The Record · MN
Minnesota
Minnesota: federal child-welfare figures and 983 pieces of KARA reporting, in full.
Federal child-welfare figures and KARA's reporting on Minnesota.
Child maltreatment victims
NCANDS, FFY2024
Entered foster care
AFCARS, FY2022
In foster care on Sept 30
AFCARS, FY2022
Sources: NCANDS Child Maltreatment 2024; AFCARS state tables. Full record — every metric, every year, gaps labeled — on KARA SIGNAL
KARA reporting on Minnesota
983 articles, newest first, republished in full.
July 5, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Foster Care Realities, Problems, and Solutions
Foster care is meant to protect children whose lives are in danger, but for many youth, it leads to a painful transition into adulthood with little support and almost no transparency. Most critical data in Child Protecti
July 3, 2026 · KARA Reporting
KARA's Invisible Children Traveling Community Conversations
Life would be better for abused and neglected children if more people truly understood what they face, and what we can do to help. This coming fall and winter, KARA is inviting universities, community centers, and busines
July 2, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Join KARA's Children’s Crusade: Making Life, Liberty, and Happiness Real for Abused and Neglected Children
KARA’s Children’s Freedom Crusade uses a Fourth of July freedom theme to demand real life, liberty, and happiness for abused and neglected children, and to build a national, child first movement that puts their safety and
July 2, 2026 · KARA Reporting
What Happens When Foster Teens Get Punished Instead of Treated? A CASA’s View From the Front Line
A CASA guardian ad litem shares what it is like to advocate for a deeply traumatized 14 year old foster boy when there is no safe housing or mental health care available. The system that removed him for his safety is now
June 30, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Minnesota Children Killed By Caregivers While Known to CPS (& how to stop it)
2023 Investigative Report on MN Children Killed by Caregivers While in Child Protective Services
June 29, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Overwhelmed Institutions & Public Policy
To be fair, what does an overwhelmed institution do when caseloads double and budgets are cut in half? Rural counties will always be underfunded, understaffed and unable to provide the level of service larger urban areas
June 28, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Leadership and Child Protection
Child Protective Services exists to protect children, yet recent investigations show children being tortured, brutalized, and even murdered while known to CPS. Leadership that values efficiency over child safety is faili
June 28, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Kudos to Wisconsin for Tracking Child Death and Egregious Harm
Wisconsin’s public website for child death and egregious CPS incidents shows what honest tracking can look like. Minnesota’s Safe Passage child fatality report revealed children murdered by caregivers while known to CPS,
Arizona · California · Colorado · Iowa · Minnesota · Wisconsin
June 27, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Only One Country Denies Children Basic Rights: The United States
The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history. Every other nation has agreed that children have basic rights to safety, health, education, voice, and protection from
June 26, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Why Every State Needs a Foster Led Child Welfare Promise
The Minnesota Promise Report is a foster led blueprint for changing how states treat children in CPS and foster care. It combines listening sessions, data, and bold ideas from Fosters themselves to define what it would m
June 24, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Childhood Trauma and Lifelong ACES Impact
Children’s mental health crisis post COVID is no longer invisible. California’s Surgeon General Nadine Burke Harris has declared adverse childhood experiences a public health threat, while foster children across the nati
June 22, 2026 · KARA Reporting
CASA Minnesota Guardian ad Litem Opportunities
information from the CASAMN website about Guardian ad Litem volunteer opportunities, CASA CARES grants for Minnesota children, and updates on the program's recent newsworthy events.
June 19, 2026 · KARA Reporting
2 year-old Lylah Koob's Death & Why (from the Safe Passage Report)
This is one of the 88 stories of children dying at the hands of their caregivers reported in the recent Safe Passage For Children investigation of child death in Minnesota. The report suggests why this tragedy is happeni
June 19, 2026 · KARA Reporting
2 Year-Old Sophia O'Neill Death & Why (from the Safe Passage Investigative Report)
This is one of the 88 stories of children dying at the hands of their caregivers reported in the recent Safe Passage For Children investigation of child death in Minnesota. The report suggests why this tragedy is happeni
June 19, 2026 · KARA Reporting
International Rights of the Child Treaty (& why jails are full)
Over 25 years ago the rest of the world (194 nations) decided that children have basic human rights and begin signing the International Rights of the Child Treaty. Under this document, children are to have the rights to
June 19, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Impossible Questions & Painful Statistics
Are children property of their parents even if those parentsre violent, addicted, severely mentally ill or dangerously criminal?
June 19, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Politics & Children - A Zero Sum Game
A recent MN Governor ended subsidized daycare in the state - the waiting list went from 34 families to 7000. At the time, two percent of MN children were enrolled in high quality early childhood education programs- the n
June 19, 2026 · KARA Reporting
MN Has 3rd Highest Sex Trafficking Cases in U.S.
For a Deeper Dive on this or other topics, hit the DEEP DIVE button on the lower right corner of this page. Odds are, you know somebody sex trafficking has impacted. Minnesota has the third highest number of human traffi
June 19, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Best & Worst States For America's Children
Where does your state rank in protecting children & what can you do to make improvements. These statistics tell the stories of our best and worst states around the nation
Arizona · Arkansas · California · Connecticut · Florida · Hawaii · Idaho · Illinois · Iowa · Louisiana · Maine · Massachusetts · Minnesota · Mississippi · Nevada · New Hampshire · New York · North Dakota · Oklahoma · Rhode Island · South Carolina · South Dakota · Tennessee · Texas · Vermont · Virginia · Washington · West Virginia · Wyoming
June 16, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Childhood Trauma Is a War Injury: How ACEs Rewire the Brain and Fuel Crime
Childhood trauma and Post‑Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in war veterans look different on the surface, but biologically, they are strikingly similar. We accept that a soldier torn apart by bullets or standing next to a
June 12, 2026 · KARA Reporting
The Real Cost of Child Maltreatment, CPS, and Recidivism
Child maltreatment does not end when a CPS case is closed. The same children who enter child protection often show up later in juvenile justice and adult prison, driving recidivism rates of 70–80% and an estimated cost o
June 11, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Misconceptions About CPS and Child Welfare: What the Research Really Shows
Child Protective Services (CPS) is one of the most criticized institutions in our communities, yet much of what people believe about CPS simply isn’t true. Research summarized by Safe Passage for Children of Minnesota an
June 10, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Invisible Children: The 200 Lives Lost in Child Protective Services
Jamie and Alex delve into the harrowing issue of children dying within the Child Protective Services (CPS) system. They discuss a groundbreaking report revealing that 200 children have died while within the CPS system,
June 7, 2026 · KARA Reporting
When Is Child Abuse a Crime
Child abuse in the home is still too often treated as a private family issue instead of a crime. Drawing on years as a CASA guardian ad Litem, this post exposes how Child Protective Services keeps abuse hidden, why child
June 6, 2026 · KARA Reporting
America’s Child Abuse Emergency: 546,000 Victims, 2,000 Deaths, and a System That Chooses This
Child abuse in the United States is not rare or random. It is the predictable outcome of policy choices. In 2023, about 546,000 children were confirmed victims of abuse or neglect and an estimated 2,000 were killed, rou
Alaska · Florida · Iowa · Kansas · Kentucky · Maine · Massachusetts · Minnesota · Mississippi · Montana · New Hampshire · New Jersey · Pennsylvania · Rhode Island · South Dakota · Vermont · Virginia · Washington · West Virginia
June 5, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Alex Miller’s Leadership Is Rebuilding Minnesota’s CASA Program
Minnesota’s Guardian ad Litem and CASA program has been under real strain. Lost volunteers, rising caseloads, and stressed systems have put vulnerable children at risk. Alex Miller’s Minnesota CASA leadership as Chief Inf
June 4, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Child Endangerment (Star Tribune "IN HARM'S WAY")
Minnesota’s child protection system is repeatedly returning severely abused children to unsafe homes, and some are dying as a result. Drawing on the Star Tribune’s “In Harm’s Way” investigation, Safe Passage’s child fat
June 2, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Part 3: Scaling the "Minnesota Model" for Maximum ROI Impact
Market-based scholarship programs like Minnesota’s Early Learning Scholarships (MELS) prove these returns are scalable. MELS provides vouchers to low-income parents, empowering them to choose high-quality programs. Resul
May 28, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Northeastern University Study on the Child Welfare Crisis With Projections
Official child welfare numbers may capture only part of the crisis. This analysis explains how poverty, Family Assessment practices, underreporting, misreporting, and weak transparency can hide the true scale of harm to
May 25, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Why We Hide Child Abuse Data
Social workers face secondary trauma and burnout in a child protection system that hides basic child outcome data. When CPS agencies use HIPAA as a “red herring” to block even de identified information, lawmakers and com
May 22, 2026 · KARA Reporting
KARA's Plea For Children (a call to action)
There is no shortage of well-meaning volunteers and workers dedicated to improving the lives of the children they are serving as teachers, Guardians ad Litem, social & healthcare workers, law enforcement and adoptive/fos
May 18, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Foster Care Mental Health Needs, Costs, and Facts for Minnesota & The Nation
There is an underappreciated reality that Child Protective Services is the only safe haven for children living with rape, violence and neglect as they are too young to defend themselves.
May 18, 2026 · KARA Reporting
If You Live In MN You Should Do This
The Safe Passage Report on Child Maltreatment Deaths is a remarkable report - not in a good way. It demonstrates how common it is for Minnesota children to die from abuse in the home even after they have become known to
May 17, 2026 · KARA Reporting
International Rights of the Child Treaty (& why jails are full)
Over 25 years ago the rest of the world (194 nations) decided that children have basic human rights and begin signing the International Rights of the Child Treaty. Under this document, children are to have the rights to
May 13, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Family First & Child Neglect Studies and Reporting
Contrary to a common assumption, neglect is not less damaging than abuse. Research shows neglect victims have lifelong problems because they miss developmental milestones around language, self-control, and bonding with o
May 10, 2026 · KARA Reporting
"Kids Are Slowly Being Neglected To Death" - Hennepin County Judge Jane Ranum (Thank You from the children in my caseload)
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are not just difficult memories: they’re powerful risk factors that shape how a child’s brain and body develop across a lifetime. In this Kids at Risk Action podcast, hosts Alex and Jo
May 9, 2026 · KARA Reporting
The Foster Care Data We Don’t Track – And How This Hurts Children
Most of what we know about foster care comes from very thin data: how many children are in care, how many enter or exit each year. That’s not enough to guide policy or spending. This post explains which foster care outco
May 8, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Creating Local Events For Child Advocacy
For child advocates supporting child advocacy organizations, local events can turn concern for abused and neglected children into real, repeatable engagement. The challenge is creating gatherings that are welcoming and e
May 7, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Child Sex Abuse & The Most Powerful Suicide Note Ever (Bill Zeller from 2011)
This is the longest and most powerful and articulate suicide note I’ve ever read and it has great meaning to me for its power to relate these two incomprehensible sorrows (abuse & suicide).
May 4, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Sometimes People Get Shot
• “From Cedarbluff, Mississippi, to parties in Houston and homes in Indiana, early 2026 brought mass shootings that briefly made headlines and then faded. This essay connects those tragedies to a deeper crisis: how our s
California · Colorado · Indiana · Michigan · Minnesota · Mississippi · Missouri · Tennessee · Texas
May 3, 2026 · KARA Reporting
How Missed Medical Red Flags Failed Baby Eli Hentges in Minnesota
Eli Hentges. This is one of the 88 stories of children dying at the hands of their caregivers reported in the recent Safe Passage For Children investigation of child death in Minnesota. The report suggests why this trage
May 2, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Essential Foster Care Videos and Podcasts: Powerful Resources for Foster Youth and Families
Aging Out of Foster Care: Hannah’s Story – Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. Short video about abuse, instability in care, and aging out at 18, stressing that teens are never too old to need a permanent family.
April 22, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Federal Chafee Changes vs. Minnesota Reality: Are Foster Youth Getting What They Need?
For years, young people aging out of foster care have told us the same story: they are expected to become independent adults overnight, often without stable housing, reliable income, or consistent adult support. Minnesot
April 18, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Family First & Child Neglect Studies and Reporting 2
Contrary to a common assumption, neglect is not less damaging than abuse. Research shows neglect victims have lifelong problems because they miss developmental milestones around language, self-control, and bonding with o
April 14, 2026 · KARA Reporting
From Reporting to Preventing: Community Action for Child Abuse Prevention in Minnesota
This list of Minnesota resources, and the note below, is taken directly from CASA Minnesota in recognition of National Child Abuse Prevention Month, a time to reflect on what it really means to build safe, supportive commu
April 12, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Cost Neutral Child Protection: The Deadly Lesson of Gabriel Fernandez
When paramedics arrived, eight-year old Gabriel Fernandez was not conscious. His skull was cracked. Three ribs were broken. Bruises and burns covered his body. Two teeth were knocked out of his mouth. X-rays would later
April 12, 2026 · KARA Reporting
“Illiteracy and Incarceration: What Ruben Rosario Got Right”
85 percent of all juveniles who come into contact with the juvenile court system are functionally illiterate. So are 60 percent of all prison inmates. Inmates have a 16 percent chance of returning to prison if they recei
Arizona · California · Minnesota · Missouri · New York
April 10, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Child Abuse and the Domino Effect: Why Lawmakers Need Real Data
When lawmakers finally see the human and financial numbers behind child abuse and neglect, our politics can treat it as the national emergency it is, not a niche social‑services problem. Over a lifetime, the “domino effec
April 8, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Best and Worst Hospitals For U.S. Children (Beckers Hospital Review)
Which states give kids the best chance at a healthy life? This review ranks all 50 states and D.C. on children’s healthcare, nutrition, and oral health, and the gaps are stark.
Alaska · Arizona · Arkansas · California · Connecticut · Georgia · Hawaii · Iowa · Kentucky · Massachusetts · Minnesota · Mississippi · Montana · New Jersey · New York · Oklahoma · Pennsylvania · Rhode Island · Texas · Vermont · Wyoming
April 6, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Why Minnesota’s Youngest Students Are Turning Violent: Childhood Trauma in K–3 Classrooms
“157 staff injuries and 142 cleared classrooms in a single year raise a hard question: Why are Minnesota’s youngest students turning violent? This piece traces those outbursts back to unhealed childhood trauma, and outlin
April 3, 2026 · KARA Reporting
National Volunteer Week: Why CASA/GAL Volunteers Matter for At‑Risk Kids in Minnesota
During National Volunteer Week, we’re shining a light on CASA and Guardian ad Litem volunteers in Minnesota. The trained community members who stand beside abused and neglected children in court, give them a consistent ad
March 26, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Hungry Like a Wolf
Hungry Like a Wolf, a powerful new play about sexual predators, mirrors what I saw as a CASA guardian ad litem: very young children raped in their own homes, perpetrators never held accountable, and trauma that reshapes
March 25, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Nation Out of Step: An Early Childhood Education Manifesto for 2026
Education is the engine of progress and prosperity. A nation that underinvests in its children’s earliest years limits its own future. Neuroscience and economics now converge on a simple truth: what happens from birth to
March 24, 2026 · KARA Reporting
From Classrooms to Homeless Shelters: How Our Choices Hurt Children
Compared to other advanced nations America treats children and the people who care for them as an afterthought and then acts surprised when our schools and child‑welfare systems are overwhelmed with troubled children suf
Florida · Louisiana · Massachusetts · Minnesota · Mississippi · Missouri · Montana · Nebraska · New Hampshire · New Jersey · New Mexico · Texas · Vermont
March 20, 2026 · KARA Reporting
“What We Do to Our Children” Is What We Do to Our Future
Do you know your state representative? If you don't, find out today and call her/him with the important message that you know short term savings DO NOT APPLY to children.
March 17, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Fosters and the Orphan Tax: How States Take Social Security from Foster Youth ________________________________________
Most foster youth only discover years later that Social Security benefits meant for them were taken by counties to “reimburse” foster care costs, leaving them to age out with no savings, no housing deposit, and no money
March 14, 2026 · KARA Reporting
America’s Child Protection Crisis: Last Week’s Most Alarming CPS Cases and Reforms
Each week, children are escaping brutal homes, being harmed in foster care, and caught in CPS systems that too often miss clear danger or punish families without proof. From multimillion‑dollar settlements and court batt
California · Connecticut · Florida · Illinois · Louisiana · Michigan · Minnesota · New York · North Carolina · Texas · Washington
March 13, 2026 · KARA Reporting
LGBTQ Children, Even More Miserable Foster Care, and Suicide
LGBTQ youth are far more likely to land in foster care, and far more likely to face homelessness, abuse, and suicide attempts once they do. This piece shares hard
Alaska · California · Florida · Minnesota · New York
March 12, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Growing KARA's International Child Abuse Hub To Amplify Children's Voices Worldwide
Child abuse knows no borders, affecting more than half of all children globally each year through physical punishment, emotional harm, and sexual abuse (WHO).
March 9, 2026 · KARA Reporting
The Physics of Child Protection in America
Child protection in America behaves like a complex system engineered for surveillance, not support. Poverty, racism, and weak safety nets keep generating the same tragedies. What would happen if we rebuilt it around chil
March 8, 2026 · KARA Reporting
A Closer Look At Child Fatality and Egregious Incident Reporting
Child Fatality & Egregious Incident Reporting: A U.S. Overview America’s approach to exposing and understanding the gravest harms done to children(fatalities, near-deaths, torture, and catastrophic agency failures) reveal
Arkansas · California · Colorado · Connecticut · Kentucky · Maryland · Minnesota · Missouri · New Hampshire · Ohio · Oregon · South Carolina · Texas · Wisconsin
March 6, 2026 · KARA Reporting
All Adults Are the Protectors of All Children (Don Shelby)
Policies that keep children in homes with life‑threatening harm on the grounds of unproven or unscientific beliefs: account for avoidable homicidal deaths of hundreds of MN children and many more tortured and near-death e
March 2, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Education 2026 - Educating At Risk Children (what tomorrow looks like)
Teaching in America in 2026 means managing trauma, violence, long COVID, and historic shortages: all while trying to educate growing numbers of abused and at‑risk children. Drawing on recent data from Education Week, NCES
March 1, 2026 · KARA Reporting
In 2007, 23.2% Uruguay's 13 to 15 year-olds used tobacco products
In 2007, nearly one in four of Uruguay’s 13 to 15 year olds used tobacco. By 2019, that had been cut in half. This post shows how strong laws and a historic win over Philip Morris protected children: while industry still
February 28, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Essential Foster Care Videos and Podcasts: Powerful Resources for Foster Youth and Families
Aging Out of Foster Care: Hannah’s Story – Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. Short video about abuse, instability in care, and aging out at 18, stressing that teens are never too old to need a permanent family.
February 27, 2026 · KARA Reporting
INVISIBLE CHILDREN CAMPUS PROGRAM (Minnesota Colleges)
Start a Kids At Risk Action campus conversation at your college or university about how ACEs, child abuse, and trauma impact children in your community. Short video.
February 26, 2026 · KARA Reporting
COVID + ICE RAIDS Impacting America's Schools
COVID school closures and ICE raids have combined to drive U.S. reading, math, history, and civics scores to historic lows. This post outlines national NAEP data, the states with the deepest learning loss, and what these
Alabama · Arkansas · Louisiana · Massachusetts · Minnesota · Mississippi · New Mexico · Oklahoma · West Virginia
February 24, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Florida Child Abuse Reporting
Why Florida Child Abuse Reporting Matters: Florida’s child abuse and neglect is just one part of KARA’s reporting mission and our nation's child‑death problem. Florida reviews hundreds of abuse‑related child deaths each
February 23, 2026 · KARA Reporting
CASA Volunteers Are Coming Back: Why Minnesota Children Need Them
Over 48 years, CASA/GAL (Guardian ad Litem) programs have grown into a national network of more than 900 organizations with 80,000–100,000 guardian ad litem volunteers serving close to a quarter‑million abused and neglec
Maine · Minnesota · North Dakota · Washington
February 22, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Sweden vs United States: What Child Abuse Data Really Shows
Sweden cut child abuse and child death rates dramatically. The US has not. See what the data actually shows, and how you can push for Sweden level protection here.
February 21, 2026 · KARA Reporting
New Jersey Recent Child Abuse Death, Egregious Harm & Child Protection Issues
New Jersey’s recent child abuse tragedies: from Ne’Miya Duncan’s death days after a welfare visit to two brothers killed in Hillsborough. Show deep failures in DCPP’s ability to protect children. This post highlights speci
February 19, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Minnesota’s Children and Federal Policy: Local Pain For Children From National Decisions
Federal decisions on health care, food, child care, and social services are reshaping daily life for Minnesota’s children, especially those already at risk. When Washington freezes or cuts key programs like Medicaid, SNA
February 18, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Universal Rights Of The Child; All Talk No Action
The United States speaks loudly about freedom yet stands alone in refusing to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and in sentencing children to life without parole. This post explores how abused, neglecte
February 16, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Aaliya Goodwins Death & Why (podcast)
This episode of KARA’s podcast tells the story of 5 month old Aaliya Goodwin, who died of positional asphyxia while in the care of her drug abusing parents. Drawing on the Safe Passage for Children investigation, we expl
February 14, 2026 · KARA Reporting
California Recent Child Abuse Death, Egregious Harm & Child Protection Issues
Recent California cases show children dying in foster homes, day care, and families long known to CPS, exposing egregious child protection failures. This post highlights specific deaths, audits, and multimillion dollar s
February 10, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Free and Discounted Resources for Foster Youth
free and discounted resources for foster and adopted children and families
February 8, 2026 · KARA Reporting
The Cost of Children Waiting for Their Voice In Court (Guardian ad Litem)
Hundreds of children in Minnesota’s child protection system are waiting for a guardian ad litem – the only independent voice they have in court. Every extra month in foster care deepens trauma and drives up costs. This a
Florida · Minnesota · Oregon · West Virginia
February 7, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Revisiting the Death Of Eric Dean (& where we are today)
In 2014, Safe Passage for Minnesota Children reported that Pope County would face no legal penalty for its role in the slow tortured death of 4-year-old Eric Dean at the hands of his stepmother Amanda Peltier. Brandon St
February 4, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Child Abuse Statistics (and the best resources)
Child abuse crosses every community in America. This page gathers the strongest national statistics on maltreatment, CPS investigations, fatalities, and lifetime impacts on children’s brains and futures: along with link
January 29, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Child Safety and MAAFPA Tensions
MAAFPA’s stated goals emphasize preventing unnecessary removals and preserving African American and other disproportionately represented families, while the Safe Passage data show rising deaths: largely from neglect, subs
January 27, 2026 · KARA Reporting
He Carries His Passport Everywhere Now (from a Minneapolis Teacher)
A Minneapolis teacher describes a 17 year old who carries his U.S. passport everywhere after ICE raids: showing how immigration enforcement terrorizes children, families, and classrooms.
January 26, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Minnesota Family Preservation Law and Child Safety: When “Keep Families Together” Puts Children at Risk
Minnesota’s African American Family Preservation Act aims to reduce racial disproportionality in child welfare. But underfunded “family preservation first” policies can leave abused children in dangerous homes or unsafe
January 21, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Redefining Normalcy In Child Protection (from orphan trains to protection to ?)
Legally, there were no protections for children in the home or orphanage at the time (nor do they have legal status today). What became of orphan train children varied from finding loving homes to sex abuse and slave lab
January 17, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Direct & Collateral Damage of ICE Raids on Schools and Daycare
Imagine being a child watching armed officers dragging children and teachers from your school and the chaos of citizen protesters risking violence to stop it. These attacks are destroying the fabric of your community and
January 16, 2026 · KARA Reporting
The Multiple Meanings of Child Neglect in Law (& what it means to families)
Parents unable to buy food for their child because of poverty are different from caregivers leaving their babies without food or care by absence, or because they are incapacitated by substance abuse or are the kind of pa
January 15, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Deregulation & the Child Abuse Abolition Movement
There is a growing abolition / “dismantle CPS” movement in the U.S., but so far it is more rhetorical and advocacy‑driven than implemented in statute, and no state has fully “deregulated” or abolished CPS. Advocates, sc
Florida · Kansas · Massachusetts · Minnesota · Nebraska · New York
January 11, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Dissecting President Trump's Child Protection Executive Order (share this widely)
Trump's recent Presidential Order appears in its entirety below in the Read More section of this post. Added to the order today, is conflicted and confusing language that will have a terrible impact on the quality of lif
California · Georgia · Minnesota · Texas · Washington
January 9, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Child Neglect & Substance Abuse Study
This study of 251 neglected children and 502 community matched control group over a 17 year period found that 32% of child abuse fatalities occurring in the same year were attributed to child neglect alone. Most of these
January 6, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Child Well-Being in the U.S. vs Other Rich Countries: Poverty, Mortality, and Violence
The United States ranks near the bottom of wealthy countries for child well-being, with higher child poverty, infant mortality, and firearm deaths than its peers. Learn what the data shows and why it matters.
January 4, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Every State Has Child Death by Abuse/Neglect, Only a Few Make the News
This from Idaho today. The tip the iceberg reported on by Safe Passage for Children of Minnesota recently. Add to this the Federal Government's "Bonfire of Deregulation" millions of abused and neglected children will be
December 26, 2025 · KARA Reporting
MN Children, Institutions, and Politics
Abused and neglected children don't have a voice in the politics and policies that rule their lives. They are at the mercy of our politicians and institutions that serve them.
December 18, 2025 · KARA Reporting
When Family Preservation and Deregulation Kill Children: Safe Passage Fatality Data
U.S. child welfare “bonfire of deregulation” and family‑preservation‑first strategies are unfolding in a landscape where children already have very few enforceable federal rights to safety, and where independent research
December 14, 2025 · KARA Reporting
Weaponizing of Trump's Presidential Order
While Trump’s child welfare orders do not delete “neglect” from law, they lean heavily into language about “unnecessary removals” and “overreach” that can be weaponized by parental rights, MAGA, and some religious groups
December 5, 2025 · KARA Reporting
Free and Discounted Resources for Youth (+ Holiday Gifting)
Children and youth in foster care often have needs that are not available to be filled by the County or their caregivers. Christmas and the holiday season can be hard on families with limited resources. If you know of a
December 4, 2025 · KARA Reporting
In Texas 2024, only 10 Children Died of Abuse (248 died of neglect)
Texas child neglect fatalities 2024: The Most Common Cause of Child Death in Texas Isn't defined as Abuse. The Center for disease control defines child abuse with clarity as any act of physical, sexual, or emotional harm
California · Michigan · Minnesota · Rhode Island · Texas
November 25, 2025 · KARA Reporting
Trump's Child Protection Order & "NEGLECT"
President Trump’s new framing. That most child neglect cases “don’t belong” in CPS because they are “only poverty”. Ignores a very large body of evidence that (1) poverty and neglect are tightly intertwined but not identic
California · Michigan · Minnesota · Rhode Island · Texas
November 24, 2025 · KARA Reporting
Supporting Local Nonprofits (how should you?) part 2
This is the season of organizations asking for your money and the challenges of directing your dollars wisely and well. Here are ways to be more involved, impactful, and satisfied with your charitable gift giving:
November 23, 2025 · KARA Reporting
Supporting Local Charities (why would you?)
1. Directly improve children’s well‑being Local groups provide basics like food, safe spaces, early learning, and mental‑health supports that many children would not otherwise receive. These charity services are tailore
November 19, 2025 · KARA Reporting
KARA Concerns About Trump's Child Protection Order (deep dive)
This post gets at the meaning of President Trump's Presidential Order bringing change to America's Child Protection System. If you support the work KARA is doing to improve the lives of abused and neglected children and
November 12, 2025 · KARA Reporting
Why We Are Failing To Save At Risk Children
There is little transparency in Child Protective Services. If there were, more people (and legislators) would know and we might have the laws, programs, and support these children need. Today, access to information that
November 9, 2025 · KARA Reporting
Why Saving CASA Matters: The Revival of Child Advocacy in Minnesota's Courts
This former CASA Guardian ad Litem is happy to see the saving and rebuilding of the CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) program in Minnesota. Thank you to Kathleen Blatz and the MN State GAL board for your hard work
November 5, 2025 · KARA Reporting
Minnesota Foster Resources
Help KARA Grow Awareness of Foster Advocates and Imprint News efforts to inform Minnesota Fosters Of Resources Available To Them (share this widely
October 29, 2025 · KARA Reporting
When Is Child Abuse a Crime ?
WHEN IS CHILD ABUSE A CRIME? AT THE HANDS OF THEIR PARENTS If I had committed the crimes parents perpetrated upon these children, criminal child abuse laws would send me to jail. How can it be that because caregivers del
October 24, 2025 · KARA Reporting
Generous Entrepreneurs
Upon founding their Minnetonka Bobatonka Bubble Tea company five years ago, Rodney and Thusuong Hiel pledged to give all of their tips and add company contributions supporting local nonprofit causes (short CBS video) (al
October 24, 2025 · KARA Reporting
Foster Informed Resources (from Foster Advocates)
October is Foster Youth Voice Month! This article supports Foster Advocates efforts to inform Minnesotans to grow awareness of foster specific resources and elevate Fosters in community conversations.
October 22, 2025 · KARA Reporting
The Importance of Foster Youth Rights (find your State here)
This article is derived from Hana Ikramuddin's excellent Imprint News Article about Fosters not being notified of their rights - Read the Imprint article here. Hana tells us the story of AIayna Ghost’s years in Foster Ca
Alabama · Alaska · California · Colorado · Illinois · Kansas · Massachusetts · Michigan · Minnesota · Mississippi · Nevada · New Jersey · New York · Oregon · South Dakota · Texas · Washington · West Virginia · Wyoming
October 22, 2025 · KARA Reporting
What Happened To Portia?
Portia died shortly after being brought into the operating room. Leroy called me early in the morning and told me that the surgery had been delayed too long. There was no way the doctors could save her at that point.
October 21, 2025 · KARA Reporting
Sad Stories About Child Abuse in America Today
These pages tell the stories of thousands of children from communities all over the nation. From orphan trains to a COVID pandemic that kept children locked in toxic homes for over two years with no access to mandated re
October 19, 2025 · KARA Reporting
Egregious Child Death in America Today
There are few states that report out egregious harm or death of children at the hands of their parents. Minnesota Nonprofit Safe Passage for Children of Minnesota has recently compiled this report on 88 of the 200 childr
California · Connecticut · Florida · Georgia · Indiana · Minnesota · Ohio · Oklahoma · Tennessee · Texas · Utah · Washington
October 9, 2025 · KARA Reporting
Resilience in Black and White
I grew up white in the 1960s. Reckless. I drove drunk, grew marijuana two doors down from a cop and always went without punishment. On several occasions police brought me home and to let my mom know that I had misbehaved.
October 2, 2025 · KARA Reporting
CASA Volunteers Save Money (Multiple State Investigation Results)
The following CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) investigations demonstrate the cost savings and economic impact of CASA programs in child protection across the nation. They do not include the value a trained commun
Colorado · Kansas · Minnesota · Nebraska · Washington
October 2, 2025 · KARA Reporting
International Visitor Leadership Program & Guardian ad Litems (Leadership Series Part 4)
On Wednesday I was part of a team invited to address judges, lawyers, professors and other officials from developing nations about child abuse, child trauma and specifically, the CASA guardian ad litem program that was o
September 25, 2025 · KARA Reporting
The Value of Shared Information (share this with your State Representative)
For too long, the dire conditions facing Minnesota’s State Ward children have remained almost invisible to the public and to lawmakers. Abused and neglected children are rarely seen or heard amidst the violence and chaos
September 22, 2025 · KARA Reporting
Child Endangerment (Star Tribune "IN HARM'S WAY")
The Star Tribune's investigative report titled "IN HARM'S WAY" provides a rare glimpse into the world of Child Protective Services. This report illuminates the disheartening fact that children often do not have a right t
September 18, 2025 · KARA Reporting
Domestic Violence to a Five Year Old (living in a house of terror)
Watching mom beaten or raped is terror. Homeless mothers and children are many times more likely to be assaulted and molested. Children of addicted and alcoholic moms and dads are beaten and raped more often too. Trauma
Arizona · Arkansas · Georgia · Hawaii · Minnesota · Mississippi · Tennessee
September 17, 2025 · KARA Reporting
Part 2 CPS Models That Work & Models That Don’t
The U.S. system relies primarily on counts of investigations, confirmed maltreatment, foster care placement rates, and basic duration measures. There is very little standardized measurement of child well-being, stability
September 15, 2025 · KARA Reporting
KARA's Plea For Children (a call to action)
There is no shortage of well-meaning volunteers and workers dedicated to improving the lives of the children they are serving as teachers, Guardians ad Litem, social & healthcare workers, law enforcement and adoptive/fos
September 11, 2025 · KARA Reporting
What's It Like Being A Foster Child In Child Protection? (podcast/video)
Think about being a foster child taken from the only home you have ever known because of the terrible things done to you by your parents. Waking up in a strange house or group home where you don't know anyone. A differen
September 7, 2025 · KARA Reporting
What Makes a Good Guardian ad Litem Program Leader (part 3)
Transforming the Guardian ad Litem Program Leadership for Lasting Change: With the guidance of leaders who refuse to cut corners and who hold public policy accountable Guardian ad Litem programs can move from mere compli
August 31, 2025 · KARA Reporting
What Makes a Good Guardian ad Litem Program Leader? (part 2)
The director of a Guardian ad Litem program must operate with a keen understanding that human lives, not mechanical products, are being shaped by their agency’s decisions. Directors know that their staff and volunteer ad
August 27, 2025 · KARA Reporting
What Makes a Good Guardian ad Litem Program Leader? (part 1)
Strong leadership in the Guardian ad Litem Program is very different from typical American industries. In manufacturing, managers drive output and profitability: metrics our culture worships. In child protection, the stak
August 14, 2025 · KARA Reporting
All Adults Are the Protectors of All Children (Don Shelby)
Policies that keep children in homes with life‑threatening harm on the grounds of unproven or unscientific beliefs: account for avoidable homicidal deaths of hundreds of MN children and many more tortured and near-death e
August 14, 2025 · KARA Reporting
Terminating the CASA Volunteer GAL Program Will Cost Children's Lives and Taxpayers Money
On Tuesday, 4.22.25 National CASA/GAL received notice that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has terminated (CASA National) federal grant awards – among 360 notices of termination the DOJ issued this week. All 12 mill
July 29, 2025 · KARA Reporting
A Closer Look At Child Fatality and Egregious Incident Reporting
Child Fatality & Egregious Incident Reporting: A U.S. Overview America’s approach to exposing and understanding the gravest harms done to children(fatalities, near-deaths, torture, and catastrophic agency failures) reveal
Arkansas · California · Colorado · Connecticut · Kentucky · Maryland · Minnesota · Missouri · New Hampshire · Ohio · Oregon · South Carolina · Texas · Wisconsin
July 28, 2025 · KARA Reporting
Free and Discounted Resources for Foster Youth
free and discounted resources for foster and adopted children and families
California · Minnesota · North Carolina · Ohio · Oregon
July 26, 2025 · KARA Reporting
How Media Shapes Child Welfare Perception (#1 in KARA's Child Welfare Series)
how media coverage of child welfare too often focuses only on tragedy. Fueling blame, misunderstanding, and reduced public support for the very systems meant to protect vulnerable children.
July 14, 2025 · KARA Reporting
The Assault on Child Protection - Part 2
The combined cuts to child friendly programs will impact some states more than other. This article presents a snapshot of what different states will be experiencing. Send KARA information concerning what's happening in y
California · Colorado · Florida · Georgia · Idaho · Illinois · Kansas · Kentucky · Louisiana · Massachusetts · Minnesota
June 21, 2025 · KARA Reporting
What Child Protection Means in Minnesota (KARA Podcast)
the tragic case of six-year-old Eli Hart, who was murdered despite being known to Child Protective Services (CPS) and how a lack of transparency and accountability contributes to the ongoing crisis
June 19, 2025 · KARA Reporting
This year’s Budget, Bills, and Abused Children
For the next biennium, legislators appropriated 40 million dollars to modernize Minnesota’s Social Services Information System. This will create more training, collection of child welfare data, clarity, transparency, and
June 14, 2025 · KARA Reporting
What Happened to Aaliya Goodwin (a KARA Podcast)
the heartbreaking case of five-month-old Aaliya Goodwin, who died of positional asphyxia while under the care of her drug-abusing parents. Despite multiple reports of neglect, substance abuse, and unsafe conditions, Aali
June 13, 2025 · KARA Reporting
A Win For Abused Children of Minnesota
Safe Passage For Children of Minnesota has helped bring the issue of transparency of child abuse death and near death into the light and Legislature in our State. In about three weeks, Minnesota will create a statewide c
June 6, 2025 · KARA Reporting
Politics, Religion, and at risk Children
This is a dangerous time to be an abused child in America. Slash and burn politics and religious organizations are dismantling a large percentage of government and non governmental agencies keeping children safe. The COV
Arkansas · California · Minnesota · Mississippi · New Mexico · Oklahoma
June 5, 2025 · KARA Reporting
MN Guardian ad Litem Program by the Numbers
47 years ago, the CASA volunteer Guardian ad Litem program came to Minnesota. At the time, some children were not able to have a CASA Guardian assigned because there were not enough volunteers to keep up with growing cas
May 25, 2025 · KARA Reporting
Powerful Stories From The Atlantic Journal
tell our child abuse and child protection stories (over and over) and work to improve the programs, people, and institutions that impact at risk children.
May 24, 2025 · KARA Reporting
8 Year-old Tayvion Davis (Podcast)
he tragic case of 8-year-old Tayvion Davis, who died after years of chronic abuse that included physical and sexual abuse, neglect, and severe maltreatment. Despite numerous reports to child protection services
May 19, 2025 · KARA Reporting
Domestic Violence and Child Death at the Hands of Caregivers
What's it like for a two or five year child old watching mom or dad beaten or murdered in a drug fueled bout of domestic violence? How long does childhood trauma last? What happens to a child after being removed from the
May 10, 2025 · KARA Reporting
Vulnerabilities in the Foster Care System (podcast)
In this episode of Kids at Risk Action, hosts Ashley and Alex discuss a heartbreaking case in which a 7-week-old infant suffered 13 fractures while in foster care, allegedly inflicted by the foster mother. This case high
May 10, 2025 · KARA Reporting
Kids At Risk Action History
KIDS AT RISK ACTION / KARA / INVISIBLE CHILDREN HISTORY
May 2, 2025 · KARA Reporting
The Critical Need for Child Advocacy Centers (podcast)
Kids at Risk Action, the hosts discuss the critical issue of funding cuts to Child Advocacy Centers (CACs) in Minnesota, which are essential in providing support for abused and neglected children. CACs offer services lik
April 28, 2025 · KARA Reporting
Care Giver Retreat for MN Adoptive, Foster, & Kinship Caregivers
Join us for a retreat for Minnesota adoptive, foster, and kinship caregivers. This event offers a unique opportunity for caregivers to relax and renew while learning solution-based parenting
April 24, 2025 · KARA Reporting
Best and Worst Practices in Minnesota CPS (part 4 of 4)
Jessie Van Berkel wrote a very strong piece about the CASA Guardian ad Litem program in the Star Tribune recently. She brought attention to how a few bad decisions from new management can almost end a community volunteer
April 23, 2025 · KARA Reporting
Best and Worst Practices in Minnesota CPS (part 3 of 4)
If you ran an institution that found it hard to keep up with the demands being met in it you would most likely have only one or two choices to meet those demands. Find ways to do the work by simply making people do more
April 21, 2025 · KARA Reporting
Best and Worst Practices in Minnesota CPS (part 2 of 4)
Imagine you ran an office full of Guardians ad Litem with different talents and these people worked hard to fix the problems of people with a wide range of complex problems. It would be useful to allow your talented work
April 20, 2025 · KARA Reporting
Best and Worst Practices in Minnesota CPS (part 1 of 4)
Because KARA calls on CASAs around the country, we have discovered Child Protection Policies that work along with things that don’t work and some practices that are harmful.
April 19, 2025 · KARA Reporting
Doing the Math in Child Protective Services (podcast)
Kids at Risk Action, Michael and John examine the staggering costs and human impact of child protective services (CPS) and the interconnected child welfare and juvenile justice systems. They highlight troubling statistic
April 11, 2025 · KARA Reporting
Share these MN Child Friendly Bills With Your State Rep
MN State Legislative session runs through May 19, 2025. Be a voice for an at risk child that has no voice and share these Child friendly bills with your state representative. Email them the bill link and a note about why
March 26, 2025 · KARA Reporting
Be a Voice for MN Children at the Capital April 1 and 7
APRIL IS NATIONAL CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION MONTH-Register for Child Advocacy Events on April 1 and 7 with Safe Passage for Children Day at the Capitol here.
March 23, 2025 · KARA Reporting
Hidden Crisis of Child Abuse and Trauma During the COVID Lockdown KARA Podcast
Jamie and Alex explore the hidden crisis of child abuse and trauma during the COVID-19 pandemic. They discuss how lockdowns led to a dramatic drop in abuse reports, not because abuse decreased, but because children were
March 23, 2025 · KARA Reporting
Be a Voice for MN Children at the Capital in April
APRIL IS NATIONAL CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION MONTH-Register for Child Advocacy Events on April 1 and 7 with Safe Passage for Children Day at the Capitol here.
March 9, 2025 · KARA Reporting
What Happened To Portia?
Portia died shortly after being brought into the operating room. Leroy called me early in the morning and told me that the surgery had been delayed too long. There was no way the doctors could save her at that point.
March 6, 2025 · KARA Reporting
The Beatings Will Continue
Yanelin Montalvo-Valdez (yesterday Star Tribune) personifies the pain and punishment heaped upon the 50 innocent children I advocated for as a CASA Guardian ad Litem volunteer
March 2, 2025 · KARA Reporting
(CASA Guardian ad Litem) Be a Voice For Abused Children Where You Live
Spotify Episode # 30 Click Here For the Audio: What it's like Being a CASA Child Advocate Summary: This is a short description of one Community CASA Guardian ad Litem's experience being a child advocate in the Child Prot
February 25, 2025 · KARA Reporting
There Is No Constituency For Abused & Neglected Children
how 13 Minnesota Child Advocacy Centers (CAC's) are losing 80% of their Federal funding. If this happens they will likely disappear or become a shell of what they were in a very short time. CAC's keep safe and provide se
February 19, 2025 · KARA Reporting
Child Death and Public Non Disclosure (thank you Marie Cohen)
Much of this article is taken from Marie Cohen's remarkable research at the American Enterprise Institute. For those of you concerned with Child Protective Services in your community, Marie's article is detailed and powe
Minnesota · Rhode Island · Tennessee · Texas · Washington · West Virginia · Wisconsin
January 27, 2025 · KARA Reporting
77 Years of Child Abuse
These are the insights of a 77-year-old victim of childhood abuse. He was not aware of the root cause which dominated his life until he was 65 years-old and ran across references to resilience and child abuse. Bill is a
January 26, 2025 · KARA Reporting
200 Child Deaths In CPS Deserve To Be Recorded In CPS
Before this report, no one knew how many children in CPS were dying or how they died. Chances are the number of children murdered at the hands of their caregivers is much larger than the 200 listed in the report.
January 23, 2025 · KARA Reporting
The War On Fosters
Why do so many fosters aging out of care struggling in school, becoming homeless, addicted, have criminal records and unable to hold down a job?
January 19, 2025 · KARA Reporting
Reckless & ill-Advised Public Policy For Endangered Children
Reckless & ill-Advised Public Policy For Endangered Children
Minnesota · Utah · Washington
January 8, 2025 · KARA Reporting
Tip of Children's Mental Health Iceberg
For emergency room doctors, they are a sad and familiar sight: Children returning again and again in the grip of mental health crises
December 22, 2024 · KARA Reporting
The Ghost of Christmas Past (the value of healthy children)
In 2003, MN Federal Reserve Board Director Art Rolnick & Economist Rob Grunewald completed a study demonstrating that early childhood programs returned the best financial investment a government could make to build healt
December 20, 2024 · KARA Reporting
Child Abuse Articles December 2024
child abuse around the nation and internationally.
Arizona · California · Florida · Illinois · Minnesota · Washington
November 28, 2024 · KARA Reporting
Management Not Fit For Purpose
a unique perspective of what happened to Minnesota’s CASA Guardian ad Litem program over the last 4 years.
November 22, 2024 · KARA Reporting
Budget Surplus Fund For Children (how to make a Christmas Miracle)
Peter Hutchinson's recent Star Tribune article points to how the current MN budget surplus could fully fund programs that would make children healthier, better educated and (ALL OF US) safer.
November 16, 2024 · KARA Reporting
Why Children Need Mandated Reporters
http://invisiblechildren.org/2013/07/04/mandated-reporting-or-basic-responsibility-its-absence-is-killing-wisconsin-pennsylvania-children/ Facebook Replacing Mandated Reporters for Child Abuse? Don't Blame The Mandated R
October 25, 2024 · KARA Reporting
Making CPS Work For Everyone part 1
Any conversation about Child Protective Services needs to include a deep dive into racial disparities, religious and parental rights, and common misconceptions about CPS and child abuse.
October 20, 2024 · KARA Reporting
If I Only Had a Brain
If the medical community, Children’s Defense Fund and former MN Supreme Court Chief Justice Kathleen Blatz are right, the vast majority of crime in America is the result of what happened to that person as a child.
Arizona · California · Georgia · Louisiana · Minnesota · Mississippi · New York · Oklahoma
October 9, 2024 · KARA Reporting
Expecting Different Results From Prison for Kids
Expecting Different Results From Prison for Kids
September 25, 2024 · KARA Reporting
KARA - CASA Google Ad Grant Initiative ($120,000 annually)
KARA's Google Ad Grants fully funded Initiative for CASA's & Service Providers To at risk Children
September 19, 2024 · KARA Reporting
Human Services - Beyond Crisis
Human Services - Beyond Crisis: core social service issues making even a safe life impossible for more and more people
August 23, 2024 · KARA Reporting
Don Samuels' Story (from KARA 2014 archives)
As part of KARA's TPT documentary project I interviewed Minneapolis City Councilman / Mayoral candidate Don Samuels recently. He described his experiences as a volunteer CASA guardian ad-Litem, North Side resident, and c
August 22, 2024 · KARA Reporting
Thank You Ann Ahlstrom (MN Guardian Ad Litem Board Chair)
From Ann Ahlstrom (bold emphasis from KARA) August 19, 2024 Greetings Minnesota Volunteer Guardians ad Litem:
August 17, 2024 · KARA Reporting
Schools, Child Suicide, Nurses, & COVID
Repeated childhood trauma does cruel things to children. Things that never go away. Those things (behaviors/thoughts/self-harm/suicide) can be managed with help. Without help, depression, pain and sadness often become ov
Arizona · Colorado · Florida · Massachusetts · Minnesota · Vermont · Virginia
August 6, 2024 · KARA Reporting
Fear and Firing of Mandated Reporters of Child Abuse
Fear and Firing of Mandated Reporters of Child Abuse - A lawsuit and threatened firing of a 40-year veteran nurse and mandated reporter in California is ruining my week. This will bring fear to nurses and other mandated
August 1, 2024 · KARA Reporting
Thank You Highland Banks
For over twenty years Highland Banks and their employees have supported KARA and other child advocate organizations in Minnesota.
July 24, 2024 · KARA Reporting
Fetal Alcohol Births (and a very big policy change)
Minnesota has ended criminalizing fetal alcohol birth mothers with the hopes of better results by recommending treatment instead of mandatory programs and prosecution for failure.
June 25, 2024 · KARA Reporting
Child Protection Intake Notes (through the eyes of a child)
Intake notes from County CPS These are a tiny sample of County intake notes social workers and guardians ad Litem are assigned each week;
June 15, 2024 · KARA Reporting
KARA Presentation Janesville CASA (heart of the matter)
KARA Presentation Janesville CASA (heart of the matter) Child Protection work is hard. Community CASA volunteers (Court Appointed Special Advocate) speak for abused and neglected children in County Child Protection. Volu
May 30, 2024 · KARA Reporting
Minnesota Child Protection News May 2024
Minnesota Child Protection News May 2024 Share these articles with media contacts, lawmakers and other changemakers. Change won’t come without you.
May 10, 2024 · KARA Reporting
New Child Fatalities Database (thank you Safe Passage for Children of MN)
New Child Fatalities Database (thank you Safe Passage for Children of MN)
May 9, 2024 · KARA Reporting
MN Child Abuse Reporting April 1 - May 9 2024
MN Child Abuse Reporting April 1 - May 9 2024 | INVISIBLE CHILDREN
May 3, 2024 · KARA Reporting
Send Your Senator a Message Today (Safe Passage For Children of MN)
This message from Safe Passage for Children of MN will make a difference in the lives of abused and neglected children. Please reach out to your State Rep Today (address finder in their email below).
May 3, 2024 · KARA Reporting
The Best Interest of Children
We all care about the best interests of children. “We all know that – despite what everyone wants – right now, there are too many children suffering from abuse and neglect.
April 19, 2024 · KARA Reporting
DATA WORTH HAVING (for making informed decisions)
Is Child Protection Services (CPS) creating what it was designed to stop? KARA reports on the issues of invisible children This article submitted by Former CASA Guardian Ad Litem Mike Tikkanen Signup For KARA’s FREE Frid
April 12, 2024 · KARA Reporting
Keep Minnesota children safe in Child Protection
Today's Safe Passage for Children of MN's action request to keep children safe in Child Protection: A small effort with big dividends. Share this with your State Representative (find them here). On Monday, a group of us
April 4, 2024 · KARA Reporting
Education in 2024 - Educating At Risk Children (what tomorrow looks like)
This is a synopsis of Education Week’s last 12 months of reporting on conditions in American schools today with attention to educating abused and neglected children. It’s a deep dive into what it means to be a teacher in
March 28, 2024 · KARA Reporting
Celebrating Minnesota's CASA Guardian Ad Litem Progress
Celebrating Minnesota's CASA Guardian Ad Litem Progress
March 20, 2024 · KARA Reporting
KARA - CASA Ad Grant Initiative ($120,000 annually)
Google Fully Funded Initiative For CASA's & Service Providers
March 20, 2024 · KARA Reporting
Thank you to the Edina Federated Women's Club!
Mike Tikkanen (Executive Director) and Damon Kocina (Treasurer) smile for the camera as Kids At Risk Action receives the $38,884.00 grant from Edina Federated Women’s Club President Linda Larson on March 14th. We are so
March 15, 2024 · KARA Reporting
200 Child Abuse Calls Each Day (76,000 calls / year)
Currently, there is little information is available about an abused child's safety when CPS makes the decision to investigate. "Family Assessment shouldn't be the default. It should be the "alternative response" it was i
March 14, 2024 · KARA Reporting
America's CHILDHOOD TRAUMA and ACES Impact
California’s Surgeon General Nadine Burke Harris has declared Adverse Childhood Experiences a public health problem and public school crisis in her state.
Alaska · California · Minnesota · New Jersey · New York
March 7, 2024 · KARA Reporting
New Linked In Group For Volunteer CASAs & All Guardian ad Litem (interactive)
KARA's New Linked In Group Guardian ad Litems Exchanging Learning & Ideas is gathering and sharing information from the 950 CASAs (Court Appointed Special Advocates) in the U.S. and similar child advocacy models around t
March 5, 2024 · KARA Reporting
Don't Leave It To the Professionals (thank you Naomi Schaefer Riley)
Minnesota's struggle to keep a strong CASA volunteer force advocating for abused and neglected children in the state has captured the interest of Naomi Schaefer Riley, author of NO WAY TREAT A CHILD and writer with City
March 4, 2024 · KARA Reporting
Leadership and Child Protection
What should leadership look like in Child Protective Services? What should leadership look like in Child Protective Services? The CASA guardian ad Litem volunteer program motto is "For the Child". The heart and soul of t
February 24, 2024 · KARA Reporting
Professionalism In Child Protection
Professionalism In Child Protection "professionalize” the Guardian ad Litem role vs leveraging a both paid staff and trained volunteers
February 18, 2024 · KARA Reporting
A COVID WAVE? (the double whammy of 2 years of ACEs on children and community)
A COVID WAVE? (the double whammy of 2 years of ACEs on children and community)
February 12, 2024 · KARA Reporting
Lies We Tell Ourselves About Child Sex Abuse
Lies We Tell Ourselves About Child Sex Abuse: the incidence of sexual abuse in child protection cases has been increasing over the years. The reported percentages for sexual abuse were 17.9% in 2014, 20.9% in 2015, 23.7%
January 26, 2024 · KARA Reporting
HUGE NEWS: Former Chief Justice Kathleen Blatz Appointed to MN Guardian ad Litem Board
After years of turmoil caused by GAL management's efforts to end the Court Appointed Special Advocate volunteer program, Minnesota's former Supreme Court Chief Justice Kathleen Blatz has been appointed to the GAL board.
January 22, 2024 · KARA Reporting
A Courageous Vote! Thank You Minnesota Guardian ad Litem Board For Saving CASA Volunteer Program
Thank you, Former MN Supreme Court Chief Justice Kathleen Blatz, for your comments and questions at this board meeting. Your words enlightened board members of the need for an open and objective investigation into the CA
January 11, 2024 · KARA Reporting
Saving Minnesota's Vulnerable Children
Understanding why children die violent death a the hands of their parents while in Child Protective Services (CPS) can save them (share this): Lawmakers address issues that people demand action on. Actions that will get
January 4, 2024 · KARA Reporting
Were Governor Walz State Board Members Misled About Volunteers (and what it could mean)?
There is a political battle being waged over the elimination of qualified community volunteers in Child Protective Services. There are too many pieces of this puzzle to include in this article, but one piece must be addr
December 1, 2023 · KARA Reporting
CASA MN Newsletter (Guardian ad Litem News & Updates)
CASA MN Newsletter (Guardian ad Litem News & Updates)
November 27, 2023 · KARA Reporting
I Could Never Do What You're Doing (thank you Laurel Ferris & Women's Press)
This short article by Laurel Ferris in Women's Press clearly articulates what CASA Guardians do and why children need them. From the article;
November 24, 2023 · KARA Reporting
Have Governor Walz State Board members been mislead?
Dear Reader,Allowing the State board to eliminate 10,000 future volunteers (over the next 40 years) at a time when we are reporting on children murdered by their parents may be an unfixable mistake costing even more chil
November 17, 2023 · KARA Reporting
Child Death, Employee Burnout & Guardian ad Litem Volunteers
The tortured death of 4 year old Eric Dean in 2013 prompted the first in depth reporting on parental child murder I can remember. CASAMN gave the reporter (Brandon Stahl) an award and had him speak at our annual conferen
November 9, 2023 · KARA Reporting
KARA Videos of the Week
A Storm Is Brewing (4m) Will CASA GAL program end because of misinformation? Let's Go KARA (3m) Supporting Child Friendly Initiatives Don Shelby on Child Protection (30 seconds)
October 31, 2023 · KARA Reporting
MN Children, Institutional Regression and Brain Surgery
When we say it's not brain surgery it's because a task is easy - it doesn't demand much training or experience. There are times the phrase is meaningful and times it is painfully inappropriate. This article in the Star T
October 18, 2023 · KARA Reporting
Rich Gehrman Rebuttal of MAD Volunteer Guardian ad Litem Report
The analysis by MAD is not, in my view, sufficiently compelling in some important respects to support the board in managing this risk. While I understand from a previous board meeting I attended as well as a legislative
October 15, 2023 · KARA Reporting
Save MN CASA Community Volunteers With Your Public Comment Today! (takes just a minute)
We are fighting to keep the community volunteer CASA Guardian ad Litems in the Child Protection System. We need your written public comments here.
October 9, 2023 · KARA Reporting
Saving the MN CASA Volunteer Guardian ad Litem Program (1 easy important thing)
To save the CASA volunteer program in MN your comments need to be heard by program management. Please review the report and the rebuttal and share your views in the link above. CASAMINNESOTA's rebuttal to the MMB report
September 21, 2023 · KARA Reporting
Saying Goodbye to the CASA Guardian ad Litem Volunteer Program
SAYING GOODBYE TO 1000'S OF VOLUNTEER CHILD ADVOCATES & Community Involvement & Trust In One More Community Institution. Since 1981, thousands of community volunteers have spent thousands of hours working to better the l
August 12, 2023 · KARA Reporting
Inside the Henn Cty Guardian Ad Litem Office Today
The push to diminish/eliminate the CASA Volunteer workforce of Hennepin County’s Guardian ad Litem Program is impacting office morale for both paid and volunteer GALS. We’ve gone from about 250 volunteers to 32 remaining
July 14, 2023 · KARA Reporting
Saying Goodbye to the CASA Guardian ad Litem Volunteer Program
SAYING GOODBYE TO 1000'S OF VOLUNTEER CHILD ADVOCATES & Community Involvement & Trust In One More Community Institution. Since 1981, thousands of community volunteers have spent thousands of hours working to better the l
July 5, 2023 · KARA Reporting
Child Protection Stories Wanted
KARA is working to make lawmakers and policy makers see the value of community volunteer CASA guardian ad litems in Child Protective Services. To do this, we are seeking stories from 18 & up folks that have come through
July 1, 2023 · KARA Reporting
Hennepin County Child Well-being Advisory Committee Meeting Summary (with KARA notations)
The complete report can be read HERE. This post emphasises the GAL program's effort to eliminate the CASA community volunteer Guardian ad Litems. The author made notes and corrected several minor spelling errors (notes a
June 22, 2023 · KARA Reporting
A short video
Children dying at their caregiver's hands while known to Child Protective Services
May 17, 2023 · KARA Reporting
Vulnerable, Abandoned Children. It's Who We Are.
Hundreds of MN children are being abandoned by their caregivers in MN hospitals. Many are children raised in toxic homes then shuttled off into State/County foster and group homes
May 1, 2023 · KARA Reporting
Minnesota Children Killed By Caregivers While Known to CPS (& how to stop it)
There is a real lack of data and transparency in CPS which makes it hard to know outcomes short of child death. 72% of of the 88 child maltreatment deaths studied (complete study below) were known to CPS. We do know that
April 30, 2023 · KARA Reporting
Why Things Get Worse
During the lockdown, abused children were literally trapped at home with their abusers. This multiplied the stress on Child Protection Services as an institution and on the social workers doing their best in an impossibl
April 20, 2023 · KARA Reporting
Visit KARA's INVISIBLE CHILDREN Conversation in St. Paul Next Week
Neighborhood House in St Paul is hosting KARA's INVISIBLE CHILDREN Necessary Conversations Exhibit April 24-28 for April - Prevent Child Abuse Month. Stop by the Wellstone Center Atrium and Check us out
March 31, 2023 · KARA Reporting
Saving the CASA Volunteer Community Guardian ad Litem Program
Thank you Rich Gehrman and Safe Passage for Children of Minnesota for supporting Minnesota's 10,000 CASA (over 40 years) Community Guardian ad Litem volunteers!
March 28, 2023 · KARA Reporting
5 Month Old Aaliya Goodwin Death & Why From Safe Passage For Children Investigation
Aaliya Goodwin. This is one of the 88 stories of children dying at the hands of their caregivers reported in the recent Safe Passage For Children investigation of child death in Minnesota. The report suggests why this tr
March 21, 2023 · KARA Reporting
Eli Hentges - 1 of 88 Stories of Child Death at the Hands of Caregivers
Eli Hentges. This is one of the 88 stories of children dying at the hands of their caregivers reported in the recent Safe Passage For Children investigation of child death in Minnesota. The report suggests why this trage
March 13, 2023 · KARA Reporting
8 Year-Old Tayvion Davis Death & Why (from the Safe Passage Investigative Report)
This is one of the 88 stories of children dying at the hands of their caregivers reported in the recent Safe Passage For Children investigation of child death in Minnesota. The report suggests why this tragedy is happeni
March 11, 2023 · KARA Reporting
Child & Youth Suicides Feb 2023 (find your state here)
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the Children’s Hospital Association have joined forces to declare a national emergency in children’s mental health, large
March 3, 2023 · KARA Reporting
If You Live In MN This Simple Act Can Help At Risk Children
If you read this blog, you know how hard it is for Minnesota's abused and neglected children to find the help they need to thrive. If you have not read the investigative report of child fatalities known to CPS by Safe Pa
February 23, 2023 · KARA Reporting
Do Kids Count? (it depends on where you live)
Conditions in Child Protective Services (CPS), foster care or in the lives these children live are unknown to most of us. When the community doesn't perceive a serious problem it will ignore it and the problem festers. T
February 16, 2023 · KARA Reporting
Impossible Questions & Painful Statistics
Are children property of their parents even if those parents are violent, addicted, severely mentally ill or dangerously criminal? Do teen and preteen mothers own their babies? Is this child's child doomed prior to birth
February 10, 2023 · KARA Reporting
Safeguarding Gun Rights & Abortion vs. Safeguarding Children
a cruel but accurate point. Our community has a passion for safeguarding adult rights of guns and abortion. Safe Passage for Children investigation of child death in Minnesota
February 10, 2023 · KARA Reporting
The Real World of Child Abuse (statistics)
There is more to child abuse than bruises, rape and starvation. 27 states allow withholding life saving medical treatment from children if you tell people your religion forbids it . Criminal and civil immunity means it i
February 8, 2023 · KARA Reporting
MN Child Fatalities From Safe Passages Reporting
CONTACT: Rich Gehrman, Executive Director, Safe Passage for Children of Minnesota (651) 303-3209; gehrm001@umn.edu Report documents multiple systemic failures in cases Of Minnesota children killed due to maltreatment 8 Y
February 7, 2023 · KARA Reporting
Math For Legislators (cost of youth crime) Part 1
Most lawmakers know what a big percentage of their budgets is going to social programs like child welfare and child protection. Not as many understand how tax dollars they appropriate are working to solve the problems th
February 3, 2023 · KARA Reporting
Tracking Success (and Failure) in Child Protective Services
Minnesota’s Child Protective Services (CPS) received 85,000 child abuse calls in 2019 (about 1/3 of the calls were investigated).
February 3, 2023 · KARA Reporting
Minnesota children killed due to maltreatment (NEWS RELEASE)
Report documents system failures in cases of Minnesota Children Killed due to Maltreatment short (KSTP video)
January 25, 2023 · KARA Reporting
49 % of America's Black Youth Arrested Before Their 23rd Birthday (40% of White Youth)
This Annie E. Casey Foundation survey of Black youth in February 2021 demonstrates a rising trend of Black youth incarceration Post COVID. Black youth in juvenile detention on Feb. 1, 2021, reached a pandemic high, while
Arizona · California · Minnesota · New Jersey
January 19, 2023 · KARA Reporting
Metrics of Minnesota's Child Protection (what does your state measure?)
Recent Star Tribune articles about juvenile justice and explosive growth of crime in our community miss the heart of the matter. We keep putting fires out that could have been prevented. The car jackings, transit crimes
January 13, 2023 · KARA Reporting
Minnesota Child Fatalities (thank you Safe Passage for Children)
This conversation about the study of MN child fatalities is eye opening and terribly sad. Ignoring brutality being done to children allows it to continue and to fester. Let's all commit to caring for other people's child
January 7, 2023 · KARA Reporting
Measuring What's Important
What is transparent and measured can be identified and improved. What is not transparent and measured remains unknown and can fester. In business, Cost Benefit Analysis focuses on ROI (return on investment). ROI is based
January 1, 2023 · KARA Reporting
Juveniles In Justice
LA & New Jersey ending prison and jails for juveniles and Colorado's super successful juvenile restorative justice
California · Colorado · Florida · Louisiana · Minnesota · Mississippi · New Jersey · Texas · Wisconsin
December 30, 2022 · KARA Reporting
For Profit Youth Prisons
Youth are two to three time more likely to confess to crimes they did not commit than adults. Police interrogations using fabricated statements are most likely why. Kids are more intimidated by law enforcement than adult
Arizona · California · Georgia · Illinois · Louisiana · Minnesota · Mississippi · New York · Oklahoma · Pennsylvania
December 28, 2022 · KARA Reporting
Today's Tip of The Tip of Children's Mental Health Iceberg
"Mental Health Crisis + Emergency Rooms" is just the tip of the iceberg. It's a strong piece demonstrating the huge increase in chemical restraints and ER mental health visits by children, but it misses the heart of the
December 8, 2022 · KARA Reporting
Juvenile Injustice In MN (thank you KARE 11)
For most of us in Child Protective Services, KARE 11 / Lauren Leamanczyk's investigative reporting on the absence of facilities for troubled foster and adopted State Ward children is a recurring nightmare.
December 4, 2022 · KARA Reporting
If You Knew (what would you do?)
If you knew that the vast majority of youth in Juvenile Justice came through Child Protective Services, would you;
December 1, 2022 · KARA Reporting
MN Child Abuse News Week of 11.30.22
37% of children overall and 44% of Black children are reported to child protection services in America by the time they turn 18. (American Journal of Public Health 1.17)
November 27, 2022 · KARA Reporting
Let's Stop Counties Stealing Money From Foster Children
Repurposing Federal Foster Care dollars have become a “revenue stream” for counties because taking foster child money goes “unnoticed” (from the article). In a perfect world, a County person would raise hell about repurp
November 26, 2022 · KARA Reporting
Al McFarlane Conversation With Mike Tikkanen and Oliver Williams
The Conversation, with Al McFarlane, DR Oliver Williams and Mike Tikkanen exploring issues facing at risk youth in our community today (1 hour with video).
November 12, 2022 · KARA Reporting
The Cost of Tough on Crime (in tax dollars and public safety)
The majority of violent and serious crime has always been committed by juveniles. Most juvenile offenders have come through Child Protective Services (MN Supreme Court Chief Justice KATHLEEN BLATZ “the difference between
Maine · Minnesota · New Jersey · Pennsylvania · Texas
October 26, 2022 · KARA Reporting
LGBTQ Foster Care & Ground Truths
about a third of kids in NY’s foster care identify as LGBTQ and nationally, about 24% do. 40% of homeless kids in NY City identify as LGBTQ and 42% of them had been in foster care. This NY Times article focuses on how ha
October 4, 2022 · KARA Reporting
Saving Vulnerable Foster Children - Saving the Volunteer Guardian ad Litem Program
This Star Tribune article by Neal St. Anthony points to a threat to the community volunteer Guardian Ad Litem program in this time of institutional stress.
September 30, 2022 · KARA Reporting
If You Knew (what would you do?)
If you knew that 10,000 Minnesota’s CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) volunteers provided civic engagement, first person narratives, reporting, institutional transparency and many thousands of advocacy hours for b
September 28, 2022 · KARA Reporting
Foster Care vs Dog Care (Reimbursements)
For decades foster families have found most states unwilling to cover the costs of caring for the poor kids placed in care because of abuse and neglect. In about half the States, kennelling/dog boarding pays more dollars
September 22, 2022 · KARA Reporting
30.2 % of America's Youth Arrested Before Their 23rd Birthday (25% of us are state wards & special needs people)
This Annie E. Casey Foundation survey of Black youth in February 2021 demonstrates a rising trend of Black youth incarceration Post COVID. Black youth in juvenile detention on Feb. 1, 2021, reached a pandemic high, while
Arizona · California · Minnesota · New Jersey
September 19, 2022 · KARA Reporting
Is This About Child Protection or Something Else?
It has been stated by program management that CASA volunteer time spent with abused and neglected children is of no value. Ask that question of any child removed from the only home they have ever known now passing throug
September 11, 2022 · KARA Reporting
Happy GrandParent's Day (volunteering, kinship & raising a grandchild)
Happy GrandParent's Day (volunteering, kinship & raising a grandchild)
Arizona · California · Florida · Kentucky · Minnesota · Nevada · Ohio · South Carolina
September 3, 2022 · KARA Reporting
If You Knew (what would you do?)
If you knew that the vast majority of youth in Juvenile Justice came through Child Protective Services, would you;
August 26, 2022 · KARA Reporting
FREE COLLEGE FOR MN FOSTERS (Village Gathering Info Session 9.9.22)
School is about to start for students across the state. For many of our Foster leaders, the classroom was a place of refuge, where, unlike their time in foster care, they had agency and connections. Over 80% of high scho
August 4, 2022 · KARA Reporting
Self-Destructive Habits & Institutions (Professionalism – Part 5)
Self-Destructive Habits & Institutions (Professionalism – Part 5) Volunteers lack “professionalism” is a primary argument management is using to eliminate the community CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) volunteer g
August 3, 2022 · KARA Reporting
Tasered and Tried as Adults
Expelled from elementary school, pregnant in junior high and facing a criminal justice system before they are able to drive a car. The cost to society in taxes, public health, education and safety is astronomical and the
July 29, 2022 · KARA Reporting
What 1.3 Million Dollars Could Provide At Risk Children (Arianna-Hunziker Settlement)
Arianna Hunziker 1.3 million dollar settlement. Blaming child protection workers solves nothing. It's counter productive - people in these fields are asked to do more than they ever can do. It's very hard work with too m
July 26, 2022 · KARA Reporting
Self-Destructive Habits & Institutions (Guardian ad litem program in MN Today - PART 4)
MN Senior Judge Lyonel Norris has stated that, “…an all employee model can create an institutionalizing effect upon a child”. I would add "an even greater" institutionalizing effect upon a child".
July 18, 2022 · KARA Reporting
Self-Destructive Habits & Institutions (Predicting the future – Part 3)
Eliminating the Volunteer Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) will hurt children, institutions, and our quality of life for years to come. Minnesota youth and young families are struggling. They need more, not less
July 17, 2022 · KARA Reporting
American Crime Costs & Statistics
READ TO THE END TO LEARN THE COSTS OF CRIME IN AMERICA TODAY
Alabama · Arizona · California · Georgia · Illinois · Louisiana · Minnesota · Mississippi · New York · Oklahoma
June 24, 2022 · KARA Reporting
Why Finland's Schools Outperform All Others
American schools are at a low point today. Teaching is harder than ever and performance is suffering across all ages. In Minneapolis today, 24% of Black 3rd graders are reading at grade level.
June 10, 2022 · KARA Reporting
Child Welfare Articles and Statistics For Week of 6.10.2022
Child Welfare Articles and Statistics For Week of 6.10.2022
Arizona · Florida · Georgia · Illinois · Kansas · Michigan · Minnesota · North Dakota · Oregon · Tennessee · Texas · Virginia
May 19, 2022 · KARA Reporting
Financial Literacy GRANT & Training for Foster Youth (free)
The KARA financial GRANT & literacy program is a place to learn, discuss and ask questions, skill building and meaningful guidance to help teenagers and young adults start their financial journey off on the right path.
April 29, 2022 · KARA Reporting
Removing 100's of Community Volunteers from Child Protection (why?)
Removing 100's of Community Volunteers from Child Protection (why?) an accurate and troublesome picture of the conditions facing Minnesota's at risk children today.
Connecticut · Florida · Minnesota · New York · Utah
April 13, 2022 · KARA Reporting
COVID & Child Abuse in Minnesota
The Covid-19 pandemic is keeping children locked in toxic homes in Minnesota -Too many fostered youth are aging out of care - We need more forever families for our fostered youth today.
March 14, 2022 · KARA Reporting
COVID IMPACT ON AT RISK YOUTH
[vc_row][vc_column width="2/3″][vc_column_text] This report was submitted by Business Analytics Student Michelle Kocins at Cambrian College Support KARA efforts reporting on child abuse & trauma during COVID here. [/vc_c
March 10, 2022 · KARA Reporting
Virtual Child Advocacy Week in MN (Making a difference quickly & effectively)
Safe Passage for Children of Minnesota wants you to join them in making laws that keep at risk youth safe. Their approach is a quick call to your State Legislator. Helpers from Safe Passage make this easy for those who h
February 23, 2022 · KARA Reporting
Free Financial Literacy Program for MN's Fostered & Adopted Youth
Too Many Youth aging out of foster care don’t have the skills to make it in our community. 80% of them go onto lead dysfunctional lives. To fix this, KARA is launching a FINANCIAL LITERACY PEER GROUP program that will gi
January 30, 2022 · KARA Reporting
Other People's Children Are Not Society's Problem - Senator Ron Johnson
Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson is not alone in publicly stating the expensive and mean spirited political platform Other People's Children Are Not Society's Problem - Senator Ron Johnson
Alabama · Arizona · California · Iowa · Minnesota · New York · Wisconsin
January 19, 2022 · KARA Reporting
Sex Trafficking & LGBTQ Children & Youth
LGBTQ+ youth and young adults are at high risk of being trapped into modern day slavery. Sex Traffickers target vulnerable youth who lack support, financial resources, or those who have experienced extreme abuse in the p
November 28, 2021 · KARA Reporting
Child Abuse Stories, Statistics & Politics In America Today
Kids At Risk Action gathers stories and statistics about child abuse and child welfare State By State + International)
Florida · Georgia · Hawaii · Illinois · Minnesota · New York
November 11, 2021 · KARA Reporting
Why We Hate Lawsuits (Eric Dean’s grandmother sues county & social workers for his death)
Recent KARE11 reporting brings full circle the events, sadness as MN Supreme Court ruling allows Child Protective Services to be held responsible for Eric Dean's death.
November 11, 2021 · KARA Reporting
Helping Homeless Kids In Minnesota
COVID has overwhelmed much of our safety net for youth and finding shelter space is harder now. Do you know a homeless or at risk youth in Minneapolis, ST Paul or Anoka ?(share this on your social media) Tell them about
November 8, 2021 · KARA Reporting
Parental Rights & Child Wellbeing
Is it Child Safety and Wellbeing or Parental Rights? Have we lost sight of the purpose of Child Protective Services in our political wars to keep the rights of the person that can scream the loudest?
October 9, 2021 · KARA Reporting
Arresting Sobbing Eight Year Old Children In Tennessee
At Rutherford County’s Hobgood elementary school, An 8 year old, two 9 year old’s and an 11 year old walk into a principal’s office… And are arrested and handcuffed (“out of habit” said officer Jeff Carroll).
October 4, 2021 · KARA Reporting
October Is Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Watching your mother being beat up or raped is the same trauma as being beaten or raped to a five or nine year old. Untreated trauma lasts forever and it changes a person forever. The United Nation's-Secretary General An
Alabama · Alaska · Arizona · Arkansas · California · Colorado · Connecticut · Delaware · Florida · Georgia · Hawaii · Idaho · Illinois · Indiana · Iowa · Kansas · Kentucky · Louisiana · Maine · Maryland · Massachusetts · Michigan · Minnesota · Mississippi · Missouri · Montana · Nebraska · Nevada · New Hampshire · New Jersey · New Mexico · New York · North Carolina · North Dakota · Ohio · Oklahoma · Oregon · Pennsylvania · Rhode Island · South Carolina · South Dakota · Tennessee · Texas · Utah · Vermont · Virginia · Washington · West Virginia · Wisconsin · Wyoming
October 4, 2021 · KARA Reporting
Minnesota Child Abuse + Child Protection (fall 2021)
These articles about child abuse and child protection have been gathered in Minnesota over the last 60 days
September 25, 2021 · KARA Reporting
Foster Care Day Rates vs Dog Care Day Rates (it just doesn't seem right)
Doggy day care is at least as costly (on average $50/day) than child care (on average $45/day) should make us think a little harder about how we value children in America. Kinship care subsidies in some states are below
September 16, 2021 · KARA Reporting
Mental Health Help
Medicine is changing - and it needs to. Read about KARA's pilot Portages program to provide 100 youth with a powerful new mental health resource (share this widely)
September 8, 2021 · KARA Reporting
Our Creeping Mental Health Crisis (& statistics)
Suicide is now the 2nd leading cause of death among 10 to 24 year olds. Over 1 million children under 6 are prescribed psychiatric drugs in America today.
Alaska · California · Illinois · Indiana · Minnesota · New Jersey · New York
September 6, 2021 · KARA Reporting
KARA Financial Literacy Program
Kids At Risk Action is excited to launch our financial literacy groups and grant program in Minnesota! The financial literacy peer group program is a resource to learn, discuss, get help and answers to personal questions
August 27, 2021 · KARA Reporting
Minnesota Child Protection (thank you Safe Passage for Children)
Safe Passage for Children has followed up on the task force convened after the colossal failure of child protective services responsible for the death of Eric Dean and found that some of it's recommendations were being i
August 13, 2021 · KARA Reporting
MN Child Protection Reality Check (thank you Safe Passages for Children)
Safe Passage for Children of Minnesota has delivered hard news on what appear to be terrible practices guiding child protection in our community.
July 3, 2021 · KARA Reporting
ACE Study, Crime & Ramsey County (reprinted from 2006)
ACE research shows a strong historical pattern of criminality in families of child delinquents. Using Cohen’s estimates, we calculate the multi-generational “multiplier effect” to be between $3.4 and $11.5 million. In th
July 2, 2021 · KARA Reporting
Self Destructive Habits & Institutions (CASA guardian ad litem program in MN Today)
over time, institutions cling to self-destructive habits and fight tooth and nail to keep them. Child protective services is not different
June 3, 2021 · KARA Reporting
Free Bikes For Kids Needs Help (to give away bikes)
KARA advocates for the people, policies and programs that improve the lives of abused and neglected children. KARA Signature Video (4 minute) For years FREE BIKES FOR KIDS MN has given away tons of bikes each summer. Thi
June 3, 2021 · KARA Reporting
For Profit Youth Prisons & False Imprisonment
Youth are two to three time more likely to confess to crimes they did not commit than adults. Police interrogations using fabricated statements are most likely why. Kids are more intimidated by law enforcement than adult
Arizona · California · Georgia · Illinois · Louisiana · Minnesota · Mississippi · New York · Oklahoma · Pennsylvania
May 27, 2021 · KARA Reporting
Congratulations Rich Gehrman and Safe Passage For Minnesota Children
“Through his work with Safe Passage, Richard has brought transparency and accountability to the Minnesota child welfare system,”
April 8, 2021 · KARA Reporting
Post COVID Juvenile Justice Trends (Casey Foundation Surveys)
his CASEY Foundation survey shows the population of Black youth in juvenile detention on Feb. 1, 2021, reached a COVID pandemic high, while that of white youth was the second lowest recorded in more than a year.
April 1, 2021 · KARA Reporting
Aged Out Foster Youth Urged To Return (new federal benefits)
Youth who ‘aged out’ of foster care urged to return New funding will provide $964 or more per month to eligible youth
March 27, 2021 · KARA Reporting
Draft KARA Book Chapter 1
KARA’s team is collecting information from teachers, law enforcement, social workers, foster / adoptive parents, university students, adult survivors and traumatized youth to identify and address the causes of child abus
March 21, 2021 · KARA Reporting
Child Abuse & the COVID Lockdown
What’s it like for the social worker or guardian ad Litem knowing that the child they are talking to online is living in a toxic home of violence, child abuse and drugs?
March 19, 2021 · KARA Reporting
It's Inevitable (police shootings)
America's militarized police force has become a front line mental health responder in communities suffering from the traumas of job loss, poverty, pandemic anxiety and sickness. This is likely to result in more George Fl
March 18, 2021 · KARA Reporting
The Calculus of COVID, Domestic Violence and Child Abuse
What is the equation for a healthy human being or a healthy community? If there is an equation, the wrath of COVID is becoming a huge negative central to the calculation.
March 1, 2021 · KARA Reporting
Child Protection/Unassigned CASA Guardian ad Litem Cases
Success Stories & Failure (unassigned child abuse cases) We all like a happy ending. Especially when kids are involved.
February 18, 2021 · KARA Reporting
A Marshall Plan For Traumatized Children Post COVID
Children living through the lockdown have more trauma and abuse. They will need help healing and to learn new skills to succeed in school & in the community - become a voice for children
February 8, 2021 · KARA Reporting
Collateral Damage - ACEs - Education - COVID
COVID collateral damage; Teachers Turning to Other Careers shines a light on the punishing effects of ACES on education in our state…
January 23, 2021 · KARA Reporting
Child Abuse & Soul Murder (chapter 2)
I've come to know 50 beautiful babies and children that have had their souls murdered. All fifty of my caseload children lived with chronic and serious beatings, rape, starvation and neglect repeatedly over a period of y
January 8, 2021 · KARA Reporting
Aging Out of Foster Care In the Time of COVID
COVID is coming down hard on foster children. Pre-COVID, 80% of aged out foster children went on to lead dysfunctional lives.
December 17, 2020 · KARA Reporting
Christmas for Adult Survivors of Child Abuse (NAASCA radio talk show)
During the virus scare .. let's each of us re-double our effort online and via the phone to inform those around us of the devastating consequence of suffering childhood sexual abuse (CSA), violent or physical abuse, emot
California · Louisiana · Minnesota · Texas
December 10, 2020 · KARA Reporting
A Free & Powerful Mental Health Resource For Minnesota Children
This three-part mental health program is app based and self-learning (a form of artificial intelligence, it knows the user) and includes unlimited coaching…
November 29, 2020 · KARA Reporting
Tasered and Tried as Adults - Police Training, Resources & Courts Meet America's At Risk Children
Trauma doesn’t heal itself and America doesn’t provide much more than Prozac for tortured 12 year olds. For an in depth and moving photo graphic look into incarcerated children in America’s Juveniles In Justice, check ou
November 26, 2020 · KARA Reporting
Good Bye David Strand - Founding KARA Board Member and Best Friend
KARA's Founding Board member and best friend David Strand has passed away after a long illness. He brought a wealth of experience, passion and commitment to the cause of America's abused and neglected children. David cam
November 20, 2020 · KARA Reporting
Lawsuits and the Death of Two Year Old Arianna Hunziker
Arianna was wrapped in sheets, left alone in a closed room and slowly starved to death. Foster parents Sherrie and Bryce Dirk will go to prison for murdering Arianna. This solves nothing. There is something terribly dist
November 3, 2020 · KARA Reporting
Goodbye Joe McCarthy - Founding KARA Board Member & Best Friend
Yesterday, KARA’s best friend and founding board member Joe McCarthy passed away after a long illness. We will miss him terribly. Joe had a big heart and remarkable mind. He was sharp as a tack with an interest in everyt
November 1, 2020 · KARA Reporting
Winning the War Against At Risk Children (& saving our city)
and 63 recent car-jackings (over the last 39 days) many include vicious assaults & mostly committed by teens - kids as young as 12, puts the lie to that belief. For decades, the vast majority of serious and violent crime
October 25, 2020 · KARA Reporting
Restorative Justice - Veterans & Children (saves money and lives)
Woo Hoo - MN passed a restorative justice act for veterans – diverting at-risk veterans toward probation and social service programs instead of jail time when they commit certain crimes. Why wouldn’t we? The World Health
October 9, 2020 · KARA Reporting
Policing, COVID & Abused Children (share with your law enforcement contacts & save a child)
Conflicts between officer training and the children they are policing. Policing youth with mental health problems is a growing problem. This article sheds light on solutions to this intractable core community problem. Fr
September 30, 2020 · KARA Reporting
Children & The Supreme Court (from the Children's Defense Fund)
The impact of the Supreme Court's decisions in the coming year are huge. If the Court overturns the ACA, Millions of children will be uninsured or lose affordable coverage that does not meet their pediatric-specific need
September 26, 2020 · KARA Reporting
Abused Children, COVID & Law enforcement
This article addresses the depth and scope of a problem that has been and still is growing at exponential rates, all over America. The current approach to policing at risk youth is creating exactly what we want to stop.
September 15, 2020 · KARA Reporting
This Saturday (9.19.20) KARA's Twin Cities NonViolent Event (2pm)
Friends of KARA, This Saturday at 2pm Central Time, KARA presenting at the TWIN CITIES NON VIOLENT event. Link to participate (free) https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0sdOitpjIoE91gdtyUTY82STHThprRe7xc Link to M
September 14, 2020 · KARA Reporting
Signs That You Are a Mental Health Worker
Andy Steiner’s social workers as backbone of the mental health workforce Minnpost article belies a much deeper truth about the depth and scope of mental health in our communities at this time. Generational child abuse ha
California · Iowa · Maine · Minnesota · New Hampshire · North Dakota · Virginia
September 3, 2020 · KARA Reporting
Kids At Risk Action August Update
It’s been a busy summer for Kids At Risk Action. A Good morning shout-out and Thank You to KARA’S 30 new volunteers plus 2 new university engagements (thank you Sarah and Alyssa). We are working with over 40 student inte
August 19, 2020 · KARA Reporting
MN Foster Care During COVID
Fewer children are entering the foster care system during the pandemic. This is not because there is less child abuse and trauma. Families are more stressed than before COVID. Drug and alcohol use, domestic violence and
August 14, 2020 · KARA Reporting
Peter Hutchinson's School Fix Is Easy and Overdue (share this)
Former Minneapolis School Superintendent Peter Hutchinson’s classroom fix for remote learning COVID problems is a terrific and necessary solution that can be implemented economically and quickly. It’s a simple and will b
August 13, 2020 · KARA Reporting
MN Child Abuse/Child Protection Summer Update
Kids At Risk Action writes and reports on child abuse issues These are just a sampling of the articles appearing in local media in our state the last few months
July 27, 2020 · KARA Reporting
Minnesota Child Protection Stories, Statistics & COVID - June 2020
The nightmare of George Floyd’s murder and the burning, street violence and social upheaval continuing as this already too hot summer gets underway is raining down extra hard on children already suffering the traumas of
July 26, 2020 · KARA Reporting
Minnesota Child Protection Stories, Statistics & COVID - May 2020
Kids At Risk Action writes and reports on child abuse issues providing a passionate voice for Minnesota's at risk children All Adults Are the Protectors of All Children
Alabama · Florida · Minnesota · New Hampshire · Ohio · Oregon · Pennsylvania · South Dakota · Texas
July 18, 2020 · KARA Reporting
For New Mexico's At Risk Children - Life is Very Hard (find your state here)
Across the board, America's Southern States seem to maintain an anti tax mantra that devalues the well-being of other people's children. This clear from the KIDS COUNT statistics over the years. This is their most recent
Alaska · District of Columbia · Idaho · Illinois · Louisiana · Michigan · Minnesota · Mississippi · Nebraska · New Mexico · North Dakota · Puerto Rico · South Dakota · Texas · West Virginia
June 16, 2020 · KARA Reporting
COVID and Foster Care
The COVID crisis is stretching all of our community resources. Every state is struggling to provide safe homes for foster children. Fixing the problems this article brings to light will require an informed and involved c
June 10, 2020 · KARA Reporting
The Pandemic Impacting Child Abuse and Foster Care (state by state)
Because schools are closed, after-school activities are canceled and churches aren't having youth groups and community activity with trusted adults outside the home have evaporated - the chances an abused child can find
Alaska · Arizona · California · Colorado · Connecticut · Florida · Georgia · Idaho · Illinois · Indiana · Iowa · Kansas · Kentucky · Louisiana · Maine · Massachusetts · Michigan · Minnesota · Missouri · Montana · Nebraska · Nevada · New Hampshire · New Mexico · New York · North Carolina · Ohio · Oklahoma · Oregon · Rhode Island · South Carolina · Tennessee · Texas · Virginia · Washington · Wisconsin
June 5, 2020 · KARA Reporting
Poverty, Structural Racism and Children (thank you Safe Passage for Children of MN)
Today's Safe Passage short post about the impact of poverty and racism on children hits the nail on the head. Decades and generations of children living without enough to eat, access to health and mental health care and
April 10, 2020 · KARA Reporting
Pandemic Weakening Child Protection Safeguards (thank you Safe Passage for Children of MN)
Do parents have a constitutional right to care for their children without interference from the courts or community? Because the U.S. has never ratified the United Nation's Rights of the Child Treaty (the only nation in
April 3, 2020 · KARA Reporting
Supporting People Doing the Work of Keeping Children & Workers Safe & Healthy
This important article from Safe Passage for Children of Minnesota addresses the issues and guidelines for keeping children and workers safe. Covid19 risks, strategy and resources are now a daily concern for many of us.
March 2, 2020 · KARA Reporting
A Critical Look At Foster Care
There are a lot of injuries, a lot of abuse. The most significant thing is the psychological death of so many of these kids. Kids are being destroyed every day, destroyed by a government-funded system set out to help the
February 28, 2020 · KARA Reporting
MN At Risk Children News 2.28.20
KARA gathers news about Minnesota’s abused children to provide a snapshot of Child Protection and how our state values its children. Only a fraction of serious child abuse makes the news. All Adults Are the Protectors of
February 23, 2020 · KARA Reporting
Making Minnesota A Trauma Informed State (trauma informed resources during covid 19 quarantine)
Be It Resolved That; Minnesota has conducted the ACEs Survey and confirmed the results of the original ACEs survey. Nadine Burke Harris, Surgeon General of California has declared childhood trauma a public health epidemi
January 26, 2020 · KARA Reporting
Domestic Violence to a Five Year Old (living in a house of terror)
Watching mom beaten or raped is terror. Homeless mothers and children are many times more likely to be assaulted and molested. Children of addicted and alcoholic moms and dads are beaten and raped more often too. Trauma
January 22, 2020 · KARA Reporting
Child Homicides & A Week After Redlake (from 2005 - what's changed?)
MN reported 28 child deaths from caregivers known to child protective services in 2016 (p64). 17 children were killed by abuse in the past 18 months. Less than half the deaths of at risk children suffer are reported as s
January 16, 2020 · KARA Reporting
Join KARA Tuesday (January 21, 6pm) Think Again & Brooklyn Park Human Rights Forum
Join KARA at Tuesday's Think Again & Brooklyn Park Human Rights Forum (January 21, 6pm)
January 10, 2020 · KARA Reporting
Revisiting the Tragic Abusive Death Of Eric Dean (& the legal non requirement of "due care")
Thank you Star Tribune and Brandon Stahl for your in depth reporting on the awful state of child protection in Pope County MN. Today, Safe Passage for Minnesota children is reporting that Pope County will face no legal p
January 8, 2020 · KARA Reporting
KARA's Sad Stories, Statistics and Articles State By State & International
Follow KARA's reporting on child abuse & well-being in your state here; stories, statistics and articles about the things most important to at risk children
California · Florida · Massachusetts · Michigan · Minnesota · Mississippi · Missouri · Montana · New York
December 18, 2019 · KARA Reporting
Early Education (return on investment)
Let's stamp out homelessness for 2 year old children. . Let's change the sad fact that children in many third world nations stand a better change of being vaccinated against preventable deadly diseases than U.S. kids… Ma
December 17, 2019 · KARA Reporting
Thank You Safe Passage for Children of Minnesota
This year Minnesota children were safer and received more services due in large part to the loyal donors and passionate volunteers of Safe Passage for Children of Minnesota. Safer Children 13,600 more children annually a
December 16, 2019 · KARA Reporting
Guardian ad-Litem Blogs & News
Guardian ad litem program needs volunteers in Anderson area Anderson Independent Mail Trained volunteers in the Cass Elias McCarter Guardian ad Litem Program helped more than 10000 abused or neglected South Carolina chil
Colorado · Connecticut · Florida · Illinois · Iowa · Minnesota · Montana · North Carolina · Ohio · Pennsylvania · Virginia
December 2, 2019 · KARA Reporting
Group Home's (the nightmare of mental health services for abused children)
It really is front page news that children at this institution were allowed to bang their heads against walls until they had concussions, facial injuries and head trauma. These young troubled children had sex on the faci
November 29, 2019 · KARA Reporting
Minnesota's Children 2017 (compiled statistics, facts & stories)
As of early 2016, Minnesota had 7,200 children on its waiting list for child care assistance. There are 1.3 million children In Minnesota & 404,000 of them live below 200% of poverty
November 28, 2019 · KARA Reporting
MN Child Abuse/Child Protection Articles, Statistics & Events 2019
KARA gathers news about Minnesota’s at risk children to provide a snapshot of how our state values its children. Only a fraction of serious child abuse makes the news. All Adults Are the Protectors of All Children Follow
November 8, 2019 · KARA Reporting
Contact Your Member of Congress Today (thank you Safe Passage For Children of MN)
The Protect Our Children Act of 2008 was intended to curb photos and videos of child sexual assaults posted on the internet. The number of reported images increased from 100,000 in 2008 to 45 million last year.
October 28, 2019 · KARA Reporting
Invisible Children Around the World; Japan
With almost half the population of the U.S. (138M v 326M) Japan reported 33,308 cases of abuse reported in 2005 compared to about 3 million cases reported in the U.S.
October 19, 2019 · KARA Reporting
Speak For An Abused Child in Court (short video) WE NEED YOU!
Volunteer: Be the voice for a child that doesn't have one! (Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area OPPORTUNITIES) One hundred and seventy five Hennepin County children are without a guardian ad litem today - WE NEED VOLUNTEER
October 15, 2019 · KARA Reporting
KARA & 4th Annual Law Enforcement & Social Services Conference
4th Annual Law Enforcement and Social Services Conference October 17, 2019 Best Western Plus Kelly Inn 100 4th Avenue South St. Cloud MN, 56301 Sponsorships & Exhibitions • Panels & Discussion Presentations & Workshops •
October 13, 2019 · KARA Reporting
CASA MN Trivia Night & Silent Auction (Oct 17)
CASA MN supports the guardian ad litem child advocacy program gives grants to children in foster care through CASA Cares. This is our annual fundraiser and it's great fun and a great cause. Gather a group of friends or c
October 10, 2019 · KARA Reporting
Minnesota Child Abuse & Child Protection Sept 2019
This reporting over the last 45 days is a fraction of Recent Minnesota child abuse / child protection issues
October 10, 2019 · KARA Reporting
Infant Death Stories & Statistics October 2019 (find your state here)
This reporting over the last 45 days is a fraction of the child death in our communities today Signup for KARA’s Weekly News Updates & share this with your friends and networks All Adults Are the Protectors of All Childr
Arizona · California · Delaware · Indiana · Michigan · Minnesota · New York · Oregon · Pennsylvania · Washington
September 29, 2019 · KARA Reporting
Healthy Students - Healthy Schools
1/3 of foster children have mental health issues serious enough to be forced onto psychotropic medications. Of the 2 million youth arrested in America every year, 70% or them have mental health issues - half of them have
September 29, 2019 · KARA Reporting
Recent Stories, Statistics & Articles About Adoption & Foster Care
After a 9 day trial, foster mom Melissa Sondrol was convicted of of assaulting her infant state ward child, breaking multiple bones and withholding medical information from providers. The court was not allowed to hear he
Indiana · Minnesota · Ohio · South Carolina
September 9, 2019 · KARA Reporting
Killing Your Parents is Against The Law
Killing your parents is against the law in every state. No matter what they have done to you or for how long. Killing your children is legal in 27 states. Religious exemptions make it legal to withhold lifesaving medical
August 29, 2019 · KARA Reporting
The Cost of Saving Money
at the time, argued that subsidized daycare was unnecessary (like bus service and bridge maintenance: his words) and he diverted all the money allocated to subsidized daycare for poor families and children into a "general
August 22, 2019 · KARA Reporting
American Crime Costs & Statistics
READ TO THE END TO LEARN THE COSTS OF CRIME IN AMERICA TODAY
Arizona · California · Georgia · Illinois · Iowa · Louisiana · Minnesota · Mississippi · New York · Oklahoma
August 5, 2019 · KARA Reporting
It Didn't Start In a Vacuum (crime - impact & statistics)
DJ Tice Star Tribune article recently made crime very real by describing his wife’s rape, his own assault and home burglary along with the awful Barry Latzer assumption that 80% of Americans could become victims of a vio
July 22, 2019 · KARA Reporting
The Data Is In - Child Abuse is a Public Health Crisis
Where other advanced nations create safety nets for struggling families, we build giant jail and prison systems that have been filled to capacity for decades along with incongruous realities like;
July 19, 2019 · KARA Reporting
Recent Foster Stories & Statistics
These recent stories, statistics & videos represent the state of foster care in America today and what it is like for a child to be a Ward of the State in your State;
Arizona · Georgia · Indiana · Michigan · Minnesota · Mississippi · Texas
July 12, 2019 · KARA Reporting
MN Mesabi Academy, St Cloud Group Home & Florida (privatized group homes in America)
The State of Minnesota forcibly closed the privatized group home at St Cloud for repeated violations including head banging that caused concussions & sex in front of staff.
June 14, 2019 · KARA Reporting
Be A Squeaky Wheel For Children
Annual teacher turnover is highest in Arizona (24%) and New Mexico (23%) Minnesota is 14th highest in teacher turnover. After my workshop in New York at the United Nations Annual Youth Assembly, a line of ex social worke
Arizona · Minnesota · New Mexico · New York
June 10, 2019 · KARA Reporting
FREE BIKES FOR KIDS (volunteers needed this coming Saturday)
This is a great organization - they give FREE bikes to kids. They need volunteers this Saturday for the MN Ironman Bike ride.
June 6, 2019 · KARA Reporting
Blog Talk Radio Mike Tikkanen 7PM Friday
Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) - 2155 - Special guest Mike Tikkanen - Friday, 06/07/2019 Direct URL: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/naasca/2019/06/08/stop-child-abuse-now-scan-2155 Tonight's special guest is Mike Tikkanen fro
May 8, 2019 · KARA Reporting
Early Learning Scholarships (thank you Safe Passage for Children)
Please take a moment and connect to your legislator through this Safe Passage Link and let your legislator know you want children to have access to quality early learning. It only takes a few minutes and gets the message
April 19, 2019 · KARA Reporting
Child Abuse - Minnesota's Public Health Issue
Today’s edition presented multiple articles (linked below) on at risk children and mental health. It has taken some years to get here but it is apparent to this volunteer CASA guardian ad Litem that my state is waking up
March 26, 2019 · KARA Reporting
Advocacy For Children Day (3.28.19) Give Voice to Minnesota Children
ADVOCACY FOR CHILDREN DAY IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR PARENTS, TEACHERS, EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION PROFESSIONALS, AND OTHERS FROM ACROSS THE STATE TO STAND UP AND RAISE THEIR VOICE FOR CHILDREN.
March 21, 2019 · KARA Reporting
Trauma Awareness and Resilience Training in a Single Day
Wednesday, March 27, 2019, 8:30am – 4:30pm Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center, 2300 S 15th Ave, Minneapolis Pay what you can. STAR-Lite is a single-day, evidence-based training integrating neuropsychology, trauma h
March 21, 2019 · KARA Reporting
What It's Like Outstate For At Risk Children - Ogema Today
The Red Lake massacre 13 years ago happened when 16 year old Jeff Weise was ignored and unable to find help after repeatedly talking about homicide and suicide and even posting these thoughts on social media. Within a ye
March 6, 2019 · KARA Reporting
Minnesota's At Risk Children's News, Stories & Statistics Part II
Child abuse and child protection stories, statistics and policies in MN for January/February 2019
March 6, 2019 · KARA Reporting
Minnesota's At Risk Children's News, Stories & Statistics Part I
Reporting on child abuse and child protection stories, statistics and policies in MN for January/February 2019
February 27, 2019 · KARA Reporting
National Workshop On Adult & Juvenile Female Offenders
Last year, 33 states held children and juveniles with mental illness in detention centers without any charges. In 2001, nearly 2/3 of California local law enforcement departments did not have written guidelines governing
Arizona · California · Illinois · Massachusetts · Minnesota · New York · Texas
February 18, 2019 · KARA Reporting
USA, Give Children the Rights EVERY Other Nation Has
America is the only nation on earth that is not a party to the international rights of the child treaty of 1989. Children have no voice in the media, courts, homes and they can’t vote for legislation to keep them safe fr
February 7, 2019 · KARA Reporting
Helping Vulnerable MN Children; just a minute to send this message (thank you Safe PassageMN)
You can help vulnerable Minnesota children today by clicking and sending a message of support to your elected Representative and Senator regarding the following child welfare legislation. Please help. It only takes a few
February 5, 2019 · KARA Reporting
Give A Child A Voice (save the date)
This is unlike any other volunteer experience. The impact you can have on a child’s life is tremendous. Currently, there are hundreds of children in Hennepin County alone, waiting for a GAL, their spokesperson, their adv
January 18, 2019 · KARA Reporting
Prevention - Early Intervention - thank you Safe Passage for Children of MN
Keeping children with their families through early intervention (a very big deal). These bills at the State Legislature can help make that happen - Tune into this Safe Passage for Children webinar here for the update on
December 21, 2018 · KARA Reporting
The Ghost Of Christmas Future
TAt a Governor's Task Force Oversight Meeting (on Child Protection in MN in 2014) the head of Hennepin County Commissioners Jan Callison showed genuine anger and concern when she found out* that Social workers weren't av
December 7, 2018 · KARA Reporting
Child Care Torture & Murder in MN (Safe Passage for MN Children)
Minnesota is averaging one child abuse murder a month* these past 18 months (thank you Safe Passage for MN Children). Outside of short media pieces about a caregiver killing the baby, there is no record or institutional
December 6, 2018 · KARA Reporting
The Cost of Doing Nothing (happy holidays)
While the rest of the industrialized world is busy using public policy to make quality education, health & child care affordable for all, America has doubled down on commercializing prisons, group homes & schools and mak
December 4, 2018 · KARA Reporting
Teachers Are People Too
This KARA post from 2005 suggests a significant improvement in graduation rates in Minneapolis schools. No Child Left Behind really did leave behind a great many children. From our 2005 piece; Roosevelt High school gradu
November 24, 2018 · KARA Reporting
California Child Protection Updates thru May 2017
KARA gathers news about abused abused children in America and around the world to provide a snapshot of Child Protection and how states and nations value their children. Kids At Risk Action needs an aspiring writer/resea
November 2, 2018 · KARA Reporting
Going Backwards on Child Safety? (thank you Safe Passages for Children of MN)
Minnesota's abused and neglected children need our voices. Share this with your networks; Recently some legislators and child protection agencies began theorizing that an underlying cause of caseload increases is screeni
October 12, 2018 · KARA Reporting
Valuing Other People's Children
The U.S. rates badly among industrialized nations in how we treat and value children. America is the only nation in the world to not sign the International Rights of the Child Treaty. Today’s post by Safe Passage for Chi
September 27, 2018 · KARA Reporting
The Economics of Mental Illness (from KARA 2005)
Treating mental health issues in children is far more effective than letting the problems grow into adulthood, where the evidence clearly indicates a continued social failure and institutional dependence (whether prison,
September 19, 2018 · KARA Reporting
Taxes, Children & a Guardian ad Litem's Perspective
Today's Miguel Otarola's Star Tribune attention on the additional 43 million dollars needed to fund these programs should be put into perspective. One of my CASA guardian ad litem caseload children cost the State and Cou
September 11, 2018 · KARA Reporting
Only Evil Governments Torture Other People's (Immigrant) Children
Losing 1475 migrant children as a political statement was an awful example of what America is becoming know for internationally. Letting Migrant Kids Rot in shabby poorly run centers for months or years stinks of racism
September 10, 2018 · KARA Reporting
TC NonViolent Event - Invisible Children September 25th
September 25th 4 to 5pm - Chapel Dayton Av Presbyterian Church 217 Mackubin Street Saint Paul, MN 55102 How childhood trauma evolves into chronic illness, dangerous lifestyle & early death and shadows children into adult
August 10, 2018 · KARA Reporting
Child Welfare Survey Responses (thank you Safe Passage for Children of MN)
This important survey of Minnesota's candidates for Governor shed's light on what's in store for children after the election. Notice that only one of these candidates did not respond to the Safe Passage Survey. This same
July 16, 2018 · KARA Reporting
Fixing MN's Broken Mental Health Systems (thank you Sue Abderholden)
Decades of policy makers not understanding or ignoring mental health issues and failing to see the explosive growth of veterans returning with life destroying PTSD, the huge increase of children in child protection resul
July 13, 2018 · KARA Reporting
An Important Survey About Child Welfare (thank you Safe Passage For MN Children)
Bravo Safe Passage for your out front efforts to finding out what Minnesota's Governor candidates know about children's issues and thank you for getting this information to help voters make better choices. SAFE PASSAGE S
July 9, 2018 · KARA Reporting
Child Abuse & Child Protection for June 2018
Fairfield father charged with lewd acts in addition to child abuse involving his 10 children KTVU San Francisco FAIRFIELD, Calif. (BCN) - The Solano County District Attorney's Office today charged a Fairfield father of 1
July 9, 2018 · KARA Reporting
Speaker's Bio
Long time CASA volunteer guardian ad Litem, Fonder of Kids at Risk Action (KARA)Founding board member of CASA MN & Friends of Children (now CASA Cares), author (1000 articles Star Tribune & the book INVISIBLE CHILDREN, n
July 2, 2018 · KARA Reporting
Criminalizing Mental Illness (statistics & stories)
It is upsetting that the only significant authoritative voice speaking to the horrific practice of criminalizing mental illness is Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek. Stanek’s Star Tribune article today paints the ugly
June 9, 2018 · KARA Reporting
Child Welfare by State (statistics & news April 2018 (8) neglect
Today, many state ward children are the 4th and 5th generation of abused children raising their own families without parenting skills and with serious drug, alcohol and mental health issues 37% of children overall and 57
Idaho · Maryland · Minnesota · North Dakota · South Carolina · Tennessee · West Virginia · Wisconsin
June 1, 2018 · KARA Reporting
Stealing Candy From Minnesota Babies (thank you Safe Passage for Children of MN)
If you live with, work with or know at risk children, you know how your community values children. Not much. Since 2004, America had remained 3rd from the bottom on spending for children among the developed nations. Not
Arizona · Arkansas · Louisiana · Minnesota · Mississippi · New Mexico
May 26, 2018 · KARA Reporting
Child Welfare by State (statistics & news April 2018 (4)
KARA’s reporting is only sampling of what should be reported – the great majority of child trauma & abuse is never known. American states are struggling to find answers for ending adverse childhood experiences (ACES) and
May 23, 2018 · KARA Reporting
Minnesota's At Risk Children Stories and Statistics 2018
These articles, stories & statistics reflect current news about abused and neglected through the first half of May 2018. They represent only those stories terrible enough to be reported by the media. All Adults Are the P
May 20, 2018 · KARA Reporting
Child Welfare by State (statistics & news April 2018 (2)
American states are struggling to find answers for ending adverse childhood experiences and saving at risk children by reversing the explosive growth of child abuse and neglect. Today, many state ward children are the 4t
Arizona · Colorado · Connecticut · Florida · Georgia · Hawaii · Minnesota
May 4, 2018 · KARA Reporting
Police & Lack of Coordination (thank you Safe Passage for Children)
Today's article at Safe Passages for children makes a very serious point. I advocated for a boy (call him Andy) over many years who was suicidal on multiple occasions. He spoke about his own violence against cops. The ha
May 3, 2018 · KARA Reporting
CASA Trivia Night & Silent Auction (May 31)
CASA Minnesota is hosting a Trivia Night and Silent Auction on Thursday May 31, 2018 at Lake Calhoun Event Center. Gather a group of friends or co-workers for a team or come and join a team to compete in a fun night of t
May 1, 2018 · KARA Reporting
Child Suicides - what's left unsaid
After all these years of Prozac and drugging of children with mental health issues and so little access to mental health services, it's refreshing to see students and their petition for improving these services in the sc
April 27, 2018 · KARA Reporting
Child Friendly / Less Friendly Candidates For Governor (thank you Safe Passage For Children MN)
Safe Passage deserves big kudos for this survey of declared candidates for MN Governor. Until recently, not many legislators understood the depth and scope of the problems facing at risk children in our state (or any sta
April 15, 2018 · KARA Reporting
What's a Well Trained Social Worker Worth?
It hurts me to know that I live in a state that pays the least of almost all states in training social workers and continues to underfund the federally mandated guardian ad litem program so severely that over six hundred
April 12, 2018 · KARA Reporting
Death of 6 Year Old Justis Burland Arnett
Justin’s mother abandoned him years ago to the custody of her own mother. Grandmother could not manage the boy & gave custody to a couple that were grossly unfit to care for children. They killed him. In grandmother’s de
April 7, 2018 · KARA Reporting
International Visitor Leadership Program & Guardian ad Litems
On Wednesday I was part of a team invited to address judges, lawyers, professors and other officials from developing nations about child abuse, child trauma and specifically, the CASA guardian ad litem program that was o
April 6, 2018 · KARA Reporting
Child Protection & Volunteer Guardians ad Litems
It hurt me to see no mention of Minnesota’s hundreds of volunteer CASA guardians ad litem in Susan Miles’ Child Protection article in Friday’s Star Tribune. I’m all for paying people for hard work and especially those wo
April 6, 2018 · KARA Reporting
Tolerating Child Death in Minnesota (thank you Safe Passage for Children of MN)
This short powerful article from Safe Passage for Children of MN identifies the how and why two girls could be beaten with bats, starved, raped and chained over 12-15 years in the same house and over 50 police calls to t
March 25, 2018 · KARA Reporting
You're Six and On Your Own in the Court System (not having an advocate leaves abused children even more vulnerable)
The fear and aloneness in the eyes of the child sitting next to me in court as the judge decides where she will live after being taken away from the only home she has ever known is palpable. Here, in a roomful of adults
March 22, 2018 · KARA Reporting
Sad Stories Feb 2018 Part VI (foster care stories and statistics)
KARA (Kids At Risk Action) tracks current news about at risk children bringing transparency and attention to our youngest and most vulnerable citizens. KARA’s reporting is only sampling of what should be reported – the g
Arizona · California · Connecticut · Iowa · Kentucky · Minnesota · Oregon · Texas · Virginia
March 11, 2018 · KARA Reporting
House of Horrors (not investigating child abuse = not caring for abused kids)
Twin girls beaten with bats, starved, raped, chained & abused over 12-15 years on the 4200 block of 17th Av South in Minneapolis. Over 50 police calls to the home, developmentally disabled and pregnant in high school. “T
March 9, 2018 · KARA Reporting
Child Safety Legislation in MN (a small effort can make a big difference for abused children)
Safe Passage for Children of MN helps at risk kids get a voice at the State House. A phone call - an hour of your time at the Capital could make a huge difference this year.to make children safe. A very small investment
March 8, 2018 · KARA Reporting
The Language of Child Abuse (& why it is critical)
It hurts me to hear discussions of child abuse and neglect in the language of business that fails to convey the horror of the thing that was done. Tiny defenseless human beings in terrifying circumstances written and tal
March 6, 2018 · KARA Reporting
Prosecuting Legislators (can this work?)
A single Minneapolis hospital, HCMC sees 800 to 1000 emergency psychiatric visits a month (one of many metro hospitals). There have never been enough beds and there will never be enough Prozac to humanely treat the peopl
February 16, 2018 · KARA Reporting
A #ProtectChildrenToo Movement? (Thank You Safe Passage For Children of MN)
This morning's ebrief from Safe Passage for Children of MN is spot on. Their legislative efforts to stop the practice of advance notice of child protection visits to perpetrators is crucial in ending child abuse. Putting
February 10, 2018 · KARA Reporting
Friends of Hennepin & Ramsey County Foster Children
CASAMN needs items (donations) for CASA Cares May 31st Fundraiser CASA Cares provides grants to children in foster care We care about state ward children and want them to have the things that other children have. Help us
February 5, 2018 · KARA Reporting
Learn About Speaking For An Abused Child In Court (HELP Save a child - save the date - Thurs Feb 8th 630pm)
CASA guardian ad litem: Please join us as we come together as a community in the name of abused and neglected children! When: Thursday, February 8, 2018 @ 6:30pm Where: SeilerSchindel, PLLC 5901 Cedar Lake Road Minneapol
January 19, 2018 · KARA Reporting
Child Welfare Training Academy - A Great Resource (thank you U of M & Safe Passage for Children of MN)
Last week the U of M's Center for the Advanced Study of Child Welfare presented a proposal for a Child Welfare Training Academy to the Legislative Child Protection Task Force. Minnesota children deserve a safe childhood
January 13, 2018 · KARA Reporting
MN At Risk Children's News July - September 2017 (V)
Brandon Stahl Reporting KARA gathers news about Minnesota’s abused children to provide a snapshot of Child Protection and how our state values its children. Only a fraction of serious child abuse stories, statistics and
January 13, 2018 · KARA Reporting
MN At Risk Children's News July - September 2017 (IV)
Brandon Stahl Reporting KARA gathers news about Minnesota’s abused children to provide a snapshot of Child Protection and how our state values its children. Only a fraction of serious child abuse stories, statistics and
Arkansas · California · Florida · Illinois · Louisiana · Michigan · Minnesota · New York · North Dakota · Ohio · Texas
January 12, 2018 · KARA Reporting
MN At Risk Children's News July - September 2017 (III)
KARA gathers news about Minnesota’s abused children to provide a snapshot of Child Protection and how our state values its children. Only a fraction of serious child abuse stories, statistics and facts we should be aware
January 11, 2018 · KARA Reporting
MN At Risk Children's News July - September 2017 (II)
KARA gathers news about Minnesota’s abused children to provide a snapshot of Child Protection and how our state values its children. Only a fraction of serious child abuse stories, statistics and facts we should be aware
Georgia · Minnesota · North Carolina · North Dakota · Pennsylvania · Wisconsin
January 9, 2018 · KARA Reporting
Interrupting Child Abuse (1 Year Ago - thank you Commissioner Jan Callison & Star Tribune)
It should be big news* that Hennepin County Commissioner Jan Callison** stood up for abused and neglected children when she found out County Child Protection service providers did not respond to abused & neglected childr
January 8, 2018 · KARA Reporting
MN At Risk Children's News July - September 2017 (I)
KARA gathers news about Minnesota’s abused children to provide a snapshot of Child Protection and how our state values its children. Only a fraction of serious child abuse makes the news. All Adults Are the Protectors of
December 29, 2017 · KARA Reporting
Child Abuse Statistics (and the best resources)
Nationally over 7 million U.S. children come to the attention of Child Protective Services each year 37% of American children are reported to Child Protective Services by 18
December 15, 2017 · KARA Reporting
Child Abuse/Child Protection By the Numbers (Thank You Safe Passage for Children of MN)
Tracking the safety of Minnesota Children and caring about how child abuse is dealt with in our community is a big deal. Thank you Safe Passage for Children of MN for staying on top of the statistics of child abuse and w
December 7, 2017 · KARA Reporting
Safe Passage for Children of MN Advocacy (shining a light on at Minnesota's at risk children)
By the time she was 11 years old, McKenna Ahrenholz of Swift County, Minnesota, and her four younger brothers and sisters had endured years of abuse and neglect by her father. The abuse was frequently reported to child c
December 2, 2017 · KARA Reporting
America's Adoption Issues (300 new stories & articles)
Every state is struggling to find forever homes for traumatized state ward children. Aging out of foster care is painful (Misha's video) Here are 300 recent stories and articles about the fate of America's state ward chi
Florida · Massachusetts · Minnesota · New York · Texas · Washington
November 26, 2017 · KARA Reporting
Speaker Mike Tikkanen
guardian ad-Litem, founding board member of CASAMN, Founding member of the Friends of Children Foundation (now CASA CARES), and founder of the 501c3 nonprofit KARA, Kids At Risk Action. Mike has a mission to speak for ab
November 25, 2017 · KARA Reporting
A Governor's Discussion About The Politics Of Children - December 6th 4:30 (be there)
Join us for discussions on the future of early childhood with Minnesota’s next governor! Hosted at People Serving People - Center of Excellence 2400 Park Ave. South, Minneapolis 55404 Minnesota has made significant progr
November 22, 2017 · KARA Reporting
Statistics & Data About America's Abused Children
This page is for those of you who know the value of data and the importance of tracking information about the issues of child abuse. KARA will work to update it regularly and we encourage you the reader to send compellin
November 17, 2017 · KARA Reporting
Share Your Views On Child Protection (thank you Safe Passage for Children of MN)
Preferred child protection practices currently allow alleged abusers opportunities to coach and intimidate children before workers can interview them individually. These include giving advance notice of the worker's visi
October 28, 2017 · KARA Reporting
Critical Perspectives On Child Abuse (updated regularly - send KARA your insights)
Adverse Childhood Experiences ACES NEWS Top notch reporting on research and news about abuse politics, programs and stories locally, nationally and internationally. Current and focused trauma informed news. Richard Ross
October 25, 2017 · KARA Reporting
Foster Mom Charged With Breaking Bones of 7-Week Old Foster Boy (thank you Brandon Stahl & Star Tribune)
Abused and neglected State Ward children have already suffered enough when they enter foster care. To be removed from a birth home by a judge means that the child's life has been in imminent danger of serious harm. Most
October 20, 2017 · KARA Reporting
A Note to Brandon Stahl & the Tribune (abused children still need you)
It is only because you found the death of 4 year-old Eric Dean suspicious and dedicated yourself to reporting on the awful circumstances that killed him after 15 ignored reports of child abuse, that this volunteer CASA g
September 24, 2017 · KARA Reporting
The Beatings Will Continue Until the Morale Improves (it's all your fault)
Historically, we blame educators for failing schools and social workers for murdered children within the child protection system. This behavior is wrong and counterproductive. It’s like blaming a police officer for the p
September 11, 2017 · KARA Reporting
A Star Tribune Mistake (impacting millions of children each year)
"Did you all see the article in the Science and Health section of the Sunday Star Tribune? - ”Study will look at the role of childhood stress in adult disease”. There is a line in there that says, to the effect, that ver
August 26, 2017 · KARA Reporting
International Child Protection News June & July 2017
KARA tracks current news around the world about at risk children bringing transparency and attention to our youngest and most vulnerable citizens. These stories are a sampling of what should be reported – the great major
August 25, 2017 · KARA Reporting
Risky Child Protection Practices In MN Persist (thank you Safe Passage For Children MN)
Safe Passage For Children of MN has pointed out today that obvious child protection steps in our state are not being followed and might need legislation to be accomplished. Yes to protecting children and making these cha
August 23, 2017 · KARA Reporting
Minnesota's At Risk Children's News (first 6 months of 2017)
What's it like to be an abused child in Minnesota? The stories and articles below shine a light on the sadness and traumas faced by five year-olds, infants and other helpless children in our state. These stories are only
August 20, 2017 · KARA Reporting
Mental Health Service Calls Police & Health Care (thank you Minnetonka Officer Scott Marks & HCMC)
All service providers are struggling to meet the increased volume and severity of mental health related cases they are forced to deal with every day. In Minnetonka the crisis and mental health calls are on track to reach
August 11, 2017 · KARA Reporting
KARA Radio Interview National Association of Adult Survivors of Child Abuse (Bill Murray/Mike Tikkanen)
This compelling interview covers the landscape of how abuse and trauma impact children and communities throughout America and shines a spotlight on what has to change to save children and build healthy communities. Bill
August 10, 2017 · KARA Reporting
Your Tax Dollars At Work (why profit driven schools fail our children)
If you look hard and long at who is hurt the most by the Globes and Trumps of the world, it is almost always poor people that don't have the education, the background or the ability to know when they are being scammed. T
July 30, 2017 · KARA Reporting
Your Tax Dollars At Work (child welfare vs. corporate welfare - who wins?)
Art Rolnick’s Star Tribune article Sunday struck a powerful chord about how corporate welfare has been trumping the welfare of children.
July 22, 2017 · KARA Reporting
Resurgence Of Child Fatalities In Minnesota (thank you Safe Passage for Children of MN)
KIds At Risk Action reporting on child abuse and child protection in MN June 2017
July 22, 2017 · KARA Reporting
June 2017 Sad Stories Part II
KARA tracks current news about at child abuse and child protection bringing awareness and transparency to the issues of our youngest and most vulnerable citizens. These pages are only a tiny percentage of what happens to
California · Florida · Minnesota · Missouri · Nebraska · New Mexico · Pennsylvania · South Dakota · Tennessee · Wisconsin
July 13, 2017 · KARA Reporting
Minnesota At Risk Children's News June 2017
Officials Investigate Child's Death In Osseo
July 4, 2017 · KARA Reporting
A Brief History of Four Year Olds and Prozac
Medicating very young children with psychotropic drugs is accepted protocol in foster homes and child protective services throughout America. States vary, but 33% of state ward children appears to be the lowest percentag
Arizona · California · Florida · Minnesota · Missouri · New York · Texas
June 30, 2017 · KARA Reporting
Save the Date (CASA guardian ad Litem event) August 3rd 630 pm
When the court is making decisions that will affect a child's future, the child needs and deserves a spokesperson - an objective adult to provide independent information about the best interests of the child. While other
June 23, 2017 · KARA Reporting
If We Only Knew
It's easy for people working with abused and neglected children to become cynical when they discover that five and ten year old state ward children are forced onto Prozac like drugs instead of receiving mental health car
June 23, 2017 · KARA Reporting
High Hopes For Hennepin County's New Child Protection Model (keeping up with reports of abuse)
Today's heartening Star Tribune article gave me hope that I've not had in decades for the saving of abused and neglected children from extended traumas and ruined lives. "No longer will a child need to endure maltreatmen
June 8, 2017 · KARA Reporting
Children Paying For Daycare
When I began as a volunteer CASA guardian ad Litem, there were 34 Minnesota families on a waiting list for subsidized daycare. Today there are over 7000. Our prior Governor shifted those dollars into the general fund cla
June 1, 2017 · KARA Reporting
Thank God For Lawyers, Lawsuits & the Star Tribune
Today's Star Tribune reporting on the civil rights lawsuit for abused children (by reporter Chris Serres) validates my belief that child rape and other crimes against children are the most ignored and cruelest reality in
May 24, 2017 · KARA Reporting
Minnesota Child Protection News April/May 2017
Kids At Risk Acton gathers news about abused Minnesota’s abused children monthy and provides a snapshot of Child Protection to demonstrate how our state values its children. If you are an aspiring writer/reporter, KARA n
May 16, 2017 · KARA Reporting
Advocating For Minnesota Children Right Now (thank you Safe Passage for Children)
Dear Safe Passage Advocate, This is the final week of the legislative session and the two bills that will have the most benefit to children are still in play and being negotiated by the Governor and legislative leaders.
May 5, 2017 · KARA Reporting
Tax Cuts To Children (thank you Safe Passage for Children of MN)
Safe Passage for Children really nails it in this short paragraph (below) about how legislators just don't know what child friendly programs do or how they work. It's also true that it's been proven by very conservative
May 2, 2017 · KARA Reporting
Sad Stories April 2017 Part III
KARA tracks current news about at risk children bringing transparency and attention to our youngest and most vulnerable citizens. These pages are a sampling of what should be reported – the great majority of child trauma
Florida · Kentucky · Maine · Michigan · Minnesota · New York · Oklahoma · Pennsylvania · Wisconsin
April 25, 2017 · KARA Reporting
Guardian ad Litem Volunteer Recognition Event - Could Not Have Been Better
CASAMN’s keynote speaker and honored guest Star Tribune investigative journalist Brandon Stahl, was surprised to come face to face with his biggest fan club. Brandon has been so busy investigating and reporting on Minnes
April 20, 2017 · KARA Reporting
Call For Minnesota Children (pick up the phone - write something) PreK, school readiness, early learning, things kids need
The legislature is back in session after their break. That means we are back to work on advocacy. And thank you for all the contacts you have already made. Time for more. You may have heard that the conference committee
April 15, 2017 · KARA Reporting
Safe Passage for Children of Minnesota (and how lawsuits help two year olds)
Sad as it may be, lawsuits might be the most effective tool available for abused and neglected children to get the services they need from the state. Today's message from Safe Passage for children of Minnesota about the
April 14, 2017 · KARA Reporting
Child Abuse - Numbers & Why They Matter (thank you Chris Serres & Star Tribune)
MN has recently forcibly closed foster group homes in St Cloud and Buhl and housed state ward children in hospital rooms because there was no place else to put them. How would it make you feel as a traumatized six year o
April 3, 2017 · KARA Reporting
SAFE PASSAGE FOR CHILDREN MN (Federal audit of MN child welfare shows inadequate metrics, resources, quality assurance & training)
If you live and Minnesota and are willing to make time for one trip a year to the Capital in St Paul to speak for a child, there is nothing more meaningful that you could do for at risk children than volunteer with Safe
April 1, 2017 · KARA Reporting
Sad Stories March 2017 Part III
Sign Up Here For KARA’s Free Friday Morning Real Story KARA tracks current news about at risk children bringing transparency and attention to our youngest and most vulnerable citizens. These pages are a sampling of what
Connecticut · Florida · Georgia · Iowa · Kentucky · Minnesota
March 31, 2017 · KARA Reporting
Minnesota Child Protection News March 2017
MN Child Protection News March 2017 KARA gathers news about abused Minnesota’s abused children every month and provides a snapshot of Child Protection and how our state values its children. If you are an aspiring writer/
Colorado · Delaware · Minnesota · Nebraska · South Dakota
March 26, 2017 · KARA Reporting
Wanting To Know (caring enough to know)
Does Minnesota (your state here) want to know how its thousands of foster children are doing in school? Is there information available for people that care and want to see abused and neglected children at least get a cha
March 17, 2017 · KARA Reporting
It Cant Happen Here
A very smart person that I consider a friend suggested that the sad story of Florida’s foster care system (in the blog article just prior to this one) is not comparable to the state of foster care in my state of MN. Sugg
March 16, 2017 · KARA Reporting
Friends of KARA - A Favor (watch this video)
Mari Frankel's video documentary "Foster" below is stunning. Although it is about Florida’s foster system (by a CASA GAL just like me) it demonstrates the problems within the child protection system and the traumas & med
March 10, 2017 · KARA Reporting
Child Death and County Transparency (not) From Safe Passage For Children MN
This year local media have covered five child murders and one near-fatality at various stages of resolution. Links to the stories are here. In only one case is there public information about whether county child protecti
March 10, 2017 · KARA Reporting
Recent KARA Media
Part 1 of a 3 part series looking into Child Abuse and the Child Welfare System. This episode we are joined by Mike Tikkanen, world leader in advocacy for abused children. He explains the state of the system, the secrecy
March 5, 2017 · KARA Reporting
Minnesota Child Protection News January & February 2017
Man In Custody Following Death Of Eagan Woman, Unborn Child CBS Local “We are devastated at the tragic death of my daughter Senicha and her unborn son. She was a loving, kind, smart and beautiful young woman who … Woman
March 2, 2017 · KARA Reporting
Social Work (from the smartest person in the room - Dee Wilson from the Casey Foundation)
I had the honor of sitting next to Dee Wilson when he delivered the Casey Family Assessment of Hennepin County's Child welfare system to the Hennepin County Commissioners (Minnesota's Child Endangerment Model). Dee drew
February 23, 2017 · KARA Reporting
Child Protection & PizzaGate KARA Interview (troubled children in a troubled society)
Part 1 of a two part series looking into Child Abuse and the Child Welfare System. This episode we are joined by Mike Tikkanen, world leader in advocacy for abused children. He explains the state of the system, the secre
February 19, 2017 · KARA Reporting
February Sad Stories Part II
Sign Up Here For KARA’s Free Friday Morning Real Story KARA tracks current news about at risk children bringing transparency and attention to our youngest and most vulnerable citizens. Please note that what you see here
Kansas · Kentucky · Minnesota · Ohio · Oregon · Pennsylvania · South Dakota
February 17, 2017 · KARA Reporting
Black Children Matter (and child protection systems)
Yesterday at the State Capital in St Paul, Black Lives matter rallied outside for fair treatment by the police and inside (where I was) at the rotunda for fair treatment in child protection for black families and childre
February 9, 2017 · KARA Reporting
Punishing Traumatized Children (the beatings will continue until the morale improves)
Thank you Chris Serres & Star Tribune for identifying how severely the St Cloud Children’s home for children fails abused and neglected kids. Children live here because a judge found their birth homes so dangerous that t
February 6, 2017 · KARA Reporting
Serving Children (“What we do to our children, they will do to society”) Pliny 2400 years ago
A recent conversation with a metro police chief opened my eyes to how failing to provide resources to officers dealing with troubled youth makes policing much harder. The results much less positive. The chief was clear a
February 4, 2017 · KARA Reporting
CASA Guardian ad-Litem News Around the Nation December 2016 -January 2017
FIND YOUR CASA here – CASA’s around the U.S. If you are not listed, send me your info and we will include it. Thank you Sai Yang and Century College for your research and writing on this page. These CASA guardian ad-Lite
Alabama · Florida · Georgia · Illinois · Indiana · Minnesota · Montana · North Carolina · Pennsylvania · Texas
February 2, 2017 · KARA Reporting
Support KARA Pages & Projects
All Adults Are The Protectors of All Children Please donate now and support these pages & 1) Our documentary on the needs of at risk children and breaking the cycle of abuse 2) Our second book, a collection of micro-bios
January 31, 2017 · KARA Reporting
Donate Books For African Children (no better way to part with old friends)
The perfect way to part with treasures that can keep on giving (and to children). St Paul and Georgia locations provided below & please read the book donation rules. KARA supports this effort and asks you to share this l
January 13, 2017 · KARA Reporting
Better Futures for Minnesota Children (from Safe Passage For Children MN)
Mission: To rebuild the Minnesota child welfare system so children are safe and reach their full potential. Vision: There will always be a group of Minnesota citizens who advocate on behalf of victims of child maltreatme
January 4, 2017 · KARA Reporting
Minnesota 7 Year Old Dies as a Martyr to a Parents Religion
Adopted seven-year old Seth Johnson has suffered terribly for years and it appears has died a painful (avoidable) death at the hands of Tim and Sarah Johnson. Thank you Paul Walsh, Brandon Stahl & Star Tribune. The paren
December 31, 2016 · KARA Reporting
Minnesota At Risk Children's News December 2016
Brandon Stahl Reporting KARA gathers news about abused Minnesota’s abused children every month and works to provide a snapshot of Child Protection and how our state values its children. If you are an aspiring writer/repo
December 15, 2016 · KARA Reporting
Minnesota's Mental Health Problem (probably your state's mental health problem too)
Minnesota’s Mental Health Problem (probably your state’s mental health problem too) The better part of being a volunteer County Guardian ad Litem is knowing that the 7 year old you advocate for will no longer be prostitu
December 15, 2016 · KARA Reporting
KARA Is Unable To Provide Services
Dear Readers, Every so often we receive requests for hands on help and it it is necessary to remind you that KARA is a small group of people working to improve our child child well-being and child protection by raising a
December 14, 2016 · KARA Reporting
December 2016 Sad Stories Part 1
MD: Youth homelessness in Baltimore higher than previously thought The Baltimore Sun - November 30, 2016 More than 1,400 young people under the age of 25 were unaccompanied by a parent or guardian, without a safe, stable
Michigan · Minnesota · New Jersey · North Carolina · South Dakota · Texas · Utah · West Virginia
December 4, 2016 · KARA Reporting
Minnesota At Risk Children's News November 2016
Recommendations Announced For Improving Child Services CBS Local MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO). Hennepin County leaders are making new recommendations to help protect children in Minnesota. A child protection … Flag as irrelevant
December 2, 2016 · KARA Reporting
November 2016 Sad Stories Part II
Sign Up Here For Friday morning news updates (free) KARA tracks current news about at risk children bringing transparency and attention to our youngest and most vulnerable citizens. Please note that what you see here is
Illinois · Indiana · Louisiana · Maryland · Minnesota · Oregon · Tennessee · Texas · Vermont · Washington
November 29, 2016 · KARA Reporting
The Election & Children (from Safe Passages For Children of Minnesota)
This recent piece from Safe Passages for Children of Minnesota paints a more positive picture for Minnesota's at risk children than can be seen in the rest of the nation. It's good to know that MN politicians on both sid
November 24, 2016 · KARA Reporting
Minnesota At Risk Children's News October 2016
Teen Arrested In Mpls. Shooting That Killed Man, Baby CBS Local Teen Arrested In Mpls. Shooting That Killed Man, Baby … Minnesota History Center Highlights Football Past, Present And FutureThe Minnesota … Flag as irrelev
November 16, 2016 · KARA Reporting
200,000 Youth Tried As Adults Each Year; Temple University
My experience with children receiving adequate therapy for the severe trauma and resulting behavior problems that were so indelibly a part of these very young children's lives was almost non existent. Once these very tro
November 14, 2016 · KARA Reporting
Children’s Mental Health, Prozac and You (suicide & other self-harming behaviors)
For every successful child-suicide there are an estimated 25 attempts. The suicidal hanging of six-year old foster child Kendrea Johnson opened my eyes to the fatal flaws of Prozac and very young children and foster care
October 27, 2016 · KARA Reporting
Go To Jail Go Directly To Jail (and be branded for life)
Minnesota's former Supreme Court Chief Justice has stated that 90% of the youth in the Juvenile Justice system have passed through Child Protective Services and that "The difference between that poor child and a felon is
October 24, 2016 · KARA Reporting
Minnesota Child Protection Stories September 2016
Protesters call for boycott of Varsity Theater, Loring Pasta Bar Minnesota Daily The protest was meant to educate the campus community of sexual abuse … The lawsuits were filed under the Child Victims Act, which extended
October 20, 2016 · KARA Reporting
Unintended Consequences (KARA & abused children thank you Brandon Stahl & Star Tribune)
From today's Brandon Stahl article, "Janine Moore, the area director of the county’s children and family services department, said earlier this month that child protection has a backlog of nearly 300 unreviewed reports,
October 8, 2016 · KARA Reporting
CASA guardian ad-Litem News Around the Nation for September 2016
FIND YOUR CASA here – This page tells the stories of CASA’s around the U.S. If you are not listed, send me your info and we will include it. Thank you Sai Yang and Century College for your research and writing on this pa
Arkansas · California · Louisiana · Minnesota · Missouri · Montana · New Jersey · Ohio · Oklahoma · Pennsylvania · Tennessee · Texas
October 5, 2016 · KARA Reporting
Speak For a Child October 26th at Hamline (Great People, Great Cause and Great FUN!)
Don't miss our once a year fundraiser and funfest and learn more (CLICK HERE for tickets) CASAMN & the guardian ad litem program that supports children in child protection and provides grants to foster children for items
October 3, 2016 · KARA Reporting
Child vs Family 2 (thank you safe passage for children of MN)
This article from Safe Passage for Children bears repeating; Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) research shows that abuse disrupts children's brain development in ways that often aren't reversible. This is a reason for
September 21, 2016 · KARA Reporting
September Sad Stories (part 1 through September 15)
Homeless woman accused of child neglect, children covered in filth, lice, suffering health problems Bennington Banner (subscription) BENNINGTON >> A homeless woman is facing charges after her children were found covered
Arkansas · California · Georgia · Illinois · Kentucky · Minnesota · Mississippi · Nebraska
September 21, 2016 · KARA Reporting
August 2016 Sad Stories (Part 3 through August 31)
AZ: Report: Foster Care Rates Sky-Rocket, More Arizona Children Living In Poverty (Includes audio) KJZZ - August 18, 2016 "Fifty-one percent, so more than half of the kids in Arizona are in low income families," she said
California · Georgia · Idaho · Minnesota · Pennsylvania · South Carolina · Texas
September 13, 2016 · KARA Reporting
Remembering Mark Proctor
Mark Proctor passed away this past week and Minnesota lost one of its most committed and effective advocates for children in the child protection and foster care system. I know of no one more dedicated to making life bet
September 10, 2016 · KARA Reporting
Minnesota Child Protection News August 2016
KARA gathers news about abused Minnesota’s abused children every month and works to provide a snapshot of Child Protection and how our state values its children. If you are an aspiring writer/reporter, KARA needs you to
September 2, 2016 · KARA Reporting
Using Bibles In Defense of Child Abuse (not the Jesus I knew)
Indiana Governor and Vice Presidential Candidate Mike Pence's Religious Freedom signature law RFRA allows beating 7 year old's with a coat hanger leaving bruises and bleeding severe enough to cause the child's doctor to
September 2, 2016 · KARA Reporting
Children Feeling Betrayed (thank you Safe Passage for Children & PBS)
Children who are badly abused sometimes seek help from teachers, extended family, or social workers. When they get none they feel profoundly betrayed by adults. This can have lifelong consequences for the children and so
August 30, 2016 · KARA Reporting
Children Locked Up in America (Radio Interview)
Mass Incarceration: Where it Starts, With Our Youth Following up from last weeks show on Mass Incarceration, which focused on adults, this week the focus is on mass incarceration of our youth. In contrast to adult incarc
August 22, 2016 · KARA Reporting
Drugging Our Kids
In 1996 there were 1100 students per counselor in MN high schools and one child psychiatrist for all the children in the Hennepin County child protection system. At that time and now, no child makes it into Child Protect
August 22, 2016 · KARA Reporting
August Sad Stories 2016 (part II)
KARA tracks current news about at risk children bringing transparency and attention to our youngest and most vulnerable citizens. Please note that what you see here is only a sampling of what should be reported – the gre
Colorado · Florida · Indiana · Maine · Minnesota · Mississippi · Nebraska · Pennsylvania · Texas
August 20, 2016 · KARA Reporting
Let Me Show You The Money
One of my guardian ad Litem boys Alan – not his real name, was tied to a bed, left alone for days at a time (from 4 to 7 years of age – four whole years), sexually abused, starved and beaten so badly that he was covered
August 20, 2016 · KARA Reporting
Police Shootings & You and Me
People smarter than me have clearly explained the underlying institutional dysfunctions that ensure the next police shootings. Dallas Police Chief David Brown accurately stated that law enforcement has become the safety
August 19, 2016 · KARA Reporting
August Sad Stories (part 1)
KARA tracks current news about at risk children bringing transparency and attention to our youngest and most vulnerable citizens. Please note that what you see here is only a sampling of what should be reported – the gre
California · Idaho · Michigan · Minnesota · New Jersey · Oklahoma · Pennsylvania · Texas · Virginia
August 18, 2016 · KARA Reporting
CASAMN October 26th Fundraiser (save the date & help us find sponsors)
We need your help! Your sponsorship of this event will be essential to the fundraiser’s success and will enable CASA Minnesota to continue providing volunteer Guardian Ad Litem’s to abused and neglected children involved
August 14, 2016 · KARA Reporting
Important Child Protection News From Safe Passage For Children - Outside Review Needed
Representatives of counties and the Department of Human Services recently presented the Minnesota legislature with a revised plan for implementing the Governor's Child Protection Task Force recommendations. It proposed $
August 11, 2016 · KARA Reporting
We Are All Nuts (the costs and dangers of undertreating and ignoring mental health - thank you Star Tribune)
If you have children, grandchildren or just like other people’s children, you should read this to the end. You could help keep them safe from terrible things by understanding the connection between this mental health dis
August 10, 2016 · KARA Reporting
MN Child Protection News July 2016
Hundreds of Minnesota teens confined, abused for no … - Star Tribune www.startribune.com/confined…teenager…minnesota…/389387061/ Star Tribune 4 days ago - Confined without charges, a teenager's ordeal reveals strains wit
August 7, 2016 · KARA Reporting
Minnesota’s Back Story; Treating Children’s Mental Health
Today’s Star Tribune article (thank you Chris Serres) exposing the violence done to Minnesota’s youngest citizens while in state care reminded me of my own experiences growing up. In my middle class 1977 neighborhood, th
July 31, 2016 · KARA Reporting
Why Schools Fail (another year of bad results)
Another year of disappointing educators, children and parents (Star Tribune 7.28.16) Don’t blame the teachers (it’s us). The once a straightforward concept of public schools has morphed into a complex institution unable
June 25, 2016 · KARA Reporting
Minnesota At Risk Children's News June 2016
Child Victims Act expires, but effects remain to be seen Duluth News Tribune The U.S. Bankruptcy Court reported that 125 abuse claims were filed … It's been a little more than a week since the Minnesota Child Victims Act
June 22, 2016 · KARA Reporting
A Wish List For At Risk Children
Subsidized day care (tens not thousands of families on state’s waiting list); more mental health services (consistent and better control and use of psychotropic medications) BA degree, mental health training & higher wag
June 18, 2016 · KARA Reporting
Gender Pay Gap & How it Relates to Child Well - Being (see where Minneapolis ranks)
I was raised by a single mom who made a fraction of the salary that men in her office earned. It was harder in other ways for her also as overt sexism was not just tolerated, it was the rule. It hurts me to see that toda
June 17, 2016 · KARA Reporting
KARA Friend Dan Stewart & Go Corps
Dan Stewart has done tons of volunteer work for KARA and today he is asking for our help to grow his nonprofit educational cause, GoCorps.org If this project appeals to you, contact Dan & get more info, Dan Stewart 612-5
June 10, 2016 · KARA Reporting
I'm Not The Crazy One (20,000 one & two year old's on Prozac - now that's crazy)
90% of mental health hospital beds that were available in the 1960's are gone today while our overall population grew over 40% in that time. When America eliminated mental health hospitals in the 60's, teachers, juvenile
June 5, 2016 · KARA Reporting
Minnesota's Mental Health Crisis (spot on reporting by our Star Tribune - Many Thanks)
Today’s service providers are rarely capable of adequately dealing with the level of dysfunction encountered by a large and growing number of people. They will fail to achieve the results they strive for until we the vot
May 24, 2016 · KARA Reporting
Minnesota Child Protection News April & May 2016
Minnesota Vikings' Adrian Peterson teams with Salvation Army in relief efforts for flood-ravaged … FOXSports.com … and the town also wrapped its collective arms around him when he missed most of the 2014 season while dea
May 17, 2016 · KARA Reporting
Interviewing Abused Children in Front of Their Alleged Perpetrators Is Wrong (thank you Rich Gehrman & Safe Passage for Children)
Rich Gehrman told the Hennepin County Child Protection Oversight Committee that most of its time has been talking about change but not making changes happen. He also understands the impossible situation an abused child i
May 16, 2016 · KARA Reporting
Federal Lawsuit Brought Against County in Suicidal Death of 6 Year Old Kendrea Johnson
Kendrea had suicidal thoughts 5-7 days a week. At the time of her death,the Deputy Police Chief and Medical Examiner determined that it was highly unlikely that Kendrea had died by suicide because six year old's found it
May 11, 2016 · KARA Reporting
Changing Laws (thank you Rich Gehrman and Safe Passage for Children)
his Channel 5 Televised news report by Rich Gehrman helps us better understand the issues involved in the lives of state ward children; A Deeper Look At The Look-Back Law | KSTP TV - Minneapolis and … kstp.com/news/look-
May 10, 2016 · KARA Reporting
April 2016 Sad Stories
CA: Vacaville commissioner advocates for preventing child abuse The Reporter - March 31, 2016 She's a mom, an advocate, a businesswoman and a Vacaville Community Services commissioner, and in honor of April being a doubl
Alabama · California · Kansas · Louisiana · Minnesota · Mississippi · North Dakota · Ohio · Pennsylvania · South Carolina · Utah
May 7, 2016 · KARA Reporting
MN Suicide – Child Suicide - What We Don’t Know
20,000 American infants and 2 year olds were proscribed psychotropic medications in 2014 and billions in fines were levied against pharmaceutical companies for illegally selling these drugs to pediatricians for use on ch
May 6, 2016 · KARA Reporting
The Importance of Performance Measures (from Safe Passage for Children)
From Safe Passage for Children today; We often emphasize the importance of measuring outcomes for children. But performance measures are important too. They tell us current information about program operations. The metri
May 2, 2016 · KARA Reporting
ACES Connection (articles from April)
MARC Advisor: Brenda Jones Harden, PhD, ACEsConnection.com Dr. Brenda Jones Harden is Associate Professor in the Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology at the University of Maryland College Park. He
Alaska · Illinois · Michigan · Minnesota · North Dakota · Oregon · Pennsylvania · Tennessee · Virginia
April 22, 2016 · KARA Reporting
Another Guardian ad-Litem Speaks (thank you David Strand)
Here is how civilized, non-superstitious nations fight problems afflicting their children. The citizens of these enlightened societies use government resources. Their governments are actually controlled by them. Doctors,
April 19, 2016 · KARA Reporting
Mental Health, Prozac, Holding Pens, Children & Sheriffs - (why nurses, teachers, social workers & foster / adoptive parents need to speak out)
Today's Star Tribune article about hospitals without the capacity to deal with the surge in emergency psych visits relates directly to the sheriff's (Washington, Ramsey and Hennepin Counties) threat to sue because their
April 8, 2016 · KARA Reporting
Reducing Child Fatalities (from Safe Passage for Children)
This article by Safe Passage for Children of MN notes the Federal Child Fatalities Commission and clearly articulates the procedures and data gathering necessary for reducing the death and trauma suffered by abused child
April 7, 2016 · KARA Reporting
CASA Guardian ad-Litem News Through March 2016
These CASA guardian ad-Litem articles have been gathered from around the nation for the month of March. If you are an aspiring journalist and would like to help Kids At Risk Action increase the quality and quantity of CA
Alaska · Florida · Indiana · Minnesota · North Carolina · Vermont
April 4, 2016 · KARA Reporting
More Actions You Can Take for At Risk Children (this is the week) From Think Small MN
Now is the time to participate! Next week, April 11-15, is the Week of the Young Child. The goal of this week is to educate legislators about the importance of high quality early learning programs in their communities, a
April 4, 2016 · KARA Reporting
Vote For Minnesota's At Risk Youth Here (today)
Please contact Senator Terri Bonoff and request her support of SF 2411. Sample language is provided below. Please personalize it, if you wish, and email it to Senator Bonoff at sen.terri.bonoff@senate.mn or call her at 6
March 25, 2016 · KARA Reporting
Improving the Process of Child Protection & Saving LIves
This article by Safe Passage for Children explains how 5 of the the 18 MN children killed by their caregivers in the last 18 months were known to local law enforcement but apparently not to child protection services (and
March 24, 2016 · KARA Reporting
If You Don't Do This, Who Will? (children can't stop child abuse)
Tuesday was Day At the Hill for advocates supporting policies to improve the lives of Minnesota’s abused and neglected children. Thank you Safe Passage for Children for organizing an effective effort to bring awareness t
March 16, 2016 · KARA Reporting
Minnesota Child Protection News For March 2016
March 20, 2016. Princeton, MN. Michael S. Gunderson sentenced for two counts of felony child neglect after his two sons (aged 2 and 3) were hospitalized for severe malnutrition. http://www.startribune.com/jail-for-dad-wh
March 8, 2016 · KARA Reporting
Child Protection - What Needs To Change
It is not foster parents, social workers, judges or court workers making life miserable and creating a lifetime of failure for abused and neglected children in the Child Protection system. These people don’t enter this p
February 26, 2016 · KARA Reporting
Eric Dean's Death (from Safe Passage for Children of MN)
Sunday is the third anniversary of Eric Dean’s death. His story and those of 55 other children killed by their caregivers prompted the state to recommend major child welfare reforms last March. It’s not easy to tell how
February 20, 2016 · KARA Reporting
Recent MN Child Abuse In The News (would daycare or crisis nurseries have prevented these sad stories?)
1.16.16 Minneapolis, Reggie Delaine Harper pleads guilty to intentional murder of 23 month old infant son because the baby was crying (Reggie had been reported at least 3 times for prior child abuse). 1.8.16 Minneapolis
February 18, 2016 · KARA Reporting
Child Protection and Appreciating Social Workers (we really should)
Christopher Sorenson recently wrote a compelling piece in the Star Tribune about animal safety as the foundation underlying our current child protection system and how only extreme cases of child abuse make the news or p
February 12, 2016 · KARA Reporting
Progress & Next Steps in County Child Protection (thank you SafePassageForChildren)
This week the Hennepin County Oversight Committee reviewed efforts by child protection managers to implement recommendations in the Casey Report, which was critical of the program. Progress was reported for example in ro
February 10, 2016 · KARA Reporting
Think Again MN Feb 16 (includes KARA presentation)
THE IMPACT OF DOMESTIC ABUSE ON CHILDREN Tuesday, February 16 6 p.m. Light Supper and Social 6:30 P.M. Program Cafeteria, Hennepin Technical College, 9000 Brooklyn Blvd, Brooklyn Park, Map RSVP on Facebook: http://on.fb.
February 6, 2016 · KARA Reporting
Public Records (the mystery of child abuse and child protection)
My story is triggered by a graphic demonstration of malfeasance by a public servant (Harper's Magazine article below) and my response to conversations with Brandon Stahl at the Star Tribune and a former administrator at
January 29, 2016 · KARA Reporting
Mental Health Shortages, Sheriffs & Children
I attended Syl Jone's play BECAUSE at the Mixed Blood Theatre last week. It's a moving piece that explores living with mental health issues from multiple perspectives leaving the audience with a personal sense of what it
January 26, 2016 · KARA Reporting
CASA MN News (help KARA find volunteer guardian ad-Litems for MN's abused children - share this)
CASA Minnesota is a local nonprofit organization whose mission is to support and promote volunteer advocates to ensure that every abused and neglected child in Minnesota has a safe, stable and permanent family. Our advoc
January 22, 2016 · KARA Reporting
Important Information About Child Protection in MN (from Safe Passage For Children)
Although counties disagree, the Department wants an outside expert to review screening practices. This is because, contrary to new guidelines, counties are still responding to half as many maltreatment reports as an aver
January 15, 2016 · KARA Reporting
Minneminds Policy Principles For Early Learning & Child Protection Strategy Work Group Recommendations
PRIORITY SUMMARY: The shortage of early childhood staff, particularly in Greater Minnesota, is a growing crisis not just for the early childhood sector but for employers broadly across the state.
January 15, 2016 · KARA Reporting
Children, Trauma & School (what's it like to teach tortured children?)
Today's Star Tribune article nails it. Thank you Annie Mogush Mason for your clear explanation of how child abuse impacts schools. Coping skills (learning skills) are not brought by the stork. Add to that, the terrible t
January 8, 2016 · KARA Reporting
Recent MN Child Protecton Stories
.8.16 Minneapolis Father arrested in assault of 21 month old Rae'Ana Hall 1.6.16 Ramsey County, Austiin Gustafson pleads guilty to killing 3 month old 1.5.16 Minneapolis, 22 month old Rae'Ana Hall in critical condition w
January 4, 2016 · KARA Reporting
Brandon Stahl Sets A Precedent For Excellence In Reporting (share this with your local newspaper - it could be repeatable & help children)
The issues of child abuse and child protection services are complicated and not well understood by the general public, state legislators, or even the people delivering the services. In the almost twenty years I've spent
January 3, 2016 · KARA Reporting
KARA Presentation January 10th 10am St Paul
Join Mike's presentation and lively group discussion on the state of child protection and child abuse in our community. 1167 Summit AV St Paul MN 10am Sunday January 10th
December 17, 2015 · KARA Reporting
San Francisco Chronicle Article Rob Waters (it's been 10 years and not much has changed)
reprinted from Sunday, February 12, 2006 (SF Chronicle) One Child, One Therapist/An innovative program partners foster children with therapists for as long as they're needed, providing a stability otherwise missing Rob W
December 16, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Laurie Kusek Awarded Rotary's Highest Honor Given To A Non Rotarian (for her volunteer work with CASA MN)
It's always fun to see good people recognized for their efforts. 2 weeks ago Laurie Kusek was honored by the Minneapolis Rotarians for her persistence and energy in helping CASA MN (nonprofit) continue to recruit and ret
December 11, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Babies, 2 year old's & Antipsychotic Medicines
New York Times article has identified that over 100,000 prescriptions for antipsychotic medicines were written in 2014 - children 2 and younger (many still in cribs). A shortage of child psychiatrists is partially blamed
December 4, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Minnesota Still Screening Out Twice the National Average of Child Abuse Reports (thank you Safe Passage for Children)
Even after Governor Dayton's "Colossal Failure" remarks about ignored reports of child abuse that lead to 4 year old Eric Dean's tortured murder, a Casey Foundation report outlining the importance of changing DHS intake
November 28, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Worthy Reader Questions
Mike, Your anguish at the pain and suffering of children is laudable and this site great. And these hearings only show the safety net is torn and clearly failing children, isn't time to broach the subject of parenting wh
November 24, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Child Protection Oversight Committee Meeting Nov 23rd
It hurt me to hear it suggested that Brandon Stahl’s reporting on Child Protection in Minnesota is somehow a cause of the troubles within the system today. It is precisely the lack of reporting, accountability, and acces
November 21, 2015 · KARA Reporting
New Book Beginnings
This is KARA's next book about child abuse and child protection in America. It includes chapters written by professionals as well as children, birth, foster and adoptive parents and families. I need your stories to add t
November 13, 2015 · KARA Reporting
ALERT For MN Child Protection - Rolling Back Child Protection Reforms (from Safe Passage for Children MN)
This week county social services directors and the Department of Human Services (DHS) presented a plan to legislators that would significantly weaken reforms approved by the Governor’s Child Protection Task Force. Items
November 6, 2015 · KARA Reporting
MN Child Protection Stories
Help KARA keep current with important child protection stories from around the state & send us links to news we have missed. October 12, Detroit Lakes MN Sterling Kyle Anderson charged in beating death of 3 year old Stev
October 31, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Sad Stories October 2015
Find information about child protection, child endangerment & child well-being in your state here. For past months, click here AR: Arkansas's child welfare system discriminates against relatives of neglectful or abusive
Arizona · Arkansas · California · Florida · Indiana · Kansas · Kentucky · Massachusetts · Minnesota
October 20, 2015 · KARA Reporting
What's It Like?
What's it like to be; The admitting person in the psychiatric ward of a metro hospital turning away violently troubled children because there is no space? HCMC in Minneapolis averages about 900 emergency psych visits a m
October 7, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Brandon Stahl’s investigating and Safe Passage’s volunteers are changing lives
Brandon Stahl’s reporting (September 2014) on the tortured death of 4 year old Eric Dean and his powerful Star Tribune articles about tortured children & the “catastrophic failure” of child protection in Minnesota (Gover
October 1, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Dirty Little Secrets
Will Minnesota Sheriff’s sue Counties over failure (Star Tribune Today) to provide services to mentally unhealthy inmates? Is the Hennepin County Commissioner “failing in her public duty and violating a judge’s order”? S
September 24, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Minnetonka Pedestrian Safety at Plymouth Road near Byerly's
I have lived in this neighborhood for many years and travel Plymouth Road by Byerly's and the Mall every day - often three trips a day.
September 2, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Thank You Prairie Care & Washburn Center For Children's Mental Health (the uphill battle in addressing children's mental health in Minnesota)
Prairie Care’s new 50 bed hospital for Children’s mental health is a tiny step in providing badly needed services for the traumatized children passing through Minnesota institutions. HCMC alone sees 800 to 1000 emergency
August 25, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Fines and Judgements For Child Protection Failures (millions of $ badly spent)
Over the past few years the states of Washington (144 million dollars) and Indiana have been sued successfully for many millions of dollars for failing to protect abused and neglected children. In Arizona, the over 6600
Arizona · Indiana · Minnesota · New York · Texas · Washington
August 19, 2015 · KARA Reporting
MN CASA Guardian ad-Litem Program Needs Volunteers (do you know someone?)
In Minnesota, a shortage of volunteer guardians ad-Litems means that today there are 100 children in child protection without a volunteer Court Appointed Special Advocate to represent them in their child protection case.
August 10, 2015 · KARA Reporting
The Power of Coping Skills & Life Without Them
A sad personal email this morning from a grieving mother has caused me to reflect on friends who ended their own lives and the four, five and six year old children I have known, or known about, who tried or succeeded at
August 6, 2015 · KARA Reporting
How We Punish - And What It Does To Children & Our Community
For many years, we have fed younger and younger people into our Criminal Justice System and gotten the same results over and over again as children graduate into the Criminal Justice System with a recidivism rate that ma
Indiana · Minnesota · Mississippi · Pennsylvania · Tennessee
July 24, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Indiana Sued For Making Child Protection Almost Impossible
A few years ago, Vice Presidential candidate and Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels eliminated funding across the board for Indiana families adopting special needs children (after 500 adoptions by families promised these dol
July 22, 2015 · KARA Reporting
All Talk & No Action - Do We Value Children or Just Talk About It?
How we value children shows up directly in the way we treat people helping us raise our children. It hurts me to see political misunderstanding and an accepted practice of misleading people about something as important a
California · Florida · Illinois · Minnesota · New York · Texas
July 16, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Dear Social Worker (a note from the Casey Foundation, KARA and Daniel)
You have chosen one of the most challenging jobs on the planet. Saving children from toxic homes & helping them heal and develop the coping skills necessary to live a functioning life. How do you manage to deal effective
July 8, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Minnesota's Child Protection Problem ("the deeper you get into it, the worse it is" Hennepin County Commissioner Mike Opat)
Thank you Hennepin County Board for unanimously approving the Governor's Task Force recommendations for improving Child Protection Services in MN. Thank you Governor Dayton for your "Colossal Failure" statement about the
July 7, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Mark your calendar for a Wine & Cheese Event
KARA get to know us Fundraiser Wednesday July 22nd 6-9 PM Fringe Women’s Accessories Store 3906 W 50th street Edina (50th & France) Wine & Cheese + Fun & Information about a great cause Kids At Risk Action
July 3, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Growing Up In America (do we value children?)
Dana Liebelson's recent interview demonstrates what the state of Michigan went through to stop her reporting on the violent treatment of youth in the state's juvenile prisons is just one more example of a punishment orie
California · Michigan · Minnesota · New York · Pennsylvania · Texas
July 1, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Want To Know More About the CASA guardian ad-Litem Program?
Nearly 9000 children are reported abused or neglected every day in this country - over 3000 a year in Minnesota alone. You might not be in a position to take one of these children into your home. But you CAN be their voi
June 25, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Minnesota's Child Endangerment Model (from the Casey Report briefing for Hennepin County commissioners today)
I was moved today when Steve Olson (from Knowledge Management) delivered the Casey Foundations 8 month report and recommendations for Hennepin County child protection at the County Commissioners briefing at the courthous
June 21, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Grandparents; Counties & States Can’t Live With Them, Children Can’t Live Without Them.
It is not the social worker, the teacher, or other professionals working with children that are responsible for the problems within American child protection service, it is lack of awareness and understanding by policy m
Arizona · California · Colorado · Indiana · Kentucky · Louisiana · Minnesota · Mississippi · Montana · New Jersey
June 16, 2015 · KARA Reporting
The Sadness Of Child Protection - 2 Year Old's Murdered by Caregivers
These past weeks have been awful for vulnerable children in MN. Stomped on, kicked, torn liver kidney & pancreas Sophia O'Neill was violently murdered by 17 year old Cary Faran-Baum died because she wouldn't stop crying.
June 10, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Child Welfare News Through June 9, 2015 - Sad Stories - Glad Stories (15 days)
ND: Child Abuse and Neglect on the Rise KFYR-TV - May 21, 2015 More than 12,000 incidents of child abuse and neglect were reported to the Department of Human Services in 2014. MO: & KS: EDITORIAL: Volunteers needed to he
Alabama · Kansas · Minnesota · Missouri · New York · North Carolina · Ohio · Pennsylvania
May 31, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Virginia Abandons Abused Children To Death (200 unanswered calls never reported)
Minnesota is not the only state to fail abused children to death (8 children since Eric dean last year). Virginia child protective services has just been discovered to have ignored, then hidden (and erased) over 200 tele
May 27, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Standing In A Soviet Bread Line (thank you James Eli Shiffer)
Trying to get information out of the government can feel like standing in a Soviet bread line" gives the reader a sense that the bread will be there, maybe stale or moldy but there will be bread to take home if you wait
May 21, 2015 · KARA Reporting
The Unspoken Truth (from Kristin Rode)
My name is Robert Hamelin and when I was 4 years old I entered the Foster Care System. My stepmother began to physically and mentally abuse me. I was taken out of the home I lived in, with her and my father and moved int
May 14, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Why CASA Guardian ad-Litem?
After years of watching and working as a volunteer CASA guardian ad-Litem in child protection two things have become clear to me; 1) Abused and neglected children really do need a CASA guardian ad-litem advocate & 2) The
May 6, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Child Protection Stories Around the Nation (find your state here)
Child abuse reports gathered from around the nation from January through May 4th (find your state here). Post comments here about how your state is protecting children. All adults are the protectors of all children (pass
Alabama · California · Colorado · Florida · Georgia · Illinois · Iowa · Kansas · Louisiana · Michigan · Minnesota · Missouri · Nevada · New Jersey · New Mexico · New York · North Carolina · Pennsylvania · Vermont · West Virginia · Wisconsin
May 6, 2015 · KARA Reporting
KARA Child Abuse Reporting This Spring (March, April, May)
Recent child abuse reporting from around the nation (find your state here)
Alabama · California · Colorado · Florida · Georgia · Illinois · Iowa · Louisiana · Michigan · Minnesota · Missouri · Nevada · New Jersey · New York · North Carolina · Ohio · Pennsylvania · Vermont · West Virginia · Wisconsin
April 29, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Monday May 4th KARA Talk Roseville Rotary Noon
Join me for the next Kids At Risk Action Roseville Rotary presentation at the Roseville Radisson Hotel and learn what you can do to make your community a safer place for children and a better place to live for everyone.
April 28, 2015 · KARA Reporting
NonProfit CPA Needed For KARA (will need to attend 2 Minneapolis area board meetings annually)
KARA needs to interview CPA firms that resonate with our mission and have nonprofit experience. Please share this with your professional accounting friends. Contact me; mike@invisiblechildren.org
April 23, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Sherriff's For Pre K (save our children)
Wow and thank you Hennepin, Ramsey and Dakota County Sheriffs. Sheriff Rich Stanek's "we must make investments in early childhood education for Minnesota kids now to avoid paying far more for the cost of crime in the dec
April 22, 2015 · KARA Reporting
18 Months Old, Sexually Abused (allegedly) & Beaten To Death In Maplewood
Genisis is the 8th child murdered in the home by a caregiver since Eric Dean's death in early 2013 and the 57th child to die of maltreatment since 2005. The only positive is that the media and public attention absent (fo
April 10, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Mental Health - Connect The Dots (the hidden dangers of antidepressents and children)
The point I'm making by connecting these articles is not that suicidal ideation delivered by psychotropic medications kills people. It is the complicity of mental health experts in not speaking to this Fact loudly and cl
March 29, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Child Protection - The Big Lie (don't blame the service providers - its the lawmakers)
Minnesotan's talk big about how we value children and how exceptional we are as a people, a nation, a culture. Most of us claim to be spiritual people valuing life and religious teachings that protect our community and i
Arizona · Louisiana · Minnesota · Mississippi · New Mexico
March 27, 2015 · KARA Reporting
CASA News
Learn about CASA Minnesota here Support CASA in your state (below)Abused and neglected children need more help than the foster care system can provide.
Alabama · Alaska · Arkansas · California · Indiana · Louisiana · Maryland · Minnesota · Missouri · New Jersey · Ohio · Oklahoma · Texas · Washington
March 23, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Drugging Our Kids
This series of videos report on the dramatic increase in the forced use of psychotropic medications by children in California's foster care system. It very well may be an epidemic in every state. I have personally watche
March 23, 2015 · KARA Reporting
"Police & Sheriffs More Concerned About People's Mental Health Than Advocates Are" (thank you Senator Barb Goodwin)
I'm always pleased to find outspoken observers in the mental health discussion. Today's Star Tribune article begins to articulate the gaping hole in our communities (and the nation's) approach to mental health. Much like
March 22, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Minnesota's Chance To Invest In Children & Families (from Governor Mark Dayton's office)
Free, Full-Day PreK for Every Four-Year-Old – The Governor’s budget would invest $343 million to provide every four-year-old (47,000 kids) access to free, full-day pre-kindergarten learning opportunities statewide. More
March 20, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Cars With 3 Wheels (From Our Friends At Safe Passage For Children Of Minnesota)
A car with three wheels is not 75% as good as one with four. There is a minimum set of features without which a car won't move at all. This principle applies to child welfare because elected officials have frequently giv
March 18, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Where Bad Laws Come From (& why it's not fair to blame the worker bees)
Brandon Stahl's article in the Star Tribune today suggests that Minnesota is probably the only state in the nation to have forbidden social workers from considering past screened out cases of child abuse in evaluating ne
March 17, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Four Year Key'Ontay Miller-Peterson Murdered - Two & Three Year Old's Starved (2 families reported by the Star Tribune today)
I hope that the task force is working fast and that it's efforts will lead to a reduction in the number of murdered, tortured, and suicidal very young children in Minnesota. Today's Star Tribune indicates the "colossal f
March 12, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Wow & Thank You For Supporting CASA Minnesota
CASA Minnesota's Brewing Hope event turned out to be a smash hit and a great time was held by all. Thank you to everyone that came and shared in the fun and especially those of you Donated or went home with silent and li
March 9, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Join Me Tonight at Surly Brewing for CASA MN Auction & Fundraiser (it's gonna be great fun)
Beer, Music, Fabulous Trips (Africa/DisneyWorld) Join CASA MN March 9th at Surly Brewing 530pm (our annual fundraiser) February 26, 2015 in CASA, Events, Wonderful People by Mike Tikkanen casa_v_redblue_R_alt_rgb_normalI
March 8, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Hiding Child Suicide Hurts Everyone (until it exists - nothing will change)
Six weeks ago, Brandon Stahl's Star Tribune article about the death of six year old Kendrea Johnson by apparent suicide, pointed out just how misinformed (or misdirected) our community is when it comes to the impact of t
March 5, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Small Friday Favors (2)
Favor 1) Join me at the CASA MN Brewing Hope Fundraiser Monday, 5:30 at Surly's Brewing Co (Auction items include African Safari, Copper Mountain, Stouts Island Lodge, Disneyworld and more). Favor 2) Follow, Share, and L
March 4, 2015 · KARA Reporting
SMART JUSTICE - Mental Health Police in Texas
A friend sent me this today and I think it would solve many of our nations troubles and is worth sharing (widely). San Antonio Texas and Bexar County have saved 50 Million dollars and made life safer, more just, and much
February 28, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Important Points By Brandon Stahl (Star Tribune) Today On Pope County
The following quotes from Brandon Stahl's reporting today in the Star Tribune indicate the depth and scope of child protection troubles in MN. That Governor Dayton used "Colossal Failure" language and created a task forc
Alaska · Arkansas · California · Colorado · Illinois · Louisiana · Michigan · Minnesota · Oregon · Pennsylvania · Utah · Vermont
February 26, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Beer, Music, Fabulous Trips (Africa/DisneyWorld) Join CASA MN March 9th at Surly Brewing 530pm (our annual fundraiser)
It's gonna be great. Join CASA MN at our fundraiser (silent and live auction) and learn about the good work volunteer guardian ad-Litems do. 5:30 - 8:30 p.m. 520 Malcolm Avenue Southeast Minneapolis Beer, hors d' oeuvres
February 24, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Common books Symposium Century College (KARA 1 of 5 panel members) 2.25.15 10 am (free)
1) Ernie Boswell, psychology, speaking on Vets Issues 2) Dick Kotasek, addiction counseling instructor, speaking on how counseling the addicted has changed. 3) Eve Bergmann, Licensed Clinical Social Worker and addiction
February 24, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Substance Abuse & the Cycle of Family Abuse (from Steps to Recovery)
Substance abuse is a major contributing factor to domestic violence in the United States. The link between the use of alcohol and narcotics, and the use of aggression, physical and mental violence against partners is par
February 21, 2015 · KARA Reporting
KARA Talk - March 1, Mike & Tiffini -Pilgrim House 10:15 Arden Hills
Join us at Pilgrim House Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 1212 W Highway 96, Arden Hills MN 55112 Mike Tikkanen & Tiffini Flynn Forslund are board members at KARA, Kids At Risk Action working to bring attention and sup
February 19, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Beer, Music, Fabulous Trips (Africa/DisneyWorld) Join CASA MN March 9th at Surly Brewing 530pm (our annual fundraiser)
It's gonna be great. Join CASA MN at our fundraiser (silent and live auction) and learn about the good work volunteer guardian ad-Litems do. 5:30 - 8:30 p.m. 520 Malcolm Avenue Southeast Minneapolis Beer, hors d' oeuvres
February 19, 2015 · KARA Reporting
KARA Conversation With A Minnesota Police Chief
My conversation with a Minnesota police chief today was eye opening. He spoke of how city leaders don't take his repeated warning about the growing body of experience his community is having with troubled children & fami
February 19, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Nothing Just Fine About It
At the end of a recent KARA presentation about child abuse and child protection in our community at a metro Kiwanis, a University Professor argued strongly that child protection was working "just fine" from his perspecti
February 13, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Maplewood Toddler Molested & Murdered (7th MN child death since Eric Dean's)
Now that attention has been focused on the tragic lives lead by abused and neglected children by the Star Tribune & Brandon Stahl, it appears that there are significantly more homicidal/suicidal child deaths in our commu
February 13, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Celebrate & Continue the Good Work of CASA Minnesota (March 9th 530 - Surly's Brewery)
Save the date friends and join the happy people, hors d'oervres, pop music by Postina, and Beer Tasting at Surly Brewing Company. Live auction includes African Safari for two, weekend at Copper Mountain, Colorado, Disney
February 10, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Being An Abused Child In America (the impact of language)
When when a child is removed from a toxic home, he becomes "a ward of the state", when she runs away she is "apprehended", "placed in custody", often remanded to treatment centers to later appear in juvenile court. This
February 9, 2015 · KARA Reporting
News From Safe Passage For Children of Minnesota & The Child Protection Task Force
Follow Governor Dayton's Budget and Child Protection Task Force News at Safe Passage for Children of MN links below; Performance Mode Work Group Meetings Update Governor Dayton's Child Protection Budget Report on Governo
February 8, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Overwhelmed Child Protection Workers (redefining what is manageable)
Quoting Jodi Wentland (Olmsted County's child and family services director) in Brandon Stahl's Star Tribune front page article today, turnover is too high, inexperienced social workers are taking cases "before they are f
January 30, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Dear State Representative Lohmer
Dear Representative Lohmer, Responding to your note to me below (decrying the cost of early childhood programs being recommended by Governor Mark Dayton), I’ve been a volunteer CASA guardian ad-Litem for almost 20 years
January 29, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Sad Stories; How America Values Its Children (a national disgrace)
"National Disgrace" is the headline in the Wednesday Star Tribune report on the Federal Government's failure to enforce child protection laws, and the many children dying of abuse and neglect in plain view of child prote
January 24, 2015 · KARA Reporting
KARA Update & 2015 Children & Youth Issues Briefing Friday January 23rd
Friday was spent at the annual Children and Youth Issues Briefing conference in St Paul. I reconnected with board members from CASAMN, Greg Brolsma, Police Chief from Fairmont MN with great insights about how the issues
January 23, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Child Protection - Research - Transparency & Safe Passage For Children (Rich Gehrman)
Anyone interested in the real politics and machinations of child protection policies and services in MN needs to know about Rich Gehrman/Safepassage For Children studies and recommendations. They set a gold standard for
January 22, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Child Abuse - Society Is Paying For This (Hank Marotske today's Star Tribune)
Truer words were never spoken. I am encouraged by Abby Simmons Star Trib reporting today on the MN Child Abuse Task Force 11 point plan to make child protection a priority in Minnesota. That a bipartisan group of lawmake
January 20, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Child Protection, Kendrea Johnson & The Information War
Kendrea Johnson's social worker was unaware that Kendrea's mental health provider knew this six year old girl was severely mentally ill and having daily thoughts of suicide and homicide. Tannise Nawaqavou, Kendrea's fost
January 19, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Falling Through the Cracks (NYTimes) 786 Children Die While in Child Protective Services
This article in yesterday's NY Times, (from AP) shows how at least 786 children died awful deaths while in full view of child protection authorities. The numbers are most likely much higher
Arizona · Arkansas · California · Colorado · Florida · Georgia · Idaho · Illinois · Indiana · Kansas · Minnesota · Mississippi · Missouri · Montana · Nebraska · Nevada · New Jersey · New York · North Carolina · Ohio · Oklahoma · Oregon · Pennsylvania · South Carolina · Texas · Wisconsin
January 15, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Minneapolis 6 Year (Kendrea Johnson) Old Hangs Herself? (police left to ponder - I don't) Star Tribune Today
Thank you Brandon Stahl (& David Chanen) at the Star Tribune for writing an article giving voice to the elephant in the room that is the dangerous and suicidal behavior of children in child protection. No one wants to he
January 11, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Why Teachers Quit - 2 Perspectives (Finland & Harvard)
When I interviewed teachers for my INVISIBLE CHILDREN book, an art teacher cried as she told me how she had entered teaching because she wanted to make a difference by bringing her love of art and teaching together. No C
January 9, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Powerful Video Expose On Drugging 5 & 10 Year Old State Ward Children
This video from Mercury News is the most comprehensive and powerful discussion I have seen on the topic of forcing abused and neglected children to take psychotropic medications. Remember, state ward children have no voi
January 8, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Minnesota Can Set A National Example Of How Child Protection Works (Bravo Task Force and Governor Dayton)
Roses on WallGovernor Dayton's Task Force on Child Protection is off to a great start. Thank you Rich Gehrman and all the other Task Force members working hard to make children safe in our state. You can read the complet
January 7, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Yesterday, Don Shelby, KARA & An Expose That Grows Awareness & Concern For Abused and Neglected Children
Yesterday was a big day for Kids At Risk Action. The KARA board talked with Don Shelby for five hours discussing the complicated task of how to create a television expose telling a story that moves people to action to im
January 5, 2015 · KARA Reporting
KARA Presentation Sunday January 11th, 9:30 am, Holy Nativity Church New Hope
, Tiffini Flynn Forslund and Mike Tikkanen from Kids At Risk Action will speak about education, child abuse, and child protection at Holy Nativity Church in New Hope from 9:30 to 10:20 this coming Sunday. Be there, it's
December 30, 2014 · KARA Reporting
On The Death Of 6 Year Old Kendrea Johnson (another perspective)
Strangled dead tangled in a jump rope is not something that happens to six year old children (Star Tribune today) Thank you Star Tribune for giving voice to the voiceless children of Minnesota. As a Hennepin County CASA
December 29, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Kids At Risk Action TV Interview Shorts (for the record)
Abused and neglected children need our voices. KARA is working with TPT TV to give them a loud and clear voice & a path to a safer, better life. Below are short clips from KARA’s documentary project Watch & Help KARA mak
December 19, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Nancy Zupfer Has It Right (Governor’s task force should represent children - not agencies and parents)
Nancy Zupfer Has It Right (Governor’s task force should represent children - not agencies and parents) Star Tribune Today, Nancy’s observations that child protection protects state and county agencies, and parents and ab
December 18, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Abused To Death While Child Protective Services Observed - 1000+ American Children in six years (AP report)
Brandon Stahl, the intrepid Minneapolis Star Tribune reporter spoke to KARA on camera about how difficult he found it to gather information on abused and murdered children in MN. Not making public information relevant to
December 13, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Minneapolis Public Schools - Ready To Learn Has Real Meaning For At Risk Youth
This data is a pretty good indication that a great many metro children are not ready to learn when they enter school. Early childhood programs and help for young families could go a long way in improving these statistics
December 13, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Is Minnesota Setting A "Great" Example For Dealing With Child Protection Issues?
With Governor Dayton's Task Force recommendations reported in today's Star Tribune article (Dayton's Task Force Agrees On Overhaul, Brandon Stahl), I am optimistic that this ("great" example) approach to child well being
December 12, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Support MN CASA Guardian ad-Litem Program (with a year end gift)
support CASA MN with a year end gift here; “To give a child a volunteer advocate is to give them a voice. To give them a voice is to give them hope, and to give them hope is to give them the world. I believe that with al
December 8, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Comment on Brandon Stahl’s Friday article on uninvestigated child sex abuse cases 12/5/14
I’ve taken from Brandon Stahl’s article on uninvestigated child sex abuse cases that someone has decided that children reported as sexually abused before 2013 will go uninvestigated and stay where they are (even if they
December 3, 2014 · KARA Reporting
It Happens Over and Over (profound child abuse - child death - inadequate reporting & response)
This is my take from Brandon's article of Nov 30th (linked above) Minnesota's recent brutal murder of 4 year old Eric Dean after 14 ignored reports of child abuse by mandated reporters (and one family assessment) is beco
Arizona · Colorado · Florida · Maine · Minnesota · Ohio · Texas · Virginia
November 28, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Recent Mental Health Guidelines For Psychotropic Medications and Three Year Olds (I certainly don't like them)
MN DHS, MN legislature, treatment guidelines, collaborative psychiatric consultation, high dose ADHD & sga drugs, medical assistance, fee for service, add protocol, pediatricians, family practice physicians, psychiatrist
November 26, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Dear Governor Dayton's Task Force On Child Protection (for the record)
Dear Governor's Task Force People, I've been a volunteer CASA guardian ad-Litem since 1996 and witnessed many terrible things being done to children both in and out of child protective services (none of them ever made th
November 20, 2014 · KARA Reporting
7$ Child Daycare? (hint - gotta go north)
It's over now, but for years, universal child daycare has been the rule (at $7.30) in Quebec. I just can't help pointing out that some of our neighbors to the North feel very strongly that children's daycare is worth gov
November 15, 2014 · KARA Reporting
KARA’s Brandon Stahl Reader (compiled and annotated Star Tribune articles by Brandon Stahl on child abuse & child protection for the record)
For many months now, the Star Tribune’s intrepid reporter Brandon Stahl has been researching and writing about the depth and scope of problems facing MN’s abused and neglected children. This page is dedicated to Brandon’
November 10, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Child Abuse Stories Across the Nation
MN: Lessons from child abuse deaths go unheeded in Minnesota (Opinion) Minneapolis Star Tribune - November 09, 2014 A Star Tribune examination of state and county records shows little evidence that the mortality reviews
Alabama · California · Colorado · Delaware · Florida · Georgia · Illinois · Indiana · Iowa · Minnesota · Montana · New Hampshire · North Carolina · Oregon · Pennsylvania · Texas
November 8, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Elephant In The Room (Mitch Pearlstein PAST Star Tribune)
As a volunteer CASA guardian ad-Litem lobbying for the removal of children from toxic homes, I saw many examples of children left in the care of drunk/drugged uncles and boyfriends while a poverty or near poverty parenta
October 19, 2014 · KARA Reporting
RECENT DOCUMENTARY INTERVIEWS (David Strand)
The most disturbing realization from my interview with David Strand is the difference between America's loud and persistent rhetoric about how "valuable" our children are and how our public policies actually treat them.
October 19, 2014 · KARA Reporting
RECENT DOCUMENTARY INTERVIEWS (Brandon Stahl)
KARA's interview of Star Tribune reporter Brandon Stahl was riveting. The discovery process that Brandon followed to unearth the tragedy that was Eric Dean's life and death is a compelling drama all by itself. When he go
September 29, 2014 · KARA Reporting
For The Record (Toni Carter's Comments on the Death Of Eric Dean + my response)
A central theme in the April 20 article “7 of 10 abuse calls not checked” was that Minnesota counties appear to “screen out” more reported cases of child abuse than other states, and that the percentage of cases that are
September 25, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Thank You Ruben Rosario
In reviewing Minnesota's past child abuse tragedies to connect the dots between the sadness of four year old Dennis Jurgens murder by his adopted mother of 1965 (Lois Jurgens went on to adopt five other children after th
September 24, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Child Protection News (gathered nationally - find your state here)
-CA: Drugging Our Kids San Jose Mercury News - September 20, 2014 Children in California's foster care system are prescribed unproven, risky medications at alarming rates. http://webspecial.mercurynews.com/druggedkids/?p
California · Florida · Minnesota · Mississippi · Nebraska · Ohio · Pennsylvania · South Carolina · Washington · Wisconsin
September 23, 2014 · KARA Reporting
It's Worse In Texas
Minnesota is reacting to a very rare and thorough investigation of abused children (thank you Brandon Stahl). This is the first time in 30 years (since three year old Dennis Jergens tortured murder) that well written and
September 22, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Thank You Governor Dayton (shining a light on Minnesota's Child Protection system)
It took real courage for Minnesota's Governor to use the phrase "Colossal Failure" when describing the role child protective services played in the tortured death of four year old Eric Dean. The politics of child protect
September 14, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Eric Dean Is One Of Many (child protection is failing children in most states)
the bloody whipping of Viking's star Adrian Peterson's four year old boy *(Tyrese Robert Ruffin) demonstrates the lengths my community will go to to protect the rights of 250 pound men to brutalize their 45 pound four ye
September 11, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Admitting I Have Problem Is The Hardest Part (thank you Brandon Stahl for identifying the problem)
Brandon Stahl’s reporting has been the best thing to happen for Minnesota’s abused and neglected children in my lifetime. As a longtime volunteer CASA guardian ad-Litem, I have seen an underfunded and not too healthy chi
September 9, 2014 · KARA Reporting
WCCO / KARA Radio Interview (Jordana Green Show)
Our most recent radio interview; (ten minutes) September 9th live WCCO radio interview with Jordana Green (ten minutes) A lively discussion of the critical issues facing abused and neglected children and what we can make
September 9, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Changing A Bad Law (thank you Brandon Stahl & Star Tribune)
Minnesota's abused and neglected children finally catch a break. Brandon Stahl's superb reporting on the tortured death of 4-year old Eric Dean after fifteen ignored reports finally reached the State's top child protecti
September 8, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Brandon Stahl Reports (reporting on the reporter)
ois Jurgens tortured and killed her three year old adopted son Dennis Jergens over time and in a most brutal fashion. She was the adoptive mother of six children and she tortured them all over long periods of time. She w
September 2, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Why Are So Many Six Year Olds On Prozac?
Hennepin County Judge Heidi Schellhas shared her records of very young children taking psychotropic medications that had passed through her courtroom with me in 2005 (for my book, Invisible Children. It was astounding to
August 17, 2014 · KARA Reporting
What's The Difference? (and why we should care)
Coming from years as a CASA guardian ad-Litem, child friendly perspective, I see similarities and a correlation between what in business would be labelled "Worst Practices" or, what is happening to the citizens of Fergus
August 14, 2014 · KARA Reporting
The Most Important Child Friendly Sites of This Week
http://acestoohigh.com/ Read a few of these smart and powerful articles and you will know more about at risk children's issues than anyone on your block. http://safepassagemn.com/landing-page.html This video will be the
August 5, 2014 · KARA Reporting
About Women In Prison (most are primary caregivers, many lose their children forever)
I had the good fortune of meeting Tom Daly who wrote a history of Shakopee women's prison and he told me how women benefited from the educational offerings and the ability to visit with their children while in prison (hi
July 31, 2014 · KARA Reporting
KARA tpt Progress Report
Tony Fischer and Tiffini Flynn Forslund conducted KARA’s first interview (of many being scheduled) with St Paul School Board, Vice Chair Keith Hardy. Keith Hardy. Keith Hardy setting his sights even higher Keith knows ho
July 24, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Powerful Stories From The Atlantic Journal (here's a preview)
Working with abused and neglected children and dysfunctional families is complex and grueling and needs more not less understanding and support. Blaming social workers when a baby is found in a dumpster is not so differe
July 23, 2014 · KARA Reporting
We Could Do Better (lowest of the 38 states offering 4 year olds ECE)
While the CASEY Foundation ranks MN 5th in the nation for child well-being, there are serious flaws in our racial disparity and early childhood numbers. Almost half of MN's African American children live in poverty. In 2
July 11, 2014 · KARA Reporting
It Could Be Worse (Virginia screens out 83% of all child abuse complaints)
Minnesota screens out 66% of child abuse complaints overall, but 4 MN counties screen out 90%. The only good thing to say about conditions in Virginia is that there seems to be some transparency in the reporting which on
July 9, 2014 · KARA Reporting
New Video From Safe Passage For Children (it's a Wow)
This strong new piece from Rich Gehrman at Safe Passage For Children makes a powerful case for why Minnesota's abused and neglected children are being shortchanged and what we must do to fix our troubled systems; SafePas
June 22, 2014 · KARA Reporting
CASA Guardian ad-Litem News (updates from around the nation)
Lawyers to become 'eyes and ears' of judges in new Family Law Guardian ad Litem pilot program Bradenton Herald More than two dozen lawyers from the Icard Merrill law firm have signed up to be guardians ad litem as part o
Alaska · Arizona · Colorado · Florida · Illinois · Indiana · Kentucky · Maryland · Michigan · Minnesota · North Carolina · Ohio · Oregon · Utah · Wyoming
June 16, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Brutal Truths and Worst Practices (America's injustice System)
One out of 28 American children has a parent in jail or prison - 60 percent of inmates are people of color (only 30% of America's population are people of color). There are twelve time more drug offenders in state prison
June 11, 2014 · KARA Reporting
KARA Brooklyn Park Think Again Presentation, Pizza and Social - June 17, 6pm
Early Childhood Education Boosts Academic Achievement and Career Success Tuesday, June 17 6 p.m. Pizza and Social 6:30 p.m. Program Brooklyn Park Council Chambers, 5200 85th Avenue N Please RSVP and Share on Facebook or
June 1, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Tuesday, June 17 6pm KARA Brooklyn Park Think Again Presentation, Pizza, and Social
Early Childhood Education Boosts Academic Achievement and Career Success Tuesday, June 17 6 p.m. Pizza and Social 6:30 p.m. Program Brooklyn Park Council Chambers, 5200 85th Avenue N Please RSVP and Share on Facebook or
May 29, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Help KARA Accomplish Its Mission (volunteer & support our documentary project)
Support KARA's MN Public TV documentary project Your donation will help KARA bring this powerful story to a statewide and national audience through television and social media. We are also seeking help us with reporting,
May 27, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Kilah's Law
In May of 2012, at the tender age of 3, Kilah Davenport was cruelly beat by her stepfather. She had to have emergency brain surgery that involved removing a portion of her skull to relieve swelling on her brain but was s
May 22, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Celebrate Safe Passage Child Friendly Legislation Signed Into Law
Congratulations Rich Gehrman and Safe Passage For Children for your effective and important work making life better for Minnesota's at risk youth. Today, Governor Dayton signed your legislation into law. Omnibus Bill HF
May 19, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Fumbled Child Protection Warnings Cost Children Their LIves (thank you Brandon Stahl- Star Tribune)
Seven children died last year from abuse or neglect despite prior knowledge by Minnesota child protection agencies that their lives were at risk, records provided to the Star Tribune show. That total is the highest in th
May 17, 2014 · KARA Reporting
10,000 Two and Three Year Olds On Psychotropic Meds (we will pay for this)
ore than 10,000 American toddlers 2 or 3 years old are being medicated for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder outside established pediatric guidelines, according to data presented on Friday by an official at the Ce
May 15, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Goodbye Friend Of Children Dennis Jay Schapiro
Children had no better friend than CASA guardian ad-Litem, Big Brother, Metro sports, PTO, School board member, and Montessorian Denny Schapiro. Energetic, committed, and of the highest integrity, he spent his life seein
May 14, 2014 · KARA Reporting
MN Public TV / KARA Partnership (bringing attention to the issues of abused & neglected children)
MN Public TV is partnering with KARA for a once in a lifetime opportunity to improve the lives of abused and neglected children. To do this we need your help. KIDS AT RISK ACTION (501(c)3 non-profit, is partnering with M
May 5, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Speaking For The Weakest & Most Vulnerable Among Us - Star Tribune Articles
It hurts me to see people in high positions who are responsible for child protection make claims that there’s nothing to see here, things are just fine, child protection is working as it needs to (“Counties are committed
April 29, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Responding To Toni Carter's Star Tribune Article Yesterday (County Commissioner & Pres MN Assoc. of Counties)
Minnesota’s counties received nearly 68,000 reports of child abuse or neglect last year but closed most of those cases without investigation or assessment. A review of state and federal data by the Star Tribune shows tha
April 27, 2014 · KARA Reporting
More Attention To Children's Issues (the only way to make their lives better)
Sare the information discovered by Star Tribune writer Brandon Stahl in this article (and his future writings on the topic) with your social media and friends. The more people understand the core issues, the greater the
April 25, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Please Sign Our Petition For Safety, Education, & Health Care For MN Children
Sign KARA’s Petition to make health, education, and well being available to Minnesota children
April 22, 2014 · KARA Reporting
This Week's News For At Risk Children
VA: State finds Richmond DSS not at fault in two child deaths WTVR - April 18, 2014 A review conducted by Virginia's Department of Social Services determined Richmond's Department of Social Services (RDSS) did not contri
Florida · Hawaii · Illinois · Iowa · Michigan · Minnesota · New Hampshire · New Jersey · North Carolina
April 20, 2014 · KARA Reporting
See No Evil - 90% Of Child Abuse Reports Screened Out In Minnesota Counties (Red Lake, Wilkin, LeSeur, Waseca)
Today's Star Tribune *article draws attention to the thousands of children that are neglected, abused, traumatized enough to be seen and reported by others. The vast majority of child abuse is never seen and never report
April 18, 2014 · KARA Reporting
From Our Friends At Safe Passage For Children (today's Safe Passage message)
The Metric that Matters I have a friend who thinks government can always cut more staff. I told him when child protection investigators get more than 4-5 new cases a week they become ineffective. He grudgingly conceded "
April 17, 2014 · KARA Reporting
In Defense Of People Doing The Work
It hurts me to hear destructive criticisms about how teachers are the cause of badly performing schools, social workers blamed when a baby dies a horrid death while under County supervision, and most recently an all out
April 13, 2014 · KARA Reporting
CASA Guardian ad-Litem Stories
A twenty something prostitute was brought into the system with a four year old boy (whose guardian ad-Litem I became). The boy knew five languages and had perfect behavior. He was a beautiful child. Violence and repeated
April 11, 2014 · KARA Reporting
KARA Talk Monday Night In Stillwater (7pm)
Friends of Kids At Risk Action, board member Tiffini Flynn Forslund & I present our INVISIBLE CHILDREN talk at the Critical Thinkers Club in Stillwater Monday night April 14th at 7pm. The meeting is held at the FamilyMea
April 8, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Making Children Whole (with the help of the community)
Think what you might about the unborn, it seems only fair that a living breathing baby should have the right to basic health care (if only to continue breathing). It is terrifically expensive to treat the chronic illness
April 4, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Why Teachers Quit Teaching
When I first began teaching more than 25 years ago, hands-on exploration, investigation, joy and love of learning characterized the early childhood classroom. I’d describe our current period as a time of testing, data co
April 2, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Thank You Safe Passage For Children
As a long time CASA guardian ad-Litem who finds it impossible to believe that the depth and scope of child abuse in my community (both local and national) is largely unspoken until some poor child is found in a dumpster
March 23, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Thank You Ruben Rosario (for today's powerful Pioneer Press article supporting our Invisible Children Petition)
"In the spirit of a) enlightened self-interest and b) in order to form a more perfect union, we the people of Minnesota declare that all children have an equal right to preventative health care (the right to see a doctor
March 20, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Sign Our Petition For Child Rights, Safety, and Healthcare
Help KARA make a better world for America's children and sign our petition for basic rights, health care, and safety (even if you're not from MN) http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/childrens-civil-human?source=c.em.mt&r_by
March 20, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Beyond Capacity; Arizona's Child Protection System (not the only state)
Child Protective Services oversight committee shows Arizona’s child welfare system experienced a greater caseload increase than all but one state in the 10 years ending in 2012, while most states saw decreases. Universit
March 18, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Last Night's Blog Talk Radio Interview With Bill Murray
Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) - 791 Tonight's special guest is Mike Tikkanen from Minnesota, founder of KARA (Kids at Risk Action), whose web site is at www.InvisibleChildren.org. He's also the author of the free book "Inv
March 12, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Daycare In America (more sad stories)
A South Carolina woman who allegedly operated an unlicensed daycare out of her home faces multiple charges after a child under her care died. But investigators say that's just the tip of the iceberg. Pamela Clark Wood, 4
Florida · Minnesota · Pennsylvania · South Carolina · Texas
March 8, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Here's Something Easy You Can Do To Improve The Lives Of At Risk Children
Children's Issues in MN don't get the coverage they need. You can help KARA change this. Click Here and fill out the form recommending children's issues as the most important story right now. Think about it. You don't re
March 5, 2014 · KARA Reporting
It's How You Frame The Issue
Albert Garcia’s first psychotic break was bizarre: he awoke from a night of drinking and meth use 10 years ago to hear angry voices coming from people on the other side of a living room mirror, but it gives him credibi
February 27, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Comment Thread On The Child Beating Bill In Kansas
Friends of KARA, below are the comments made on a network debating the Kansas state bill that would allow the beating of children by virtually any caregiver and the leaving of bruises. The good news is that most people h
February 24, 2014 · KARA Reporting
GOP Is Right; We Are Spending Too Much (because we invest too little)
David Strand is a KARA board member, he has lived in Finland, worked on the making of public policies for children and written about how other advanced nations make public policy on children's issues. He is a frequent co
February 23, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Safe Passage For Children Of MN (unintended consequences of legislation)
Guardrails Plus Guidelines Legislation often has unintended consequences. For example a proposed Minnesota bill would eliminate smoking from foster homes. Makes sense for new licenses, but it could disrupt current placem
February 22, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Paranoid Golden Valley Residents Drive Children's Mental Health Services Out Of Town
Golden Valley residents reached a pinnacle of fear and loathing this week when they showed up at a Council meeting with pitchforks and torches to kill the possibility of developing a center for children with mental healt
February 22, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Another Screened Out Of Child Protection Baby Dies In MN
Freda Perdue, 33, was charged Friday in Ramsey County District Court with child neglect and child endangerment. According to the criminal complaint: Police were called last Saturday to the East Metro Place in White Bear
February 20, 2014 · KARA Reporting
70 Child Abuse Deaths In California's Child Protection System
When paramedics arrived, eight-year old Gabriel Fernandez was not conscious. His skull was cracked. Three ribs were broken. Bruises and burns covered his body. Two teeth were knocked out of his mouth. X-rays would later
February 17, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Another Failed State (no protection from child rape and no foster parents in Montana)
Kids with chaotic family situations, with behavior and mental health issues, as young as you can imagine, end up needing emergency housing. The need for foster families trained to help these kids is ever present. Youth D
February 15, 2014 · KARA Reporting
For The Record - Minneapolis Arrests 44% Of Its Black Adult Male Population (2001 was not that long ago)
The central question posed by this report is, "How can young African American men and Hennepin County help each other succeed?" For years, there have been many mechanisms in place to benefit 18 to 30-year-old African Ame
February 9, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Support Safe Passage For Children (abuse continues when it is not investigated)
Safe Passage For Children is promoting legislation that will require counties to keep data on abuse reports which will identify when children are repeatedly reported as abused. As a long time CASA guardian-ad-Litem, I ca
February 9, 2014 · KARA Reporting
In Whose Best Interest (MN courts returned this child to an abusive father 6 times)
The number of Minnesota foster children removed from their homes after being reunited with their parents, known as the "re-entry rate," has increased in recent years and is now nearly three times the federal standard. Th
February 3, 2014 · KARA Reporting
A Glimmer Of Hope (push for preschool)
Preschool is having its moment, as a favored cause for politicians and interest groups who ordinarily have trouble agreeing on the time of day. President Obama devoted part of his State of the Union address to it, while
Alabama · Georgia · Iowa · Michigan · Minnesota · Montana · New York · Oklahoma · Tennessee
February 2, 2014 · KARA Reporting
KARA planning a course for Continuing Legal Ed; For the attorneys, how many of you would consider attending?
We appreciate any feedback we can get to create the most accurate and up to date coursework for those of you who want to better understand this complicated and evolving area of law. Are there parts of the child protectio
January 26, 2014 · KARA Reporting
The Race To Incarcerate Women (this does not bode well for children)
Why a Prison Birth Project? Since 1977, the female prison population has increased by 872% (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2008). Over 85% of the women in prison were the primary caregivers to their children before incarc
January 21, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Send A Message For Early Learning In MN (only 9% of MN kids get early learning scholarships today)
Even though the legislative session doesn’t start for another month, the MinneMinds campaign continues to work to ensure more kids have access to high quality early learning. Bills have already begun to be filed and one
January 17, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Outcomes - Not Reorganization - Safe Passages For Children
I have been part of government reorganizations. People have to redesign logos, develop new civil service positions, decide about fonts for the stationery…. It takes years. In the meantime, programs often tread water. A b
January 8, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Land Of The Free?
Even if you know that African Americans are arrested at a greater rate than their white counterparts, it’s still a shock to see the scale of the disparity. To wit, according to a new study published in the Journal of Cri
January 7, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Safe Passage For Children Of MN
The 2014 state legislative session is almost here! It will start on Tuesday February 25th. Safe Passage for Children is proposing a bill with two provisions. See a summary here. The legislature plans to get all the bills
January 6, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Register For Beyond Consequences Training & Support MN Adopt
Join Brenda Benning, MSW, LGSW, for Part II of the popular Beyond Consequences Training and Support developed by Heather T. Forbes, the founder of the Beyond Consequences model. This second session is for parents who hav
December 11, 2013 · KARA Reporting
Punishing The Mentally Ill (Minnesota is not alone)
Today's Minneapolis Star Tribune article supports a position I've held for years. By ignoring or under-serving people with mental health problems we are manufacturing state wards, preteen moms, and felons and this is mak
Alabama · Arkansas · Minnesota · Mississippi
November 24, 2013 · KARA Reporting
Thank You Critical Thinking Club Of Minnetonka
Tiffini and I enjoyed your groups all out participation in our Saturday KARA presentation immensely. More questions were asked than answered (always a good sign) and there was a powerful feeling that better answers were
November 24, 2013 · KARA Reporting
Big Pharma - Who Do We Blame?
The root of the problem is that each and every (almost) abused and neglected child in the system has severe mental health issues and there are almost no useful alternative medical systems in place to address this – inste
November 8, 2013 · KARA Reporting
KARA Invisible Children Presentation Saturday Nov 23, 10AM Minnetonka
He identifies the financial and physical disaster happening daily to children, schools, and neighborhoods because of poor public policy and the dysfunction created by well-meaning people and institutions. His conversatio
November 8, 2013 · KARA Reporting
Join Me & CASAMN Nov 15, 6-930 For Silent Auction, Great Food & Wine Tasting
Help us continue the good work of CASA by enjoying an evening at our annual fundraiser. Where; St Mary's Orthodox Church 3450 Irving AV South Minneapolis 55408 Huge array of silent auction items, good food, and wine tast
October 27, 2013 · KARA Reporting
Crisis Nurseries & Colleges
From the book, How Children Succeed, Paul Tough, I learned that 68% of wealthy high school graduates with at least one parent that had graduated from college went on to achieve their own BA degree, while students in the
October 25, 2013 · KARA Reporting
Important News From Safe Passage For Children
What if everyone agreed to get behind some of the same best practices for children? It would improve chances of state funding, be easier to track outcomes, and create economies of scale. This may be possible. Safe Passag
October 17, 2013 · KARA Reporting
Join Us - Corks For CASA, Nov 15th 6 - 930 Wine Tasting, Hors d'oeuvres, & Silent Auction
For a special evening to celebrate and help continue the good work of CASA Minnesota…. Wine Tasting & Silent Auction Friday, November 15, 2013 6 - 9:30 PM Lake Calhoun Event Center St. Mary's Greek Orthodox Church 3450 I
October 9, 2013 · KARA Reporting
Let's Start The Conversation
Because we don't like to talk about it, there is little understanding of the core problems that are driving the terrible statistics of public safety, crime, school performance, and public health (diabetes, obesity, psych
October 3, 2013 · KARA Reporting
Tracking America's Most At Risk Children (through the media, the states & CASA)
Follow these pages to keep up with the most current stories about the people policies & programs working with and reporting on abused and neglected children; Connect to the most recent media stories Connect to CASAs (aro
Arkansas · California · Colorado · Florida · Louisiana · Michigan · Minnesota · Missouri · Montana · Nevada · New York
September 24, 2013 · KARA Reporting
KARA's June Presentation to the DFL Education Foundation (video - 20 minutes)
This is KARA's June presentation to the DFL Education Foundation; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMUM6XzYMdw It sparked a lively discussion. Share your comments and pass it on.
September 24, 2013 · KARA Reporting
Century College Luncheon Series KARA Talk (video - 20 minutes)
Here is the video of KARA's September 11th presentation at Century College; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXrmhp8dEIA&feature=youtu.be Share your comments with KARA & Pass it on.
September 16, 2013 · KARA Reporting
Zero Kids Waiting September Newsletter
Zero Kids Waiting is the monthly eNewsletter of Minnesota Adoption Resource Network, a 33-year old organization that creates and supports lifelong nurturing families for children needing permanency. As an email subscribe
September 15, 2013 · KARA Reporting
Child Sexual Abuse, Alcohol, & Help
Sexual abuse is likely the most horrific crime a young child can endure. Almost 10% of children today are exposed to sexual abuse; from rape, incest, pornography, touching, fondling or sodomy. According to the Childhelp
September 13, 2013 · KARA Reporting
Support Safe Passage For Children - Children Are Not Burgers
A value proposition is the amount you are willing to pay for a certain level of quality. Take McDonalds for instance. The value proposition is to pay a low price for acceptable quality. If you get it, that’s a good value
September 8, 2013 · KARA Reporting
America’s Amazingly False Answers To Mental Health Issues
Criminalizing mental health,…, denied treatment,…Michael Schuler stabbed himself in both eyes after spending 40 days in jail”) identifies the iceberg tip that is the crisis of this nation’s failure to deal with mental he
September 4, 2013 · KARA Reporting
November 15th, Friday Evening - Save The Date For CASA MN Annual Fun & Fundraiser
Friends of CASA Minnesota & MN Children, CASA Minnesota is hosting its second annual fundraiser, "Corks for CASA" (a wine tasting and silent auction). Mark your calendars for Friday, November 15th and look for upcoming e
August 30, 2013 · KARA Reporting
Century College Luncheon Speaker Series - Kids At Risk Action Sept 11th
Come hear Mike Speak about how our communities are providing child protection to vulnerable children and the results we are all living with. 1130 to 1pm, Century College, East Campus Lincoln Mall, Complimentary Lunch You
August 23, 2013 · KARA Reporting
Fetal Alcohol Update (from Safe Passage For Children)
If you know one of the 600,000 Fetal Alcohol Syndrome children born each year in America, you know how much harder life is for them. In both my family and friendships, I have come to know the great challenges faced by bo
August 21, 2013 · KARA Reporting
Sept 11th, Century College Luncheon Speaker Series - Mike Tikkanen INVISIBLE CHILDREN
Save the Date; Wednesday, September 11th, 2013 11:30 am to 1pm East Campus Lincoln Mall Complimentary Lunch Please RSVP to Cindy Haak 651-779-3219
August 16, 2013 · KARA Reporting
Committed To Children's Issues - Aitkin DFL
Everyone in this group got it. They appreciated just how serious under-serving babies & children can be and what a great investment programs that improve at risk children are. Why has subsidized daycare remained unobtain
August 11, 2013 · KARA Reporting
Punishing Mental Health Problems With Horrid Juvenile Justice; In Many States, This Is The Rule, Not The Exception
Thank the legal community for shining a light on the abhorrent conditions facing mentally troubled California youth. There's good reason the Feds are denying California's request to extend the time for compliance within
August 2, 2013 · KARA Reporting
Anoka MN - Saying Yes To Childhood Obesity & Smoking (not great public policy)
Anoka MN has one of the highest smoking rates in the nation, and it need not worry that free federal funding to promote smoking secession, anti obesity, and child safety programs will show up in schools to change overwei
August 1, 2013 · KARA Reporting
More Daycare & Crisis Nurseries = Fewer Tortured & Murdered Babies
A 25-year-old man admitted in court Monday in northwestern Minnesota to inflicting deadly head and neck injuries on the 22-month-old daughter of his girlfriend. Raul Perez, of Ada, pleaded guilty in Norman County Distric
July 30, 2013 · KARA Reporting
Making It Happen - Safe Passage For Children
Visit safepassagemn.org Safe Passage is a Minnesota nonprofit corporation created to protect and improve the well being of children in child protection, foster care, and public adoption programs. We recruit and train cit
July 21, 2013 · KARA Reporting
The Accountability Gap in Child Protection (Thank you Safe Passage For Children)
This article copied from the Safe Passage For Children newsletter clearly articulates the importance of record keeping as it pertains to reports of repeated calls of child abuse. Unfortunately, the system is overwhelmed,
July 21, 2013 · KARA Reporting
Mental Health & Education (thank you Star Tribune for this honest conversation)
The complex needs of abused and neglected children are a giant, and I argue, the primary challenge facing America's education system today. Different states handle the problem in different ways, but very states make the
July 17, 2013 · KARA Reporting
Reporting Maltreatment Of Children; How Minnesota Does It (State Statute - 626.556)
The difference between mandated reporters and the rest of the world is this; my friend who knew the 7 year old girl across the hall was being sexually abused was not a mandated reporter, and he did not report it. He fear
July 15, 2013 · KARA Reporting
Riverside CA, 6 Investigations - Case Workers Find The Abuse Allegations "Unfounded" (but the 8 year old boy is dead)
Over the last ten years, six investigations involving Pearl Fernandez found no reason to take her son, Gabriel Fernandez, into protective custody. Gabriel's suicide note about repeated sexual abuse & his circular face we
July 15, 2013 · KARA Reporting
Zero Kids Waiting (lifelong nurturing families for children needing permanency)
What a great asset for Minnesota children. Here's their latest newsletter (note all the great articles and resources; Zero Kids Waiting is the monthly eNewsletter of Minnesota Adoption Resource Network, a 33-year old org
July 12, 2013 · KARA Reporting
A Big Step For Mental Health In Minnesota (and hopefully your state next)
A few years ago, Red Lake MN added a 3.5 million dollar mental health facility to insure that the 15 people that died in the terrific homicide / suicide never happens again. 16 year old Jeff Weise had written, blogged, a
Connecticut · Iowa · Minnesota · New Jersey
July 10, 2013 · KARA Reporting
Sex With Children Not A Serious Crime In South Carolina
A recent study of South Carolina's child protective services indicates that sex with children is not a crime here. There is no serious enforcement of child sex abuse laws in the state. Trials don't happen for years, chur
July 3, 2013 · KARA Reporting
Children Of The Incarcerated; Collateral Damage
About 3 out of 100 Americans are incarcerated, on the way to being incarcerated, or have been released from incarceration. When broken out by race, these numbers are dramatically worse for people of color. Minneapolis, M
June 27, 2013 · KARA Reporting
Join The PeaceMaker Walk in the South St. Paul Parade Friday, June 28th 6pm
Walkers are needed to help raise contributions for school-based violence prevention efforts. Join PeaceMaker Minnesota in the South St. Paul Parade on Friday June 28 at 6:00 and help build community awareness about the i
June 26, 2013 · KARA Reporting
Minnesota's Gaps & Mitch Pearlstein's Room Full Of Elephants
About a third of the children in child protection use psychotropic medications (when tracked - most often not published). Judge Heidi Schellhas provided me with a list of children in her courtroom that were forced on to
June 14, 2013 · KARA Reporting
Stone Arch Foundation Audio Presentation - 30 minutes + questions (recorded by iDream.tv)
Working with abused and neglected children as a volunteer county guardian ad-litem, Mike speaks directly about the financial and physical disaster happening daily to children, schools, and neighborhoods because of poor p
June 13, 2013 · KARA Reporting
Twin Cities Marathon & CASA MN (a great combination)
We are proud to announce that, for the second year in a row, CASA Minnesota is a participating charity in the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon on October 6, 2013. We are reaching out to runners and supporters to fundraise
June 6, 2013 · KARA Reporting
Kids At Risk Action Discussion Saturday, June 8, 8 - 930am Gardens of Salonica Restaurant, Minneapolis
Join us for coffee and treats and an enlightening conversation about improving the lives of at risk children and the quality of life in our community. Saturday, June 8 at 8:00am -930am Stone Arch Discussion Group Where:
May 24, 2013 · KARA Reporting
Stone Arch Discussion Group KARA Discussion June 8th 8 - 9:30
If you have not heard, or it has been awhile since you last heard, the Invisible Children talk, join me at the: Stone Arch Discussion Group (coffee and treats are available) When:Sat, June 8, 8:00am – 9:30am Where: Garde
May 21, 2013 · KARA Reporting
Mental Health Month (we all have nutsey behaviors - let's talk about it)
It hurts me to see people shy away from mental health conversations. By my observation over 60 some years, we could all benefit with a more open and honest discussion on the topic. Today's Star Tribune article by Christi
April 30, 2013 · KARA Reporting
Judges Jailing Children For Money In America (yes it happens)
A second Pennsylvania judge (Michael Conahan) has plead guilty for receiving commissions for each child sent to privately held detention facilities (PA Childcare and Western PA Childcare) . 2.6 million dollars in fees we
April 23, 2013 · KARA Reporting
State of MN Falls Behind In Abuse Inquiries
State Falls Behind In Abuse Inquiries (today’s Star Trib headlines) The sentence seems harmless unless you are a five year old child tied to a bed, left alone for days without food, beaten and sodomized, prostituted as a
March 30, 2013 · KARA Reporting
The Institution of Abusing Children In Georgia
Programs for poor and under-performing children are far less expensive in the long run than letting illiterate third graders fail in a society that pretty much guarantees them a very expensive prison cell next to so many
March 23, 2013 · KARA Reporting
KARA's Minnesota Friends of Children Please Support Bill Number SF 704/HF 1106
KARA board members Sam Ashkar and Mike Tikkanen accompanied Rich Gehrman and his Safe Passage For Children colleagues to support a bill at the state capital on thursday supporting child protection screening practices pro
March 18, 2013 · KARA Reporting
Zero Kids Waiting
The Zero Kids Waiting eNewsletter reaches parents willing to adopt children that are not reached by general recruitment measures. Please consider donation as much as you are able so that we may reach ZERO - Zero Kids Wai
March 18, 2013 · KARA Reporting
Need Your Stories (video) For Documentary
Those of you willing to tell your stories on camera so that others may learn more accurately how American institutions are treating children. We are limiting interviews to the Minneapolis, St. Paul area to begin with & h
March 15, 2013 · KARA Reporting
Note To InvisibleChildren Readers
www.avahealth.org You can spend hours listening to the medical professionals address these topics on this site in a very straightforward manner. Their videos are powerful - in particular, study the ACES information. www.
March 13, 2013 · KARA Reporting
A New Standard For Disaster; Tennessee (802 child deaths in 2011)
It's painful to watch any children and family services system in turmoil, but the goings on in Tennessee right now might be setting a new standard for disaster. The Tennessee Department of Children's Services (TDCS) is l
March 13, 2013 · KARA Reporting
Failed To Death In Colorado and Minnesota (thank you Denver Post)
175 helpless children have been beaten, starved, suffocated and burned to death in Colorado these past 5 years. Colorado and Minnesota are almost the exact same population size and have very similar child death records.
March 2, 2013 · KARA Reporting
Supporting America's Economy With Bigger Prisons & Longer Sentencing (thank you Jonathan Swift)
he stun gunning, choking, obscene language, and over the top violence by police to kids at the Illinois emergency youth center shows just how deplorable America’s policies for At Risk Children are. Well meaning, often un
February 25, 2013 · KARA Reporting
Another Sad Truth For Troubled Children
The literature shows that patients with psychiatric illness die up to 25 years sooner than patients without psychiatric illness,” explains program co-founder Dr. Mark Linzer. “While there are multiple causes for this mor
February 14, 2013 · KARA Reporting
Bigger Armies & More Wars - Why Americans Hate Children
Just yesterday a tea party fellow I know (RW) was telling me about the wisdom in former MN Governor Tim Pawlenty’s words, “children that are victims of failed personal responsibility are not my problem, nor are they the
Alabama · Alaska · Florida · Indiana · Louisiana · Minnesota · Mississippi · New Mexico · South Carolina · Texas · West Virginia
February 9, 2013 · KARA Reporting
Child Abuse And The Most Important Public Health Study Ever
The ACE Study - probably the most important public health study you never heard of - emerged from an obesity clinic on a quiet street in San Diego. It was 1985, and Dr. Vincent Felitti was mystified. The physician, chief
January 27, 2013 · KARA Reporting
New York Saves $666 per State Ward Child (Destroying Children & An Important CASA Program)
New York State Ranks 44th in adoption of state ward children and 40th in moving children off of the state ward list. At a cost of about $666/per child, abused and neglected children have had a personal volunteer CASA voi
January 11, 2013 · KARA Reporting
CASAMN Silent Auction & Fundraiser Great Fun & A Big Success (our first annual)
Thank you everyone who shared time, energy, and generosity for (Court Appointed Special Advocates for children) CASA Minnesota's first annual Silent Auction & Wine Tasting Fundraiser. It a terrific affair & a good time w
January 10, 2013 · KARA Reporting
America: 20 Times More Gun Homicides Than The Rest Of The Developed World
America at that time had slid far from the top in almost all of the important measurements. Today’s Institutes of Medicine & National Research Council 378 page study demonstrates that our nation is at the bottom of almos
January 5, 2013 · KARA Reporting
Planned Evacuation Routes, Teachers Packing Heat (what's next, Uzi's?)
It hurts me to see the NRA making public policy & politicians blaming teachers for failed schools while they (those same policy making people) are ignoring the screaming need for early childhood programs that could stem
December 31, 2012 · KARA Reporting
Better Record Keeping & Higher Standards For Tracking Child Maltreatment & Protection
Our series on child welfare has called attention to a report by the state’s Office of the Legislative Auditor, which found that standards for child maltreatment vary widely across the state and that counties do not keep
December 28, 2012 · KARA Reporting
Child Welfare Policies That U.S. Shun; A Note From David Strand (share this with your state rep)
Other policies protecting children include prohibitions on trying children as adults in court, and targeting of children up to 12 in advertising. Also drug abuse is treated as a disease and not a crime. The result of all
December 22, 2012 · KARA Reporting
Join Me For A Grand Time & A Great Cause At the CASA MInnesota Auction & Wine Tasting Fundraiser (January 10th)
Join me on Thursday, January 10, 2013 from 6 – 9:30 pm to celebrate, and help continue, the good work of CASA Minnesota! Featuring wine tasting, cheese and desserts, and a fabulous silent auction. More details about the
December 17, 2012 · KARA Reporting
Pounding On Children (the beatings continue)
Because Americans demand that almost every kind of pistol & deadly assault weapon be made available with almost no family or background check, in any quantity, and thousands of rounds of unaccountable ammunition, pretty
December 16, 2012 · KARA Reporting
Our Only Hope For A Safe, Livable America; Talking About Mental Health
Friday’s horrific national tragedy - the murder of 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut - has ignited a new discussion on violence in America. In kitchens and coffee shops ac
California · Connecticut · Idaho · Illinois · Iowa · Minnesota
December 13, 2012 · KARA Reporting
CASA Minnesota Wine Tasting & Silent Auction For a Great Cause (Stop By & Say Hi - January 10th, Buy Your Ticket Today)
Join us on Thursday, January 10, 2013 from 6 - 9:30 pm to celebrate, and help continue, the good work of CASA Minnesota! Featuring wine tasting courtesy of the experts at South Lyndale Liquors, cheese and desserts, and a
December 12, 2012 · KARA Reporting
Children Living Under Bridges
Because of the media's coverage of dog food eating seniors living under bridges, Bud and Margaret were able to live a clean, modest lifestyle and not die in the pain and disgrace of poverty, living in tents or under brid
December 3, 2012 · KARA Reporting
CASA Guardian ad-Litem January 10th Wine Tasting Fund Raiser
Join us for our Silent Auction & Wine Tasting Fund Raiser January 10th In Minneapolis
November 30, 2012 · KARA Reporting
Promoting Prisons As Public Policy
I recently toured Richard Ross Juvenile In Justice museum display in Reno NV. Heart rending photos of ten and twelve year old children in America's justice system. So powerfully does his photographers eye catch the meani
California · Michigan · Minnesota · Missouri · Nevada
November 15, 2012 · KARA Reporting
Domestic Violence Through A Five Year Old's Eyes
Dr. Phil referenced this video on the reality of how domestic violence impacts a child. In America, a child watching her mother being beaten or raped does not qualify for child protection services. A few decades ago in M
November 13, 2012 · KARA Reporting
Make Sure All Minnesota Children Have A Loving Home
Children need adoptive families now. Of the 814 children under state guardianship, 335 need permanent, loving, adoptive families IMMEDIATELY Right now, children are waiting in foster homes, group homes, emergency shelter
November 11, 2012 · KARA Reporting
Following Up On The 7 Year Old Foster Boy That Hung Himself & Left An Anti-Prozac Note
The recent 3 Billion Dollar fine of GlaxoSmithKline for hiding information, bribing doctors, & promoting unapproved (and dangerous) drugs to children, included criminal as well as civil settlements is a snapshot of what’
November 7, 2012 · KARA Reporting
According To The Numbers, Child Abuse In MN; Safe Passage For Children
The OLA report did confirm that Minnesota screens in only about 32% of reports of maltreatment compared to 62% for other states. We have a correspondingly lower rate for determining whether abuse or neglect did in fact o
November 4, 2012 · KARA Reporting
A Law Late In Coming, Not Enough, But Glad It's Here (Thank You Governor Mark Dayton)
In my experience, in the cases above for example, none of the people in the child protection system recommended bringing charges against the perpetrators because the damaged very young children would have had to testify
October 29, 2012 · KARA Reporting
Abused Children In MN
Help prevent child abuse and neglect Although not every Minnesotan is by law a mandated reporter, Minnesotans are greatly encouraged to report suspected child abuse and neglect to their county social service agency or la
October 28, 2012 · KARA Reporting
CASA Fundraiser Date Change (Save the Date - Auction Items Needed)
CASA Minnesota www.CASAMN.org is holding our annual fundraising dinner in mid January 10, 2013 (Thursday) in Minneapolis and we are seeking donations for our silent auction. Funds raised support CASA’s Guardian ad Litem
October 15, 2012 · KARA Reporting
A Great Minnesota Network: Minnesota Adoption Resource Network
Zero Kids Waiting is the monthly eNewsletter of Minnesota Adoption Resource Network, a 32-year old organization that creates and supports lifelong nurturing families for children needing permanency. As an email subscribe
October 10, 2012 · KARA Reporting
AARP vs. Five Year Olds (Abandoning America's Children)
In just a few more years, oldsters (me & many of you) will be receiving 6 times more government dollars than children in America. United States kids are already at the bottom of the barrel for teen pregnancy, sexually tr
Louisiana · Minnesota · Mississippi · New Mexico · Oklahoma · Texas
September 7, 2012 · KARA Reporting
Best Interests Of The Child; ICWA, Politics, & Media
It's obvious to almost anyone that reads this article that the best interests of the child weren't even considered when Sierra Goodman was ripped from the Campbell's adoptive home by ICWA. It was a home she loved and flo
September 3, 2012 · KARA Reporting
Everything Seems To Be Wrong With Them; The Other America
It is a very rare child that can walk from traumatic abuse into a classroom and just "be normal". The biology of trauma means physiological change happens. Before a human being can proceed to the next level of growth, li
August 30, 2012 · KARA Reporting
Get The Word Out For Invisible Children
Click on this link to request that libraries carry KARA's INVISIBLE CHILDREN book & raise awareness for at risk children http://www.hclib.org/pub/search/suggestionforpurchase.cfm Title; Invisible Children Author; Mike Ti
August 19, 2012 · KARA Reporting
School Starts Soon Be Glad It Does; Uneducated Citizens Value Football, Beer, & Reality Shows Above Safe Streets, Healthy Children, or a Functioning Democracy
The foundation of democracy is an educated citizenry; not an incarcerated citizenry – the U.S. has 5% of the world’s population & 25% of the world’s prison population (Minneapolis MN arrested 44% of its adult black men i
August 17, 2012 · KARA Reporting
Upcoming KARA events; 1) Live Radio Interview 8.22, 2pm Central Time
Tune into: www.gabradio.com 2) CASA Reno Keynote Recognition Dinner Talk September 19, Reno NV 3) CASA MN Fundraising Dinner September 29th This is a Great Organization and you are invited to attend
August 1, 2012 · KARA Reporting
Little Is Known About Deaths & Serious Injuries To Children In America
While this article was about children in America’s day care centers, I draw your attention to the terrific increase in brutal violence against children outside of day care. As a guardian ad-Litem for Hennepin County I ha
Colorado · Indiana · Louisiana · Minnesota · Mississippi · Tennessee
July 27, 2012 · KARA Reporting
CASA MN Annual Fundraising Dinner (Items For Auction Needed) You Are Invited
CASA volunteers-also known as Guardians ad Litem in the State of Minnesota-are everyday citizens whom judges appoint to advocate for the safety and well-being of children who are in the court system as a result of abuse
July 21, 2012 · KARA Reporting
The Cost Of Ignoring Reality
I repeat Pliny's quote often because I believe it clearly articulates how almost every problem our nation has ties directly to his point; "What we do to our children, they will do to society", Pliny the Elder, 2500 years
July 20, 2012 · KARA Reporting
Michael Swanson, Jeff Weise, James Holmes, Virginia Tech; Tons of Avoidable Pain
I know parents who have lost children to murder and violent death. It ruins lives far beyond the coffin. Violent Death spouse and children images stay with us forever. Still, no likes the conversation. Virginia Tech, Men
Illinois · Indiana · Iowa · Michigan · Minnesota · New Jersey · Virginia
July 18, 2012 · KARA Reporting
Twin Citites Marathon - Late Registration Supporting Guardian ad-Litem CASAMN
Twin Citites Marathon - Late Registration Supporting Guardian ad-Litem CASAMN If you or someone you know missed the general registration for the marathon and are interested in fundraising, please reply by email directly
July 2, 2012 · KARA Reporting
A Note On Paxil, Wellbutrin, Avandia & GlaxoSmithKline's Paying Kickbacks to Doctors & Treating Children With Unapproved Psychotropic Medications
Today's 3 Billion Dollar fine of GlaxoSmithKline for hiding information, bribing doctors, & promoting unapproved (and dangerous) drugs to children, included criminal as well as civil settlements. Hennepin County Judge He
June 27, 2012 · KARA Reporting
Court Rules American Children Will No Longer Be Incarcerated For Life (& we recently quit executing juveniles)
Some states still charge 11 year old children as adults in this nation (25% of youth are charged as adults in America). MN Supreme Courts former Chief Justice Kathleen Blatz is remembered for her statements about how abu
June 23, 2012 · KARA Reporting
What’s Wrong With New Jersey’s Half Way Houses Is What’s Wrong With America; The Illusion That Privatizing Social Services Saves Money Or Provides Social Services.
First, it is the same government money being spent, just that it goes to an entrepreneurial lowest bidder. Second, New Jersey’s half way houses are managed the same way privatized day care, juvenile justice, prison syste
June 10, 2012 · KARA Reporting
Child Well Being Minnesota
Last week KARA board members Sam Ashkar, Bob Olson, & I attended the Child Well-Being meeting to learn current information on the status of abused and neglected children in MN. The data came from the Citizens review pane
June 4, 2012 · KARA Reporting
Goodbye Ron Mahla
Not talking to others about our personal lives and problems can make a person feel alone and helpless. As a society, we don’t like mental health conversations, as individuals we often avoid “too personal” comments. This
Minnesota · Nevada · North Dakota · Oregon
May 5, 2012 · KARA Reporting
Not Enough
The state has agreed to pay $2.85 million to a 21-year-old woman who allegedly endured physical and sexual abuse after a child abuse investigation conducted by the state Department of Social and Health Services. I accept
April 30, 2012 · KARA Reporting
Children Murdered In Kentucky, Governor Beshear Hides The Evidence
Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear is hiding the records of dozens of dead children (from child abuse) because life for abused children is so awful in his state he wants it hidden from the rest of the nation. The core issue
April 28, 2012 · KARA Reporting
2 Videos That You Can Use To Support Abused & Neglected Children
This first 3 minute video is the medical communities powerful study of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE's study) and establishes how child abuse lasts forever and how it shortens and diminishes human life. The second s
April 27, 2012 · KARA Reporting
A MN guardian ad-Litem speaks to Montana about child abuse.
Law enforcement officials said statistics show survivors of child abuse or neglect are likely to commit a violent crime later in life. A new strategy is being developed to stop both. In 2010, Montana received nearly $3 m
April 21, 2012 · KARA Reporting
New ACE Study DVD 3 Minute Preview:
Last night KARA boardmember Bob Olson & I attended the Academy on Violence and Abuse in Bloomington & viewed the powerful information the medical community has assembled on the consequences of Adverse Childhood Experienc
April 16, 2012 · KARA Reporting
Institutional Bullying & Suicide; Bishop Gene Robinson
An increasingly popular bumper sticker reads, “Guns Don’t Kill People. RELIGION Kills People!” In light of recent events I would add religion kills young people: gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender young people. Per
California · Indiana · Minnesota · New Jersey · New York · Rhode Island · Texas
April 13, 2012 · KARA Reporting
It Can't Happen Here
Zeller’s note: I have the urge to declare my sanity and justify my actions, but I assume I’ll never be able to convince anyone that this was the right decision. Maybe it’s true that anyone who does this is insane by defi
March 31, 2012 · KARA Reporting
Guardian ad-Litem Training
My second guardian ad-Litem case was a 7 year old boy (Andy) taken from his crack using mom at birth (she had spent 90% of her life institutionalized). He was raised by a loving foster family to the age of four & then th
March 8, 2012 · KARA Reporting
Bad Teacher, It's All Your Fault
As a longtime volunteer (CASA) guardian ad-Litem, I observed how really troubled children behave in school & understand just how impossible they can be in a classroom. Suicidal behavior, sex in school, stabbing, biting,
March 5, 2012 · KARA Reporting
Thank You Judge Kevin Burke
Judge Keven Burke shares a letter from an 8 year old outlining his plans to escape with his toddler brother should the parents reunite (the swearing & fighting are violent & unbearable). I’ve written about the 7 year old
March 1, 2012 · KARA Reporting
Sports, & Entertainment Vs Children, Education, & Public Safety
The largest public subsidy in Minnesota history was the Northwest Airlines subsidy in the mid 1990s. The NWA subsidy amounted to around $600 million. In 1992, NWA employed around 11,000 people in the state; average salar
February 29, 2012 · KARA Reporting
Save Enormous Downstream Costs (Listen Carefully To David Strand's Advice)
Compared to woeful neglect of the needs of young families in the US and Minnesota, this study revealed the success of preventative public policies that provide universal health care, universal maternity leave, and univer
February 28, 2012 · KARA Reporting
Lying To Ourselves About Caring, Children, & Religion
Jeremy Olson's hard hitting piece in today’s Star Tribune about this communities not caring enough for children to provide them with essential services to lead a normal life starts a badly needed conversation. The child
February 21, 2012 · KARA Reporting
It Can't Happen Here (it Does happen here)
State probation agents made three visits since mid-December to the Madison, Wis., house where prosecutors say a 15-year-old girl was tortured, starved and abused by her parents and stepbrother, according to the Wisconsin
February 19, 2012 · KARA Reporting
Adoptees Have Answers - Best Org Ever
HA recently launched an online support group open to Minnesota adoptees and fosterees over age 18. Registered members are able to interact with one another 24/7 using the discussion board. Adoptees Julie Hart and Amy Fje
February 16, 2012 · KARA Reporting
Giving Voice To Abused & Neglected Children At Private Schools
If there is a core meaning to all religious teaching, it is being seen this week at Cretin Durham High School in St Paul. Thank you from Kids At Risk Action
February 4, 2012 · KARA Reporting
America; The Worst Child Abuse Record In The Industrialized World
This BBC report (video link) articulates the sorrowful truths that this guardian ad-Litem has reported on over the years. It's frightening and moving proof of the epidemic that is preventable child death in America and t
January 31, 2012 · KARA Reporting
43 Child Deaths Due Policy Violations In Colorado Social Services
To appreciate the meanness of some states I point to (Mitch Daniels) Indiana's stealing (redirecting) the funding promised to parents that adopted abandoned special needs children (after they had been adopted) & the fisc
January 29, 2012 · KARA Reporting
Growing Up Inner City
It is up to communities to understand the nature and scope of these issues and treat children with sufficient care and resources to end the madness as stated by MN Supreme Court Chief Justice Kathleen Blatz; “The differe
January 28, 2012 · KARA Reporting
Rights Of The Child
Annual Justice Week Cretin Derham HS – An Important Educational Event – Feb 9-13 – 2012 Common People Creating Uncommon Change. This is the most tuned in high school I am aware of-digging deeply into social justice issue
January 8, 2012 · KARA Reporting
How Politics Impact America's Children
KARA board member David Strand has written a powerful article in today's Minneapolis Star Tribune pointing out how America's politics continue to bring communities generational poverty that has resulted in the problems t
December 30, 2011 · KARA Reporting
Yesterday Was A Bad Day For At Risk Children In Minneapolis; 11 year old boy stabs his dad after repeated beatings & abuse;
Terrell has a fund set up at M & I Bank: Re-post from Don Samuels: A special fund has been established at M&I bank for the family of Terrell Mayes. Call (612) 904-8000 and mention the Terrell Mayes Fund.
November 25, 2011 · KARA Reporting
Race To The Bottom
From California, as if life for poor children were not difficult enough, State sponsored Indentured Servitude: Lawsuit Seeks to Stop State Welfare Agencies from Illegally Forcing Children to Repay Money Paid to Parents M
Arizona · California · Illinois · Kentucky · Minnesota · New Hampshire · Oklahoma · Pennsylvania · South Dakota
November 13, 2011 · KARA Reporting
Penn State, Child Abuse, You and Me.
Molesters like Sandusky destroy the lives of hundreds of children over their lifetime. The child remains severely damaged year after year until help comes from somewhere (usually nowhere). I’ve said about several of the
November 8, 2011 · KARA Reporting
Support The Guardian Ad-Litem Program For Abused & Neglected Children
The mission of CASA Minnesota is to broadly support volunteer advocacy on behalf of abused and neglected children in our state. We believe that every abused and neglected child in Minnesota court proceedings should have
October 29, 2011 · KARA Reporting
Occupy Wall Street For America's Children
Children have no lobby, no voice, & can't fight back when a MN Governor* states that "children that are victims of failed personal responsibility are not my problem, nor are they the problem of the State Of Minnesota". T
California · Indiana · Minnesota · Nebraska
October 23, 2011 · KARA Reporting
Thank You Indiana
I was impressed with the tenacity and commitment of Indiana’s foster and adoptive parents in the face of this state’s mean spirited children's politics. The evening before my talk I listened to story after story of the “
September 29, 2011 · KARA Reporting
Supporting Children, Supporting Caregivers;
Is it possible that the only way we can have help with day care is to put the boys into a police car and make them live in a group home or with a strange family? This does not seem right.
September 26, 2011 · KARA Reporting
A Civil Rights Issue?
The cold water pipe had frozen solid in the Minnesota winter & the landlord had turned the hot water heater to "scalding" to compensate for the absence of cold water.
September 10, 2011 · KARA Reporting
How Bad Is It?
Her advice to us was to report animal abuse because animal abuse gets investigated & when it is investigated, those people see things that can trigger a social worker saving a child. This seemed pathetic to me at the tim
July 17, 2011 · KARA Reporting
The Floggings Will Continue Until The Test Scores Improve
Daycare workers in the U.S. are paid about as much as food service workers (the lowest paid profession in the nation). American daycare is underfunded, under-trained, and misunderstood.
July 15, 2011 · KARA Reporting
Military Suicides & Child Abuse; A Growing Problem
What do you think about the impact of suicide on the children of the over one thousand MN veterans that have committed suicide? If you know the children of a suicidal parent you know torture.
July 8, 2011 · KARA Reporting
Coming To Your State Soon? "A culture of fear, intimidation, & retaliation"
Standardized tests were corrupted at 44 schools by 178 teachers & principals (over half have confessed) & a former "superintendent of the year" in Atlanta Georgia will not seek extension of her contract. Criminal charges
July 4, 2011 · KARA Reporting
JOIN US FOR THE 4th NATIONAL GRANDRALLY September 15th In Washington DC
The GrandRally will be an historic opportunity to celebrate, create momentum, expand awareness and build upon the success from previous GrandRallies. For more information, visit www.grandrally.org or email grandrally.yvo
June 27, 2011 · KARA Reporting
The Boy Who Died Locked In A Cage After 12 Visits From Indiana DCS
We only read about the babies found in dumpsters, or other violent child deaths. NO one reports the thousands of children sexually abused, beaten, or starved. I know too many of these children & it is a dark stain on Ame
May 22, 2011 · KARA Reporting
Child Abuse; A Public Health Crisis
The Academy has studied and identified the relationship between interpersonal violence and health and could make a profound difference in the lives of abused people if the research, tools, and information they have compi
May 5, 2011 · KARA Reporting
202 Minnesota Child Deaths Examined (over half were under three & shaken or beaten to death)
I had been noticing that in the paper for the last few years," Jefferys said. "There are so many babies being killed by boyfriends or husbands while the mother is off to work."
April 16, 2011 · KARA Reporting
What's It Gonna Take? Judge Lucy Wieland Is Dead Right
Minnesota's racial disparities: a Judge's view (who will speak for children?)
March 19, 2011 · KARA Reporting
Joe Biden, Rape, Teachers & Social Workers; A Common Thread
For years now, politicians have made political hay by blaming "civil servants" for a multitude of institutional failures that they themselves are directly responsible for due to the poor understanding of underlying issue
March 11, 2011 · KARA Reporting
He Would Wander The Streets With His Dog Looking For His Mother When He Was A Boy; Abandoned As An Infant - Executed at 37
12 years in child protection has changed the way I look at grown up abandoned children. There is not a religion on the planet that would abandon children a second time.
California · Minnesota · Missouri · New York · Ohio
March 5, 2011 · KARA Reporting
Abused & Neglected Children Impacting Schools, Courts & Communities; What Works - What doesn't
The cost to my community of each child failing to procure the tools to learn & become a productive citizen is far greater than just the drain on schools, crime & institutionalization. Consider the generational impact of
Illinois · Louisiana · Minnesota · Mississippi · Texas
February 20, 2011 · KARA Reporting
The Scandal Of Medicating Very Young Children In Child Protection Systems
U of M bioethics professor Carl Elliott discusses drug company payments to doctors and the enormous amounts of money drug reps make by pushing profitable drugs and running outright scams on doctors to sell their product.
February 11, 2011 · KARA Reporting
The Crime Of Prosecuting 10 Year Olds As Adults
While this may sound harsh, I see the wisdom in J onathon Swifts Modest proposal; the children he speaks of lead such miserable lives, that killing them early would be reduce their suffering.
February 6, 2011 · KARA Reporting
Autism, Child Protection, & Insurance; Texas could save 2Billion$ by treating autistic children
This well written article on the success of early aggressive treatment for autistic children A AUTISM CURE CITY PAGES 1.26.11 makes the overarching logical, ethical, and financial argument about the wisdom of treating ch
January 16, 2011 · KARA Reporting
Children and Government
children that are the victims of failed personal responsibility are not my problem, nor are they the problem of the state of MN (Tim Pawlenty)
December 29, 2010 · KARA Reporting
Adoptees Have Answers Online Forum
A great online forum for adoptees to share experiences and perspectives run by truly committed people and worth investigating;
December 19, 2010 · KARA Reporting
New Federal Report; Drop In Child Abuse? I Don't Believe It
The equation works like this; if fewer cases are investigated, that must mean there are fewer cases of child abuse, which leads to less funding and fewer resources for terrified and traumatized children.
Illinois · Minnesota · New Jersey · Ohio
November 18, 2010 · KARA Reporting
75% Of Inmates Are Illiterate (19% are completely illiterate) Ruben Rosario
85 percent of all juveniles who come into contact with the juvenile court system are functionally illiterate. So are 60 percent of all prison inmates. Inmates have a 16 percent chance of returning to prison if they recei
Arizona · California · Minnesota · Missouri · New York
October 19, 2010 · KARA Reporting
A Great Rally for Children In MN (Thanks Amy)
* Foster children are twice as likely as war veterans to develop PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder); * 25% of U.S. youth in the Juvenile Justice System are tried as adults; * 50-75% of U.S. youth in the Juvenile Justi
October 15, 2010 · KARA Reporting
We're Number 1, & that's not good…
Bishop Gene Robinson draws attention to youth suicide & particularly that seven students in one Minnesota school district have taken their own lives, including three teens. GLBT issues underly most of the suicide the Bis
California · Indiana · Minnesota · New Jersey · Rhode Island · Texas
October 4, 2010 · KARA Reporting
254 Children, 220,000 Crimes, 12 Months
Drug use and sale in American schools has been the highlight of much research. The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University conducts a survey each year aimed at discovering trends in
October 3, 2010 · KARA Reporting
Rally To Restore Sanity
MN governor Tim Pawlenty said to Andy Dawkins and David Strand several years ago that "Children that are the victims of failed personal responsibility are not my problem or the problem of the state of MN". That a major p
September 29, 2010 · KARA Reporting
Spread the word!
WHAT: 10-10-10 March and Rally for Children and Youth WHEN: October 10, 2010, 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. WHERE: Minnesota State Capitol WHO: The Young Advocate Leadership Training (YALT) participants of CDF–Minnesota, Every Child
September 18, 2010 · KARA Reporting
Children's Rally 10-10-10 Give Voice To Children's Issues
Not all states give voice to our weakest and most vulnerable citizens. This rally is a big step for children and it deserves to be copies and repeated.
September 12, 2010 · KARA Reporting
Response to Star Tribune Article
Yes to constructive solutions; more resources for troubled families and help for abused and neglected children. No to destructive and inflammatory criticisms of people trying hard to make life livable for terribly abused
September 5, 2010 · KARA Reporting
Back To School & In Support of Education
This child’s traumatic and fearful entry into an unprepared and under-resourced public school system is the tip of the iceberg. The Prozac, Ritalin, and other psychotropic medications being prescribed to very young child
August 31, 2010 · KARA Reporting
Really Good Child Advocacy Links
AZ: Child abuse isn't a priority in Arizona Arizona Daily Star August 31, 2010 Michael is the sixth Pima County child to die in recent years while under the watch of state Child Protective Services. Each killing spurred
Arizona · California · Hawaii · Minnesota · North Dakota · Oregon · South Dakota · Washington
August 26, 2010 · KARA Reporting
Attitude Adjustment; Children Count
The good news is we have created workable models to heal terribly abused children. The bad news is our communities are shutting down services that would heal terribly abused children. This will cost us for generations to
August 17, 2010 · KARA Reporting
Amy Klobuchar's Adoptive Families Act
Amy's SUPPORTING ADOPTIVE FAMILIES ACT introduced as federal legislation this week is a big step in supporting families that adopt children is critical to the health of our communities.
August 11, 2010 · KARA Reporting
Practical Strategies for Helping Troubled Adopted Children with Complex Histories: Focus On Anger Issues with Dr. Richard J. Delaney
Minnesota Adoption Resource Network Announces August Webinar Wednesday, August 25, 2010 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM Many adopted children are "multiply impacted" by prenatal exposure to drugs, and/or alcohol, by neglect and depr
August 10, 2010 · KARA Reporting
Accentuate The Positive; Child-Parent Centers
Few problems facing children of all ages have been discussed as often as that of substandard education. More specifically, the American education system has been under attack from a number of sources. However, the situat
August 3, 2010 · KARA Reporting
Voting For Children
Let's make it our business to point out to our politicians that investing in children is nothing more than investing in our community. And it is the right thing to do. Take action, make a phone call to a legislator in su
July 24, 2010 · KARA Reporting
The Evolution of CASA volunteering
CASA is most often the only voice a child has once in our overburdened court system. The program is perfect for discovering people that want to help children. Do you support the CASA program in your community? CASA volun
July 5, 2010 · KARA Reporting
Art Rolnick & Pliny, Friends of Children
L ori Sturdevant points out in her July 4th Star Tribune column how our state has done very well by investing in children and how Art Rolnick's extensive studies as director of research at the Federal Reserve Board have
June 30, 2010 · KARA Reporting
Tip Of The Iceberg; Abused Children Dying Due To County Backlogs
"The social worker staff simply cannot keep up with everything we are asking them to do," she said, adding that she planned to make the case to county supervisors that hundreds of additional social workers were needed. "
June 18, 2010 · KARA Reporting
The State of Child Welfare
This severely disabled child was turned away from the Lake City Medical Center after being alerted by social workers of his urgent need of medical care;he was sent home with a note (where he had just come from).
June 7, 2010 · KARA Reporting
Adoptees Have Answers Summer Event
Saturday, June 19, 2010 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. (CDT) The Minnesota History Center
June 1, 2010 · KARA Reporting
Can't Make This Stuff Up
Why does the United States lead the world's richest democracies in child abuse fatalities, with death rates three times higher than Canada's and 11 times higher than Italy's?
California · Hawaii · Minnesota · South Carolina · Texas
May 22, 2010 · KARA Reporting
Mad At The Wrong People (throwing baby out with bathwater again)
NO, it is we the people that have voted to underfund our schools and social programs (and 35W bridge maintenance) that have created the painful failure we are living with today. The bridge fell in the river for the same
May 14, 2010 · KARA Reporting
Adoptees Have Answers New Website Launch
http://aha.mn is an exciting new program to promote connections among adopted individuals of all ages, ethnicities and adoption types while maximizing their lifelong welfare and self-fulfillment AHA believes… …being adop
May 7, 2010 · KARA Reporting
America's Children, Mental Health, & Society
Between 40 to 85 percent of kids in foster care have mental health problems.
May 6, 2010 · KARA Reporting
orphantrainridersofminnesota.com
Minnesota became the first state to host an official gathering of its orphan train riders and their families with an event that took place on July 1, 1961 with nine attendees. This event was organized by two women who di
April 30, 2010 · KARA Reporting
Kids For Cash, Privatizing Punishment, What Could Be More Wrong?
It is up to us as citizens to have the depth of understanding and concern with our community to see how what happened in Pennsylvania is happening by degrees to youth throughout our state and our nation (just without the
April 25, 2010 · KARA Reporting
Drugs Without Therapy Is Ineffective & Can Be Dangerous
Almost nothing is known about the rivers of psychotropic medications that are poured into the millions five, seven, and nine year old children that pass through child protection systems in America without sufficient ment
April 19, 2010 · KARA Reporting
The Impact of Trauma and Neglect on the Developing Child: Focus on Youth in the Juvenile Justice System
Bruce D. Perry, M.D., Ph.D. ChildTrauma Academy When: Thursday, June 17th Registration: 8:30 a.m. Training: 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Mystic Mystice Lake Casino, Shakopee MN Cost: $40 Standard, $30 JJC Community Member, $30
California · Colorado · Illinois · Minnesota · North Dakota · Oklahoma · Texas
April 18, 2010 · KARA Reporting
Safe Passage For Children
Those of us close to the issues know that abused and neglected children need attention and fair treatment. We also know that early attention and fair treatment equals positive early child development and strong capable c
April 13, 2010 · KARA Reporting
Deeper Questions About 7 Year Old Russian Boy
If child protection means anything, it should mean that a child already traumatized by a lifetime of abuse will not be subjected to another series of poorly made decisions by the adults in his life.
April 11, 2010 · KARA Reporting
Adoptees Have Answers…and lots of questions
Minnesota Adoption Resource Network (Marn) is launching an inspired program that should become a national model for dealing with foster and adoptive care. Ten adoptees from diverse ethnic backgrounds have combined their
April 2, 2010 · KARA Reporting
Mental Health, Drug & Alcohol Abuse Programs Don't Cost They Save
Programs that help youth understand these issues and how to cope with them are one of the best investments that we can make in our youth and our community. Not having programs is expensive. Just ask the people that lost
March 27, 2010 · KARA Reporting
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month
Prevent Child Abuse MN holds its Healing Fields from April 29th to May 2nd at the Minnesota State Capitol. The theme of the field is "the Future of America depends on Healthy Children.
March 24, 2010 · KARA Reporting
National Child Protection Training Center
Developed in 2004, the Child Advocacy Studies Minor started at Winona State University in Winona, Minnesota. The curriculum was designed to bring the goals of the National Child Protection Training Center to the field by
March 21, 2010 · KARA Reporting
The Volunteer Spirit
The CASA program I came through is a volunteer program that connects volunteers to abused and neglected children in their community. CASA provides a great learning experience as well as a terrific service to children unl
March 15, 2010 · KARA Reporting
Abused & Neglected Children Around The Nation
Without reduced funding to manage the increased calls coming in from the community distress that results from the poverty and chaos from our declining economy, social service agencies are becoming unable to respond adequ
California · Florida · Georgia · Hawaii · Illinois · Iowa · Michigan · Minnesota · Nevada · New York · Ohio · Pennsylvania · Tennessee · Texas · Washington · Wyoming
March 13, 2010 · KARA Reporting
Education Is The Engine of Progress & Prosperity
No nation can achieve its potential for greatness without investing in its human capital. The extent to which children successfully negotiate the treacherous passage to adulthood depends on the earliest years of brain an
March 12, 2010 · KARA Reporting
Abandoning Abandoned Children
The list of inner city schools struggling to educate the children of those who could not get to (or for reasons of loyalty, love, or ethics) decided not to, escape to the suburbs where the schools still function is long.
California · Colorado · Georgia · Kansas · Minnesota · Missouri · New York · Texas
March 9, 2010 · KARA Reporting
International Women's Day March 7
When I wrote the book Invisible Children in MN there were less than 900 cases of child rape reported in the state I live in (MN). If that were true, I personally knew of about 50 cases, and there were about five hundred
March 7, 2010 · KARA Reporting
Abusing Children At Home & In School - The Life Of An Abused Child
The link between an abused child's past tortured life and future troubled life is clear to most of us that have lived with or worked with these damaged children long enough. It causes me great pain to see my guardian ad-
February 26, 2010 · KARA Reporting
Acting Like A Responsible Adult
America's aging population is retreating into retirement with its pensions and savings and leaving young families with failing schools, health systems, and communities.
California · Florida · Georgia · Illinois · Kansas · Michigan · Minnesota · Missouri · Nevada · New York · North Carolina · Tennessee · Texas
February 24, 2010 · KARA Reporting
Ruben Rosario on Victor Vieth's Dream of Ending Child Abuse
As a guardian ad-Litem, I know that most child abuse cases are not reported. Recently an acquaintance admitted to witnessing the prostitution of a very young girl and not reporting it. He had remorse and felt endangered.
February 23, 2010 · KARA Reporting
Books Not Yet Written
A Few years ago Judge Heidi Schellhas gave me a printout of the psychotropic medications the very young children in her child protection courtroom were proscribed. The impact of seven year olds on Prozac, Ritalin and oth
February 19, 2010 · KARA Reporting
Day Care In America, NY v MN
“It’s unfortunate, because this day care is used by working families, for the most part single-parent families and they’re low income,” he said, adding, “If this place is shut down, it would really be a shame.”
February 19, 2010 · KARA Reporting
Someplace Where We Can Be A Family
The "burden of eviction is Heavier on Black Women, Research in Milwaukee Shows" reads the New York Times today, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/19/us/19evict.html
February 17, 2010 · KARA Reporting
Civil Justice, Mental Health, Children, Education, & Politics
Last night I attended the Patrick Henry High School community Forum on the impact that children's mental health has on the entire education and juvenile justice systems held by Representatives Mindy Greiling and the Civi
February 16, 2010 · KARA Reporting
Health & Human Services In Minnesota (Largest Share of Budget Cuts)
Federal Reserve board directors Art Rolnick and Rob Grunewold have well researched and established the effectiveness of early childhood programs.
February 14, 2010 · KARA Reporting
Blaming Social Workers When Children Die
If American institutions are to be defined today by what they actually create instead of what they were designed to create, then child protection services creates preteen mothers and adolescent felons, and juvenile justi
February 12, 2010 · KARA Reporting
The Impact Of Tampering With Georgia's Student's Test Results
a href="http://www.startribune.com/nation/84190787.html?elr=KArks:DCiUMEaPc:UiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiUr">Georgia's hiding of hard truths is a terrifying trend in our nation. Here's why;
Georgia · Minnesota · New Hampshire · Texas
February 11, 2010 · KARA Reporting
Juvenile Injustice - Mental Health
2 Important truths; most of the youth in the juvenile justice system have come through child protection services, & a large percentage of these youth suffer from mental health issues.
February 9, 2010 · KARA Reporting
Keeping At-Risk Students In High School
Today, many states are increasing their percentage of spending on juvenile justice and criminal justice while maintaining or reducing spending on education. New York and California have been spending about $250,000 per y
California · Minnesota · New York · North Carolina · Texas
January 29, 2010 · KARA Reporting
Voices For Children Foundation Announces Their 2010 Be A Voice Feel the Magic Gala with Special Cirque Du Soleil Performers
Be A Voice Feel The Magic Gala benefiting Voices For Children Foundation-the fundraising arm of the 11th Judicial Circuit Guardian Ad Litem Program-is set for Saturday, February 13 at the Mandarin Oriental, Miami.
January 25, 2010 · KARA Reporting
Friends of Texas vs Friends of Children
"What we do to our children, they will do to our society" Pliny the Elder 2500 years ago.
January 23, 2010 · KARA Reporting
The Evidence Is In
The years of hard research this organization has done to quantify the impact of abuse on children as they become adults is as incontrovertible as it is moving.
January 13, 2010 · KARA Reporting
Child Well Being Network (a model)
Every state needs a Child Wellbeing Network, every person needs to understand that healthy children become healthy citizens & healthy citizens build healthy communities that are safe and pleasant to live in.
January 8, 2010 · KARA Reporting
Growing Up In America
One of my guardian ad-Litem youth walked home for many hours on a below zero Minnesota night without a coat because of the abuse he received at a juvenile detention center. He had had enough troubles for a lifetime befor
California · Illinois · Indiana · Maryland · Michigan · Minnesota · Missouri · New Jersey · New York · North Carolina · Oklahoma · Pennsylvania · Tennessee · Texas · Virginia
December 22, 2009 · KARA Reporting
Minnesota Matters Radio Show Link
950 am Minnesota Matters radio show
December 17, 2009 · KARA Reporting
150,000 Children Tried As Adults Each Year
"The difference between that poor child and felon is about eight years", & "90% of the youth in juvenile justice have passed through child protection systems" MN Supreme Court Chief Justice Kathleen Blatz
December 14, 2009 · KARA Reporting
New York, Meet Missouri
National experts on juvenile crime urge states to invest in this type of counseling and rehabilitation, instead of confinement and punishment, as a way to stem adult crime and incarcerations. But for the last 20 years, m
California · Florida · Minnesota · Missouri · New York · Texas
November 12, 2009 · KARA Reporting
Unmaking At Risk Children
Absent coordinated positive (1*) public policy for the care of children, America is now at the confluence of misaligned and mistaken public policies that are overwhelming its schools, mental health services, child protec
October 27, 2009 · KARA Reporting
Ruben Rosario: Rising Toll of Child Abuse Deaths Reaquires Attention & Action
This years death toll of murdered, hanged, and otherwise suicidal very young children is a powerful indicator that we as a community are failing the weakest and most vulnerable among us.
September 20, 2009 · KARA Reporting
Epidemic
MN Child protection services are failing to protect the weakest and most vulnerable among us. It is epidemic. Other states have even bigger problems.
September 16, 2009 · KARA Reporting
An Uplifting Day
there needs to be a Mothers Against Drunk Drivers type grassroots movement to turn around the cradle to prison pipeline that continues to fill our communities with troubled youth and the problems that stem from growing u
September 12, 2009 · KARA Reporting
Another Concerned Grandmother
In my morning email was a sad plea for help from a grandmother with granddaughters taken from her home where they were in school and well cared for.
August 30, 2009 · KARA Reporting
Setting the Wrong Kind of Record
The best hope for these babies would have been a more responsive community with more compassion, more daycare, more crisis nurseries, and more child protection services.
August 27, 2009 · KARA Reporting
How You Frame the Issue
Few people argue openly with me when I frame the health care issue around not caring for babies and very young children (there is not a religion on the planet that allows it) Most people can be brought to understand the
August 27, 2009 · KARA Reporting
Make No Small Plans for Minnesota Children
We can look for inspiration to successes around the country and the world. One model of success is the Harlem Children's Zone in New York. The Minneapolis Foundation recently sponsored a visit here by Geoffrey Canada, th
August 2, 2009 · KARA Reporting
COURT APPOINTED SPECIAL ADVOCATES (CASA)
It is a bigger step to convince people that healthy children become healthy citizens, but it is true. Join the public debate for children (they have no senator, lobby, or voice)
Massachusetts · Michigan · Minnesota · Oklahoma · Oregon · Washington
August 1, 2009 · KARA Reporting
FEATURED GUARDIAN AD LITEM PROGRAM WASHTENAW COUNTY
Local CASA Volunteer's Success Story Contributed by: Fran G. I was given my first case in February of this year a family of three children: A 13-year-old boy with mild autism, a 9-year-old girl, and a 4-year-old, all liv
July 25, 2009 · KARA Reporting
18 Month Old Dies After a Dozen Calls To Child Abuse Hotline
A 6-year-old boy whose battered body was found on the floor of a South Los Angeles home was the subject of roughly a dozen calls to Los Angeles County's child abuse hotline alleging abuse or neglect, a county official br
July 5, 2009 · KARA Reporting
Toddler found submerged in St. Paul bathtub dies
Our Child Protection System Brutal Truths and Best Practices Forum at Century College Join our focused and energetic conversation ab out children in need of protection and the people, programs, and policies that impact t
July 4, 2009 · KARA Reporting
14 police calls to foster home led up to near-death
On the 49th call to the home, police removed the children into protective custody (only because the 7 year old was observed trying to kill the 5 year old). As I became involved in the case, the sex abuse of the older gir
June 27, 2009 · KARA Reporting
Nevada Pays for Lost 2 Year Old Foster Child
A settlement has been reached in the civil lawsuit surrounding the disappearance of a 2-year-old foster child. The natural parents of Everlyse Cabrera sued Clark County when their daughter went missing from her North Las
June 25, 2009 · KARA Reporting
Minnesota; Let Them Eat New Stadium
The economics of abandoning the weakest and most vulnerable among us simply do not work. Making productive citizens by helping children achieve does work.
June 23, 2009 · KARA Reporting
DCF: More Florida Parents Taking Their Money Troubles Out On Kids
Florida child abuse, and with it a rise in bullying. The state Department of Children and Families says there's also an increase in the severity of the cases, with 59 deaths so far this year being investigated as possibl
June 14, 2009 · KARA Reporting
California's Growing Child Protection Problem
Meanwhile, county officials recently acknowledged that at least 32 children in L.A. County died from abuse or neglect in 2008. That set off another round of questions about what was needed to make kids safer.
June 4, 2009 · KARA Reporting
Tip Of The Iceberg
Those who molest family members get lighter sentences than outsiders, data show.
May 19, 2009 · KARA Reporting
Minnesota Reading Corps
Minnesota Reading Corps is a statewide initiative to help every Minnesota child become a successful reader by the end of 3rd grade.
May 19, 2009 · KARA Reporting
Not My Role Model
Missouri went from 90% recidivism in its juvenile justice system to about 10% over just a few years as it transitioned into a restorative justice model that treated youth as children in need of counselling instead of adu
May 13, 2009 · KARA Reporting
FORGOTTEN CHILDREN RALLY STATE CAPITAL
On May 4, 2009 a small crowd of about 100 citizens – social workers, politicians, child advocates, and children – gathered on the lawn of the Minnesota State Capitol to bring attention to Minnesota’s “Forgotten Children.
April 13, 2009 · KARA Reporting
Kids At Risk Action's YouTube Video Channel
Kids At Risk Action (KARA) has posted videos on our YouTube Channel of the 2008 KARA Forum held at Century College. To view more videos of our events, visit our page at YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/kidsatriskaction. H
March 30, 2009 · KARA Reporting
Ruben Rosario: Immigration Raids Traumatize Children
"I want to remind people that family values do not stop at the Rio Grande River. People are coming to our country to do jobs that Americans won't do, to be able to feed their families.": Former President George W. Bush
February 21, 2009 · KARA Reporting
Mike Tikkanen Speaker
Learn the key issues facing abused and neglected children, what programs and policies work to improve their lives, and how you can be a better advocate for at risk children.
February 21, 2009 · KARA Reporting
Mike's Next Speaking Engagements
Periodically I speak in public and record those events in this space.
February 8, 2009 · KARA Reporting
MN Early Childhood Summit Speech David Lawrence
My mission in life and in this cause is moral, but my arguments begin with the practical. Public education is the real world for 90 percent of your children, and America’s. The wisest path to public education reform in o
December 28, 2008 · KARA Reporting
Healthier Children = Safer & Happier Communities
These children cannot afford high powered lobbyists to plead their case,
November 9, 2008 · KARA Reporting
A Rough Day in the News
Eight year old boy shot and killed his father and another man…police have asked that the boy be tried as an adult.
October 19, 2008 · KARA Reporting
Review of Our Century College Forum
IMPROVEMENTS: More information on how to get involved to improve the system
September 30, 2008 · KARA Reporting
Conservative family values are a fraud
Email this article • Print this article Conservative family values are a fraud David Strand Columnist Mitt Romney addressed the GOP Convention in St. Paul and said, "The liberals don't have a clue." The Country Club audi
August 27, 2008 · KARA Reporting
Another CASA volunteer voice
Even considering four decades of exhilarating professional life, my most powerful lesson followed retirement in 1996. This happened when I volunteered as a guardian ad-litem for Hennepin County from 1998 to 2000. Guardia
California · Minnesota · Texas
August 21, 2008 · KARA Reporting
Brutal Truths and Best Practices Forum
Our Child Protection System Brutal Truths and Best Practices Forum at Century College Join our focused and energetic conversation about children in need of protection and the people, programs, and policies that impact th
May 6, 2008 · KARA Reporting
Yes, We Do Know
If there is one thing we should know about American children that have been removed from their birth homes, it is that they have suffered extended exposure to violence and deprivation. This is the definition of the "Immi
April 6, 2008 · KARA Reporting
California Dreaming
Last week the State of California achieved perfect synchronicity in its public policy making when it announced that criminals would be released early because the state could no longer afford to keep them incarcerated. Th
February 20, 2008 · KARA Reporting
Economics 101
A recent ACE study proved that almost 70% of the serious and violent crime committed by juveniles in Ramsey County was committed by children living in 2 to 4% of Ramsey County families.
November 15, 2007 · KARA Reporting
Defining Institutions by What they Create
"Defining our institutions by what they actually create instead of what they were designed to create"* would be the first step in making the changes necessary to fix our poorly understood and vastly under-resourced syste
July 4, 2007 · KARA Reporting
By Definition
A recent study indicates that up to 80% of children aging out of foster care are leading dysfunctional lives. A Minnesota judge has provided me the Prozac, Ritalin, and other psychotropic medication prescriptions taken b
June 5, 2007 · KARA Reporting
Speak Up For Children
More importantly, supporting day care for disadvantaged children is the right thing to do for all Minnesota’s kids. In a public meeting at Hamline, Rolnick lamented that this ‘no brainer’ idea is overshadowed at the Capi
April 25, 2007 · KARA Reporting
Saving Ourselves From the Next Virginia Tech
At that time in Minnesota there were 15 child psychiatrists in the entire state (population about 4 million) and the student to counsellor ratio in MN high schools was 900 to 1. As a child advocate (long time guardian ad
April 10, 2007 · KARA Reporting
Everybody Wins
A few weeks ago I listened to Larry Rosenstock from High Tech High in San Diego talk about his inner city high schools that send one hundred percent of their graduates onto college. It is real, it is achievable, and it i
March 10, 2007 · KARA Reporting
Lawmaking
People respond to money. Most of us can’t grasp the long-term costs to the community of a child born into a dysfunctional family that never has the opportunity to develop the social skills necessary to lead a healthy lif
February 8, 2007 · KARA Reporting
Day Care; The Bargain
Because the waiting list for subsidized daycare is one year into the future for the father of the children I represent (as a county guardian ad-Litem) there is a good chance that his two small children will be taken from
November 23, 2006 · KARA Reporting
God Save Our Pets
On November 16th I gave two presentations at the 24th Upper Midwest Conference on Adolescents & Children In Need in Arden Hills MN; "WALKING THE TALK FOR CHILDREN" & "WHY SOME CHILDREN DON'T LEARN IN SCHOOL".
October 9, 2006 · KARA Reporting
Children's Defense Fund Training
And most of all, how we can become comfortable being "the voice" for At Risk Children in our communities. I have delusions about how to be helpful to CDF for Item B. Half of an experience like this is meeting so many sma
September 9, 2006 · KARA Reporting
Hardworking People - Prevent Child Abuse Minnesota
The energy Connie brings to her mission is something to witness. There are many others just like her, who for years have worked daily to bring positive change into the lives of troubled children.
August 27, 2006 · KARA Reporting
Moving
I’m now hated by one of the children I was best friends with as a guardian ad-Litem. She wants to be reconnected with her mother (which I agree with) and have her younger siblings moved back into her mother's care (which
June 30, 2006 · KARA Reporting
Call To Justice Forum June 28th
Only ten percent of the citations issued in Hennepin County to people of color are prosecuted (90% are dismissed). 44% of African American men living in Hennepin county were arrested in 2001 (without any duplicate arrest
Alabama · Arkansas · Minnesota · Mississippi · Wisconsin
June 10, 2006 · KARA Reporting
Art and Development in Abandoned Children
This week I was introduced to Free Arts, an organization that gives painting, dancing, singing, acting and other active Arts participation to abused and neglected children. I’ve talked with University professors about th
June 4, 2006 · KARA Reporting
Wellness and Child Abuse
The following is my synopsis of the Minnesota Medical Associations March 2006 article on Child Maltreatment by Dr. David McCollum. It’s meant for medical professionals, but I found it very well written and understandable
April 22, 2006 · KARA Reporting
Economic Security
Economic Security was the topic of the most recent Hamline University Dialogue ((4/20/06). It was remarkable to hear Art Rolnick (Fed Reserve Board Chairman), Chris Farrell (Chief Economics correspondent American RadioWo
April 2, 2006 · KARA Reporting
The Longest Day
From a legal perspective the most under-protected persons in America are sexually abused children. One study indicated that 11% of judges and 51% of prosecuting attorneys admitted that they had deliberately confused the
March 11, 2006 · KARA Reporting
The Christian Spirit
Boston’s Catholic Charities to halt adoptions (Star Tribune 3.11.2006) because of the churches concern with sexuality issues. There are not nearly enough loving adoptive homes for the multitude of waiting children. Becau
March 5, 2006 · KARA Reporting
Talking About It
My family has a one-hundred year history of chronic alcoholism and some drug abuse. I have had friends and family with schizophrenia, and relatives with other serious mental health issues. Many of my friends have suffere
February 3, 2006 · KARA Reporting
Worth Reprinting
State must make early childhood investments a priority KELLY DORAN During a speech in Hong Kong near the end of his China trade mission late last year, Gov. Tim Pawlenty expressed his amazement at the "scope" of China's
January 19, 2006 · KARA Reporting
Rebuilding Our Schools
Retired teacher Carolyn Light Bell’s Star Tribune article today has brought me to reflect on the rich Minneapolis Public School education I received and how it helped me to build a terrific life. Without my public school
January 1, 2006 · KARA Reporting
Policy Making
The following is one of my best of all times policy making efforts I have ever encountered. It was a note from MaryJane Westra from Fergus Falls MN; Greetings, Mike and Happy New Year! The hour really flew by (our radio
December 4, 2005 · KARA Reporting
Is Undertreatment of Mental Health Counter-Productive?
Children suffer more abandonment & more trauma when their therapist prematurely leaves (quits the patient) than they would have experienced without treatment. I have yet to witness my county provide timely or adequate me
November 12, 2005 · KARA Reporting
guardian conference
Most women drew longer sentences (under federal mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines) than the perpetrator, they lost custody of their children, and in almost all cases, they had not profited from the criminal’s activ
November 5, 2005 · KARA Reporting
100 Years of Juvenile Justice
At the William Mitchell Law School today, I learned that Minnesota has been a genuine leader in Juvenile Justice in America for one hundred years.
October 12, 2005 · KARA Reporting
A Myth That Will Bring Down America
There is a myth about our public education system that has the potential of bringing down our nation. The myth is that the lack of funds does not plague America’s schools.
October 5, 2005 · KARA Reporting
A Public Unconscious
Federal Reserve Board Chairman Art Rolnick through extensive research has proved that rates of return on money spent on early childhood programs are greater than tax money spent on malls and stadiums (FedGazzette, March
September 22, 2005 · KARA Reporting
Child Summit
Managing child protection cases, she said, "means one judge, one family. It means you don't [delay] these cases because someone is sick. You don't make a kid wait in foster care three months while we tend to adult proble
September 21, 2005 · KARA Reporting
Saving Money Saving Children
About 90% of the children in juvenile justice systems have come out of child protection systems (MN Chief Justice Kathleen Blatz). About 90% of the adults in the criminal justice system have come out of the juvenile just
September 16, 2005 · KARA Reporting
Grand Rally
This is one of America's most active and powerful resources in the struggle to save our At Risk Children. Grandparents need the attention and appreciation of our policy makers to help them in their efforts. Support the M
September 12, 2005 · KARA Reporting
Hibbing, MN Daily Tribune -Article and Review
On Aug. 28, 2005, the Hibbing, MN Daily Tribune ran an article about me and my book, Invisible Children, titled A serious book about a serious problem by reporter Cathy Braun.
July 11, 2005 · KARA Reporting
Dear Judge John
There have been over one hundred social workers, foster parents, and other adults in my life since I left my dad. None of them have stayed for more than a few years. My feelings of abandonment have been reinforced over o
June 15, 2005 · KARA Reporting
Torture vs. Child Abuse
Children in American child protection systems are only removed from their homes if their lives are in imminent harm. The average length of child sex abuse in America is four years. Abused children and torture victims suf
June 9, 2005 · KARA Reporting
Mental Health Issues
“One-quarter of all Americans met the criteria for having a mental illness within the past year, and fully a quarter of those had a “serious” disorder that significantly disrupted their day-to-day lives, according to the
June 5, 2005 · KARA Reporting
Intelligent Design
Pliny the elder, 2500 years ago, "what you do to your children, they will do to your society"
May 18, 2005 · KARA Reporting
Tasers and School Children
There is no safety net for many of the poor neglected and abused children they care for. There is no child psychiatrist for a sexually abused seven-year old, or for the starved and tortured six-year old. Go to school. Ge
May 12, 2005 · KARA Reporting
Unhappy Schools
Investing in early childhood programs and mental health services could actually save us money, and certainly make our streets safer, and our communities more pleasant to live in. It’s not so much about money- Minnesota’s
May 3, 2005 · KARA Reporting
What we do to our children
At the very least, tell your legislator you are tired of full prisons, dangerous streets, and failing schools. Tell them that you support mental health services for children.
April 26, 2005 · KARA Reporting
A Normal Kid
A school administered mental health assessment would have discovered Jeff Weiss. He could have received the help he needed to lead a full and productive life. This child was not born crazy; he was made crazy by the adult
March 25, 2005 · KARA Reporting
Crime and Justice & a Great Sadness
What do you feel when a baby is found dead in a dumpster, a young person deliberately murders innocent people, or some other insane tragedy fills the headlines? Do you feel a sense of loss and sadness for the suffering o
March 5, 2005 · KARA Reporting
The Value of Healthy Children
Children that have suffered severe or prolonged abuse need a counseling regimen that will be part of their life for a long time. Short term counseling for severely damaged children is just one more abandonment.