More Hoosier kids put in foster care, By Tim Evans, June 9, 2010, Indianapolis Star: “It is among the most devastating and gut-wrenching decisions government can make: taking a child away from his or her parents. As child welfare experts understand more about the lasting effects of such a decision, social workers have sought new ways to support troubled families and keep children in their homes. That is one of the likely explanations for the most recent federal data that reveals a 7 percent drop in the number of U.S. children removed from their homes — the most significant one-year decline in a decade. But that’s not the case in Indiana. According to that same data, the number of Hoosier children removed and placed in foster care has climbed to an all-time high, 9,375 — a 22 percent jump in removals from 2007 to 2008. That means the Indiana Department of Child Services is removing, on average, about 180 children per week…”
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty