Articles

Report details medical needs of children in child welfare system  
An evaluation of more than 500 young children removed from their parents' care by the Milwaukee Bureau of Child Welfare found five children who had been abused or neglected and 305 more who needed follow-up medical care, according to a recently released report. Click here to download the report.
By Gina Barton of the Journal Sentinel, Posted: Sept. 20, 2009

Milwaukee child welfare agency picks new leader
Child welfare officials, who promised dramatic change after the Christopher Thomas scandal, took another step toward making good on their promise Tuesday, naming Arlene Happach director of the state-run Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare.  
By Crocker Stephenson of the Journal Sentinel Posted: Sept. 15, 2009

Social worker's conduct went unreported
Officials responsible for reporting to the state that a Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare social worker had impregnated a bureau client did not report the incident until Thursday, months later than required by law and only after being contacted by the Journal Sentinel.
By Crocker Stephenson of the Journal Sentinel. Posted: Aug. 28, 2009.

Assigned to check abuse, social worker impregnates client
A state social worker who investigated a report of child abuse for the Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare later had sex with the child's emotionally troubled mother and impregnated her. He then hid the woman's pregnancy and the birth of their daughter from the bureau, even as the mother sought to retain custody of two other children, the Journal Sentinel has learned.
By Crocker Stephenson of the Journal Sentinel. Posted: Aug. 27, 2009.

Woman failed to see treatment for baby who died, complaint says
A 22-year-old Milwaukee woman accused of failing to take her 16-month-old son to critical medical appointments before he died has been charged with a felony.
By Gina Barton of the Journal Sentinel Posted: July 15, 2009

600 more foster families needed, study says
The state-run Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare must recruit nearly 600 foster families - about four times the number of new foster homes that child welfare officials have vowed to add this year - if it is to keep abused and neglected children from being placed in unstable homes, according to an independent study commissioned by the bureau and released Monday.
By Crocker Stephenson of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, June 1, 2009.

State reports on Milwaukee child welfare efforts
The 2008 progress report the Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare presented to the child welfare community Tuesday afternoon is critical in understanding how the bureau is performing and in setting goals for the coming years.
By Crocker Stephenson of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, March 24, 2009.

Advocates Speak Up for Kids
Wisconsin's children bear the brunt of the state's economic turmoil, and despite its financial problems, the state cannot afford to ignore their plight, children's rights advocates and community leaders told lawmakers Wednesday.
By Crocker Stephenson of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Feb. 5, 2009.

State to Upgrade Child Welfare
Wisconsin officials have agreed on a plan intended to fix persistent problems in Milwaukee County's state-run child welfare program, a national children's advocacy group announced Wednesday.
The group, Children's Rights, cited the November death of 13-month-old foster child Christopher Thomas as evidence of continued weaknesses in the Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare.
By Crocker Stephenson Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. January 29, 2009.

Agency to Review Foster Care
The safety of children in Milwaukee County's foster care system is the focus of a study to be conducted by the Planning Council for Health and Human Services Inc., the agency's executive director, Kathleen Pritchard, announced Thursday.
By Crocker Stephenson of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. January 16, 2009.

State employee union officials ask legislators to hear child welfare concerns
Calling the Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare "a dysfunctional environment" that hobbles workers' efforts to help children in crisis, state employees union officials Wednesday asked lawmakers to meet and discuss issues raised by the beating death of 13-month-old Christopher Thomas.
By Crocker Stephenson of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. December 11, 2008.

Rise in child abuse deaths raises alarm
Young children in Milwaukee this year are dying from abuse and neglect at alarming rates not seen in a decade, police say.
By Ryan Haggerty of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. December 8, 2008.

More Child Welfare Transparency Sought
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel investigates why it took months for the public to get details on the deaths of four infants who died during initial investigation by the Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare.
By Felicia Thomas-Lynn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel May 12, 2008

State Too Secret on Children, Groups Say
Wisconsin is among several states that earned a poor rating for secretive treatment of information about fatal and life-threatening child abuse cases, placing confidentiality above the welfare of children and ultimately blocking any chance of making needed reforms, according to a joint report released by two child advocacy groups.
By Felicia Thomas-Lynn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel April 30, 2008

Child Welfare Bureau Complaints Up 36%
CASA program manager Lance Jones, voices concerns about the effectiveness of the Office of the Milwaukee Ombudsman for Child Welfare.
By Felicia Thomas-Lynn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel April 26, 2008

What's in a Pair of PJ's? A Lot
What's in a pair of pj's? A lot. The Pajama Program and Kids Matter Inc. gives bedtime items to foster and kinship children.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 8/18/2007 By Felicia Thomas-Lynn

Number of Foster Homes Plummets
From 2001 to 2007, the number of licensed foster homes in Milwaukee County plummeted from more than 2,800 to fewer than 600, reaching what some describe as a crisis level.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 6/10/2007 By Sarah Carr

Hearing Sought in Baby's Death
Four legislators join Kids Matter Inc. to call for an investigation into the starvation death of a Milwaukee infant.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 2/8/2007 By Mary Zahn

Caregivers Fear Budgetary Pinch
State shuffle cut $215 payments in half in May and June of 2005 for Kinship families caring for abused and neglected children.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 2/15/2005 By Mary Zahn

Struggling to Protect Children
After the deaths of several children, advocates call for independent oversight of the Bureau of the Milwaukee Child Welfare.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 5/1/2004 By Mary Zahn

A Second Chance
This is a story about survivors. Abused and neglected, these kids found new lives. Some of their siblings weren’t so lucky. What went right and what went wrong inside the child welfare system.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 5/1/2004 By Mary Van de Kamp Nohl

Woman Urges Foster Care Review
Susan Conwell advocates for a Citizen Review Panel to conduct child fatality reviews and an audit of the child welfare system in Milwaukee.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 5/9/2003 By Jamaal Abdul-Alim

"Unnamed Jones" Finds a Name
Her birth certificate read "Unnamed Jones," but everyone knew her as "Latricia" - and now the state does too, thanks to the pro bono efforts of attorney Jennifer Kopp.
Wisconsin Lawyer March 2003 By Anne Raci

The Lost Children
A call for transparency and accountability within the Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare.
Milwaukee Magazine 11/1/2002 By Mary Van de Kamp Nohl