 For Chris, two mothers and a fork in the road
The tough trek to
redemption and reunification
How CYS answers the calls
to action
The state of child
welfare in Pennsylvania
Amid a system in chaos,
a promise for Chris
Low pay, high stress
threaten caseworker longevity
Faltering system
makes fatal mistakes
Family Service Plan: Too
blurred for kids to find their way home
As Chris settles in,
home is a place that divides his heart
A lucky foster child, she
finds a committed, loving family for life
Tears and defiance as
Chris faces 'termination'
A mother meets her goals,
but may lose her daughters
Termination: a
rigorous process
Chris' parents get a
place of their own and demand their boys back
Nine children, but none to
call her own
Adoption and Safe
Families Act
Children's return
delayed
A final plea that love
is enough to send Chris and his brother home
Jasmine beats the adoption
odds for black children
Holy Family Institute:
An orphanage for the '90s
Chris finally learns
which home is home
Foster family still hurting
over the 'daughter' they didn't get to keep
WANTED: adoptive
parents for the state's 'waiting children'
How the federal law
will shake down in Pennsylvania
Epilogue
To gain access to closed court proceedings and to families normally forbidden to speak
to reporters, the Post-Gazette agreed to two conditions set by Allegheny County Children
and Youth Services and a Common Pleas Court judge as it began work on this series 2 1/2
years ago. They were: No story would be published until the children were sent home or
adopted and their names would be used only with the consent of both parents and foster
parents. The older child's name does not appear as a result.
 |
|
Barbara White Stack, 43, is an issues reporter for the
Post-Gazette, focusing on child welfare and delinquency. Before that, she served as an
assistant city editor and urban affairs reporter. She joined the newspaper in 1979, after
having worked as a reporter for the Beaver County Times and the Greensburg Tribune-Review.
A native of Bucks county, Stack is a journalism graduate of Penn State University. She has
received numerous awards for her reporting. |
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is pleased to offer reprints of the "Lives on
Layaway" series. The complete content is reformatted to fit on 8.5" x 11"
pages for easy storage and filing. Each reprint costs $14.92 (includes tax and postage) by
mail or telephone. Visit the PG
Store for more details.
|
