SOCIAL JUSTICE BLOG

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  Class Action Advances the Welfare of 6,000 Foster Children in West Virginia
Class Actions, Foster Care Teddy Basham-Witherington Class Actions, Foster Care Teddy Basham-Witherington

Class Action Advances the Welfare of 6,000 Foster Children in West Virginia

The West Virginia child welfare agency that was supposed to protect foster child, Jonathan, has failed.  Last month, in a huge step forward, the case was certified as a class action, meaning that the case is now proceeding not only on behalf of Jonathan, but on behalf of all children in foster care in West Virginia. The children’s lawyers now have the opportunity to prove that children in the West Virginia foster care system are being subjected to an “unreasonable risk of harm,” which the state is constitutionally barred from inflicting on children.  

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Indiscriminate Use of Psychotropics among Children in Foster Care Is a National Disgrace
Foster Care, Psychotropics, Class Actions Teddy Basham-Witherington Foster Care, Psychotropics, Class Actions Teddy Basham-Witherington

Indiscriminate Use of Psychotropics among Children in Foster Care Is a National Disgrace

Because of the success of our lawsuit, Missouri will now begin implementing reforms to protect these children: medical records will be monitored; doctors and caregivers, with real input from youth, will vet the risks and the benefits of medication before it is administered; and an independent child psychiatrist will be available to provide secondary review of prescriptions for efficacy and safety.

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