By Edward Opton
Foster children are medicated with antipsychotic and other psychotropic medications far more often than other children in the United States. The long-term effects on the developing brains of children and adolescents are unknown.
By Dr. Anita Silverman
A bold NCYL initiative to improve the educational prospects of foster youth in one Indiana county has done so well that it's been expanded to cover the entire state. The Foster Youth Education Initiative, or FosterEd, will go statewide in time for the 2012-13 school year.
By Fiza Quraishi
Adolfo Davis was sentenced to life in prison without parole for a crime he committed at age 14. Now, advocates for Adolfo, who has languished in prison for two decades, are pushing Illinois Governor Pat Quinn to grant clemency in his case.
By Leecia Welch
Five months ago, California embarked on historic expansion of its foster care system. The Fostering Connections to Success Act, known as AB 12, took the enlightened step of extended foster care benefits to youth between 18 and 21.
This year marks the biggest change to the provision of children's mental health services in California history. Under Governor Jerry Brown's budget proposals, the state will transfer fiscal responsibility for its mental health care system to the counties in a shift known as realignment.
NCYL has won a major victory on behalf of foster children in Clark County (Las Vegas), Nevada. The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit overturned a lower court’s dismissal of the foster care reform case brought by NCYL on behalf of Clark County's abused and neglected children. The Court ruled that these children have a constitutional right to safety and adequate medical care, and said that the county, and county and state officials, are liable if they fail to ensure those constitutional rights are protected.
NCYL has agreed to represent a class of approximately 18,000 indigent children with severe emotional and mental disabilities who have sued Idaho over deficiencies in care. The original complaint, filed more than 30 years ago in Jeff D. v. Otter, alleged that Idaho was providing inadequate care in violation of the plaintiffs' statutory and constitutional rights. Motivated by continuing problems with the delivery of care to poor and disabled children living in Idaho, NCYL decided to become co-counsel with the plaintiffs' lawyer.
The Braam panel, which oversees the reform of Washington State’s foster care system, released its report covering progress made in the second half of 2011.
