Allegra Abramo

Allegra is a freelance writer based in Seattle. She previously worked for InvestigateWest on the 2016 statehouse reporting project, and has been covering issues related to child welfare for InvestigateWest since 2016.

Protestors march outside the state capitol at a foster youth rally in Olympia on February 10, 2017.

Foster Care

Olympia’s budget clash threatens foster care reforms

April 25, 2017

All in the family: In addition to raising their biological kids, parents Tom and Jaimie Floch of Aberdeen have fostered 11

Foster Care

New report highlights foster care’s failings as legislators debate funding

April 6, 2017

Foster youth gather at an Olympia church before a rally last week to urge legislators to do more to help abandoned, abused

Foster Care

Momentum grows for new children’s agency while lawmakers fret about funding

February 14, 2017

Foster Care

Foster youth rally in Olympia demanding solutions to crisis

February 10, 2017

Foster Care

What InvestigateWest has uncovered so far on foster care

October 27, 2016

For two years Karly Leib worked for a private agency that recruited foster parents. She reluctantly quit after getting worn

Government

Washington’s troubled foster care program struggles to keep foster parents

High turnover among unhappy foster parents is putting more stress on an already strained system and hindering the state’s ability to care for its most vulnerable children.

October 27, 2016

Brandon Fogg has seen the foster-care system as both child and parent. He has an unorthodox suggestion for improvement.

Government

Four ways to fix Washington's foster care system

Four potential fixes for Washington's overburdened foster care system, including an unconventional suggestion by a foster youth who became a foster parent.

September 21, 2016

Each time a foster child change schools, he loses four to six months of academic progress. Many in Washington, shuffled

Government

Foster system sets up kids for academic failure

Washington's shortage of foster parents to care for abused and neglected kids is so overburdened that kids who are shuffled among hotels and emergency placements often miss school, further compromising their chances to become successful adults.

September 21, 2016