WHAT'S NEW
What's New at Lifting the Veil
An overview of what is currently in progress on the Lifting the Veil
web site.
A CRITICAL LOOK AT THE FOSTER CARE SYSTEM
A Critical Look at the Foster Care
System
How great is the need for foster care? How safe are the services
provided? What are the trends for the future of these children?
A CRITICAL LOOK AT THE CHILD WELFARE SYSTEM
A Critical Look at the Child Welfare
System
Investigative techniques, assessment tools, caseworker turnover,
reunification plans, falsification of records, caseworker training,
and other issues are explored.
SPECIAL REPORTS
Efforts at Reform
For decades, child advocates have tried legislative measures,
litigation, administrative restructuring, as well as a variety of
other methods aimed at reforming public child welfare agencies. How
effective have these strategies been at altering daily practice? The
first article in a planned series explores over three decades of
reform efforts in the state of Tennessee.
Child Abuse Reporting
How many of the over three million reports received annually by
child welfare agencies are passed on for investigation? How is the
number of reports used to manipulate public perception? How many
reports actually involve allegations of severe abuse?
Reasonable Efforts
What problems was Public Law 96-272, the "reasonable efforts
requirement," intended to address? Did the law enjoy any measure of
success? Are the states in compliance with the law? Critics charge
the law suffered from a lack of federal leadership, and that it was
destined for failure.
Close Up: The Petro Audits
Luxury car leases, tickets to sporting events, country club memberships, a cruise, limousine services, personal loans, and political contributions. All at taxpayer expense, and all from money intended to be used for children in foster care.
Under Siege: The Indian Child Welfare Act of
1978
An alarmingly high percentage of Native American families are broken
up by the removal of their children from them by nontribal public
and private agencies. An introduction to The Indian Child Welfare Act. Is it working as intended?
The Lost Children
Children missing from foster care across the nation. Gone without a trace, they are among America's disposable children.
Eye on Kansas
Critics charge that privatization of foster care in the state of
Kansas falls far short of the success that it was promised to be.
The Children: Casualties in America's War
on Child Abuse
Special Reports including: Elisa Izquierdo, Krystal Scurry, Keron
Owens, Eli Creekmore, Michelle Hampton, Selena Hill.
PUBLISHED WRITINGS
A Reply to Andrew Vachss' "A Hard Look
at How We Treat Children"
Rick Thoma replies to Andrew Vachss' March 29, 1998, article in
Parade Magazine. This article appeared in the Summer 1998 edition of
Vindicator, the journal of the Ohio Association of Criminal Defense
Lawyers.
If You Lived Here, You'd
be Home Now: The Business of Foster Care.
Article published in the January 1999 edition of the peer-reviewed
journal Issues in Child Abuse Accusations.
Several of the articles that appear on Lifting the Veil have also been published in a variety of formats, such as newsletters, as well as having been incorporated as teaching and training curricula.
RESEARCH DATABASES
U.S. Supreme Court Caselaw
A comprehensive collection of Supreme Court cases dealing with the
issues of parental rights, liberties and obligations.
Foster Care and Child Welfare Related
Testimony
A growing database of Congressional and other testimony by child
advocates and industry leaders, including Douglas Besharov, Mark
Soler, George Miller, Marcia Robinson Lowry, Richard Wexler and
others.
Studies, Surveys and Audits
A continuously updated database of reports on Foster Care, Child
Welfare, Juvenile Justice, Family Preservation and more. Included are
studies, surveys, performance audits, and grand jury reports.
Copyright © 1996 - 2006 Rick Thoma
.
Last updated February 16, 2006