Home » Foster Care

Tag: Foster Care
3 - Investigations / Child Welfare / Dark Money / Family Court / Foster Care / Money & Influence / Money and Finance / Politics / The Schaefer Files

Follow the money: how $1 billion in federal bonuses built an incentive to separate families

- by Michael Phillips - Leave a Comment

Since 1997, the federal government has paid states over $1 billion in adoption incentives, encouraging adoptions instead of family reunification. While foster care numbers declined, adoption assistance payments surged by nearly 43% in recent years, highlighting a troubling financial structure favoring permanent separations over reunifications.

Follow the money: how $1 billion in federal bonuses built an incentive to separate families Read More
Child Custody / Child Custody / Child Protective Services / Child Support / Child Welfare / Family Court / Foster Care

We Just Marked World Children’s Day — And Children’s Grief Awareness Day. America Failed Both.

- by Michael Phillips - Leave a Comment

World Children’s Day and Children’s Grief Awareness Day highlight the rights and emotional wounds of children. The 1959 Declaration underscores rights like family and protection, yet American systems often violate them, creating system-created grief. Children face trauma from separations and ineffective court processes. Urgent reforms are needed for healing and accountability.

We Just Marked World Children’s Day — And Children’s Grief Awareness Day. America Failed Both. Read More
Accountability / Child Custody / Child Protective Services / Child Welfare / Executive / Executive Order / Family Court / Foster Care / Government

Melania Trump’s “Fostering the Future” Executive Order Signals a New Federal Push for Family Preservation and Accountability

- by Michael Phillips - Leave a Comment

Melania Trump’s Executive Order, “Fostering the Future,” marks a transformative shift in U.S. child welfare policy, prioritizing family preservation over removals. It mandates transparency, accountability, and support for aging-out youth, while reopening pathways for faith-based organizations. This initiative recognizes the failures of the system and emphasizes the need for a family-oriented approach.

Melania Trump’s “Fostering the Future” Executive Order Signals a New Federal Push for Family Preservation and Accountability Read More
Accountability / Advocacy / Anne Arundel County / Baltimore City / Baltimore County / Child Custody / Child Protective Services / Child Trafficking / Child Welfare / Civil Rights / Civil Rights / Family Court / Family Court Reform / Foster Care / Maryland / Maryland Watch / Montgomery County

Maryland Admits Nearly 1,000 Foster Children Missing Since 2020 — Most Are Teenage Girls

- by Michael Phillips - Leave a Comment

Maryland’s Department of Human Services confirmed that 990 children in state foster care have gone missing between 2020 and 2025. Most are teenage girls, raising concerns about the classification of cases as “runaways.” Advocates argue this lack of transparency masks deeper issues in a failing foster care system, demanding federal oversight and accountability.

Maryland Admits Nearly 1,000 Foster Children Missing Since 2020 — Most Are Teenage Girls Read More
Child Custody / Child Protective Services / Child Support / Child Trafficking / Child Welfare / Constitutional Rights / Court Corruption / Due Process Denied / Family Court / Family Court Reform / Family Values / Foster Care / Government / Government Corruption / Legal Reform / Parental Rights / Policy / Politics / The Corruption Series

The Hidden Market in Broken Homes: How Family Courts Became a Profit Center

- by Michael Phillips - Leave a Comment

The article by Michael Phillips argues that family courts and child welfare systems have evolved into profit-driven industries, prioritizing revenue over family stability. Federal laws like Title IV-D and Title IV-E incentivize conflict and child removal, creating a cycle of dependency and trauma for families. Reform is essential to shift these damaging incentives.

The Hidden Market in Broken Homes: How Family Courts Became a Profit Center Read More
Crime Violence / Family Court / Louisiana

Tragedy in Louisiana: Child Custody Exchange Ends in Fatal Shooting

- by Michael Phillips - Leave a Comment

On May 24, 2025, a child custody exchange in Lake Charles, Louisiana, resulted in tragedy when Randolyn Allen allegedly shot and killed her ex-partner, Brett Daigle, in front of their children. Allen faces second-degree murder charges and remains in custody. The incident highlights risks during custody exchanges and its impact on the children involved.

Tragedy in Louisiana: Child Custody Exchange Ends in Fatal Shooting Read More