My 14 year foster care hell - Community - lep.co.uk
Published on Mon Jan 31 08:42:34 GMT 2011
A desperate teenage mother is calling for an overhaul of social services after speaking out about her 14 year foster care hell.
Preston-born Lyndsey Keenan, 18, says she has been “shipped” from home to home and town to town, often into abusive households, since she was taken into care when she was four years old.
She has lived with 22 families in towns and cities around the country, including London, Bournemouth, Worthing, Seaford, the Isle of Wight and various towns in the south, despite national guidelines urging authorities to keep cared-for children close to home.
She was even split from her two younger brothers who were adopted by a family in Bristol because she claims social workers said it would be “unlikely” a family would adopt all three of them.
She hasn’t seen her siblings for more than 10 years.
Now 18 and able to speak legally about her plight, she says she has been “abandoned” by social services to care for her son Lex, one, who is blind and suffers severe disabilities.
The teenager, who lives in West Sussex, more than 200 miles from her birth home, says more needs to be done to protect vulnerable children.
She said: “Thousands of people like me are slipping through the cracks of the system and we are left with nothing and no proper homes.
“It is no wonder people think that people in care are all mess ups.
“We’re being left to fend for ourselves and being dumped anywhere they can find.
“My whole life has been horrible to be honest and nobody cares and now I’m left totally alone with a sick child. It shouldn’t be like this.”
Lyndsey and her two brothers were taken from their natural mother, who had drinking problems, in 1996 and were placed with Lancashire County Council’s social services.
The siblings were initially placed with a foster family in Preston before her brothers were adopted.
Lyndsey remembers: “I didn’t really know what was happening, I was too young, but I remember being held back at the door as they took my brothers off in a taxi. I knew I would probably never see them again. I felt so alone.”
Lyndsey was moved to other foster homes and respite centres in the area before going to live with a family in the Isle of Wight.
Growing up she struggled to settle or make permanent relationships as social workers moved her to various short and long-term placements. Her foster carers included Jewish families, American couples, devout Catholics and Italian immigrants – none from mixed-race backgrounds like her.
During one placement, Lyndsey and two other children were quickly removed from a home after the father was investigated for allegedly sexually abusing children. Lyndsey was not involved.
She was removed from another placement when a family member of her foster carer spat in her face because of her race. She was taken from another home because her carer was an alcoholic, she says.
When she was five-years-old, she claims she was locked in her room at another home, hit and forced to sleep in her own urine if she wet the bed.
“I used to have nightmares every night,” she said. “I was terrified.”
Lyndsey claims one family tried to adopt her but social services denied their application because they planned to move to America.
“I became really shy,” Lyndsey said. “I didn’t want to come out of my shell and make friends again because I knew that come a few weeks or months I’d have to do it all again. It has a real effect on how you see yourself and it got to the point that I couldn’t take any more. I couldn’t take the moving any more. I couldn’t be let down again.”
She now lives in her own flat in West Sussex, with her 10-month-old son Lex. The tot was born with 90% sight loss and pituitary gland problems, which has left him with missing fingers and complex learning problems.
She said: “He has a lot of problems. I’m all alone hundreds of miles from where I’m from – I feel totally isolated.
“The system shouldn’t be allowed to do this to people.
A spokesperson for Lancashire County Council’s social services said they were aware of Lyndsey’s case and confirmed she had been placed with numerous families.
Faith Mann, Lancashire County Council’s director for targeted and early intervention services for children and young people, said: “It saddens me to hear of a young person who has experienced problems during their time in care.
“We try to achieve stability for children, but there are sometimes factors beyond our control such as placement breakdown and the young person’s own wishes which make this difficult. Procedures have been updated in the past 20 years. The county council’s performance in placement stability was recently rated as good.”
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, January 31, 2011
Courthouse News Service-Court OKs Overhaul of City's Foster Care System
Courthouse News Service
Court OKs Overhaul of City's Foster Care System
By CHRIS FRY
ShareThis
(CN) - The Baltimore Social Services Department cannot overturn a 23-year-old ruling that laid out reforms for the city's foster care system, and a 2009 settlement it reached after reports of neglect and mistreatment cropped up again, the 4th Circuit ruled.
A class of foster children had sued the department, as well as several other city and state foster care officials, 26 years ago, claiming civil rights abuses in the system had stemmed from bureaucratic mismanagement. The latest ruling in the case, released Jan. 26, notes that the class children in foster care were allegedly "suffering physical abuse, sexual abuse, medical neglect and otherwise being subjected to dangerous living conditions."
Shortly after the case was filed, the court issued an injunction setting out substantial improvements to be implemented in the Baltimore foster care system. In 2002, the class found that social services officials had been fudging the data to suggest compliance with the court's decree. When the department began using its offices as emergency shelters for needy children, the class discovered "disturbing conditions, with children sleeping on the floor, unable to shower or change clothes, and subsisting on a diet of fast food."
A federal judge was set to approve a new settlement in June 2009, but the city officials claimed that a new Supreme Court ruling "changed the law in a way that deprived the district court of subject matter jurisdiction to enforce the 1988 decree," according to the 4th Circuit.
The judge disagreed, ruling to enter the 2009 settlement, and the federal appeals panel in Richmond, Va., affirmed the decision on appeal.
Judge Allyson Duncan, on behalf of the court's three-judge panel, wrote that the city officials did not prove that a footnote of the Supreme Court ruling created "a significant change in the law."
"Given that Footnote 6 did not address either the actual statute upon which the judgment in the case was based or the court's continuing authority to enforce it, such a holding would require a significant logical leap unsupported by the footnote's sparse language," Duncan wrote.
Court OKs Overhaul of City's Foster Care System
By CHRIS FRY
ShareThis
(CN) - The Baltimore Social Services Department cannot overturn a 23-year-old ruling that laid out reforms for the city's foster care system, and a 2009 settlement it reached after reports of neglect and mistreatment cropped up again, the 4th Circuit ruled.
A class of foster children had sued the department, as well as several other city and state foster care officials, 26 years ago, claiming civil rights abuses in the system had stemmed from bureaucratic mismanagement. The latest ruling in the case, released Jan. 26, notes that the class children in foster care were allegedly "suffering physical abuse, sexual abuse, medical neglect and otherwise being subjected to dangerous living conditions."
Shortly after the case was filed, the court issued an injunction setting out substantial improvements to be implemented in the Baltimore foster care system. In 2002, the class found that social services officials had been fudging the data to suggest compliance with the court's decree. When the department began using its offices as emergency shelters for needy children, the class discovered "disturbing conditions, with children sleeping on the floor, unable to shower or change clothes, and subsisting on a diet of fast food."
A federal judge was set to approve a new settlement in June 2009, but the city officials claimed that a new Supreme Court ruling "changed the law in a way that deprived the district court of subject matter jurisdiction to enforce the 1988 decree," according to the 4th Circuit.
The judge disagreed, ruling to enter the 2009 settlement, and the federal appeals panel in Richmond, Va., affirmed the decision on appeal.
Judge Allyson Duncan, on behalf of the court's three-judge panel, wrote that the city officials did not prove that a footnote of the Supreme Court ruling created "a significant change in the law."
"Given that Footnote 6 did not address either the actual statute upon which the judgment in the case was based or the court's continuing authority to enforce it, such a holding would require a significant logical leap unsupported by the footnote's sparse language," Duncan wrote.
N.H. HOUSE BILL 395 AN ACT establishing a child protection study committee.
BillText
NH General Court Bill Status Search Roll Call Votes Statutes Contact Us
HB 395 – AS INTRODUCED
2011 SESSION
11-0546
05/10
HOUSE BILL 395
AN ACT establishing a child protection study committee.
SPONSORS: Rep. Itse, Rock 9; Rep. Ingbretson, Graf 5; Rep. Sorg, Graf 3; Rep. Baldasaro, Rock�3; Rep. Comerford, Rock 9
COMMITTEE: Children and Family Law
ANALYSIS
This bill establishes a child protection study committee to audit the performance and finances of the judicial branch family division, the division of children youth and families, the division of child support services, the guardian ad litem board, child advocacy centers, and the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
11-0546
05/10
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Eleven
AN ACT establishing a child protection study committee.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 New Subdivision; Child Protection Study Committee. Amend RSA 169-C by inserting after section 39-i the following new subdivision.
Child Protection Study Committee
169-C:39-j Child Protection Study Committee Established.
I. There is established a child protection study committee to audit the performance and finances of the judicial branch family division, the division of children youth and families, the division of child support services, the guardian ad litem board, and child advocacy centers.
II.(a) The voting members of the committee shall be as follows:
(1) Six members of the house of representatives, appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives, none of whom shall be an officer of the court.
(2) Three members of the senate, appointed by the president of the senate, none of whom shall be an officer of the court.
(b) The non-voting members of the committee shall be as follows:
(1) Two members who are family law attorneys, appointed by the governor to advise the committee.
(2) Two members who are medical professionals, appointed by the governor to advise the committee.
(3) Two members who are child psychologists or psychiatrists, appointed by the governor to advise the committee.
(c) Legislative members of the committee shall receive mileage at the legislative rate when attending to the duties of the committee.
III. The duties of the committee shall be as follows:
(a) To audit the following activities and characteristics of the judicial branch family division:
(1) The acquisition and disposition of Title IV funds.
(2) The acquisition and disposition of state funds.
(3) The acquisition and disposition of fines and fees.
(4) The appeal of judicial decisions to superior courts to determine if there are any anomalies in frequency attributed to any court or judge.
(5) The disposition of complaints to the judicial conduct committee.
(6) Adherence to the rules of the court, particularly rules of evidence.
(7) Adherence to the laws of the state, particularly in the calculation of child support.
(8) The frequency with which guardians ad litem exceed the scope of their appointment without action by the court and without opportunity for objection by the parties.
(9) The frequency with which unlicensed guardians ad litem are assigned by the court and any patterns thereto.
(10) Any related matter identified by the committee.
(b) To audit the following activities and characteristics of the department of health and human services, division of children youth and families:
(1) The acquisition and disposition of Title IV funds.
(2) The acquisition and disposition of state funds.
(3) Adherence to the rules of the department of health and human services.
(4) Adherence to the laws of the state.
(5) The frequency with which reports are investigated.
(6) The frequency with which investigations are determined founded.
(7) The frequency with which children removed from the home are placed with family members.
(8) The frequency with which children removed from the home are reunited with their families.
(9) The frequency with which children removed from the home are adopted.
10) The frequency with which investigations utilize child advocacy centers.
(11) Any related matter identified by the committee.
(c) To audit the following activities and characteristics of the department of health and human services, division of child support services:
(1) The receipt and disposition of monies held on account for children.
(2) Any related matter identified by the committee.
(d) To audit the following activities and characteristics of the guardian ad litem board:
(1) The frequency with which complaints are made to the guardian ad litem board.
(2) The disposition of complaints made to the guardian ad litem board.
(3) The qualifications and licensing of guardians ad litem.
(4) Any related matter identified by the committee.
(e) To audit the following activities and characteristics of child advocacy centers:
(1) The frequency with which child advocacy centers find exculpatory evidence.
(2) The frequency with which child advocacy centers record interviews.
(3) The frequency with which child advocacy centers provide interview results to defendants.
(4) The frequency with which child advocacy centers deny interview results to defendants.
(5) Any related matter identified by the committee.
(f) To audit the following activities and characteristics of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation:
(1) All funds received by the foundation.
(2) All funds expended by the foundation.
(g) To receive any petitions, including petitions of redress, referred to the committee by the speaker of the house of representatives.
IV.(a) For the purpose of undertaking such study and investigation, the committee is authorized to compel by subpoena the attendance and giving of testimony by any person, and the committee is further authorized to compel the production of such things as it deems necessary. Such testimony may be taken under oath, either in the form of interrogatory, deposition, or by oral testimony at a hearing. For purposes of this section, “things” includes, without limitation, books, records, correspondence, electronic mail, logs, journals, memoranda, papers, documents, writings, reproductions, recordings, tapes, transcripts, printouts, data compilations from which information can be obtained, tangible objects, and other things of any kind.
(b) The authority of the committee may be exercised by the committee chairperson or by the committee acting as a whole or by subcommittee. Subpoenas or interrogatories so authorized may be issued over the signature of the chairperson or any member so designated by the chairperson, and may be served by any person designated by the chairperson.
V. The members of the committee shall elect a chairperson from among the voting members. The first meeting of the committee shall be called by the first-named house member. The first meeting of the committee shall be held within 45 days of the effective date of this section. Seven members of the committee shall constitute a quorum.
VI.(a) Beginning November 1, 2011 and each November 1 thereafter, the committee shall make an annual report of its activities and findings to the speaker of the house of representatives, the senate president, the governor, and the state library.
(b) The report shall include any recommendations for proposed legislation including legislation relative to the duties and organization of the judicial branch family division, the division of children youth and families, the child support division, the guardian ad litem board, and child advocacy centers.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect upon its passage.
© 2006 New Hampshire House of Representatives,
107 North Main Street, Concord, New Hampshire, 03301, (603) 271-3661
NH General Court Bill Status Search Roll Call Votes Statutes Contact Us
HB 395 – AS INTRODUCED
2011 SESSION
11-0546
05/10
HOUSE BILL 395
AN ACT establishing a child protection study committee.
SPONSORS: Rep. Itse, Rock 9; Rep. Ingbretson, Graf 5; Rep. Sorg, Graf 3; Rep. Baldasaro, Rock�3; Rep. Comerford, Rock 9
COMMITTEE: Children and Family Law
ANALYSIS
This bill establishes a child protection study committee to audit the performance and finances of the judicial branch family division, the division of children youth and families, the division of child support services, the guardian ad litem board, child advocacy centers, and the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
11-0546
05/10
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Eleven
AN ACT establishing a child protection study committee.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 New Subdivision; Child Protection Study Committee. Amend RSA 169-C by inserting after section 39-i the following new subdivision.
Child Protection Study Committee
169-C:39-j Child Protection Study Committee Established.
I. There is established a child protection study committee to audit the performance and finances of the judicial branch family division, the division of children youth and families, the division of child support services, the guardian ad litem board, and child advocacy centers.
II.(a) The voting members of the committee shall be as follows:
(1) Six members of the house of representatives, appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives, none of whom shall be an officer of the court.
(2) Three members of the senate, appointed by the president of the senate, none of whom shall be an officer of the court.
(b) The non-voting members of the committee shall be as follows:
(1) Two members who are family law attorneys, appointed by the governor to advise the committee.
(2) Two members who are medical professionals, appointed by the governor to advise the committee.
(3) Two members who are child psychologists or psychiatrists, appointed by the governor to advise the committee.
(c) Legislative members of the committee shall receive mileage at the legislative rate when attending to the duties of the committee.
III. The duties of the committee shall be as follows:
(a) To audit the following activities and characteristics of the judicial branch family division:
(1) The acquisition and disposition of Title IV funds.
(2) The acquisition and disposition of state funds.
(3) The acquisition and disposition of fines and fees.
(4) The appeal of judicial decisions to superior courts to determine if there are any anomalies in frequency attributed to any court or judge.
(5) The disposition of complaints to the judicial conduct committee.
(6) Adherence to the rules of the court, particularly rules of evidence.
(7) Adherence to the laws of the state, particularly in the calculation of child support.
(8) The frequency with which guardians ad litem exceed the scope of their appointment without action by the court and without opportunity for objection by the parties.
(9) The frequency with which unlicensed guardians ad litem are assigned by the court and any patterns thereto.
(10) Any related matter identified by the committee.
(b) To audit the following activities and characteristics of the department of health and human services, division of children youth and families:
(1) The acquisition and disposition of Title IV funds.
(2) The acquisition and disposition of state funds.
(3) Adherence to the rules of the department of health and human services.
(4) Adherence to the laws of the state.
(5) The frequency with which reports are investigated.
(6) The frequency with which investigations are determined founded.
(7) The frequency with which children removed from the home are placed with family members.
(8) The frequency with which children removed from the home are reunited with their families.
(9) The frequency with which children removed from the home are adopted.
10) The frequency with which investigations utilize child advocacy centers.
(11) Any related matter identified by the committee.
(c) To audit the following activities and characteristics of the department of health and human services, division of child support services:
(1) The receipt and disposition of monies held on account for children.
(2) Any related matter identified by the committee.
(d) To audit the following activities and characteristics of the guardian ad litem board:
(1) The frequency with which complaints are made to the guardian ad litem board.
(2) The disposition of complaints made to the guardian ad litem board.
(3) The qualifications and licensing of guardians ad litem.
(4) Any related matter identified by the committee.
(e) To audit the following activities and characteristics of child advocacy centers:
(1) The frequency with which child advocacy centers find exculpatory evidence.
(2) The frequency with which child advocacy centers record interviews.
(3) The frequency with which child advocacy centers provide interview results to defendants.
(4) The frequency with which child advocacy centers deny interview results to defendants.
(5) Any related matter identified by the committee.
(f) To audit the following activities and characteristics of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation:
(1) All funds received by the foundation.
(2) All funds expended by the foundation.
(g) To receive any petitions, including petitions of redress, referred to the committee by the speaker of the house of representatives.
IV.(a) For the purpose of undertaking such study and investigation, the committee is authorized to compel by subpoena the attendance and giving of testimony by any person, and the committee is further authorized to compel the production of such things as it deems necessary. Such testimony may be taken under oath, either in the form of interrogatory, deposition, or by oral testimony at a hearing. For purposes of this section, “things” includes, without limitation, books, records, correspondence, electronic mail, logs, journals, memoranda, papers, documents, writings, reproductions, recordings, tapes, transcripts, printouts, data compilations from which information can be obtained, tangible objects, and other things of any kind.
(b) The authority of the committee may be exercised by the committee chairperson or by the committee acting as a whole or by subcommittee. Subpoenas or interrogatories so authorized may be issued over the signature of the chairperson or any member so designated by the chairperson, and may be served by any person designated by the chairperson.
V. The members of the committee shall elect a chairperson from among the voting members. The first meeting of the committee shall be called by the first-named house member. The first meeting of the committee shall be held within 45 days of the effective date of this section. Seven members of the committee shall constitute a quorum.
VI.(a) Beginning November 1, 2011 and each November 1 thereafter, the committee shall make an annual report of its activities and findings to the speaker of the house of representatives, the senate president, the governor, and the state library.
(b) The report shall include any recommendations for proposed legislation including legislation relative to the duties and organization of the judicial branch family division, the division of children youth and families, the child support division, the guardian ad litem board, and child advocacy centers.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect upon its passage.
© 2006 New Hampshire House of Representatives,
107 North Main Street, Concord, New Hampshire, 03301, (603) 271-3661
Child welfare firm sued again | recordonline.com
Child welfare firm sued again | recordonline.com: "CORNWALL — A second federal lawsuit in the past month has been filed claiming that Astor Services for Children & Families fired an employee in retaliation for speaking out against practices that violate child welfare laws.
Astor is a nonprofit that provides children's mental health, child welfare and early child development services in the mid-Hudson and the Bronx. It provides services for preschoolers, children with behavioral or emotional problems and kids at risk for foster home placement, as well as assistance to families to develop skills to raise children."
Astor is a nonprofit that provides children's mental health, child welfare and early child development services in the mid-Hudson and the Bronx. It provides services for preschoolers, children with behavioral or emotional problems and kids at risk for foster home placement, as well as assistance to families to develop skills to raise children."
NH Parents First: HSLDA's Analysis of HB 301 with Commentary
NH Parents First: HSLDA's Analysis of HB 301 with Commentary
SUNDAY, JANUARY 30, 2011
*N.B. Editorial Commentary is highlighted in yellow
HB 301
An analysis of the New Hampshire Homeschool Freedom Act
In George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four “Newspeak” means the opposite of what it says. The Ministry for Peace concerns itself with perpetual war; the Ministry of Plenty is responsible for rationing and controlling food and goods; the Ministry of Love is the agency responsible for the identification, monitoring, arrest, and torture of dissidents, real or imagined; and the Ministry of Truth is the propaganda arm of Oceania’s regime.
HB 301 is not what it appears to be. It is designed to leave in place the same regulatory framework as the HSLDA-designed home education law of 1990, so that HSLDA may benefit from mediating, for a fee, the relationship between homeschooling families and the state. This proposal is designed to ensure efficient state regulation of homeschoolers.
It is reasonable for the state to require attendance upon instruction in the hope of maintaining an educated citizenry. It is unreasonable to create a legal framework by which to prosecute parents who fail to properly educate their children based upon any state standard. It is censorship of the parental duty. If this is allowed, then parents no longer have any personal responsibility. They must simply implement the standards established by an elite, or be criminalized for their failure to do so.
Home School Legal Defense Association Attorney Michael Donnelly appears to be the author of HB 301. He sent drafts to various legislators for their review.
Michael P. Donnelly, Esq.
Staff Attorney for Member Affairs in:
CO, MA, MN, NE, NH, OH, UT, VT, WY, WV, D.C.
Director of International Relations
HSLDA
1 Patrick Henry Circle
Purcellville, VA 20132
SUNDAY, JANUARY 30, 2011
*N.B. Editorial Commentary is highlighted in yellow
HB 301
An analysis of the New Hampshire Homeschool Freedom Act
In George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four “Newspeak” means the opposite of what it says. The Ministry for Peace concerns itself with perpetual war; the Ministry of Plenty is responsible for rationing and controlling food and goods; the Ministry of Love is the agency responsible for the identification, monitoring, arrest, and torture of dissidents, real or imagined; and the Ministry of Truth is the propaganda arm of Oceania’s regime.
HB 301 is not what it appears to be. It is designed to leave in place the same regulatory framework as the HSLDA-designed home education law of 1990, so that HSLDA may benefit from mediating, for a fee, the relationship between homeschooling families and the state. This proposal is designed to ensure efficient state regulation of homeschoolers.
It is reasonable for the state to require attendance upon instruction in the hope of maintaining an educated citizenry. It is unreasonable to create a legal framework by which to prosecute parents who fail to properly educate their children based upon any state standard. It is censorship of the parental duty. If this is allowed, then parents no longer have any personal responsibility. They must simply implement the standards established by an elite, or be criminalized for their failure to do so.
Home School Legal Defense Association Attorney Michael Donnelly appears to be the author of HB 301. He sent drafts to various legislators for their review.
Michael P. Donnelly, Esq.
Staff Attorney for Member Affairs in:
CO, MA, MN, NE, NH, OH, UT, VT, WY, WV, D.C.
Director of International Relations
HSLDA
1 Patrick Henry Circle
Purcellville, VA 20132
WLBZ2.com | Bangor, ME | Logan Marr's death leads to major changes in Maine
WLBZ2.com | Bangor, ME | Logan Marr's death leads to major changes in Maine: "AUGUSTA, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- Monday marks the 10th anniversary of the death of Logan Marr, the 5-year old girl who died in the care of her foster mother, Sally Schofield. Schofield was convicted of manslaughter, but this tragedy also led to major changes in Maine's child welfare system
Critics of of Maine's child welfare system both inside out outside the state say Maine has gone from being among the worst in the nation to one of the best. Logan Marr died of asphyxiation after Schofield duct taped her to a high chair for hours. Schofield had been a supervisor for child welfare caseworkers in the Department of Health and Human Services, and that made Marr's death even more shocking.
Critics demanded reform, and by 2004, Governor Baldacci appointed a whole new team to make that happen.
DHHS now makes an effort to place children in danger with relatives whenever possible, a practice that's been shown to be safer for the kids."
Critics of of Maine's child welfare system both inside out outside the state say Maine has gone from being among the worst in the nation to one of the best. Logan Marr died of asphyxiation after Schofield duct taped her to a high chair for hours. Schofield had been a supervisor for child welfare caseworkers in the Department of Health and Human Services, and that made Marr's death even more shocking.
Critics demanded reform, and by 2004, Governor Baldacci appointed a whole new team to make that happen.
DHHS now makes an effort to place children in danger with relatives whenever possible, a practice that's been shown to be safer for the kids."
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