreds of thousands of youth in foster care -- boys and girls who too often go without the love, protection, and stability of a permanent family. This month, we recommit to giving them that critical support, and we recognize the foster parents and professionals who work every day to lift up the children in their care toward a bright, productive future.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/04/30/presidential-proclamation-national-foster-care-month-2013

05/01/2013
United Kingdom: President gives guidance on urgent appeals in adoption cases

Family Law Week - May 01, 2013
. . . the President of the Family Division has given guidance to the profession concerning urgent appeals in adoption cases.
http://www.familylawweek.co.uk/site.aspx?i=ed113501

05/01/2013
Canada: Child-welfare system better: Flette

Winnipeg Free Press - May 01, 2013
The child-welfare system in which Phoenix Sinclair disappeared has been beefed up and is improving, says the head of the Southern Authority. Elsie Flette told the inquiry into the 2005 death of the five-year-old, who was in and out of care from birth, that more money has been injected into agencies responsible for children and ways to ensure they're safe.
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/child-welfare-system-better-flette-205538571.html

05/01/2013
Canada: Leaders silent on BC's foster care mess

The Tyee - April 30, 2013
During last night's debate, no party leader made a peep about fixing foster care or child protection in B.C. But they did awkwardly talk around it. Since 2007, B.C.'s Representative for Children and Youth has been pumping out reports, slamming the province for failing to protect kids, failing administratively, failing to effectively intervene in domestic violence, and failing to fix other problems. The result is, more than half of kids in care will arrive at 19 without a high school diploma, nearly half will have been caught for a crime, and half will go on income assistance within a few months of their birthday.
http://thetyee.ca/Blogs/TheHook/2013/04/30/LeadersSilentOnFosterCare/

04/30/2013
PA: 2 child abuse detectives hired in March already have a dozen cases each

Reading Eagle - April 27, 2013
Because of the increased number of abuse complaints, Gombar said he was forced to use detectives that had been assigned to financial crimes to investigate child abuse.
http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=473273

04/30/2013
US: Juvenile Justice and Youth Advocates See Impacts from Sequester, Brace for More

Juvenile Justice Information Exchange - April 26, 2013
In the lead-up to federal budget sequestration, advocates warned of dire consequences for juvenile justice and services to children and youth. Now, with sequestration in effect for nearly two months, impacts are materializing across the country, although some programs have been at least partially spared. Yet in many cases, youth-serving organizations still do not know how they will be impacted, only that there will be impacts.
http://jjie.org/juvenile-justice-and-youth-advocates-see-impacts-from-sequester-brace-for-more/

04/30/2013
US: No retirement for these seniors: Grandparents as parents

Asbury Park Press - April 27, 2013
DeMarco is one of millions of grandparents in the United States living with grandchildren. In 2010, 10 percent - or 7.5 million - of children in the United States lived with a grandparent, according to the U.S. Census. In New Jersey, 127,890 children - more than 6 percent - lived in their grandparents' households in 2010.
http://www.app.com/article/20130426/NJNEWS/304260121/Grandparents-as-parents?nclick_check=1

04/30/2013
Dubai: Child-abuse awareness campaign held in Dubai

Gulf News - April 26, 2013
Child-abuse prevention messages aimed to educate children on how to act when faced with abuse and violence were spread in the form of colouring books and puppet shows during the 'Children's Caravan' held on Thursday.
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/education/child-abuse-awareness-campaign-held-in-dubai-1.1175495

04/30/2013
Taiwan: Taiwan urged to establish 'Child Protection Day'

Focus Taiwan News Channel - April 28, 2013
Some 300 people attended an event in Taipei on Sunday to urge the government to designate April 28 as "Child Protection Day" in Taiwan. "Close to 20,000 children are abused every year in Taiwan, and we hope to raise more public awareness over the issue," Betty Ho, chief executive director of the Taiwan Fund for Children and Families, which organized the event, told CNA.
http://focustaiwan.tw/news/aall/201304280011.aspx

04/30/2013
United Kingdom: 'There was no escape': Victims open up as North Wales care homes probe uncovers 'systemic and serious sexual and physical abuse' over three decades

The Independant - April 30, 2013
Operation Pallial has now identified 140 allegations relating to 18 care homes, including 76 completely new complaints. Also: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-22344105
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/there-was-no-escape-victims-open-up-as-north-wales-care-homes-probe-uncovers-systemic-and-serious-sexual-and-physical-abuse-over-three-decades-8594784.html

04/30/2013
Tajikistan: Bureaucracy leads to growth of child trafficking in Tajikistan - President

Voice of Russia - April 26, 2013
Tajikistan has around 3,300 orphans, many of whom can not get adopted due to red tape in the adoption procedure, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon said on Friday.
http://english.ruvr.ru/2013_04_26/Bureaucracy-leads-to-growth-of-child-trafficking-in-Tajikistan-President/

04/30/2013
Australia: Boost NSW Police child abuse squad: ALP

Sydney Morning Herald - April 30, 2013
NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell has distanced himself from calls to personally intervene to protect abused children, saying it's up to the police commissioner to fill any shortfall in staffing. Wollongong detectives were dealing with 45 cases of child abuse when the recommended amount was no more than 15, with overworked officers forced out due to stress. Also: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-04-30/nsw-child-abuse-police-27chronically-understaffed27/4659848?section=nsw
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/boost-nsw-police-child-abuse-squad-alp-20130430-2ipjl.html

04/29/2013
US: Keyon Dooling reveals sexual abuse as a child

SBNation - April 27, 2013
Until that June night in Seattle, which touched off a series of nervous breakdowns over a seven-day period that landed him in a Boston mental institution fearing for his life. Nine months later, Dooling is back in the NBA with the Memphis Grizzlies, having signed a contract following a stint as player development director with the Celtics. His return to the NBA is a triumphant one, regardless of his statistics, because he is a survivor of sexual abuse.
http://www.sbnation.com/2012/9/27/3420300/keyon-dooling-sexual-abuse-boston-celtics-retires

04/29/2013
US: Latino children tragically boom in foster care

VOXXI - April 28, 2013
"The increase of Latino children in the child welfare system is likely due in part to a growing population of third generation Latino children, who are at greater risk of child welfare involvement than their first and second generation counterparts," said researcher Alan Dettlaff of the University of Illinois, Chicago.
http://www.voxxi.com/latino-children-boom-foster-care/#ixzz2Rm85LeNB

04/29/2013
US: Shhh, The Kids Can Hear You Arguing (Even When They're Asleep)

National Public Radio - April 29, 2013
"What we see for the infants in higher conflict homes is that they are showing greater reactivity to the very angry tone of voice," Graham says, "and that reactivity is in brain regions that we think are important later on in terms of your ability to regulate your emotions and function well."
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/04/29/179237081/shhh-the-kids-can-hear-you-arguing-even-when-theyre-asleep

04/29/2013
Ethiopia: Adopted against her will: One woman shares her story (Video)

MSNBC - April 28, 2013
What would you do if you arrived in a foreign country ready to study on an educational exchange and only to discover you had been "adopted" by a family that thought you were an orphan? It may sound like a nightmare, but it happened to Tarikuwa Lemma, who told her story on Sunday's Melissa Harris-Perry. Lemma came to the United States from Ethiopia for what she and her family thought was an educational exchange program when she was 13-years-old; after she arrived, she was told she had been adopted.
http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/04/28/adopted-against-her-will-one-woman-shares-her-story/

04/29/2013
United Kingdom: Met police rape and child abuse units to merge as part of force shakeup

The Guardian - April 26, 2013
Scotland Yard's rape command, Sapphire, is to be merged with the child abuse unit as part of a larger overhaul within the Metropolitan police.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/apr/26/met-police-rape-child-abuse-units-merge

04/29/2013
United Kingdom: Welsh care home investigation: Police findings published today

WalesOnline - April 29, 2013
Detectives probing historic allegations of abuse in Welsh care homes will reveal their findings today after more than one hundred victims came forward.
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/bryn-estyn-care-home-scandal-3184643

04/29/2013
Russia: Putin says French same-sex marriage law puts adoptions at risk

Reuters - April 26, 2013
President Vladimir Putin signaled on Friday that Moscow would seek changes in an agreement regulating adoptions of Russian children by French parents, saying a French law allowing same-sex marriage went against traditional Russian values.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/26/us-russia-france-gaymarriage-idUSBRE93P11V20130426

04/26/2013
NJ: State slowly recouping money auditor said was questionably spent on foster care contracts

The Star-Ledger - April 23, 2013
Following the advice of a blistering audit, the Department of Children and Families has started to recoup some of the $12.2 million in state funds that foster home recruitment agencies either never used or paid for "unallowable" perks such as parties and bonuses.
http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/04/nj_slowly_recouping_money_audi.html

04/26/2013
US: Boarding school visual history project gathers oral histories

Indian Country Today Media Network - April 24, 2013
The project will have a visual history archive and an interactive website meant to educate users about the boarding school system in the United States. The boarding school systems involved the federal government sending American Indian children to schools away from their families, and it started with Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania.
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/04/24/boarding-school-visual-history-project-gathers-oral-histories-148988

04/26/2013
US: Adoptees shouldn't have to use Facebook to find their birth parents

The Atlantic - April 24, 2013
Simons' success in locating her birth mother via Facebook has inspired countless imitators, both birth parents and adoptees, clogging Facebook feeds with similar messages. These posts have brought questions of adoption and its consequences to the forefront.
http://www.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2013/04/adoptees-shouldnt-have-to-use-facebook-to-find-their-birth-parents/275251/

04/26/2013
US: KidsPeace launches online resource for foster care teens

The Paramus Post - April 24, 2013
To kick-off National Foster Care Awareness Month next month, KidsPeace today launched a new web portal to provide foster care teens with a dedicated online resource to discuss and cope with issues relevant to their unique experiences.
http://www.paramuspost.com/article.php/20130424114411594

04/26/2013
US: Microsoft Grants $7.5 million in software and technology to Youth Villages; Grant boosts technology for at-risk children

PRWeb - April 24, 2013
The grant is part of Microsoft's YouthSpark initiative, which is designed to create opportunities for 300 million youth around the world. It will provide software and support on Youth Villages' residential campuses, supply technology for young adults being helped through its transitional living program and improve the organization's internal and external communications systems.
http://news.yahoo.com/microsoft-grants-7-5-million-software-technology-youth-165234518.html

04/26/2013
US: Parents use social media to adopt

America Now News - April 24, 2013
For moms and dads who are trying to adopt, the wait for a child can take months or even years. It can also cost tens of thousands of dollars depending on whether they use an adoption agency, private attorneys or church groups. A growing number of families are turning to the Internet and social media instead of using more familiar ways.
http://www.americanownews.com/story/21854563/amNOW

04/26/2013
Australia: A guardian of children - controversial protection scheme

The Australian - April 26, 2013
By June 15, all people who work with children will have to apply for the check online, and all their criminal history will be viewable by assessors.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/a-guardian-of-children-controversial-protection-scheme/story-e6frg6n6-1226629583738

04/26/2013
Canada: Child-welfare reforms now probe's focus

Winnipeg Free Press - April 25, 2013
Eight years after Phoenix Sinclair was murdered by her caregivers, the inquiry into her death is hearing what's been done to try to mend the child-welfare safety net she fell through.
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/child-welfare-reforms-now-probes-focus-204629851.html

04/26/2013
China: 'Safe haven' program may spread

China Daily - April 25, 2013
China may expand a controversial pilot program that provides "safe havens" for abandoned children to major cities, a top Ministry of Civil Affairs official said on Tuesday.
http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2013-04/25/content_16447101.htm

04/26/2013
Ireland: Church child protection chief to stand down after six years

The Irish Times - April 25, 2013
Ian Elliott is to stand down as chief executive of the National Board for Safeguarding Children next month. "My contract expires at the end of June and, when leave is taken into account, I'll be gone by the end of May," he said yesterday.
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/church-child-protection-chief-to-stand-down-after-six-years-1.1371694

04/26/2013
Russia: Health Ministry defends adoptions by HIV-positive people

The Moscow News - April 24, 2013
Currently, all Russians with infections like HIV or hepatitis B and C are obligated to register with their local clinics. A 1996 law prohibits people registered as HIV-positive to adopt children.
http://indrus.in/society/2013/04/24/health_ministry_defends_adoptions_by_hiv-positive_people_24131.html

04/26/2013
United Kingdom: Urgent action needed to protect children in care from sexual exploitation

Huffington Post - April 24, 2013
Today the NSPCC has published new data showing how many cases of children missing from care occur each year. A shocking 28,000 cases were reported last year alone. The true figure is likely to be much higher.
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/tom-rahilly/children-in-care-sexual-exploitation_b_3146147.html

04/23/2013
PA: Arrow Child & Family Ministries Assumes Operation of the Second Mile Programs

The Wall Street Journal - April 23, 2013
Arrow Child & Family Ministries (Arrow) will assume operation of certain programs developed by The Second Mile for at-risk youth effective May 1, 2013. The Second Mile filed a petition with the Court of Common Pleas in Centre County on March 15, 2013, requesting the transfer of key self-development, prevention, early intervention, and community-based programs to Arrow together with $200,000 to begin operations of those programs in Pa. The court order granting the request was signed on April 17, 2013.
http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20130423-915512.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

04/23/2013
US: Attorney General Holder Launches Task Force to Improve Responses to Violence Against Children in Tribal Communities

The Justice Blog, The U.S. Department of Justice - April 17, 2013
On Friday, Attorney General Holder outlined the initial steps to implement the recommendations of the department's Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence, part of the Defending Childhood Initiative. The Justice Department will provide additional details on the implementation of the recommendations in the coming months.
http://blogs.justice.gov/main/archives/2783

04/23/2013
US: New Documentary Takes Us Inside Russian Adoption: The Dark Matter of Love

Huffington Post - April 23, 2013
Early in the 90-minute documentary The Dark Matter of Love, which screened last night at the Capitol Visitor Center at the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., we meet Masha, a ballerina-pretty 11-year-old girl with hazel eyes and a pert nose. There's something gripping about the stark contrast of her beauty and the grim circumstances of her life. Masha lives in a bleak, brick orphanage on a treeless block in Arkhangelsk, Russia, about 900 miles north of Moscow. Early in the film, a doctor speaking in grainy black and white film from half a century ago, asks "Can orphans who've had no affection at all learn to love?"
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tina-traster/new-documentary-takes-us-_b_3133509.html

04/23/2013
US: What to Expect When You're . . . Adopted

Slate - April 23, 2013
I was born to Korean immigrants in Seattle, and my confidential or "closed" adoption at the age of 2 months severed all ties between my birth family and me-until I set out to restore those ties a few years ago. I fully expected my life to change when I became pregnant. But the strong desire to find out more about my original family was not something I had anticipated.
http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2013/04/when_an_adoptee_gets_pregnant_the_desire_to_find_her_birth_family_gets_stronger.html

04/023/2013
India: DCPCR lays down guidelines to prevent child abuse in the country

Press Trust of India - April 24, 2013
Amid nationwide outcry over the rape of a 5-year-old girl in the national capital, the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights has formulated guidelines for prevention of child abuse in the country. Related article: http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/draft-guidelines-for-prevention-of-child-abuse-released/article4650066.ece
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/dcpcr-lays-down-guidelines-to-prevent-child-abuse-in-the-country/387368-3.html

04/23/2013
United Kingdom: Bishop apologises to child abuse victim in Sussex

The Argus - April 24, 2013
In a letter of apology to a victim, Dr Martin Warner, the Bishop of Chichester, said there had been "deception and cover-up" at his diocese and conceded there had been an "ineptitude and irresponsible lack of professionalism."
http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/10374846.Bishop_apologises_to_child_abuse_victim/

04/23/2013
United Kingdom: Number of children placed with adoptive families rose by 43% in last year, says ADCS

Family Law Week - April 24, 2013
The research finds that the number of children placed for adoption, but without an adoption order, at 31st March 2013, is 45% higher than at the same date in 2012. This compares to a 10% increase between March 2011 and March 2012. This finding suggests, says the ADCS, that there has been significant activity within local authorities to increase the number of successful matches of children and adopters.
http://www.familylawweek.co.uk/site.aspx?i=ed113324

04/23/2013
Australia: Doubts raised on wisdom of rolling out wellbeing checks for young children

The Sydney Morning Herald - April 22, 2013
A child psychiatrist has questioned the federal government's ability to roll out social and emotional wellbeing checks for three-year-olds this year, saying there is no reliable screening tool available for the controversial policy. In 2011, the Australian Government announced plans to lower the age for the voluntary Healthy Kids Check to 3 years and incorporate questions about social and emotional wellbeing to allow for more early intervention if problems are detected.
http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/doubts-raised-on-wisdom-of-rolling-out-wellbeing-checks-for-young-children-20130422-2iauf.html

04/23/2013
South Africa: Baby for sale on Gumtree

iol news - April 24, 2013
An adoption advert by a 24-year-old Cape Town woman who wanted to sell her baby on a classified advertising website has prompted Social Development MEC Albert Fritz to warn the public that this practice is illegal. Fritz urged people who wanted to put their children up for adoption to approach his department for assistance.
http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/baby-for-sale-on-gumtree-1.1505347#.UXfbXKKG3kU

04/23/2013
US: Adoption and the Culture Wars

WNYC - April 23, 2013
Kathryn Joyce, journalist and the author of The Child Catchers: Rescue, Trafficking, and the New Gospel of Adoption (PublicAffairs (April, 2013), looks at international adoptions and conservative Christianity. Also: Is the "gospel of adoption" always good news: http://ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/gospel-adoption-always-good-news Also: Responses to 'Hatchet Job' Investigation of Evangelical Adoption Movement: http://blog.christianitytoday.com/ctliveblog/archives/2013/04/evangelical-adoption-movement-kathryn-joyce-investigation.html
http://www.wnyc.org/shows/bl/2013/apr/23/adoption-and-culture-wars/

04/23/2013
US: Child Welfare Privatization Update

Reason Foundation - April 22, 2013
In 2012 several states continued to implement privatized child welfare efforts. Full Report: http://reason.org/news/show/apr-2013-state-privatization
http://reason.org/news/show/apr-2013-child-welfare-privatizatio

04/23/2013
US: Walter Olson on the Constitutional Flaws of the Indian Child Welfare Act

Reason Foundation - April 22, 2013
But lurking just below the surface of both Holyfield and Adoptive Couple are some deeper constitutional questions that the Court may not be able to dodge forever. Because the harder you dig into the premises behind ICWA, the more you wonder-as Chief Justice Roberts may have been wondering on Tuesday-why the law is handing out rights in domestic relations conflicts based on race, lineage, and other grounds that are ordinarily forbidden under our Constitution.
http://reason.com/archives/2013/04/22/the-constitutional-flaws-of-the-indian-c

04/23/2013
United Kingdom: Social workers must look after themselves and recognize their limits

The Guardian - April 23, 2013
A study into burnout in child protection social work found that good management and peer support can help retain staff.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/social-care-network/2013/apr/23/child-protection-social-worker-burnout

04/23/2013
Pakistan: At this village, the ties of humanity are stronger than those formed by blood

International Herald Tribune - April 23, 2013
Here the orphaned and abandoned children aren't being looked after by their 'biological' parents, but that hasn't stopped them from receiving the same kind of love and affection they would if they were to be with their mothers and fathers.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/539110/at-this-village-the-ties-of-humanity-are-stronger-than-those-formed-by-blood/

04/23/2013
Morocco: Adoption Law Change Leaves Foreigners in Limbo

Naharnet - April 22, 2013
Last September, Morocco's government amended the law and barred foreigners from adopting, in order to better protect the children's interests and identity, according to Justice Minister Mustapha Ramid. Since then, foreign couples who had already begun the process fear it may retroactively be invalidated and their cherished hopes dashed.
http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/80374-moroccan-adoption-law-change-leaves-foreigners-in-limbo

04/21/2013
NJ: $6 million and counting: the legal costs of N.J. child welfare reform

Star-Ledger - April 21, 2013
New Jersey's total tab to pay for lawyers and consultants overseeing a court-ordered makeover of the state's system of protecting its most vulnerable children is $6 million and counting, but advocates and state officials agree more spending is needed because the job isn't finished.
http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/04/child_welfare_reform.html

04/21/2013
NY: Same-sex parent who pays support can seek custody: judge

Reuters - April 19, 2013
A mother who was awarded child support from her former same-sex partner cannot stop her from seeking custody by arguing she is not legally a parent, a New York judge has ruled.
http://newsandinsight.thomsonreuters.com/Legal/News/2013/04_-_April/Same-sex_parent_who_pays_support_can_seek_custody__judge/

04/21/2013
US: Same-sex marriage cases before Supreme Court put the spotlight on children raised by gays

Associated Press - April 20, 2013
The White House told the Supreme Court it favored same-sex marriage. So did dozens of big corporations, a host of political and legal heavyweights - and 9-year-old Austin Covey.
http://tinyurl.com/btv3ee9

04/21/2013
United Kingdom: Neglect, sex abuse, bullying - 480 children 'at risk' in Sunderland

Sunderland Echo - April 22, 2013
THERE are 480 children in Sunderland deemed to be at risk. These young people have been put on the city's child protection register to make sure they do not come to harm in their own home.
http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/crime/neglect-sex-abuse-bullying-480-children-at-risk-in-sunderland-1-5603540

04/21/2013
Canada: Catholic Children's Aid responds to rise in abused youth who aren't legally in Canada

The Star - April 19, 2013
The reality is that children who lack legal residency in Canada aren't immune from abuse and neglect, and can be even more vulnerable because of their precarious status. Child welfare officials are seeing a growing number of children coming into their care whose status in Canada is an issue, said Ronal Ibarra.
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/04/18/catholic_childrens_aid_responds_to_rise_in_abused_youth_who_arent_legally_in_canada.html

04/23/2013
ECNJ E-news

For January edition click here ( including News about NJ child protection, FamilyCare, Preschool)
For February edition click here ( including News about education, school breakfast, youth foster care guide).
For April Edition click here. (including How do kids fare in the state budget).

04/21/2013
NJ: $6 million and counting: the legal costs of N.J. child welfare reform

Star-Ledger - April 21, 2013
New Jersey's total tab to pay for lawyers and consultants overseeing a court-ordered makeover of the state's system of protecting its most vulnerable children is $6 million and counting, but advocates and state officials agree more spending is needed because the job isn't finished.
http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/04/child_welfare_reform.html

04/21/2013
NY: Same-sex parent who pays support can seek custody: judge

Reuters - April 19, 2013
A mother who was awarded child support from her former same-sex partner cannot stop her from seeking custody by arguing she is not legally a parent, a New York judge has ruled.
http://newsandinsight.thomsonreuters.com/Legal/News/2013/04_-_April/Same-sex_parent_who_pays_support_can_seek_custody__judge/

04/19/2013
CT: Bill gives intern preference to foster kids

Associated Press - April 18, 2013
Former foster children once in the care of the Connecticut Department of Children and Families would receive preference for state agency internships under a bill moving through the General Assembly.
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Conn-bill-gives-intern-preference-to-foster-kids-4446227.php

04/19/2013
CT: Couple charged with smuggling baby

Associated Press - April 19, 2013
The case may represent the desperate measures prospective parents are willing to take to adopt children from Guatemala since that country shut down its international adoption program more than five years ago.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/04/18/couple-copy-charged-with-smuggling-baby/wE0mLKtVVZ4XpeVgLgwZCL/story.html

04/19/2013
NJ: Foster children abound, CASA volunteers work as courts eyes

Cape May County Herald - April 18, 2013
In the Cape May-Atlantic county area there are upward of 800 children, birth to age 21, in foster care. Last year, 350 of those children were served by volunteers working with CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocates.
http://www.capemaycountyherald.com/article/government/court+house/91523-foster+children+abound+casa+volunteers+work+courts+eyes

04/19/2013
NY: Four out of five at-risk children in Erie County do not have adequate access to mental health services

Springville Journal - April 18, 2013
Funding for innovative initiatives, like the Court-Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program, is critical to preventing children with mental health issues from making destructive, costly or even deadly decisions in the future. That's why Kennedy and Erie County Mental Health Association are building on the momentum of the past four months and pushing the state to invest more resources into mental health care for Western New York children.
http://www.springvillejournal.com/news/353-Four_out_of_five_at-risk_children_in_Erie_County_do_not_have_adequate_access_to_mental_health_services.html

04/18/2013
PA: Mandated reporter training bill passes House and moves to Senate

The Patriot-News - April 17, 2013
Professionals who care for or supervise children will be required to receive regular training on identifying signs of child abuse under two pieces of legislation that the House passed today.
http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/04/mandated_reporter_training_bil.html

04/18/2013
US: Americanization, Latino families and the future of foster care

The Chronicle of Social Change - April 17, 2013
Latino families come to this country for a new life, but two generations later, many are struggling and their children increasingly end up in foster care.
https://chronicleofsocialchange.org/analysis/2013/04/17/americanization-latino-families-and-the-future-of-foster-care/

04/18/203
US: Immigration bill includes protections for families broken up by deportation

Colorlines - April 17, 2013
The comprehensive immigration reform bill, released early this morning by a group of eight Senators, both Republicans and Democrats, includes provisions to reunite families separated by immigration detention and deportation. It also includes provisions to keep U.S. citizen children of deported parents from languishing in foster care, a problem Colorlines has documented, and to protect deportees from losing parental rights.
http://colorlines.com/archives/2013/04/immigration_bill_allows_some_deportees_with_family_to_return_helps_unite_separated_families.html

04/18/2013
Australia: Child advocate's role under scrutiny

ABC News - April 18, 2013
The Tasmanian Parliament has agreed to review the powers of the children's commissioner.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-04-18/child-advocate27s-role-under-scrutiny/4636302

04/18/2013
Northern Ireland: Child abuse levels 'disturbing' says NSPCC report

BBC News - April 18, 2013
Fewer children are suffering violent deaths in Northern Ireland but the level of child abuse remains disturbing and often "hidden", according to a new report.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-22196081

04/18/2013
Russia: Duma to consider lifting ban on child adoptions

The Moscow Times - April 17, 2013
The State Duma is preparing to discuss a bill to lift the ban on U.S. parents adopting Russian children, even as Russian investigators accuse another U.S. couple of failing to protect their child. It was initially reported that the bill would be discussed on Wednesday, but as of Wednesday afternoon there was no word on it. It is unlikely to be passed by the Duma, where a majority of lawmakers toe the Kremlin line.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/duma-to-consider-lifting-ban-on-child-adoptions/478774.html

04/18/2013
Russia: U.S. forms group with Russia to monitor adopted children

The Moscow Times - April 18, 2013
"The working group will gather twice a year in turn in the U.S. and Russia," Astakhov said on Twitter late Wednesday. "It will consider both urgent problems and investigations and systemic current issues."
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/us-forms-group-with-russia-to-monitor-adopted-children/478820.html

04/17/2013
US: Affordable Care Act rules differ for former foster kids

CNN Health - April 17, 2013
While many young adults are now covered by the Affordable Care Act, able to remain on their parents' insurance until age 26, the rules are different for those like Cox-Reed, who grew up in the foster care system.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/17/health/aca-foster-care/index.html

04/17/2013
US: Child Abuse More Likely if Mom Sees Baby as Bad

MedPage Today - April 16, 2013
Moms who said their children had negative intentions were more likely to maltreat their child by the time the baby was 26 months old (adjusted odds ratio 1.26, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.56), according to Lisa Berlin, PhD, of the University of Maryland School of Social Work in Baltimore, and colleagues.
http://www.medpagetoday.com/Pediatrics/DomesticViolence/38484

04/17/2013
US: Emotions Run High As Supreme Court Hears Adoption Case

National Public Radio - April 16, 2013
The question before the court was whether a Native American biological father who gave up his parental rights and refused to provide financial support to the mother and child could later object after the non-Indian mother gave up the child for adoption. Also: High court wrestles with Indian adoption dispute: http://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2013/04/16/high-court-wrestles-with-indian-adoption-dispute Also: The Ugly Side of the Adoption Industry: http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/04/16/ugly-side-adoption-industry Also: Supreme Court hears custody dispute over adopted girl: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-court-adoption-20130417,0,3600035.story
http://www.wnyc.org/npr_articles/2013/apr/16/supreme-court-case-tests-indian-child-welfare-act/

04/17/2013
US: How Evangelical Christians Are Preaching The New Gospel Of Adoption

National Public Radio - April 15, 2013
We're used to thinking of adoption as a way for infertile couples or single people to start a family or take in a child in need of a home. What might come as a surprise, however, is the outsized role of evangelical Christians when it comes to overseas adoption. Also: Evangelicals and the 'New Gospel of Adoption' - Fresh Air: http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=13&prgDate=04-16-2013
http://www.npr.org/2013/04/16/177350912/how-evangelical-christians-are-preaching-the-new-gospel-of-adoption?ft=1&f=13

04/17/2013
US: Investigating effectiveness of clinical interventions needed for maltreated children

News-Medical.Net - April 17, 2013
Children who have experienced maltreatment are at serious risk for a host of mental health and other problems that can persist throughout childhood and adulthood. Yet the results of a new systematic review of interventions with maltreated children under age 15 reveals striking limitations in the scientific evidence supporting these approaches, according to a review produced by the RTI-UNC Evidence-based Practice Center.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20130417/Investigating-effectiveness-of-clinical-interventions-needed-for-maltreated-children.aspx

04/17/2013
US: Social Services: How to Get Out from Under Federal Oversight

Governing - April 11, 2013
There are an astonishing number of state and local children and family services agencies currently operating under some sort of federal court oversight -- 21 in all, according to the American Public Human Services Association. Of those, a handful have been under federal oversight for more than 20 years.
http://www.governing.com/columns/col-children-family-services-get-out-under-federal-oversight.html

04/17/2013
Kenya: Is adoption the answer to Kenya's abandoned children?

Capital FM - April 17, 2013
The stigma that was previously associated with adoption is slowly fading. We used to see couples come (at the centre) in secret -- not willing to allow their relatives or friends to find out that they are adopting a child. But that has now changed," says Susan [Utuoma].
http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/lifestyle/2013/04/17/is-adoption-the-answer-to-kenyas-abandoned-children/

04/17/2013
Russia: Adopting My Russian Daughter: Not Just Parenting, But Healing

The Daily Beast - April 16, 2013
The issue of Russian orphans-and whether American adoptive families are successfully parenting them-has become a flashpoint in a complicated political struggle. It began when the U.S. government passed The Magnitsky Act, which took aim at Russia's handling of human rights cases. The conflict escalated after Russia retaliated by shutting down adoptions to Americans after more than two decades. The Russian propagandists are using a small number of notorious cases gone bad to vilify American adoptive parents as a group, and to perpetuate the notion that Americans are monsters. Also: It Is Far More Dangerous For Russian Children To Be In Domestic Care Than Adopted From Abroad: http://www.businessinsider.com/russian-children-more-in-danger-at-home-2013-4
http://www.thedailybeast.com/witw/articles/2013/04/17/adopting-my-russian-daughter-not-just-parenting-but-healing.html

04/16/2013
NJ: Human Services replaces its police director

NJ.com - April 15, 2013
Donald Haynes, who earned $101,048 as Deputy Director of the 103-member police force, is no longer a state employee, Human Services spokeswoman Nicole Brossoie said. Glenn Talavera, the department's director of Investigations in the Office of Program Integrity and Accountability, has been named interim Director. The 103-member police force is assigned to accompany child welfare workers to potentially dangerous homes and guard the state's four psychiatric hospitals and seven developmental centers. Despite his deputy director title, Haynes was the police department's highest ranking official, and had been employed there since 2003, Brossoie said.
http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/04/human_services_replaces_its_po.html

04/16/2013
US: Adoption Case Brings Rare Family Law Dispute To High Court

National Public Radio - April 16, 2013
Take the usual agony of an adoption dispute. Add in the disgraceful U.S. history of ripping Indian children from their Native American families. Mix in a dose of initial fatherly abandonment. And there you have it - a poisonous and painful legal cocktail that goes before the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday. Also: Supreme Court to hear child custody fight; at crux is law on tribal rights: http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2013/0415/Supreme-Court-to-hear-child-custody-fight-at-crux-is-law-on-tribal-rights
http://www.npr.org/2013/04/16/177327391/adoption-case-brings-rare-family-law-dispute-to-high-court

04/16/2013
US: USDA Partners with the Department of Defense and the Cooperative Extension Service to Develop Guides Focused on Supporting Military Families

USDA Newsroom - April 15, 2013
The family members of military members often face unique challenges during and after deployment. In an effort to involve entire communities in supporting these families, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Defense (DoD) developed a series of publications with guidance for various audiences that assist and support members of the military, veterans and their families. The publications were developed in collaboration with the Military Family Research Institute at Purdue University and the National Military Family Association. USDA Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics Catherine Woteki helped unveil these publications at an event in Washington today in support of April as "Month of the Military Child" and the 2-year anniversary of Joining Forces, the initiative to support military families launched by First Lady Michelle Obama and Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden.
http://www.csrees.usda.gov/newsroom/news/2013news/04151_military_families.html

04/16/2013
Liberia: Orphan Fever: The Evangelical Movement's Adoption Obsession

Mother Jones - April 15, 2013
In 2005, Above Rubies began advocating adoptions from Liberia, arranged through private Christian ministries. Campbell-whose magazine likened adoption to "missions under our very own roof!"*-spent a week visiting Liberian orphanages and returned with "piles of letters addressed 'To any Mom and Dad.'" She touted the country's cost-effectiveness-"one of the cheapest international adoptions"-and claimed that 1 million infants were dying every year in this nation of fewer than 4 million people. "When we welcome a child into our heart and into our home," she wrote, "we actually welcome Jesus Himself." Campbell urged readers to contact three Christian groups-Acres of Hope, Children Concerned, and West African Children Support Network (WACSN)-that could arrange adoptions from Liberian orphanages. At the time, none of these groups was accredited in the United States as an adoption agency, yet they all placed Liberian children with American families for a fraction of the $20,000 to $35,000 that international adoptions typically cost. Related: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/04/charts-international-adoption-trends-liberia-haiti-uganda-congo-ethiopia-kyrgyzstan
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/04/christian-evangelical-adoption-liberia

04/16/2013
Nigeria: Okorocha To Supervise Adoption Of Children

Nigerian Observer - April 16, 2013
Governor. Rochas Okorocha of Imo has directed that henceforth all child adoption in the state must have his personal approval.
http://nigerianobservernews.com/15042013/news/Other%20News/othernews16.html

04/16/2013
United Kingdom: We need to value foster care, not fixate on adoption

The Guardian - April 16, 2013
Many children can spend years, and sometimes their entire childhoods, with foster carers, enjoying every benefit of the stability and support they should normally expect from birth families. In fact, only a small minority of the 78,000 British children in the care system are being considered for adoption, and it is important that fostering should not be regarded as some kind of automatic conveyor belt towards adoption.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/social-care-network/2013/apr/16/value-foster-care-adoption

04/14/2013
NY: Dutchess County child-abuse center to expand

Poughkeepsie Journal - April 12, 2013
"We're seeing a rise in the number of kids we're serving," Murphy said. "We treated 823 children last year and at this rate we're going to see over 1,000 this year." She said it's important for lawmakers to know that the well-funded center is there for them in their policy-making and for victims who need help.
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20130412/NEWS01/304120036/Dutchess-County-child-abuse-center-to-expand

04/14/2013
PA: State legislators urge redefinition of child abuse

Trib-Live - April 15, 2013
Pennsylvania's definition of child abuse is skewing statistics kept by welfare officials on how many children die from abuse, keeping the number artificially low. The 1986 definition is so narrow that 30 children who died from apparent abuse have yet to be counted among victims listed in annual reports from the state Welfare Department between 2008 and 2011, said Cathleen Palm, director of the Protect Our Children Committee, a statewide advocacy group formed to prevent child abuse
http://triblive.com/news/westmoreland/3349694-74/abuse-child-1000#axzz2QXEi74Lp

04/14/2013
US: Indian Affairs, Adoption, and Race: The Baby Veronica Case Comes to Washington

Atlantic - April 14, 2013
A little girl is at the heart of a big case at the Supreme Court next week, a racially-tinged fight over Native American rights and state custody laws. Also: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/baby-veronicas-loved-ones-wait-for-the-supreme-court-to-weigh-in/2013/04/14/7138b5f0-a526-11e2-a8e2-5b98cb59187f_story.html
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/04/indian-affairs-adoption-and-race-the-baby-veronica-case-comes-to-washington/274758/

04/14/2013
US: Pain of giving up children for adoption endures through decades

Sacramento Bee - April 15, 2013
But as with many other mothers of her generation, the loss of her birth child was deep and lasting, a permanent wound. Over the next five decades, Freddie carried a burden of guilt and grief. She couldn't even talk about her firstborn.
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/14/5340080/pain-of-giving-up-children-for.html

04/14/2013
US: Show Hope and Tim Tebow Foundation unite to support adoption

Christian Today - April 15, 2013
By collaboratively addressing their needs, this partnership will have a life-changing impact in illuminating the need for families to adopt children with special needs and by helping to place these children from across the globe with forever families. Additionally, families will be awarded with financial grants to help them overcome the high cost of adoption.
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/show.hope.and.tim.tebow.foundation.unite.to.support.adoption/32130.htm

04/14/2013
US: States line up in favor of federal adoption law

Associated Press - April 14, 2013
The U.S. Supreme Court this week will hear an emotional family challenge to longstanding federal law on the adoption of Native American children, with several states, tribes and children's welfare groups lining up to support the current rules. The 18 states that have signed onto a brief supporting the federal law are Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin.
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/04/14/news/states-line-up-in-favor-of-adoption-law

04/14/2013
Ireland: Thorny issues of adoption and parentage will be key battlegrounds

Irish Independent - April 15, 2013
The resounding vote in favour of a referendum to change the Constitution to allow same-sex marriage is a historic moment for Ireland's gay and lesbian community. All of the key battlegrounds in a coming referendum campaign relate to children.
http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/thorny-issues-of-adoption-and-parentage-will-be-key-battlegrounds-29195842.html

04/14/2013
Hong Kong: Kids wait in hope for foster homes

The Standard - April 15, 2013
According to the Hong Kong Family Welfare Society, there is a growing need for foster services and it is hoping that more volunteers will come forward. More than 100 children are now on the waiting list for foster parents.
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?we_cat=4&art_id=132829&sid=39479180&con_type=1&d_str=20130415&fc=10

04/14/2013
South Africa: Fostering grandparents can get grants

News 24 - April 14, 2013
Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini has welcomed a court ruling making grandparents who care for their grandchildren eligible for foster care grants.
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Fosterting-grandparents-can-get-grants-20130414

04/14/2013
South Korea: Koreans pick more girls for adoption

Korea JoongAng Daily - April 15, 2013
A survey result by an international adoption agency shows that the preference is definitely in favor of girls in the Korean adoption circle, reversing the country's ingrained tendency to opt for boys. Holt International Children's Services said that boys make up only 32 percent of all children adopted by Koreans through the agency last year.
http://koreajoongangdaily.joinsmsn.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2970152&cloc

04/14/2013
New Zealand: Bay child abuse reports skyrocket

The Bay of Plenty Times - April 13, 2013
Tauranga Child, Youth and Family received more than 5500 reports about the welfare of children last year an increase of 141.6 per cent over the past five years.
http://www.bayofplentytimes.co.nz/news/bay-child-abuse-reports-skyrocket/1828837/

04/15/2013
Adoption Tax Credit: 2012

For adoptions finalized in 2012, there is a federal adoption tax credit of up to $12,650 per child. The 2012 adoption tax credit is NOT refundable, which means taxpayers can only get the credit refunded if they have federal income tax liability (see below). Even if the adoption process started in 2011 or expenses were incurred in 2011, any credit claimed in 2012 is nonrefundable.
For details click here: http://www.nacac.org/taxcredit/taxcredit2012.html

04/11/2013
US: Q&A with Cherokee counsel for Baby Veronica case: The Supreme Court decision will impact every tribe in the country

Indian Country Today Media Network - April 11, 2013
After the April 8 press conference at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tulsa in which the National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA) and the Cherokee Nation shared the latest developments in the case Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl, Indian Country Today Media Network spoke with Chrissi Nimmo, the counsel of record for the Cherokee Nation.
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/04/11/qa-cherokee-counsel-baby-veronica-case-supreme-court-decision-will-impact-every-tribe

04/11/2013
US: 'Being the stork' for orphans' new families

CNN - April 11, 2013
Jane Aronson has evaluated more than 10,000 adopted children from around the world. She recently talked to CNN about her new book, and her charity's work.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/11/living/books-jane-aronson-orphan/?hpt=hp_bn11

04/11/2013
Australia: Officials 'hinder child protection services'

The Australian - April 12, 2013
Bureaucratic division, not a lack of money or resources, is the greatest impediment child protection services face in helping troubled families.
http://tinyurl.com/c8a5l5z

04/11/2013
Morocco: Morocco tightens adoption rules, Spanish families hit hard

ANSAmed - April 11, 2013
Morocco suspended international adoptions in 2012. Until a year ago foreign families could adopt in the country through an easier process than those in other countries.
http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/nations/morocco/2013/04/11/Morocco-tightens-adoption-rules-Spanish-families-hit-hard_8536760.html

04/11/2013
United Kingdom: Lancashire youngsters entering adoption have a long wait

Lancashire Evening Post - April 12, 2013
The County Council is one of 36 authorities in England where the average waiting time between the child entering care and adoption is between 692 and 1,082 days.
http://www.lep.co.uk/community/lancashire-youngsters-entering-adoption-have-a-long-wait-1-5578712

04/11/2013
United Kingdom: Ofsted announces single inspection regime for children's services

Public Finance - April 12, 2013
Ofsted has ditched plans for separate inspections of child protection and looked-after children services following discussions with councils. Instead it will bring in a single inspection framework for all social services involving children, including adoption and fostering.
http://www.publicfinance.co.uk/news/2013/04/ofsted-announces-single-inspection-regime-for-childrens-services/

04/10/2013
NJ: NJ can't tell churches about molesters

The Daily Journal - April 08, 2013
Churches can't count on New Jersey to let them know if a new employee or volunteer is a sexual predator, despite highly touted laws meant to disseminate that information to the public.
http://www.thedailyjournal.com/article/20130408/NEWS01/304080045/NJ-can-t-tell-churches-about-molesters

04/10/2013
US: Documentary explores role of mothers in prison

The Hour - April 10, 2013
The film examines the question: Is it possible to become a better mother while serving time in a maximum security prison? "Mothers of Bedford" tries to answer this question through the stories of five women who are incarcerated in the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility in Westchester County.
http://www.thehour.com/entertainment/weekend/documentary-explores-role-of-mothers-in-prison/article_671162c9-b1f5-59bf-be86-7a8281d73b06.html

04/10/2013
US: American Academy of Adoption Attorneys discuss Baby Veronica case as it heads to SCOTUS

WCBD - April 10, 2013
After more than a year of court hearings and appeals, Adoptive Couple V. Baby Girl will be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court next Tuesday. The nation's highest court decided to hear the case to determine if ICWA applies to an unwed father under the legal definition of "parent", and is applicable to block an adoption. In a press conference Wednesday, the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys said this case needs to re-define the law.
http://www.counton2.com/story/21936745/american-academy-of-adoption-attorneys-discuss-baby-veronica-case-as-it-heads-to-us-supreme-court

04/10/2013
US: Child migrants, alone in court

New York Times - April 10, 2013
In a nation that prides itself on the fact that everyone accused of a crime - murderers, rapists - has the right to a lawyer, undocumented immigrants, even when they are unaccompanied children, are not entitled to a public defender. Although some children are represented by pro bono lawyers or, for the few whose families can afford it, private lawyers, it's estimated that more than half of them go to court alone. These children - some as young as 2 years old - have no one to help them make the case that they should not be deported.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/11/opinion/give-lawyers-to-immigrant-children.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20130411&_r=1&

04/10/2013
US: Obama proposes new investments in preventing foster teen pregnancies

The Chronicle of Social Change - April 10, 2013
President Obama's proposal would for the first time focus federal funding specifically on preventing foster teens from getting pregnant. The new initiative would be funded at $12 million per year through unspent abstinence funds. Instead of being returned to the Treasury, these funds would be used to award competitive grants to local and state child welfare agencies that demonstrate leadership and initiative in reducing foster youth pregnancies.
https://chronicleofsocialchange.org/opinion/2013/04/10/obama-proposes-new-investments-in-preventing-foster-teen-pregnancies/

04/10/2013
US: Which states accepted the most refugees in 2012?

Governing - April 08, 2013
"The DeKalb County Department of Family and Children Services has seen a rise in the number of refugee families requiring the intervention of child welfare services thus further straining our State's budget," Michael B. Singleton, Georgia state refugee coordinator, wrote in a letter to the Department of State last August.
http://www.governing.com/news/state/sl-refugees-in-states-2012.html

04/10/2013
Australia: Reports of child abuse fall short of reality

The Australian - April 11, 2013
Child abuse is being vastly over-reported in Australia, with the head of the government's family research body identifying a wide gulf between notifications of alleged abuse and the claims being substantiated.
http://tinyurl.com/d7hn5a4

04/10/2013
Australia: More than $70 million for new services for children and families in the Northern Territory

The Hon Jenny Macklin MP Press Release - April 09, 2013
Children and families living in remote Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory will benefit from extra support services with a $73.5 million investment over ten years as part of the Gillard Government's Stronger Futures in the Northern Territory package.
http://jennymacklin.fahcsia.gov.au/node/2293

04/10/2013
CT: Appellate Court backs DCF decision to fire social worker whose foster child died

Journal Inquirer - April 09, 2013
The state Appellate Court on Monday reinstated a labor arbitrator's decision that the state Department of Children and Families acted properly in firing social worker Suzanne Listro of Mansfield, whose 7-month-old foster child died as a result of injuries possibly sustained under her care in May 2008.
http://www.journalinquirer.com/politics_and_government/appellate-court-backs-dcf-decision-to-fire-social-worker-whose/article_54554508-a129-11e2-a815-0019bb2963f4.html

04/10/2013
PA: Pennsylvania State Senate panel hears fresh calls for post-Sandusky child abuse law changes

The Patriot News - April 09, 2013
The chair of the Pennsylvania Senate's Public Heath and Welfare Committee said she wants to see a package of bills designed to strengthen protections for children from all forms of abuse moved to Gov. Corbett's desk by the end of the year.
http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/04/pennsylvania_state_senate_pane.html

04/10/2013
US: Using Social Media to Search for Birth Families

The Christian Post - April 09, 2013
Recently, a surge in the number of adoptees turning to Facebook and other social media sites to find their birthfamilies has been highlighted in the media. Since these sites are used by a good majority of the population, they offer a fast way to find and connect with people we may be searching for. Yet, as with any search, there are pros and cons: Particular to social media, there are facets to consider regarding private vs. public sharing.
http://blogs.christianpost.com/every-child/using-social-media-to-search-for-birthfamilies-15538/

04/10/2013
France & Mali: French families press Mali to scrap ban on foreign adoption

rfi English - April 10, 2013
As French troops fight armed Islamists in northern Mali, a group of French families is to lobby for a change in the African country's adoption law, amended in 2012, so that only Malian families could adopt Malian children.
http://www.english.rfi.fr/africa/20130410-france-familes-lobby-mali-reverse-foreigners-adoption-ban

04/10/2013
India: [Supreme Court] seeks clarity on citizenship status of adopted child

Deccan Herald - April 09, 2013
A two-judge bench of the Supreme Court (SC) presided by Justice Gyan Sudha Misra on Monday has asked the Centre to explain the citizenship status of a child adopted by a foreign couple.
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/325044/sc-seeks-clarity-citizenship-status.html

04/10/2013
China: Babies find home in her arms

China Daily USA - April 10, 2013
By January, there were about 615,000 orphans and abandoned children in China, but just 109,000 of them were in State-run orphanages, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Lou's is one of hundreds of families taking care of abandoned babies or orphans outside the welfare system. Although the practice is illegal, many people are sympathetic to characters such as Lou, who was motivated by the best of intentions, that of saving the life of a child.
http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2013-04/10/content_16388191.htm

04/10/2013
South Africa: Child welfare workers picket offices

IOL - April 10, 2013
Durban and District Child Welfare staff picketed outside the organization's offices yesterday, demanding better wages and working conditions and calling for the executive director to quit.
http://www.iol.co.za/dailynews/news/child-welfare-workers-picket-offices-1.1498288#.UWVnvaKG3kU

04/09/2013
PA: House approves Pa. child-abuse case subpoena bill

Associated Press - April 08, 2013
A bill to give Pennsylvania prosecutors administrative subpoena power in child abuse investigations is on its way to the Senate after approval in the state House.
http://www.thereporteronline.com/article/20130408/NEWS03/130409491/house-approves-pa-child-abuse-case-subpoena-bill

04/09/2013
US: How Facebook Found This Abandoned Child's Parents

Huffington Post - April 08, 2013
Social media played a pivotal role in identifying the toddler and leading authorities to her parents. Nearly 2 million people reposted Brown's photos on Facebook. A tip came in identifying Brown.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/07/zoe-brown-abandoned-toddler-identified-_n_3032950.html

04/09/2013
US: Traveling film shines light on kids stuck in international adoption limbo

KSL-TV - April 08, 2013
In essence, the movie "Stuck" hopes to bring awareness to the challenges of the international adoption process and perhaps influence change at the highest levels of the U.S. government.
http://www.ksl.com/?sid=24707891&nid=1011&s_cid=rss-extlink

04/09/2013
US: Tribal group urges Supreme Court to uphold Indian Child Welfare Act

Tulsa World - April 09, 2013
Members of the National Indian Child Welfare Association on Monday asked for a federal law to be left intact as the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to take up a Nowata family's case next week.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/article.aspx/Tribal_group_urges_Supreme_Court_to_uphold_Indian_Child/20130409_11_A14_CUTLIN702978?rss_lnk=11

04/09/2013
Indonesia: Child protection a low priority in Indonesia

IRIN News - April 08, 2013
Efforts to protect children in Indonesia from abuse are obstructed by barriers to crime reporting, which may worsen with the threatened closure of police-run units that handle crimes against women and children.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97800/Child-protection-a-low-priority-in-Indonesia

04/09/2013
Ukraine: Foreigners adopt Ukrainian children not actively

For-ua.com - April 08, 2013
The number of Ukrainian orphans adopted by citizens of foreign countries, despite predictions, has not increased after Russia adopted a law banning international adoption, President's Commissioner for Children's Rights Yuri Pavlenko told a briefing.
Also: http://en.for-ua.com/news/2013/04/08/155558.html
http://en.for-ua.com/news/2013/04/08/153712.html

04/08/2013
PA: Bill would update abuse definition

The Tribune-Democrat - April 06, 2013
Even though most child development experts say there is no reason for a parent to strike a child, lawmakers are unwilling to completely bar corporal punishment and they are tying themselves into knots trying to figure out where to draw the line between a legal spanking and an illegal beating.
http://tribune-democrat.com/local/x2015920163/Bill-would-update-abuse-definition

04/08/2013
PA: Child Abuse Prevention Month brings unwelcomed local stats

Times Observer - April 08, 2013
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare's Annual Child Abuse Report for 2011, Warren County was ranked sixth highest in the state for substantiated abuse per 1,000 children. For every 1,000 children in Warren County that year, approximately 2.8 suffered substantiated abuse that was reported to authorities.
http://timesobserver.com/page/content.detail/id/563727/Child-Abuse-Prevention-Month-brings-unwelcomed-local-stats.html?nav=5006

04/08/2013
Malaysia: Court releases 28 children back to adoptive parents

The Malaysian Insider - April 08, 2013
The Bukit Mertajam magistrate's court today ordered 28 children, who are subjects of an alleged child trafficking ring, to be released into the care of their adoptive parents. The children, between the ages of five months and eight years, were brought to the courthouse in a bus where the court issued the interim custody to the adoptive parents.
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/litee/malaysia/article/court-releases-28-children-back-to-adoptive-parents

04/08/2013
Armenia: Ending the Era of Orphanages in Armenia

The Armenian Weekly - April 06, 2013
"The orphanage is the opposite of a mother. This is the reason that an orphanage is so terrible," Armenian journalist Mher Arshakyan, an orphanage graduate, once said. Around 5,000 children in Armenia spend all or most of their time in residential childcare institutions, such as orphanages and boarding schools. Over 80 percent of children in orphanages have at least one living parent. The government of Armenia adopted a plan in 2006, as part of their child welfare reforms, to secure the rights of children through the closure of orphanages or their conversion into family and child support institutions. UNICEF has supported this initiative, gently prodding the slow-moving process forward.
Response: http://www.armenianweekly.com/2012/08/16/response-to-barsoumians-ending-the-era-of-orphanages-in-armenia/
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2012/08/15/ending-the-era-of-orphanages-in-armenia/

04/08/2013
Kenya: Adopted kids to get birth certificates

The Star - April 06, 2013
The High court yesterday ordered the government to issue all adopted children with birth certificates. High court judge Isaac Lenaola directed the Principal Registrar of Births and Deaths to ensure adopted children appearing in the register for adopted children are issued with certificates immediately, based on the particulars appearing in the said register.
http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/article-115543/adopted-kids-get-birth-certificates

04/08/2013
Vatican City: Francis to doctrinal office: Act 'decisively' against sex abuse

Catholic News Service - April 05, 2013
Francis met Friday morning with Archbishop Gerhard L. Muller, prefect of the Vatican's powerful Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, according to a press release. While the release states the two talked about the various responsibilities of Muller's office, it also says the pope made a particular point of highlighting its work to counter clerical sexual abuse.
http://ncronline.org/news/vatican/francis-doctrinal-office-act-decisively-against-sex-abuse

04/04/2013
CT: State takes new steps to fight sex slavery

NBC Connecticut - April 03, 2013
For nearly five years, Connecticut's Department of Children and Families has been working on a problem that in some respects has surprised them. It was 2008 when they were called in on a case of international child sex trafficking. Since then, they've developed a program to deal with sex trafficking in the state. What they've learned is it's more of a domestic problem than they first thought.
http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/investigations/LWRD--201370801.html

04/04/2013
NJ: Free family-focused support services coming to Union Beach

Asbury Park Press - April 04, 2013
The Community YMCA and the state Department of Children and Families have united to help residents in the area. The one-stop center will be offering services such as support and assistance to families with storm-related issues, building healthy relationships and stabilizing their everyday coping situations, said George Hunt, vice president of counseling and social services for the CYMCA.
http://www.app.com/article/20130403/NJNEWS/304030128/Free-family-focused-support-services-coming-Union-Beach

04/04/2013
US: My post-adoption depression

Slate - April 03, 2013
A March 2012 Purdue University study suggests that between 18 and 26 percent of adoptive mothers struggle with post-adoption depression, brought on by extreme fatigue, unrealistic expectations of parenthood or a lack of community support.
http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2013/04/post_adoption_depression_it_s_as_crippling_as_postpartum_and_much_less_recognized.html

04/04/2013
Australia: NSW child protection workers strike

The Australian - April 03, 2013
Child protection workers in Sydney's west and northwest have held stop work meetings to protest over understaffing and a lack of resources.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/breaking-news/nsw-child-protection-workers-strike/story-fn3dxiwe-1226611951206

04/04/2013
Australia: Child abuse inquiry sits for first time

Associated Press - April 03, 2013
The head of an Australia-wide commission looking into allegations of child sex abuse in state and religious institutions as well as community groups said more than 5,000 victims are likely to give evidence of their harrowing experiences.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/australian-child-abuse-inquiry-sits-time-18867667#.UV1xSTcmCSo

04/04/2013
Ghana: Child protection worsens as more children live in orphanages in Ghana

Ghana News Agency - April 02, 2013
UNICEF has stated that 5,000 children live in orphanages and other residential care institutions in Ghana as child protection continued to worsen despite great strides made to bring children back from unnecessary institutionalization.
http://www.ghananewsagency.org/social/child-protection-worsens-as-more-children-live-in-orphanages-in-ghana-58383

04/04/2013
Guatemala: In Guatemala, UNICEF Executive Director welcomes steps towards greater focus on child protection systems

The Guatemala Times - April 03, 2013
While challenges remain, Guatemala has taken steps towards improving child protection systems, establishing more specialized Children's Courts, pledging to resolve 'transition adoption' cases, preventing children ending up in institutions, supporting families to keep their children and punishing crimes against children.
http://www.guatemala-times.com/news/guatemala/3640-in-guatemala-unicef-executive-director-welcomes-steps-towards-greater-focus-on-child-protection-systems.html

04/04/2013
India: Central Adoption Resource Authority to open 8 new child adoption centers

The Times of India - April 04, 2013
With the growing demand of adoptions, the Union ministry for women and child development, on the recommendation of the state government, is set to open eight new adoption agencies at Patna, Gaya, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Munger, Saharsa, Purnia and Saran. Each centre will get Rs13.86 lakh from the central government.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/Central-Adoption-Resource-Authority-to-open-8-new-child-adoption-centres/articleshow/19372530.cms

04/04/2013
Russia: Children's rights ombudsman: 33 Russian kids not allowed to join U.S. adoptive parents

Russia Beyond the Headlines - April 03, 2013
St. Petersburg's commissioner for children's rights, Svetlana Agapitova, has asked Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to look into a situation where 33 orphans from the city who have formally been adopted by Americans and have already met their adoptive parents are not being let out of Russia.
http://rbth.ru/news/2013/04/03/ombudsman_33_russian_kids_not_allowed_to_join_us_adoptive_parents_24616.html

04/03/2013
United Arab Emirates: Emiratis can be foster parents now

Khaleej Times - April 03, 2013
Emirati families now have the chance to take in abandoned children and give them a chance of a decent life. Director-General of the Community Development Authority (CDA) Khaled Al Kamda made the announcement on Tuesday morning as part of a programme billed 'Ihtidan' or 'Embrace'.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/nation/inside.asp?xfile=/data/nationgeneral/2013/April/nationgeneral_April42.xml§ion=nationgeneral

04/03/2013
Ukraine: Pavlenko to check in US compliance with rights of adopted children from Ukraine

NRCU - Ukrainian Radio - April 02, 2013
The Ukrainian president's commissioner for children's rights, Yuriy Pavlenko, [is] on a visit to the United States April 1-4. The purpose of the visit is to study the state of compliance with the rights of Ukrainian children who were adopted by U.S. citizens.
http://www.nrcu.gov.ua/en/148/527856/

04/03/2013
Australia: Child abuse victims to have free legal advice for Royal Commission

ABC News Australia - April 03, 2013
The Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has announced that child abuse victims giving evidence will have access to a free legal advice service.
http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2013/s3728475.htm

04/03/2013
Russia: Putin Wants to Stop Foreign Gay Couples From Adopting Russian Children

Advocate.com - April 01, 2013
According to the website RT, the [Russian] government and the Supreme Court have been ordered to propose amendments to the law as soon as July 1. Tension surrounding the issue of same-sex couples adopting has increased dramatically in the country since the French National Assembly approved a bill in mid-February that would legalize marriage and adoption by same-sex couples. It was shortly thereafter that Russian children's rights ombudsman Pavel Astakhov declared he would work toward a future in which Russian orphans would be placed only with heterosexual couples.
http://www.advocate.com/print/politics/2013/04/01/putin-wants-stop-foreign-gay-couples-adopting-russian-children

04/02/2013
US: Foreign adoption comes with obstacles, but parents advised to 'stay the course' (Requires registration)

Chicago Tribune - April 02, 2013
Kara Chlebek takes a deep breath before describing the ordeal she and her husband, Tom, endured in their attempt to adopt a child internationally. The three-year process included multiple interviews, a forest of paperwork, months long delays, referrals for children in Poland and China, and several lengthy airline flights.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-x-foreign-adoption-20130402,0,6301893.story?track=rss

04/02/2013
US: Sexual abuse, neglect predicted teen pregnancy

Healio.com - April 01, 2013
Teenage girls who were sexually abused or neglected were more than twice as likely to experience teen childbirth compared with those who were not maltreated, according to new study results. "One explanation for the persistently high US birth rate is that there are risk factors for teen pregnancy and childbirth that are not addressed in current prevention efforts," the researchers wrote.
Report: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2013/03/18/peds.2012-3072.abstract
http://www.healio.com/psychiatry/violence-trauma/news/online/%7BBBBB8582-7685-486F-A75D-6478316256D7%7D/Sexual-abuse-neglect-predicted-teen-pregnancy

04/02/2013
US: When stars adopt, the world notices

USA Today - April 02, 2013
"I think the public has the impression that celebrities have an edge on and get breaks with everything, including adoption," says adoption expert Devon Brooks, an associate professor of social work at the University of Southern California. "Having said that, I don't think the public has the impression that celebrities who adopt get to break all the laws and rules. The American public is inspired by celebrity adoptions because they epitomize the American experience."
http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2013/04/01/nia-vardalos-instant-mom-celebrity-adoption/2028381/

04/02/2013
Guatemala: Executive Director welcomes steps towards greater focus on child protection systems

Unicef - April 01, 2013
While challenges remain, Guatemala has taken steps towards improving child protection systems, establishing more specialized Children's Courts, pledging to resolve 'transition adoption' cases, preventing children ending up in institutions, supporting families to keep their children and punishing crimes against children.
http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/guatemala_68509.html

04/02/2013
Canada: Canadian Human Rights Tribunal Finally Hears Aboriginal Child Welfare Case

Indian Country Today - April 01, 2013
After a seven-year legal fight waged by a prominent aboriginal-children's advocate and the Assembly of First Nations against the federal government, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal is finally hearing a case about the welfare of on-reserve aboriginal children.
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/04/01/canadian-human-rights-tribunal-finally-hears-aboriginal-child-welfare-case-148456

04/02/2013
Africa: Effects of Orphanages in Sub-Saharan Africa

The Emory Wheel - April 01, 2013
There are currently an estimated 53.1 million orphans in sub-Saharan Africa, which comprises 12 percent of all children throughout the continent. A number of strategies have been introduced to provide care and support for these children, the most common response being the expansion of orphanage institutions. Institutionalization should be the last resort for children. Orphanages have an extremely limited capacity. They are financially inefficient, and there are long-term psychosocial ramifications.
http://www.emorywheel.com/effects-of-orphanages-in-sub-saharan-africa/

04/01/2013
US: Sexual Trauma: One Legacy of the Boarding School Era

Indian Country Today - March 30, 2013
Brave elders have come forward to share their heart wrenching tales of abuse and assault at the hands of priests, nuns, and other staff at boarding schools. As a parent, it's difficult to listen to stories of how innocent preschool age girls were digitally penetrated by perverted priests and little boys were forced to perform oral sex on nuns in the middle of the night under pain of death. Sexual abuse was frequent and continuous, utter torture. Most of us will never know the trauma our grandmothers and grandfathers were made to endure at boarding schools.
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/opinion/sexual-trauma-one-legacy-boarding-school-era-148455

04/01/2013
US: Foster care and adoption myths answered by Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption (Photos)

The Examiner - March 29, 2013
There are currently over 100,000 children in foster care waiting for permanent homes. According to a March 27 Miami Herald report, over 19,000 children are awaiting families in Florida alone. This Examiner interviewed Rita Soronen, president and CEO of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption on March 29. Soronen cleared up misconceptions about what it takes to become a foster parent or to adopt from the foster care system.
http://www.examiner.com/article/foster-care-and-adoption-myths-answered-by-dave-thomas-foundation-for-adoption?cid=rss

04/01/2013
US: Presidential Proclamation -- National Child Abuse Prevention Month, 2013

Whitehouse.gov - March 29, 2013
America is a country where all of us should be able to pursue our own measure of happiness and live free from fear. But for the millions of children who have experienced abuse or neglect, it is a promise that goes tragically unfulfilled.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/03/29/presidential-proclamation-national-child-abuse-prevention-month-2013

04/01/2013
Uganda: Number of abandoned children increasing

Daily Monitor - April 01, 2013
According to the African Network for the Prevention and Protection against Child Abuse and Neglect, child abandonment breaches all fundamental parental roles of nurturing, protecting and guiding an offspring, particularly during the most vulnerable stages of their lives.
http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Number-of-abandoned-children-increasing/-/688334/1735604/-/1qmv1ez/-/index.html

04/01/2013
Canada: Native Children Ask for Equal Rights in 'Letters to Canada' Video

Indian Country Today Media Network - March 29, 2013
As the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) and the First Nations Children & Family Caring Society duke it out in the courts and before the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, the children who are the subject of the debate articulate their wish to be treated equally. First Nations children who live on-reserve are covered by the feds, and they get 22 percent less per capita in benefits than their off-reserve counterparts, whose welfare services are covered by the provincial and territorial governments. Canada has spent about $3 million to try and avoid going before the tribunal, saying that it doesn't make sense to compare provincial and federal funding in that way. But prominent aboriginal children's advocate Cindy Blackstock, head of the Caring Society, begs to differ, alleging in her case that such practices are tantamount to discrimination. Meanwhile there are more children in foster care than there were in residential schools during the height of the boarding-school era, some claim.
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/03/29/native-children-ask-equal-rights-letters-canada-video-148457

03/29/2013
PA: & UT: Utah Supreme Court weighs Pennsylvanian's adoption fight

Salt Lake Tribune - March 29, 2013
On Tuesday, the Utah Supreme Court asked pointed questions about Carlton's moves to protect his paternity rights, which a trial judge said in February came too late, and whether Utah's Adoption Act should prevail over another state's statute when they conflict.
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/56047299-78/adoption-carlton-child-utah.html.csp

03/29/2013
US: Lawmaker introduces 'Kilah Davenport Child Protection Act'

WSOT TV - March 28, 2013
New legislation aims to help protect children nationwide. Thursday morning, Congressman Robert Pittenger formally announced the "Kilah Davenport Child Protection Act of 2013". The new legislation seeks to ensure those who commit heinous acts against children punished appropriately.
http://www.wbtv.com/story/21820603/pittenger-introduces-kilah-davenport-child-protection-act

04/01/2013
April Is National Child Abuse Prevention Month

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, an opportunity to raise awareness about child abuse and neglect and promote activities aimed at protecting children and supporting families. This year's Prevention Month activities continue to reflect the Office on Child Abuse and Neglect's (OCAN's) June 2011 conference theme, Preventing Child Maltreatment and Promoting Well-Being: Network for Action. For more details log onto https://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewArticles&issueid=145&articleid=3824

03/25/2013
NET CETERA
Chatting with Kids About Being Online

To download the brochure please click here.

03/25/2013
CT: 10 Children Living In Limbo As Judge Fails To Act, DCF Alleges

Hartford Courant - March 25, 2013
A juvenile court judge has been ordered to address a batch of child-protection cases that she inexplicably allowed to languish, stalling adoptions or other permanent placements for 10 children who had been removed from their parents because of abuse or neglect. The Department of Children and Families had to seek an Appellate Court order against Superior Court Judge E. Curtissa Cofield, who has a history of discipline, compelling her to make decisions in four cases involving the 10 children who are in temporary foster care.
http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-judge-discipline-dcf-0326-20130325,0,1485393.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Courant%2FConnecticutNews+%28courant.

03/25/2013
RI: Bill would teach kids how to prevent abuse

Associated Press - March 23, 2013
A bill introduced in the Rhode Island Senate would require public schools to teach children how to prevent and fight child sexual abuse and abduction. Bill sponsor Sen. James Doyle, a Democrat of Pawtucket, says abuse and exploitation of children can be reduced by raising awareness in young children of common dangers and warning signs.
http://www.newstimes.com/news/article/RI-bill-would-teach-kids-how-to-prevent-abuse-4378813.php

03/25/2013
US: Birth rate among sexually abused, neglected teens is 5 times higher than national average, says study

Southern California Public Radio - March 25, 2013
More than 20 percent of teenage girls who have been neglected or sexually abused give birth, says a new study, eclipsing the national teen birth rate of about 4 percent. That's according to new research appearing in the journal Pediatrics, which noted that the girls in the study tended to be from low-income, inner-city neighborhoods.
http://www.scpr.org/blogs/southla/2013/03/25/13040/birth-rate-among-sexually-abused-neglected-teens-i/

03/25/2013
France: France protests gay marriage law and child adoption

The Turk - March 25, 2013
Over 60 percent of the French support gay marriage, though just under half support adoption by same sex couples .The law was a key electoral pledge by Hollande, but his critics say he has tried to push it through without broad public consensus.
http://www.nationalturk.com/en/france-protests-gay-marriage-law-and-child-adoption-europe-news-35911

03/25/2013
India: Child units a must at police stations

Hindustan Times - March 25, 2013
In the backdrop of findings that a growing number of minors are involved in various criminal offences, the Supreme Court had directed that a special officer be appointed at every police station to deal with such cases. States were asked for their response in cases of missing children.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Mumbai/Child-units-a-must-at-police-stations/Article1-1031703.aspx

03/25/2013
United Kingdom: New Hope of Better Outcomes for Children in Care

Herald Online - March 25, 2013
Capstone Foster Care is one of six sites in Britain chosen by The Fostering Network to demonstrate a new way of working with children and young people who come into the care system. The model for this innovative programme has been taken from Europe where interventions for children unable to live with their parents are known to be more effective in every area (better educational, social and emotional outcomes - with far fewer children accessing mental health services later in their lives). The 'Head, Heart, Hands' programme was launched on March 20th in Parliament. It is a four-year project, backed by Comic Relief and other major funders who are prepared to invest substantially in transforming how we care for the most vulnerable children in our society. It has secured cross-party encouragement and it is hoped that this model of social pedagogy that is so grounded in Europe's practice, will take root and grow here.
http://www.heraldonline.com/2013/03/25/4720943/new-hope-of-better-outcomes-for.html#storylink=rss

03/25/2013
NY: The McMahon/Ryan Child Advocacy Center has a new leader

CNY Central - March 22, 2013
The McMahon/Ryan Child Advocacy Center has a new leader. Linda Cleary will serve as the organization's new Executive Director. The Center provides and coordinates multi-agency services for child abuse and neglect victims in Onondaga County.
http://www.cnycentral.com/news/story.aspx?id=875569#.UVBRcTf4Jxd

03/25/2013
PA: Mensch Supports Protection for Child Abuse Whistleblowers

Salisbury Patch - March 24, 2013
Senate Bill 33 provides employee whistleblower protection for child abuse reporting. Sadly, fear of losing their job has been a reason for some citizens to keep suspected abuse to themselves. The bill will allow an employee to bring legal action for employment discrimination if they are a mandated reporter (required by law to report suspected child abuse); if the person acted in good faith; and if the person is fired or discriminated against in compensation, hire, tenure, terms, conditions or privileges of employment.
http://salisbury.patch.com/articles/mensch-supports-protection-for-child-abuse-whistleblowers

03/25/2013
US: Connecting dots on child abuse to save lives

Washington Post - March 24, 2013
The Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities is the result of legislation, the Protect Our Kids Act of 2012, that got broad, bipartisan support in the House, passed the Senate unanimously and was signed by the president on Jan. 14. The commission will consist of 12 members, six to be named by the president and six to come from Democratic and Republican leaders of the House and Senate. Members are expected to be named next month.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/connecting-the-dots-on-child-abuse-to-save-lives/2013/03/24/24a40a2c-91b3-11e2-9cfd-36d6c9b5d7ad_story.html

03/25/2013
US: Mountain View Mom Awarded for Adoption Search on Spokeo

Mountainview Patch - March 23, 2013
International adoptions can be lengthy, frustrating and expensive. Adoptions from countries ravaged by war can be even more complicated. Mountain View resident Kari Lemons founded the Khmer Cousins DNA Project to help families find relatives of their Cambodian children adopted between 1990-2002. People search engine, Spokeo, with strategic partner Mixed Roots Foundation, have just named her one of five winners of a Spokeo Search Angel Award.
http://mountainview.patch.com/articles/mountain-view-mom-awarded-for-adoption-search-on-spokeo

03/25/2013
US: Study suggests new risk factor for autism

Boston Globe - March 25, 2013
In a study published in JAMA Psychiatry last Wednesday, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health examined medical records from 50,000 women enrolled in the Nurses' Health Study II and found that those who experienced the most physical, emotional, or sexual abuse as children were 60 percent more likely to have a child with autism - 1.8 percent of children born to women reporting the highest amount of abuse had autism compared with 0.7 percent of those born to women who said they were never screamed at, hit, or sexually abused as children.
Study highlights: http://media.jamanetwork.com/news-item/study-examines-link-between-maternal-exposure-to-childhood-abuse-autism-risk/
http://bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/2013/03/24/new-autism-link-women-abused-children-more-likely-have-child-with-disorder/HeJeUqVEcOonJYElUjtjXJ/story.html

03/25/2013
China: Is Adoption from China Ending?

Parents.com - March 22, 2013
In the last 30 years, nearly 100,000 children from China have found new families around the world, thanks to one of the most stable and popular international adoption programs. China and the U.S. both signed the Hague Convention governing international adoption, which required checks on the histories of all children, to determine if they are truly orphans and available for adoption.
http://www.parents.com/blogs/goodyblog/

03/25/2013
Russia: Moscow to create database of Russian children with foreign families - Lavrov

RT.com - March 22, 2013
Russia is working on a database on all Russian children adopted by foreigners says Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Moscow will push for a US response to its requests into suspected cases of abuse of Russian kids in adoptive American families.
http://rt.com/politics/lavrov-gay-marriage-france-adoption-662/

03/22/2013
NY: Oswego County Judge accused of placing infant in dangerous home with sex offender

CNY Central - March 21, 2013
The grandparents of a 3-month-old girl claim Family Court Judge Kim Seager has placed the child in danger by allowing her to live with registered sex offender in a home of squalor and neglect.
http://www.cnycentral.com/neighborhood/story.aspx?id=875059#.UUxOCzf4Jxd

03/22/2013
US: Children Of Gay Parents Support Same-Sex Marriage

National Public Radio - March 22, 2013
Opponents of gay marriage have long made children part of the debate, asserting that their best interests require both a mom and a dad. In recent years, however, the children of same-sex couples have started speaking out for themselves, advocating for gay marriage.
Also: http://www.king5.com/health/dr-wendy-sue-swanson/Well-being-of-children-raised-by-gay-parents-199224721.html
http://www.npr.org/2013/03/22/175014380/children-of-gay-parents-support-same-sex-marriage

03/22/2013
US: House Makes Case for Improving Foster Care and Adoption

Chronicle of Higher Education - March 20, 2013
"While tens of thousands of children are adopted from foster care each year, twice as many foster children are still waiting for a permanent home, said subcommittee chairman Dave Reichert (R-Wash.). "Past federal efforts have increased support for adoptions and have helped states reduce the number of children in foster care each year. As we review the Adoption Incentives program? We need to make sure these measures are still working well so we can ensure all children have a permanent home as quickly as possible."
Committee Report: http://www.judiciary.senate.gov/hearings/hearing.cfm?id=491999b7f6e49deb61219d9b93ba3454
Also: http://blog.heritage.org/2013/03/20/house-makes-case-for-improving-foster-care-and-adoption/
https://chronicleofsocialchange.org/analysis/2013/02/26/capitol-view-on-kids-the-latest-news-on-children-and-families-from-washington-3/

03/22/2013
US: The collateral consequences of mass deportation

Aljazeera.com - March 22, 2013
The US Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on March 18 titled, "How Comprehensive Immigration Reform Should Address the Needs of Women and Families". The hearing focused on how entry visas affected women and families, the Violence against Women Act, family reunification, and comprehensive immigration reform. The panelists spoke extensively about how immigration policy discriminates against women. They highlighted the tremendous costs to families caused by visa backlogs and extended family separation.
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2013/03/201332012040530201.html

03/22/2013
US: The Foster Care System: What Parents Wish We Knew

National Public Radio - March 21, 2013
When we talk about the foster care system, we're often responding to stories about the kids, their struggles, sometimes their triumphs. But in a recent blog post entitled "What Foster Parents Wish Other People Knew," one foster parent speaks from the other side of the table.
http://www.npr.org/2013/03/21/174958972/the-foster-care-system-what-parents-wish-we-knew?ft=1&f=5

03/22/2013
Canada: Government of Canada Announces Enhanced Adoption Tax Credit

Adoption Council of Canada - March 21, 2013
The Canadian government has taken an important step in supporting adoptive families by expanding the federal adoption tax credit in the 2013 budget, says the Adoption Council of Canada. Until now, the tax credit has primarily been claimed by families adopting internationally, who face steep up-front costs as they build their families. These changes will now make it easier for families adopting from the foster care system within Canada to claim the credit as well. Costs associated with the mandatory homestudy and pre-service adoption preparation training would now be covered under the proposed enhancement.
Also: http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/national/Federal+budget+offers+breaks+baby+clothes+adoption/8133612/story.html
http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/government-of-canada-announces-enhanced-adoption-tax-credit-1770960.htm

03/22/2013
Russia: Russia, U.S. to hold consultations on destiny of adopted children soon - Russian Education Ministry

Russia Beyond The Headlines - March 22, 2013
Russia and the United States will soon hold consultations and will in particular discuss the destiny of two Russian children adopted to the U.S., Kirill Kuzmin and Yegor Shatabalov. "We plan to hold relevant consultations soon during which we will receive exhaustive information on the investigations on the deaths of Russian children. Then we [will discuss] the issue on the latest two cases related to Kirill Kuzmin and the re-adoption of Yegor Shatabalov," Russian Deputy Education and Science Minister, Igor Remorenko, said while speaking at a "governmental hour" in the Russian State Duma.
http://rbth.ru/news/2013/03/22/russia_us_to_hold_consultations_on_destiny_of_adopted_children_soon_-_ru_24140.html

03/22/2013
Netherlands: Turkey, Dutch leaders spar over boy's foster case

Stamford Advocate - March 21, 2013
Erdogan said placing a child from a Muslim background with lesbians could breach his nation's "moral and religious values." He said talks between ministries in the two countries that oversee child care could "prevent this kind of problem so the strong relationship between our countries is not weakened." But Rutte told reporters: "The placing of Dutch foster children is the responsibility of the Netherlands alone. Nobody else."
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/world/article/Turkey-Dutch-leaders-spar-over-boy-s-foster-case-4373607.php

03/21/2013
US: Pediatricians' group comes out in support of gay marriage and adoptions by homosexual single parents

Boston Globe - March 21, 2013
For the past decade, the American Academy of Pediatrics has supported adoptions by second parents of children born to one gay parent as a way to ensure health benefits, financial security, and strong parental relationships in the event of a divorce. The new policy supporting civil marriages for couples of the same gender is based on research showing health and economic disparities in children being raised by parents who aren't married.
http://www.boston.com/dailydose/2013/03/20/pediatricians-group-comes-out-support-gay-marriage-and-adoptions-homosexual-single-parents/5e1S8bdx3x6yit2KFT5XOJ/story.html

03/21/2013
Australia: Australian PM apologizes for forced adoptions

Associated Press - March 21, 2013
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard delivered a historic national apology in Parliament on Thursday to the thousands of unwed mothers who were forced by government policies to give up their babies for adoption over several decades.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/australian-pm-apologizes-forced-adoptions-18777284

03/21/2013
Northern Ireland: NSPCC helpline calls up 58% in Northern Ireland

BBC News - March 21, 2013
A child protection helpline has reported a 58% rise in the number of calls it received from Northern Ireland last year, compared to the previous year.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-21858911

03/21/2013
Russia: Russia seeks Interpol investigation of deaths in adoptive US families

RT - March 20, 2013
Chairman of the Russian Investigative Committee Aleksandr Bastrykin told reporters on Wednesday that his agency would use the international agency Interpol in order to bring criminal responsibility upon US citizens whose adopted Russian children die in suspicious circumstances.
http://rt.com/politics/russia-vows-to-prosecute-us-citizens-guilty-of-russian-kids-deaths-528/

03/20/2013
NJ: Family says NJ overreacted to boy's gun photo

Associated Press - March 19, 2013
The weapon in the photo, posted by his dad on Facebook, resembles a military-style assault rifle but, his father says, is actually just a .22-caliber copy. And that, the family believes, is why child welfare case workers and police officers visited the home in Carneys Point last Friday and asked to see his guns.-on-facebook.
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/family-says-nj-overreacted-boys-gun-photo

03/20/2013
US: Meth-Addicted Moms Have Babies With Odd Stress Response

Live Science - March 20, 2013
Toddlers exposed to methamphetamines in the womb have abnormal responses to stress, but only when they also live in unstable home environments. Unfortunately for kids, prenatal drug use and unstable homes often go hand-in-hand. In a new study, 68 percent of kids whose mothers used meth during pregnancy showed a blunted response to stressful situations.
http://www.livescience.com/28042-meth-moms-babies-stress.html

03/19/2013
United Kingdom: Child protection in Northamptonshire is 'inadequate'

Northampton H02erald & Post - March 20, 2013
A Report by Ofsted has slammed Northamptonshire County Council's child protection services as being 'inadequate'. The inspection results, which were released this morning, highlight how vulnerable children across Northamptonshire 'are not effectively protected from harm'.
http://www.northampton-news-hp.co.uk/News/Northampton-News/Child-protection-in-Northamptonshire-is-inadequate-20130320104710.htm

03/19/2013
Russia: Fury over adoptive boy's death in US

AFP - March 19, 2013
Russia said Tuesday it was seriously concerned by a US decision not to prosecute the adoptive parents of a Russian boy whose January death has sparked a diplomatic row between the two countries. Russian officials claim toddler Max Shatto - born Maxim Kuzmin - was tortured and murdered by his adoptive US mother, whipping up a storm of controversy less than two months after Moscow banned US adoptions.
Related: http://www.vidaenelvalle.com/2013/03/19/1458905/russian-agency-criticizes-us-ruling.html
http://gulfnews.com/news/world/other-world/russia-fury-over-adoptive-boy-s-death-in-us-1.1160287

03/19/2013
Vatican City: Pope Francis supports zero tolerance of child abuse

National Catholic Reporter (blog) - March 20, 2013
Pope Francis is on record as supporting zero tolerance for the sexual abuse of minors by priests. In a 2012 interview, then-Cardinal Bergoglio said that a bishop called him for advice on how to deal with it, and "I told him to take away the priests' licenses, not to allow them to exercise the priesthood any more, and to begin a canonical trial in that diocese's court."
http://ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/pope-francis-supports-zero-tolerance-child-abuse

03/18/2013
PA: Bills would overhaul Pa.'s child-abuse reporting system

Philly.com - March 18, 2013
More than two dozen bills - including ones that would broaden the definition of child abuse - are under consideration in the House and Senate, four months after a task force released its report in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal.
Also: http://timesleader.com/news/local-news/361626/Senators-introduce-child-protection-law-overhaul
Also: http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/03/child_protection_reform_legisl.html
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20130318_Bills_would_overhaul_Pa_s_child-abuse_reporting_system.html

03/18/2013
United Kingdom: Youth justice system fails children in care, says the Commons Justice Committee

Family Law Week - March 18, 2013
The Youth Justice System is currently failing children in care and care leavers and there should be more effort to prevent the unnecessary criminalization of these vulnerable young people, the House of Commons Justice Select Committee has concluded in a recent report. "We heard one example of the police being called to a children's home to investigate a broken cup. The relevant authorities must also continue to provide support to looked after children and care leavers when they are in, and when they leave, custody."
The Report: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmselect/cmjust/339/33902.htm
http://www.familylawweek.co.uk/site.aspx?i=ed112502

03/18/2013
Europe: States should pursue child sex offenders for acts committed abroad, says PACE committee

Council of Europe - March 15, 2013
Council of Europe member states should enact laws enabling them to prosecute "child sex tourists" for acts committed abroad, PACE's Social Affairs Committee has said, approving a report on the topic today at its meeting in Berlin.
http://assembly.coe.int/ASP/NewsManager/EMB_NewsManagerView.asp?ID=8503&L=2

03/18/2013
Australia: Australian Jews debate media role in abuse cases

Jerusalem Post - March 14, 2013
"This incident confirms what so many of us have known for a long time; that this type of attitude is fairly prevalent among many within the ultra-Orthodox community," Waks wrote on his Facebook page. "It also demonstrates, yet again, the ongoing harassment and intimidation many victims and their families are subjected to, including by those in leadership positions."
http://www.jpost.com/LandedPages/PrintArticle.aspx?id=306386

03/18/2013
Vatican City: Pope Francis was often quiet on Argentine sex abuse cases as archbishop

Washington Post - March 18, 2013
During most of the 14 years that Bergoglio served as archbishop of Buenos Aires, rights advocates say, he did not take decisive action to protect children or act swiftly when molestation charges surfaced; nor did he extend apologies to the victims of abusive priests after their misconduct came to light.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/pope-francis-was-often-quiet-on-argentine-sex-abuse-cases-as-archbishop/2013/03/18/26e7eca4-8ff6-11e2-9cfd-36d6c9b5d7ad_story.html

03/18/2013
US: Family law attorneys lobby for improvements to adoption process

Washington Post - March 17, 2013
A Washington-based group representing adoption attorneys is continuing a quiet but steady quest to pass a law they say will better protect the parental rights of men who may have fathered children. One of the group's priorities in Washington is to reintroduce a bill that Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) sponsored in the last Congress that would establish a national database known as a "putative father registry."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/capitalbusiness/family-law-attorneys-lobby-for-improvements-to-adoption-process/2013/03/15/b93f7c28-8d00-11e2-9f54-f3fdd70acad2_story.html

03/18/2013
India: Protesters lift lid on child abuse in India

The National - March 17, 2013
As word spread that a seven-year-old girl had died from injuries resulting from a sexual assault at her school, a crowd of angry bystanders grew outside the New Delhi hospital where her body lay. Except the girl had not actually died. And even though the girl and her parents appeared on a hospital balcony in an attempt to calm the throng, parts of the hospital were vandalised, three buses were set aflame and police were pelted with stones.
http://www.thenational.ae/news/world/south-asia/protesters-lift-lid-on-child-abuse-in-india

03/18/2013
Bahamas: Child Abuse On The Rise With 'Many Cases Unreported'

Tribune 242 - March 16, 2013
Minister Griffin said her ministry will continue to work with the National Child Protection Council, the church and all other government and non-governmental agencies and organizations, communities and community associations, in an effort to "take the message of child protection to all parts of the Bahamas."
http://www.tribune242.com/news/2013/mar/16/child-abuse-rise-many-cases-unreported/

03/18/2013
Europe: PACE parliamentary network in Berlin compares national strategies on child sex abuse

Council of Europe - March 15, 2013
Working with people who have the potential to become abusers to stop them ever harming children and setting up "children's houses" for child-friendly justice were among a number of innovative approaches to tackling child sex abuse discussed at a meeting of PACE's ONE in FIVE network in Berlin yesterday.
http://assembly.coe.int/ASP/NewsManager/EMB_NewsManagerView.asp?ID=8499

03/18/2013
Netherlands: MPs call for more Muslims to 'take responsibility' as foster parents

Dutch News - March 18, 2013
Two Dutch MPs of Turkish origin have called on more Islamic families to volunteer as foster parents, in the wake of the unease in Turkey about a lesbian couple fostering a boy born to Islamic parents. Labour MPs Selçuk Özturk and Tunahan Kuzu used social media networks Facebook and Twitter to call on Islamic parents to 'stop taking offence, start taking responsibility'.
Related: http://news.msn.com/world/dutch-lesbian-couple-raising-turkish-son-go-into-hiding
http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2013/03/mps_call_for_more_muslims_to_t.php

03/15/2013
US: Child abuse linked to asthma in black women

theGrio/NBC News - March 13, 2013
Physical and/or sexual abuse may be potential asthma causes in black women. In fact, abuse may more than double the odds of a child having asthma. Researchers have made a connection between childhood abuse suffered by African-American women and asthma, which develops later in their lives.
http://thegrio.com/2013/03/13/child-abuse-linked-to-asthma-in-black-women/

03/15/2013
US: Negative public images hamper child welfare investigators

Medical Xpress - March 15, 2013
Even parents who have had no contact with child welfare agencies believe negative stereotypes about social workers and the likely outcomes of abuse or neglect investigations, misconceptions that complicate agencies' efforts to engage parents in interventions.
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-negative-images-hamper-child-welfare.html

03/15/2013
US: Russia's adoption ban costs families their tax credit

CNN - March 15, 2013
Russia's ban on American adoptions has taken an emotional toll on families looking to adopt -- and a hefty financial one.
http://money.cnn.com/2013/03/15/pf/taxes/russia-adoption-tax-credit/

03/15/2013
Singapore: Govt to improve adoption process

Channel NewsAsia - March 15, 2013
Acting Social and Family Development Minister Chan Chun Sing said the government would like to encourage more adoptions where it can but cautioned that this is a serious undertaking about a child's life and development and how the family relationship is built. Mr Chan added his ministry will continue to strengthen the process and learn from other countries' best practices.
http://news.xin.msn.com/en/singapore/govt-to-improve-adoption-process

03/15/2013
Portugal: Hundreds of children abandoned during first half of 2012

The Portugal News - March 14, 2013
During the first six months of last year 232 cases of children being abandoned by their parents or left to fend for themselves were reported to authorities.
http://theportugalnews.com/news/hundreds-of-children-abandoned-during-first-half-of-2012/27980

03/13/2013
US: How small bruises lead to big ones in child-abuse cases

TIME - March 12, 2013
In more than two decades as a child-abuse pediatrician, Dr. Lynn Sheets has noticed a trend. Often, when a seriously abused child arrives, perhaps with broken bones or head trauma, she looks back at medical records and finds that the same child often sustained minor bruises as an infant.
http://healthland.time.com/2013/03/12/how-small-bruises-lead-to-big-ones-in-child-abuse-cases/

03/13/2013
Uganda: A meet on illegal child adoptions

allAfrica.com - March 12, 2013
The gender ministry and directors of children's homes across Uganda have met and discussed ways to ensure that orphans and vulnerable children are not illegally placed into alternative care.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201303130003.html

03/13/2013
United Kingdom: Majority of British children will soon be living in poverty, report warns

Daily Express - March 13, 2013
HALF a million more British children will soon be pushed 'below the breadline' because of welfare reforms, tax rises and wage freezes, a report has warned.
http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/383950/Majority-of-British-children-will-soon-be-living-in-poverty-report-warns

03/13/2013
United Kingdom: More 'very high profile' celebrities set to be arrested over child sex allegations within next few weeks

Mail Online - March 13, 2013
Nazir Afzal of the Crown Prosecution Service says a host of celebrities could be arrested. The Jimmy Savile scandal has prompted wave of fresh accusations.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2292802/Jimmy-Savile-sex-abuse-probe-police-poised-make-new-wave-high-profile-arrests-weeks.html

03/13/2013
United Kingdom: Warning over 'needless criminalization' of children in care

BBC News - March 13, 2013
Children in care in England and Wales are being needlessly criminalized for "trivial incidents", MPs have warned.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-21773742

03/13/2013
United Kingdom: Armed forces personnel exempt from Government's 'bedroom tax'

The Independent - March 12, 2013
Labor claimed the controversial "bedroom tax" was unraveling after the Government exempted foster careers and parents of armed forces personnel from housing benefit deductions if they have spare rooms.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/armed-forces-personnel-exempt-from-governments-bedroom-tax-8531670.html

03/13/2013
United Kingdom: Report shows sexually abused children aren't believed

The Voice of Russia - March 13, 2013
We've heard it for years and years from thousands of survivors who have had some very negative experiences with police. Survivors have told us time and time again, it's fear that sexual abuse hasn't been taken seriously enough in the past and still isn't taken seriously enough today."
http://english.ruvr.ru/2013_03_13/Report-shows-sexually-abused-children-aren-t-believed/

03/13/2013
Australia: Union backs NSW child protection move

Nine News MSN - March 13, 2013
The union representing child protection workers has welcomed a NSW government pledge to make staffing numbers public. The transparency move, announced by Family and Community Services Minister Pru Goward on Tuesday, came in the wake of a Wollongong toddler's death in August last year.
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/2013/03/13/07/56/union-backs-nsw-child-protection-move

03/13/2013
New Zealand: More than 200 people marched through Kaitaia calling for an end to child abuse

The New Zealand Herald - March 13, 2013
More than 200 people marched through Kaitaia calling for an end to child abuse and to show their town should not be judged by events unfolding in court, where convicted pedophile James Parker was due to be sentenced today.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10871016

03/12/2013
NJ: Woman relives painful past after child she gave up for adoption reaches out

New York Daily News - March 11, 2013
Kathleen Hoy Foley was impregnated by rape as a teenager and gave the child up in a closed adoption. More than 30 years later, she was forced to relive the difficult period when the child tried to establish a relationship. "It's just a bad situation," Cofsky, who has presided over more than 1,500 adoption cases, told The News. "It was probably upsetting for the birth mother who didn't want anything to do with this because of the way in which the child was conceived. And was probably just as upsetting for the child who then finds out that her birth mother doesn't want to create a relationship."
Related: http://blog.sfgate.com/sfmoms/2013/03/11/n-j-woman-refuses-to-meet-daughter-she-gave-up-for-adoption-after-being-raped-over-30-years-ago/
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/adoptee-search-birth-mother-ends-rejection-article-1.1284242#ixzz2NGUY2PLo

03/12/2013
PA: Group: Pennsylvania underreports child abuse

Daily Item - March 12, 2013
In Pennsylvania, the Department of Public Welfare might not consider a child's death a case of child abuse even if someone is arrested for the slaying. That has happened at least seven times since 2008.
http://dailyitem.com/0100_news/x2016921734/Group-Pennsylvania-underreports-child-abuse

03/12/2013
PA: Montgomery County leads the way in better foster care

Individual.com - March 11, 2013
Montgomery County has come up with several procedures to make it a more positive experience, said Kathleen Sullivan, who supervises the county's foster home unit. In 1993, the county began a pilot program to promote interaction between foster families and birth families. In November, Montgomery County implemented "team decision making," in which birth parents, foster parents, caseworkers - and in some cases even the children - work together to map out a reunification plan.
http://articles.philly.com/2013-03-11/news/37626317_1_foster-parents-families-and-birth-families

03/12/2013
US: Gwen Moore re-introduces legislation to provide legal support to parents, guardians, for child welfare cases

WisPolitics.com - March 11, 2013
Today, Congresswoman Gwen Moore (WI-4) re-introduced a bill that will take important steps towards ensuring that parents and legal guardians are afforded legal representation in all stages of a child welfare case.
http://www.wispolitics.com/index.iml?Article=291966

03/12/2013
Ireland: Ireland has largest number of children in the expanded European Union

Irish Central - March 10, 2013
Childbirth is booming in Ireland - the country now has the highest percentage of children in the expanded European Union. A new report says that more than 1.1 million children are now living in Ireland, one in four of the population.
http://www.irishcentral.com/news/Ireland-has-largest-number-of-children-in-the-expanded-European-Union-196444211.html

03/12/2013
United Kingdom: Catastrophic neglect behind child deaths often overlooked

Rochdale Online - March 11, 2013
The NSPCC is warning today (11 March) that neglect is not being taken seriously enough and should be treated with the same urgency as physical or sexual abuse. The call comes as new research out today shows that of children known to the authorities as being at risk, who died or were seriously injured, most (59 per cent) had been on a child protection plan for neglect at some point in their lives - more than for all other types of child protection plan combined (41 per cent).
http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/78555/catastrophic-neglect-behind-child-deaths-often-overlooked

03/11/2013
NY: County looking for Spanish-speaking foster parents

Buffalo News - March 10, 2013
Across Erie County, the number of Hispanic and Latino families has grown by more than a third in the last decade. While still less than 5 percent of the county's overall population, the number of people who identified themselves as Hispanic or Latino grew to 41,731 during the last U.S. Census compared to 31,054 a decade earlier.
http://buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130310/CITYANDREGION/130319912/1017

03/11/2013
NY: Women religious open doors for mothers released from prison

National Catholic Reporter - February 27, 2013
St. Joseph Sr. Teresa Fitzgerald is the executive director of Hour Children, a New York not-for-profit organization that helps mothers released from prison get their lives in order. It provides services inside and outside of prisons, such as housing, employment training, mentoring and day care.
http://ncronline.org/news/women-religious/new-york-women-religious-open-doors-mothers-released-prison

03/11/2013
PA: At Penn State, Academics Drive Effort to Hire Child-Abuse Experts

Chronicle of Higher Education - March 11, 2013
The result is a campaign to hire over the next three years a dozen faculty members whose work focuses on child abuse and entails cutting-edge research, clinical treatment, and public education about the problem. The hiring is on a fast track: The university just opened six searches and hopes to have a half-dozen new tenured and tenure-track hires on campus by next fall.
http://chronicle.com/article/At-Penn-State-Academics-Drive/137813/

03/11/2013
India: UNICEF praises Rajasthan Govt. efforts for child welfare

The Hindu - March 08, 2013
UNICEF Country Representative in India Louis Georges Arsenault on Friday praised the announcement made in the 2013-14 Rajasthan Budget for establishment of a Child Directorate, saying this would improve the reach and quality of services for children, especially the girls, and help address the needs of children in a focused manner.
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-newdelhi/unicef-praises-rajasthan-govt-efforts-for-child-welfare/article4490240.ece

03/07/2013
US: Website shows foster kids their wishes are worthwhile

CNN - March 07, 2013
One Simple Wish was started by Danielle Gletow to help grant the wishes of children in foster care. Each child's wish is posted online, and anyone can pay to make that wish come true --- from tangible items such as a bicycle, a varsity jacket or school supplies to an experience like music lessons or a trip to the theater. Since 2008, the nonprofit has granted more than 4,000 wishes for children living in 35 states.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/07/us/cnnheroes-gletow-foster-wishes/

03/07/2013
Australia: Child Protection Inquiry chief accuses child protection officers of 'over-reacting' and seeks review of children in care

The Courier-Mail - March 08, 2013
Commissioner Tim Carmody is set to recommend every one of the state's 8000 children in care be individually checked to see if they can return to their families.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/child-protection-inquiry-chief-accuses-child-protection-officers-of-over-reacting-and-seeks-review-of-children-in-care/story-e6freon6-1226592776309

03/07/2013
Australia: Welfare Critical problem: Investigators target worst cases of child abuse

The Sydney Morning Herald - March 07, 2013
The number of proven child abuse and neglect victims rose 20 per cent last year, reversing a long-term decline. The head of the institute's Child Welfare and Prisoner Health Unit said the rise was due to several factors, including greater awareness of child protection due to inquiries being held in Victoria and Queensland. "It shows that the most critical cases have been prioritized, something which may not have happened in previous years," he said.
http://www.smh.com.au/national/welfare-critical-problem-investigators-target-worst-cases-of-child-abuse-20130307-2fomg.html

03/07/2013
India: A fight to save baby girls in India

New York Times - March 07, 2013
Often, births were unregistered, conducted by a village midwife who would then also kill unwanted girls. This was done quite openly - and prompted Valli Annamalai, head of the Mother and Child Welfare Project, an initiative of the Tamil Nadu state branch of the nongovernmental Indian Council for Child Welfare, to act.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/08/world/asia/a-fight-to-save-baby-girls-in-india.html?pagewanted=all

03/07/2013
Russia: 33 Russian kids' adoption still in limbo after US ban

IANS/RIA Novosti - March 07, 2013
The adoption of at least 33 children from orphanages in Russia's St. Petersburg city are still in limbo two months after American families were barred from adopting Russian children, a top official said. The 33 children, including 12 with special needs, had already met their American parents-to-be before the law came into force, city ombudswoman Svetlana Agapitova said.
http://news.in.msn.com/international/article.aspx?cp-documentid=252407258

03/07/2013
NY: State may ease statute of limitations for decades-old child sex abuse claims

Jewish Daily Forward - March 07, 2013
This year, a dozen states are considering - or have already passed - legislation that extends or lifts time limits for abuse victims to file civil suits against individuals or institutions culpable for their abuse, or for prosecutors to pursue criminal cases. The legislation covers only sexual abuse cases occurring from the present day onwards, so some states are also considering bills that would open up a brief window for retroactive claims.
http://forward.com/articles/172412/new-york-may-ease-statute-of-limitations-for-decad/?p=all#ixzz2Mr6LBbKi

03/06/2013
CT: & MI: Surrogate Gives Birth Despite Adoptive Family's Wishes

NBC Connecticut - March 06, 2013
Crystal Kelley became surrogate for a family. The family found out the baby was going to have several medical problems. Kelley then fought to keep the child alive even after the parents offered $10,000 to terminate the pregnancy. Several lawsuits later, Kelley moved to Michigan to have the child. It's a state that let her have full control over the child's rights.
http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/Women-Gives-Birth-Despite-Adoptive-Familys-Wishes-195489761.html

03/06/2013
US: Old Triumph Over Young In Federal Spending, And Sequester Makes It Worse

National Public Radio (NPR) - March 06, 2013
Federal spending on seniors already far outpaces that devoted to children. Last year, overall spending on children dropped for the first time in 30 years. The sequester, which expressly protects programs for the elderly, will exacerbate that difference.
http://www.npr.org/2013/02/27/173054385/old-triumph-over-young-in-federal-spending-and-sequester-makes-it-worse

03/06/2013
United Kingdom: Adoption reforms must slow down and give more support to parents, say peers

The Guardian - March 06, 2013
Lords committee warns that Michael Gove's overhaul of system will not deliver stability needed by youngsters in care.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/mar/06/adoption-reforms-gove-lords-committee

03/06/2013
Canada: Report highlights flaws in Newfoundland's child welfare system

Sun News - March 05, 2013
Three reports made public for the first time Monday highlight the many failures of Newfoundland and Labrador's child welfare system. Carol Chafe, the province's youth advocate, said when she was appointed to the job in September 2010 that she would investigate the three outstanding cases of child abuse and neglect - one of them fatal.
http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/sunnews/politics/archives/2013/03/20130304-144957.html

03/06/2013
Australia: Vic mums gain right to know adoptees

Australian Associated Press - March 05, 2013
Victorian women whose babies were forcibly taken from them will soon have the right to find out their children's identity. The information restrictions in Victoria's adoption laws will be eased to allow birth parents to access records identifying their sons and daughters, Community Services Minister Mary Wooldridge said. It is estimated that more than 150,000 Australian children, born out of wedlock, were taken from their mothers by force between the 1950s and 1970s.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/breaking-news/vic-mums-gain-right-to-know-adoptees/story-fn3dxiwe-1226591023773

03/06/2013
Saudi Arabia: Database helps Saudi Arabia tackle child abuse

Gulf News - March 05, 2013
206 cases were reported to authorities in 2012, a social activist said. "According to the figures, 60 per cent of the cases were abuses while 20 per cent were physical violence," said Maha Al Muneef, the executive director of the National Family Safety Programme (NFSP). "The remaining 20 per cent were negligence and mental and psychological abuses," local Arabic daily Al Riyadh quoted the activist as saying on Tuesday.
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/saudi-arabia/database-helps-saudi-arabia-tackle-child-abuse-1.1154208

03/04/2013
PA: Lancaster County couples find innovative ways to cover adoption costs

Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster Online - March 04, 2013
More couples like the Uhrichs, who have a strong conviction to adopt, are turning to family, friends and sometimes strangers to help raise funds to cover an adoption. The Uhrichs, of West Hempfield Township, raised $13,000, or about half of their costs, with a number of fundraisers, including a photo contest and online auction.
http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/820976_Lancaster-County-couples-find-innovative-ways-to-cover-adoption-costs.html

03/04/2013
US: Craigslist ad: 'Looking to adopt your baby'

HLNtv - March 04, 2013
For many it's the go-to place for a kitchen table, a roommate or tickets to a sold-out concert. But Craigslist.org has also become a key place for people looking for something much more personal: A baby to adopt. Search for "adopt baby" in the community listings and you'll find bulldogs (and even chinchillas) looking for a home -- along with dozens of couples asking birth mothers to let them adopt their babies.
http://www.hlntv.com/article/2013/02/02/adopt-baby-craigslist-ad

03/04/2013
US: Supreme Court's upcoming child-custody decision: The Baby Veronica case

Constitution Daily - March 04, 2013
The controversy stems from a 2011 decision by the South Carolina Supreme Court concerning the parental rights of a 2-year-old child of both Caucasian and Native American descent-dubbed Baby Veronica. On April 16, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case of Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl, more popularly known as the Baby Veronica case.
http://blog.constitutioncenter.org/2013/03/supreme-courts-upcoming-child-custody-decision-the-baby-veronica-case/

03/04/2013
Australia: At-risk kids in carer crisis as Department for Child Protection struggles to find accommodation

News.com - March 02, 2013
The Department for Child Protection confirmed this week that staff had had to care for kids in their own homes because appropriate accommodation couldn't be found. Child Protection Minister Robyn McSweeney said finding foster carers was their "greatest challenge" and a four-month recruitment campaign that started last September had resulted in 67 applications.
http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/at-risk-kids-in-carer-crisis-as-department-for-child-protection-struggles-to-find-accommodation/story-e6frfkp9-1226589130907

03/04/2013
Russia: Lavrov Praises Kerry's Vow to Probe Russian Adoptees' Deaths

RIA Novosti - March 03, 2013
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has welcomed the promise by US Secretary of State John Kerry to personally take part in investigating the deaths of Russian adoptees in the United States. "I think this is a very important statement. We will strive to make these words become practical deeds," Lavrov said in an interview with Russia's Channel One on Sunday, commenting on his first bilateral meeting with Kerry in Berlin this week.
http://en.ria.ru/russia/20130303/179791952.html

03/01/2013
PA: New center for child abuse treatment to open this spring in Juniata Park

WHYY NewsWorks - March 01, 2013
The Philadelphia Children's Alliance is preparing to celebrate a milestone in caring for victims of child abuse. The finishing touches are being put on a new facility for treatment of child abuse in the Juniata Park section of the city.
http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/local/item/51704

03/01/2013
Canada: Change is coming on aboriginal child welfare, author says

Edmonton Journal - March 03, 2013
t's a system far too focused on child apprehension rather than on supporting families, and it shows in the statistics, he said. Today, 70 per cent of the children in care in Alberta are aboriginal. They make up just nine per cent of the general population.
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/Change+coming+aboriginal+child+welfare+author+says/8043369/story.html

03/01/2013
India: Child abuse in orphanages on rise in India

National Turk - March 02, 2013
According India's National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), the child abuse in orphanages is on the rise. "The nature of alleged child abuse includes rape, molestation, torture and mental abuse," it said.
http://www.nationalturk.com/en/child-abuse-in-orphanages-on-rise-in-india-34860

03/01/2013
Russia: Adoption made easier for Russian citizens

Russia Behind the Headlines - March 04, 2013
In an attempt to address the plight of Russian orphanage, authorities intend to significantly raise monetary allowances for Russian citizens who choose to adopt orphaned children.
http://rbth.ru/society/2013/03/04/adoption_made_easier_for_russian_citizens_23465.html

03/01/2013
Russia: The First Victim Of Moscow's Adoption Ban? Disabled Russian Orphans

World Crunch - March 02, 2013
The law that bans American citizens from adopting Russian children still has widespread public support, from both lawmakers and ordinary citizens. But it is also having very real effects on orphans in Russia, especially those with disabilities.
http://www.worldcrunch.com/world-affairs/the-first-victim-of-moscow-039-s-adoption-ban-disabled-russian-orphans/adoption-us-disability-orphans-putin/c1s11054/#.UTScdjeRdG0

03/01/2013
United Kingdom: Adoptive families headed by same-sex couples are as likely to thrive as those adopted by heterosexuals

Family Law Week - March 03, 2013
New research published by BAAF to coincide with LGBT Adoption and Fostering Week. In-depth research into the experiences of adoptive families headed by same-sex couples suggests that children adopted by gay or lesbian children are just as likely to thrive as those adopted by heterosexual couples. It also reveals that new families cope just as well as traditional families with the big challenges that come with taking on children who have had a poor start in life.
http://www.familylawweek.co.uk/site.aspx?i=ed112167

03/01/2013
United Kingdom: Shock toll of child-on-child abuse

Belfast Telegraph - March 04, 2013
Thousands of young people are committing acts of sexual abuse against other children every year, the NSPCC warned. The charity found there were more than 5,000 cases of abuse by under 18s reported to the police in the last three years. In some instances acts of sexual abuse were committed by children as young as five or six.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/uk/shock-toll-of-childonchild-abuse-29106849.html

03/01/2013
NJ: Paterson building would be home to grandparents and former foster kids

The Record - March 01, 2013
A new low-income apartment complex rising near the historic district is a first of its kind in New Jersey, a place for grandparents to raise their grandchildren and for young people who spent their childhoods in the foster-care system to get a start as adults.
http://www.northjersey.com/community/194122561_Paterson_building_would_be_home_to_grandparents_and_former_foster_kids_getting_special_housing.html

03/01/2013
PA: Advocates: Pa. child abuse system needs reforms

The Tribune-Democrat - February 28, 2013
Cases gleaned from Pennsylvania child abuse reports reflect the pattern that advocates say appears too often in cases of abuse - efforts to rescue children in crisis fail too often. Advocates for reform say that the system relies heavily on front-line caseworkers who are often poorly paid, inexperienced and inadequately trained.
http://tribune-democrat.com/local/x36433541/Advocates-Pa-child-abuse-system-needs-reforms

03/01/2013
US: Documentary explores decline in international adoptions

Richmond Times-Dispatch - February 28, 2013
"The purpose of the tour and film is to help the average person understand the steep decline in and issues surrounding international adoption and create a movement that will ultimately put pressure on U.S. and foreign officials to focus on the children and reach agreement on a more supportive and compassionate attitude toward international adoptions," said Juntunen, in publicity materials for the film and tour.
http://www.timesdispatch.com/entertainment-life/music-movies-tv/movies/documentary-explores-decline-in-international-adoptions/article_fa1fa769-2223-5d65-beaa-54795f13d272.html

04/01/2013 April Is National Child Abuse Prevention Month

04/01/2013
April Is National Child Abuse Prevention Month