A selection of The Imprint’s most impactful stories from the past year
As the COVID-19 pandemic gripped America, fears spread through mainstream media that social isolation mixed with the stress of a public health emergency and an unpredictable economy would lead to a silent epidemic of child maltreatment.
Although data may not capture the entire picture, two years later, federal data on abuse and neglect from 2020 indicate this did not happen. Entries into foster care plummeted in 2020 and continued to decline in 2021.
Illinois was one of the only states that saw an uptick in foster care placements during the pandemic. As Kari Lydersen reported, observers said the trend was fueled by a high-profile child fatality.
Listen: The Imprint Weekly Podcast ties several data points together to assess what we know about child welfare during the early pandemic.
Other news outlets don’t cover child welfare and juvenile justice like we do.
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