News Articles

Study: Half of U.S. Kids Assaulted Each Year (as reported by U.S. News and World Report)                                                                                       According to the new government report, Children's Exposure to Violence: A Comprehensive National Survey, more than 60% of children had either direct or indirect exposure to violence within the past year. The report was published by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (also known as OJJDP, an office within the U.S. Department of Justice), with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The report is the result of a survey conducted by the government agencies, and looked at not only past-year but also lifetime exposure to violence among children aged 17 and younger, thereby helping researchers more accurately estimate the number of children in specific age groups who have been exposed to a certain type of violence.

Other findings of the survey published in the report are that nearly half the children surveyed were assaulted at least once in the past year, and more than one in 10 were injured as a result. The report was featured in an article ("Half of U.S. Kids Assaulted Each Year") by U.S. News and World Report online on October 8 (Click here to read the article). The story was also picked up USA Today (click here).

To read the report in full (available on the website of the OJJDP-administered National Criminal Justice Reference Service), click here.

Study: Most States Fail to Protect The Legal Rights of Abused Children
A new study released yesterday, co-authored by First Star, a nonprofit advocacy group for neglected and abused children, and the Children's Advocacy Institute at the University of San Diego Law School, has concluded that states across the nation are inadequately representing the legal rights of abused and neglected children in dependency hearings.

The study, entitled A Child's Right to Counsel: A National Report Card on Legal Representation for Abused and Neglected Children, has given each state a grade based on a 100 point scale that evaluated six criteria in the states' legislation. States that received the poorest grades do not have any laws on the books mandating that lawyers be appointed to represent children in court. Even in states where lawyers are appointed, legislation does not require lawyers to be trained in domestic violence issues or to treat the child in the same way they would another client. Instead lawyers are often allowed (or even encouraged) to act in what they perceive to be the child's best interest, without taking into account the child's wishes.

Based on their findings, First Star and Children's Advocacy Institute have ranked 29 out of the 50 states with failing scores of C's, D's and F's. The organizations hope their work will inspire legislation reform at all levels of government.

The issue is especially relevant in 2009. "In every economic downturn, the children are the first to suffer," explains Amy Harfeld, First Star Executive Director. In our current economic recession, child abuse rates have quickly skyrocketed 30 percent over the past year, while state and federal funding for abused children has decreased at a similar rate.

Harfeld cautions Americans to "make sure that just because children don't vote, don't have lobbyists, that they're not getting shortchanged by the government." Right now, there's no continuity in legislation around the country. Harfeld asserts all children should have equal rights, whether they live in Massachusetts (which received an outstanding score of 104) or across the border in Maine (which received a pitiful 52).

Harfeld outlined the three avenues for significant reform:

• The American Bar Association is considering adopting a Model Act, co-written by First Star, that would require lawyers to be appointed to represent children in all dependency hearings and would give children the right to receive "client directed" representation. If successfully put into place, the ABA Model Act could put pressure on state and federal legislators to follow suit.
• On the state level, First Star encourages advocates to continue to pressure state legislators for reform. Unless you live in Connecticut or Massachusetts, your state's legal protections of neglected and abused children could be improved.
• The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act is slated to be reauthorized in Congress in the coming year. Without a significant outpouring of attention surrounding this issue, this opportunity will pass by and no legal reform will be included in the bill.
  

  Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/15/study-most-states-fail-to_n_322979.html

Senate Confirms Carmen Nazario as HHS Assistant Secretary           The appointment of Carmen Nazario as Assistant Secretary for Children and Families at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) was unanimously confirmed by the Senate on September 22.  She was nominated by President Obama on May 6, 2009.  Nazario, whom many will recall as Associate Commissioner for Child Care in the Clinton administration, returns to Washington from her recent position as Administrator for Children and Families in Puerto Rico.  In the mid-1990s she served as Secretary of Health and Social Services for the state of Delaware.

President Obama’s nomination of Bryan Samuels as the HHS Commissioner of the Administration on Children, Youth and Families, heading the Children’s Bureau, awaits a confirmation hearing by the Senate Finance Committee scheduled for October 8.  Samuels comes to the job from the Chicago public schools system where he was chief of staff to now U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan.  Prior to that, Samuels was director of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.  He was nominated for the HHS position in July. 

STUDY: Spanking's Negative Effects on Toddlers in Low-income Households                                                                                                              A new longitudinal study finds that spanking 1-year-olds leads to more aggressive behaviors and less sophisticated cognitive development in the next two years. Verbal punishment is not associated with such effects, especially when accompanied by a mother’s emotional support.  The study, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, examined the discipline practices of low-income parents with their young children.

In this study, the researchers looked at more than 2,500 exclusively low-income white, African American, and Mexican-American mothers and their young children, interviewing and observing them at home when the children were 1, 2, and 3 years old. All participants' family incomes were at or below the federal poverty level. 

The study concludes that spanking affects children's development.  Children who were spanked more often at 1 behaved more aggressively when they were 2 and had lower scores on tests measuring thinking skills when they were 3. These findings held up even after taking into consideration such family characteristics as mothers' race and ethnicity, age, and education; family income and structure; and the children's gender.

The study, which appears in the September/October 2009 issue of the journal Child Development. Vol. 80, Issue 5, was conducted by researchers at Duke University, the University of Missouri-Columbia, the University of South Carolina, Columbia University, Harvard University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Click here to read the article published on the website of DUKE TODAY.

Educating dads may help protect babies from abuse
By Liz Szabo, USA TODAY July 28, 2009

Failing Kalab / Chapter 5 - Dealing with the fall-out                
By Kate Braser & Libby Keeling June 14, 2009

Press Releases

WASHINGTON’S FOSTER CHILDREN FIND A FRIEND IN FIRST STAR Washington State Courts Consider a Child’s Right to Counsel
WASHINGTON, DC, August 14, 2009—In September, the Washington State Court of Appeals will consider a case that has the potential to affect every child involved in a dependency proceeding in the State of Washington.  In re A.R. and D.R., currently before the Washington Court of Appeals, presented the question of whether to terminate the parental rights of the mother of A.R. and D.R, and whether the children were entitled to legal representation during these proceedings.  
Click here to read the entire Press Release.

American Bar Associaiton to vote on Model Law Strengthening Legal Protections for Abused and Neglected Children---Model Act Would Prompt States to Adopt Uniform Protections for Children in Abuse, Neglect and Dependency Proceedings.

The American Bar Association’s policy-making House of Delegates will vote on the ABA Model Act Governing the Representation of Children in Abuse, Neglect, and Dependency Proceedings at its Annual Meeting in Chicago. The Model Law represents a significant step forward in the representation of children in dependency hearings.

Most States Fail to Protect the Legal Rights of Children in Foster Care, Study Finds: Nearly half of U.S. states fail to provide legal representation for abused and neglected foster children, leaving them without a voice during judicial proceedings that profoundly impact their futures, a new study found. The peer-reviewed study - A Child's Right to Counsel. First Star's National Report Card on Legal Representation for Children - was released today by First Star, a leading national child advocacy
organization.

Federal Court Victory Upholds Immigrant Children's Rights to State Protection: The U.S. District Court of Central California has declared that immigrant children seeking protection from abuse and neglect should not be barred from access to state courts. In making its decision, the Court took into account an amici curae brief filed by Columbia University Law School's Child Advocacy and Immigration Clinic on behalf of First Star and the Children's Advocacy Institute.

North Carolina Court Denies State Appeal Request in John G. Case: The North Carolina Supreme Court has denied a state appeal request in the John G. case, reaffirming that the state does not have the legal authority to divert the Social Security benefits of foster children to reimburse itself for the cost of their foster care when it is not in the best interest of the child.

North Carolina Court Rules State Must Act in Best Interest of Child in Handling Foster Children’s Social Security Benefits: The North Carolina Court of Appeals today ruled that the state does not have the legal authority to divert the Social Security benefits of foster children to reimburse itself for the cost of their foster care when it is not in the best interest of the children.

Proposed Legislation Will Ensure Social Security for Children in Foster Care: In a move to help America’s most vulnerable children, Congressman Pete Stark (CA-13th) introduced legislation to ensure that foster children who are eligible for Social Security and Supplemental Security Insurance (SSI) actually receive the benefits to address their needs and improve upon their lives. 

First Star Sponsors Congressional Briefing on Foster Children-Self Support Act: First Star announced today that a Capitol Hill briefing will be held Friday, February 16, 2007, at 9:30AM in Room 318 of the Rayburn House Office Building. The briefing will focus on the common state practice of robbing disabled and orphaned foster children of Social Security and Supplemental Security Insurance (SSI) benefits to which they are entitled. Congressman Pete Stark will introduce legislation which will enable the fair disbursement of such benefits to America's foster youth. 

Celebrities Give Big Bear Hugs for Children In Need: A host of celebrity child advocates have donated one-of-a-kind Build-A-Bear® stuffed animals bearing their official signature to First Star, which will be auctioned on www.CharityFolks.com. Pierce Brosnan, Robert Townsend, Sela Ward, Judge Reinhold, Malcolm David Kelley, Anne Heche, Macy Gray, Alexandra Rieger, Star Jones Reynolds, U.S. Representative Loretta Sanchez, Kathy Najimy and others have participated in the auction.

D.C. Events Highlight Need for Foster Care Reform: In conjunction with National Foster Care Month, leading national child welfare organizations – including Home At Last, the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, First Star and the National Foster Care Coalition - convened a series of Capitol Hill events designed to increase awareness of the need to reform our nation’s foster care system and to improve outcomes for the nearly half a million children in our care.

First Star Goes to Congress on Behalf of Children: Members of Congress used First Star’s third annual Congressional Roundtable on Children to draft a letter that urges the President to prioritize children's issues, particular those surrounding child maltreatment and abuse.