Nationwide and in Pennsylvania, there are racial disparities in the child welfare system, meaning kids and families of different races or ethnicities could have different experiences in the system. A 2021 Racial Equity report from DHS says, “Black children represent 35 percent of Pennsylvania’s foster care population, despite accounting for just 13 percent of children […]

It’s estimated that more than 100,000 grandparents now are raising their grandchildren in Pennsylvania, according to a statewide organization working to get more resources for those people in the new year. “The grandparents get nothing,” Beth, a 71-year-old grandmother from northeast Pennsylvania who raised one grandson and now is raising another. She asked that her […]

In Iris Mummert’s case we told you about how court documents indicated her foster mother wanted to have more of a voice throughout hearings. Three years after Mummert was killed by her biological mother, a newly signed law is working to take a step in the right direction to hear from family members in court […]

A newly signed law is working to take a step in the right direction to hear from family members in court hearings about what could be in the child’s best interest. The law is giving more rights specifically to what’s called kinship caregivers. Kinship providers or caregivers are essentially foster parents, but one the child […]

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) today released the latest issue of Positive Approaches Journal, which aims to provide the latest research and resources for people with mental health and behavioral challenges, intellectual disabilities, autism, and other developmental disabilities to live everyday lives. This edition focuses on recent research on suicide risk and prevention […]

Jillian Hauser spent more than a decade addicted to drugs, went through six rounds of rehab, did time in jail and lost custody of her two daughters. She hit bottom when Westmoreland County Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio offered her one last chance to regain control of her life through the county’s drug court, a rigorous program […]

As much as parents and guardians want to, we cannot fully shield our children from the horrors of war. The digital age has made it impossible to do so. That point was made abundantly clear in a recent survey from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, an independent nonprofit that studies online platforms. ISD analyzed more than 300 […]

Natalie Hoprich remembers the call that changed her life.  Hoprich had one hour to get home, a worker from Luzerne County Children and Youth Services told her, or else her two grandsons would enter foster care.  Instead of preparing to retire, Hoprich and her husband, Steve, became caretakers of 4- and 6-year-old boys.  When the […]

A program created locally to make sure children receive support services and care when tragedy impacts their lives has its first flagship school district. Huntingdon Borough Police Chief Charles Streightiff and his wife Kristen announced plans for the Huntingdon Endangered At-Risk Youth Response Team (HEART) at the Huntingdon Borough Council public safety committee meeting in […]

Pennsylvania has joined 32 other states in a federal lawsuit against Meta Platforms, Inc., the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. The lawsuit alleges that Meta’s social media platforms violate consumer protection laws by exposing young users to harmful, manipulative, and addictive content. Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry has voiced strong opposition against these practices, […]