All articles tagged with #child welfare
A French woman and her partner were ordered to remain in pre-trial detention in Portugal after allegedly abandoning their two young sons on a roadside near Alcacer do Sal; the boys, aged four and five, are in foster care in Lisbon and are expected to return to France as investigations continue.
A Western High Court in Denmark ruled that the removal of Keira Alexandra Kronvold’s two‑hour‑old daughter Zammi was illegal and violated her rights, criticizing the now-banned FKU parenting-competence tests as outdated; the case underscores ongoing consequences for Greenlandic families despite the ban, with potential implications for older cases and possible apologies or compensation under ILO Indigenous rights conventions and UN scrutiny.
Two Cache County, Utah residents are charged with international parental kidnapping after allegedly taking a 10-year-old to Havana, Cuba, instead of returning the child to the biological mother per a custody order; the trio had planned a Canada camping trip but crossed into Mexico and Cuba, where Cuban authorities later located them and the child was returned to the United States, with Utah courts granting the mother exclusive custody. The FBI and federal and state agencies, including the Diplomatic Security Service and ICE, helped locate and recover the child, and the case is being prosecuted in Utah as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Authorities in eastern France rescued a 9-year-old boy who had been living in his father’s utility van since November 2024, malnourished and unable to walk. The father is detained on kidnapping charges; the partner faces charges for failing to assist a minor, and the other children have been placed in social services as investigators probe who knew about the confinement.
Arkansas police arrested Kendra Duggar on four counts each of endangering the welfare of a minor and second-degree false imprisonment; she has a Monday hearing. Her husband Joseph Duggar was arrested in Florida on lewd and lascivious charges involving a child under 12, but the Florida case is unrelated. The Duggars, known from the reality show 19 Kids and Counting, have four children.
The Indiana House Judiciary Committee approved House Bill 1035 with a 12-1 vote, aiming to clarify that allowing children age-appropriate independence should not trigger DCS investigations or criminal charges unless recklessness endangers the child, creating an affirmative defense in neglect cases; supporters say it reduces unnecessary government involvement while preserving safety, though one Democrat expressed concerns about raising the intervention threshold; the bill moves to the full House.
A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration's attempt to freeze billions in childcare and welfare funds for five Democratic-led states, citing lack of legal justification and immediate harm to low-income families, while the government claims the freeze is due to fraud concerns.
In 2026, California will implement over 500 new laws impacting various sectors including immigration protections, child welfare, mental health, criminal and civil law, court procedures, traffic enforcement, and AI regulation, aimed at enhancing fairness, accessibility, and safety across the state.
South Korea plans to phase out international adoptions by 2029 amid concerns over past abuses, falsified records, and systemic human rights violations, with the government focusing on reform and domestic adoption promotion while facing international pressure for accountability and reparations.
Islington Council won a High Court case allowing it to vaccinate an eight-month-old baby against her mother's wishes, citing the child's vulnerability to preventable diseases and the lack of scientific evidence linking vaccines to autism, under the authority of the Children Act 1989.
Melania Trump sent a public letter to Vladimir Putin urging him to protect children's innocence amid the Ukraine conflict, highlighting the impact of the war on children and calling for their safety, though without directly referencing Russia's invasion or the abduction of Ukrainian children.
A woman is concerned about her nephew's unhappiness and her strained relationship with her narcissistic sister. She considers whether to apologize to her sister to improve her access to her nephew or to find alternative ways to support him without engaging in her sister's drama. Experts suggest maintaining emotional boundaries, avoiding unnecessary apologies, and focusing on creating positive interactions with her nephew while managing her sister's behavior.
An eight-year-old boy in Thailand was found living in a squalid hut, raised by dogs and unable to speak beyond barking, after being abandoned by his drug-addicted family. His mother and brother were charged with drug offenses, and the boy was placed in a care home to receive proper support and rehabilitation.
Homeland Security agents are conducting surprise wellness checks on unaccompanied migrant children in the U.S., raising concerns that these visits are used to enforce immigration laws and potentially lead to deportations, amid ongoing debates about the treatment and legal protections of these minors.
An investigation by The Marshall Project and Reveal found that hospitals across the U.S. are administering medications to birthing patients and then reporting them to child welfare authorities when drug tests show positive results for those same substances. This practice has led to child welfare investigations and even the removal of children from their parents, despite the medications being legally prescribed during labor. The issue is exacerbated by the lack of hospital policies to confirm test results or review patient medications before reporting, leading to calls for policy changes to protect patients from unwarranted investigations.