Child Welfare
Latest Stories
Washington’s mental health facilities for children are strained
At a moment when more children than ever are in need, Washington’s pediatric inpatient psychiatric facilities are reeling from chronic underfunding, a patchwork of laws that make expansion difficult, and a mental health workforce crisis that’s translated to high employee turnover and serious understaffing.

Concerns of baby formula price gouging reach Oregon
As the country is dealing with a widespread baby formula shortage, Oregon officials are working to prevent price gouging in the state.

Accusations of ‘grooming’ are latest political attack in US — with homophobic origins
Old accusations of LGBTQ people "grooming" and "recruiting" children have gained new traction. When have we heard this before? What counternarrative are activists using to win over public opinion?

First pope, now US churches face Native boarding-school reckoning
U.S. churches are bracing for an unprecedented reckoning with their histories operating boarding schools for Native Americans.
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After 5 months stuck in hospital, Washington teen with autism sent to facility 2,700 miles from home
The state of Washington is putting tens of millions of dollars into shoring up a fractured children’s mental health safety net. But it may come too late for a 14-year-old nonverbal autistic teen who spent five months stuck in the hospital.

1 million children leave behind lives, friends in Ukraine
Annamaria Maslovska left her friends, her toys and her life in Ukraine and set off on a days-long journey with her mother toward safety in the West.
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Two Portland teens die in 24 hours from suspected fentanyl overdoses
Police reported a Portland teenager died on Sunday and another died Monday, after both took pills laced with fentanyl.
Washington to pay $4 million settlement in foster abuse case
The state of Washington has agreed to a $4 million settlement for two former foster children who were abused and sexually assaulted.

Who was the girl in the woods?
Police released a sketch Monday of a child found dead in the woods of Lincoln County. “I’ve been in law enforcement 28 years, and this is the first case that I’ve been involved in where we have a child that’s deceased that we’re not able to identify,” said Oregon State Police Capt. Tim Fox.

Child Welfare Report | Steve Novick's Recommendations For Portland | Klamath Falls Organ
A new report offers a grim look at Oregon's child welfare system. A former Portland commissioner offers a vision for how to fix city hall. A church in Klamath Falls gets an organ it has been waiting for for nearly 100 years.