 The purpose of the suit was to seek more money for parents caring for abused and neglected foster children.After three and a half years of litigation, in 2011, the US District Court in San Francisco ordered the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) to "immediately" implement new, higher reimbursement rates for California foster parents.While at the Children's Advocacy Institute, Howard has worked on enacting a statute increasing transparency of foster care operations and numerous laws aiding homeless and foster youth.