Lawmakers react to 'alarming' report on DCYF child-abuse cases | New Hampshire

Lawmakers react to 'alarming' report on DCYF child-abuse cases | New Hampshire:
CONCORD — The preliminary report by an outside agency investigating the handling of child abuse cases by the state was called “disturbing” and “alarming” Wednesday by members of the legislative Commission on Child Abuse Fatalities.

“Reading the report made me feel like we are on a sinking ship,” said commission member Skip Berrien, a Democratic state representative from Exeter.

My Comment:

DCYF wouldn't be so understaffed if only cases of TRUE abuse were being investigated. Reports called in against parents and families should be thoroughly screened. The Reporter's, who call in anonymously or give their names should be screened for legitimacy first. Anonymous caller's usually make up false report's to retaliate against someone they're mad at. Other times reporter's call in and give someone else's name, again in retaliation. Then you have Hospital personnel making reports against parents and families because they listen to people who just don't like them. Then you have reports made against new Mother's for prescribed medication they took while pregnant. That makes absolutely no sense to open a case against a Mother for following Doctors orders. That needs to change.Did you also ever stop to think that some of these worker's have a heart? That some of these worker's already know whether there's REAL abuse and neglect or if there isn't , but their Supervisor forces them to remove the child? Many of these worker's really want to help, but are forced not to.Then you have the "Service Plan", where the parent's and the worker are "supposed" to sit down together and write it up. Never seen it happen. The worker does it and tells the parent if they don't sign it they'll never see their children again. Does it STILL work this way, or was that only ten or eleven years ago?Services to at risk families? How long has this been going on, if in fact it is?State Senator Sharon Carson said:“I am concerned about the children who have possibly fallen through the cracks.” Senator Carson, What about the Grandparents and family member's who have fallen through the cracks, as admitted by DCYF? The family member's who were never considered in placement of the taken children? Never given a Home Inspection or acknowledged in their request's for placement.Told "Relative Placement is NOT an option, the child is going into foster care, period" by a well know Nashua Supervisor.If DCYF is so understaffed, maybe they should do something about the Supervisors who force the workers to take children against their will, knowing full well that the children aren't being abused or neglected? If they weren't so busy investigating innocent families they may have had time to save these children. And if they had placed Brielle with her Grandmother, as she tried getting custody, that innocent little girl would be alive today. Maybe even a reform of ASFA would help. I don't think this Audit went back far enough. There are MANY past cases that would shock them.