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Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Kelsey Smith-Briggs' Mother Gets No Money From Lawsuit Settlement

A federal judge ruled today the mother of Kelsey Smith-Briggs will get nothing from the settlement of a lawsuit over her daughter's death.

Minnesota Juvenile Court Video Link

Editor's Note:  I came across this video on the Minnesota Judicial Branch website that is designed to "help" parents whose children are under the watchful eye of Child Protective Services.  It's more CPS propaganda so take from it what you can and disregard the bull.  I hope it helps someone fighting CPS.

Click here to view video: In the Best Interests of Your Child- Dec. 2009 (27 min.) 

"In the Best Interests of Your Child" is an orientation to juvenile court and child protection proceedings.  The purpose of the video is to:
  • Identify the people who will be involved in the child protection case and who will be in the courtroom (e.g., judge, court reporter, court attendant, county attorney, social worker, guardian ad litem, attorneys, etc.);
  • Explain the parent's legal rights and responsibilities;
  • Describe the juvenile court process, including the types of hearings (e.g., EPC, Admit/Deny, Disposition, Review, Permanency) that the parent may be required to attend and what happens at a typical hearing;
  • Explain how the juvenile court process may affect the parent and the child and what will happen after court; and
  • Emphasize that the child's best interests are at stake and timely resolution of the problems causing risk of harm to the child is important to the healthy development of the child. 
The video has been provided to all court administrators, county social services agencies, GAL Program Managers and Coordinators, and all attorneys representing parents in child protection cases.  In addition to this English version of the video, the CJI is in the process of translating the video into Spanish, Hmong, Lao, and Somali, and those versions will be distributed later by early Summer 2010.

Move On? Yeah, Right! How Am I Supposed To Do THAT???

Written by:  Denise Dopkins
February 10, 2010
Raped by the State 
© All Rights Reserved
Reprinted with permission


The moment my parental rights were verbally terminated, my Spokane County public defender Mark Callen set up a meeting with my CPS contracted mental health therapist. He did this without consulting with me first. He further emailed me and basically ordered me to attend. During the meeting, Mr. Callen and my therapist Carla Paullin attempted to persuade me to not appeal the termination ruling. They informed me that I should just 'move on' with my life and 'continue to make progress'. Fascinatingly enough, I have been advised by some of my friends to do the same. I guess my question to anyone who so freely gives this advice is-- what exactly does 'move on' mean to them? Would they encourage a parent to move on if their child had been kidnapped by anyone other than CPS? Would they not want to see the kidnappers imprisoned and punished for the crime? Should it not be the same punishment for state agents, judges and court commissioners who illegally detain children from their parents?

I genuinely invite anyone to explain to me their definition of 'move on'. Does that mean that the parent should just sail off into the wild blue yonder and live as if this tragedy never happened to them and their children? Does it mean that those parents wounded by the unreasonable and even illegal actions of state agents should not work to affect change in the child welfare system? Does 'move on' mean that the parent should be silent and not warn the general public of the dangers of becoming entrapped by CPS? Yes... I said entrapped.

I Had To Flee Britain To Stop My Baby Being Snatched By The State

Editor's Note:  While the next few articles deal with Britain's corrupt CPS (Child Protective Services, not to be confused with the Crown Protective Services) and family courts, it's the same exact problem here in America.  While my fight is within the United States, naturally, when I find relevant articles that prove that money is the driving force behind all these removals and adoptions, I've got to post them.  So when we are finally successful here, maybe we'll help others too cos guess what!  They love their children just as much as we do!!!

By JILL FOSTER
Last updated at 23:16 31 January 2008

Fran Lyon: The 22-year-old fled Britain to stop her baby being taken away

Fran Lyon will be a mother by now.

All alone, in a hiding place somewhere in Europe, the 22-year-old student will be cradling her newborn daughter Molly and hoping that one day she will be able to return home to Hexham in Northumberland, and share the joy of the birth with her family and friends.

Last November, at seven-and-a-half months' pregnant, Fran fled the country after social workers warned her that her baby would be taken away ten minutes after the birth and placed with foster parents.

Horrified, she moved to Birmingham.

But as the due date neared, she decided even that was too risky and boarded a flight to Europe, where she remains in hiding.

Today, one can only imagine her reaction as she learns that this week a young mother had her baby illegally snatched by social workers.

In this dramatic new case, officials claimed the 18-year-old was unfit to care for her child because of mental health problems.

But hours later a High Court judge ordered the infant to be returned immediately, ruling the social workers had acted beyond their powers.

The case has chilling echoes of Fran Lyon's experience.

Despite medical evidence to the contrary, social workers believed that because she had suffered from eating disorders and had self-harmed as a teenager, she posed a threat to her unborn baby.

In the last telephone interview she gave before she fled, Fran said: "I wouldn't have done it unless I absolutely had to.

"Every time there was a twinge, I was petrified. I just kept thinking: 'Please don't go into labour, not yet.'

"Now, for the first time, this will be just me and Molly. I want to enjoy it."
Fran, who was studying for a degree in neuroscience at Edinburgh University, became unexpectedly pregnant last April.

"I was shocked because I'd had the contraceptive injection," she said.

"I didn't have a clue how I was going to make it work with university and my job (for two mental health charities) but I was determined that I was having her."

She fell out with the father of the baby, who then became the subject of a police investigation.
He then alerted social services to Fran's medical history. When they investigated, Fran was open about her past.

The catalyst for her problems, she told them, came at 14 when she was raped by an acquaintance.

She became clinically depressed and spent the next three years, on and off, in residential psychiatric hospitals.

But she had fully recovered by the time she was 18 and the diagnosis of borderline personality disorder was removed.

Fran received a letter informing her that a "child protection case conference" would be held on August 16 last year.

She instructed a solicitor and contacted her former psychiatrist, Dr Stella Newrith, who offered her full support.

Fran claimed that social services thought she was in danger of suffering Munchausen's by proxy, a controversial and unproven condition in which a parent invents an illness in her child to draw attention to herself.

Fran was also told she could not be trusted to breast-feed her child.

By November, the plan to remove Molly was confirmed and Fran was distraught.

A spokeswoman for Northumberland County Council said: "We are unable to comment on individual cases, and we do not believe that it's in the best interests of any mother or child to discuss personal details through the media."

For Fran, however, the publicity was her last chance to stay with her little girl.

"All I am asking for is a chance to prove I will be a good mother to Molly," she said.

Baby "Snatched" From Mother Minutes After Birth Is Ordered BACK Into Foster Care

By DAVID WILKES
Last updated at 14:33 02 February 2008

A mother who had her baby son taken illegally by social workers wept yesterday as a court ordered he should be put in care after all.

The 18-year-old, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, broke down in tears and had to be supported by two relatives as she received the devastating news.

It has been a three-day rollercoaster for the young mother. Her son, known as Baby G for legal reasons,was snatched from her in hospital by social services two hours after birth.

How Social Services Are Paid Bonuses to Snatch Babies For Adoption

By SUE REID

For a mother, there can be no greater horror than having a baby snatched away by the State at birth.

The women to whom it has happened say their lives are ruined for ever – and goodness knows what longterm effect it has on the child.

Most never recover from this trauma.

Imagine a baby growing in your body for nine months, imagine going through the emotion of bringing it into the world, only to have social workers seize the newborn, sometimes within minutes of its first cry and often on the flimsiest of excuses.

Yet this disturbing scenario is played out every day.

The number of babies under one month old being taken into care for adoption is now running at almost four a day (a 300 per cent increase over a decade).

In total, 75 children of all ages are being removed from their parents every week before being handed over to new families.

Some of these may have been willingly given up for adoption, but critics of the Government’s policy are convinced that the vast majority are taken by force.

Time and again, the mothers say they are innocent of any wrongdoing.

Of course, there are people who are not fit to be parents and it is the duty of any responsible State to protect their children.

But over the five years since I began investigating the scandal of forced adoptions, I have found a deeply secretive system which is too often biased against basically decent families.

I have been told of routine dishonesty by social workers and questionable evidence given by doctors which has wrongly condemned mothers.

Meanwhile, millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money has been given to councils to encourage them to meet high Government targets on child adoptions.

Under New Labour policy, Tony Blair changed targets in 2000 to raise the number of children being adopted by 50 per cent to 5,400 a year.

The annual tally has now reached almost 4,000 in England and Wales – four times higher than in France, which has a similar-sized population.

Blair promised millions of pounds to councils that achieved the targets and some have already received more than £2million each in rewards for successful adoptions.

Figures recently released by the Department for Local Government and Community Cohesion show that two councils – Essex and Kent – were offered more than £2million “bonuses” over three years to encourage additional adoptions.

Four others – Norfolk, Gloucestershire, Cheshire and Hampshire – were promised an extra £1million.

This sweeping shake-up was designed for all the right reasons: to get difficult-to-place older children in care homes allocated to new parents.

But the reforms didn’t work. Encouraged by the promise of extra cash, social workers began to earmark babies and cute toddlers who were most easy to place in adoptive homes, leaving the more difficultto-place older children in care.

As a result, the number of over-sevens adopted has plummeted by half.

Critics – including family solicitors, MPs and midwives as well as the wronged families – report cases where young children are selected, even before birth, by social workers in order to win the bonuses.

More chillingly, parents have been told by social workers they must lose their children because, at some time in the future, they might abuse them.

One mother’s son was adopted on the grounds that there was a chance she might shout at him when he was older.

In Scotland, where there are no official targets, adoptions are a fraction of the number south of the border, even allowing for the smaller population.

What’s more, the obsessive secrecy of the system means that the public only occasionally gets an inkling of the human tragedy now unfolding across the country.

For at the heart of this adoption system are the family courts, whose hearings are conducted behind closed doors in order to protect the identity of the children involved.

Yet this secrecy threatens the centuries-old tradition of Britain’s legal system – the principle that people are innocent until proven guilty beyond all reasonable doubt.

From the moment a mother is first accused of being incapable as a parent – a decision nearly always made by a social worker or doctor – the system is pitted against her.

There are no juries in family courts, only a lone judge or trio of magistrates who make decisions based on the balance of probability.

Crucially, the courts’ culture of secrecy means that if a social worker lies or fabricates notes or a medical expert giving evidence makes a mistake, no one finds out and there is no retribution.
Only the workings of the homeland security service, MI5, are guarded more closely than those of the family courts.

From the time a child is named on a social services care order until the day they are adopted, the parents are breaking the law – a crime punishable by imprisonment – if they tell anyone what is happening to their family.

Anything from a chat with a neighbour to a letter sent to a friend can land them in jail.

And many have found themselves sent to prison for breaching court orders by talking about their case.

As High Court judge Mr Justice Munby told MPs last year: “It seems quite indefensible that there should be no access by the media, and no access by the public, to what is going on in courts where judges are, day by day, taking people’s children away.”

However, it is not only secretive and publicly unscrutinised family courts that are creating an injustice in our adoption system.

There is a more worrying factor involved. Look at the official figures. Why are they so high? Is it really true that more mothers are becoming potential killers or abusers?

Or are the financial bonuses offered to councils fuelling the astonishing rise in forced adoptions?
John Hemming, a Liberal Democrat MP campaigning to change the adoption system, said yesterday: “I have evidence that 1,000 children are wrongly being seized from their birth parents each year even though they have not been harmed in any way.

“The targets are dangerous and lead to social workers being over-eager.

“The system’s secrecy hides any wrongdoing. One has to ask if a mother is expected to have problems looking after her baby, why doesn’t the State help her instead of taking her child away?”

The MP’s concerns are echoed by the Association for Improvements in the Maternity Services (AIMS), a body which advises new mothers.

Spokeswoman Beverley Beech insists: “Babies are being removed from their mothers by social workers using any excuse.

“We strongly suspect this is because newborns and toddlers are more easily found homes than older children. They are a marketable commodity.

“I know of social workers making up stories about innocent mothers simply to ensure their babies are put up for adoption.

“Suitable babies are even being earmarked when they are still in the womb.

“One baby was forcibly removed in the maternity ward by social workers before the mother had even finished the birth process and produced the placenta.”

Her words may be emotive. But are they true? Six months ago, I wrote an article about a young couple – who must remain anonymous because of family court law – fighting for the return of their three-year-old daughter.

She was taken within weeks of birth and is about to be adopted.

Astonishingly, a judge has issued a Draconian order gagging them from revealing anything, to anyone at all, which could identify their daughter until her 18th birthday in 2022.

Immediately after the article was published, I heard from 35 families whose children were forcibly removed.

The letters and e-mails continue to arrive – coming from a wide range of families across the social classes (including from a castle in the heart of England).

An e-mail from one father said: “Please, please help, NOW. We are about to lose our son . . . in court tomorrow for final disposals hearing before he is taken for adoption … we have done nothing wrong.”

Another father calling himself “James” rang to say his wife’s baby was one of eight seized by social workers from hospital maternity units in one small part of North-East England during one fortnight last summer.

A Welsh man complained that his grandson of three weeks was earmarked for forcible adoption by social workers.

The mother, a 21-year-old with a mild learning disorder, was told she might, just might, get post-natal depression and neglect her son.

To her great distress, her baby was put in the care of Monmouthshire social services within minutes of birth.

The grandfather said: “Our entire extended family – which includes two nurses, a qualified nanny and a police officer – have offered to help care for the baby.

“I believe my grandson has been targeted for adoption since he was in the womb.”

A Worcestershire woman told how her daughter’s baby was snatched away by three police officers and two social workers who came to the door of her house.

The girl has now been adopted.

The mother’s failure? She was said to be too young to cope.

Yet – a little over a year later – she had another baby, a boy, whom she was allowed to keep, in the same home and with the same partner.

Why on earth did she have to lose her little girl?

The grandmother emotionally explained: “All the family came forward to offer to help look after my granddaughter, and all of them were told they were not good enough.

“The social worker told us to forget her. He said: ‘She is water under the bridge.’

“We think they wanted her for adoption from the beginning.”

No wonder she, and thousands of other parents, want a shake-up of the heart-breakingly cruel adoption system which has ripped apart so many families – and which continues to do so.

Like to article:

New York State Taking Away Parental Rights! MUST ACT TODAY!

Editor's Note:  I'm just posting this in case any of my readers need or want the following information.

NYS taking away parental rights! MUST ACT TODAY!

frankseabrook.com/2010/02/09/nys-taking-away-parental-rights-must-act-today/ 

In Health Care on February 9, 2010 at 12:36 pm
 
(02-09-2010) The NYS Senate and Assembly acting in stealth fashion, with little advertising or marketing, today will vote Bill S4779/ A6702 and forcibly take away by law your parental rights.

The main issue is children being able to receive medical treatment under the age of 18 WITHOUT parental consent.
Vaccines are included!

In part 2 of the bill, it would LEGALLY FORCE vaccines of 6th grade school children. Some of which are having highly controversial side effects (Gardasil being one of them-that is used for HPV)

It just takes a few minutes to make a quick call or send an email opposing this legislation. It is the only way that these legislators listen and, it works. Please see the list below.

NOTE: The HPV vaccine is causing many side effects even death.

IF IT PASSES THE SENATE, IT WILL EASILY PASS THE ASSEMBLY- WE MUST ACT NOW!

OPPOSE BILL S4779/ A6702

Here is why:
Will your nine-year-old ask about the risks? Would a child know to ask?
Does the medical establishment support Gardasil? Could your child be pressured? How would they react without you there?

What do you do if your child has a bad reaction? How will you know what to do when you don’t even know it happened!

No age in the bill- your five year-old nods their head- that is consent?
GARDASIL IS DANGEROUS! Check the reports- 1000s of reactions, dozens of deaths.

DO YOU WANT TO TAKE THE CHANCE?
DO YOU WANT YOUR PARENTAL RIGHTS TAKEN AWAY!

AND THE NEW YORK STATE LEGISLATURE WANTS TO ADD GARDASIL TO THE MANDATORY LIST FOR SCHOOL- Bill A0778
WE OPPOSE THESE BILLS – LET YOUR LAWMAKERS KNOW

Help Stop The Destruction of Parental Rights in New York Regarding Vaccines
Help DEFEAT Proposed Bills that Would:

1. Permit ALL Present and Future Vaccines and Drugs for Sexually Transmitted
Diseases to be Given to New York Children WITHOUT Parental Consent
(S4779
<” target=_blankhttp://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?bn=S04779> and A6702
<” target=_blankhttp://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?bn=A06702> )

2. Legally Force Controversial HPV Vaccine on 6th Grade New York Schoolchildren (A0778 <” target=_blankhttp://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?bn=A00778> )

Spending Just a Few Minutes Can Make a Difference:

1. IMMEDIATELY Forward this note to everyone you know in New York state

2. Ask your elected Senator and Assembly Member to OPPOSE S4779, A6702 and A0778!
Use the “Find My Senator” section on http://www.nysenate.gov/ and the “Member Search by Zip Code” on http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/

Use the contact information to CALL, EMAIL, and FAX to send the strongest message
3. Request members of the Senate Codes Committee vote AGAINST S4779 before the committee hearing on Tuesday 2/9/10

Chair: Sen. Eric T. Schneiderman, (518) 455-2041, schneide@senate.state.ny.us, fax (518) 426-6847

Sen. John J. Bonacic, (518) 455-3181, bonacic@senate.state.ny.us, fax (518) 426-6948
Sen. Neil D. Breslin, (518) 455-2225, breslin@senate.state.ny.us, fax (518) 426-6807
Sen. John A. DeFrancisco , (518) 455-3511, jdefranc@senate.state.ny.us, fax (518) 426-6952
Sen. Thomas K. Duane, (518) 455-2451, duane@senate.state.ny.us, fax (518) 426-6846
Sen. John J. Flanagan, (518) 455-2071, flanagan@senate.state.ny.us, fax (518) 426-6904
Sen. Martin J. Golden, (518) 455-2730, golden@senate.state.ny.us, fax (518) 426-6910
Sen. Shirley L. Huntley, (518) 455-3531, shuntley@senate.state.ny.us, fax (518) 426-6859
Sen. Jeffrey D. Klein, (518) 455-3595, jdklein@senate.state.ny.us, fax (518) 426-6847
Sen. Andrew J Lanza, (518) 455-3215, lanza@senate.state.ny.us, fax (518) 426-6852
Sen. Kevin S. Parker, (518) 455-2580, parker@senate.state.ny.us, fax (518) 426-6843
Sen. Bill Perkins,( 518) 455-2441, perkins@senate.state.ny.us, fax (518) 426-6809
Sen. Stephen M. Saland, (518) 455-2411, saland@senate.state.ny.us, fax (518) 426-6920
Sen. John L. Sampson, (518) 455-2788, sampson@senate.state.ny.us, fax (518) 426-6806
Sen. Daniel L. Squadron, (518) 455-2625, squadron@senate.state.ny.us, fax (518) 426-6956
Sen. Dale M. Volker, (518) 455-3471, volker@senate.state.ny.us, fax (518) 426-6949
4. Please send a copy of your letter and any responses you receive to


Key Talking Points:

We Oppose S4779 and A6702 which permit ALL present and future vaccines and drugs for sexually transmitted diseases to be given to New York children WITHOUT parental consent.
Above info provided by the Conservative Society for Action and the Suffok County 9-12 Project.

Appeals Court Upholds Oklahoma DHS Lawsuit

CHILD WELFARECLASS ACTION STATUS GRANTED FOR ALLEGATIONS OF CIVIL RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN FOSTER CARE PLACEMENT

BY RANDY ELLIS    Comments Comment on this article4

Published: February 9, 2010
newsok.com/article/3438044 

The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday upheld a Tulsa federal judge’s decision to grant class action status to a lawsuit that seeks to reform Oklahoma’s child welfare system.

Permancy Bill Memo for New York State Document


Adobe PDF - Permancy Bill Memo -

UPDATE: Stalled Probe of Foster Child's Death Failed to Address Key Questions

Nearly seven weeks after the tragic death of 4 1/2-year-old Amariana Crenshaw in January 2008, Sacramento police made a somber announcement.

"We're basically at a brick wall," said Detective Brian Dedonder, one of two lead detectives in the homicide investigation.

Projected on a large screen behind Dedonder was the smiling face of the little foster child, clutching a chocolate chip cookie. The girl's badly burned body had been removed from her foster mother's rental property near South Natomas before dawn Jan. 11, 2008, after at least one Molotov cocktail erupted in the living room. 


Published: Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2010 - 12:00 am | Page 1A
Last Modified: Thursday, Feb. 4, 2010 - 10:15 pm

"This victim has a face," Nina Delgadillo of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives told reporters assembled at police headquarters. "And we want the public to know that. We want the public to see why we're out there, trying to do something on this case – that we're not going to stop."

Today, two years after the arson inside the five-bedroom home on Sweet Pea Way, there are no new developments, no leads and no suspects, a police spokesman said.

No one has laid claim to the $10,000 reward offered that February day, when officials of the Sacramento city police and fire departments and the ATF convened the news conference to try to generate leads. At the time, police spokesman Matt Young described the "thousands of man-hours" that had gone into the hunt, and the "very thorough, very comprehensive" investigation that had ensued. Initial strong leads had been discounted, he said.

But a Bee investigation into Amariana's death has found that many questions never were fully explored, including the most basic question: Why was a 4 1/2-year-old foster child left sleeping alone on the living room floor of a vacant home in the middle of the night?

Amariana's attorney, Terry Holt – appointed to represent her interests in dependency court – never was contacted by investigators. And, Holt said, neither was a key government worker who had intimate knowledge of the foster home and felt the official version of events didn't add up.
That source, who declined to be interviewed, did confirm that she had contacted local law enforcement and ATF and left a name and number, but never got a callback. Documents obtained by The Bee support the source's story.

Amariana's foster mother, Tracy Dossman, who later adopted Amariana's older half sister, remains certified as a foster provider and now cares for five children, ages 10 to 18. Dossman agreed to talk with The Bee last month but skipped the appointment at her home. Reached later by phone, she said she would not be interviewed because the newspaper did not "tell the truth" about her in its coverage of the fire. 

"None of it was true, and none of it was nice, and nobody ever came back and apologized," she said.

A new California law that took effect in 2008 was supposed to make it easier to scrutinize the records of children who die while under the county's protection, in the hope of preventing more deaths.

But for months, the county's Department of Health and Human Services vigorously fought The Bee's efforts to publicly open Amariana's child welfare files, stating that "the benefits to keeping the child's confidentiality outweigh the public interest in details of her case." 

Deputy County Counsel Scott M. Fera argued in juvenile court that the law enforcement investigation into the child's death was "concluded." Amariana Crenshaw was the victim of a "random act of violence," the attorney said, and no purpose would be served by putting her life "on public display."

In December, juvenile court referee Natalie S. Lindsey disagreed and released more than 200 pages of confidential documents about Amariana's 2 1/2-year journey through the foster care system. 

The records, with names blacked out to protect the identities of other foster children, are "directly relevant to issues of the public interest," Lindsey ruled.

Holt, the attorney appointed to represent Amariana before her death, praised the judge's decision. Holt said he was moved to tears by the child's autopsy report and is left with aching questions. 

"That little girl died all by herself in that living room," he said, "and somebody needs to be held accountable."

Hours after Amariana died, Tracy Dossman gathered up her foster family – including the dead child's half sister – and took them to a relative's home in Elk Grove.

"Media is camped out in the front of Tracy's home so she does not want to be there now," according to a state report.

Miri Mee, the CPS social worker who had been assigned to Amariana's case since 2006, heard from Dossman at 11 a.m. the morning of the fire, CPS records show. Until then, Dossman had been out of contact with the agency while talking to police – and, she explained to CPS, she had lost her cell phone in the chaos after calling 911.

While law enforcement dug in on the criminal investigation, child welfare officials had their own crisis to manage.

Amariana's death made her the newest member of an unfortunate classification of children overseen by CPS. Her case was now known as a "critical incident" – defined as the death or near death of a child known to the child protection agency at the time of the incident.

In Sacramento County, a critical incident triggers an elaborate response protocol covering everything from who inside CPS gets called first on the phone tree to when various reports must be filed.

Amariana was far from the only case getting such prescribed treatment. An independent consultant later found that in the 15-month period between October 2007 and December 2008, Sacramento County had 10 critical incidents – a dramatic increase over previous years.
Predictably, Amariana's death on a cold January morning had set off a flurry of calls, memos and meetings among the many agencies that had supervised Dossman and protected Amariana.

Conflict and confusion soon emerged.

Lajuannah Sandles, the CPS supervisor who was buying the rental home that burned, spent the weekend with Dossman and the children, "instructing Ms. Dossman to contact all pertinent people," according to county records.

Sandles was described as a friend of Dossman in a CPS log entry after the fire; CPS officials later would express concern about the appearance of a conflict of interest since Sandles oversaw cases of several children in the foster home.

Dossman's foster family agency, Positive Option Family Service, did not learn about the fire until 4 p.m. on Jan. 11, 2008 – more than 12 hours after Amariana's death. And, the county noted, that notification came not from Dossman herself but from a CPS social worker who was monitoring the care of other children in the home.

Dossman's other foster children had their own challenges.

When social worker Mee first visited the family after the fire, she described the children as "shellshocked."

"They did not share much information and appeared to be comforted by each other," Mee observed. "They were all sitting on the carpet in an upstairs bedroom."

One of the children appeared to have been crying but did not want to talk with Mee.

The plan for these children would become another source of disagreement among the agencies.
By Monday, Jan. 14, a CPS supervisor reported she was unable to get from Dossman a clear "minute-by-minute account" of the night of the fire.

In the initial days after the arson, the death of a vulnerable child seemed to rev up the joint team of local and federal law enforcement investigators.

"They're tenacious, and they're going to keep going and uncover every rock they have to to identify the person or persons responsible for this despicable act," then-police spokesman Matt Young told reporters on the day of the fire.

Graham Barlowe, special agent in charge of Sacramento's ATF office, echoed Young's determination: "We're making a really intensive effort to figure out what occurred."
As the sun rose on the morning of the fire, police and federal agents were knocking on doors in the newish neighborhood of beige one- and two-story homes. It was a Friday, and many residents soon would leave for work. 

These were the critical first hours of a homicide investigation, and investigators were following protocol: question witnesses and associates, piece together personal histories, chart time frames, canvass the neighborhood.

Randy Rangel, 42, whose large family lived behind the Sweet Pea Way property, was among those asked to recount every detail from the moment he first heard breaking glass. Rangel had seen the black smoke billowing out the back of his neighbor's house and was the second person to call 911 at 3:25 a.m.

"It was terrifying," said the father of six, who had watched the frantic scene unfold from his upstairs bathroom.

As dawn broke, a large white ATF crime truck could be seen in front of the Sweet Pea Way home, where someone would later erect a small wooden cross bearing Amariana's name and dates. That day, a "For Rent" sign was still planted in the front yard.

Amariana's body had been removed hours earlier, but much work remained to be done inside the home.

Sacramento police and ATF investigators still will not say whether there was more than one Molotov cocktail, how the weapon was assembled, or what type of container and accelerant were used. They will not divulge details of their stalled investigation.

John DeHaan, an internationally recognized fire investigator based in Vallejo, explained that investigators combing a Molotov cocktail scene typically look for as many fragments as possible from the container, which may have fingerprints. The wick is the best place to find residue of the liquid used, he said.

Indeed, Amariana's autopsy record reflects that two shards of broken glass found on her left chest were taken to the crime lab.

DeHaan, president of Fire-Ex Forensics consulting firm, said his tests with Molotov cocktails have shown them to be notoriously ineffective and unpredictable weapons. About 25 percent of the time they bounce back, he said. Often they fail to break on contact, or break outside the home or target area.

For Amariana, though, the weapon was brutally accurate, with the Sacramento County pathologist stating he believed two devices exploded very near, or possibly on top of, the little girl.

This puzzled DeHaan, who said a Molotov cocktail would be unlikely to break open on a soft body or carpeted floor. The coroner says Amariana was asleep on bedding and died within seconds.
As firefighters and crime scene investigators gathered the evidence at the home, a different investigation was about to unfold in another part of the city.

At 1:30 p.m., 10 hours after the fire, Amariana's autopsy began at the county Coroner's Office on Broadway. The child's body had been received in a white plastic bag, Case No. 08-00252.

The arduous autopsy procedure included detailed measurements of her organs along with photographs and X-rays. Blood samples and sections of her organs were submitted for testing.
The enormity of the crime was revealed in the tiny bits of charred, sequined pajamas placed in a clean aluminum paint can. The largest piece of clothing identified was the upper part of Amariana's left sock.

The autopsy report notes: "All of the clothing fragments found about the body and in the body bag were … turned over to (police) Detective (Eric) Schneider, who will turn it over to authorities at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms."

The county pathologist found that Amariana had no recent or healing bone fractures that might suggest a history of abuse. Nor was there evidence of sexual assault.

The autopsy was witnessed that afternoon by Schneider, who had been assigned to help lead the investigation. Two criminologists attended from the crime lab, which is overseen by the county District Attorney's Office.

While the autopsy report was not formally released until March, county coroner's spokesman Ed Smith said police routinely are given preliminary findings on the spot.
And those findings were perplexing.

Sacramento Chief Forensic Pathologist Mark A. Super concluded that Amariana had died of "thermal burns," but he noted, "I cannot completely rule out that the decedent was not breathing when the firebombs exploded." 

Yet when asked last month about the autopsy, police spokesman Norm Leong said that the sergeant in charge of the investigation, Paul Martinson, "did not recall anything like that in the autopsy."

Dr. Cyril Wecht, a nationally known forensic pathologist, said he believes the unusual findings in the autopsy "should have invited further investigation by homicide and fire" officials.

One person clearly investigated by police was Anisha Hill, Amariana's biological mother. Hill had had a turbulent relationship with Dossman; the foster mother had gotten a restraining order against Hill in 2006.

On the weekend after the fire, Hill said, police came and picked her up at her aunt's home in Benicia, where she had gone to mourn. They brought her back to Sacramento for polygraph and DNA tests, she said.

"I got a wham-bam, all at once," said Hill, now 34, claiming her apartment and that of a friend were ransacked by investigators. "Me, a suspect?"

Hill said she was never told whether she was cleared.

However, when asked about Hill at the February 2008 news conference, Dedonder told reporters: "At this point, we don't have any reason to list her as a suspect in this crime."

Dedonder added that investigators had identified no motive for the crime but didn't believe that Amariana was "specifically targeted." The attack "may have something to do with just the residence itself" and people who had lived there before, he said.

"Typically, I'd say a Molotov cocktail being introduced into a home could be meant to send a message, or for fear, or just to do simple property damage," he said.

The Bee was unable to locate the female renter who had been evicted shortly before the fire. But a renter evicted in 2004, who has moved out of state, told The Bee that she never was contacted by Sacramento police or ATF and knew nothing about Amariana's death until the newspaper told her.

At the February 2008 news conference, police said the investigation had been a priority for the previous seven weeks.
"You see the picture of the little girl," said Dedonder, standing in front of the screen displaying Amariana's photo. "I think it tears at everybody's heartstrings to know the little girl burned to death in a fire."

Public documents from the state Department of Social Services show that Dossman and the other children in the foster home, who included six teenagers, swiftly were eliminated as suspects.
Leong, the police spokesman, recently told The Bee that Dossman had been "looked at early on" in the case. "At this point, there's nothing to support that she's involved," he said.

Leong said investigators did review the child welfare files in the course of their work and interviewed the children and teens. However, the contents of at least one interview with the children was of so little use to police that they declined to have it transcribed for state licensing officials, state records show.

Though ATF is widely acknowledged to be the expert in fire investigations, the Sacramento-based team ultimately played a limited role in the investigation, collecting and processing evidence.

Sacramento Fire Department spokesman Jim Doucette told The Bee that his agency's work on the case was largely confined to putting out the blaze.

Leong confirmed that the Police Department took the lead on what he described as an "open homicide case." While he disputed the county attorney's characterization of the investigation as concluded, Leong acknowledged there are "no new leads in the investigation."

"Oftentimes homicide cases aren't as clear-cut as people would like them to be," Leong said. "But we still believe someone knows something out there."

Traces of soot still can be seen around doors and windows of the Sweet Pea Way house.
A new owner has settled in after purchasing the five-bedroom home in December 2008. 
Dossman had lost the home to foreclosure that year but later sued the lender in an attempt to get it back, claiming she was a victim of "predatory lending practices."

The new owner, who asked not to be identified, said she knew nothing about Dossman's lawsuit and little about Amariana's death. She was stunned to learn that a child had died on her living room floor, saying she had been told by the real estate broker that Amariana had died at the hospital.

The owner said she is comfortable in her home and feels safe in her neighborhood.
Many others continue to experience fallout from the fire through a series of legal and regulatory actions.

After the fire, Positive Option Family Service pushed to move all the foster children out of the Dossman home and into respite care.

"As the record clearly reflects (Positive Option) supervisors attempted to have all children in Ms. Dossman's home removed immediately following the incident as a matter of safety and security (since the suspects had not been apprehended)," the agency wrote in a response to The Bee.
"This request … was denied by county social workers and by their county supervisors. (Positive Option) representatives were told the action was not necessary."

The county eventually did take the children from Dossman. But not for long.

By August 2008, she was settling back into her big house in North Natomas, along with the five foster children – despite concerns voiced by a state licensing investigator that the home still had deficiencies.

The county's child protection agency apparently had so much confidence in Dossman, even after the fire, that it allowed two young boys whose 3-year-old brother had been murdered in November 2008 to be placed in her home.

The 4- and 5-year-old brothers later were moved to a relative's home after a CPS social worker, mindful of the fire on Sweet Pea Way, had "enough concern about the (Dossman) home that she pulled the kids," state records show.

Sacramento County Child Protective Services declined to respond to The Bee's questions about the case, but in a prepared statement said: "We hope media attention will shed new information on this despicable crime so the person or persons responsible can be brought to justice."

The insurance company that paid Dossman nearly $60,000 to repair the fire-damaged property is suing her, claiming she cashed the check and hasn't provided documentation for repairs, court documents show. The lender, Downey Savings & Loan Association, claimed it took care of repairs itself and the insurance company said it had to pay the lender an additional $46,000, the suit alleges.

Dossman's foster home in North Natomas continues to be investigated for complaints – including a rape allegation last year, which prompted an unannounced visit from the state Nov. 12.
The state was investigating a complaint that a group-home client on an "authorized visit" to Dossman's home had been sexually assaulted. The report was deemed "inconclusive" after the alleged victim refused to talk to the state worker or police.

Positive Option Family Service – which called Dossman a "model foster parent" in 2008 – recently has come under state scrutiny itself. In December, the state Department of Social Services ordered the agency to attend a "noncompliance conference."

State licensing officials warned Positive Option that it had an "excessive number of complaints," and past issues had gone unresolved.

The state's Community Care Licensing Division already had looked into allegations that the agency was failing to report violations to the state and covering up the problem behavior of at least one unnamed foster mother, state documents show.

Last month, Positive Option officials agreed to a plan of correction and a timetable set out by the state.

In its written statement to The Bee, Positive Option responded: "Every home is checked regularly by professional socialworkers," adding that "(w)e have no knowledge of any PO staff member taking any action which would aim at covering up improper conduct of a foster parent."

On Jan. 14, Tracy Dossman accompanied her nephew to court on his DUI and drug charges and again declined to speak with The Bee. Dossman was scheduled this month to give her deposition in the legal fight over the insurance money she collected after the calamitous fire on Sweet Pea Way.

Anisha Hill, 34, recently completed a residential drug treatment program in Richmond but relapsed almost immediately and has received another jail sentence. She plans to seek additional treatment, she said.

Hill has lost all five of her children to the child protection system – two of them born after Amariana – but says she is determined to turn her life around.

Amariana's biological father, Curtis Crenshaw, says he is a broken man, struggling with depression. Amariana's death, he said, is "like a tattoo on me."

"I'm haunted by this whole situation here," said Crenshaw, 48. "I can't function. It has stopped me dead in my tracks."

Hill and Crenshaw filed a lawsuit last February against CPS, the state of California and Dossman, accusing them of failing to provide a "safe environment" for Amariana.

The case was dismissed, however, because they had no legal standing. In the eyes of the court, in death as in life, they were no longer Amariana's parents. 

The Spoiled Under 30 Crowd

Editor's Note:  I realize this is a destroy CPS blog and really, this posting hasn't anything to do with that but I thought it was cute and funny so I'll put a CPS spin on it.  If we don't buy Little Tommy or Little Sally the latest state of the art toys and gizmos, are they going to report us to CPS for neglect or abuse?  Maybe they won't but what about their teachers or their friends' parents?  Somehow it just wouldn't surprise me, lol.  Sometimes I need a diversion and since this is MY blog and can technically do whatever I want, I do try to stay on topic but this was just too cute and since it IS about children, I thought...what the heck!

February 8, 2010 · 2 Comments
If you are 30 or older you will think this is hilarious!!!! 

longislandentrepreneurs.wordpress.com/ 

I just got this from a friend in Sweden. And thinking about David Gussin’s remark about his daughter saying “Who is John Wayne” I thought you guys would like this.

Yvonne

When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious diatribes about how hard things were. When they were growing up; what with walking twenty-five miles to school every morning…. Uphill… Barefoot… BOTH ways Yadda, yadda, yadda

And I remember promising myself that when I grew up, there was no way in hell I was going to lay a bunch of crap like that on my kids about how hard I had it and how easy they’ve got it!

But now that . . . I’m over the ripe old age of thirty, I can’t help but look around and notice the youth of today.

You’ve got it so easy!  I mean, compared to my childhood, you live in a damn Utopia!   And I hate to say it, but you kids today, you don’t know how good you’ve got it!

I mean, when I was a kid we didn’t have the Internet.  If we wanted to know something, we had to go to the damn library and look it up ourselves, in the card catalogue!!

There was no email!!  We had to actually write somebody a letter – with a pen!

Then you had to walk all the way across the street and put it in the mailbox, and it would take like a week to get there!  Stamps were 10 cents!

Child Protective Services didn’t care if our parents beat us.  As a matter of fact, the parents of all my friends also had permission to kick our ass! Nowhere was safe!

There were no MP3′ s or Napsters!  If you wanted to steal music, you had to hitchhike to the damn record store and shoplift it yourself!

Or you had to wait around all day to tape it off the radio, and the DJ would usually talk over the beginning and @#*% it all up!  There were no CD players!  We had tape decks in our car.  We’d play our favorite tape and “eject” it when finished, and the tape would come undone..  Cause – that’s how we rolled, dig?

We didn’t have fancy crap like Call Waiting!  If you were on the phone and somebody else called, they got a busy signal, that’s it!

There weren’t any freakin’ cell phones either. If you left the house, you just didn’t make a damn call or receive one. You actually had to be out of touch with your “friends”. OH MY GOD !!!  Think of the horror..  And then there’s TEXTING .  yeah  , right.  You kids have no idea how annoying you are.

And we didn’t have fancy Caller ID either!  When the phone rang, you had no idea who it was!  It could be your school, your mom, your boss, your bookie, your drug dealer, a collections agent, you just didn’t know!!!  You had to pick it up and take your chances, mister!

We didn’t have any fancy Sony Playstation video games with high-resolution 3-D graphics!  We had the Atari 2600!  With games like ‘Space Invaders’ and ‘Asteroids’.  Your guy was a little square!  You actually had to use your imagination!!  And there were no multiple levels or screens, it was just one screen… Forever!  And you could never win.  The game just kept getting harder and harder and faster and faster until you died!  Just like LIFE!

You had to use a little book called a TV Guide to find out what was on!  You were screwed when it came to channel surfing!  You had to get off your ass and walk over to the TV to change the channel!  NO REMOTES!!!

There was no Cartoon Network either!  You could only get cartoons on Saturday Morning.  Do you hear what I’m saying?  We had to wait ALL WEEK for cartoons, you spoiled little rat-bastards!

And we didn’t have microwaves.  If we wanted to heat something up, we had to use the stove! Imagine that!

That’s exactly what I’m talking about!  You kids today have got it too easy.  You’re spoiled.  You guys wouldn’t have lasted five minutes back in 1980 or before!

Regards,

The Over 30 Crowd

When One Adoptive Parent Dies Before Adoption Finalized Adoption is Voided Says New York State Court

Written by:  Daniel Weaver
Examiner.com

The Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department, of the New York State Supreme Court has ruled that when a adoptive parent dies before the adoption proceeding is finalized, the proceeding is null and must be terminated. In the Matter of Tia G. (Anonymous), the children's biological father appealed a court order from Suffolk County Family Court Judge, Andrew Tarantino, that granted Theresa G., the biological mother and her fiancee permission to adopt the children without the consent of the biological father.

When her fiancee died, the biological mother wanted to continue with the adoption. However, the Supreme Court ruling of February 2, 2010 vacated the Family Court order.  The Supreme Court decision states: 

""The fundamental purpose of an adoption is to establish the relationship of parent and child between living human beings. The proceeding is distinctly personal in nature and, therefore, abates upon [*2]the death of either the adoptive parent or the child" (Matter of Freud, 69 Misc 2d 906, 907). "[T]he plain language of Domestic Relations Law article 7, which must be strictly construed as it is in derogation of common law (see Matter of Jacob, 86 NY2d 651), demonstrates that only a person who is capable of acquiring the rights and responsibilities of a parent may adopt another person (see Domestic Relations Law § 110). A deceased person does not fit within that category (see Matter of Mazzeo, 95 AD2d 91; Matter of D.S., 160 Misc 2d 331; Matter of Freud, 69 Misc 2d 906)" (Matter of Male Infant L., 282 AD2d at 534-535).
To read the rest of this article, please visit...

The Seminal - Going to DC to Support Low Income Moms ~ Wanna Join Us?

Editor's Note:  I came across this and just in case you're interested, I thought I'd post it.  It deals with ASFA, Title IV-E funding, TANF, social security and CPS taking away children from low-income parents for all the money they get.  I hope to generate some interest.  I'm definitely going to check into it and will keep you informed.
By: mntleo2 Tuesday February 9, 2010 12:37 pm
seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/28970 

I know poverty is not as "sexy" as say, Sarah Palin’s screeds, but I am a life long low income worker and mother. I also know I am joined by about the very least 30,000,000 – 50,000,000 other low income American families who’ve suffered as I have in the struggle to support my family. So perhaps I am at the very least worth a read …

I have never made enough money to support my family, even though I labored for a very low-income and paid taxes for over 35 years. I am radical about mothering and other caregiving being a full time job that should be counted as "work" with Welfare Reform and Social Security. At this time parenting and caregivingis not "work", it is actually considered, “doing nothing” according to Robert Rector,on NPR a few years ago, who is a Heritage Foundation member, who wrote “The Personal Responsibility Act” (Welfare Reform), which took welfare out from under Social Security and destroyed its entitlement.


On February 24th, I will be in Washington DC with some incredible women with my organization, Parents Organizing For Welfare and Economic Rights (P.O.W.E..R..)including LIFLINE from California, the Rebecca Project from DC, and many other amazing activists from around the country. Many if not most of us are low income or have been low income mothers ourselves.

While I am adamantly for welfare support and more, I will be trying to raise awareness about how TANF monies is being used to actually destroy low income families instead of preserving them.
In 1996 Welfare Reform took welfare out from under Social Security and became "discretionary" instead of an "entitlement”. Meaning that it was at the legislature’s "discretion" as to how to fund TANF after President Clinton signed it into law in 1996. Title IV-E is monies used to fund adoption and take children away, foster care, funding non-profits, consultants, CASA, and a myriad of others who stand to financially benefit from the “Foster Family Industrial Complex” mostly from poor families, and is bottomless as it is attached to Social Security.

Because my family has been a victim of CPS, I discovered that low income families are being "harvested" for adoption monies. Turns out that because of Title IV-E funding, it is actually "cheaper" than leaving a kid in the home to jerk them away from their families and adopt them out, than to give low income families the assistance they need to stay intact. Even though study after study shows these kids actually do better if left in their birth families.

Why is this happening to families even though it is widely known children do better kept at home? According to the National Coalition for Child Protection Reform, literally 1000 times more money is being used to destroy (mostly poor) families than to preserve them. 7.4 billion dollars to take children and adopt them out versus a mere $660 million used nationally to preserve families.

So I began to poke around to try to find how this whole thing was funded in my own state. Shockingly, I found that the information, though it is supposed to be public, is hidden. Furthermore my state has not been monitored in over 6 years by the Feds. In other words they hand over Title IV-E and TANF billions with no questions asked.

If you think this is only my state, you are wrong. This is a national phenomena and families all over the nation are being victimized by the taking of their children. With allegations that have little or no accountability by the government employees (CPS. CASA, non-profit agencies, the courts, and paid consultants) who can make them because families have no recourse (relatives and grandparents have none) to defend themselves. This is because those making th allegations are also funded by the virtually bottomless Title-IV-E monies for their jobs and resources and depend on one another to back each other up to keep it that way.

How does this involve TANF (welfare)? Some of the "strings" attached to this already paltry funding from the feds to the states for low income families, is also being diverted and added to Title IV-E for taking kids instead of family preservations. Even though study after study proves children fare better in their own birth families. Literally over 1000 times more ~ 7.4 BILLION DOLLORS for adoption compared to a paltry $660 Million dollars (more than 1000th the money to take kids) that is used to preserve families. They get nothing for leaving kids in their family home

The NCCPR is a progressive organization lead by a Progressive named, Richard Wexler (no relation to our Progressive former Congressman Robert Wexler, I asked, lol) who is trying to get the word out about the horrible fate for many children because it is cheaper and states get more money to take them away from their mothers.

Right now and unfortunately, the Tea Baggers are the loudest voice for Family Preservation. My attempts to speak to this with Progressive legislators has gone nowhere because it now has a “reputation” it does not deserve. 

But as Mr. Wexler and many Progressives such as Dependency Lawyers, counselors, CPS workers and others have pointed out to me, Tea Baggers are right on about this issue. As is pointed out by NCCPR, the officials are more concerned about the one child that slips through the cracks rather than the thousands of kids being traumatized by being taken away from their families. No wonder the anger and despair is so prevalent to know the truth that families and parents have few rights in our US Court System, they are considered “outsiders” to the courts, CPS workers and CASAs instead of being partners. These are families who literally face “the fox watching the chicken coop” families and parents not being heard or properly defended when it comes to standing up for their rights.


More tragically is that welfare monies (TANF) is not being fully used for what it is desperately supposed to do. Instead much of it is diverted to other sources when it is already paltry and does not even begin to answer the issues for low income families. Money that could be used for education, housing, food, financial support, childcare, and other services families need every day, whether upper income or low income.

If you cannot come to DC, please write Representative McDermott who is chair of the sub-committee on Ways and Means that finance TANF. Let him know you do not approve of the way TANF monies is being diverted to destroy families and that it is important low income families are preserved, not harvested for children to adopt out. Families need support, children need their families, it is plain and simply WRONG to use our tax dollars to tear families apart instead of helping them find the resources they need to survive.

Pklease give me a little space for not being "professional" enough in this posting. After all, I am, "just a poor dumb woman who is ignorant …" as many DSHS experts assume.


Thanks you for your time

Cat In Seattle

Electric Chair

Editor's Note:  I came across this and wanted to post it because it's funny.  Of course CPS isn't really in her life, I'm sure, and she was making a funny comment but she doesn't realize how true it probably is.  Anyway, I posted it for a laugh.  It's not meant to be anything more than that.  The last sentence is the punch line but you have to read the whole article to understand.

suburbancorrespondent.blogspot.com/2010/02/not-dead-yet.html 

Well! I've been berated in the last post's comments for not showing up here for 6 days. I'm glad someone missed me. We had to travel for a funeral last week (my mother's, actually) and we just got back. The kids cried the whole time. For their grandmother? No. They were sobbing because we were missing a (rare) huge snowstorm back home. They spent all of Saturday watching the Weather Channel.

They cheered up considerably, however, when they realized the TV room contained a motorized recliner, some days. They were delighted that, at the push of a button, the chair would go slo-o-owly up and forward; another button, it would go slo-o-owly back down. They took turns. They were amused for far longer than the 15 minutes or so normal children would enjoy such a contraption.

An hour. They played in it for an hour. All the while watching close-ups of snow-covered cars and fallen trees; and listening to bundled-up weather correspondents squinting into the camera and talking about "Snowmageddon"....

And the next morning? As soon as I came downstairs, Rachel came running over to me. "Mommy!" she begged. "Can we play in the electric chair?"

Just one more thing to explain to those nice people at Child Protective Services...

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

What Are Your Thoughts on Foster Care (CPS)? Do You Agree With The System? Please Read...Another Foster Child Death

Editor's Note:  Please visit the following link  to post your comments regarding this story on their blog...


Nica24 03/21/08

Two-year-old Isaac Lethbridge died on August 16, 2006 because child welfare caseworkers took him from his parents and placed him in an unsafe foster home environment. He had been beaten and burned while in state custody foster "care". His fosterer, Charlsie Adams-Rogers, 59, is on trial for manslaughter.

According to a Detroit Free Press article, Adams-Rogers "had a history of complaints alleging mistreatment of children in her home. Though Child Protective Services never substantiated any of the nine complaints, people familiar with the child welfare system say the allegations should have raised red flags about what was going on in the brick home on Greenlawn in northwest Detroit." But Adams-Rogers may not have been the one who inflicted the fatal blows. Her twelve-year-old daughter, one of three children Adams-Rogers adopted from foster care, stands accused of inflicting the final injury. There were at least seven children in the home at the time of Isaac's death.

A news report stated that before his death, Isaac's child welfare caseworker was aware of bruises on the child, inflicted while he was in custody, but did nothing to move the child from his dangerous foster home or protect him from further injury. His sister, who had been placed in the same home, also bore the signs of injuries at the time of her younger brother's death.

I'd like to say this is a unique situation, but tragically, it is not. Hundreds of children have died violently in foster homes, many at the hands of the adults paid to take care of them. As owner of a large family rights website, FightCPS, I've kept an ongoing blog documenting cases like this one since 2001. Caseworkers often don't remove children from abusive foster homes because there's no financial motivation for the agency to do so. They remove children from their natural family homes much more readily because as soon as they do, federal financial streams are available to enrich the counties that detain children.

In Isaac's case, his parents are accused of neglect due to poverty. They are not accused of abuse. He could have been better served by allowing the parents to learn to take appropriate care of their child while keeping custody of him. But now it is too late; he's dead due to our country's child welfare laws that destroy and harm nearly every family they affect.

According to an article in the Isaac Lethbridge file, he is the third child to die violently in a Michigan foster home within the last 18 months. Ricky Holland, age 7, was adopted out of foster care then killed by his adopters in July 2005. Allison Newman, age 2, died from blunt-force trauma injuries of unknown origin in September 2006. Apparently someone suggested she was "accidentally flung over a 12-foot balcony onto a hardwood floor." Who, I ask, "accidentally" throws a 2-year-old over a balcony? Allison's licensed foster 'mother' is jailed, charged with felony murder and involuntary manslaughter.

These children are the tip of the iceberg. An online memorial, In Memory of Children Protected to Death by CPS, posts dozens of names and photos of children who died in state custody foster homes in nearly every state of this nation. And these are only the ones that site owner can find names and photos for. Many more children have died in foster homes without coming to the public's attention.

http://www.gather.com/viewImage.jsp?fileId=3096224744023908&a...

This link here above is a ling of Children/ Teenagers that have been killed in CPS custody.

Really is our State providing the proper Care for these Children?

This is from the CPS Brochure:

“Foster Care could be a group facility or could be a
private home where the parents are temporary
caregivers who have been LICENSED by the state”

Licensed by the state, What are the requirements for to be LICENSED by the state? Is the US really looking into people backgrounds and history on these folks? Are they handing off to people who just have a home with space provided?

Do they need to come up with a new system or requirements with the family they stick these Children with?

THIS LINK HERE IS THE STEP PROCEDURES & REQUIREMENTS

https://www.azdes.gov/dcyf/adoption/

IN MY OPINION WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE HOW CLOSELY STAFF AT CPS ARE LOOKING AT THESE HOMES OR CPR NEEDS TO CHANGE SOMETHING IN ITS SYSTEM

Canada - Children's Aid Told Girl at Risk to Self - Not to Others Yet Another Child Died in Foster Care

Editor's Note:  Social workers or other CPS agents lie to everyone -- the judge, the parents, state attorneys, foster care providers and even to themselves.  Now a small child is dead in foster care in Canada because of their negligence, lies and incompetency.  They knew this child was a danger and she should have been properly taken care of to protect not only herself but to others.  Without knowing the girl's history, it makes me wonder if she hasn't been a victim of the system for a long, long time. 

Posted By Karena Walter

Posted 5 hours ago
www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2440389 
A Family and Children's Services worker who handled the case of a 14-year-old killer believed the girl was a danger to herself, not to others. 

Ana Meager testified Monday she was given a psychometrist's report on the girl that found the teen had an inability to understand boundaries in the community and safety risks.
"She would be easily victimized," Meager said. 

Meager, who was assigned the girl's file in November 2004, was testifying on the fifth day of a coroner's inquest into the death of Matthew Reid. 

The three-year-old boy was smothered by the teenage girl in December 2005 at a Welland foster home, less than 24 hours after she moved in. 

When Meager took over the file, she said the girl's former case worker told her there were no serious behavioral problems since the girl had been in care. "I remember her saying, this is an easy case." 

During her first visit with the girl, the foster mother and the former case worker, Meager said she was told the girl was able to follow direction. She was also very good with the foster mother's young grandson. 

Three weeks into taking over the file though, Meager requested a child youth worker be assigned to provide extra support to the foster family and the teen and provide anger-management strategies. 

Meager said the girl was verbally aggressive and had difficulty managing her anger, which made her a risk to herself. The teen would become oppositional, a lot of times when confronted by someone who said no, Meager said. 

Once, Meager said she called police to come and talk to the teen about her behaviour. 

She said the girl was very remorseful after any problems.

"She was pleasant. She was happy. She loved Violet (the foster mother) very much. She loved being there," Meager said. "She was in Scouts. She was in dance." 

The psychometrist report by Paula Shapiro, who testified earlier in the inquest, was received by Meager in January 2005. It found the girl functioned at the level of a six- or seven-year-old. 

Shapiro said the girl should be considered at risk for life-long problems and can't be left alone in the community because she's "needy" and "vulnerable." 

Meager said she was surprised by some aspects of the report because her school didn't feel the girl was developmentally delayed. Instead, they found she had a mild intellectual disability that didn't require associated community living. The girl, for instance, could make dinner and cookies, she said. 

The girl's school counsellor felt the teen could do more than what the report suggested, Meager said, adding the counsellor thought the report was outdated and off in terms of academic capacity. 

Meager said the counsellor felt the report would limit the girl and she would not receive the academic education she should get if the report went into the Ontario School Record, so it wasn't put in her record. 

The inquest continues Tuesday at the Quality Hotel Parkway Convention Centre on Ontario Street. 

DHS Analyzes Whether Age is a Factor in Abuse Investigations

Editor's Note:  Once again, any comments made in this part are my personal opinions based on past experiences.  They are not facts and should always be taken with a grain of salt.  Having said that, of course age is a factor.  Teenagers don't bring in much money on the foster/adopt market.  Rarely are foster care providers interested in fostering and/or adopting teens.  They're too much trouble and more apt to refuse to bond and sever ties with their biological parents and other family members.  Therefore social workers and other CPS agents go after the babies first, toddler's second and younger elementary-aged children first.   Only in rare circumstances are older children removed from their homes.  Of course CPS will slant this in their favor as always.

kezi.com/page/161834

SALEM, Ore. -- Just last month, the Oregon Department of Human Services found it missed the warning signs of abuse with Jeanette Maples, a Eugene teen who was found dead in her home last year.

Now the agency is looking into whether age plays a factor when welfare workers choose which cases to investigate.

State investigators are looking at whether the flawed screenings in Jeanette Maples' case were due to individual misjudgments or a systemic problem of screeners relying upon a child's age as part of their evaluation of a child's vulnerability.

State investigators said Maples' age appears to have been considered as a major factor in the conclusion that she was not vulnerable.

Their audit of a sample of closed cases is expected to be completed by March 1st.

Education Articles - Child Abuse and Neglect

Editor's Note:  A few months back my dog was having a seizure and I was trying to help her as I thought she was choking on turkey, and I got bit really bad.  It broke my finger.  I had to go to the ER and because I got bit that was in no way aggressive on her part, they chose not to alert animal control.  Well, the finger didn't set right and I had to go back.  Now, there was no mention this time of a dog bite, it was about my broken finger.  The triage nurse asked me if I had any children under the age of 19 living in the home.  I refused to answer her.  I asked WHY she needed this information as me having or not having children in the home had nothing whatsoever to do with why I was there.  It wasn't about the dog because that was never even brought up and she had not checked my record.  She didn't like it that I wouldn't answer the question.  I told her I'd answer hers if she answered mine.  I wanted to know WHY that was so important.  She didn't want to say it but she said they look for signs of domestic violence any time a woman comes in with a broken bone, bruises, scrapes, especially in the face and on the arms.  If she has children in the home, CPS is immediately notified that they suspect DV against the woman.  Also, if they're given narcotic pain medication and they feel that she's endangering her children by taking them, they also notify CPS.  I absolutely refused to answer her question in hopes they'd make the fatal mistake of notifying CPS about me.   So, if you think that people in power are looking closely for signs of abuse, you're not paranoid.  Read below to find out how teachers, doctors, nurses and everyone else is trained in the art of spotting potential child abuse.


Child abuse is more than bruises and broken bones. While physical abuse might be the most visible sign, other types of abuse, such as emotional abuse or child neglect, also leave deep, long lasting scars. Some signs of child abuse are subtler than others. However, by learning common types of abuse and what you can do, you can make a huge difference in a child’s life. The earlier abused children get help, the greater chance they have to heal from their abuse and not perpetuate the cycle. Learn the signs and symptoms of child abuse and help break the cycle, finding out where to get help for the children and their caregivers.

Understanding child abuse and neglect

Child abuse is more than bruises or broken bones. While physical abuse is shocking due to the scars it leaves, not all child abuse is as obvious. Ignoring children’s needs, putting them in unsupervised, dangerous situations, or making a child feel worthless or stupid are also child abuse. Regardless of the type of child abuse, the result is serious emotional harm.

Myths and facts about child abuse and neglect

MYTH #1: It’s only abuse if it’s violent.

Fact: Physical abuse is just one type of child abuse. Neglect and emotional abuse can be just as damaging, and since they are more subtle, others are less likely to intervene. .

MYTH #2: Only bad people abuse their children.

Fact: While it’s easy to say that only “bad people” abuse their children, it’s not always so black and white. Not all abusers are intentionally harming their children. Many have been victims of abuse themselves, and don’t know any other way to parent. Others may be struggling with mental health issues or a substance abuse problem.

MYTH #3: Child abuse doesn’t happen in “good” families.

Fact: Child abuse doesn’t only happen in poor families or bad neighborhoods. It crosses all racial, economic, and cultural lines. Sometimes, families who seem to have it all from the outside are hiding a different story behind closed doors.

MYTH #4: Most child abusers are strangers.

Fact: While abuse by strangers does happen, most abusers are family members or others close to the family

MYTH #5: Abused children always grow up to be abusers.

Fact: It is true that abused children are more likely to repeat the cycle as adults, unconsciously repeating what they experienced as children. On the other hand, many adult survivors of child abuse have a strong motivation to protect their children against what they went through and become excellent parents.

Effects of child abuse and neglect

All types of child abuse and neglect leave lasting scars. Some of these scars might be physical, but emotional scarring has long lasting effects throughout life, damaging a child’s sense of self, ability to have healthy relationships, and ability to function at home, at work and at school. Some effects include:

* Lack of trust and relationship difficulties. If you can’t trust your parents, who can you trust? Abuse by a primary caregiver damages the most fundamental relationship as a child—that you will safely, reliably get your physical and emotional needs met by the person who is responsible for your care. Without this base, it is very difficult to learn to trust people or know who is trustworthy. This can lead to difficulty maintaining relationships due to fear of being controlled or abused. It can also lead to unhealthy relationships because the adult doesn’t know what a good relationship is.

* Effects of child abuse and neglectCore feelings of being “worthless” or “damaged.” If you’ve been told over and over again as a child that you are stupid or no good, it is very difficult to overcome these core feelings. You may experience them as reality. Adults may not strive for more education, or settle for a job that may not pay enough, because they don’t believe they can do it or are worth more. Sexual abuse survivors, with the stigma and shame surrounding the abuse, often especially struggle with a feeling of being damaged.

* Trouble regulating emotions. Abused children cannot express emotions safely. As a result, the emotions get stuffed down, coming out in unexpected ways. Adult survivors of child abuse can struggle with unexplained anxiety, depression, or anger. They may turn to alcohol or drugs to numb out the painful feelings.

Types of child abuse

There are several types of child abuse, but the core element that ties them together is the emotional effect on the child. Children need predictability, structure, clear boundaries, and the knowledge that their parents are looking out for their safety. Abused children cannot predict how their parents will act. Their world is an unpredictable, frightening place with no rules. Whether the abuse is a slap, a harsh comment, stony silence, or not knowing if there will be dinner on the table tonight, the end result is a child that feel unsafe, uncared for, and alone.

Emotional child abuse

Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me? Contrary to this old saying, emotional abuse can severely damage a child’s mental health or social development, leaving lifelong psychological scars. Examples of emotional child abuse include:

* Constant belittling, shaming, and humiliating a child

* Calling names and making negative comparisons to others

* Telling a child he or she is “no good,” “worthless,” “bad,” or “a mistake.”

* Frequent yelling, threatening, or bullying.

* Ignoring or rejecting a child as punishment, giving him or her the silent treatment.

* Limited physical contact with the child—no hugs, kisses, or other signs of affection.

* Exposing the child to violence or the abuse of others, whether it be the abuse of a parent, a sibling, or even a pet.

Child neglect

Child neglect—a very common type of child abuse—is a pattern of failing to provide for a child’s basic needs, whether it be adequate food, clothing, hygiene, or supervision. Child neglect is not always easy to spot. Sometimes, a parent might become physically or mentally unable to care for a child, such as with a serious injury, untreated depression, or anxiety. Other times, alcohol or drug abuse may seriously impair judgment and the ability to keep a child safe.

Older children might not show outward signs of neglect, becoming used to presenting a competent face to the outside world, and even taking on the role of the parent. But at the end of the day, neglected children are not getting their physical and emotional needs met.

Physical child abuse

Physical child abusePhysical abuse involves physical harm or injury to the child. It may be the result of a deliberate attempt to hurt the child, but not always. It can also result from severe discipline, such as using a belt on a child, or physical punishment that is inappropriate to the child’s age or physical condition.

Many physically abusive parents and caregivers insist that their actions are simply forms of discipline—ways to make children learn to behave. But there is a big difference between using physical punishment to discipline and physical abuse. The point of disciplining children is to teach them right from wrong, not to make them live in fear.

Physical abuse vs. Discipline

In physical abuse, unlike physical forms of discipline, the following elements are present:

* Unpredictability. The child never knows what is going to set the parent off. There are no clear boundaries or rules. The child is constantly walking on eggshells, never sure what behavior will trigger a physical assault.

* Lashing out in anger. Physically abusive parents act out of anger and the desire to assert control, not the motivation to lovingly teach the child. The angrier the parent, the more intense the abuse.

* Using fear to control behavior. Parents who are physically abusive may believe that their children need to fear them in order to behave, so they use physical abuse to “keep their child in line.” However, what children are really learning is how to avoid being hit, not how to behave or grow as individuals.

Child sexual abuse: A hidden type of abuse

Child sexual abuse is an especially complicated form of abuse because of its layers of guilt and shame. It’s important to recognize that sexual abuse doesn’t always involve body contact. Exposing a child to sexual situations or material is sexually abusive, whether or not touching is involved.

While news stories of sexual predators are scary, what is even more frightening is that sexual abuse usually occurs at the hands of someone the child knows and should be able to trust—most often close relatives. And contrary to what many believe, it’s not just girls who are at risk. Boys and girls both suffer from sexual abuse. In fact, sexual abuse of boys may be underreported due to shame and stigma.

The problem of shame and guilt in child sexual abuse

Aside from the physical damage that sexual abuse can cause, the emotional component is powerful and far-reaching. Sexually abused children are tormented by shame and guilt. They may feel that they are responsible for the abuse or somehow brought it upon themselves. This can lead to self-loathing and sexual problems as they grow older—often either excessive promiscuity or an inability to have intimate relations.

The shame of sexual abuse makes it very difficult for children to come forward. They may worry that others won’t believe them, will be angry with them, or that it will split their family apart. Because of these difficulties, false accusations of sexual abuse are not common, so if a child confides in you, take him or her seriously. Don’t turn a blind eye!

Warning signs of child abuse and neglect

Warning signs of child abuse and neglectThe earlier child abuse is caught, the better the chance of recovery and appropriate treatment for the child. Child abuse is not always obvious. By learning some of the common warning signs of child abuse and neglect, you can catch the problem as early as possible and get both the child and the abuser the help that they need.
Of course, just because you see a warning sign doesn’t automatically mean a child is being abused. It’s important to dig deeper, looking for a pattern of abusive behavior and warning signs, if you notice something off.

Warning signs of emotional abuse in children

* Excessively withdrawn, fearful, or anxious about doing something wrong.

* Shows extremes in behavior (extremely compliant or extremely demanding; extremely passive or extremely aggressive).

* Doesn’t seem to be attached to the parent or caregiver.

* Acts either inappropriately adult (taking care of other children) or inappropriately infantile (rocking, thumb-sucking, tantruming).

Warning signs of physical abuse in children

* Frequent injuries or unexplained bruises, welts, or cuts.

* Is always watchful and “on alert,” as if waiting for something bad to happen.

* Injuries appear to have a pattern such as marks from a hand or belt.

* Shies away from touch, flinches at sudden movements, or seems afraid to go home.

* Wears inappropriate clothing to cover up injuries, such as long-sleeved shirts on hot days.

Warning signs of neglect in children

* Clothes are ill-fitting, filthy, or inappropriate for the weather.

* Hygiene is consistently bad (unbathed, matted and unwashed hair, noticeable body odor).

* Untreated illnesses and physical injuries.

* Is frequently unsupervised or left alone or allowed to play in unsafe situations and environments.

* Is frequently late or missing from school.

Warning signs of sexual abuse in children

* Trouble walking or sitting.

* Displays knowledge or interest in sexual acts inappropriate to his or her age, or even seductive behavior.

* Makes strong efforts to avoid a specific person, without an obvious reason.

* Doesn’t want to change clothes in front of others or participate in physical activities.

* An STD or pregnancy, especially under the age of 14.

* Runs away from home.

Child abuse and reactive attachment disorderChild abuse and reactive attachment disorder
Severe abuse early in life can lead to reactive attachment disorder. Children with this disorder are so disrupted that they have extreme difficulty establishing normal relationships and attaining normal developmental milestones. They need special treatment and support.

Read: Attachment Disorders: Insecure Attachment and Reactive Attachment Disorder

Risk factors for child abuse and neglect

While child abuse and neglect occurs in all types of families—even in those that look happy from the outside—children are at a much greater risk in certain situations.

* Domestic violence. Witnessing domestic violence is terrifying to children and emotionally abusive. Even if the mother does her best to protect her children and keeps them from being physically abused, the situation is still extremely damaging. If you or a loved one is in an abusive relationships, getting out is the best thing for protecting the children.

* Alcohol and drug abuse. Living with an alcoholic or addict is very difficult for children and can easily lead to abuse and neglect. Parents who are drunk or high are unable to care for their children, make good parenting decisions, and control often-dangerous impulses. Substance abuse also commonly leads to physical abuse.

* Untreated mental illness. Parents who suffering from depression, an anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, or another mental illness have trouble taking care of themselves, much less their children. A mentally ill or traumatized parent may be distant and withdrawn from his or her children, or quick to anger without understanding why. Treatment for the caregiver means better care for the children.

* Lack of parenting skills. Some caregivers never learned the skills necessary for good parenting. Teen parents, for example, might have unrealistic expectations about how much care babies and small children need. Or parents who where themselves victims of child abuse may only know how to raise their children the way they were raised. In such cases, parenting classes, therapy, and caregiver support groups are great resources for learning better parenting skills.

* Stress and lack of support. Parenting can be a very time-intensive, difficult job, especially if you’re raising children without support from family, friends, or the community or you’re dealing with relationship problems or financial difficulties. Caring for a child with a disability, special needs, or difficult behaviors is also a challenge. It’s important to get the support you need, so you are emotionally and physically able to support your child.

Recognizing abusive behavior in yourself

Do you see yourself in some of these descriptions, painful as it may be? Do you feel angry and frustrated and don’t know where to turn? Raising children is one of life’s greatest challenges and can trigger anger and frustration in the most even tempered. If you grew up in a household where screaming and shouting or violence was the norm, you may not know any other way to raise your kids.

Recognizing that you have a problem is the biggest step to getting help. If you yourself were raised in an abusive situation, that can be extremely difficult. Children experience their world as normal. It may have been normal in your family to be slapped or pushed for little to no reason, or that mother was too drunk to cook dinner. It may have been normal for your parents to call you stupid, clumsy, or worthless. Or it may have been normal to watch your mother get beaten up by your father.


It is only as adults that we have the perspective to step back and take a hard look at what is normal and what is abusive. Read the above sections on the types of abuse and warning signs. Do any of those ring a bell for you now? Or from when you were a child? The following is a list of warning signs that you may be crossing the line into abuse:

How do you know when you’ve crossed the line?



* You can’t stop the anger. What starts as a swat on the backside may turn into multiple hits getting harder and harder. You may shake your child harder and harder and finally throw him or her down. You find yourself screaming louder and louder and can’t stop yourself.

* You feel emotionally disconnected from your child. You may feel so overwhelmed that you don’t want anything to do with your child. Day after day, you just want to be left alone and for your child to be quiet.

* Meeting the daily needs of your child seems impossible. While everyone struggles with balancing dressing, feeding, and getting kids to school or other activities, if you continually can’t manage to do it, it’s a sign that something might be wrong.

* Other people have expressed concern. It may be easy to bristle at other people expressing concern. However, consider carefully what they have to say. Are the words coming from someone you normally respect and trust? Denial is not an uncommon reaction.

Breaking the cycle of child abuse

If you have a history of child abuse, having your own children can trigger strong memories and feelings that you may have repressed. This may happen when a child is born, or at later ages when you remember specific abuse to you. You may be shocked and overwhelmed by your anger, and feel like you can’t control it. But you can learn new ways to manage your emotions and break your old patterns.

Remember, you are the most important person in your child’s world. It’s worth the effort to make a change, and you don’t have to go it alone. Help and support are available.

Tips for changing your reactions

* Learn what is age appropriate and what is not. Having realistic expectations of what children can handle at certain ages will help you avoid frustration and anger at normal child behavior. For example, newborns are not going to sleep through the night without a peep, and toddlers are not going to be able to sit quietly for extended periods of time.

* Develop new parenting skills. While learning to control your emotions is critical, you also need a game plan of what you are going to do instead. Start by learning appropriate discipline techniques and how to set clear boundaries for your children. Parenting classes, books, and seminars are a way to get this information. You can also turn to other parents for tips and advice.

* Take care of yourself. If you are not getting enough rest and support or you’re feeling overwhelmed, you are much more likely to succumb to anger. Sleep deprivation, common in parents of young children, adds to moodiness and irritability—exactly what you are trying to avoid.

* Get professional help. Breaking the cycle of abuse can be very difficult if the patterns are strongly entrenched. If you can’t seem to stop yourself no matter how hard you try, it’s time to get help, be it therapy, parenting classes, or other interventions. Your children will thank you for it.

* Learn how you can get your emotions under control. The first step to getting your emotions under control is realizing that they are there. If you were abused as a child, you may have an especially difficult time getting in touch with your range of emotions. You may have had to deny or repress them as a child, and now they spill out without your control. For a step by step process on how you can develop your emotional intelligence, visit EQ Central.

Learning to Control your Anger

Getting anger under control is easier than you think. With a little insight into the real reasons for your anger and some effective anger management tools, you can learn how to express your feelings in healthier ways and keep your temper from hurting the people in your life.

Read: Anger Management: Tips and Techniques for Getting Anger Under Control

Helping an abused or neglected child

Helping an abused or neglected childWhat should you do if you suspect that a child has been abused? How do you approach him or her? Or what if a child comes to you? It’s normal to feel a little overwhelmed and confused in this situation. Child abuse is a difficult subject that can be hard to accept and even harder to talk about.

Just remember, you can make a tremendous difference in the life of an abused child, especially if you take steps to stop the abuse early. When talking with an abused child, the best thing you can provide is calm reassurance and unconditional support. Let your actions speak for you if you’re having trouble finding the words. Remember that talking about the abuse may be very difficult for the child. It’s your job to reassure the child and provide whatever help you can.

Tips for talking to an abused child

* Avoid denial and remain calm. A common reaction to news as unpleasant and shocking as child abuse is denial. However, if you display denial to a child, or show shock or disgust at what they are saying, the child may be afraid to continue and will shut down. As hard as it may be, remain as calm and reassuring as you can.

* Don’t interrogate. Let the child explain to you in his or her own words what happened, but don’t interrogate the child or ask leading questions. This may confuse and fluster the child and make it harder for them to continue their story.

* Reassure the child that they did nothing wrong. It takes a lot for a child to come forward about abuse. Reassure him or her that you take what is said seriously, and that it is not the child’s fault.

* Safety comes first. If you feel that your safety or the safety of the child would be threatened if you try to intervene, leave it to the professionals. You may be able to provide more support later after the initial professional intervention.

Reporting child abuse and neglect

If you suspect a child is being abused, it’s critical to get them the help he or she needs. Reporting child abuse seems so official. Many people are reluctant to get involved in other families’ lives. Understanding some of the myths behind reporting may help put your mind at ease if you need to report child abuse:

* I don’t want to interfere in someone else’s family. The effects of child abuse are lifelong, affecting future relationships, self-esteem, and sadly putting even more children at risk of abuse as the cycle continues. Help break the cycle of child abuse.

* What if I break up someone’s home? The priority in child protective services is keeping children in the home. A child abuse report does not mean a child is automatically removed from the home – unless the child is clearly in danger. Support such as parenting classes, anger management or other resources may be offered first to parents if safe for the child.

* They will know it was me who called. Reporting is anonymous. In most states, you do not have to give your name when you report child abuse. The child abuser cannot find out who made the report of child abuse.

* It won’t make a difference what I have to say. If you have a gut feeling that something is wrong, it is better to be safe than sorry. Even if you don’t see the whole picture, others may have noticed as well, and a pattern can help identify child abuse that might have otherwise slipped through the cracks.

"Professional" Photographer Suspected of Taking Nude Shots of Young Teens

Please read the bold, highlighted text below where it says CPS took the children and did not send them home to their parents.  Why???


SACRAMENTO, CA - A man claiming to be a professional photographer was arrested Saturday, suspected of enticing young teens into posing for nude photographs.

Sacramento County Jail records identified the suspect as Michael John Gilles, 35, who listed his occupation as photographer.  Police spokesman Konrad von Schoech declined to reveal the location of the arrest because the investigation is continuing.

According to von Schoech, police received a report last Thursday that a 13-year-old girl had gone voluntarily into a vehicle with a man believed to be in his twenties.  An officer spotted the girl walking with Gilles on Saturday in north Sacramento.

A search of the location where Gilles had been staying led to the discovery of two other teens, a girl and a boy, both 14. The girl had been reported missing last Wednesday, said von Schoech.  The boy was an unreported runaway, he said.  More than 200 ecstasy tablets were also found.

According to the jail booking sheet, Gilles is Asian.  Von Schoech said the young teens were also Asian and were deliberately targeted because of their race.  He said the 14-year-old boy was not involved in any photo shoots.

Von Schoech would not say what specific evidence led to the allegations that Gilles was taking inappropriate photographs.  Jail records show Gilles was booked on drug charges and lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14.  The booking sheet indicated he faces an arrest warrant from Santa Clara County and was ineligible for bail. 

For reasons not explained by von Schoech, all three children recovered by police were put in the custody of Child Protective Services, and not immediately returned to their parents.

by George Warren, GWarren@news10.net
News10/KXTV

Edinburg - Mother of Special Needs Student Upset Over Alleged Abuse (CPS Is Involved)


EDINBURG - A mother wants to know what happened to her son. She found bruises on her son's arm after school. It was enough to send her to Edinburg School District Police. The mom claims the teachers need more training. The district isn't saying much.

Teresa Prado knows her 10-year-old son Juan needs special attention. The fourth-grader suffers from bipolar disorder and autism. Prado says, "He comes home crying. He comes home depressed. He comes home screaming and crying because of something that happens at school."

Prado showed us pictures of bruises on Juan's arm, back and shoulder. She says her son's teachers at Cavazos Elementary left the bruises. Mom says her son also suffers from sickle cell anemia.

Prado says, "They're restraining him. They've pulled his arms to his back and pushing his head to the front."

Juan says "They threw me against the wall and twisted my arms."

His mother says that's no way to restrain a child. "You're supposed to be trained to where they're not hurting themselves or others. How are you going to restrain a child that by hurting them," asks Prado.

The attorney for the Edinburg CISD says the district police department is looking into the allegations. State and federal laws keep them from talking about any specific student. All special education teachers are trained to restrain, not hurt a child with this type of condition. Attorney Jacques Trevino says, "It's a calming restraint type of methodology. If it doesn't work, they'll resort to physical restraint in a manner that's not going to cause harm to a child."

Trevino says bruising can happen. "You would actually turn them around and hold onto them, hold their arms back and prevent their arms from moving and prevent them from kicking," says Trevino.

Prado isn't satisfied. She wants this to stop. She says, "I am to the breaking point. I've begged the school system for help."

She's pulled her son out of school until something is done. The school district has notified Child Protective Services. They're working together to investigate the allegations of abuse.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Paradise "Adoptive" Parents Accused of Fatal Child Abuse

Date: 2010-02-07
Source: chicoer.com
By ROBIN EPLEY - Staff Writer
Posted: 02/07/2010 12:00:00 AM PST
poundpuplegacy.org/node/42490 or www.paradisepost.com/news/ci_14350238

PARADISE -- Two parents in Paradise were arrested Saturday after Paradise police responded to a 1 a.m. 9-1-1 call and found an 8-year-old adopted girl in cardiac arrest.

A further search of the home in the 500 block of Crestwood Drive revealed another girl, 11, to have significant injuries due to child abuse, Paradise police said.

The younger victim was not breathing at the time of discovery but was later revived with life support at Feather River Hospital. However, she died en route after being transferred to Sutter Memorial Hospital in Sacramento.

The 11-year-old is hospitalized at Sutter.

Both children are the adopted daughters of Kevin Schatz, 46, and Elizabeth Schatz, 42, who have been arrested and booked into the Butte County Jail in Oroville on an open count of murder and child abuse, Paradise police said.

Seven other children have been taken into protective custody. The children were home-schooled. There was no history of child abuse at the home.

Police will continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incidents.

Caseworker Went to Texas Home Day Before Slayings

SAN ANTONIO – A child welfare caseworker visited the home of two young brothers the day before police say their mother stabbed them to death, officials said Wednesday.
 
There was no indication that Elyse Marsyl Colon, 22, might harm her children when the caseworker visited the home Monday, said Mary Walker, a Texas Department of Family and Protective Services spokeswoman.

Authorities say Colon calmly surrendered to police officers outside her home Tuesday evening and told them "I killed my babies." The officers found the bodies of 3-year-old Jose Luis Garcia and 1-year-old Guillermo Garcia laying next to each other in a bed in the home.

"Words can't describe the scene," San Antonio police Chief William McManus said. "It was unspeakably sad."

After Colon was placed in the patrol car, she allegedly told police, "Their father was in jail, I want him to know."

Colon was being held Wednesday on two counts of capital murder. Her bond was set at $2 million, and she had no attorney listed in court records. She cursed at reporters while being taken to court for arraignment late Tuesday.

Caseworkers had visited the family from time to time since 2006, when Colon was accused of using drugs while pregnant with Jose Luis, Walker said. The drug tests were negative.

The agency had been helping Colon search for a job and for housing since the boys' father, Luis Alonso Garcia-Pacheco, was jailed last year on domestic abuse charges, Walker said. He has not entered a plea, and remains in Bexar County jail awaiting trial this month.

Garcia-Pacheco's attorney, Rudy Vasquez, said his client is innocent. Vasquez said he is trying to arrange for Garcia-Pacheco — who also has a federal immigration hold against him — to attend his children's funeral.

"He's pretty numb and he's kind of devastated," Vasquez said.

Walker said a caseworker dropped off a check with Colon's landlord on Monday before visiting the family. The caseworker talked to Colon about finding a job, and gave her a list of temporary positions that did not require experience.

Walker said she didn't know how long the caseworker stayed at the home. There were never any grounds to remove the children from the mother's care, she said.

"It appears the mother was receptive, responsive and cooperative," Walker said.

According to public records, Garcia-Pacheco was arrested in May 2009 for illegal entry and family assault. That month, Walker said welfare officials investigated a domestic abuse complaint at the home. Colon allegedly told investigators there had been violence, but that her sons were not harmed.

"She had been battered," Walker said. "The children were not."

Colon also had been accused of wrongdoing. In June 2008, there was an indication that Colon's second son tested positive at birth for methamphetamines, but that test results were ultimately negative, Walker said. A complaint that Colon had allegedly fallen while holding her child was later recanted, Walker said.

The attack occurred less than three miles from the home where prosecutors say a woman decapitated and butchered her 3-week-old boy last summer. The woman, Otty Sanchez, is charged with capital murder. She has not entered a plea, but her attorney has said she was not mentally stable at the time of the attack.

On Colon's street, neighbor Angelica Puentes, 34, said she had talked to the woman a couple of times and said she seemed like she was in a daze.

"They can't speak for themselves, they can't defend themselves," Puentes said. "They're very vulnerable right now. She just took advantage of that for whatever reason, I don't know."

L.A. County Shifts Approach to Children

Editor's Note:  For the record, anything written in this section is just my personal opinion or take on the news article.  Unless otherwise stated, it is not based in facts, just impressions.  Having said that, I wonder how much crap they had to take from this because 2 hours later, they backed down from that position even after stating they knew it would bring them bad publicity.  There's a saying that goes, "as goes California, so goes the rest of the country."  So if LA did stop reunifying families, it was only a matter of time before every other CPS agency jumped on the bandwagon.  After all, since they're in it for the money only, this would be the perfect approach!  Thank God they backed down.   P.S. - I will continue to make editor's notes so long as I am the one in charge of this blog.  If it's offensive, don't read it.  Besides, it's a proven fact that children are way more likely to be abused, tortured, killed, raped, go missing, neglected and hurt while in foster care than in their real homes.  What's wrong with this picture?


Feb. 5--Los Angeles County has suspended a long-standing effort to reduce the number of children in foster homes because keeping more of the children with their birth families could be unsafe, the county's top child-welfare official said.
------
FOR THE RECORD:

Foster care: A previous headline on this article incorrectly said that county child welfare officials would "no longer strive" to reunite families. As the story reported, Department of Children and Family Services Director Trish Ploehn told a reporter last week that such reunifications would not happen as frequently as in the past until new reforms were in place to ensure safety. The county still plans to reunite or preserve families whenever possible.

------

The decision marks a turnaround for the Department of Children and Family Services, which for many years has sought to cut the foster care rolls, in part by trying to mend troubled families. The department's leaders have cited the decline in foster children -- from a high of 52,000 in 1997 to a low of 19,900 last year -- as one of their proudest achievements.

"I do want these numbers to start going down again but only when I can assure everyone that the work we are doing results in safety for that child who is going home," said Trish Ploehn, the department's director.
 
"I don't know how much more we can go down in the numbers, though," she said. "We are a very large county, and it's possible that we are already at the level where we are supposed to be."

The decision is the most significant of several reforms made by the department after a series of high-profile child deaths last year, some of which involved the department putting too much faith in its ability to rehabilitate families. In 2009, The Times reported that reunifications led to some children's further injuries and even deaths. Isabel Garcia, for instance, starved to death two months after child-welfare officials deemed that she, her five siblings and their parents were all doing well.

Toddler Angel Montiel and his siblings were reunited with their parents after the couple enrolled in parenting classes, drug testing and other "family preservation" services.

He subsequently was beaten to death. An autopsy found dozens of injuries, some fresh and some healed, including broken bones and burns. Originally charged with murder, his mother pleaded no contest to manslaughter and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

"These cases had a very deep effect on the department," Ploehn said.

Under the department's policies, social workers had been encouraged to keep children in their original homes by helping parents deal with problems believed to underlie abuse, including addiction, anger, unemployment and mental illness. At the same time, the county increased the number of child-parent reunions, reduced the time such reunifications take and -- for children who couldn't go home -- doubled the number of adoptions.

In 2007, the department wagered that it could drive the numbers down further. It entered an experimental federal program that pays the county a limited sum for foster care services. If it exceeded that amount, the county had to pay the difference. If it spent less, the county could use the savings to reduce child abuse and neglect as it saw fit.

The policy pivot by Ploehn is likely to be controversial. Foster care has many critics who say children often are dispatched to one place after another without any sense of permanence or normal family life, and end up homeless and unemployed in adulthood.

A group called DCFS Give Us Back Our Children often demonstrates outside Edelman Children's Court in Monterey Park, saying that too many children are removed from families unnecessarily.

One member, Sabreen Shabazz, 56, of Los Angeles, cares for her 11-month-old granddaughter, who was removed from her daughter's custody.

Shabazz worries that her granddaughter might be unnecessarily sent to foster care because the family lives on only $845 a month and sometimes struggles to pay for apartment repairs ordered by the department.

"DCFS has a family preservation unit and they need to focus on that work more, not less," said Janet Mitchell, a friend who attends the group's monthly meetings. "Look at Sabreen: She's a loving grandmother who just needs help. They live in poverty, but the child is happy because she is loved."

In 2009, at least 17 children died of abuse or neglect even though child-welfare officials were well aware of their troubled family histories. Fourteen youngsters suffered such deaths in 2008.
Among the other reforms under way:

--Three hundred workers are being redeployed to the child abuse investigations unit at a cost of $37.5 million, reducing the average investigator's caseload from 25 to 18.

--An improved computer system is being developed to provide child-abuse investigators with more information from other county agencies -- mental health, for example, or law enforcement -- about troubled families.

--An additional layer of review is being added to child-abuse investigations before they can be declared "unfounded."

--Dozens of workers are being disciplined for their poor handling of cases that ended in death.
By some key measures, however, the county is falling behind schedule on reform efforts, especially the computer system.

That project is overseen by County Chief Executive William T Fujioka because it requires coordination with many county departments.

The need for such a system has been repeated in more than a dozen reports over almost two decades. Each concluded that county agencies were not exchanging vital information that could prevent death and injury to abused children. None inspired significant change.

Once again, the deadline for many of the improvements -- such as adding data from county hospitals and local police departments -- has passed without action. Work on longer-term goals has barely begun.

Overall, the department's reform efforts also have been stymied by a 9% reduction in its $1.7-billion budget this year. That's not likely to improve any time soon: Ploehn has been ordered to plan an additional 9% cut for next year.

Victims Angry With Government Over Abuse in Foster Care

Lisa Grant and Alicia Hope-Ross Feb 06, 2010 08:18:14 AM

Victims of abuse in foster care say they're outraged that problems in the system are never addressed.

An Edmonton lawyer who represents about 300 people abused in foster care has had a class-action suit against the Alberta government for the last seven years.

Robert Lee tells the Calgary Sun, problems that continue to hit the spotlight are not acted on and changes recommended after numerous reviews have not been implemented.   He says he's disappointed to once again hear provincial authorities promising to deal with the chronic issues in the wake of sex charges against a Calgary foster parent.

Lee says the top issue in the system is abuse but there is also neglect with children simply falling through cracks.

Sex abuse charges were filed this past week against long-time foster parent Garry Prokopishin.

NCCPR Child Welfare Blog: Foster Care is Abusive, So Let's Have More Of It! "Children's Rights" and the Power of Doublethink

To read the story in its entirety, please visit...

Foster Care Is Abusive...

I had one of those Jon Stewart moments last week – one of those moments when someone says something that is either so outlandish or so obvious or simply such a contradiction of everything else that person says or does that it demands a quick, strong response.

Example: Martha Coakley is asked if she is being too passive in her U.S. Senate campaign.
Coakley: "As opposed to standing outside Fenway Park? In the cold? Shaking hands?"
Stewart: "Let me see if I can field that one for you: YES!!!"

My Jon Stewart moment occurred as I read an example of the kind of journalism that should remind us of why we still need newspapers: A searing account in the Philadelphia Daily News of how that city's Department of Human Services destroyed a family in almost every possible way. A key issue was the abuse the children suffered in foster care.

But it wasn't the DHS comments that really got to me – I'm used to the kind of b.s. one gets from child welfare agencies. No, the problem came when the reporter turned for expertise to Marcia Lowry, who runs the group that so arrogantly calls itself "Children's Rights" (CR). And the problem isn't that what she said is wrong – the problem is that what she said is right.
Here's what she said:

To read the story in its entirety, please visit...

Grandparents Blog: Avalanche of Anguish - Sexual Abuse in Foster Care

Avalanche of Anguish
By DANA DiFILIPPO
Philadelphia Daily News

difilid@phillynews.com 215-854-5934

SHANNON BERTHIAUME knows she did something stupid, something she can't take back.

In a fit of frustration, the mother of three drove her minivan into a West Philadelphia elementary school in 2005 to protest the escalating racial bullying her kids had suffered there.

Although no one was seriously injured and the only damage was a scratch on the school door, Berthiaume was arrested and sentenced to a year of probation.

But her legal troubles were trivial compared to the avalanche of anguish that followed.

Social workers from the city's Department of Human Services took her kids away and kept them, pingponging between foster homes, for a year and a half.

When Berthiaume got them back, all three had been sexually molested in their foster homes, she said.

"My oldest son [then 14] came home bleeding from his rectum - a lot, like a woman bleeds [menstrually]," Berthiaume said.

That son, now 16, is in a group home for sex offenders, after DHS took him again when he molested his little brother. Her other two kids resent her for catapulting them into the misery that has marred their lives since their mother's arrest.

"DHS has destroyed my family," said Berthiaume, 37, wiping tears from her cheeks.

While judges and social workers often assume removing children from troubled homes will make them safer, the ordeal of Berthiaume and her family illustrates a disturbing epidemic in foster care:

Kids in foster homes are up to four times as likely to suffer sex abuse as other kids.

The odds worsen for kids unlucky enough to get placed in group homes and other institutional settings:

They're 28 times as likely to be sexually abused there, studies show.

And while predatory foster parents make the headlines, the abuse typically is child-on-child, experts agree.

As shocking as the statistics are, child advocates say sexual abuse occurs far more than even the most perverted mind can imagine.

"I've been doing this work for a long time and represented thousands and thousands of foster children, both in class-action lawsuits and individually, and I have almost never seen a child, boy or girl, who has been in foster care for any length of time who has not been sexually abused in some way, whether it is child-on-child or not," said Marcia Robinson Lowry, executive director of Children's Rights, a New York-based nonprofit.

"It is quite common."

They were the only white kids in the school.

That didn't matter to Berthiaume, who married a black man and whose youngest son's father is Puerto Rican.

But it apparently did matter to some of their classmates, who rarely let an opportunity pass to call them racial names, beat them or otherwise bully them, the family said.

"My kids would come home crying every day. They were afraid to go to school," she said.

Berthiaume complained repeatedly to the school, the district, local and state politicians and even the U.S. Department of Education.

She still has a dog-eared file thicker than a phone book of her various fruitless pleas to people for help.

Finally, in May 2005, with the abuse unabated, she planned a protest outside the school.

She made up signs and kept them in her van, waiting for the perfect opportunity.

But fury overtook patience on May 24, when she picked up her kids from school - only to hear that bullies had pounced on her 8-year-old in the bathroom as he relieved himself, yanking painfully on his privates as they called him names, she said.

"I snapped," she said of the day that led to years of tears.

Berthiaume locked her kids in the van and steered toward Huey's front door. Berthiaume said she merely parked the van at the door to protest her kids' treatment; police said she rammed it.

Either way, she got arrested and spent the night in jail. Although acquitted of all but one (simple assault) of the five charges against her, she was sentenced to a year of probation, court records show. The case is the only blemish on her otherwise clean criminal record.

After her arrest, DHS took her kids, then ages 8, 10 and 12, and put them in foster care.

The three bounced around between 15 different placements, according to DHS records. Berthiaume's daughter was moved most, hopscotching between eight foster homes, according to DHS records.

She remembers none fondly.

"A lot of homes hit me, they beat me. Some of the homes, I starved; they would sit down at the table and say: 'You can't sit at this table because you're not part of this family.' So I'd have to eat at school," said the girl, now 14.

The Daily News is withholding her and her siblings' names due to the sexual nature of their alleged abuse.

At one home, Berthiaume's daughter said, a foster parent choked and threatened her after wrongly assuming she scratched a foster baby in the home.

Worst was the teenage boy in one home who pinned her down and fondled her as she struggled to escape in May 2006. She was 10 years old. She and Berthiaume sued DHS for the incident and won a $25,000 settlement from the city and its subcontracted provider in which DHS admitted no fault, DHS records show.

In infrequent phone calls and supervised visits, Berthiaume learned of her kids' struggles in foster care and worked hard to get them back. She earned her GED and took classes in parenting, nutrition and anger management to demonstrate her worthiness as a parent.

Still, DHS kept her two youngest until August 2006 and the oldest until October 2006.

Aside from the assault on Berthiaume's daughter, none of the three reported any maltreatment in foster care, said Dell Meriwether, deputy commissioner of DHS' Children and Youth Division.

Berthiaume said she first learned her sons had been molested two weeks after her eldest came home.

She walked into the boys' bedroom and saw her sons, who had been lying under a blanket, jump up. She thought she had interrupted the eldest trying to molest the youngest, so she called her DHS social worker.

Meriwether said, DHS investigators determined the eldest boy had performed oral sex on his little brother and then threatened him with violence.

"That is a pretty significant incident," Meriwether said.

DHS removed the boy again, and police charged him with a sex crime.

The criminal charges eventually were dropped, but DHS placed the boy, now 16, in a group home for sex offenders where he remains today.

A Family Court judge ordered the other two children to undergo therapy.

Berthiaume said both boys told counselors they'd been repeatedly raped while in foster care, although neither reported the abuse to social workers and DHS has no records of such reports, Meriwether said.

Berthiaume has spent the past three years struggling to rebuild relationships soured from simmering resentments and long absences.

"I love my mom, but I ain't even speak to her now without arguing with her. I have anger issues," Berthiaume's daughter said recently. "This [foster experience] damaged me. I just think of that day [when Berthiaume got arrested at Huey], and I think: If she wanted to get us out, she could have did it in a different way. 'Cause now, we're living a nightmare."

Berthiaume wishes she could take that day back.

"I feel bad, because I take responsibility for my actions," she said, crying. "I take on that burden that I got them placed in the system. If I wouldn't have did what I did, they wouldn't have suffered like they did."

Her house is quiet now.

Berthiaume's husband, tired of the drama, moved out last month.

Her two sons are gone.

DHS refuses to return Berthiaume's eldest son, despite professing, as most social-service agencies do, that family preservation is a top priority.

"Preservation of the family can only be possible when all of the children in the family can be safely maintained," Meriwether said. Further, the child "has not completed his sexual-offender therapy. He still is addressing his mental and behavioral health issues. [And] Ms. Berthiaume has not completed the requisite family therapy."

The eldest boy's "victim" - Berthiaume's youngest son - moved to another state a few weeks ago to live with his biological father, weary of fighting with his mother and rehashing things in interminable court-ordered therapy.

"I live in a four-bedroom house with one child," Berthiaume said. "This has broken my family."

A DHS social worker made a surprise visit to Berthiaume's home for the first time in years last week, shortly after the Daily News began asking DHS about the family.

But Meriwether denied any ill intent.

"Because there's an active child in placement, safety assessment visits should be done every six months. Those were not being done, so your call prompted that," Meriwether said.

But Berthiaume feels unfairly targeted.

"I just wish they would leave my family alone so we can heal from this," Berthiaume said. "They're supposed to be a child-protection agency. They could have left them with me, and they'd be fine. But instead, they say I'm not fit to be a mom, and then they place them with other people who abuse them. They didn't protect my children."



Overburdened systems
Cases like Berthiaume's exasperate Richard Wexler.

Wexler heads the National Coalition for Child Protection Reform, a Virginia-based nonprofit that advocates family preservation.

"In every respect, this is a perfect microcosm of everything wrong with the Philadelphia child-welfare system," Wexler said. "This mother flew off the handle, but did nothing herself to harm her children. So these children were taken from a perfectly safe home only to be abused in foster care."

Fearful of the public criticism that comes after high-profile abuse deaths like Charlenni Ferreira and Danieal Kelly, Philadelphia is too quick to remove children from their biological homes, Wexler contended.

"Philadelphia takes away children at, by far, the highest rate of any major city," he said.

Philadelphia's rate of removal – entries into care divided by the number of impoverished children - is 31.3 children removed for every thousand impoverished children in the county, according to coalition statistics. The national average is 20.2.

"The more you overload your child-welfare system with children who don't need to be there, the greater the likelihood of abuse," Wexler said. "There are two reasons for that: You put your DHS in a position where they are begging for beds. Beggars can't be choosers, so there is an enormous incentive to lower standards for foster parents. The other problem is if you have too many children coming in, you cannot be careful about which foster children you put with other foster children. And one of the biggest problems in foster care is foster children abusing other foster children.

"The only way to fix foster care is to have less of it," Wexler added.

DHS Spokeswoman DeszereeThomas countered that DHS has been successful at reducing its removal rates, saying only 4,988 children were placed in foster homes, group homes, supervised independent living and other settings, as of fiscal year 2009. That's down about 20 percent from a recent high of 6,210 in fiscal year 2005, according to DHS data.

Thomas couldn't quantify how many of those children are in treatment as sex-abuse victims or offenders, saying such information isn't tracked centrally.

But the state Department of Public Welfare, which investigates reports of children abused in foster care, tallied 261 reported incidents statewide of sexual contact between children in foster homes in 2008 and 2009.

National studies suggest the actual incidence of abuse is far higher. For example, youths in foster care are at a higher risk of acquiring HIV, according to a 1999 Washington University study.

"If bad things happen to these children, for the most part, they're unreported," Robinson Lowry said. "And when a foster-care system does a really lousy job, there are really no consequences. These are systems that are usually isolated from public outcry (because of privacy protections). Very often, the only real accountability is when a system gets sued."



A family forever fractured?
Some kids dislike school.

Berthiaume's youngest son has sworn it off forever.

"I will never go back to a public school ever," he said.

Since getting her kids back in 2006, Berthiaume has home-schooled them, the family's faith broken in all public agencies.

She'd like to leave Philadelphia, the city that has brought her so much heartache. But she won't leave her eldest son behind.

So she waits to learn what else she must do to get him back.

"I shouldn't have felt driven to take matters into my own hands. I had this nightmare for five years. Where was the city for me? They're still failing me after all these years," she said of her unending battle to make her family whole. "Five years of people just turning their backs. It feels as though the weight of the world is on us. I'm tired."

http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/82231247.html

CBC News - Calgary - No Way to Guarantee Foster Children's Safety: Advocate

Last Updated: Sunday, February 7, 2010 | 2:22 PM MT

Alberta's Child and Youth Advocate says he doesn't believe there is any way to guarantee foster children will never be abused.

John Mould, Alberta's Child and Youth Advocate, told CBC News allegations that a 51-year-old Calgary man allegedly offered money to three boys in his care in exchange for sexual acts are disappointing.

However, Mould said cases like this one are one of the realities of child welfare systems.
"You know, it's one of those things. One never wants it to happen but … it does happen," he said, adding that his office will work "to learn as much as possible about the circumstances of what happened here."

Children and Youth Services Minister Yvonne Fritz has called for an internal review of the case.
She said she will act quickly to implement any recommendations that might come out of the report.

But Mould said there is no way to guarantee that children are 100 per cent safe.
"There's no fool-proof screening mechanism that I'm aware of," he said.

"I think that lots and lots of effort is put into doing the best screening that the service system knows how to do … but I just don't think that there is an answer that would reassure people that if we did this the problem would disappear."

While the case has the province's Liberal party questioning the competency of the Department of Children and Youth Services, Fritz said incidences of abuse within the foster care system are very unusual.

LK YouTube Video - How To Make A Web Page (Part 1, 2 and 3)

In case someone wants to make a website for CPS reform (or destruction) I thought I'd share L.K.'s videos on how to build web pages.  It's 3 videos and I have posted all three!


 


YouTube - LK Report for February 7th, 2010

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Fatal Misunderstandings About Reactive Attachment Disorder (Foster Children)

Dangerous misunderstandings harm foster children and others.
When I began this blog, I chose the name "child myths" because of my concern about misunderstandings that are potentially harmful to children. As some readers know, my interest in this issue began some years ago with a study of so-called Attachment Therapy and its role in the death of Candace Newmaker in 2000 (described in Mercer, J., Sarner,L., & Rosa, L. [2003], "Attachment Therapy On Trial". Westport, CT: Praeger). The fact that other children have also died at the hands of parents acting on the instructions of unconventional therapists has also motivated me to pursue the correction of "child myths".

A number of myths about children are part of mistaken beliefs about the childhood mental health problem called Reactive Attachment Disorder and given the code 313.89 in DSM-IV-Tr. The criteria for Reactive Attachment Disorder involve children's age-inappropriate relationships with adults, with behaviors that are either less engaged and dependent than is typical for the child's developmental stage, or, alternatively, excessively dependent and "clingy" compared to other children of the same age. Regrettably, these criteria are little understood by the general public, but are replaced by myths and misunderstandings that are reinforced by careless journalists.

For example, the newsletter of a middle-western foster and adoption group
(http://www.mfcaa.org/img/files/newsletters/2010/Feb%202010%20News... ) claims that Reactive Attachment Disorder is characterized by the following symptoms: superficially charming behavior, refusal to make eye contact on parents' terms, "crazy lying", and false allegations of abuse, among other things. This misinformation is repeated by print and television journalists until "everybody knows" it's true-- even though it's obvious that this set of behaviors has little or nothing to do with Reactive Attachment Disorder as defined earlier.

The spread of misinformation is a problem for more reasons than one, and is especially problematic because misinformed people can easily make misinformed decisions. Such decisions have resulted in death and injury of children who have been mistreated systematically by caregivers, often with the encouragement of caseworkers. Michael Shermer, writing in "Scientific American" several years ago, referred to these adverse events as "death by theory", and indeed it is hard to see how such things could have occurred if the adults had not been blinded to the obvious by their beliefs about child development.

There have been quite a few reports of harm to children resulting from misinformed beliefs about Reactive Attachment Disorder. One account of an investigation of a foster home following the death of a child gives examples of these beliefs and their impact. Relevant correspondence and investigation reports may be seen at http://www.dleg.state.mi.us/fhs/brs/reports/CP140201012_SIR_2008C..., but I will refer to some of the important statements referring to beliefs held by the caseworkers in this situation. (I will omit some of the material dealing with carelessness in the original acceptance of these foster parents into the system.)

1. One child in the family had a tantrum in the car, and following the foster mother's actions to deal with this, complained that she had broken his leg. He was found to have a "linear displaced fracture of the proximal tibial epiphysis" [the growth plate area at the end of an immature bone] and a cast was applied. The caseworker said, however, "DHS believes it is possible that [he] never really felt any pain in his leg, that he was just using this as another control mechanism, and he is bewildered by the fact that he now has a cast on an injury that he was ‘inventing' in order to get the foster parent into trouble."

2. An anonymous referral said that a child had been locked out of the house on several occasions and had screamed and cried for close to an hour, begging to be let in (this was in December in Michigan). The caseworker, however, said the complaint was "consistent with her knowledge of [his] classic Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) behaviors, as he frequently yells and screams out toward foster mom, accusing her of mistreating him", and that he might have gone outside of his own accord and then taken the opportunity to accuse the caregiver.


3. One child was found locked naked in an abandoned outdoor shed. He was taken to the emergency room, where doctors expressed concern about bruises and bite marks on him. Two caseworkers stated their opinions that these marks were self-inflicted.

4. Another of the foster children stated that a foster parent had made her run barefoot in the snow for "discipline", made her run up and down the stairs in the middle of the night, dragged her through the mud as punishment, and sometimes withheld food. No investigation followed these disclosures.

Do these examples of mistreatment show anything other than the fact that human beings can be unbelievably cruel to children? I believe they do show something else: that the caseworkers who were supposed to advocate for the children believed that their treatment was appropriate. They had accepted some ideas current among unconventional therapists and frequently repeated by unwary journalists. These included the belief that complaints of pain or sickness by children said to have Reactive Attachment Disorder are all lies and attempts to manipulate and exploit other people. Also included was the belief that allegations of abuse by "RAD children" are always lies and attempts to cause trouble to their caregivers, even when there is physical evidence of injury. In addition, not only the individual caseworkers, but one or more of their supervisors apparently believed that pain, hunger, fear, and humiliation were appropriate treatments for children who were less than satisfactory to their caregivers.

Until we can correct these myths, and until we educate caseworkers, foster and adoptive parents, teachers, and the general public, about them, the most vulnerable of our children remain in real danger from those who are supposed to care for them. Please, journalists, take note, and do not exacerbate this problem by circulating dangerous mistaken beliefs!