A new set of Alaska court rules will give youths in foster care more opportunities to have a lawyer represent what they want to happen with their cases — and their lives.

NEW ORLEANS — A federal judge on Wednesday ordered a two-week halt in the phasing out of pandemic-related restrictions on seeking asylum and raised doubts about the Biden administration’s plan to fully lift those restrictions on May 23.

A major shift in the delivery of foster care could result in hundreds of children repatriated to their Manitoba communities as more Indigenous governments are expected to take jurisdiction over child welfare from the province.

A new set of Alaska court rules will give youths in foster care more opportunities to have a lawyer represent what they want to happen with their cases — and their lives.

New research conducted by Ofsted found that just over half of children living in children's homes in England had residential care included in their care plan. This "illustrates the challenges faced by the children, and by social workers and commissioners trying to find suitable care for them, as well as by the children’s homes that are aiming to meet the children’s needs,” according to the report entitled Why Do Children Go Into Children's Homes?

More than 2,000 have reached the U.S. border with Mexico, where an expected spike in migration from other countries will raise tough questions: Who gets priority?

A case now before the U.S. Supreme Court poses grave challenges to America’s landmark federal law that makes it more difficult for local child welfare agencies to separate Indigenous children from their families and tribes. But as of last month, 10 states including New Mexico have enacted local policies to make sure their residents are protected should the federal law known as ICWA, the Indian Child Welfare Act, be struck down by the high court. The 10 states include several that are home to the largest Indigenous populations within United States borders.

Most of the thousands of children who are reported missing each year are in foster care, and some members of Congress want the federal government to do more to respond to the problem. Researchers know that most youth are only gone for a week or so but that many aren’t located for a month or more. 

The Biden administration is moving to end sweeping pandemic border restrictions known as Title 42 on May 23. The official announcement came Friday in an order from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In North Carolina, parental substance use has become the leading reason children enter the foster care system. The state Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) reports that of 15,239 children in foster care in 2021, 41 percent were removed from their homes because of drug use. That’s up from less than 29 percent in 2012.