Sept. 28, 2011 - Advocates are celebrating an agreement that will provide intensive home- and community-based mental health services for California children in foster care or at risk of removal from their families. The agreement in the class-action suit Katie A. v. Bonta comes nine years after the case was first filed.
Sept. 6, 2011 - NCYL’s Foster Youth Education Initiative (FosterEd) launched a program today to improve the educational outcomes of the approximately 1,700 foster children in Marion County, Ind., which includes Indianapolis. The Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS), the Indiana Youth Institute, and Child Advocates announced the launch of FosterEd: Marion County at a kick-off event in Indianapolis.
NCYL has appealed to the US Court of Appeals a lower court dismissal of its lawsuit to reform the foster care system in Las Vegas, NV. Among other changes, the lawsuit demands that each and every foster child has an attorney or court-appointed advocate, as mandated by state and federal law. If this little girl had such an advocate, this situation could likely have been avoided.
Questions Surround Removal of Foster Child From Home
(CBS) Channel 8 News Now, July 15, 2011
The Washington Supreme Court recently declined to rule on whether a foster child has the right to counsel in parental rights termination proceedings.
NCYL will appeal a recent District Court ruling dismissing its lawsuit against Nevada officials to reform the foster care system in Clark County (Las Vegas), arguing that the Court erroneously denied foster children the legal protections they are entitled to.
The FosterEd Initiative was recently awarded $100,000 by the Central Indiana Community Foundation, and $75,000 by the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust in support of NCYL’s education work in Indiana.
While Washington has met only six of the outcomes established for Braam v. Washington, it has made improvements that affect children’s health, safety, and stability.
Oakland, CA - A California Superior Court judge has ruled that relative caregivers are entitled to cash assistance when the children they care for get in trouble with the law and are returned home on probation.
NCYL’s Foster Youth Education Initiative has released its long-awaited report on how California is ensuring foster children receive appropriate educational opportunities.
Most children have parents who monitor their academic progress, attend parent-teacher conferences, enroll them in appropriate classes, and generally ensure they receive a quality education. Their parents serve as their educational advocates.
Foster youth frequently lack such advocates. As a consequence, they often fail to receive the opportunities necessary to succeed in school. This report examines an emerging strategy designed to ensure foster youth receive the opportunities they need: the creation of educational advocacy systems for foster youth.
Download the report.
For more information about Foster Youth Education Initiative and NCYL's education work click here.
For First Time in Decades, Washington State Passes Bill to Address Legal Representation of Foster Youth
California Center for Research on Women & Families (CCRWF) has produced this new publication which is available on the CCRWF website. Printed copies are also available through the resource center for family focused practice (contact information available on the CCRWF website).
NCYL, in collaboration with Children's Rights Inc. and with support from Cornerstones for Kids conducted a review of efforts to strengthen the child welfare workforce through litigation in 12 jurisdictions across the country.
A Guidebook for California Foster Youth, Former Foster Youth, and Those Who Care About Them.
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S.F. Chronicle Editorial Campaign on Foster Care Reform
The National Center for Youth Law has been working with the San Francisco Chronicle on its ongoing editorial campaign to reform foster care, providing data and other information.
 - Photo: Marilyn Nolt
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