Race

The trustee for relatives of a 17-month-old girl who was beaten to death in an unlicensed Minnesota foster home has filed a wrongful death suit in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis against two counties, a foster mother and social workers whom she alleges failed to protect the toddler. 

Activists are preparing to embark on a national campaign aimed at repealing the Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA), bipartisan legislation passed in the late 1990s in an effort to prevent children from languishing in foster care. 

Once again, New York City is reeling from the murder of a child. The circumstances around the killing of 10-year-old Ayden Wolfe are eerily familiar – a vulnerable mother, a new partner with a history of violence and the loss of an innocent child.

Several organizations representing executives in California who run county-level health and human services agencies have joined the growing list of public entities declaring racism a public health emergency.

Issuing a statement on Wednesday that they recognize “the historic and ongoing harms of systemic racism” and pledging to address the problem were: the County Behavioral Health Directors Association of California, the County Welfare Directors Association of California, the County Health Executives Association of California and the California Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems. 

President Biden’s American Rescue Plan expands the Child Tax Credit to as much as $3,600 per child for 2021. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) offered an alternative that went further, proposing a permanent monthly cash allowance — rather than a tax credit — of up to $350 for each child. 

In January, the American Psychological Association publicly apologized for its role in perpetuating racism in psychiatry. Within its statement the association, which counts more than 100,000 members, declared its intent to create a more equitable future.

On Tuesday, at least 70 people – state representatives, community organizations, child protection allies, and directly impacted families – gathered for a virtual town hall to discuss legislation being produced that would limit child welfare actions against black families in Minnesota.