A Better Childhood

North Carolina has been sued in federal court for the second time in two years over conditions within its foster care system

A year after a judge tossed out a class-action lawsuit on behalf of West Virginia foster children, a federal court of appeals has reversed course.

Despite an ongoing crisis that has left hundreds of foster children living in hotel rooms and other unlicensed settings, Texas child welfare officials are not moving with enough urgency to find them safe homes, attorneys for the children say.

A federal judge has denied the latest attempt by a pioneering legal advocate for foster children to proceed with a class-action lawsuit against New York City.

On June 1, a federal judge issued final approval for a settlement in a decades-old case to improve the experience of foster children in the nation's capital.

In December 2015, a federal judge ruled that Texas was violating the rights of children in long-term care of the state by subjecting them to abuse, overmedication and repeated placement moves.

Across the country, state and county child welfare systems are trying to deal with the Coronavirus pandemic, balancing concerns for the safety of the almost 700,000 children who go through the foster care system with the health of the child welfare workers who make visits to make sure they’re alright.

We’re counting down 10 of the biggest stories The Imprint published in 2019. Each day, we’ll connect readers with a few links to our coverage on a big story from this past year.

A U.S. District Court judge has found the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) in contempt of an order for certain system reforms, and starting Friday will begin to fine the agency every day until the issue is resolved.