The Imprint Weekly

On this week’s episode we discuss action on Capitol Hill around the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, a Congressional investigation that so far includes only one state’s child welfare system, and how programs are reviewed for the Family First Act. Natalece Washington, policy counsel for the National Association of Counsel for Children, to talk about her organization’s campaign to get all 5...

Episode 150! We discuss foster parents seeking adoption before a termination of parental rights, the nexus of foster care and psychiatric facilities and charging parents for child welfare services. Dawn Post joins to discuss her career in child welfare, which includes starting the Broken Adoptions Project in New York City, working on class action litigation around the country and much more. Readin...

On an all-headlines edition of The Imprint Weekly Podcast, Imprint reporter Sara Tiano joins us to discuss her new series on a child welfare worker, also a licensed foster parent, who is losing a fight to adopt her two nephews.  We also discuss some mixed reviews from new research on unconditional cash support, the impact of enduring relationships for older youth in foster care, the future of mand...

On this week’s podcast we break down some major new actions on child welfare taken by the Biden administration around kinship care, legal counsel for parents and children, and LGBTQI+ youth in foster care.  Matt Anderson, host of the new podcast The Proximity Process, joins to discuss his own journey in the world of child welfare and what his plans are for this new show.  Reading Room White House...

On this week’s episode we discuss the rebounding of child poverty rates as COVID-19 era fiscal support went away; truth and reconciliation in South Korea; and a potential Supreme Court case over gender-affirming care  Jody Kent Lavy, co-executive director of the Campaign for The Fair Sentencing of Youth, joins to discuss the history of the campaign, the push to end juvenile life without parole sen...

On this week’s episode we discuss another “Family Miranda” bill becoming law, this time in Arizona; a case against caseworkers headed to verdict; and a damning statement on “Shaken Baby Syndrome.” Christine Norbut Beyer, commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Children and Families, joins to discuss her state’s exit from court oversight after many years, how the system has changed since her e...

On this week’s episode we are joined by Kathy Icenhower, co-founder and CEO of Shields for Families. Three decades ago, against the backdrop of the crack epidemic, Icenhower started Shields out of a run-down trailer provided by the Los Angeles county government with Norma Ntume and Dr. Xylina Bean. It quickly became a pioneering organization in the fight to keep families together while parents pur...

On this week’s episode we discuss another class action lawsuit, this one targeting the extended foster care system in America’s largest local child welfare system. Also: a potentially problematic hiccup in Arizona with one of the first modern state case management systems, and the After Life podcast wins a major award.  Michael D. Davis-Thomas, aka MDDT Speaks, joins to discuss the first two seaso...

On this week’s episode, we discuss another class action lawsuit filed against Indiana’s child welfare agency; housing barriers to reunification; one of America’s most famous adoption stories unravels; and new leaders in child welfare. Kee Tobar, host of Community Legal Services (CLS) of Philadelphia’s podcast “How is That Legal?”, joins to discuss the origins of the show and some of the most impac...

On this week’s episode we talk about some cases over the right to foster and adopt, Washington’s new policy on newborns exposed to drugs, and some recent award-nominated work by The Imprint.  Ivory Bennett, host of Ivory Bennett: The Podcast and new program manager for the Youth Voices Rising program, joins to discuss her plan to take on tough conversations on the show.  Reading Room Adults Being...

On this week’s episode we discuss new data on the use of detention since the COVID-19 pandemic began, a whistleblower in Texas, and the passing of Charles Ogletree. Corey Best, founder of Mining for Gold and host of the Audio Nuggets podcast, joins to discuss how he built his show in the mold of a hip-hop cypher. Reading Room Changing Course in Youth Detention: Reversing Widening Gaps by Race and...

On this week’s episode we discuss new data on drug use among youth who experience incarceration; federal legislation to define poverty out of neglect; testing cash assistance in child welfare; and how foster care is being discussed in the context of the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Angela Orkin, co-host of The Children’s Law Podcast, joins to discuss one of the longest running podcasts on child wel...

On this week’s episode we discuss the ever-decreasing amount of kids in adult jails and prisons; an ominous audit on the use of psychotropics and opioids in foster care; and several interesting stories published by The Imprint this month.  Adrian McLemore, a founding member of the Unbelievably Resilient podcast, joins to discuss the origin of the show and his views on the state of child welfare. ...

On this week’s episode we discuss new supports for older foster youth in California, psychiatric facilities in North Carolina, an angry Texas judge and an interesting new leader in New Hampshire.  Michael Ramey, host of the EPPiC Broadcast, joins us to discuss the show’s origin, the state of parental rights in America, and more.  Reading Room California Budget Boosts Higher Education and Housing f...

On this week’s episode we discuss a slate of recent court decisions over gender-affirming care for minors; Arizona moves to protect Social Security benefits for foster youth; big data breaches involving youth in the system; and California closes state-run juvenile prisons for good.  We begin our summer series SafeCamp Spotlights, where we’ll talk to hosts from all of the great shows featured on th...

Darrell Missey’s path to leading the Missouri Children’s Division was an interesting one. He joined us to talk about his own life growing up in a family that experienced a mental health crisis; the group of grandmas that helped him run for judge; and the frank conversation that landed him in charge of a state with one of America’s highest foster care rates.  Reading Room Missouri Child Welfare Lea...

Last week, in a surprising 7-2 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court fully upheld the Indian Child Welfare Act in Brackeen v. Haaland. We break down the full opinion of the court and their various reasons for siding in support of the 1978 law that was passed at a time when nearly a third of indigenous children were separated from their family.  We are joined for reaction to the Brackeen ruling by three...

What can the ChatGPT and Bards of the world do to improve the child welfare and juvenile justice systems? On this week’s podcast, Carole Hussey of Evolv Strategy Group joins to talk about that and why states are hesitant to make big changes to case management systems.  Reading Room Feds Chart Future for Antique Data Management Systems https://bit.ly/3CtgObb How Tech Ties into Family First https://...

On this week’s podcast we discuss some of the figures in the biennial report on state-by-state child welfare spending from Child Trends. Also: looming deadlines on “Family Miranda” laws in two states and a Supreme Court case on ICWA, and more.  Imprint reporter Michael Fitzgerald joins to talk about his investigative reporting looking into sexual and reproductive health policies for youth in foste...

This week we discuss the race between Texas and New York to pass the first “Family Miranda” bill for child welfare investigations, clergy as mandated reporters, and the 28th state to ban juvenile life without parole sentences.  Serita Cox of iFoster joins to discuss some of the most interesting results from the organization’s second annual foster care survey, including some notable responses from...

This week we review some new research on older youth in foster care, and the impact of mother bonding in the treatment of withdrawal symptoms for opioid-exposed newborns. We also discuss several recent stories published in The Imprint, including the first installment of a series looking at the haphazard rules around sexual and reproductive health for youth in foster care; how a small group of pare...

A recent law journal article lays out three arguments against the rate at which many child welfare systems terminate parental rights. “The Ties That Bind” lays out data, outcomes and legal reasoning to support that idea.  We are joined this week by the co-authors of this paper: Christopher Church, a pro-bono attorney for the CHAMPS Clinic at the University of South Carolina School of Law and a co-...

This week we discuss SafeCamp Audio, the forthcoming podcast network from Fostering Media Connections, which will feature terrific audio projects on child welfare, youth justice and more. Click here to join the SafeCamp newsletter! We also review some recent headlines, including new research on racial disparities in the child welfare process, renewed Congressional interest in congregate care, fami...

Last week we talked to Keri Richmond, manager of child welfare policy for the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), about a 50-state look at the new federal rules prompted by the Family First Prevention Services act around the use of group homes, residential programs and other forms of congregate care. On this week’s podcast we talk to Jim Czarniak about a deep dive on the same topic that focused...

On this week’s podcast we discuss a new California law that grants more time for reunifying families in some child welfare cases; the ever-worsening situation in Los Angeles juvenile facilities; and Congress takes an interest in kids that run away from foster care.  Keri Richmond, manager of child welfare policy for the American Academy of Pediatrics, joins to discuss AAP’s recent assessment of th...