CHILD PROTECTION/Foster Care

CALIFORNIA: “Judge blocks cuts to foster care group homes”
By: Bob Egelko
U.S. District Judge Marilyn Hall Patel has issued a preliminary injunction blocking the state of California from reducing payments to foster care and group homes by 10 percent until the lawsuit brought by California Alliance of Child and Family Services against the state goes to trial. Judge Patel questioned the judgment of cutting services to such a vulnerable population and stated that she believes the reduced rates are probably below the minimums required by federal law. The alliance brought suit against the state of California to prevent the cuts, which were among the cost cutting measures that the California Legislature approved in July, and would save the state about $19 million.
San Francisco Chronicle, November 14th, 2009
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ADOPTION

CALIFORNIA: “Building families increasingly is the focus of adoptions”
By: Neisha Lofing
In the past, many adoptions were by persons looking to adopt infants, fewer foster children were adopted, and adoptions were closed. Today, more children are being adopted from foster care in the United States, and a growing number of adoptions are now open. “Adoptions have moved from closed to open and, in doing so, have become more respectful, less clandestine and less stigmatized,” said Adam Pertman, executive director of Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute. According to Pertman, approximately 50,000 children are adopted from foster care, representing the largest portion of adoptions nationwide.
The Sacramento Bee, Nov. 17, 2009
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CHILD PROTECTION/Foster Care

SOUTH CAROLINA: “New program gives cars to foster youth”
By: Jason Wermers
The South Carolina Foster Parent Association, in conjunction with The Cooperative Ministry, has launched a new program titled "On the Road Again," which aims to help foster care youth pursue higher education and employment. The program gives refurbished, donated cars to foster children between the ages of 18 and 21, who are actively employed, seeking their GED, or pursuing post secondary education. The two organizations hope that this new program will help foster youth access opportunities that they would be unable to pursue otherwise.
The Item, November 18, 2009
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CHILD PROTECTION/Foster Care

NEBRASKA: “Foster Children Paid To Learn Money Matters”
By: Staff Writer
The Opportunity Passport is a pilot program in Nebraska that teaches current or former foster youth between the ages of 14-24 financial management skills. During the Saturday program, bankers teach the youth about “credit, saving, loans, budgeting and spending.” In addition, each participant receives $100 in a new account of their own at the Wells Fargo Bank in Omaha, and Opportunity Passport then matches the youth’s contributions to the account up to $1,000 per year. Those who participate are not able to withdraw money from the accounts but have to save the money for a specific purpose. Cindy Woodbury, coordinator for The Opportunity Passport, stated, “Generally, your parents are the ones who teach you these financial situations. They take you to the bank and show you how to write a check and all that stuff. When you’re in foster care, everyone else is hoping someone else will do it and it just never gets done.”
KETV.com, November 18, 2009
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ADOPTION/INTERNATIONAL

INDIA: “High Court framing new rules for International Adoptions”
By: Swati Deshpande
The Bombay High Court is proposing that India establish a National Children’s Trust Fund to help Indian children that have been adopted abroad and later returned to India in response to a rising number of these cases. Justice Dhananjay Chandrachud believes that children who are abandoned or forced to return to India cannot be left without institutional help. The high court is proposing that funding for the trust would be collected through a $5,000 donation by each foreign adopting parent before their adoption is finalized.
The Times of India, November 16, 2009
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The preceding are summaries of adoption/child welfare law news articles prepared by The National Center for Adoption Law & Policy. These summaries are provided for your information only and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Center. We strive to print news that reflects the diversity of our readership and a variety of viewpoints and approaches to child welfare issues. While we may not agree with a position taken, we believe in the critical importance to our constituents of impartial reporting.