Clara Bates | Missouri Independent

Sara Smith, the new Children’s Division director, has moved away from her predecessor’s focus on shrinking the foster care system. The Independent sat down with her for an interview about her tenure so far and plans for the future.

One lawmaker said without passing an extension on the statute of limitations for child abuse survivors, Missouri runs the risk of becoming a ‘sanctuary state for pedophiles.'

The 444 individuals on the Department of Mental Health’s waitlist have been charged with crimes but not convicted.

Democrats pledged that the motion to end debate, unused since 2020, will mean confrontation and the end of cooperation.

The fate of the law remains uncertain as Republican state legislators continue working to weaken it before the session concludes on May 16.

A sweeping child welfare bill that would ban child marriage and prohibit the state from seizing foster children’s Social Security benefits is headed to the governor’s desk, after the Missouri Senate gave it final approval Tuesday on a 32 to 1 vote.

Legislation that would void non-disclosure agreements in child sexual abuse cases received unanimous approval from Missouri’s House on Tuesday afternoon.

In most Missouri counties, children linger in foster care longer than the federal standard, according to data compiled by the state social services agency.

Missouri could be on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars in Medicaid costs under proposals being debated in Congress.