The Imprint

Medicated in Foster Care: Who’s Looking Out?

Michael Fitzgerald, Jeremy Loundenback, Susanti Sarkar

Youth in foster care are much more likely than their peers to be prescribed psychotropic medication, drugs used to treat mental illnesses. And despite bipartisan legislation that requires state child agencies to develop and report protocols for using and monitoring those drugs, at least 10 states have not complied — an issue highlighted in a reported series by The Imprint. The Imprint reviewed policies and class-action lawsuits for all 50 states and uncovered “spotty enforcement of federal requirements that child welfare agencies monitor psychotropic prescriptions for foster youth.”

“This series is groundbreaking work that tackles a difficult subject in depth,” a judge said. Another judge praised the reporting and urged The Imprint to continue reporting on the topic “because getting impact for these kids matters.”

Read the Winning Work

Medicated in Foster Care: Who’s Looking Out

‘All I Did Was Sleep’: Despite Years of Damning Reports, States Across the Country Fail To Rein in Psych Meds for Foster Youth 

New York City Stands Out as a Rare Local Agency Tallying Foster Youth on Psychotropics. What Do the Numbers Reveal? 

Prescribing Psychiatric Drugs to California Foster Youth: ‘It’s the Job of All Who Are Involved’ 

Zombies No More: Former Foster Youth Reflect on Their Medicated Childhoods — and New Ways They Heal 

‘All I Wanted is To Be Healed’: Alternatives to Psych Meds for Foster Youth With Mental Health Issues

A Detailed Window Into State Policies on Psychotropic Prescribing