HSE plays numbers game on child deaths
30 May 2010
Three years ago, a child ran away from a residential unit managed by a friend of mine. The child was a 16year-old Nigerian girl, and there was a fortnight-long search for her by gardaí and social workers, after which it was felt she had probably been reunited with her family, and left the jurisdiction.
My friend, however, wasn’t satisfied with this explanation, and followed up on the case himself. Six months later, he discovered, after much digging, questioning and persistence, that she was, in fact, dead.
Somehow the girl had made her way to a hostel in the west of the country, and it was there she met her end. The circumstances of her death were never disclosed to him.
He was simply told that she had died and that such things happened from time to time.
‘‘They told me that somewhere in the region of 250 children have died over the past few years while in state care," he said, incredulously when we discussed the story. ‘‘How does that happen?"
In 2010, this figure has been modified to ‘‘approximately 200’’. Brendan Drumm, chief executive of the Health Service Executive (HSE), would have us believe that it is 37.
Although he did concede that the higher figure could apply in relation to all children who were HSE clients.
To understand this, we must first develop an understanding of the care system and how it functions.
Who are the children who find themselves in the care and under the protection of the state? How does a child access that care system and what are the circumstances which may cause the HSE or another agency to intervene with a family, and bring a child into care?
The answers to those questions are far from simple. In more than 15 years working at many levels within the care system, I have encountered children being taken into care for many reasons. Some had been physically or sexually abused, and were in residential or foster care because it was simply unsafe for them to be at home.
Others had been voluntarily placed in care because their parents were ill and could not care for them; more because their carers were in prison, because family members were alcoholics or drug abusers and the home environment was potentially dangerous or neglectful. Some children were orphans.
Inside the system
Once inside the system, children are cared for by professionals: childcare workers, social workers, family support workers and foster parents, to name but a few. The vast majority of them care deeply and unequivocally about the children they work with day-to-day.
Most social care practitioners work long hours for pretty meagre pay, generally getting very little thanks for it. Social care tends to only get into the headlines when something awful happens - when a child has slipped through the cracks, in other words.
How do children go astray like this once they are on the books of the HSE?
The obvious response is that some children are just too damaged when they find their way into the system to be effectively helped. They have often been outrageously hurt by people they trusted and who should have done right by them, and are too frightened and angry to accept friendship and assistance.
They continue to run away from care settings, to engage in self-injurious and risky behaviour, and to push away any and all adults who try to bond with them. Does that mean that the professionals should stop trying?
Should these difficult, hard-to love children be abandoned, thrown on the scrap-heap? Absolutely not.
But there are always those who will not make it. I have worked with children who I ‘lost’, children who just would not take my hand when I reached out to them. I mourn them, to this day, but I also know I did all I could.
The people who deserve the blame for those children’s misery and pain are the ones who abused and neglected them to begin with, not those of us who tried everything in our power to help.
Yet it is also true that the fault sometimes does lie with the care system and the state.
There are children on waiting lists in every HSE region in the country, children the state knows are living in unacceptable situations - in circumstances that are abusive and neglectful - but for whom there are just not any available social workers.
I know of a foster family who have two very challenging disabled children in their care and who have repeatedly requested the support of a therapist. These parents dearly love the children they have taken into their home, but they fear that if this help is not given, the placement may break down. Their cries continue to fall on deaf ears.
There is a widespread acceptance within the institutions of care in Ireland that the system is so direly underresourced, it is simply not sustainable. It comes down, as always, to money.
When the country had a ridiculous amount of it, the government was more interested in pumping it elsewhere. Now there is none, the attitude of those who hold the purse strings is hardly any different. There has never been the political will to plug the gaping holes in our care infrastructure.
Cases are expedited on a ‘greatest need’ criteria, meaning only the very worst are receiving any level of attention, while others are left to stagnate. The public is made aware of the situation when something appalling happens - or when a child dies.
When is a child in the care of the state?
Drumm, in a rather heated exchange earlier this week, asserted that the figure of 200 had been generated by the media in an effort to smear the workings of the HSE (remember the larger figure given to my friend by a HSE official three years previously) and that the only children we should be concerned about are those in residential care.
The others, he said categorically, were not really in the care of the state at all.
This brings up an interesting and, in many ways, crucial point: when exactly is a child in the care of the state? Does a child need to have been, literally, taken into care, and be living in a residential institution?
Are foster children, who are being cared for by parents who receive a token salary from the state for their efforts, in the care of the HSE?
What about those children who are technically in care, but are living in hostels, where they are left to their own devices for much of the day?
Then, of course, there are those children on supervision orders, where the state is required by law to spend a certain number of hours every week with them.
Where do they stand? What about all the children on waiting lists, who have been acknowledged as needing help, but have not been allocated a worker yet - does the state have a responsibility of care to them?
Under the Childcare Act, 1991, the state has a responsibility to seek out children who are at risk, and do their utmost to prevent them from coming to harm.
The kind of ducking and diving, dodging responsibility and passing the buck we are seeing shows just how seriously our crop of leaders take this responsibility.
Which must leave us pondering just how many children have died while in state care. I am simply going to toss aside Drumm’s figure of 23. It is just creative book-keeping.
Three years ago, the figure given to my concerned friend was 250.
Having spoken to a number of child protection workers over the past few days, there seems to be a belief that this is a deeply conservative figure, and that the true tally may be much higher, possibly even double that which has been reported in the press: ie 500 dead. It is a frightening figure. I pray that Drumm’s much lower statistic is accurate. But I am not hopeful.
My friend never found out what exactly happened to that lost girl. He finally became so disenchanted with the system here, he left altogether, and now lives in Australia.
Child protection cannot afford to lose people of his integrity. If the files on these children ever do become available, it will probably prove that in most cases, everything that could have been done was done.
Where that cannot be said, then serious changes need to be made and, where appropriate, people may have to lose their jobs or even face prosecution.
Even 37 dead children is unacceptable. As a community we have a collective responsibility for each and every one of them, and it is not just HSE officials and politicians who should feel guilty. Shane Dunphy is a child protection expert and a lecturer
http://www.sbpost.ie/newsfeatures/hse-plays-numbers-game-on-child-deaths-49562.html
Isabella Brooke Knightly and Austin Gamez-Knightly
In Memory of my Loving Husband, William F. Knightly Jr. Murdered by ILLEGAL Palliative Care at a Nashua, NH Hospital
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Military family demanding answers about child who died in foster care
Military family demanding answers about child who died in foster care
BY BRET H. MCCORMICK • BMCCORMICK@THETOWNTALK.COM • MAY 30, 2010
Brittany Compton feels like she's been living a nightmare for the past 12-plus months.
Not only was she accused of being an abusive parent and had her two daughters taken from her, but her youngest, 3-year-old Kennedy Compton, died a month after being put in foster care.
According to the autopsy report, Kennedy's cause of death was blunt force trauma to the chest and, more than a year later, the Alexandria Police Department still is investigating her death as a homicide.
"It's a really tough case because there's just not a lot of evidence," said Sgt. Ronald Besson, APD's public information officer.
"It's taken a lot of my energy," Brittany Compton said. "It's been sleepless nights. There have been a lot of sleepless nights."
While police have not been able to make much progress on criminal charges, the family has decided to pursue civil charges against the Louisiana Office of Community Services and the two people they claim are responsible for Kennedy's death -- Gwendolyn Williams, the foster mom, and O'Neil Wesley, who was watching Kennedy on the day she died.
The family's attorney, Jay Luneau, filed a wrongful death lawsuit on May 6 in 9th Judicial District Court. The lawsuit alleges that the Office of Community Services, Williams and Wesley all are liable and culpable in Kennedy's death.
Kennedy's death, the lawsuit alleges, was caused by negligence of the OCS for removing Kennedy from her mother and placing her in an unequipped foster home, by Williams for failing to supervise Kennedy and leaving her in Wesley's care, and by Wesley for "beating and kicking" Kennedy and then failing to get her proper medical care.
Compton, 23, enlisted in the U.S. Army in April 2008, and after serving several months in Iraq, was stationed at Fort Polk with her husband, Kevin. In February 2009, the couple's two daughters, Kaitlyn and Kennedy, who had been living with Brittany Compton's mother in Memphis, Tenn., also came to Fort Polk to live with their parents.
Two months later, the girls were placed under the protection of the Office of Community Services after Brittany Compton was reported for being abusive, an alleggation she disputes. Instead, she said, she disciplined her children by spanking them while they were acting out at day care.
"Someone in the system overreacted and removed these children from their mother because she spanked them," Luneau said.
Brittany Compton said she remembers April 9, 2009, "vividly, like it was yesterday." That's when she was arrested and her children were placed into protective custody.
Less than a month later, on May 8, 2009, Kennedy was dead. On that day, Williams had taken Kaitlyn to Leesville for the weekly visit with her mother, but Kennedy was left behind because she wasn't feeling well.
"I was like, 'Where is Kennedy? Where is my other child at?'" Brittany Compton said. "(Williams) said, 'I left her with a sitter because yesterday I took her to the doctor and she had an ear infection and throat infection.'"
That afternoon, Wesley called Williams and told him that Kennedy was having trouble breathing. Williams said to call 911, and during the call, Wesley told authorities that the girl had become unresponsive, and she later died.
Emergency responders told police that Kennedy's body had bruises on it, and Williams told authorities that "was because she received Kennedy from an abusive home," according to the police report.
Luneau and the Compton family dispute that claim, and Luneau said there was no mention of bruises during Kennedy's doctor's appointment the day before her death. Instead, the family alleges in their lawsuit that Wesley beat Kennedy to death.
"People who work for OCS have a very difficult job," Luneau. "It's certainly not a job that I could do. But those people who do that job have a serious responsibility, and they have to make sure they don't put those children in harm's way."
Attempts to reach Williams and Wesley for comments were unsuccessful.
Brittany Compton and her family have grown frustrated that more than a year after Kennedy's death, there still is no resolution.
"We just want the person responsible for this (brought to justice)," she said. "If Mrs. Gwen is not the responsible party, she knows what happened. She knows what went on in her home."
"It's just been like it doesn't matter," said Patsy Riddle, Brittany Compton's aunt, of the police investigation into Kennedy's death. Besson disputes that the case isn't important, and he said Alexandria police are actively seeking a resolution.
Luneau said his clients would like to have the case resolved as soon as possible, but he believes the investigators are working hard to solve it.
"I'm a little surprised it has not moved quicker than it has," Luneau said. "Certainly my clients would like to see it move much quicker to get justice and resolution."
Alexandria detectives have settled on Wesley as the prime suspect, Besson said. However, Wesley won't confess to the killing and won't submit to a polygraph test either.
Williams did submit to a polygraph, which was delivered by Besson, and he said that Williams passed and was "telling the truth."
Detectives don't have sufficient evidence to make an arrest and go to trial, Besson said, adding that the case is active.
"Hopefully, we can resolve it," he said.
Until there's a resolution, however, Brittany Compton will continue fighting.
She received an honorable medical discharge from the Army this month -- she's suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from her daughter's death -- and has moved to Memphis with her family. But she won't give up on finding justice.
"It's worth the trip coming back and forth," Compton said. "That's something I am willing to make. I don't care how long it will take."
"The last thing my client wants to see is her child's killer go free," Luneau said. "It's very important for a person who's a victim to see what happened to their child."
http://www.thetowntalk.com/article/20100530/NEWS01/5300334/1002/Military-family-demanding-answers-about-child-who-died-in-foster-care
BY BRET H. MCCORMICK • BMCCORMICK@THETOWNTALK.COM • MAY 30, 2010
Brittany Compton feels like she's been living a nightmare for the past 12-plus months.
Not only was she accused of being an abusive parent and had her two daughters taken from her, but her youngest, 3-year-old Kennedy Compton, died a month after being put in foster care.
According to the autopsy report, Kennedy's cause of death was blunt force trauma to the chest and, more than a year later, the Alexandria Police Department still is investigating her death as a homicide.
"It's a really tough case because there's just not a lot of evidence," said Sgt. Ronald Besson, APD's public information officer.
"It's taken a lot of my energy," Brittany Compton said. "It's been sleepless nights. There have been a lot of sleepless nights."
While police have not been able to make much progress on criminal charges, the family has decided to pursue civil charges against the Louisiana Office of Community Services and the two people they claim are responsible for Kennedy's death -- Gwendolyn Williams, the foster mom, and O'Neil Wesley, who was watching Kennedy on the day she died.
The family's attorney, Jay Luneau, filed a wrongful death lawsuit on May 6 in 9th Judicial District Court. The lawsuit alleges that the Office of Community Services, Williams and Wesley all are liable and culpable in Kennedy's death.
Kennedy's death, the lawsuit alleges, was caused by negligence of the OCS for removing Kennedy from her mother and placing her in an unequipped foster home, by Williams for failing to supervise Kennedy and leaving her in Wesley's care, and by Wesley for "beating and kicking" Kennedy and then failing to get her proper medical care.
Compton, 23, enlisted in the U.S. Army in April 2008, and after serving several months in Iraq, was stationed at Fort Polk with her husband, Kevin. In February 2009, the couple's two daughters, Kaitlyn and Kennedy, who had been living with Brittany Compton's mother in Memphis, Tenn., also came to Fort Polk to live with their parents.
Two months later, the girls were placed under the protection of the Office of Community Services after Brittany Compton was reported for being abusive, an alleggation she disputes. Instead, she said, she disciplined her children by spanking them while they were acting out at day care.
"Someone in the system overreacted and removed these children from their mother because she spanked them," Luneau said.
Brittany Compton said she remembers April 9, 2009, "vividly, like it was yesterday." That's when she was arrested and her children were placed into protective custody.
Less than a month later, on May 8, 2009, Kennedy was dead. On that day, Williams had taken Kaitlyn to Leesville for the weekly visit with her mother, but Kennedy was left behind because she wasn't feeling well.
"I was like, 'Where is Kennedy? Where is my other child at?'" Brittany Compton said. "(Williams) said, 'I left her with a sitter because yesterday I took her to the doctor and she had an ear infection and throat infection.'"
That afternoon, Wesley called Williams and told him that Kennedy was having trouble breathing. Williams said to call 911, and during the call, Wesley told authorities that the girl had become unresponsive, and she later died.
Emergency responders told police that Kennedy's body had bruises on it, and Williams told authorities that "was because she received Kennedy from an abusive home," according to the police report.
Luneau and the Compton family dispute that claim, and Luneau said there was no mention of bruises during Kennedy's doctor's appointment the day before her death. Instead, the family alleges in their lawsuit that Wesley beat Kennedy to death.
"People who work for OCS have a very difficult job," Luneau. "It's certainly not a job that I could do. But those people who do that job have a serious responsibility, and they have to make sure they don't put those children in harm's way."
Attempts to reach Williams and Wesley for comments were unsuccessful.
Brittany Compton and her family have grown frustrated that more than a year after Kennedy's death, there still is no resolution.
"We just want the person responsible for this (brought to justice)," she said. "If Mrs. Gwen is not the responsible party, she knows what happened. She knows what went on in her home."
"It's just been like it doesn't matter," said Patsy Riddle, Brittany Compton's aunt, of the police investigation into Kennedy's death. Besson disputes that the case isn't important, and he said Alexandria police are actively seeking a resolution.
Luneau said his clients would like to have the case resolved as soon as possible, but he believes the investigators are working hard to solve it.
"I'm a little surprised it has not moved quicker than it has," Luneau said. "Certainly my clients would like to see it move much quicker to get justice and resolution."
Alexandria detectives have settled on Wesley as the prime suspect, Besson said. However, Wesley won't confess to the killing and won't submit to a polygraph test either.
Williams did submit to a polygraph, which was delivered by Besson, and he said that Williams passed and was "telling the truth."
Detectives don't have sufficient evidence to make an arrest and go to trial, Besson said, adding that the case is active.
"Hopefully, we can resolve it," he said.
Until there's a resolution, however, Brittany Compton will continue fighting.
She received an honorable medical discharge from the Army this month -- she's suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from her daughter's death -- and has moved to Memphis with her family. But she won't give up on finding justice.
"It's worth the trip coming back and forth," Compton said. "That's something I am willing to make. I don't care how long it will take."
"The last thing my client wants to see is her child's killer go free," Luneau said. "It's very important for a person who's a victim to see what happened to their child."
http://www.thetowntalk.com/article/20100530/NEWS01/5300334/1002/Military-family-demanding-answers-about-child-who-died-in-foster-care
Saturday, May 29, 2010
New Program Helps Foster Care Kids Stay With Family
New Program Helps Foster Care Kids Stay With Family
Posted: May 27, 2010 11:10 PM EDT
Updated: May 28, 2010 10:16 AM EDT
When the Department of Child Protective Services decides its time to take a child out of an unsafe home and often times the child will be placed with a foster family. The state is putting together a plan to try to get those children with family instead of strangers.
Texoma resident Christine Williams said she welcomed her niece with open arms when she was removed from an unstable home.
"If there not suitable parents or can never take that role of being a good parent than we have no problem with her coming in and staying with us," said Williams
Starting September One, Williams could qualify for a new state program in which family members who become foster parents to blood related children will receive monthly financial assistance.
"It's helpful because with daycare, diapers all their needs clothing, that's helpful," said Williams
The money will not come easy. David Byrd-the Foster Adopt Manager of the Department of Child Protective Services -said family members will have to meet requirements to receive the stipend.
"They must pass a criminal history background check and a central registry check for PAST abuse neglect history if those two elements are passed then they will be invited to attend a mini training," said Byrd.
It's all worth it to Williams WHO SAYS her niece is like her daughter.
"She is just a wonderful child and I couldn't manage my life without her," said Williams
The Department of Child Protective Services says between September 2009 and April 2010… 388 children were taken away from their homes because They were considered unsafe. 174 of those children are in the custody of the Department of Child Protective Services.
http://www.newschannel6now.com/global/story.asp?s=12558260
Posted: May 27, 2010 11:10 PM EDT
Updated: May 28, 2010 10:16 AM EDT
When the Department of Child Protective Services decides its time to take a child out of an unsafe home and often times the child will be placed with a foster family. The state is putting together a plan to try to get those children with family instead of strangers.
Texoma resident Christine Williams said she welcomed her niece with open arms when she was removed from an unstable home.
"If there not suitable parents or can never take that role of being a good parent than we have no problem with her coming in and staying with us," said Williams
Starting September One, Williams could qualify for a new state program in which family members who become foster parents to blood related children will receive monthly financial assistance.
"It's helpful because with daycare, diapers all their needs clothing, that's helpful," said Williams
The money will not come easy. David Byrd-the Foster Adopt Manager of the Department of Child Protective Services -said family members will have to meet requirements to receive the stipend.
"They must pass a criminal history background check and a central registry check for PAST abuse neglect history if those two elements are passed then they will be invited to attend a mini training," said Byrd.
It's all worth it to Williams WHO SAYS her niece is like her daughter.
"She is just a wonderful child and I couldn't manage my life without her," said Williams
The Department of Child Protective Services says between September 2009 and April 2010… 388 children were taken away from their homes because They were considered unsafe. 174 of those children are in the custody of the Department of Child Protective Services.
http://www.newschannel6now.com/global/story.asp?s=12558260
The AFCARS Report-Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) FY 2008 data (October 1, 2007 through September 30, 2008).
Home > Statistics & Research > AFCARS Report - Preliminary FY 2008 Estimates as of October 2009 (16)
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children's Bureau,www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/stats_research/afcars/tar/report16.htm
The AFCARS Report
Preliminary FY 2008 Estimates as of October 2009 (16)
SOURCE: Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) FY 2008 data (October 1, 2007 through September 30, 2008).
NOTES: Data from both the regular and revised foster care file submissions received by October 9, 2009, and data from adoption file submissions received by July 1, 2009, are included in the information below. Missing data are not used in the calculation of percentages.
How many children were in foster care on September 30, 2008? 463,000
What were the ages of the children in foster care?
Mean Age
9.7
Median Age
9.8
Less than 1 Year
6%
26,812
1 Year
7%
33,495
2 Years
6%
29,912
3 Years
6%
25,838
4 Years
5%
22,960
5 Years
5%
20,844
6 Years
4%
19,777
7 Years
4%
19,000
8 Years
4%
18,090
9 Years
4%
17,436
10 Years
4%
17,113
11 Years
4%
16,890
12 Years
4%
17,853
13 Years
4%
20,542
14 Years
6%
25,505
15 Years
7%
32,720
16 Years
8%
38,475
17 Years
9%
39,832
18 Years
3%
13,069
19 Years
1%
4,088
20 Years
1%
2,749
What were the lengths of stay of children in foster care?
Mean Months
27.2
Median Months
15.8
Less than 1 Month
5%
20,860
1 – 5 Months
20%
90,295
6 – 11 Months
17%
79,691
12 – 17 Months
13%
61,492
18 – 23 Months
10%
44,672
24 – 29 Months
7%
33,971
30 – 35 Months
5%
24,547
3 – 4 Years
12%
53,709
5 Years or More
12%
53,763
What were the placement settings of children in foster care?
Pre-Adoptive Home
4%
17,485
Foster Family Home (Relative)
24%
112,643
Foster Family Home (Non-Relative)
47%
217,243
Group Home
6%
29,122
Institution
10%
47,165
Supervised Independent Living
1%
5,217
Runaway
2%
9,766
Trial Home Visit
5%
24,358
What were the case goals of the children in foster care?
Reunify with Parent(s) or Principal Caretaker(s)
49%
226,867
Live with Other Relative(s)
4%
16,922
Adoption
24%
111,225
Long Term Foster Care
8%
37,522
Emancipation
6%
29,556
Guardianship
4%
18,266
Case Plan Goal Not Yet Established
5%
22,642
What was the gender of the children in foster care?
Male
53%
243,740
Female
47%
219,260
What was the race/ethnicity of the children in foster care?
Alaska Native/American Indian
2%
8,802
Asian
1%
2,631
Black
31%
142,502
Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander
0%
877
Hispanic (of any race)
20%
92,464
White
40%
183,149
Unknown/Unable to Determine
2%
10,753
Two or more races
5%
21,822
NOTE: Using U.S. Bureau of the Census standards, all races exclude children of Hispanic origin. Beginning in FY 2000, children could be identified with more than one race designation.
How many children entered foster care during FY 2008? 273,000
What were the ages of the children who entered care during FY 2008?
Mean Age
8.0
Median Age
7.3
Less than 1 Year
16%
44,365
1 Year
7%
19,721
2 Years
6%
16,909
3 Years
5%
14,889
4 Years
5%
13,204
5 Years
4%
12,264
6 Years
4%
11,547
7 Years
4%
10,782
8 Years
4%
9,966
9 Years
4%
9,581
10 Years
3%
8,813
11 Years
3%
8,875
12 Years
4%
9,913
13 Years
5%
12,573
14 Years
6%
16,026
15 Years
7%
20,101
16 Years
7%
19,953
17 Years
5%
12,816
18 Years
0%
563
19 Years
0%
95
20 Years
0%
44
What was the race/ethnicity of the children who entered care during FY 2008?
Alaska Native/American Indian
2%
5,646
Asian
1%
2,269
Black
26%
70,378
Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander
0%
675
Hispanic (of any race)
20%
54,802
White
44%
119,242
Unknown/Unable to Determine
3%
7,431
Two or more races
5%
12,558
NOTE: Using U.S. Bureau of the Census standards, all races exclude children of Hispanic origin. Beginning in FY 2000, children could be identified with more than one race designation.
How many children exited foster care during FY 2008? 285,000
What were the ages of the children who exited care during FY 2008?
Mean Age
9.6
Median Age
9.0
Less than 1 Year
5%
13,328
1 Year
8%
21,538
2 Years
7%
21,317
3 Years
6%
18,381
4 Years
6%
16,133
5 Years
5%
14,140
6 Years
5%
13,400
7 Years
4%
12,440
8 Years
4%
11,488
9 Years
4%
10,639
10 Years
3%
9,888
11 Years
3%
9,469
12 Years
3%
9,169
13 Years
3%
9,953
14 Years
4%
11,904
15 Years
5%
14,692
16 Years
6%
17,011
17 Years
8%
22,325
18 Years
8%
22,274
19 Years
1%
3,728
20 Years
1%
1,783
What were the outcomes for the children exiting foster care during FY 2008?
Reunification with Parent(s) or Primary Caretaker(s)
52%
148,340
Living with Other Relative(s)
8%
23,944
Adoption
19%
54,284
Emancipation
10%
29,516
Guardianship
7%
19,941
Transfer to Another Agency
2%
5,195
Runaway
1%
3,324
Death of Child
0%
456
NOTE: Deaths are attributable to a variety of causes including medical conditions, accidents, and homicide.
What were the lengths of stay of the children who exited foster care during FY 2008?
Mean Months
21.8
Median Months
13.3
Less than 1 Month
13%
38,303
1 – 5 Months
15%
42,933
6 – 11 Months
18%
51,025
12 – 17 Months
14%
40,796
18 – 23 Months
10%
28,785
24 – 29 Months
7%
20,428
30 – 35 Months
5%
15,040
3 – 4 Years
10%
27,567
5 Years or More
7%
20,123
What was the race/ethnicity of the children who exited care during FY 2008?
Alaska Native/American Indian
2%
5,605
Asian
1%
2,316
Black
26%
75,441
Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander
0%
763
Hispanic (of any race)
20%
56,741
White
44%
124,688
Unknown/Unable to Determine
2%
6,577
Two or more races
5%
12,869
NOTE: Using U.S. Bureau of the Census standards, all races exclude children of Hispanic origin. Beginning in FY 2000, children could be identified with more than one race designation.
How many children were waiting to be adopted on September 30, 2008? 123,000
NOTES: Waiting children are identified as children who have a goal of adoption and/or whose parents' parental rights have been terminated. Children 16 years old and older whose parental rights have been terminated and who have a goal of emancipation have been excluded from the estimate.
What is the gender distribution of the waiting children?
Male
53%
64,725
Female
47%
58,275
How many months have the waiting children been in continuous foster care?
Mean Months
38.0
Median Months
28.7
Less than 1 Month
0%
586
1 – 5 Months
4%
5,076
6 – 11 Months
8%
9,577
12 – 17 Months
13%
15,884
18 – 23 Months
14%
17,418
24 – 29 Months
13%
15,822
30 – 35 Months
10%
11,939
36 – 59 Months
21%
26,268
60 or more Months
17%
20,430
What is the racial/ethnic distribution of the waiting children?
Alaska Native/American Indian
2%
2,042
Asian
0%
587
Black
30%
36,913
Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander
0%
251
Hispanic (of any race)
21%
26,223
White
39%
47,392
Unknown/Unable to Determine
2%
2,649
Two or more races
6%
6,943
NOTE: Using U.S. Bureau of the Census standards, all races exclude children of Hispanic origin. Beginning in FY 2000, children could be identified with more than one race designation.
How old were the waiting children when they were removed from their parents or caretakers?
Mean Age
4.9
Median Age
4.1
Less than 1 Year
25%
31,199
1 Year
9%
10,734
2 Years
8%
9,567
3 Years
7%
8,655
4 Years
7%
8,258
5 Years
7%
8,034
6 Years
6%
7,779
7 Years
6%
7,093
8 Years
5%
6,578
9 Years
5%
5,830
10 Years
4%
5,072
11 Years
4%
4,323
12 Years
3%
3,514
13 Years
2%
2,757
14 Years
2%
1,904
15 Years
1%
1,084
16 Years
0%
516
17 Years
0%
103
Where were the waiting children living on September 30, 2008?
Pre-Adoptive Home
13%
15,701
Foster Family Home (Relative)
23%
28,346
Foster Family Home (Non-Relative)
53%
65,651
Group Home
4%
4,313
Institution
6%
7,408
Supervised Independent Living
0%
118
Runaway
1%
718
Trial Home Visit
1%
745
How old were the waiting children on September 30, 2008?
Mean Age
8.1
Median Age
7.5
Less than 1 Year
4%
4,628
1 Year
9%
10,636
2 Years
9%
10,852
3 Years
8%
9,336
4 Years
7%
8,327
5 Years
6%
7,516
6 Years
6%
7,067
7 Years
5%
6,664
8 Years
5%
6,466
9 Years
5%
6,251
10 Years
5%
6,019
11 Years
5%
5,725
12 Years
5%
5,643
13 Years
5%
5,771
14 Years
5%
6,040
15 Years
5%
6,350
16 Years
4%
5,388
17 Years
4%
4,320
How many children in foster care had their parental rights terminated for all living parents? 75,000
As of September 30, 2008, how many months had elapsed since the parental rights of these foster children were terminated?
Mean Months
24.7
Median Months
13.0
How many children were adopted with public agency involvement in FY 2008? 55,000
SOURCE: Adoptions can be reported to the AFCARS adoption database at any time after the adoption has been finalized. This report includes adoptions finalized in FY 2008 reported in regular and revised submissions by July of 2009.
NOTES: The number of adoptions reported here do not equal the number of adoption discharges reported under foster care exits because the adoptions reported here include adoptions of some children who were not in foster care but received other support from the public agency. Missing data are not used in the calculation of the percentages.
What is the gender distribution of the children adopted from the public foster care system?
Male
50%
27,718
Female
50%
27,282
How old were the children when they were adopted from the public foster care system?
Mean Age
6.4
Median Age
5.2
Less than 1 Year
2%
1,098
1 Year
12%
6,333
2 Years
14%
7,932
3 Years
11%
6,225
4 Years
9%
5,065
5 Years
8%
4,170
6 Years
7%
3,801
7 Years
6%
3,254
8 Years
5%
2,947
9 Years
5%
2,480
10 Years
4%
2,271
11 Years
4%
2,050
12 Years
3%
1,673
13 Years
3%
1,458
14 Years
2%
1,308
15 Years
2%
1,102
16 Years
2%
934
17 Years
1%
704
18 Years
0%
164
19 Years
0%
20
20 Years
0%
12
What percentage of the children adopted receive an adoption subsidy?
Yes
89%
49,032
No
11%
5,968
What is the racial/ethnic distribution of the children adopted from the public foster care system?
Alaska Native/American Indian
1%
793
Asian
1%
303
Black
25%
13,687
Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander
0%
111
Hispanic (of any race)
21%
11,441
White
44%
24,377
Unknown/Unable to Determine
2%
1,045
Two or more races
6%
3,242
NOTE: Using U.S. Bureau of the Census standards, all races exclude children of Hispanic origin. Beginning in FY 2000, children could be identified with more than one race designation.
How many months did it take after termination of parental rights for the children to be adopted?
Mean Months
14.1
Median Months
10.3
Less than 1 Month
2%
1,318
1 – 5 Months
23%
12,721
6 – 11 Months
32%
17,743
12 – 17 Months
19%
10,309
18 – 23 Months
10%
5,434
24 – 29 Months
5%
2,836
30 – 35 Months
3%
1,490
3 – 4 Years
4%
2,168
5 Years or More
2%
981
What is the family structure of the child's adoptive family?
Married Couple
68%
37,164
Unmarried Couple
2%
1,280
Single Female
28%
15,165
Single Male
3%
1,392
What was the relationship of the adoptive parents to the child prior to the adoption?
Non-Relative
16%
8,597
Foster Parent
54%
29,610
Stepparent
0%
44
Other Relative
30%
16,749
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children's Bureau,www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb
Preliminary Estimates for FY 2008 as of October 2009 (16).
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/stats_research/afcars/tar/report16.htm
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children's Bureau,www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/stats_research/afcars/tar/report16.htm
The AFCARS Report
Preliminary FY 2008 Estimates as of October 2009 (16)
SOURCE: Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) FY 2008 data (October 1, 2007 through September 30, 2008).
NOTES: Data from both the regular and revised foster care file submissions received by October 9, 2009, and data from adoption file submissions received by July 1, 2009, are included in the information below. Missing data are not used in the calculation of percentages.
How many children were in foster care on September 30, 2008? 463,000
What were the ages of the children in foster care?
Mean Age
9.7
Median Age
9.8
Less than 1 Year
6%
26,812
1 Year
7%
33,495
2 Years
6%
29,912
3 Years
6%
25,838
4 Years
5%
22,960
5 Years
5%
20,844
6 Years
4%
19,777
7 Years
4%
19,000
8 Years
4%
18,090
9 Years
4%
17,436
10 Years
4%
17,113
11 Years
4%
16,890
12 Years
4%
17,853
13 Years
4%
20,542
14 Years
6%
25,505
15 Years
7%
32,720
16 Years
8%
38,475
17 Years
9%
39,832
18 Years
3%
13,069
19 Years
1%
4,088
20 Years
1%
2,749
What were the lengths of stay of children in foster care?
Mean Months
27.2
Median Months
15.8
Less than 1 Month
5%
20,860
1 – 5 Months
20%
90,295
6 – 11 Months
17%
79,691
12 – 17 Months
13%
61,492
18 – 23 Months
10%
44,672
24 – 29 Months
7%
33,971
30 – 35 Months
5%
24,547
3 – 4 Years
12%
53,709
5 Years or More
12%
53,763
What were the placement settings of children in foster care?
Pre-Adoptive Home
4%
17,485
Foster Family Home (Relative)
24%
112,643
Foster Family Home (Non-Relative)
47%
217,243
Group Home
6%
29,122
Institution
10%
47,165
Supervised Independent Living
1%
5,217
Runaway
2%
9,766
Trial Home Visit
5%
24,358
What were the case goals of the children in foster care?
Reunify with Parent(s) or Principal Caretaker(s)
49%
226,867
Live with Other Relative(s)
4%
16,922
Adoption
24%
111,225
Long Term Foster Care
8%
37,522
Emancipation
6%
29,556
Guardianship
4%
18,266
Case Plan Goal Not Yet Established
5%
22,642
What was the gender of the children in foster care?
Male
53%
243,740
Female
47%
219,260
What was the race/ethnicity of the children in foster care?
Alaska Native/American Indian
2%
8,802
Asian
1%
2,631
Black
31%
142,502
Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander
0%
877
Hispanic (of any race)
20%
92,464
White
40%
183,149
Unknown/Unable to Determine
2%
10,753
Two or more races
5%
21,822
NOTE: Using U.S. Bureau of the Census standards, all races exclude children of Hispanic origin. Beginning in FY 2000, children could be identified with more than one race designation.
How many children entered foster care during FY 2008? 273,000
What were the ages of the children who entered care during FY 2008?
Mean Age
8.0
Median Age
7.3
Less than 1 Year
16%
44,365
1 Year
7%
19,721
2 Years
6%
16,909
3 Years
5%
14,889
4 Years
5%
13,204
5 Years
4%
12,264
6 Years
4%
11,547
7 Years
4%
10,782
8 Years
4%
9,966
9 Years
4%
9,581
10 Years
3%
8,813
11 Years
3%
8,875
12 Years
4%
9,913
13 Years
5%
12,573
14 Years
6%
16,026
15 Years
7%
20,101
16 Years
7%
19,953
17 Years
5%
12,816
18 Years
0%
563
19 Years
0%
95
20 Years
0%
44
What was the race/ethnicity of the children who entered care during FY 2008?
Alaska Native/American Indian
2%
5,646
Asian
1%
2,269
Black
26%
70,378
Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander
0%
675
Hispanic (of any race)
20%
54,802
White
44%
119,242
Unknown/Unable to Determine
3%
7,431
Two or more races
5%
12,558
NOTE: Using U.S. Bureau of the Census standards, all races exclude children of Hispanic origin. Beginning in FY 2000, children could be identified with more than one race designation.
How many children exited foster care during FY 2008? 285,000
What were the ages of the children who exited care during FY 2008?
Mean Age
9.6
Median Age
9.0
Less than 1 Year
5%
13,328
1 Year
8%
21,538
2 Years
7%
21,317
3 Years
6%
18,381
4 Years
6%
16,133
5 Years
5%
14,140
6 Years
5%
13,400
7 Years
4%
12,440
8 Years
4%
11,488
9 Years
4%
10,639
10 Years
3%
9,888
11 Years
3%
9,469
12 Years
3%
9,169
13 Years
3%
9,953
14 Years
4%
11,904
15 Years
5%
14,692
16 Years
6%
17,011
17 Years
8%
22,325
18 Years
8%
22,274
19 Years
1%
3,728
20 Years
1%
1,783
What were the outcomes for the children exiting foster care during FY 2008?
Reunification with Parent(s) or Primary Caretaker(s)
52%
148,340
Living with Other Relative(s)
8%
23,944
Adoption
19%
54,284
Emancipation
10%
29,516
Guardianship
7%
19,941
Transfer to Another Agency
2%
5,195
Runaway
1%
3,324
Death of Child
0%
456
NOTE: Deaths are attributable to a variety of causes including medical conditions, accidents, and homicide.
What were the lengths of stay of the children who exited foster care during FY 2008?
Mean Months
21.8
Median Months
13.3
Less than 1 Month
13%
38,303
1 – 5 Months
15%
42,933
6 – 11 Months
18%
51,025
12 – 17 Months
14%
40,796
18 – 23 Months
10%
28,785
24 – 29 Months
7%
20,428
30 – 35 Months
5%
15,040
3 – 4 Years
10%
27,567
5 Years or More
7%
20,123
What was the race/ethnicity of the children who exited care during FY 2008?
Alaska Native/American Indian
2%
5,605
Asian
1%
2,316
Black
26%
75,441
Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander
0%
763
Hispanic (of any race)
20%
56,741
White
44%
124,688
Unknown/Unable to Determine
2%
6,577
Two or more races
5%
12,869
NOTE: Using U.S. Bureau of the Census standards, all races exclude children of Hispanic origin. Beginning in FY 2000, children could be identified with more than one race designation.
How many children were waiting to be adopted on September 30, 2008? 123,000
NOTES: Waiting children are identified as children who have a goal of adoption and/or whose parents' parental rights have been terminated. Children 16 years old and older whose parental rights have been terminated and who have a goal of emancipation have been excluded from the estimate.
What is the gender distribution of the waiting children?
Male
53%
64,725
Female
47%
58,275
How many months have the waiting children been in continuous foster care?
Mean Months
38.0
Median Months
28.7
Less than 1 Month
0%
586
1 – 5 Months
4%
5,076
6 – 11 Months
8%
9,577
12 – 17 Months
13%
15,884
18 – 23 Months
14%
17,418
24 – 29 Months
13%
15,822
30 – 35 Months
10%
11,939
36 – 59 Months
21%
26,268
60 or more Months
17%
20,430
What is the racial/ethnic distribution of the waiting children?
Alaska Native/American Indian
2%
2,042
Asian
0%
587
Black
30%
36,913
Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander
0%
251
Hispanic (of any race)
21%
26,223
White
39%
47,392
Unknown/Unable to Determine
2%
2,649
Two or more races
6%
6,943
NOTE: Using U.S. Bureau of the Census standards, all races exclude children of Hispanic origin. Beginning in FY 2000, children could be identified with more than one race designation.
How old were the waiting children when they were removed from their parents or caretakers?
Mean Age
4.9
Median Age
4.1
Less than 1 Year
25%
31,199
1 Year
9%
10,734
2 Years
8%
9,567
3 Years
7%
8,655
4 Years
7%
8,258
5 Years
7%
8,034
6 Years
6%
7,779
7 Years
6%
7,093
8 Years
5%
6,578
9 Years
5%
5,830
10 Years
4%
5,072
11 Years
4%
4,323
12 Years
3%
3,514
13 Years
2%
2,757
14 Years
2%
1,904
15 Years
1%
1,084
16 Years
0%
516
17 Years
0%
103
Where were the waiting children living on September 30, 2008?
Pre-Adoptive Home
13%
15,701
Foster Family Home (Relative)
23%
28,346
Foster Family Home (Non-Relative)
53%
65,651
Group Home
4%
4,313
Institution
6%
7,408
Supervised Independent Living
0%
118
Runaway
1%
718
Trial Home Visit
1%
745
How old were the waiting children on September 30, 2008?
Mean Age
8.1
Median Age
7.5
Less than 1 Year
4%
4,628
1 Year
9%
10,636
2 Years
9%
10,852
3 Years
8%
9,336
4 Years
7%
8,327
5 Years
6%
7,516
6 Years
6%
7,067
7 Years
5%
6,664
8 Years
5%
6,466
9 Years
5%
6,251
10 Years
5%
6,019
11 Years
5%
5,725
12 Years
5%
5,643
13 Years
5%
5,771
14 Years
5%
6,040
15 Years
5%
6,350
16 Years
4%
5,388
17 Years
4%
4,320
How many children in foster care had their parental rights terminated for all living parents? 75,000
As of September 30, 2008, how many months had elapsed since the parental rights of these foster children were terminated?
Mean Months
24.7
Median Months
13.0
How many children were adopted with public agency involvement in FY 2008? 55,000
SOURCE: Adoptions can be reported to the AFCARS adoption database at any time after the adoption has been finalized. This report includes adoptions finalized in FY 2008 reported in regular and revised submissions by July of 2009.
NOTES: The number of adoptions reported here do not equal the number of adoption discharges reported under foster care exits because the adoptions reported here include adoptions of some children who were not in foster care but received other support from the public agency. Missing data are not used in the calculation of the percentages.
What is the gender distribution of the children adopted from the public foster care system?
Male
50%
27,718
Female
50%
27,282
How old were the children when they were adopted from the public foster care system?
Mean Age
6.4
Median Age
5.2
Less than 1 Year
2%
1,098
1 Year
12%
6,333
2 Years
14%
7,932
3 Years
11%
6,225
4 Years
9%
5,065
5 Years
8%
4,170
6 Years
7%
3,801
7 Years
6%
3,254
8 Years
5%
2,947
9 Years
5%
2,480
10 Years
4%
2,271
11 Years
4%
2,050
12 Years
3%
1,673
13 Years
3%
1,458
14 Years
2%
1,308
15 Years
2%
1,102
16 Years
2%
934
17 Years
1%
704
18 Years
0%
164
19 Years
0%
20
20 Years
0%
12
What percentage of the children adopted receive an adoption subsidy?
Yes
89%
49,032
No
11%
5,968
What is the racial/ethnic distribution of the children adopted from the public foster care system?
Alaska Native/American Indian
1%
793
Asian
1%
303
Black
25%
13,687
Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander
0%
111
Hispanic (of any race)
21%
11,441
White
44%
24,377
Unknown/Unable to Determine
2%
1,045
Two or more races
6%
3,242
NOTE: Using U.S. Bureau of the Census standards, all races exclude children of Hispanic origin. Beginning in FY 2000, children could be identified with more than one race designation.
How many months did it take after termination of parental rights for the children to be adopted?
Mean Months
14.1
Median Months
10.3
Less than 1 Month
2%
1,318
1 – 5 Months
23%
12,721
6 – 11 Months
32%
17,743
12 – 17 Months
19%
10,309
18 – 23 Months
10%
5,434
24 – 29 Months
5%
2,836
30 – 35 Months
3%
1,490
3 – 4 Years
4%
2,168
5 Years or More
2%
981
What is the family structure of the child's adoptive family?
Married Couple
68%
37,164
Unmarried Couple
2%
1,280
Single Female
28%
15,165
Single Male
3%
1,392
What was the relationship of the adoptive parents to the child prior to the adoption?
Non-Relative
16%
8,597
Foster Parent
54%
29,610
Stepparent
0%
44
Other Relative
30%
16,749
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children's Bureau,www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb
Preliminary Estimates for FY 2008 as of October 2009 (16).
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/stats_research/afcars/tar/report16.htm
Don't let Gabriel Myers' story be repeated-Save Austin Knightly, Doped up by Nashua, NH DCYF!
Don't let Gabriel Myers' story be repeated-Help Stop the Drugging of Our Children By the State
By Brian J. Cabrey
May 29, 2010
Well, it's been more than a year since the suicide death of 7-year-old Gabriel Myers, and what have we learned? What do we know now to prevent this sort of tragedy from ever happening again? Lest we forget, on April 16, 2009, little Gabriel hung himself with a shower hose in the bathroom of his foster home in Margate, Florida.
Gabriel had been the victim of sexual abuse and neglect, which resulted in him being placed in Florida's foster care system. While in foster care, he was regularly "medicated" with multiple psychotropic drugs to deal with his escalating behavioral problems, which were in and of themselves predictable if anyone was paying attention.
In August 2009, the Gabriel Myers Work Group, appointed by DCF Secretary George Sheldon, issued its first report, confirming what most children's advocates had known and decried for years, that the state routinely used mind altering psychotropic drugs, most not tested or approved by the FDA for pediatric use, to control and manage unruly foster kids rather than treat their underlying problems. While it was good for some light to finally be shed on that abhorrent practice, it only exposed half of the problem.
That is until last Friday, when the Gabriel Myers Work Group issued its second report, confirming another longtime complaint of children's advocates. The task force found that the state failed to provide adequate treatment to little Gabriel for the sexual abuse he had suffered and failed to prevent him from acting out sexually against other children, something it is common for child victims of sexual abuse to do.
Sadly, little Gabriel was not alone as all too often the child welfare/foster care system fails to provide child victims of physical and sexual abuse with adequate treatment, if any at all. If they did, not only might the victim children recover as fully as possible to become productive members of society, and other children be spared the same victimization, but in Gabriel's case, he very likely would still be alive.
The question for us now is what is the state of Florida going to do about it? Now that the task force has confirmed what many of us have long complained about and we know what went wrong, what will DCF do to change its practices so that we don't have catastrophic failures like this in the future?
Kudos to Secretary Sheldon for appointing the Work Group, and kudos to the Work Group for exposing the real problems that led little Gabriel to take his own life at just 7 years old. Darts to lawmakers for not following and implementing the Work Group's recommendations, and for not passing the proposed Florida Children's Legal Representation Act endorsed by the Florida Bar.
Sadly, the Florida Legislature has not yet learned the lessons from Gabriel's death, which means this tragedy will surely repeat itself. Unacceptable! Florida's foster children deserve better, and as Floridians we should be demanding better of our elected and public officials. One child lost is one too many.
Brian J. Cabrey is vice president of Florida's Children First, a statewide child advocacy group
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/commentary/fl-gabriel-myers-forum-20100529,0,2638756.story
By Brian J. Cabrey
May 29, 2010
Well, it's been more than a year since the suicide death of 7-year-old Gabriel Myers, and what have we learned? What do we know now to prevent this sort of tragedy from ever happening again? Lest we forget, on April 16, 2009, little Gabriel hung himself with a shower hose in the bathroom of his foster home in Margate, Florida.
Gabriel had been the victim of sexual abuse and neglect, which resulted in him being placed in Florida's foster care system. While in foster care, he was regularly "medicated" with multiple psychotropic drugs to deal with his escalating behavioral problems, which were in and of themselves predictable if anyone was paying attention.
In August 2009, the Gabriel Myers Work Group, appointed by DCF Secretary George Sheldon, issued its first report, confirming what most children's advocates had known and decried for years, that the state routinely used mind altering psychotropic drugs, most not tested or approved by the FDA for pediatric use, to control and manage unruly foster kids rather than treat their underlying problems. While it was good for some light to finally be shed on that abhorrent practice, it only exposed half of the problem.
That is until last Friday, when the Gabriel Myers Work Group issued its second report, confirming another longtime complaint of children's advocates. The task force found that the state failed to provide adequate treatment to little Gabriel for the sexual abuse he had suffered and failed to prevent him from acting out sexually against other children, something it is common for child victims of sexual abuse to do.
Sadly, little Gabriel was not alone as all too often the child welfare/foster care system fails to provide child victims of physical and sexual abuse with adequate treatment, if any at all. If they did, not only might the victim children recover as fully as possible to become productive members of society, and other children be spared the same victimization, but in Gabriel's case, he very likely would still be alive.
The question for us now is what is the state of Florida going to do about it? Now that the task force has confirmed what many of us have long complained about and we know what went wrong, what will DCF do to change its practices so that we don't have catastrophic failures like this in the future?
Kudos to Secretary Sheldon for appointing the Work Group, and kudos to the Work Group for exposing the real problems that led little Gabriel to take his own life at just 7 years old. Darts to lawmakers for not following and implementing the Work Group's recommendations, and for not passing the proposed Florida Children's Legal Representation Act endorsed by the Florida Bar.
Sadly, the Florida Legislature has not yet learned the lessons from Gabriel's death, which means this tragedy will surely repeat itself. Unacceptable! Florida's foster children deserve better, and as Floridians we should be demanding better of our elected and public officials. One child lost is one too many.
Brian J. Cabrey is vice president of Florida's Children First, a statewide child advocacy group
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/commentary/fl-gabriel-myers-forum-20100529,0,2638756.story
Mother sues over foster home death
Mother sues over foster home death
By: Tamara Lindstrom
A baby was killed in foster care and now his mother is asking the county to pay. Our Tamara Lindstrom tells us why the mother of Adrian Hines is suing Tompkins County and the Department of Social Services and what the county had to say.
TOMPKINS COUNTY, N.Y. -- It is every mother's worst nightmare.
"You can imagine any parent, or any person, just having your child plucked from your arms and taken away and that child not just dying, but being killed in foster care," said Edward Kopko, attorney for the child's mother.
In July 2008, 13-month-old Adrian Hines was removed from his mother's home by the Department of Social Services, who Kopko says claimed the mother failed to provide a safe and sanitary home. Three months later, he was dead.
"She had a very brief opportunity to hold her child before the child passed away. She actually had to make the decision to withdraw life support systems from the child," Kopko said.
An autopsy revealed blunt trauma to the infant's head and bleeding in his brain. Adrian's death was ruled a homicide and that he was a victim of shaken baby syndrome.
A year and a half later, no one has been charged with a crime. District Attorney Gwen Wilkinson reports they have exhausted all leads and were unable to gather enough evidence to bring the case before a grand jury.
Now Adrian's mother, Kristine Freda, has filed a lawsuit against Tompkins County and the Department of Social Services.
"We contend that there was a gross deviation in proper standards here that led immediately and directly to the death of this child," Kopko said.
The lawsuit states that there was no basis for removing Adrian from his home in the first place, that DSS failed to explore leaving the child with a family member and failed to ensure the baby was properly cared for.
Freda is seeking damages for Adrian's medical bills and funeral costs and for pain and suffering.
"She has had her own immense suffering as a result of not only the death of her child, but the circumstances of the death of her child," Kopko said.
"The county has yet to answer the lawsuit. We're reviewing the allegations. But primarily we'll deny them," said County Attorney Jonathan Wood.
Due to the pending lawsuit, DSS and the county are unable to comment on the investigations.
"What I can say is, based on what I've reviewed, I don't have any reason to believe that the department didn't do everything it was supposed to do," Wood said.
"That is a bizarre comment," Kopko said. "Children of this age don't just die. This child died from a blunt trauma to its head. The coroner has determined that it was a homicide. Those are not ordinary common circumstances. There's a global universal issue here about how is could possibly happen that an infant is killed in foster care."
The D.A. said that while the case is cold, there is no statute of limitations on this type of homicide, so there is still a chance that whoever killed baby Adrian could be brought to justice.
The lawsuit is now in the discovery stage. Freda and her attorney are asking to see the results of the county's investigation into the homicide and records from the Department of Social Services.
http://centralny.ynn.com/content/top_stories/506049/mother-sues-over-foster-home-death/
By: Tamara Lindstrom
A baby was killed in foster care and now his mother is asking the county to pay. Our Tamara Lindstrom tells us why the mother of Adrian Hines is suing Tompkins County and the Department of Social Services and what the county had to say.
TOMPKINS COUNTY, N.Y. -- It is every mother's worst nightmare.
"You can imagine any parent, or any person, just having your child plucked from your arms and taken away and that child not just dying, but being killed in foster care," said Edward Kopko, attorney for the child's mother.
In July 2008, 13-month-old Adrian Hines was removed from his mother's home by the Department of Social Services, who Kopko says claimed the mother failed to provide a safe and sanitary home. Three months later, he was dead.
"She had a very brief opportunity to hold her child before the child passed away. She actually had to make the decision to withdraw life support systems from the child," Kopko said.
An autopsy revealed blunt trauma to the infant's head and bleeding in his brain. Adrian's death was ruled a homicide and that he was a victim of shaken baby syndrome.
A year and a half later, no one has been charged with a crime. District Attorney Gwen Wilkinson reports they have exhausted all leads and were unable to gather enough evidence to bring the case before a grand jury.
Now Adrian's mother, Kristine Freda, has filed a lawsuit against Tompkins County and the Department of Social Services.
"We contend that there was a gross deviation in proper standards here that led immediately and directly to the death of this child," Kopko said.
The lawsuit states that there was no basis for removing Adrian from his home in the first place, that DSS failed to explore leaving the child with a family member and failed to ensure the baby was properly cared for.
Freda is seeking damages for Adrian's medical bills and funeral costs and for pain and suffering.
"She has had her own immense suffering as a result of not only the death of her child, but the circumstances of the death of her child," Kopko said.
"The county has yet to answer the lawsuit. We're reviewing the allegations. But primarily we'll deny them," said County Attorney Jonathan Wood.
Due to the pending lawsuit, DSS and the county are unable to comment on the investigations.
"What I can say is, based on what I've reviewed, I don't have any reason to believe that the department didn't do everything it was supposed to do," Wood said.
"That is a bizarre comment," Kopko said. "Children of this age don't just die. This child died from a blunt trauma to its head. The coroner has determined that it was a homicide. Those are not ordinary common circumstances. There's a global universal issue here about how is could possibly happen that an infant is killed in foster care."
The D.A. said that while the case is cold, there is no statute of limitations on this type of homicide, so there is still a chance that whoever killed baby Adrian could be brought to justice.
The lawsuit is now in the discovery stage. Freda and her attorney are asking to see the results of the county's investigation into the homicide and records from the Department of Social Services.
http://centralny.ynn.com/content/top_stories/506049/mother-sues-over-foster-home-death/
Mom finds kidnapped daughter on Facebook
VideoPhoto
Mom finds kidnapped daughter on Facebook
Updated: Friday, 28 May 2010, 10:48 PM EDT
Published : Friday, 28 May 2010, 9:57 PM EDT
By Tracy Jacim
FOX 35 News
A father is behind bars, arrested for allegedly kidnapped his own children from California 14 years ago, and bringing them to Central Florida to live.
For years, investigators have been searching for him, but it was the social networking website Facebook that delivered the break it took more than a decade to get.
Faustino Utrera is now charged with two counts of kidnapping, and two counts of violating child custody orders.
According to the Osceola County Sheriff's Office, Utrera was at a bus stop on Wednesday at about 2:30 in the afternoon, waiting to pick up his 16-year-old son from school, when he was taken into custody.
Faustino's 16-year-old son and 17-year-old daughter had been attending celebration high school. Investigators said the family of three had actually been living in the palm key mobile home park in Polk County.
Investigators said that in 1995, Utrera took his two kids from the family's San Bernardino, California home and disappeared.
Then just last march, investigators said the mother of the children was on Facebook and found her daughter. When she began conversing online, her very own daughter, who hadn't seen her since she was 3 years old, told her mom she wanted nothing to do with her and deleted her Facebook page.
San Bernardino authorities issued an out-of-state arrest warrant, and this past Wednesday, Osceola County deputies caught up with Utrera.
“I saw cop cars of all sorts,” said neighbor Joe Austin.
Austin said Utrera and the two kids lived right across the street from him for about five months. Austin never talked to Utrera, but he did see the two kids. He said they seemed happy then, and they seemed happy on Friday, when children and family services brought them back to their home to pick up some clothing.
"The little boy didn't seem upset. I couldn't see him real well, but I assume he wasn't, because the girl wasn't. She was skipping."
We know Faustino's daughter is about to turn 18, and she officially graduated from celebration high school on Thursday night. For now, both children are in the custody of the State of Florida.
The mother of the children could not be reached for comment on Friday.
http://www.myfoxorlando.com/dpp/news/osceola_news/052810mom-finds-kidnapped-daughter-on-facebook
Mom finds kidnapped daughter on Facebook
Updated: Friday, 28 May 2010, 10:48 PM EDT
Published : Friday, 28 May 2010, 9:57 PM EDT
By Tracy Jacim
FOX 35 News
A father is behind bars, arrested for allegedly kidnapped his own children from California 14 years ago, and bringing them to Central Florida to live.
For years, investigators have been searching for him, but it was the social networking website Facebook that delivered the break it took more than a decade to get.
Faustino Utrera is now charged with two counts of kidnapping, and two counts of violating child custody orders.
According to the Osceola County Sheriff's Office, Utrera was at a bus stop on Wednesday at about 2:30 in the afternoon, waiting to pick up his 16-year-old son from school, when he was taken into custody.
Faustino's 16-year-old son and 17-year-old daughter had been attending celebration high school. Investigators said the family of three had actually been living in the palm key mobile home park in Polk County.
Investigators said that in 1995, Utrera took his two kids from the family's San Bernardino, California home and disappeared.
Then just last march, investigators said the mother of the children was on Facebook and found her daughter. When she began conversing online, her very own daughter, who hadn't seen her since she was 3 years old, told her mom she wanted nothing to do with her and deleted her Facebook page.
San Bernardino authorities issued an out-of-state arrest warrant, and this past Wednesday, Osceola County deputies caught up with Utrera.
“I saw cop cars of all sorts,” said neighbor Joe Austin.
Austin said Utrera and the two kids lived right across the street from him for about five months. Austin never talked to Utrera, but he did see the two kids. He said they seemed happy then, and they seemed happy on Friday, when children and family services brought them back to their home to pick up some clothing.
"The little boy didn't seem upset. I couldn't see him real well, but I assume he wasn't, because the girl wasn't. She was skipping."
We know Faustino's daughter is about to turn 18, and she officially graduated from celebration high school on Thursday night. For now, both children are in the custody of the State of Florida.
The mother of the children could not be reached for comment on Friday.
http://www.myfoxorlando.com/dpp/news/osceola_news/052810mom-finds-kidnapped-daughter-on-facebook
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