Attorney General Dana Nessel reached a settlement with the ACLU. It requires agencies not to discriminate against gay people who want to adopt or foster children referred by the state.
Foster children can have extraordinary health needs. Some states are testing a coordinated approach to care to keep these kids from slipping through the cracks.
Infants do better with their parents, studies find, as long as parents have support to get and stay sober. This program starts during pregnancy, to rally and train a strong family support network.
Early findings on infants born with neonatal abstinence syndrome are reassuring, and doctors are optimistic that normal development can continue. Making sure parents are treated for addiction is key.
After federal immigration agents sent Maria Luis back to Guatemala, her kids went into the Nebraska foster system. It took her five years to get them back.
After caring for drug-addicted infants, two men became foster parents. It was hard saying goodbye to the first child, but when offered the chance to do it again they said, "How can you say no?"