Updated: 1:03 PM Jul 19, 2010
Lincoln Police Arrest Foster Dad In Child Sexual Assault Case
Lincoln
Lincoln police arrested a 37-year-old foster dad Saturday for 2nd degree sexual assault of a child.
Posted: 10:32 AM Jul 19, 2010
Reporter: Jon Vanderford
Email Address: jon.vanderford@1011now.com
Officer Flood on Foster Dad Arrested in Child Sexual Assault Case
Lincoln police arrested a 37-year-old foster dad Saturday for 2nd degree sexual assault of a child.
Officer Katie Flood says the 18-year-old foster son of Kirk Decoste came home to find him naked with the victim, a 10-year-old foster son. Flood says the 18-year-old son felt uneasy about the situation and decided to call police.
"The 10-year-old later disclosed he had been receiving unwanted sexual contact from the foster father," Flood says. "This had been occurring since June." Flood says the boy had been placed in Decoste's home in June.
Flood says both the 18-year-old and the 10-year-old were given alternative placement by Health and Human Services. She says the 18-year-old did not disclose any sexual abuse.
http://www.1011now.com/home/headlines/98749369.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
Monday, July 19, 2010
Runaway Foster Child killed by hotshot truck
Runaway Foster Child killed by hotshot truck
On Friday Pct. 4 Justice of the Peace James Metts joined the Texas Department of Public Safety in seeking information regarding the identify a woman killed in an overnight accident on July 15, 2010 on Hwy 105. She has now been identified as 16-year-old Felicia Michelle Minix of Houston. Miss Minix was under the care of Child Protective Services and had run away from a foster home.
She was walking alone in the westbound lane of Hwy 105 near Duck Creek Rd. a little before 3 a.m. when a hotshot truck (a two- axle truck pulling a gooseneck trailer) struck her. She was already deceased when medics arrived. The truck was disabled, with a busted radiator. However, the driver, 39-year-old James Steven Spurlin was uninjured. Judge Metts responded to the scene where he conducted an inquest and ordered the remains transported to the Dallas Forensic Center for an autopsy.
DPS Trooper Oelsner responded to conduct the accident investigation. DPS Sgt. Barnhill confirmed that Spurlin stated by the time he saw the Minix on the darkened roadway, he was unable to avoid striking her.
The Minix had no identification on her person and a search of the area also provided no clues as to her identity. She was not carrying a purse, wallet or cell phone, and had no ID in her clothing.
http://www.montgomerycountynews.net/index.php?module=article&view=1374
On Friday Pct. 4 Justice of the Peace James Metts joined the Texas Department of Public Safety in seeking information regarding the identify a woman killed in an overnight accident on July 15, 2010 on Hwy 105. She has now been identified as 16-year-old Felicia Michelle Minix of Houston. Miss Minix was under the care of Child Protective Services and had run away from a foster home.
She was walking alone in the westbound lane of Hwy 105 near Duck Creek Rd. a little before 3 a.m. when a hotshot truck (a two- axle truck pulling a gooseneck trailer) struck her. She was already deceased when medics arrived. The truck was disabled, with a busted radiator. However, the driver, 39-year-old James Steven Spurlin was uninjured. Judge Metts responded to the scene where he conducted an inquest and ordered the remains transported to the Dallas Forensic Center for an autopsy.
DPS Trooper Oelsner responded to conduct the accident investigation. DPS Sgt. Barnhill confirmed that Spurlin stated by the time he saw the Minix on the darkened roadway, he was unable to avoid striking her.
The Minix had no identification on her person and a search of the area also provided no clues as to her identity. She was not carrying a purse, wallet or cell phone, and had no ID in her clothing.
http://www.montgomerycountynews.net/index.php?module=article&view=1374
Florida To FDA: No Foster Kids In Psychotropic Trials
Florida To FDA: No Foster Kids In Psychotropic Trials
By Ed Silverman // July 19th, 2010 // 8:56 am
Last year, a 7-year-old foster boy named Gabriel Myers committed suicide in Florida and, after reams of publicity and hand-wringing over the use of psychotropic medications in such children, a state task force recommended, among other things, that children never be allowed to participate in a clinical trial designed to evaluate new psychotropic meds or whether such drugs approved for adults should be given to children.
The move was prompted, in part, because a Florida psychiatrist, Sohail Punjwani, who treated the boy before he committed suicide, received an FDA warning letter for failing “to protect the rights, safety and welfare” of children enrolled in clinical trials (back story). Before the suicide, the psychiatrist prescribed to kids several drugs, some of which weren’t approved by the FDA for use on children and had been linked to dangerous side effects, including an increased risk of suicide among children (back story).
As part of the follow-up, George Sheldon, who head’s Florida’s Department of Children and Families, wrote FDA commish Margaret Hamburg for info about any foster children who might have participated in clinical trials for psychotropic meds (read the letter) and asked the FDA to forbid foster kids from participating in these trials. Last month, the agency wrote back to say the agency does not agree with a “blanket prohibition” on enrolling foster children. Why? Such a policy fails to account for the greater risk of off-label prescribing and research involving children can yield benefits that cannot be obtained by tracking usage in adults, Jill Warner, acting associate commissioner for the FDA’s Special Medical Programs, wrote back (see here). Drugmakers, by the way, also have something at stake - they receive an extra six months of marketing exclusivity in return for having conducted the pediatric trials.
We asked Florida officials if they are rethinking their position. The answer? No way. The state is resolute. A department spokeswoman writes us to say this: “There is no impasse. While we appreciate the information provided by the Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Children and Families, not the FDA, is responsible for the protection of children in its care and takes those responsibilities extremely seriously. To that end, we have, by administrative procedures, prohibited the use of children in state care in clinical trials relating to the development of new psychotropic medications.
“Additionally, this Department’s operating procedure on ‘Institutional Oversight of Human Subject Research and Institutional Review Board Designation’ now further specifies: “At no time shall a child in the custody of the Department be allowed to participate in a clinical trial that is designed to develop new psychotropic medications or evaluate the suitability of providing medications previously approved for adults to children” (read more here). She adds that the department expects to send a formal response to the FDA in the “immediate future.” What do you think?
http://www.pharmalot.com/2010/07/florida-tells-fda-no-children-in-psychotropic-trials/
By Ed Silverman // July 19th, 2010 // 8:56 am
Last year, a 7-year-old foster boy named Gabriel Myers committed suicide in Florida and, after reams of publicity and hand-wringing over the use of psychotropic medications in such children, a state task force recommended, among other things, that children never be allowed to participate in a clinical trial designed to evaluate new psychotropic meds or whether such drugs approved for adults should be given to children.
The move was prompted, in part, because a Florida psychiatrist, Sohail Punjwani, who treated the boy before he committed suicide, received an FDA warning letter for failing “to protect the rights, safety and welfare” of children enrolled in clinical trials (back story). Before the suicide, the psychiatrist prescribed to kids several drugs, some of which weren’t approved by the FDA for use on children and had been linked to dangerous side effects, including an increased risk of suicide among children (back story).
As part of the follow-up, George Sheldon, who head’s Florida’s Department of Children and Families, wrote FDA commish Margaret Hamburg for info about any foster children who might have participated in clinical trials for psychotropic meds (read the letter) and asked the FDA to forbid foster kids from participating in these trials. Last month, the agency wrote back to say the agency does not agree with a “blanket prohibition” on enrolling foster children. Why? Such a policy fails to account for the greater risk of off-label prescribing and research involving children can yield benefits that cannot be obtained by tracking usage in adults, Jill Warner, acting associate commissioner for the FDA’s Special Medical Programs, wrote back (see here). Drugmakers, by the way, also have something at stake - they receive an extra six months of marketing exclusivity in return for having conducted the pediatric trials.
We asked Florida officials if they are rethinking their position. The answer? No way. The state is resolute. A department spokeswoman writes us to say this: “There is no impasse. While we appreciate the information provided by the Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Children and Families, not the FDA, is responsible for the protection of children in its care and takes those responsibilities extremely seriously. To that end, we have, by administrative procedures, prohibited the use of children in state care in clinical trials relating to the development of new psychotropic medications.
“Additionally, this Department’s operating procedure on ‘Institutional Oversight of Human Subject Research and Institutional Review Board Designation’ now further specifies: “At no time shall a child in the custody of the Department be allowed to participate in a clinical trial that is designed to develop new psychotropic medications or evaluate the suitability of providing medications previously approved for adults to children” (read more here). She adds that the department expects to send a formal response to the FDA in the “immediate future.” What do you think?
http://www.pharmalot.com/2010/07/florida-tells-fda-no-children-in-psychotropic-trials/
Failures in foster care services
Failures in foster care services
In this section »
Quality of death
IT IS impossible to overstate the extent of the failures highlighted in foster care services across parts of Dublin. Reports published by the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) show these services were in a state of crisis when they were inspected last year. Children were left in unsafe care placements for years, despite evidence of child protection concerns. Other young people in care did not have contact with social workers for up to a decade or more. Perhaps even more disturbing is the shocking inaction of senior Health Service Executive (HSE) management.
Despite evidence that children were being left in unsafe placements, little or nothing was done. Even after the authority highlighted these problems last year, the HSE’s lethargic response lacked any sense of urgency.
The authority’s reports state there was a lack of recognition at senior management level that childcare regulations existed to safeguard and protect vulnerable children. It went further, concluding there were serious deficiencies in the the governance of services and a lack of a child-centred culture at management level in particular.
These are damning findings. What is the purpose of having social services or child protection teams if it is not to protect the welfare of children who need it most? And what hope is there for vulnerable children when senior managers in charge of the services do not seem to appreciate this?
When failures in child protection were exposed in the Catholic church, there were calls to remove those who presided over these failures. And rightly so. The least we might expect is that in addition to addressing these problems, there would be some level of accountability for those in charge of these services.
The response of the Health Service Executive to date has been that it is not seeking to apportion blame for these failures. This unwillingness to confront failure, apportion blame or fundamentally reform a clearly defective system is sadly endemic within our health services and across wider public life. Unless there are sanctions against senior management who have failed children, it is difficult to see how this culture of inaction will ever change.
This is particularly difficult for frontline social workers who struggle to do their jobs in a dysfunctional child protection system, yet are among the first to be blamed when things go wrong.
We need radical changes to our child protection services, with clearer lines of accountability and responsibility. The Government, too, must ensure there are sufficient resources available to provide an acceptable level of service. The head of Hiqa Tracey Cooper said she believes these foster care reports will prove to be a watershed moment in driving improvements in safeguarding children. We can only hope she is right.
The alternative is that children will continue to be put in unsafe care placements, and overworked social workers will be unable to respond to cases of abuse or mistreatment until it is too late.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2010/0719/1224275017733.html
In this section »
Quality of death
IT IS impossible to overstate the extent of the failures highlighted in foster care services across parts of Dublin. Reports published by the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) show these services were in a state of crisis when they were inspected last year. Children were left in unsafe care placements for years, despite evidence of child protection concerns. Other young people in care did not have contact with social workers for up to a decade or more. Perhaps even more disturbing is the shocking inaction of senior Health Service Executive (HSE) management.
Despite evidence that children were being left in unsafe placements, little or nothing was done. Even after the authority highlighted these problems last year, the HSE’s lethargic response lacked any sense of urgency.
The authority’s reports state there was a lack of recognition at senior management level that childcare regulations existed to safeguard and protect vulnerable children. It went further, concluding there were serious deficiencies in the the governance of services and a lack of a child-centred culture at management level in particular.
These are damning findings. What is the purpose of having social services or child protection teams if it is not to protect the welfare of children who need it most? And what hope is there for vulnerable children when senior managers in charge of the services do not seem to appreciate this?
When failures in child protection were exposed in the Catholic church, there were calls to remove those who presided over these failures. And rightly so. The least we might expect is that in addition to addressing these problems, there would be some level of accountability for those in charge of these services.
The response of the Health Service Executive to date has been that it is not seeking to apportion blame for these failures. This unwillingness to confront failure, apportion blame or fundamentally reform a clearly defective system is sadly endemic within our health services and across wider public life. Unless there are sanctions against senior management who have failed children, it is difficult to see how this culture of inaction will ever change.
This is particularly difficult for frontline social workers who struggle to do their jobs in a dysfunctional child protection system, yet are among the first to be blamed when things go wrong.
We need radical changes to our child protection services, with clearer lines of accountability and responsibility. The Government, too, must ensure there are sufficient resources available to provide an acceptable level of service. The head of Hiqa Tracey Cooper said she believes these foster care reports will prove to be a watershed moment in driving improvements in safeguarding children. We can only hope she is right.
The alternative is that children will continue to be put in unsafe care placements, and overworked social workers will be unable to respond to cases of abuse or mistreatment until it is too late.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2010/0719/1224275017733.html
Daytona DCF workers may have forged reports
Daytona DCF workers may have forged reports
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Child welfare workers in the Daytona Beach area failed to ensure that criminal background checks were performed on child care workers.
Preliminary investigations by the Department of Children and Families showed that more than 100 child care centers may not have had the proper screenings and inspections because of problems with two DCF workers. Authorities say it appears that some reports may have been forged.
One of the workers was fired and the other resigned. Falsifying DCF records is a felony but the two have not been charged.
DCF says there is no indication that any child safety was compromised.
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/18/1735977/daytona-dcf-workers-may-have-forged.html#ixzz0u7yybUG3
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Child welfare workers in the Daytona Beach area failed to ensure that criminal background checks were performed on child care workers.
Preliminary investigations by the Department of Children and Families showed that more than 100 child care centers may not have had the proper screenings and inspections because of problems with two DCF workers. Authorities say it appears that some reports may have been forged.
One of the workers was fired and the other resigned. Falsifying DCF records is a felony but the two have not been charged.
DCF says there is no indication that any child safety was compromised.
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/18/1735977/daytona-dcf-workers-may-have-forged.html#ixzz0u7yybUG3
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