The Record · SC
South Carolina
South Carolina: federal child-welfare figures and 63 pieces of KARA reporting, in full.
Federal child-welfare figures and KARA's reporting on South Carolina.
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 South Carolina
63 articles, newest first, republished in full.
June 26, 2026 · KARA Reporting
Child Abuse Prevention In America (videos & articles)
KARA reports on the issues of at risk children by curating a wide lens on child abuse and child protection. This post pulls together recent coverage from newspapers, universities, public health departments, UNICEF, the W
Colorado · Georgia · North Carolina · Oklahoma · South Carolina · Virginia
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
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
August 25, 2025 · KARA Reporting
Join KARA's Child Advocacy Team (& make your community's children safe)
Ways for KARA readers to raise their voice for at risk children. The options in the Read More below provide direct impact, community building, and how to create policy change for at risk children where you live. Join KAR
California · New York · South Carolina · Tennessee · Utah
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
August 11, 2024 · KARA Reporting
What Teachers Are Facing Today and Tomorrow
Teachers feel undervalued and overwhelmed. Turnover his high and a number of states are using unqualified people to fill positions.
Alabama · Alaska · Arizona · Arkansas · California · Colorado · Florida · Idaho · Louisiana · Mississippi · Missouri · Nebraska · Nevada · Oregon · Rhode Island · South Carolina · Tennessee · Texas · Utah · Vermont
January 7, 2023 · KARA Reporting
Kids, Race & the Supreme Court
What the jury and others may not have known before the life sentence is that by the age of 14 Miller attempted suicide four times. The first time he tried to kill himself was at the age of six. Due to experiencing abuse
December 13, 2022 · KARA Reporting
Criminalizing Elementary School Children
When 14-year-old Ryan Turk cut ahead of the lunch line to grab a milk, he didn't expect to get in trouble. He certainly didn't plan to end up in handcuffs. But Turk, a black student at Graham Park Middle School, was arre
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
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
September 22, 2021 · KARA Reporting
The School Safety Net
COVID restrictions have locked many more students into toxic homes and made it much harder for teachers to have the relationships necessary to have meaningful conversations and provide help to end the abuse.For many chil
August 19, 2021 · KARA Reporting
Domestic Violence Report August 2021
For abused children, there have been no classrooms to escape to and many mandated reporters have been unable to visit children to hear their stories and see their bruises. This must feel like a war to children living in
California · Connecticut · Florida · Missouri · New York · Ohio · Pennsylvania · South Carolina · Texas · Virginia · Wisconsin
April 23, 2021 · KARA Reporting
Juvenile Injustice, Race & the Supreme Court
What the jury and others may not have known before the life sentence is that by the age of 14 Miller attempted suicide four times. The first time he tried to kill himself was at the age of six. Due to experiencing abuse
September 26, 2020 · KARA Reporting
Criminalizing Elementary School Children (policing our schools & punishment)
Federal Funding, Zero Tolerance and Inadequate Alternatives mean that more states are policing schools with armed officers. Before the 1970's police were almost absent from elementary and junior high schools. Today, arme
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
April 20, 2020 · KARA Reporting
Violence Against Children & Covid19 – (it’s own pandemic) part III
Shelter In Place locks abused children in toxic homes With no escape to the safety of a classroom Domestic violence is rising and law enforcement & social workers are having a hard time keeping up. CLICK HERE FOR RESOURC
Connecticut · Georgia · Illinois · Indiana · New York · Ohio · South Carolina · Washington · Wisconsin
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
August 1, 2019 · KARA Reporting
CASA Guardian Ad Litem Activity Around the Nation (where you live)
News and stories from around the U.S. from June and July 2019. Find your CASA news here;
Iowa · Montana · New Mexico · Oklahoma · Rhode Island · South Carolina · Texas · Utah · Virginia · Washington · Wisconsin
June 4, 2019 · KARA Reporting
Recent International Child Protection News
Often, we look to the government to provide support in order to protect our children; however, the following news stories point to a disturbing trend of a lack of state action in preventing or even intervening in child w
Alabama · Arkansas · Florida · Georgia · Louisiana · Mississippi · North Carolina · South Carolina
May 23, 2019 · KARA Reporting
Recent Child Suicide & Self-Harm Reporting & Statistics (Part III)
This reporting over the last 45 days is a fraction of the child self-harm & suicide in our communities today
Arizona · California · Colorado · Florida · Illinois · Iowa · Montana · South Carolina · Washington · Wyoming
May 17, 2019 · KARA Reporting
KARA’s Top Stories The Week of 5.17.19
AZ: Child-welfare cases are private. Does that protect the kids, or the state officials? (Commentary) Arizona Republic - May 03, 2019 When news broke that a Maricopa woman had been accused of starving, pepper-spraying, a
Arizona · Florida · Illinois · Maine · New Jersey · South Carolina
July 14, 2018 · KARA Reporting
Child Burns, Torture and Trauma for June 2018
Community summit to address childhood trauma WCTV (WCTV) - According to Child Protective Services nearly 700,000 children were victims of abuse or neglect in 2016. Experts say those traumatic experiences can leave a last
California · Connecticut · Florida · Michigan · Ohio · Oklahoma · Pennsylvania · South Carolina · Tennessee
July 8, 2018 · KARA Reporting
Child & Infant Death June 2018
4 people arraigned in child's death investigation, charged with gross abuse of a corpse in Defiance … WTOL.com A body of a new born infant left un-cared for 17 months in Defiance County has resulted in four people from t
California · Georgia · Michigan · Missouri · Nevada · New Hampshire · Oklahoma · South Carolina · Texas · Wisconsin
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
October 7, 2017 · KARA Reporting
September Sad Stories 2017 Part II
OH: Greene County in need of additional foster families Xenia Daily Gazette - August 31, 2017 Greene County Children's Services has seen a 22 percent increase in new children services cases from 2015 through 2016 in addi
Alabama · California · Colorado · Florida · Georgia · Massachusetts · New Jersey · North Carolina · South Carolina
October 5, 2017 · KARA Reporting
September Sad Stories 2017 Part I
37% of children overall and 57% of Black children are reported to child protection services in America by the time they turn 18. (American Journal of Public Health 1.17) 12 million children a year are reported to child p
Delaware · Florida · Illinois · Michigan · Ohio · Oregon · South Carolina
August 4, 2017 · KARA Reporting
July Sad Stories Part I
This is only a sampling of what should be reported – the great majority of child trauma & abuse never gets reported. American states are struggling to find answers for saving at risk children and reversing the explosive
California · Georgia · Michigan · New York · Ohio · South Carolina · Texas
June 16, 2017 · KARA Reporting
CASA guardian ad-Litem News Feb thru May 2017 Part II (be a voice for children)
FIND YOUR CASA here – CASA’s around the U.S. If you are not listed, send me your info and we will include it. Find out what the other 975 CASA’s from around the nation are up to. Last year, more than 76,000 CASA and guar
Arizona · Connecticut · Florida · Georgia · Illinois · New Mexico · North Carolina · South Carolina
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
July 29, 2016 · KARA Reporting
July 2016 Sad Stories Through July 15-29 (part 2)
IN: Christensen/Laurin: Should lawyers report child abuse learned in representation? (Opinion) Indiana Lawyer - July 27, 2016 A lawyer's reporting obligation depends on whether confidentiality and/or privilege are implic
California · Connecticut · Florida · Georgia · Indiana · Maryland · Ohio · Oregon · South Carolina
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
February 22, 2016 · KARA Reporting
More Americans Killed By Toddlers With Guns Than Terrorists
Toddlers with guns have murdered 5 people with guns in America this year, terrorists 3. Would we be safer if the NSA were spying on children, or just keeping an eye on pistol packing families? Here's a list of this years
Alabama · Arizona · California · Florida · Idaho · Indiana · Iowa · Kentucky · New Jersey · New York · Ohio · South Carolina · Tennessee · Texas · West Virginia
February 14, 2016 · KARA Reporting
CASA guardian ad-Litem News Around The Nation 1.1.16-2.13.16
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
Alabama · Florida · Idaho · Illinois · North Carolina · Ohio · Oklahoma · South Carolina
January 1, 2016 · KARA Reporting
5 People / Week Accidentally Shot By Children (thank you Wayne LaPierre)
265 Moms, dads, brothers, sisters and selves were shot by very young children this year. This is the first time data on people shot by children has been collected in America. I'm guessing it will go up n next year. There
California · Colorado · Florida · Kentucky · Louisiana · Oregon · South Carolina · Virginia
August 2, 2015 · KARA Reporting
CASA guardian ad-Litem News (find your state here) August 2015
A baby is born addicted to opiates, a young child wakes up to find their parent unresponsive with a needle in their arm, siblings sit in the back seat of a car parked on a country road as their parents are shooting up he
Alabama · California · Florida · Georgia · Illinois · Indiana · Louisiana · Missouri · Nebraska · North Carolina · Pennsylvania · South Carolina
July 5, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Child Abuse & Child Welfare Stories For June 2015
KARA compiles news from various sources across the nation each month. Find your state here (international news is also included).
Arizona · California · Colorado · Georgia · Iowa · Louisiana · Michigan · Mississippi · Oklahoma · South Carolina · Texas
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
April 17, 2015 · KARA Reporting
CASA News Around the Nation for April (what do guardian ad-Litems do?)
The following is a compilation of Court Appointed Special Advocate - guardian ad-litem news in April from around the nation (find your state here). Send KARA your announcements & news articles (short form with links & in
Connecticut · Delaware · Florida · Georgia · Kansas · Maine · North Carolina · Pennsylvania · South Carolina · Tennessee · Texas
April 4, 2015 · KARA Reporting
What's Wrong With Kansas Part II (how the state values its children)
No longer does Kansas promise its children a full school year . Several districts are closing early because Governor Brownback effectively eliminated 51 million dollars from school budgets (cut per pupil $950 from 2008 t
Arkansas · Kansas · Louisiana · Mississippi · New Mexico · South Carolina · Texas
March 5, 2015 · KARA Reporting
CASA guardian ad litem News Around The Nation (find your state here)
This post compiles CASA stories from around the nation.
Florida · Idaho · North Carolina · Ohio · South Carolina · Texas
February 28, 2015 · KARA Reporting
Sad Children Stories From February
The following sad stories have been gathered from around the nation and give an indication of how different states are handling child abuse and child protection. Find your state here;
Alabama · Alaska · Arizona · Arkansas · California · Colorado · Florida · Georgia · Illinois · Indiana · Kentucky · Louisiana · Maryland · Massachusetts · Michigan · Missouri · Montana · Nebraska · Nevada · New York · Ohio · Oregon · Pennsylvania · South Carolina · Texas · Utah · Vermont · West Virginia · Wisconsin
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
November 17, 2014 · KARA Reporting
We’re Number One (America leads the world in the wrong things)
We are now number one in child homelessness; one in thirty kids – 2.5 million American children, experienced homelessness last year. Many states don’t offer children insurance, daycare, prenatal care, or healthcare and p
Arkansas · Louisiana · Mississippi · North Carolina · South Carolina
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
August 28, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Guardian ad-Litem News
These are CASA guardian ad-Litem stories KARA has gathered from around the nation;
Florida · Missouri · Nebraska · New York · North Carolina · Oregon · South Carolina
August 22, 2014 · KARA Reporting
This Week's At Risk Children's News
SC: Exclusive - Robert Guinyard's life and death in SC's child welfare system The State - August 17, 2014 Since his death, Robert has become the face of the debate over whether Social Services is doing all it can to prot
Alabama · Arizona · California · Florida · Missouri · New Hampshire · Ohio · South Carolina · South Dakota · Texas
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
July 25, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Most Interesting Child Abuse Articles Of The Week
altimore Sun Mandated Reporters (sanctions for not reporting) CA: Former foster youths graduate with help of Journey House Pasadena Star-News - July 23, 2014 When youth grow too old for the foster care system, they often
California · Connecticut · Florida · Georgia · Missouri · New Jersey · Oklahoma · South Carolina · Texas · Vermont
April 24, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Years Of Ignored Child Abuse In Arizona (why should we care?)
Charles Flanagan, head of the new Division of Child Safety and Family Services, said five were people working for him who were found to have been instrumental in crafting and implementing a policy that resulted in ignori
Alaska · Arizona · Indiana · Louisiana · Mississippi · New Mexico · South Carolina · Texas
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
January 26, 2014 · KARA Reporting
Child Abuse In Your State (recent news from across the nation - thank you Child Welfare in the News)
IN: Can parents sue DCS? Yes, divided justices rule Indiana Lawyer - January 01, 2014 A sharply divided Indiana Supreme Court decision that a family may sue the state's child protection agency for negligence is sure to r
California · Massachusetts · Nebraska · New York · Ohio · Pennsylvania · South Carolina · Tennessee · Utah
August 8, 2013 · KARA Reporting
Child Welfare In The News (find your state - nation here) 100+ articles
Child Welfare in the News is distributed at no charge by Child Welfare Information Gateway (www.childwelfare.gov), a service of the Children's Bureau/ACF/HHS (www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb). It features news stories on top
California · Illinois · Indiana · Oregon · Pennsylvania · South Carolina · Tennessee · Texas · Wisconsin
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
May 3, 2013 · KARA Reporting
How To Sell Guns To Five Year Old's (yes we do)
Mother Earth News this month includes weapons manufacturers marketing materials aimed at very young children. It is disturbing. It was just last week a five year old Kentucky boy killed his two year old sister with his "
Idaho · Kentucky · New Jersey · New York · South Carolina · Tennessee
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 1, 2013 · KARA Reporting
Guns and Children In Florida (it's not guns that kill people) It's Bad Laws About Guns
In Florida it is against the law for a Pediatrician to ask a patient about guns in the house. In 2010 almost 20,000 children were killed or wounded by firearms in America (A child is killed or wounded every thirty minute
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
April 28, 2012 · KARA Reporting
Guardian Ad-Litem News From Around The Nation
AskTheGAL: A new weekly column for your questions about helping abused, neglected children Read more here: http://www.bradenton.com/2012/04/18/4003160/askthegal-a-new-weekly-column.html#storylink=cpy
April 19, 2012 · KARA Reporting
From Child Welfare In The News
AZ: Money for foster care in Arizona could be cut by more than half ABC15.com April 18, 2012 The Chandler couple doesn’t understand why state lawmakers would even consider a 60 percent cut to Child Protective Services. U
Arizona · California · Florida · Indiana · Kansas · Maryland · Massachusetts · Nebraska · North Carolina · South Carolina · Tennessee · Washington · West Virginia
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.
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
February 4, 2010 · KARA Reporting
This May Not Be The Case
A new federal study will soon be getting rave reviews and making us feel like the nation has made great progress in ending child abuse.
Alabama · Louisiana · Mississippi · South Carolina · Texas
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