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SD public defense duties shift from counties to state; SCOTUS appears skeptical of restricting government communications with social media companies; Trump lawyers say he can't make bond; new scholarships aim to connect class of 2024 to high-demand jobs.

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The SCOTUS weighs government influence on social media, and who groups like the NRA can do business with. Biden signs an executive order to advance women's health research and the White House tells Israel it's responsible for the Gaza humanitarian crisis.

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Midwest regenerative farmers are rethinking chicken production, Medicare Advantage is squeezing the finances of rural hospitals and California's extreme swing from floods to drought has some thinking it's time to turn rural farm parcels into floodplains.

Report: Too Many Foster Kids in Group Homes

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Tuesday, May 19, 2015   

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Too many of California's foster children are stuck in group homes when they should be placed with a loving family. That's according to a new report – "Every Kid Needs a Family: Giving Children in the Child Welfare System the Best Chance for Success" – released today.

The report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation says California has almost 57,000 foster kids, and only 83 percent of them are in family-like settings. Director of Research for Children Now, Jessica Mindnich, says the institutional feeling of group homes makes it hard for children to feel connected.

"All children need a stable, loving home," says Mindnich. "They need those lifelong connections, people who are there to support them emotionally and when children enter the foster care, that stability is often disrupted."

The report praises California's Continuum of Care Reform Project, which looks for ways to improve the system. They have launched initiatives to keep kids out of foster care in the first place, by assisting families in crisis addressing the stressors that can lead to child neglect.

Mindnich says financial problems often are a factor.

"A lot of times that coincides with poverty," she says. "Can't afford child care, diapers, formula. So, making sure families are tapped into all the resources they need to help provide those basic needs for children."

The report also looked at best practices around the nation. For example, in Washington, D.C., they have a rapid response team that can certify relatives' homes very quickly to minimize disruption in kids' lives when they have to be removed from their parents' care.


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