Indiana

Terry Stigdon has departed as head of Indiana’s child welfare agency to join the American Red Cross as CEO of its Indiana region.

In California, the number of youth in foster care on psychiatric meds has fallen, but other states continue to keep inadequate records.

A federal audit into psychiatric drug prescriptions for foster children in Indiana revealed hardly anyone was keeping complete records.

I do believe foster care can be a good thing for small children, but not for teenagers, writes JaiLynne Dotson.

Former Indiana Department of Child Services director Mary Beth Bonaventura has been temporarily appointed family court judge in Marion County.

My name is Justin Hayden and I am 20 years old. I am a communication major with a focus in public relations and a minor in psychology at Purdue University Northwest.

Last week, Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) officials told Youth Services Insider that it did not plan to comment on the class-action lawsuit filed against it. But it must not have loved what was being said by the other side, because DCS Director Terry Stigdon took to YouTube today with some sharp remarks for the groups involved in the lawsuit.

Indiana has one of the highest foster care removal rates in the country. Its child welfare system has been stressed more than most by the effects of the opioid epidemic. Its former child welfare director resigned in protest, warning that children would die without new spending and priorities.

Part one of this series discussed the historical nature of confidentiality, followed by a discussion of the societal forces that have changed including technologic advances, public and private communication such as social networking, increasing pressure on openness and transparency in government, and the growing need for support for resources including funding, staffing and leadership.