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A White woman with wavy blonde hair stands on her porch at dusk.
News July 22
Decades After Leaving Foster Care, She Learned She Was Owed Benefits. Where Did The Money Go?
After reading a Marshall Project/NPR investigation, former foster youth are asking what happened to their benefits — and the government isn’t helping.
By Alexandra Arriaga
Inside Story January 13
Paying for Their Own Foster Care
Episode 3 of Inside Story examines the conflict between legality and morality when states take money intended for foster children.
By Donald Washington, Jr. and Lawrence Bartley
Analysis December 21, 2021
Some of Our Best Work of 2021
From police use of force to life without parole to troubling prison conditions, our reporters told groundbreaking stories this year.
By Terri Troncale
Feature May 17, 2021
Foster Care Agencies Take Millions of Dollars Owed to Kids. Most Children Have No Idea.
The majority of states obtain money intended for foster children with disabilities or a deceased parent without telling them, The Marshall Project and NPR found.
By Eli Hager with Joseph Shapiro, NPR
News May 17, 2021
These States Take Money Meant for Foster Children
Our reporting shows that in at least 49 states, plus Washington, D.C., foster care officials obtain federal benefits intended for children in their care.
By Michelle Pitcher, Weihua Li and David Eads
These current and former foster youth in Alaska say the state took Social Security benefits that belonged to them.
Feature April 22, 2021
Were You Ever in Foster Care? Here’s How to Find Out if the Government Took Your Money
State foster care agencies have been taking benefits that belong to some of the most vulnerable kids. Here’s what to ask to see if it’s happened to you — and how to ask for your money back.
By Eli Hager
M., 23, stands in the room she has prepared for her daughter at her home in Massachusetts in March of 2021. Since her newborn daughter was placed in foster care, M. has been forced to bond with her primarily through Zoom.
Coronavirus April 14, 2021
These Parents Had to Bond With Their Babies Over Zoom — or Lose Them Forever
During the pandemic, video chats replaced in-person visits between parents and their children placed in foster care. The effects could linger for years.
By Eli Hager
Due to school closures and stay-at-home orders, there have been fewer “eyes on children” to report on abuse happening to kids.
Coronavirus June 15, 2020
Is Child Abuse Really Rising During The Pandemic?
Amid speculation of a spike in abuse, advocates worry that families of color will be policed even more.
By Eli Hager
A girl in the foster care system at an emergency children’s shelter in West Virginia in 2019.
Coronavirus March 24, 2020
Coronavirus Leaves Foster Children With Nowhere to Go
New placements, family visits and child-abuse investigations falter across the country.
By Eli Hager
A mother with her son in South Carolina in January. He was taken from her and placed in foster care only to be returned weeks later.
Feature February 11, 2020
The Hidden Trauma of “Short Stays” in Foster Care
Every year, thousands of children are removed from their homes by officials who fear for their safety—only to be returned within days. It “felt like being kidnapped,” one said.
By Eli Hager
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