Thursday, June 30, 2016
It’s time to rethink our foster care system.
It’s time to rethink our foster care system. | Speaker.gov:
Every year, an estimated 265,000 children are removed from their homes by welfare officials, thrown into a foster care system that often isn’t prepared to welcome them. Every one of those 265,000 children represents a family torn apart: parents who won’t raise them; siblings who won’t grow up together. It’s a severe—and often unnecessary—measure to take when there are other solutions available. Enter the Family First Prevention Services Act, introduced by Rep. Vern Buchanan of Florida.
Schwab lawsuit claims DCF, other agencies engaged in "Kids for Cash" enterprise
Schwab lawsuit claims DCF, other agencies engaged in "Kids for Cash" enterprise | CJOnline.com:
An amended civil complaint filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for Kansas alleges that the Kansas Department for Children and Families, as well as other agencies and individuals, are engaged in a “Kids for Cash type unlawful enterprise.”
An amended civil complaint filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for Kansas alleges that the Kansas Department for Children and Families, as well as other agencies and individuals, are engaged in a “Kids for Cash type unlawful enterprise.”
Georgia foster mom pleads guilty to voluntary manslaughter in death of toddler
Georgia foster mom pleads guilty to voluntary manslaughter in death of toddler | Times Free Press:
A North Georgia foster mom pleaded guilty Monday to a charge of voluntary manslaughter. Clara Louise Edwards faced a charge of felony murder but pleaded guilty to a lesser offense. A jury had already convicted her of first degree cruelty to children earlier this year, and on Monday Judge Ralph Van Pelt Jr. sentenced Edwards to a total of 20 years in prison for both of her charges.
A North Georgia foster mom pleaded guilty Monday to a charge of voluntary manslaughter. Clara Louise Edwards faced a charge of felony murder but pleaded guilty to a lesser offense. A jury had already convicted her of first degree cruelty to children earlier this year, and on Monday Judge Ralph Van Pelt Jr. sentenced Edwards to a total of 20 years in prison for both of her charges.
Child says adopted father beat him with switch for wasting water
Child says adopted father beat him with switch for wasting water:
HOUSTON - A man was arrested Monday after police said he beat his adopted 10-year-old son with a switch.A witness told police she saw the boy running toward her crying for help, wearing only a T-shirt and underwear. She said when he got close she saw bumps, bruises, cuts and scratches all over his body.
Ex-TV Reporters Charged After Their Baby Tests Positive For Cocaine
Ex-TV Reporters Charged After Their Baby Tests Positive For Cocaine:
Two former TV reporters are facing felony charges after their breastfed 4-month-old baby was found with cocaine in her system, authorities in Arizona say.
Two former TV reporters are facing felony charges after their breastfed 4-month-old baby was found with cocaine in her system, authorities in Arizona say.
Tuesday, June 28, 2016
CHILDREN ‘GRABBED’ DURING SCHOOL – DCF STRIKES AGAIN
CHILDREN ‘GRABBED’ DURING SCHOOL – DCF STRIKES AGAIN – The Boston Broadside:
EAST FALMOUTH GRANDPARENTS FACE EMPTY SEATS AS DCF TAKES CHILDREN WITH NO NOTICE
EAST FALMOUTH GRANDPARENTS FACE EMPTY SEATS AS DCF TAKES CHILDREN WITH NO NOTICE
DIVORCE, CUSTODY BATTLE, BLOODY NOSE, ARRESTS, PROBATION, LAWYERS, JUDGES, and Two Sisters – 14 and 11 – ‘GRABBED’ BY DCF – No, not a movie. A real-life nightmare.
Friday, June 24, 2016
Number of children in DCYF custody because of opioid addiction overwhelms system
Number of children in DCYF custody because of opioid addiction overwhelms system | FOX25:
NASHUA, N.H. —
NASHUA, N.H. —
A 2-year-old girl will lift up her shirt to reveal the medical tube dangling from her stomach. Her name is Monica and she has cystic fibrosis.
Lessons to be learned from the case of Ellie Butler
Lessons to be learned from the case of Ellie Butler | Letters | Society | The Guardian:
Our hearts go out to the grandfather of murdered Ellie Butler, but your leader (23 June) is right that sound constitutional reasons prevent judges appearing before external agencies. However, this presents the president of the family division, James Munby, with a dilemma. He knows that a terrible mistake was made by one of his judges. He also knows that we expect lessons to be learned and that those of us involved in family cases, and the wider public, will want evidence that there have been changes and that we will not accept anodyne statements that things will be different in future.
Our hearts go out to the grandfather of murdered Ellie Butler, but your leader (23 June) is right that sound constitutional reasons prevent judges appearing before external agencies. However, this presents the president of the family division, James Munby, with a dilemma. He knows that a terrible mistake was made by one of his judges. He also knows that we expect lessons to be learned and that those of us involved in family cases, and the wider public, will want evidence that there have been changes and that we will not accept anodyne statements that things will be different in future.
New foster care reforms become law
New foster care reforms become law - News - WKZO | Everything Kalamazoo | 590 AM:
LANSING (WKZO-AM) -- Gov. Rick Snyder has signed into law new foster care reforms authored by Sen. Rick Jones, R-Grand Ledge. The law compels the state to make every effort to keep siblings in the foster care system together.
CPS Reports Detail Warning Signs Before Orangevale Boy’s Murder
CPS Reports Detail Warning Signs Before Orangevale Boy’s Murder « CBS Sacramento:
ORANGEVALE (CBS13) — Warning signs leading to the tragic murder of a 5-year-old Orangevale boy were all over Child Protective Services documents obtained by CBS13.
ORANGEVALE (CBS13) — Warning signs leading to the tragic murder of a 5-year-old Orangevale boy were all over Child Protective Services documents obtained by CBS13.
Deadly Shooting Could Cost Mother Custody of Children
Deadly Shooting Could Cost Mother Custody of Children | WFMYNEWS2.com:
WINSTON-SALEM, NC -- We're learning more about the moments before, during, and after a deadly shooting in Winston-Salem.
WINSTON-SALEM, NC -- We're learning more about the moments before, during, and after a deadly shooting in Winston-Salem.
Step-mom awaits fate in horrific child abuse case of 5-year-old Josiah Williams
Step-mom awaits fate in horrific child abuse case of 5-year-old Josiah Williams | kens5.com:
SAN ANTONIO -- It's one of the most horrific child abuse cases in Bexar County. 5-year-old Josiah Williams died two days after Christmas in 2012. He was abused, neglected and malnourished.
SAN ANTONIO -- It's one of the most horrific child abuse cases in Bexar County. 5-year-old Josiah Williams died two days after Christmas in 2012. He was abused, neglected and malnourished.
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
Don't blame an Indian adoption law for the custody fight over a Choctaw child
Don't blame an Indian adoption law for the custody fight over a Choctaw child - LA Times:
To the editor: People need to realize that the 6-year-old Choctaw girl removed from a Santa Clarita foster home would not have been with that family for more than four years if it wasn’t for the fact that they kept going to court to try to adopt a child who was not available for adoption. (“A child was taken from her foster parents because she's 1/64 Choctaw. That's cruel,” Readers React, June 16)
To the editor: People need to realize that the 6-year-old Choctaw girl removed from a Santa Clarita foster home would not have been with that family for more than four years if it wasn’t for the fact that they kept going to court to try to adopt a child who was not available for adoption. (“A child was taken from her foster parents because she's 1/64 Choctaw. That's cruel,” Readers React, June 16)
Monday, June 20, 2016
Woman ticketed for child abuse after child nearly drowns in hotel pool
Woman ticketed for child abuse after child nearly drowns in hotel pool - Omaha.com: Crime & Courts:
A 38-year-old woman was ticketed Sunday for misdemeanor child abuse by neglect after a child nearly drowned at a pool at an extended-stay hotel at 7010 Hascall St. on Sunday.
A 38-year-old woman was ticketed Sunday for misdemeanor child abuse by neglect after a child nearly drowned at a pool at an extended-stay hotel at 7010 Hascall St. on Sunday.
Arizona Child Traffick Racketeering via CPS and Doctors on Trial Before U.S. Supreme Court
Arizona Child Traffick Racketeering via CPS and Doctors on Trial Before U.S. Supreme Court
MedicalKidnap.com is a website born in late 2014 and is part of the Health Impact News network. We started MedicalKidnap.com because so many families were coming to us and begging us to publish their stories to the public – stories of how their children were taken away from them by an apparent collusion between medical doctors and social workers in Child Protection Services (CPS). The parents often felt like victims for disagreeing with doctors over the care of their children, which resulted in them losing their children to the State. Children with medical needs seized by State social services bring a tremendous amount of revenue to the State, and federal laws actually allow children who are wards of the State to be involuntarily used in drug trials.
MedicalKidnap.com is a website born in late 2014 and is part of the Health Impact News network. We started MedicalKidnap.com because so many families were coming to us and begging us to publish their stories to the public – stories of how their children were taken away from them by an apparent collusion between medical doctors and social workers in Child Protection Services (CPS). The parents often felt like victims for disagreeing with doctors over the care of their children, which resulted in them losing their children to the State. Children with medical needs seized by State social services bring a tremendous amount of revenue to the State, and federal laws actually allow children who are wards of the State to be involuntarily used in drug trials.
Sunday, June 19, 2016
Alleged Rapist Arrested in Alabama Rape Mother Story – Allowed to Enter Hospital Room to See Baby Before His Arrest
Alleged Rapist Arrested in Alabama Rape Mother Story – Allowed to Enter Hospital Room to See Baby Before His Arrest:
The case of the 14 year old rape victim and her baby who was seized by Alabama DHR (Department of Human Resources, responsible for Child Protective Services) earlier this week has been continued by the judge to next week, and the accused rapist has been arrested.
See original story:
Alabama Child Protective Services Steals New-born Breast-feeding Baby from Rape Victim While Still at the Hospital
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
Man charged, accused of leaving foster child in hot van Sunday
Man charged, accused of leaving foster child in hot van Sunday - WKOW 27: Madison, WI Breaking News, Weather and Sports:
GREEN BAY, Wis. (WKOW) --- An Illinois man is charged with child neglect after a woman called police concerned about a child in a hot van on Sunday. Green Bay Police were called to Titletown Brewing Company just before 2 p.m. Sunday after a woman said she found a distressed child in a van.
Grant provides free family legal help
Grant provides free family legal help:
LANCASTER - Many families at risk of losing their children due to abuse or neglect often cannot find help until it is too late. Frequently, they cannot access any assistance until they are already homeless, unemployed or in the criminal justice system.
LANCASTER - Many families at risk of losing their children due to abuse or neglect often cannot find help until it is too late. Frequently, they cannot access any assistance until they are already homeless, unemployed or in the criminal justice system.
Two arrested in connection to Cartersville DFCS office shooting
Two arrested in connection to Cartersville DFCS office shooting - Story | WAGA:
CARTERSVILLE, Ga. - Police have made two arrests in connection to a shooting that happened in the parking lot of the Cartersville office of the Department of Family and Children's Services.
CARTERSVILLE, Ga. - Police have made two arrests in connection to a shooting that happened in the parking lot of the Cartersville office of the Department of Family and Children's Services.
Woman writes to Child Welfare Committee seeking return of her child
Woman writes to Child Welfare Committee seeking return of her child - The Hindu:
The woman, who had lodged a complaint with the police against a doctor and others in Hassan of forcibly taking away her child, has written to the Child Welfare Committee seeking the return of her child. Shwetha, the complainant, had the opportunity to spend some time with the baby at the office of the Child Welfare Committee on Saturday.
The woman, who had lodged a complaint with the police against a doctor and others in Hassan of forcibly taking away her child, has written to the Child Welfare Committee seeking the return of her child. Shwetha, the complainant, had the opportunity to spend some time with the baby at the office of the Child Welfare Committee on Saturday.
Bill to Overhaul Child Welfare Funds Will Move in Both Chambers
Bill to Overhaul Child Welfare Funds Will Move in Both Chambers - The Chronicle of Social Change:
The slightly re-named Family First Prevention Services Act, an overhaul of federal child welfare financing aimed at supporting more efforts to prevent foster care placements, will likely be introduced next week in both the House and Senate.“At a time when an opioid epidemic is tearing families across the country apart, Congress is fighting to keep families together,” said House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Texas), in a statement released late on Friday.
'Foster dad' jailed for treating teen in his care as sex slave making her pregnant twice
'Foster dad' jailed for treating teen in his care as sex slave making her pregnant twice | Leicester Mercury:
A "foster dad" treated a teenage girl in his care like a "sex slave" and twice made her pregnant, a court heard.The first abuse happened after he plied the 16-year-old with cannabis – and had sex with her while his sleeping wife was sedated on medication in the same bed.
Mexican father battles to raise his U.S. son
Mexican father battles to raise his U.S. son | Albuquerque Journal:
A Mexican father living in his homeland has won back the chance to raise his young son after the New Mexico Court of Appeals ruled that child welfare workers wrongly rushed to terminate the father’s rights using faulty justification.
A Mexican father living in his homeland has won back the chance to raise his young son after the New Mexico Court of Appeals ruled that child welfare workers wrongly rushed to terminate the father’s rights using faulty justification.
MARCUS: Parents aren’t always to blame
MARCUS: Parents aren’t always to blame:
WASHINGTON — Somehow, it’s always the parents’ fault. We are too lax, except when we are too helicoptery. We coddle the kids too much, except when we drive them into neurotic overachievement. We are enablers. No, we are Tiger Moms. The societal urge to blame is matched only by the parental instinct to second-guess — ourselves as much as our fellow parents.
WASHINGTON — Somehow, it’s always the parents’ fault. We are too lax, except when we are too helicoptery. We coddle the kids too much, except when we drive them into neurotic overachievement. We are enablers. No, we are Tiger Moms. The societal urge to blame is matched only by the parental instinct to second-guess — ourselves as much as our fellow parents.
Families torn apart by tragedy celebrate their reunions
Families torn apart by tragedy celebrate their reunions:
The third annual Reunification Day Celebration honored parents who regained custody of their children from foster care and have been reunited for at least a year.
No Celebrations in New Hampshire. There's nothing to celebrate!
The third annual Reunification Day Celebration honored parents who regained custody of their children from foster care and have been reunited for at least a year.
No Celebrations in New Hampshire. There's nothing to celebrate!
Sunday, June 12, 2016
Family First Prevention Services Act of 2016
Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady
http://waysandmeans.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/BUCHAN_031_xml2.pdf
Family First Prevention Services Act of 2016
Strengthen families by providing evidence-based prevention services to
keep children out of foster care and reduce inappropriate group home
placements.
This proposal would:
Strengthen families and reduce unnecessary foster care placements by
allowing states to use federal foster care dollars to pay for up to 12 months
of family services to prevent children from needing to enter foster care.
Biological families, adoptive families, and families in which a relative is
caring for the child would all be eligible for services, if needed to keep the
child safely at home. Only prevention services classified as “promising,”
“supported,” or “well-supported,” based on an evidence structure developed
by the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse, would be eligible for
reimbursement. These services would include:
o Mental health services;
o Substance abuse services; and
o In-home parent “skill-based” programs (parent training, home
visiting, individual and family therapy)
I love this one! It's about time!
Ensure more foster children are placed with families by ending federal
reimbursement when states inappropriately place children in non-family
settings, such as group homes or congregate care facilities. To be eligible for
federal payment:
o The state would have to assess the child’s needs and determine the
non-family setting was the most appropriate, subject to ongoing
judicial approval.
o Non-family settings would be subject to licensing and accreditation
standards to ensure they provide appropriate supervision and have the
necessary clinical staff to address their needs.
Prepared by the Human Resources Subcommittee Staff
Support family relationships by allowing states to receive a partial match for
evidence-based Kinship Navigator programs to help children remain with
family members whenever possible. Kinship Navigator programs provide
information, referral, and follow-up services to grandparents and other
relatives who unexpectedly assume caregiver responsibility for children who
cannot remain safely with their parents.
Help families stay together by reauthorizing the Regional Partnership Grant
program, which provides funding to state and regional grantees seeking to
provide evidence-based services to prevent child abuse and neglect related to
substance abuse. Grant requirements would be updated based on lessons
learned from the most effective past grants. In addition, the bill updates the
program to specifically address the opioid and heroin epidemic and leverage
what’s been learned to ensure that new foster care prevention funding
provided under the bill is used effectively.
Improve support for the transition to adulthood by updating the John H.
Chafee Foster Care Independence Program to allow states the option of
continuing to assist older former foster youth up to age 23, including
providing education and training vouchers.
Reduce the amount of time foster children wait to be adopted, placed with
relatives, or placed with foster parents by incorporating reforms in the
bipartisan House-passed H.R. 4472, which encourages states to use
electronic systems when placing children across state lines.
Help relative caregivers avoid bureaucracy by promoting best practices for
states by providing model foster care licensing standards with a focus on
ensuring states promote placements with family members for children in
care. Keeping children with family members, when possible, improves
outcomes for children and families.
Support existing child welfare services by extending for five years the
Promoting Safe and Stable Families and Child Welfare Services programs
(each in title IV-B of the Social Security Act) as well as the Adoption and
Legal Guardianship Incentive Payments, whose authorizations are set to
expire at the end of the fiscal year
Delay final implementation of additional federal reimbursement for the
adoptions of infants and toddlers to allow for a Government Accountability
Office (GAO) review. The study will examine compliance with the
Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008
(P.L. 110-135) requirement that states reinvest the state funds freed up by
providing additional federal reimbursement. All adoptive families would
remain eligible for either state or federally-funded services, and adoptive
families with a child at risk of reentering foster care would be newly eligible
for evidence-based prevention services provided under this bill.
Savings:
The Congressional Budget Office preliminarily estimates that the cost of the upfront
prevention services to strengthen families would be more than fully offset by
reducing inappropriate group home placements and the short delay in providing
additional funding to states for adoption assistance to allow the GAO review to be
completed.
Over the long term, providing evidence-based prevention services has been shown
to reduce the need for costly, long-term foster care and improve outcomes for
children and families.
http://waysandmeans.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/BUCHAN_031_xml2.pdf
Family First Prevention Services Act of 2016
Strengthen families by providing evidence-based prevention services to
keep children out of foster care and reduce inappropriate group home
placements.
This proposal would:
Strengthen families and reduce unnecessary foster care placements by
allowing states to use federal foster care dollars to pay for up to 12 months
of family services to prevent children from needing to enter foster care.
Biological families, adoptive families, and families in which a relative is
caring for the child would all be eligible for services, if needed to keep the
child safely at home. Only prevention services classified as “promising,”
“supported,” or “well-supported,” based on an evidence structure developed
by the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse, would be eligible for
reimbursement. These services would include:
o Mental health services;
o Substance abuse services; and
o In-home parent “skill-based” programs (parent training, home
visiting, individual and family therapy)
I love this one! It's about time!
Ensure more foster children are placed with families by ending federal
reimbursement when states inappropriately place children in non-family
settings, such as group homes or congregate care facilities. To be eligible for
federal payment:
o The state would have to assess the child’s needs and determine the
non-family setting was the most appropriate, subject to ongoing
judicial approval.
o Non-family settings would be subject to licensing and accreditation
standards to ensure they provide appropriate supervision and have the
necessary clinical staff to address their needs.
Prepared by the Human Resources Subcommittee Staff
Support family relationships by allowing states to receive a partial match for
evidence-based Kinship Navigator programs to help children remain with
family members whenever possible. Kinship Navigator programs provide
information, referral, and follow-up services to grandparents and other
relatives who unexpectedly assume caregiver responsibility for children who
cannot remain safely with their parents.
Help families stay together by reauthorizing the Regional Partnership Grant
program, which provides funding to state and regional grantees seeking to
provide evidence-based services to prevent child abuse and neglect related to
substance abuse. Grant requirements would be updated based on lessons
learned from the most effective past grants. In addition, the bill updates the
program to specifically address the opioid and heroin epidemic and leverage
what’s been learned to ensure that new foster care prevention funding
provided under the bill is used effectively.
Improve support for the transition to adulthood by updating the John H.
Chafee Foster Care Independence Program to allow states the option of
continuing to assist older former foster youth up to age 23, including
providing education and training vouchers.
Reduce the amount of time foster children wait to be adopted, placed with
relatives, or placed with foster parents by incorporating reforms in the
bipartisan House-passed H.R. 4472, which encourages states to use
electronic systems when placing children across state lines.
Help relative caregivers avoid bureaucracy by promoting best practices for
states by providing model foster care licensing standards with a focus on
ensuring states promote placements with family members for children in
care. Keeping children with family members, when possible, improves
outcomes for children and families.
Support existing child welfare services by extending for five years the
Promoting Safe and Stable Families and Child Welfare Services programs
(each in title IV-B of the Social Security Act) as well as the Adoption and
Legal Guardianship Incentive Payments, whose authorizations are set to
expire at the end of the fiscal year
Delay final implementation of additional federal reimbursement for the
adoptions of infants and toddlers to allow for a Government Accountability
Office (GAO) review. The study will examine compliance with the
Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008
(P.L. 110-135) requirement that states reinvest the state funds freed up by
providing additional federal reimbursement. All adoptive families would
remain eligible for either state or federally-funded services, and adoptive
families with a child at risk of reentering foster care would be newly eligible
for evidence-based prevention services provided under this bill.
Savings:
The Congressional Budget Office preliminarily estimates that the cost of the upfront
prevention services to strengthen families would be more than fully offset by
reducing inappropriate group home placements and the short delay in providing
additional funding to states for adoption assistance to allow the GAO review to be
completed.
Over the long term, providing evidence-based prevention services has been shown
to reduce the need for costly, long-term foster care and improve outcomes for
children and families.
Wyden co-sponsors child welfare reform bill-Goal: Keep more children in safe homes, out of foster care
Wyden co-sponsors child welfare reform bill | News - Home:
Goal: Keep more children in safe homes, out of foster care
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR), joined House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX) and Ranking Member Sander Levin (D-MI) Friday in releasing a proposal to keep more children safely at home and out of foster care.In the coming days, the Family First Prevention Services Act will be introduced in the House by Ways and Means Human Resources Subcommittee Chairman Vern Buchanan (R-FL) and in the Senate by Hatch and Wyden. The legislation will redirect federal funding to support evidence-based, upfront prevention services
N.J. pays $1.25M to settle foster child sex abuse lawsuit
N.J. pays $1.25M to settle foster child sex abuse lawsuit | NJ.com:
TRENTON — The state has agreed to pay $1.25 million to settle a lawsuit filed by the adoptive parents of a boy who endured physical and sexual abuse in multiple foster homes before his third birthday.
TRENTON — The state has agreed to pay $1.25 million to settle a lawsuit filed by the adoptive parents of a boy who endured physical and sexual abuse in multiple foster homes before his third birthday.
Beilue: Lowering bar for CPS not good step
Beilue: Lowering bar for CPS not good step | Amarillo Globe-News:
Not that there’s ever a good time to be a neglected or abused child in Texas, obviously, but some are worse than others. Like now. A federal judge has declared the Texas foster care system unconstitutionally flawed and ordered an independent overhaul. Unlike most other states under similar orders, Texas is fighting the ruling.
Not that there’s ever a good time to be a neglected or abused child in Texas, obviously, but some are worse than others. Like now. A federal judge has declared the Texas foster care system unconstitutionally flawed and ordered an independent overhaul. Unlike most other states under similar orders, Texas is fighting the ruling.
Study: More help needed for unrepresented in family court
Study: More help needed for unrepresented in family court | National | journaltimes.com:
DENVER (AP) — After speaking to more than 100 people in four states who represented themselves in divorce, custody and child support cases, researchers are calling on lawyers to provide cheaper services and courts to offer more resources to those acting as their own attorneys. More and more Americans are navigating the legal system on their own. Some jurisdictions report it's becoming the norm for at least one party to act on his or her own behalf in family court, often because trained help is out of financial reach.
Questions surround death of 2-year-old child in foster care
Questions surround death of 2-year-old child in foster care | KBJR 6 & Range 11 | KDLH 3: News, Weather, Sports for Duluth MN / Superior WI / Northland | Local News:
Cloquet, MN (NNCNOW.com) -- A funeral was held Friday morning on the Fond du Lac Reservation for a two-year-old girl who drowned in a plastic laundry bin in a Bemidji Foster home last Sunday. According to a criminal complaint, Kira Friedman was placed in the shower and left unattended by her foster dad, who is now facing manslaughter charges.
Snohomish Co. Judge: ‘pervasive and egregious' misconduct by child advocacy program
Snohomish Co. Judge: ‘pervasive and egregious' misconduct by child advocacy program | KING5.com:
SNOHOMISH COUNTY -- A Snohomish County superior court judge made dramatic rulings Friday on the county’s 30 year program intended to help children in highly charged CPS court cases.............
Legal motions filed after this allegation turned up more accusations of misconduct and on Friday Farris ruled on them. She found some VGALs demonstrated a bias against the biological parents and instead, worked to ensure the children stayed with foster parents.
This is true of CASA worker's NATIONWIDE!
SNOHOMISH COUNTY -- A Snohomish County superior court judge made dramatic rulings Friday on the county’s 30 year program intended to help children in highly charged CPS court cases.............
Legal motions filed after this allegation turned up more accusations of misconduct and on Friday Farris ruled on them. She found some VGALs demonstrated a bias against the biological parents and instead, worked to ensure the children stayed with foster parents.
This is true of CASA worker's NATIONWIDE!
Judges must ask about youths’ tribal status under new rule
Judges must ask about youths’ tribal status under new rule - The Washington Post:
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A new federal rule will require judges in every state to ask whether a child is a Native American during foster-care and adoption proceedings — especially when there’s reason to believe a child is a tribal member.
It's About time!!!!
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A new federal rule will require judges in every state to ask whether a child is a Native American during foster-care and adoption proceedings — especially when there’s reason to believe a child is a tribal member.
It's About time!!!!
Sammy’s Law Would Require Recording CPS Interviews With Parents
Sammy’s Law Would Require Recording CPS Interviews With Parents « CBS Sacramento:
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A new bill aims to change the way Child Protective Services operates in California.The bill is called Sammy’s Law, named after a Sacramento baby taken from his home by CPS when his mom asked for a second medical opinion.
Yes!!! This is exactly what's needed NATIONWIDE!!!
Friday, June 10, 2016
Judgment Day for little ‘Indian’ girl ripped from Foster family
Judgment Day for little ‘Indian’ girl ripped from family:
(Editor’s note: For most of the press, the sad saga of Lexi Page, stripped from the only family she ever knew because she is 1/64th Choctaw and given by social workers to a woman who not only is not related to Lexi by blood, but also is non-Native American, is long forgotten. But not for WND, which continues to follow the tragic case of racial profiling and discrimination in foster and adoptive care.
My comment: This whole mess isn't the Pages fault, Lexies fault or the Chochtaw Nation's fault. It's our own Government's fault for not placing Lexi with relatives to begin with. Whether Native American or not, Federal Mandates state "Relative placement" before Foster care, but as we ALL know, the States do NOT abide by Federal mandates, but they still keep receiving Federal funding. Why????
(Editor’s note: For most of the press, the sad saga of Lexi Page, stripped from the only family she ever knew because she is 1/64th Choctaw and given by social workers to a woman who not only is not related to Lexi by blood, but also is non-Native American, is long forgotten. But not for WND, which continues to follow the tragic case of racial profiling and discrimination in foster and adoptive care.
My comment: This whole mess isn't the Pages fault, Lexies fault or the Chochtaw Nation's fault. It's our own Government's fault for not placing Lexi with relatives to begin with. Whether Native American or not, Federal Mandates state "Relative placement" before Foster care, but as we ALL know, the States do NOT abide by Federal mandates, but they still keep receiving Federal funding. Why????
Thursday, June 9, 2016
Foster parent of girl, 8, on sex abuse charges
Foster parent of girl, 8, on sex abuse charges - The West Australian:
Police have charged a Wheatbelt man with child sex offences dating back to the 1990s allegedly involving a foster child in his care.
Police have charged a Wheatbelt man with child sex offences dating back to the 1990s allegedly involving a foster child in his care.
Former foster children recall hardships
Former foster children recall hardships:
Kharizma Bryant-Jackson
"Me and my mom, we were not getting along.For me at a young age, that just gave me a view on life that a 6-year-old shouldn’t have."
Kharizma Bryant-Jackson
"Me and my mom, we were not getting along.For me at a young age, that just gave me a view on life that a 6-year-old shouldn’t have."
The horror of Child Protective Services-Excellent Article, All True!
The horror of Child Protective Services | Examiner.com:
Americans are, unfortunately, tragically unaware of the extent to which Child Protective Services persecutes innocent families, and things won't change until people are made aware. Just how little people know about this was illustrated recently when Janet Parshall, host of In the Market on Moody Radio, covered the horrific story of Norwegian parents whose five children had been snatched from them by that nation's branch of CPS because the parents had been accused of exposing their children to "radical Christian indoctrination". It was refreshing in January to hear Parshall cover CPS’s horrific trampling of parents since this is such an underpublicized issue. However, when comparing Norway's CPS to America's, she she said, unlike Norway, CPS in America removes children from the home "only as a last resort". This, however, is profoundly wrong.
Americans are, unfortunately, tragically unaware of the extent to which Child Protective Services persecutes innocent families, and things won't change until people are made aware. Just how little people know about this was illustrated recently when Janet Parshall, host of In the Market on Moody Radio, covered the horrific story of Norwegian parents whose five children had been snatched from them by that nation's branch of CPS because the parents had been accused of exposing their children to "radical Christian indoctrination". It was refreshing in January to hear Parshall cover CPS’s horrific trampling of parents since this is such an underpublicized issue. However, when comparing Norway's CPS to America's, she she said, unlike Norway, CPS in America removes children from the home "only as a last resort". This, however, is profoundly wrong.
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
Concord Monitor - Gov. Maggie Hassan signs bills meant to curb child abuse, neglect
Concord Monitor - Gov. Maggie Hassan signs bills meant to curb child abuse, neglect:
As the state child protective services agency faces continued scrutiny over the death of two toddlers, Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan signed three bills into law Monday meant to help curb child abuse and neglect.
As the state child protective services agency faces continued scrutiny over the death of two toddlers, Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan signed three bills into law Monday meant to help curb child abuse and neglect.
Mom Speaks Out on Corrupt Kentucky Child “Protection” System that Destroyed her Family
Mom Speaks Out on Corrupt Kentucky Child “Protection” System that Destroyed her Family:
Kentucky has a well-documented history of corruption within its Cabinet for Health & Family Services’ Department of Community Based Services (DCBS), which has been exposed by whistleblower social workers and attorneys, investigated at length, and publicized in local radio and news.Yet Kentucky continues to carry on business as usual.
Pennsylvania Navy Veteran Mom Loses her 7 Children Because She Moved them out of a Moldy House
Pennsylvania Navy Veteran Mom Loses her 7 Children Because She Moved them out of a Moldy House:
A Navy veteran is in the fight of her life to get her 7 children back home and out of foster care. While Roxanne Binkley was having to move her family from hotel to hotel after finding that their rental home was making them all sick, Child and Youth Services of Pennsylvania (CYS) stepped in and seized the children in January 2016. When Roxanne realized that her children were becoming sick because of the condition of the rental house, she sought to get her children out of the bad environment.
Monday, June 6, 2016
Supreme Court sides with Allen County Children Services in foster adoption dispute
The Lima News | Supreme Court sides with Allen County Children Services in foster adoption dispute:
COLUMBUS — The Ohio Supreme Court has ruled in favor of Allen County Children Services in its dispute with Celina-based foster parents Brian and Kelly Anderson and the Mercer County Probate Court regarding the Andersons’ attempts at adopting a foster child they had cared for.
COLUMBUS — The Ohio Supreme Court has ruled in favor of Allen County Children Services in its dispute with Celina-based foster parents Brian and Kelly Anderson and the Mercer County Probate Court regarding the Andersons’ attempts at adopting a foster child they had cared for.
Victim of pervy Long Island foster dad wants law changed
Victim of pervy Long Island foster dad wants law changed - NY Daily News:
A man who says he was sexually abused as a child by a sick Long Island foster dad is speaking out for the first time, urging state lawmakers to make it easier for survivors to seek justice.
A man who says he was sexually abused as a child by a sick Long Island foster dad is speaking out for the first time, urging state lawmakers to make it easier for survivors to seek justice.
Study exposes shock foster care findings
Study exposes shock foster care findings | DispatchLIVE:
Children chained to trees, forced to sleep in old water tanks, not being fed and young girls sexually abused and made pregnant are some of the shocking findings of a study into the state of foster care in the Eastern Cape.
Children chained to trees, forced to sleep in old water tanks, not being fed and young girls sexually abused and made pregnant are some of the shocking findings of a study into the state of foster care in the Eastern Cape.
Woman settles sex abuse lawsuit Against Adoptive Parents
Woman settles sex abuse lawsuit | Local | Eugene, Oregon:
Adoptive father Rick Jackson, former insurance agent and pastor, serving 15-year prison term
A Eugene woman who sued her adoptive parents for $9 million after disclosing that her father — a longtime Eugene insurance agent — had sexually abused her when she was a child has agreed to settle the civil case.
Foster Mom Goes Ballistic On Innocent Child For Not Finishing Homework
Foster Mom Goes Ballistic On Innocent Child For Not Finishing Homework:
Homework time can be a serious source of angst in households all over the world, and some children need a healthy dose of parental intervention to get the job done. According to the Mirror, one woman from Eastern China took this concept way too far.
Homework time can be a serious source of angst in households all over the world, and some children need a healthy dose of parental intervention to get the job done. According to the Mirror, one woman from Eastern China took this concept way too far.
Less reliance on powerful drugs for Arizona foster kids, report shows
Less reliance on powerful drugs for Arizona foster kids, report shows | Watchdog | tucson.com:
Fewer foster children in Arizona are receiving psychotropic medications, but they’re still four times more likely to be on the powerful, mind-altering drugs than kids who aren’t in the system, a new report from the state’s Medicaid agency says.
Fewer foster children in Arizona are receiving psychotropic medications, but they’re still four times more likely to be on the powerful, mind-altering drugs than kids who aren’t in the system, a new report from the state’s Medicaid agency says.
Ruling suspends the social worker license for a man charged in an 8-year-old boy's death
Ruling suspends the social worker license for a man charged in an 8-year-old boy's death - LA Times:
Eight-year-old Gabriel Fernandez was tortured and killed even though L.A. County social workers had numerous warnings of abuse in his home. (Family photograph)
Eight-year-old Gabriel Fernandez was tortured and killed even though L.A. County social workers had numerous warnings of abuse in his home. (Family photograph)
Brookings Register New law protects children in tribal foster care
Brookings Register New law protects children in tribal foster care:
SIOUX FALLS (AP) – President Barack Obama on Friday signed into law a measure meant to bolster protections for Native American children placed into the tribal foster care system.
SIOUX FALLS (AP) – President Barack Obama on Friday signed into law a measure meant to bolster protections for Native American children placed into the tribal foster care system.
Child welfare bosses now tracking why kids are in foster care
Child welfare bosses now tracking why kids are in foster care | FOX25:
Its about time!
BOSTON —
Its about time!
BOSTON —
More than 9,000 Massachusetts children are in foster care, but FOX25 Investigates has learned the state didn’t track why those kids are in state custody until recently.
Friday, June 3, 2016
Carlos Morales Former CPS Investigator - Whistleblower
Carlos Morales Former CPS Investigator - Whistleblower - Emancipated Human:
Carlos Morales came and hung out with me onEmancipated Human. He said it was his most favorite interview he has done and I feel very proud for that. Here we talked about #CPS and the damage that creates in the fabric of society instead of helping as it portrays to do. He blew the whistle as a former CPS investigator.
Legally Kidnapped: Harambe and the Parent Haters
Legally Kidnapped: Harambe and the Parent Haters:
As you've probably already figured out by now, the Media Circus of the Week is the story about the 4 year old who fell into the Gorilla Exhibit at the Cincinnati Zoo. Everybody knows what happened. Everybody knows the gorilla is dead the kid is fine and bla bla bla the parents.
All of the perfect people are weighing in. You know, the ones who would never make an irresponsible mistake with their children. The ones who would keep an eye on them every second of every day and not let that kid out of their sight because there's danger lurking around every corner and under every rock. Thousands have signed online petitions to have the parents charged and investigated by Child Protective Services. Some want the zoo held responsible for the death of an endangered species.
My comment: You are so right LK. The people who haven't had the unfortunate experience of dealing with Social Services have no clue as to the pain and suffering they cause to both the children and their families. Nobody is perfect. People make mistakes. I wouldn't wish the wrath of CPS on even my enemies!!!
As you've probably already figured out by now, the Media Circus of the Week is the story about the 4 year old who fell into the Gorilla Exhibit at the Cincinnati Zoo. Everybody knows what happened. Everybody knows the gorilla is dead the kid is fine and bla bla bla the parents.
All of the perfect people are weighing in. You know, the ones who would never make an irresponsible mistake with their children. The ones who would keep an eye on them every second of every day and not let that kid out of their sight because there's danger lurking around every corner and under every rock. Thousands have signed online petitions to have the parents charged and investigated by Child Protective Services. Some want the zoo held responsible for the death of an endangered species.
My comment: You are so right LK. The people who haven't had the unfortunate experience of dealing with Social Services have no clue as to the pain and suffering they cause to both the children and their families. Nobody is perfect. People make mistakes. I wouldn't wish the wrath of CPS on even my enemies!!!
Thursday, June 2, 2016
The Statesman: Antipsychotic drug use linked to autism risk
The Statesman: Antipsychotic drug use linked to autism risk:
The side effects of antipsychotics can be quite problematic and researchers have found that the proportion of adolescents with autism or intellectual disability has increased among youths treated with these medications.
The side effects of antipsychotics can be quite problematic and researchers have found that the proportion of adolescents with autism or intellectual disability has increased among youths treated with these medications.
Mass. DCF worker charged with pointing gun in Stratham road rage incident
Mass. DCF worker charged with pointing gun in Stratham road rage incident | New Hampshire:
STRATHAM — A worker at the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families is facing charges after allegedly pointing a loaded pistol at occupants of a vehicle and placing a child in danger in a road rage incident.
Marc Beaulieu, 49, of Fremont, was charged with reckless conduct and endangering the welfare of a child — both Class B felonies.
STRATHAM — A worker at the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families is facing charges after allegedly pointing a loaded pistol at occupants of a vehicle and placing a child in danger in a road rage incident.
Marc Beaulieu, 49, of Fremont, was charged with reckless conduct and endangering the welfare of a child — both Class B felonies.
Evil Lesbian Couple found GUILTY of Torturing and Murdering a Baby Boy
Evil Lesbian Couple found GUILTY of Torturing and Murdering a Baby Boy – Eagle Rising:
A mother and her lesbian partner not only engaged in unnatural acts with each other, but apparently had seared their consciences so bad that they engaged in abuse of the mother’s two-year-old boy to such an extent that the boy died.
A mother and her lesbian partner not only engaged in unnatural acts with each other, but apparently had seared their consciences so bad that they engaged in abuse of the mother’s two-year-old boy to such an extent that the boy died.
Small rally seeks big reforms for child protection
Small rally seeks big reforms for child protection:
HELENA — Eight people with a Great Falls-based group spent nearly two hours Wednesday standing at a Helena intersection calling for more reforms to the state’s Child and Family Services division and to protest recent findings by a state panel looking into the child protection system in Montana.
HELENA — Eight people with a Great Falls-based group spent nearly two hours Wednesday standing at a Helena intersection calling for more reforms to the state’s Child and Family Services division and to protest recent findings by a state panel looking into the child protection system in Montana.
Why lowering qualifications for CPS workers could harm kids
Miriam Nisenbaum: Why lowering qualifications for CPS workers could harm kids | Dallas Morning News:
Texas is in a dire situation with its child protective services system. It’s grossly under-funded and often locked into crisis mode, with little long-term planning and a lack of focus on true outcomes for children in care.
Texas is in a dire situation with its child protective services system. It’s grossly under-funded and often locked into crisis mode, with little long-term planning and a lack of focus on true outcomes for children in care.
No simple solution when families meet the law
No simple solution when families meet the law:
CHANGING FAMILIES: In this ten-part series, we examine some major changes in family and relationships, and how that might in turn reshape law, policy and our idea of ourselves.
It has often been said that when Australia’s white Anglo-Saxon founding fathers drafted the Constitution in 1901, they could not have foreseen how family constellations would change over the next century and how family law would (or would not) keep abreast of those changes.
CHANGING FAMILIES: In this ten-part series, we examine some major changes in family and relationships, and how that might in turn reshape law, policy and our idea of ourselves.
It has often been said that when Australia’s white Anglo-Saxon founding fathers drafted the Constitution in 1901, they could not have foreseen how family constellations would change over the next century and how family law would (or would not) keep abreast of those changes.
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
Save the kids: LA County wants foster children with relatives, not group homes
Save the kids: LA County wants foster children with relatives, not group homes - MyNewsLA.com:
The Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to back efforts to increase the number of foster children placed with relatives, rather than assigning them to group homes. Supervisors Sheila Kuehl and Hilda Solis proposed that staffers come up with a plan to increase foster placements with relatives.
The Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to back efforts to increase the number of foster children placed with relatives, rather than assigning them to group homes. Supervisors Sheila Kuehl and Hilda Solis proposed that staffers come up with a plan to increase foster placements with relatives.
'They are not alone': Grandparents fighting for custody of their grandchildren not unique
'They are not alone': Grandparents fighting for custody of their grandchildren not unique:
A LEADING LAWYER in the area of child and family law has said the case where grandparents lost custody of their grandchild is not unique. Gareth Noble of KOD Lyons practice told TheJournal.ie this issue is arising in the courts on a regular basis.