A roundup of some of The Imprint’s most impactful stories from the past year
Federal reports show about 400,000 children are in foster care on any given day. But many more children are being separated by child protective services through a diversionary process that has come to be known as “hidden foster care,” which typically involves a physical change in custody to relatives or other kin without the formality or protection of court involvement.
Throughout 2021, The Imprint added to our continuing series on hidden foster care, with reporting from around the country on how this shadow system impacts parents, relatives and children.
When Kentucky’s state budget shrunk, a steady monthly support system for hidden foster care was halted. Relatives who had agreed to the arrangements were left with nothing.
One Texas Republican lawmaker is committed to passing some protections for parents at the front door of child welfare that prevent the hidden foster care process from becoming coercive.
For all of our coverage on hidden foster care, click here.
Listen: Law professor Josh Gupta-Kagan, the author of a recent legal brief on hidden foster care, joins The Imprint Weekly Podcast to discuss the issue and how it connects to recent changes in federal child welfare policy.