Commentary: Wisconsin officials still 'in denial' of child welfare failures

Commentary: Wisconsin officials still 'in denial' of child welfare failures | The Oshkosh Northwestern | thenorthwestern.com:

"Thirty-five years ago, as a young reporter for Wisconsin Public Radio, I produced a series of reports on child abuse and foster care. I was stunned to find that what was then the state Department of Health and Social Services didn't even know how many children were in foster care or how long they stayed in care. We had to send out our own survey to all 72 counties."

Read more:

Attorney defends Cleveland couple that took girl from CPS

Attorney defends Cleveland couple that took girl from CPS - Beaumont Enterprise:

Mike and April Davis, whose missing son was discovered drowned in a Liberty County pond about five weeks ago, broke no laws when they snatched their 18-month-old daughter from a foster home to escape what they call Child Protective Service "bullying" and to make a fresh start outside of Texas, their attorney said Wednesday.

Read more:

As Need For Court Interpreters Grows, Who Pays?

As Need For Court Interpreters Grows, Who Pays? | Fronteras Desk:

LAS VEGAS — Like many of the people waiting to turn in paperwork at Clark County’s family court, truck driver Ruben Vargas is here because of a custody battle. Whenever his ex doesn’t let him see their 6-year-old boy, he takes her to court.


Read More:

Cumbria's family courts will have to speed up decisions

News & Star | News | Cumbria's family courts will have to speed up decisions:

Family courts in parts of Cumbria will have to slash the time it takes to reach decisions on the custody of children by more than five months under government plans to end shocking delays across the country.


Read More:

Dad Threatens Gun Violence After Custody Battle

Dad Threatens Gun Violence After Custody Battle - Watsonville, CA Patch:

A distraught father who lost custody of his young child made threats that he hid a gun in the bushes outside the Watsonville courthouse and was going to shoot someone Thursday afternoon, the Sheriff's Office reported.


Read More:

Universities will train DSHS social workers, foster parents, parents

Universities will train DSHS social workers, foster parents, parents | Local News | The Seattle Times:

The University of Washington and Eastern Washington University will now be responsible for training state social workers under an agreement with the state Department of Social and Health Services.
Read More:

House Passes Legislation Cutting Food Stamps and Medicaid and Eliminating SSBG | The Children's Monitor:

House Passes Legislation Cutting Food Stamps and Medicaid and Eliminating SSBG

Posted on May 10, 2012 by seancwla | Leave a comment

Today the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 5652, the Sequester Replacement Reconciliation Act, by a mostly party-line vote.  The bill, a follow up to the budget resolution passed by the House earlier this year, would replace the automatic defense cuts scheduled to go into effect beginning in January, 2013 under sequestration with $72 billion in cuts in the coming year to non-defense programs.

Specifically, the legislation would cut almost $8 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps, in the first year while restricting eligibility for the program and repealing the enhanced benefits enacted under the 2009 stimulus bill.  It would also cut billions from Medicaid by repealing the maintenance of effort protections in the Affordable Care Act, which have ensured states keep coverage and eligibility attainable for children, and eliminating the incentive program that rewards states for increasing enrollment for eligible children.  Finally the bill would eliminate the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG), which CWLA has shown is a critical funding stream for the child welfare system.

President Obama has threatened to veto the bill and the Senate has shown no interest in taking it up.  Still, the bill’s passage is important because as the looming 2013 sequestration cuts get closer pressure to replace or eliminate them will increase.  This bill demonstrates just how the House seeks to do so and may come into play during post-election negotiations.