foster care

Darrow Brown, 52, and Juan Calvo, 55, live in Baltimore. The men started fostering children after volunteering to take care of drug-addicted infants in 2007.

National

2 Dads And Their Experience With Foster Fatherhood

9:53am June 16, 2017

After caring for drug-addicted infants, two men became foster parents. It was hard saying goodbye to the first child, but when offered the chance to do it again they said, "How can you say no?"

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Hearing Officer Jim Teal presides over a session of Early Intervention Family Drug Court in Sacramento, Calif., in March. The county program helps keep families together — and saves taxpayers $7 million annually, Sacramento County officials say.

California Court Helps Kids By Healing Parents' Addictions

6:37pm August 16, 2016

by Jenny Gold

A special court in Sacramento, Calif., aims to keep families together by getting treatment for parents who have substance abuse problems, instead of sending off their kids to foster care.

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Juana Zacharias, 18, lives in a group home for foster children in Oxnard, Calif. She came out as transgender when she was 10; she entered the foster care system when she was 11, after her father was killed.

National

Los Angeles Pioneers Program To Help Educate Foster Parents For LGBT Kids

5:05pm June 29, 2016

by Leo Duran

There are more than 400,000 foster children in the U.S., and a disproportionate number identify as LGBT. It's hard to find foster parents for them, but an effort in Los Angeles aims to change that.

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Health & Safety

Questions Remain Over Handling Of A Forsyth County Custody Case

1:44pm November 15, 2015

by Emily McCord

A custody case involving five children in Kernersville is putting a spotlight on the Forsyth County Department of Social Services and a District Court judge.

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A judge in Utah ordered that an infant girl be removed from the care of foster parents April Hoagland (left) and Beckie Peirce, seen in a screen shot from a Reuters video.

National

Judge Changes Order Removing Baby Girl From Same-Sex Couple's Home

7:35pm November 13, 2015

by Alexandra Starr

The Utah judge had ruled Thursday that the 9-month-old child be placed with a heterosexual couple.

National

Utah Judge Orders Foster Child Removed From Lesbian Couple's Care

8:26pm November 12, 2015

by Jim Zarroli

The judge reportedly told the couple that myriad studies have proved children are better off with heterosexual couples. State officials say they will try to get the order changed.

A young boy talks with Tina Cloer, director of the Children's Bureau, in Indianapolis. The nonprofit shelter takes in children from the state's Department of Child Services when a suitable foster family can't be found. Cloer says the average length of sta

Heroin, Opioid Abuse Put Extra Strain On U.S. Foster Care System

6:59pm October 27, 2015

by Jake Harper

Roughly 265,000 U.S. kids entered foster care last year — the highest number since 2008. Officials say the abuse of heroin or prescription painkillers by more parents is one reason for the increase.

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Human Interest

Transitioning Youth Out Of Foster Care: Karon McKinney

5:16pm October 20, 2015

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Children and teens in foster care are much more likely to be prescribed antipsychotic drugs.

California Approves Laws To Cut Use Of Antipsychotics In Foster Care

6:03pm October 08, 2015

by Elaine Korry

The laws are intended to reduce inappropriate prescribing of powerful antipsychotics to children and teens in foster care. Public health nurses will monitor medical records.

Laticia Aossey was hospitalized while a student at the University of Northern Iowa when she realized she hadn't signed up for health insurance.

Many Former Foster Youths Don't Know They Have Health Care

3:05pm October 01, 2015

by Ray Glier

Under the Affordable Care Act, former foster youths get Medicaid coverage until age 26. Many of them aren't aware of that, and getting that information to them isn't always easy.