Parents, Grandparents ask Why Children are Removed From their Homes

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By Earl Glynn on December 1, 2009
Print This Article Topeka. About a dozen parents and grandparents appealed directly to state legislators Monday for answers about why the state removed children from their homes, denied adoptions and even placed them in foster homes instead of with grandparents.

Lawmakers gave no clear answer. Parents said they are confused about how to appeal or if it is possible. They turned to their legislators after they said social services and courts failed them.

The Joint Committee on Children’s issues received written testimony from about a dozen more parents.

Three State Senators, Oletha Faust-Goudeau (D-Wichita), David Haley (D-KCK), and Julia Lynn (R-Olathe) said they have received more complaints in recent years. Committee Chair State Rep Mike Kiegerl (R-Olathe) said he was not only receiving more complaints but the intensity is increasing.

Haley discussed the secrecy in custody cases and expressed frustration about his inability to learn facts in cases brought to him. He wondered if new legislation is needed to give state legislators access to documents about cases to help pass better laws.

One grandfather, Clarence Wonsetler from Topeka, testified he spent $10,000 on legal bills to get his granddaughter back after she had been in eight foster homes. The man said he had been told he and his wife were too old for custodial rights, but his granddaughter was placed in foster care with a woman only a few years younger with medical problems of her own. The man claimed the foster mother smoked, even thought she needed oxygen. While the man has his granddaughter back, he now wants “to bear witness to the atrocities that continue.”

Another case was particularly touching. A young woman, Cecillia Arnold originally from Wichita, told about the abusive relationship she was in, and was victimized again when the state took her children. Rep. Bill Otto (R-LeRoy) said he was stunned the abused mom, who had never broken any law, lost her parental rights.



In this video Sen. Faust-Goudea talks about how the legislature can address helping parents and grandparents:



Earlier, state Social Services Secretary Don Jordan said his agency receives about 55,000 allegations of abuse of children each year and investigates about 26,000. The agency removes about 3,000 children from homes.

Jordan explained that only about 25 percent of children are placed with relatives, about the national average.

Near the end of Monday’s meeting State Rep. Pete DeGraaf (R-Mulvane) challenged Jordan to try harder to place children with their families instead of in foster homes and ensure they never are placed in known abusers’ homes

At the 2:40 point in the video below, DeGraff says he was not convinced that Jordan personally wanted to return the kids to their families.



Today’s hearing will be about “follow the money” issues and whether the privatization of the outplacement of foster children has sufficient checks and balances.

Parents, grandparents ask why children removed from homes
Three State Senators, Oletha Faust-Goudeau (D-Wichita), David Haley (D-KCK), and ...


http://kansas.watchdog.org/2009/12/01/parents-grandparents-ask-why-children-removed-from-homes/