A selection of The Imprint’s most impactful stories from the past year
For decades, states have been drawing on parents’ child support payments and children’s and Social Security benefits to help offset the costs of foster care. Media investigations and public pressure from advocates has prompted several child welfare systems to reconsider these actions, which can jeopardize the ability of a parent to reunify with their children or leave kids penniless as they exit foster care.
Farrah Mina covered efforts in Minnesota and other states in 2022 to protect the disability and survivor benefits owed to youth in foster care. Meanwhile, Washington state will stop using child support payments to pay for foster care, and in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill that would clarify the terms under which child protective services can refer parents to child support agencies. In Washington, D.C., the Biden administration rescinded federal requirements that states pursue child support money in order to defray the federal costs of foster care.