Susanti Sarkar

New York

NYC reporter @theimprintnews | Investigative journalism alum🕵️‍♀️ @MedillSchool | for stories or tips, [email protected]

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Articles

NY Budget Fails to Address Looming Child Care ‘Crisis'

2 weeks ago | imprintnews.org | Susanti Sarkar

Concerns persist as April 1 budget deadline is extended. As New York’s budget negotiations draw to a close, advocates and lawmakers are fighting for millions of dollars in funding to support thousands of families across the state who are on the brink of losing access to affordable child care.
Foster Youth and Advocates Rally to End Use of Trash Bags

4 weeks ago | imprintnews.org | Susanti Sarkar

Former foster youth joined lawmakers for a rally on the steps of the state Capitol this week after a New York bill that sought to end the practice of giving foster youth trash bags to transport their belongings failed to make it onto the Legislature’s budget proposals for the coming fiscal year. Advocates held the rally to demand passage of legislation that calls for providing proper luggage to thousands of foster youth around the state.
NYC Stands Out for Tallying Foster Youth on Psych Meds

4 weeks ago | 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.
NYC Appeals Court Says CPS Can't Go After Abused Parents

2 months ago | imprintnews.org | Susanti Sarkar

In a far-reaching decision, a state appellate court has ordered a stop to New York City’s child welfare agency practices that subject domestic violence victims to caseworker supervision when the only accusation against them is that they have an abusive partner. The Wednesday ruling by a four-judge panel of the State Supreme Court’s appellate division in Brooklyn will impact rulings in family court statewide, according to legal experts.
Child Welfare Leaders Alarmed by Trump’s Call to Freeze Spending

2 months ago | imprintnews.org | Sara Tiano |Nancy Spears |Susanti Sarkar |Jeremy Loudenback

In a swipe at social spending that stunned state and local officials and advocates for the poor nationwide, the Trump administration ordered a halt to virtually all federal spending on social services issuing a directive that sought to freeze hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funding.
Homelessness Among Students in New York City Hits Record High

2 months ago | imprintnews.org | Susanti Sarkar

About one in every eight New York City public school students — nearly 146,000 children — experienced homelessness during the 2023-24 school year, data released late last year from the nonprofit Advocates for Children of New York has revealed. That figure, a 23% jump from the year before, marks the ninth consecutive year that more than 100,000 students were identified as homeless. They included children living in hotels, motels and shelters, or temporarily sharing housing belonging to others.
Biden Appointee Now Leads NYC’s Oldest Child Protection Group

Jan 21, 2025 | imprintnews.org | Susanti Sarkar |Michael FitzGerald |Michael Fitzgerald

Aysha Schomburg’s recently concluded three-year tenure as one of the nation’s top child welfare officials is among the most historic: Child poverty and calls to Child Protective Services plunged to historic lows after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
NY Gov. Approves Law Blocking Payments for ‘Broken’ Adoptions

Jan 9, 2025 | imprintnews.org | Susanti Sarkar

After years of advocacy, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has signed three bills aimed at better protecting children and young adults in foster care. The new year begins with legislation, now written into law, that will: ensure that adoptive parents don’t continue to receive monthly payments after children are no longer under their care; support aging-out youth; and track how many foster children have a developmental disability.
Nonprofit, Former Foster Youth on Housing and Health Policies

Nov 5, 2024 | imprintnews.org | Susanti Sarkar |Bria Suggs

Former foster youth in Georgia, New York and California are driving reforms recommended by a leading national nonprofit focused on system reforms, with the goal of improving access to mental health care and affordable housing for one of the nation’s most vulnerable populations.
New York Comptroller Says State Must Better Track Child Safety

Oct 22, 2024 | imprintnews.org | Susanti Sarkar

A state watchdog is calling out shortcomings at New York’s Office of Children and Family Services — concerns that range from a lack of thorough child fatality reviews to limited record-keeping of rejected calls at the state-run child protection hotline. “We suggested increased monitoring, because this is such an important area — children who are potentially being abused,” said Deputy Comptroller Tina Kim, who works for the Division of State Government Accountability.