Collateral Damage: The DCF Chronicles

DCF Chronicles, Child Welfare, CPS Accountability, Public Records and Oversight, Civil Rights Paul Brown DCF Chronicles, Child Welfare, CPS Accountability, Public Records and Oversight, Civil Rights Paul Brown

No State Has Ever Passed: The American Child Protection System on Trial

No state has ever fully met federal child welfare standards, and families keep paying the price. This DCF Chronicles investigation breaks down ten systemic failures, from collapsing caseloads and placement chaos to service deserts, due process gaps, and oversight that arrives only after tragedy.

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DCF Chronicles, Investigations, Child Fatalities and Near-Fatalities, Case Dossiers, Oversight and Accountability, Policy Failures, Contracted Provider Failures, Foster Care and Cause Closure Failures, Screening and Case Closure Failures, Legislative Watch, Court and Records Watch, Survivor Testimony, Systemic Issues Map, Calls to Action Paul Brown DCF Chronicles, Investigations, Child Fatalities and Near-Fatalities, Case Dossiers, Oversight and Accountability, Policy Failures, Contracted Provider Failures, Foster Care and Cause Closure Failures, Screening and Case Closure Failures, Legislative Watch, Court and Records Watch, Survivor Testimony, Systemic Issues Map, Calls to Action Paul Brown

DCF's Rotten Core: How Massachusetts Keeps Killing Kids Through Neglect and Incompetence

Massachusetts DCF keeps calling child deaths “isolated tragedies,” but the public record shows a repeat pattern of warnings ignored, cases closed without proof of safety, and protocols that protect paperwork instead of children. This is not a few bad apples, it is a rotten core.

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DCF Chronicles, Case Files, Deaths in Custody, Systemic Failures Paul Brown DCF Chronicles, Case Files, Deaths in Custody, Systemic Failures Paul Brown

State Custody, Zero Protection: The Death of James Reese Jr.

Four-year-old James Reese Jr. died in Jacksonville in 2021 while Florida held legal custody. Doctors found a skull fracture and older injuries. Missed exams, a superficial home visit, and kinship care without support point to systemic failure. Read the investigation.

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DCF Chronicles, Investigations, Texas, CPS Failures, Residential Treatment Centers Paul Brown DCF Chronicles, Investigations, Texas, CPS Failures, Residential Treatment Centers Paul Brown

He begged for help. Texas’ child welfare machine dragged him to a movie and let him die

An 11-year-old boy with autism told adults he was in pain. Thompson’s RTC dragged him to a holiday movie anyway. He collapsed and died. This investigation shows how Texas child welfare, licensing, and contractors missed warning after warning until a child was gone.

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