Dcfs

A National Foster Care Movement

Daniel Heimpel | Posted 05.07.2012

Read More: National Foster Youth Action Network, Rep. Loretta Sanchez, Foster Care System, Rep. Michele Bachmann, Dcfs, Rep. Tom Marino, Rep. Karen Bass, Foster Youth, Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth, Foster Care, California Youth Connection, Video, Impact News
Daniel Heimpel

Over the span of the past two weeks, from my unique vantage point, I have seen two telling signs that the national movement to improve foster care is growing and, more importantly, developing the infrastructure for a sustained, youth-driven political movement.

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Mom Charged After Boy Found Dead At Animal-Packed Home

Posted 11.12.2011

Read More: Animal Hoarding, Matthew Degner, Child Abuse, Hoarding, Matthew Degner Child Abuse, Berwyn Animal Hoarding, Extreme Animal Hoarding, Dcfs, Lydia Price, Chicago News

A Berwyn, Illinois mother faces felony charges after authorities responding to the death of her 14-year-old son discovered that the boy and his siblin...

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WATCH: Boy Found Dead Outside Squalid Home With More Than 200 Animals

Posted 11.10.2011

Read More: Animal Hoarding, Matthew Degner, Child Abuse, Hoarding, Matthew Degner Child Abuse, Berwyn Animal Hoarding, Extreme Animal Hoarding, Dcfs, Chicago News

The mother of a 14-year-old boy who died Thursday is under investigation after police found more than 200 animals in their squalid suburban Chicago ho...

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Joseph Erbentraut

Illinois' Foster Care, Adoption Dispute With Catholic Charities At Standstill

HuffingtonPost.com | Joseph Erbentraut | Posted 09.20.2011

Read More: Equality Illinois, Catholic Charities Rockford, Gay Rights, Gay Parenting, Pat Quinn, Dcfs, Catholic Charities, LGBT Adoption, Foster Care, Gay Adoption, LGBT Families, Civil Unions, Youth Services Bureau, Adoption, Chicago News

Though the state of Illinois's Department of Children and Family Services announced last week that it had suspended its foster care and adoption contr...

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Illinois Must Keep Foster Contracts With Catholic Charities (For Now)

AP | JOHN O'CONNOR | Posted 09.11.2011

Read More: Adoption, Chicago News, Civil Unions, LGBT Adoption, Gay Rights, Catholic Charities, Catholic Charities Rockford, Gay Adoption, Youth Services Bureau, Foster Care, Dcfs, Chicago News

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — An Illinois judge on Tuesday put Catholic Charities back in the business of finding foster and adoptive homes for children, ...

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State Ending Foster Care Relationship With Catholic Charities

Posted 09.10.2011

Read More: Gay Rights, Catholic Charities Rockford, Dcfs, Catholic Charities, Chicago News, LGBT Adoption, Civil Unions, Foster Care, Gay Adoption, Youth Services Bureau, Adoption, Chicago News

In May, Catholic Charities of Rockford announced that it would end its adoption and foster care program if the state forced them to grant applications...

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WATCH: Chicago Mom Adopts Her Own Children

Posted 09.04.2011

Read More: Parental Rights, Drug Addiction, Chicago Adoption, Yolanda Miller, Illinois Adoption Law, Dcfs, Chicago Families, Parenting, Sara Feigenholtz, Chicago News

Yolanda Miller spent more than a decade fighting her addiction to crack cocaine. During that time, she struggled as 10 of her 11 children were taken a...

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Jen Sabella

Agency Takes Over Foster Care In Rockford After Catholic Charities Halts Service

HuffingtonPost.com | Jen Sabella | Posted 08.16.2011

Read More: Gay Rights, Catholic Charities Rockford, Catholic Charities, Dcfs, LGBT Adoption, Gay Adoption, Foster Care, Civil Unions, Youth Services Bureau, Adoption, Chicago News

Last month, Catholic Charities of Rockford announced that it would no longer provide foster care services, since new state law would force them to acc...

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An IPO Is Not a Star Wars Character: What You Need to Know About IPOs

Carol Roth | Posted 08.05.2011

Read More: Groupon IPO, C-3po, Linkedin, Ipo, LinkedIn IPO, Dcfs, Venture Capital, Private Equity, Groupon, Business News
Carol Roth

LinkedIn did it. Groupon's doing it. Suddenly everyone is talking IPOs. But if you aren't market savvy, you may not be familiar with this hot acronym du jour

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How Illinois' Budget Cuts Affect Children

Christine Bork | Posted 06.01.2011

Read More: Dcfs, Illinois Budget, Governor Quinn, Illinois Budget Crisis, Illinois Social Services, Chicago News
Christine Bork

Illinois needs spending restraints. What I don't understand is why the cuts come first for people who can't help themselves or defend themselves.

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Gays Blocked From Adoption By State-Funded Agencies

Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Lgbt, Gay Rights, Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, Homophobia, Dcfs, Christianity, Lgbt Chicago, Gay Parents, Civil Rights, Gay Adoption Ban, Lgbt Adotion, Chicago News

By Joseph Erbentraut, courtesy of the Windy City Times While three faith-based foster care agencies receive state funding in excess of roughly $40 ...

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Responsibility Lost

Daniel Heimpel | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: IV-E Waiver, Orphan, Child Welfare, Dcfs, Garrett Therolf, Trish Ploehn, Zev Yaroslavsky, Daniel Heimpel, Child Death, Foster Care, La Impact, Los Angeles News
Daniel Heimpel

Los Angeles Times' reckless coverage of child deaths threatens the very children we trust it intends to protect.

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Drunk Mom Arrested While Celebrating DCFS Win

Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Child Neglect, Child Abuse, Dcfs, Public Intoxication, Jamie L. Riley, Department of Children and Family Services, North Riverside, Child Endangerment, Chicago Police, Jamie Riley, Chicago News

A North Riverside woman celebrating the fact that the Department of Children and Family Services dropped its case against her was arrested Saturday--a...

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1-Year-Old Tests Positive For PCP, Cocaine On West Side

Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Angel Dust, Pcp, Chicago Drugs, Dcfs, 1-Year-Old Cocaine, 1-Year-Old Pcp, Drug Abuse, Department of Children and Family Services, Chicago Crime, Chicago Child Abuse, Cocaine, Chicago News

The parents of a 1-year-old boy who tested positive for cocaine and PCP over the weekend could face charges. The Chicago Tribune reports that someon...

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Day-Care Operator Charged With Prostitution

Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Dcfs, Amy Thoren, Naperville, Amy Thoren Prostitution, Day Care Prostitution, Day Care, Chicago News

The owner of a day-care business in Naperville was arrested in a hotel in the west suburb last week on prostitution charges. According to the Naperv...

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To Cut Caseload, DCFS Diverts Cases To Probate Court: Report

Chicago Tribune | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Foster Care, Child Abuse, Cook County Juvenile Court, Probate Court, Chicago, Dcfs, Child Services, Illinois, Adoption, Chicago News

DCFS has increasingly diverted families with issues of neglect or abandonment to probate court, a system typically reserved for guardianship cases tha...

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Mom Charged With First-Degree Murder In Baby's Death

Chicago Sun-Times | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Vanessa Urbina, Dcfs, Child Abuse, Chicago Murder, Department of Children and Family Services, Chicago News

Bond was denied Saturday for a Southeast Side woman charged with murdering her 7-month-old daughter in July 2009. Vanessa Urbina, 23, of the 10600 ...

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State Child Welfare Agency Stops Drug Testing Job Applicants

AP | John O'Connor | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: DCFS Jobseeker Drug Testing, Rod Blagojevich, DCFS Drug Testing, Dcfs, Department of Children and Family Services Drug Testing, Department of Children and Family Services, Erwin McEwen, Chicago News

Illinois' child-welfare agency, looking for savings amid a budget crunch, has stopped a 10-month-old employee drug testing program officials say kept ...

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State Child Welfare Agency Gutted

Associated Press | John O'Connor | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Illinois DCFS, Illinois Child Welfare, Department of Children and Family Services, Dcfs, Blagojevich Dcfs, AFSCME DCFS, Afscme, Chicago News

The state's child-welfare agency, preparing to cut almost 200 employees amid a budget crisis, says it needs remaining staff members punching in on ov...

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Blagojevich To Lay Off Hundreds, Close State Parks

AP | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Chicago Park District Layoffs, Illinois State Parks, Rod Blagojevich, DCFS Layoffs, Gov. Blagojevich, Illinois Parks Closing, Illinois Layoffs, Dcfs, Chicago News

SPRINGFIELD - Thirteen state historic sites and 11 parks will close, and human services will be affected as the Blagojevich administration said Thursd...

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