Mississippi plans a serious overhaul of its child welfare system to do more to protect the approximately 3,400 abused and neglected children in its care. Here's an overview of the details of this comprehensive reform plan, developed as a settlement of a class action lawsuit brought against the state by Children's Rights.

In November 2007, the New York Times ran a three-part series on the struggles of minority-run foster care agencies in New York City that found "a trail of scandals and disappointments, as well as a new commitment to better caring for the city’s vulnerable black and Latino children." The online version includes reader commentary and questions for reporters and experts. Connect for Kids will join and track these online conversations for our readers.

October 2007—Our partner Child Advocacy 360 brings you "Readers' Choice Stories," in which readers vote with their eyes, clicks and emails on the best of Who's Doing What That Works.

CFK Reports From: Ten Years of Leaving Foster Children Behind
Event: Press Conference
Organized By: Child Welfare League of America
Where/When: Murrow Room, National Press Club; July 17, 2006

An outdated eligibility requirement for foster kids to receive federal assistance under Title IV-E of the Social Security Act is leaving out nearly 50,000 children per year, according to a report by the Child Welfare League of America.

When you learn that a teen is in foster care, what is your reaction? Empathy? Curiosity? Apprehension? News stories and popular media portrayals of young people involved with the child welfare system, paired with selective statistics about how this population is faring, can feed apprehension at the expense of a more positive view of the strength that can come from overcoming adversity. La Terra Cole, an intern with Connect For Kids, reflects on some recent "mainstream media" portrayals of foster care.

The Foster Family-based Treatment Association (FFTA) celebrates 20 years of professional achievement at its annual conference, to be held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The parents of children in the child welfare system are often vilified and rarely heard from. Youth Communication is working to change that, with a new magazine called Rise, written by and for such parents. Its mission is to help parents advocate for themselves and their children. In her story from issue #3, Philneia Timmons tells a tough story from a perspective that's too often missing from our view of foster care.

Entering foster care is traumatic for any child—even more so when siblings are separated. High school senior Kala Clark of Maine, who entered care at age 12, knows that only too well. And she's done something about it—successfully pushing for state legislation that establishes the right of siblings to spend time together when families are divided by child welfare authorities. She spoke with Connect for Kids Editor Susan Phillips.

According to the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System, over half a million children in the United States are in living in foster care—some in group homes, some with relatives, and many in placements with individual families. What kinds of roles can communities play in supporting children in care? As Foster Care Month gets underway, Michelle A. Ziner looks at how some people in Cabarrus County, N.C., have stepped forward to help.