DHS

Anti-poverty and children’s advocates are bracing for the fallout of proposed federal policy changes that would slash access to the social safety net for immigrant families, which could result in more children entering foster care.

Jerry Foxhoven is no stranger to Iowa’s child welfare system. He spent the past few decades working to improve the legal protection of children and families in contact with the Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS).

Yesterday, Reuters reporter Julia Edwards Ainsley broke the news that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is considering a drastic shift in the handling of family units (mother and child) at the border.

In his recent opinion editorial, “Putting Differential Response into Perspective”, David Thompson, who recently retired from Minnesota’s Department of Human Services, notes that the child homicide of four-year-old Eric Dean has raised questions about the efficacy of Family Assessment Response in Minnesota.

In 2000, Minnesota launched a pilot for its now statewide differential response (DR) program. DR is a popular child protection strategy with mixed results, in which help is offered to abusive or neglectful parents, but rarely forced upon them.

A new report examining the Philadelphia School District found that 17 percent of students had at some point been in the child welfare or the juvenile justice systems. The findings showed that these students were more likely to need special education services, highlighting the challenges the school district faces serving DHS-involved students.