I remember the paper. It was just set in front of me. No big explanation. Just a quick, “this is part of the process.” I glanced at it. I didn’t sit with it. I didn’t...

When the System Becomes the Story There are moments when systems operate exactly as they were designed to. And then there are moments when the outcomes raise a different question entirely. Not whether something went wrong, but...

I was a child once. There were signs, moments that should have raised concern, and opportunities for someone to intervene. No one did. What should have been recognized was overlooked, what should have been...

A case out of Massachusetts is moving forward that raises a question many families across the country have quietly asked for years. What happens when children are removed before the law is properly followed. In Waltham,...

For families navigating the child welfare system, one question continues to surface again and again. Who is watching the system that is supposed to be watching our children? Oversight is often discussed in policy language. It...

Reporting and analysis by FamiliesVsDHR.org A federal appeals court in New York has revived a class action lawsuit filed on behalf of children who were removed from their biological parents and later denied placement with...

To my babies, We love you. There isn’t a system big enough to erase that. Not a courtroom. Not a report. Not a badge. Not a signature at the bottom of documents built on assumptions, pressure,...

We’ve spent decades blaming the system. Parents say it. Judges say it. Even the workers inside it say it. The system did this. The system made a mistake. The system took the child. But the...