Michael Fitzgerald

New York

Senior Reporter at The Imprint

Reporting on child welfare and youth justice for @theimprintnews, formerly @pacificstand @newrepublic

Articles

CASA of L.A. Cuts Ties with its Leader, a Foster Care Critic

1 day ago | imprintnews.org | Jeremy Loudenback |Michael FitzGerald |Michael Fitzgerald

The Los Angeles court-appointed special advocates organization parted ways with its leader last week, a prominent voice for racial justice in the child welfare system who grew up in foster care and has decried her dismissal. Charity Chandler-Cole has led the local CASA program for the past four years. But in a message sent to its mailing list on June 18, CASA of Los Angeles stated that Cole, 39, was no longer working with the organization, and thanked her for her service.
A Detailed Window Into State Policies on Psychotropic Prescribing

1 month ago | imprintnews.org | Michael FitzGerald |Michael Fitzgerald

The Imprint’s recent five-part series, Medicated in Foster Care: Who’s Looking Out? revealed that states across the country have failed to properly monitor and curtail the heavy, haphazard reliance on psychiatric medication prescribed to foster youth. Dozens of young people with histories of trauma described “pain and anguish muffled, not healed,” by these quick-fix drugs.
Turmoil as Federal Child Welfare Staff is Nearly Halved

1 month ago | imprintnews.org | Sara Tiano |Michael FitzGerald |Michael Fitzgerald

On a Thursday in late March, department leaders in the U.S. Administration for Children and Families gathered at a meeting. The warning they received from higher-ups was blunt: On Monday, ACF will look nothing like it does today. With White House officials and business tycoon Elon Musk on camera calling to “delete” federal agencies and leave bureaucrats “traumatically affected,” cuts to social services appeared imminent.
Panicked Parents Push Back On Trump's Dismantling of Head Start

1 month ago | imprintnews.org | Michael FitzGerald |Michael Fitzgerald

Hannah Van Dinter lived in a homeless shelter with two young kids beneath Washington’s snow-capped Olympic Mountains when she learned about Head Start. The landmark early childhood education program has served millions of working poor families with young children since it was established 60 years ago. They were a good fit. The family of four lacked steady household income, and they kept running into “bad situations,” including a visit from CPS, she said.
National CASA Loses Funding Amid Trump Administration's Cuts

2 months ago | imprintnews.org | Michael FitzGerald |Michael Fitzgerald

The Trump Administration’s latest cost-cutting blitz has eliminated millions of dollars in funding for the nonprofit overseeing popular volunteer programs that match Court-Appointed Special Advocates and guardians ad litem with abused and neglected kids. In a statement posted on its website Wednesday, the Seattle-based National CASA/GAL Association for Children announced it was among hundreds of U.S. Department of Justice grantees that had received funding termination notices this week.
Divided NY Court Upholds ‘Host Homes’ for Vulnerable Kids

2 months ago | imprintnews.org | Michael FitzGerald |Michael Fitzgerald

A New York appeals court has upheld the legality of “host family homes” for children — a model of temporary care in which struggling parents place their kids with volunteer caregivers who are vetted by nonprofits but do not have to be licensed as foster parents. Critics say the model skirts longstanding social service oversight laws and could result in inadequate care or unnecessary family separation.
‘All I Did Was Sleep’: Despite Years of Damning Reports, States Fail to Rein in Psych Meds for Foster Youth – MindSite News

2 months ago | mindsitenews.org | Michael FitzGerald |Michael Fitzgerald

A 50-state review finds many child welfare agencies do a spotty job monitoring prescriptionsAlicia Bissonette, a 21-year-old living among the lakes and foothills of western Maine, recalls her teenage years in foster care as a heavily medicated, crises-filled blur. After years of childhood abuse, she moved between numerous foster homes, treatment centers and hospitals.
Attorneys Withdraw Assault Charge Against Foster Youth Advocate

2 months ago | imprintnews.org | Michael FitzGerald |Michael Fitzgerald |John Kelly

Federal prosecutors have sought dismissal of a disputed assault charge against a well-known foster youth advocate, who U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace accused of violently shaking her hand while asking her to protect transgender youth, court records show.
NYC Stands Out for Tallying Foster Youth on Psych Meds

Mar 27, 2025 | imprintnews.org | Michael FitzGerald |Michael Fitzgerald |Susanti Sarkar

Part 2 in The Imprint series Medicated in Foster Care: Who’s Looking Out? Read Part 1 here. Nearly one in four New York City foster youth ages 7 to 17 is placed on psychiatric medications — a powerful class of drugs including stimulants, mood stabilizers, antipsychotics and antidepressants. In group facilities, it’s one in three, and there’s a growing number of school-age kids receiving multiple meds at once.
States Still Fail To Rein in Psych Meds for Foster Youth

Mar 26, 2025 | imprintnews.org | Michael FitzGerald |Michael Fitzgerald

Part 1 in The Imprint series Medicated in Foster Care: Who’s Looking Out? Alicia Bissonette, a 21-year-old living among the lakes and foothills of western Maine, recalls her teenage years in foster care as a heavily medicated, crises-filled blur. After years of childhood abuse, she moved between numerous foster homes, treatment centers and hospitals.