ABSTRACT
New Jersey state officials turned down the Asbury Park Press’ request that would help the paper measure the performance of the state’s child protection agency. But we learned of federal government databases that contained information on children in foster care throughout the United States, including New Jersey. We also learned of a federal law that required the data to be released and used that knowledge to persuade the state officials to release their data for two years. We succeeded in getting the electronic information necessary to examine the system and produce a five-day series that showed the state had done little to reform its system and that children were spending more time than ever in foster care and group homes.
