Friday, February 29, 2008

Jersey police continue excavations for evidence of child abuse

Jersey police continue excavations for evidence of child abuse

Police in Jersey will not confirm exactly what they have found, but when questioned they did not deny two objects.

One was a trough which victims claim was used as a form of water torture, and the second was a set of shackles.

Note: This is sick.
Results from Feburary 2000 Poll

The question was:

Does Child Protective Services work harder to....
Help Families? 13 Votes, or 23%

Destroy Families? 46 Votes or 77%

59 Total Votes

Protesters want children back

Protesters want children back

A small collection of women protested Thursday morning near the Navarro County Courthouse over what they perceive as injustice from Child Protective Service.

Bill Would Limit School Changes For Foster Children

Bill Would Limit School Changes For Foster Children

"Can you imagine how hard it is to make new friends, stay on task with school work and re-adjust to new families and communities each year, when you are constantly being moved from place to place?" said O'Neal, 16, of New Haven.

Hidden cellar discovered in child abuse probe at home

Hidden cellar discovered in child abuse probe at home

Police said the animal, trained to find human remains, showed an "extremely strong reaction" to the bricked-up underground room at Haut de la Garenne, the former care home at the centre of a child abuse investigation involving more than 160 victims over a 40-year period.



A child's remains have been found in a former children's home on the British island of Jersey, and police say more bodies could be found.



Former Jersey Health Minister aims to expose 'cover-up' culture, leading to child abuse on island.

Foster Mom: Crackers Choked Child To Death

Foster Mom: Crackers Choked Child To Death

Sherri Mathis took the stand in her own defense and said 6-year-old Cheyenne Delp had been sick to her stomach the day she died, so she gave her some crackers that she said choked Delp to death.

Prosecutors cited the injuries found on Delp during an autopsy in their rebuttal to Mathis’ story.



A foster mother accused of killing a 6-year-old girl who was in her care told jurors her side of the story on Thursday.

Record-high ratio of Americans in prison

Record-high ratio of Americans in prison

For the first time in history, more than one in every 100 American adults is in jail or prison, according to a new report tracking the surge in inmate population and urging states to rein in corrections costs with alternative sentencing programs.
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Note: Guess how many kids are in foster care because of this.

Former foster kids losing N.C. benefits

Former foster kids losing N.C. benefits

“I feel abandoned every day, but I try not to think about it too much,” Bates said. “I can make it worse or I can make it better. I want to make it better.”

County: Budget cuts could keep kids in abusive situations

County: Budget cuts could keep kids in abusive situations

In an alarming preview of looming state budget cuts this week, San Diego County officials said social workers may not act on all their suspicions of child abuse starting July 1.

Now why would anybody want to do that?

Man gets 10 to 12 months for attack on social worker

A Garner man had been on the radar of Wake County officials before he walked into a social worker's office and beat her three weeks ago, according to Wake County officials.

False Choices

False Choices

CHILD WELFARE officials in the District are under scrutiny again for bungling a case of suspected child abuse. This time, it's twin baby girls taken from parents who were wrongly accused, and the issue is whether an overzealous agency overreacted. That's in contrast to how the four daughters of Banita Jacks were overlooked and tragically died. Common to both cases, though, is an appalling lack of judgment that resulted in great harm to families the city aims to protect.

DCF supervisor received warning

DCF supervisor received warning

Records released Wednesday show that Lance Morgan, a Florida Department of Children and Families supervisor who oversaw abuse investigations of Zahid Jones Jr. and Joshua Jenkins and still works for DCF in the Orlando region, received counseling Dec. 18 for poor performance and negligence.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Woman wins legal aid to sue over child abuse scandal

Woman wins legal aid to sue over child abuse scandal

Ms Willsher, who now lives in England, said she had been the victim of a witch hunt by overzealous social workers who were determined to break up her family. She claims she was sexually abused while in foster care, and is seeking damages from Orkney and Shetland social work department.

"We kept telling them that we had not been abused, but they wouldn't listen," she said. "A massive injustice has been done to my family and they have to rectify that. I'm so pleased that we have got legal aid and I'm looking forward to having my day in court."

Islanders shocked by child abuse claims

Islanders shocked by child abuse claims

Police are excavating several sites in the grounds of a former children's home on the English Channel island of Jersey as more allegations emerge of child abuse spanning several decades.

Child abuse probe reopens

Child abuse probe reopens

POLICE have reopened an investigation into claims of sexual and physical abuse at another children's home following an inquiry in Jersey.

House passes bill to criminalize false child abuse reports

House passes bill to criminalize false child abuse reports

West Virginians could soon face criminal charges for falsely reporting child abuse or neglect to influence a custody case.

Principal shrugged off in reporting alleged molestation

Principal shrugged off in reporting alleged molestation

WASHINGTON (Map, News) - A D.C. elementary school principal who was desperately trying to get help for a girl whom she believed was being molested was rebuffed by a child-welfare worker, delaying intervention for the child who prosecutors say was being assaulted.

City welfare agency’s sordid tale of abuse

City welfare agency’s sordid tale of abuse

WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Gregg and Julianna Caplan took their twin toddlers to “Music Together” yesterday morning, their regular session at Guy Mason Recreation Center on Wisconsin Avenue, north of Georgetown. They walked in with some trepidation. Their story had just gone public in newspapers and TV. They had recently testified before the City Council. They had been accused of abusing one of their daughters. Though they had been absolved medically and legally, they were still being dragged into bureaucratic hell by D.C.’s overzealous child welfare officials.

Did the System Fail?

Did the System Fail?

When a mother kills her three children, the obvious answer seems to be yes. But one expert says the resolution isn't so simple.

Our Story of a Broken System

Our Story of a Broken System

"The Caplans' experience is so similar to ours that it was hard to read- I could feel myself right back at October 13th, waking up in our apartment with the sick realization that Landon was in a shelter and I didn't know when we could get him home- but I'm glad to see the story is out there."

Canton Township foster mother gets 20-35 years in girl's death

Canton Township foster mother gets 20-35 years in girl's death

A jury found Carole Ann Poole of Wayne County's Canton Township guilty of second-degree murder in January. She also was sentenced to 10-15 years for first-degree child abuse.

Mass CPS corruption

Child protective services corruption part 1


Child protective services corruption part 2

Alberta kids put in government care at alarming rate: study

Alberta kids put in government care at alarming rate: study

Alberta children are being plucked from their homes and placed in government care at one of the highest rates in the industrialized world, reveals a new study out of England.

Child services to add 40 caseworkers

Child services to add 40 caseworkers

Denver is adding 40 child welfare caseworkers because calls to its child abuse and neglect hotline have soared in the past two years — largely due to a jump in calls from the Denver Public Schools.

The rise in calls from the schools followed the horrific story of 7-year-old Chandler Grafner being starved to death despite warning calls from his school to social workers.

Cash aid to help grandparents care for children in drug-risk families

Cash aid to help grandparents care for children in drug-risk families

Grandparents are to be given financial support and legal backing to make it easier for them to take over the care of children with parents who are problem drug users, under government plans revealed yesterday. The package includes the government's intention to dock the welfare benefits of unemployed problem users who fail to make contact with treatment services. Ministers intend to announce more steps linking benefit rights to completing treatment courses.

Note: Something positive out of England for once. I think this is a good idea that should be considered in other countries.

More From Unhappy Grammy

I was recently sent an article by a Lawyer in Texas and immediately thought of these word's, "would have, should have, could have." The word's we dread so much. It was an article on Child Protective Service's, about a family reported for abuse and neglect of their children. It really started me thinking about how life would have been so different if I had only proceeded differently when my daughter was first reported to DCYF for neglect of her daughter,"In the Future," not in the present, but in the future, as the DCYF Lawyer states.

When the report was first called in, I called an Attorney who had worked for me on my worker's comp case. I asked for his advice on the situation. My daughter and I thought about signing my daughter's right's to her daughter over to my husband and I. The Lawyer advised it would make my daughter look like she was guilty. So we didn't do it, because she wasn't guilty.

After reading the article I was sent, I knew we should have done it. Who could ever even dream of the horrible nightmare my family would suffer since the birth of this innocent little baby girl, by not signing over her right's. Who could ever think it possible for a government agency to treat American citizen's with so much animosity. Our live's have been a living hell, for almost three year's now. Who ever thought our government employed a rogue agency with the power to ruin a family's life? How can our Government let this happen to it's own people?

In the article I spoke of, the family called a Lawyer right away. They never let DCYF in their house and immediately signed their children over to relative's. They never spoke to DCYF without their Lawyer. The case was over before it began. There was nothing DCYF could do. They were stopped in their track's.

Throughout this nightmare, my daughter and I have learned how to fight back. I no longer sit and relax and think about how lucky I am to have my grandchildren by my side. I have learned how to fight for mine and my family's right's, along with so many other family's falsely accused by DCYF.

Every morning I wake up and ask myself,"Is the nightmare over yet?" Then I stop and think to myself, "No such luck. Just another day to fight the system." My daughter and I are much stronger now and know what we have to do. We can never give up this fight for the return of her daughter and we can not let DCYF overpower the American family.


More From Unhappy Grammy

Her first post

Foster Care: A convoluted idea

Foster Care: A convoluted idea

Rep. Ruth Kagi's bill initially aimed to certify foster parents who deal with children with more intensive needs. Sounds great, right? But the latest version of the bill comes with an amendment we can do without. It allows foster parents taking on high-needs kids to become unionized state contractors.

LI child welfare worker suspended as mom arraigned in deaths

LI child welfare worker suspended as mom arraigned in deaths

A longtime social services supervisor who delayed sending case workers back to a Long Island home where a woman is suspected of drowning her three young children has been suspended without pay, a decision the man's union immediately decried.

Note: Caught covering their tracks.

More:
http://video.wnbc.com/player/?id=223046

One bad apples spoils it for everybody else with an open case.

Child cases drown Denver human svc. staffing

Child cases drown Denver human svc. staffing

Denver's child-welfare workers are so overloaded with work that the city will spend nearly $2 million from reserves to hire 40 more people to handle bulging caseloads, a top official said Tuesday.

Three recent high-profile deaths of children who had been referred to the Denver Department of Human Services prompted a new look at staffing levels, said Roxane White, the director of the agency.

CPS reforms win panel's bipartisan backing

CPS reforms win panel's bipartisan backing

Prompted by the deaths of three Tucson children, a series of reforms to Child Protective Services won bipartisan approval Tuesday from a House panel.
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note: It's all a crock.

Children's commissioner calls for more help for vulnerable B.C. youngsters

Children's commissioner calls for more help for vulnerable B.C. youngsters

Teenagers with special needs should not be abandoned by British Columbia's child protection system when they turn 19 and are considered adults, says the province's independent children's watchdog.

Eight years of reefer madness

Eight years of reefer madness

On a cold day, they refused to let him put on a jacket, took him away in handcuffs, called Children's Aid to take away his daughters, held him for four hours at the station, then told him to walk home.

Foster parents accused of molesting 14-year-old

Foster parents accused of molesting 14-year-old

Bristol police say Sedonio Rodriques and his partner, Raymond Grenier, have been arrested on child molestation charges and were arraigned Tuesday in District Court in Providence.

Two foster parents accused of child abuse

The Department of Children, Youth and Families, which conducted its own investigation and involved the police, took custody of two foster children and two adopted children from the same-sex couple’s home months before Friday’s arrests, according to an agency spokesman.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Is Foster Care Failing America's Most Helpless Children?

Is Foster Care Failing America's Most Helpless Children?

May is National Foster Care Month and according to government statistics, there are over half a million children in America's foster care system today. For perspective, that's more than the population of pre-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans. Beyond the numbers, each child bears a personal story that starts with heartbreak and almost always ends with it, too. Is the system failing America's foster children?

Gay teen shot in L.A.

Gay teen shot in L.A.

This is a sickening and complicated story. The victim, Lawrence King (in photo), lived in a foster care center for abused children.

Minimum wage linked to child poverty

Minimum wage linked to child poverty

Former Government minister David Blunkett is set to call for a "significant" increase in the minimum wage if child poverty is to be halved.
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Note: Poverty is one of the signifigant factors in why they take somebody's child.

One day before 18th birthday, foster teen gets family

One day before 18th birthday, foster teen gets family

Timothy Conley Franklin Lagunas' dream of having a family was finally realized Monday, one day before his 18th birthday.

Openness must be goal of CPS records change

Openness must be goal of CPS records change

The unfortunate reality is the child protection agencies - as we have seen repeatedly in stories across the nation - often seek to prevent disclosure in an effort to hide failures on their part. The only way to stop that is to have an expectation of full disclosure in cases involving death of near death of children.

Removal of child stirs old spectres

Removal of child stirs old spectres

WELFARE authorities in the Northern Territory are refusing to return an Aboriginal child to his mother despite police documents revealing that the agencies had been overzealous in removing the child from her two years ago. The child, now aged three, was nine months old when he was seized.

Monday, February 25, 2008

As police dig up a sealed basement at Haut de la Garenne, could the cellar locals refer to as 'Colditz' hide a mass grave?

As police dig up a sealed basement at Haut de la Garenne, could the cellar locals refer to as 'Colditz' hide a mass grave?

The basement where youngsters were once held in solitary confinement as punishment may hold the bodies of six children, police believe.


The horror unfolding at Haut de la Garenne, in St Martin, Jersey - known locally as Colditz - threatens to become the worst-ever child care scandal on British soil.

Child placement agency has a history of complaints

Child placement agency has a history of complaints

The agency that placed a 2-year-old El Paso County girl who died while in foster care has fought to keep its license in good standing in recent years.

Note: And many more it seems.

Children Aging out of the Foster Care System Face Difficult Odds

Children Aging out of the Foster Care System Face Difficult Odds

Children in the foster care system have typically already survived significant trauma or abuse, but as they grow older and approach aging out of the system, they face even more difficult odds. Children who reach 18 and adulthood in the foster care system without being adopted or having any family or mentor of their own have staggeringly high rates of imprisonment, homelessness, alcohol and substance abuse, and a myriad of other problems.

A Child’s Right to a Family… Almost

A Child’s Right to a Family… Almost

There are many broad and diverse opinions when it comes to what makes a “good parent.” Parents may read a popular parenting book, attend a parenting class, or turn to their own parents or a trusted mentor for advice. Likewise, there is also a broad range of opinions when it comes to when a child should be removed from the home. Clearly a child who is being sexually or physically abused should be saved from that circumstance, but what about more complex issues? Should children be separated from their parents if they are spanked? What about parents who are disabled or have a physical handicap? What about families who are too poor to provide the best quality of living for their children? There are many answers that could be given about what is in the “best interests of the child,” depending on the person who is being asked.

Foster Dad Accused of Rape Goes to Trial

Foster Dad Accused of Rape Goes to Trial

A Clermont County man accused of molesting his foster children goes on trial.

Unionizing foster parents bad idea

Unionizing foster parents bad idea

House Bill 3145, now in the Senate, takes foster care in a dangerous direction. Innocuously titled "Implementing a tiered classification system for foster parent licensing," it was drafted by Foster Parents Association of Washington (FPAWS, division WFSE/AFL-CIO) as the first step toward unionizing foster parents.

An email I recieved

I’ll try to make it short.

My daughter drinks, she still drinks, says she will never stop.

CPS took my 4 grandkids. Two have been adopted out, one; I don’t know where he is. The other my 18teen year old granddaughter wouldn’t give in to CPS taking her away, since she mostly lived with me since birth anyway.

During the time she was in foster care she kept running away and coming home. She became pregnant during one of her lockups at a Beckley hospital in WV. She had a miscarriage due to another girl knocking her over a bench during her stay in Florida. No she didn’t know who got her pregnant due to the many medications they had her on.

Anyway, I picked her up 40 minutes before she turned 18teen. CPS put a missing report out on her, knowing I was picking her up. Her worker informed me they have to go by the book. Anyway, she is home now happy as can be. She was home 1 month 5 days and passed her GED. She had only made it to the 9th grade in CPS 's care. Her worker still wont give her letter stating she is out of their care.

Some of the things that happen to her in foster care I can’t write about. It has to stop these kids are being used for profit.

Thank you M*****

Meeting to help kids in foster care

Meeting to help kids in foster care

State lawmakers will head to St Joseph County Monday, looking to make Michigan's foster care system safer for the children it serves.


Note: A meeting? Wow.

Pastor convicted of molesting foster child

Pastor convicted of molesting foster child

A Decatur pastor faces at least 25 years in prison after being convicted of aggravated sexual battery and child molestation of his 15-year-old foster child, authorities said.

Carers doubt effectiveness of new child protection move

Carers doubt effectiveness of new child protection move

FOSTER carers have doubts a policy to take children from abusive parents permanently would improve the lives of abused youngsters.
"By the way, have you considered the possibility that CPS might turn around and remove all of the kids, yours and theirs, and accuse you of child neglect or abuse?

Seems like the unthinkable doesn't it?

But it's happenned."

Ann, 10, ready for foster home

Ann, 10, ready for foster home

Ten-year-old Ann is charming, warm and engaging but can be quick to anger, which stems from a history of rejection. To help her deal with this issue, she is participating in art therapy and Anger Replacement Therapy.

Rape trial today for foster dad

Rape trial today for foster dad

A 324-pound Union Township man goes on trial today in the alleged rape of his two foster sons.

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Rallying For Change



Nine children abuse by the Department of Human Services, Oklahoma people gather.

Special Victims 2



Showing the criminal acts of the cas and justice system in Ontario.

A Case of a Family Services Job Well Done, or Overdone?

A Case of a Family Services Job Well Done, or Overdone?

After Mayor Adrian Fenty fired six Child and Family Services Agency workers because they "just didn't do their job" in the Jacks case, social workers predicted that the pendulum would swing to the point that the slightest whisper of possible abuse would result in knee-jerk reactions against parents.

Did hotline procedure contribute to death?

Did hotline procedure contribute to death?

Bureaucratic procedures intended to protect children in jeopardy appear to have impeded an intervention for 12-year-old Peter Munck the day he died.

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Child abuse workers badgered to close cases

Child abuse workers badgered to close cases

A state report said Miami child-abuse workers may have been coerced to close abuse reports before determining children were safe.

Another child dies under CPS' watch

Another child dies under CPS' watch

Four-year-old Fabian Silva is the fifth Tucson child to die in the last year while CPS was supposed to be watching. Just a week before he died, 5-month-old Jahyr Holguin was gone, one month after a hospital reported suspicions that the baby was being abused. His mother's boyfriend now sits in jail, awaiting trial for murder.

Foster parent pleads guilty to Ky. charge in death of Ohio boy

Foster parent pleads guilty to Ky. charge in death of Ohio boy

David Carroll pleaded guilty Friday to dumping the remains of Marcus Fiesel in the Ohio River, which is under Kentucky's jurisdiction.

Few have access to abuse database

Few have access to abuse database

Douglas Conrad’s name is on a state child abuse database that would prevent him from adopting a child or working for a day care center.

But the database wasn’t accessible to Saratoga Springs school officials who hired him as a school bus driver.

There's no excuse to short-change children in care

There's no excuse to short-change children in care

The report approached the system from the perspective of parents whose children were taken into care. Their experience has been undeniably wrenching. It is also hard to argue with the report's conclusion that most children are apprehended because of "a parent's struggle with poverty, addiction, mental health issues or family violence," rather than documented abuse.

Rush to find lawyers for parents in dependency court

Rush to find lawyers for parents in dependency court

FIRM WILL QUIT IN JUNE; QUALITY OF DEPENDENCY COURT SERVICES WAS QUESTIONED

The court search for a new provider began after the Mercury News asked detailed questions about the representation provided by the private firm, Santa Clara Juvenile Defenders. On Feb. 11, the newspaper published an extensive article detailing how parents who faced losing their children following allegations of child abuse or neglect were represented by attorneys with inadequate access to investigators, experts and other resources.

Friday, February 22, 2008

Human Services Supervisor Placed On Leave After Report

Human Services Supervisor Placed On Leave After Report

DDHS supervisor Mary Peagler signed off on closing assessments on the cases of Chandler Grafner, Neveah Gallegos and Luz Valdez in the days or months before the children died, according to DDHS records and interviews.

Do better, Broward foster care agency told

Do better, Broward foster care agency told

Broward's foster children remain safe and healthy, but the county's private foster care agency must do more to improve their lives, a report says.

Call for court to monitor foster care

Call for court to monitor foster care

THE failure of the State Government to monitor the safety and wellbeing of children in foster care has led to calls for the NSW Children's Court to take over the supervisory role.

Dilemma for foster parents

Dilemma for foster parents

"We were convinced he was going to attack us four separate times over the weekend," Sanborn told Police Chief Alex Scott and the three Claremont police commissioners: Marty Davis, Jerry Cross, and Richard McClintock. "DCYF (Department of Children, Youth, and Families) came and removed the individual and found a new placement for him, but in the meantime we were very worried one of us would be assaulted ... it was very serious. I didn't go to work today (Monday) because I didn't want to leave my family alone with this person."

County's foster care system may inspire state

County's foster care system may inspire state

If there's anything the lawmakers should take away from the hearing, it's the value of checks and balances, and keeping children in their own homes when that option is realistic, said Marc Cherna, director of the county Department of Human Services.

Editorial: Foster-care bill smothers the truth under a bureaucratic blanket

Editorial: Foster-care bill smothers the truth under a bureaucratic blanket

Taken at their word, Gov. Ted Strick land and his aides are the biggest promoters of "transparency" this side of Saran Wrap. It's too bad the rhetoric doesn't extend to Ohio's foster-care records.

Houston Child Advocate Interview about Child Protective Services Corruption



This interview with Houston child advocate, Phrogge Simon, was done on the Rick James radio program. She describes a two year protest at ... all » the Family Law Center building in Houston, Texas. The protest was to demand that protective services stop giving children to pedophiles, molesters, and other perverts in the name of foster parenting.

Seabeck Woman Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter in Foster Son's Death

Seabeck Woman Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter in Foster Son's Death

A Seabeck woman who has been held on homicide by abuse charges since August 2006 has pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter in the death of her foster son, according to attorneys familiar with the case.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Bill on Child Abuse Receives Initial Nod

Bill on Child Abuse Receives Initial Nod

The Maryland Senate gave preliminary approval yesterday to controversial legislation making it a crime for teachers, nurses, police officers and other professionals to fail to report evidence to authorities if they suspect a child may have been abused.

Children returned to innocent mum

Children returned to innocent mum

A woman who was accused of battering her baby and saw her three children taken into care has had two of her children returned to her.

Louise Mason was innocent but now faces a battle to get her third child back.
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False accusation that changed mother’s young family for ever

Louise Mason is reunited with two of three children taken into care but it may be too late for the third ever to return
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My baby had cancer but social workers falsely accused me of child abuse and took all three of my children

She had dressed the little girl with care, packing a suitcase of tiny clothes and soft toys. Inside, she had placed a handwritten letter to the foster parents who would look after her in the future.

Sexual assault case dismissed against foster parent

Sexual assault case dismissed against foster parent

Matthew P. Hamilton, 33, 100 Brix St., was charged with first-degree sexual assault of a child and repeated sexual assault of a child. Investigators say he sexually assaulted two children, a 4-year-old boy and an 8-year-old girl, who were in his care between March and September 2005.

Lawmakers Wrestle with Proposals on Opening CPS Records

Lawmakers Wrestle with Proposals on Opening CPS Records

In the wake of deaths of several children who'd come in contact with Child Protective Services, Arizona lawmakers are considering rival measures to require disclosure of CPS records in cases involving fatalities or near-deaths.

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip seized in infancy for foster care

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip seized in infancy for foster care

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip grew up not knowing who he really was or where he came from. As a young boy in Quesnel, all the now-58-year-old president of the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs knew was that he was different from most of his peers.

REPORT: Broken Promises

REPORT: Broken Promises

These voices have often been silenced in the debate surrounding child welfare reform. This report highlights the important and unique insights that these parents have into the strengths and weaknesses of B.C.’s current system. Their participation in this project is a testament to their commitment to helping improve the system for families.
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Legislation would change Family and Children Services Division in Georgia

A bill in the Georgia Senate Judicial Committee introduced by state Sen. Nancy Schaefer would make changes in the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services.

Sen. Schaefer introduces child services legislation

Sen. Schaefer introduces child services legislation

State Sen. Nancy Schaefer recently introduced legislation that provides several directives to the Department of Human Resources (DHR) in regard to child services.

“It is painful to see a child taken away from their parent or guardian, and I firmly believe that the Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) and DHR should make every effort to keep the family united,” Sen. Schaefer said. “We also must do everything we can to ensure that those who have to be placed in the care of DHR are given the best and only the best treatment possible.”

Silence from the Trust - despite a call for openness

Silence from the Trust - despite a call for openness

The Trust that seized Louise Mason's children declined to comment on the case last night - in spite of a judge's indication that there should be further scrutiny of the episode.

Foster Teens To Be Tried As Adults In Slayings

Foster Teens To Be Tried As Adults In Slayings

A judge ruled that the two teenagers charged with fatally shooting their foster mother and her mother-in-law will be transferred to Dickson County Circuit Court and tried as adults.

Prosecutors drop charges against Todoroff's restaurant owner

Prosecutors drop charges against Todoroff's restaurant owner

Felony charges filed against local restaurant owner Kurt Todoroff, who was accused of filing false Children's Protective Services complaints, have been dismissed.

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Note: Bumber. This guy should be made an example of.

CPS-backed bill defines child abuse for action

CPS-backed bill defines child abuse for action

Child abuse and neglect would be specifically defined to include things like bumps, bruises and failure to thrive, allowing child welfare workers to prove more cases under a bill to be heard in a House committee today.

Sandy Reid Tells How He Was Taken From Traveller Family And Sent To Australia

Sandy Reid Tells How He Was Taken From Traveller Family And Sent To Australia

As late as World War Two, children were taken from Scottish Travellers and sent to Australia and Canada, with all contact with their families severed.

British justice: a family ruined

British justice: a family ruined

A chilling example of our secret State where a mother and child are forced into hiding

Child Protective System - Video - WLKY Louisville

Child Protective System Part 1 - Video - WLKY Louisville



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Child Protective System Part 2 - Video - WLKY Louisville

Jeffress classified as tier three sexual offender

Jeffress classified as tier three sexual offender

Jeffress had pleaded guilty to attempted sexual battery, a fourth-degree felony, in connection with an incident in late September or early October of 2007. According to a police investigation, Jeffress inappropriately touched a foster child in his care. "I'm sorry. I'm devastated and overwhelmed with my actions," Jeffress said. "I hope and pray that you would take all of this and temper your judgment with mercy."

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Legal group says B.C. child welfare system runs on crisis mode

Legal group says B.C. child welfare system runs on crisis mode

"We cannot continue to think that putting kids in care is the solution for families who need help and support," said Lobat Sadrehashemi, the author of the report.

An interesting blog post

Children Kidnapped By CPS

This not an article on the need for reform of the Child Protective Services nationwide and I will not bore you with all the facts and figures. They are available on the Internet from any family rights organization. If interested, do your own research, as I did. There is no need for reform. The entire system should be abolished and those working within the system pushed into the real world and made to do honest work for a change. Barring that, they should be imprisoned for eagerly participating in organized criminal activity.

Liberals call for study of N.L. foster care woes

Liberals call for study of N.L. foster care woes

The Liberal Opposition wants Newfoundland and Labrador's child and youth advocate to investigate the province's troubled foster care system.

Foster children left behind, NDP charges

Foster children left behind, NDP charges

News that 20,000 Ontario foster children were left out of an anti-poverty plan proves how flawed Premier Dalton McGuinty’s child benefit program is, the province’s NDP leader says.

DSS worker unaware boy had died

DSS worker unaware boy had died

A Broome County child protective services employee, who was dispatched Friday to check on 12-year-old Peter Munck, did not know the boy had been dead since Wednesday, according to the Broome County Sheriff's Office.

County payout OK'd for abused foster children

County payout OK'd for abused foster children

The Los Angeles County supervisors on Tuesday approved a $420,000 settlement for two sisters whose adoptive mother repeatedly submerged the youngest one in scalding water, causing second- and third-degree burns.

The adoptive mother, Audry Chatmon, also hit the girl with a belt, pulled her hair, hit her in the face and body, scratched her and burned her with fire, according to the lawsuit.

Adoptee Sues Parents for Kidnapping

Adoptee Sues Parents for Kidnapping

A 30-year-old woman is suing her adoptive parents for kidnapping in a case that opened in an Argentine court Tuesday, becoming the first child of disappeared political prisoners to press such charges.

New Hope

Lawsuit against Department of Human Services endorsed by Governor Ted Strickland.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Another "LDS Family Services" Kidnapping...Michael Hunter



Added: January 05, 2008
I would first like to thank my great friend Galatians(who fights tirelessly to expose the blatant and regular kidnappings of babies, through LDS Family Services, just like they kidnapped her brother's baby), for making this story known to me and the world on her blog.

http://exposingmormonism.blogspot.com ...

This video shows what happened and the video after this one, reports that Shawn McDonald tragically lost his court case to a jury vote of 10-2 and now cannot raise his child and has to fly to Idaho to see him...GODDAMN CULT!!

Here is the transcript of this video, as reported by CBS 11 of Dallas/Fort Worth:

North Texas Father Fights For His Parental Rights Jack Fink Reporting (CBS 11 News)

DALLAS -- Shawn McDonald says he only found out about his baby two days before the child was born. He says he was powerless to stop the mother from giving the baby up for adoption. This legal battle is now being fought here at the Henry Wade Juvenile Justice Center.

A jury must decide if the father will lose his parental rights for good. "I'd love to be a father to him," McDonald said. McDonald says he never got the chance to be a father to his son, Hunter. The boy is now 18 months old and since birth, has lived with his adoptive parents, Travis and Sabra Hess, in Idaho.

"[It] Really hurts emotionally... work time... every thought is nothing but this," McDonald said. Now a Dallas County jury will decide whether the Hess' can keep Hunter and terminate McDonald's parental rights.

Kathryn Lanigan-Wieser is McDonald's attorney. "This case involves a kidnapping," she said. "They stole Shawn's child." McDonald's attorney accuses the birth mother Samantha Myers and Eric Larson, of Latter Day Saints Family Services, of conspiring to keep the birth and adoption a secret.

McDonald says he had previously broken up with Myers, and that they share custody of a three and a half year old girl. McDonald says he only found out about Hunter on July 2, 2005, two days before he was born in Fort Worth.

"The baby was shipped off to Idaho before Shawn could do anything," Lanigan-Wieser said. "In fact, they hid the identity of the Hess'. Shawn didn't know where the baby was until the Hess' intervened in the lawsuit in September, 2006."

The Hess', LDS Family Services and the birth mother all declined comment. But in court papers, LDS Family Services and its social worker, Eric Larson say McDonald knew Myers was pregnant and abandoned the child.

But the adoptive parents said in court papers that LDS told them McDonald was "out of the picture" and "could not be located." The Hess' want to keep Hunter. They say that changing his home now could negatively impact the baby.

That's not something Shawn McDonald wants to consider. "I would have to think about that for the rest of my life," McDonald said. Among the options for the jury include terminating McDonald's parental rights and leaving the child with the adoptive parents, giving McDonald sole custody, or giving primary custody to one of the parties with the other getting visitation.

Visit Shawn's MySpace page and show your support:

http://www.myspace.com/babymichaelhunter

'Stop Injustice Now' Campaign Video Against Social Services



STOP INJUSTICE NOW, Protest Demo Group, Social services secret family law court proceedings where the removal of hundreds and thousands of children each year are taken with the help of BAAF, CAFCASS, is nothing short of Barbaric, www.john-hemming.name , www.stopinjusticenow.com , www.fassit.co.uk , www.unity-injustice.co.uk , www.realfathersforjustice.org

Jones calls for investigation into province’s foster care system

Jones calls for investigation into province’s foster care system

Opposition Leader Yvonne Jones has written the Child and Youth Advocate to officially request a complete review of the province’s foster care system.

Jones was responding to reports of a 20 per cent increase in the number of children in foster care, a shortage of foster families, motels and efficiency units being used to house young people, and that 25 per cent of children from Natuashish are in foster care, many outside the province.

Psychiatric Malpractice

Note: Here is a really good article I found in an article directory. Although it doesn't specifically mention Foster Care or Foster Children, a very high percentage of foster children are medicated unnecessarily on heavy doses of Psychiatric Drugs with little or no consequences to those who prescribe them. Parents dealing with CPS are often ordered to take psychiatric medications as a part of their service plan, and the schools often demand that a child be medicated or the family can risk a report being made to CPS.

So I decided to include this article here.

LK
----
Psychiatric Malpractice
By Patricia Woloch

Victims of psychiatric malpractice face a difficult battle. Mental health care patients are vulnerable to negligence and wrongdoing by the very nature of their condition. When the do speak up about mistreatment, their complaints are often dismissed or ignored.

Patients with a history of emotional instability, impaired judgment, or erratic behavior are easily taken advantage of by the mental health system. Due to the stigma of mental illness, those capable of speaking up for themselves often lack the courage, feeling that no one will believe their claims.

Psychiatric malpractice is a very real form of medical malpractice, which can have devastating mental, emotional, and physical consequences. Psychiatric malpractice can be deadly. It should never be ignored.

Informed Consent
Mental health care patients have the legal right to be informed of the risks and benefits of undergoing or choosing not to undergo a treatment. Just like any other type of patient, they have the right to refuse!

Unfortunately, many patients, their loved ones, and the general public are under the impression that the right of informed consent does not apply to mental health patients.

What constitutes psychiatric malpractice?
Mental health care providers have a duty to treat their patients with dignity, provide adequate care, and prevent harm. Unsuccessful does not in and of itself constitute malpractice. Psychiatric malpractice includes:
· Failure to diagnose
· Failure to treat
· Failure to recognize worsening of condition
· Negligent psychotherapy
· Abandonment
· Negligent or harmful use of medications
· Failure to monitor medications
· Lack of informed consent for medications, therapeutic technique, or procedure
· Emotional manipulation
· Fraud
· Breach of confidentiality
· Defamation
· False imprisonment (including inappropriate restraint)
· Physical abuse
· Sexual Misconduct
· Failure to prevent harm to self or others
· Inadequate supervision
· Wrongful death

Medication errors
Mental health care providers have a duty to prescribe appropriate medications, in appropriate doses. The medications prescribed for psychological disorders can be dangerous, causing severe physical and emotional side effects. Many of these drugs are even more dangerous if a patient suddenly stops taking them. Doctors have a duty to inform patients of the side effects of the drugs that they are prescribed and the dangers of ceasing medication.

In some cases doctors have been misinformed by drug companies, about the medications they are prescribing. Even worse, they may not have been told about dangerous side effects that were known to the drug makers, such as suicidal behavior. Drug manufacturers will often try to claim that the deadly results were caused by the mental illness rather than the medication.

When patients are harmed by defective medications the responsibility normally falls on the drug makers, rather than the doctor who prescribed the drug. Then it becomes a product liability suit instead of a medical malpractice suit.

Taking actionYou do not need to know which kind of lawsuit you have in order to take action. If you feel that you or a loved one has been the victim of psychiatric malpractice, you should talk to an attorney who has experience with these kinds of cases. Your attorney will investigate, determine what type of case you have, and advise you on the best course of action.

Contact a qualified attorney in your area by visiting The Personal Injury Lawyers Directory

12-Year-Old Boys in Abusive Families Aren't Allowed to Go to Shelters with Their Mothers, but Instead Go to Foster Care

12-Year-Old Boys in Abusive Families Aren't Allowed to Go to Shelters with Their Mothers, but Instead Go to Foster Care

A woman was being abused by her violent husband and sought shelter. She had three children, two young ones and a 12-year-old boy. She wanted to go to a battered women's shelter and, of course, take her children with her. However, the feminists who run the battered women's shelters in England have a policy that no boys aged 12 or older are allowed into the shelters.

Jailing runaways -- judge says state services are lacking

Jailing runaways -- judge says state services are lacking

Maria Ochoa was a 15-year-old chronic runaway in foster care when Robert Inouye, Yakima County's juvenile court commissioner, took the unusual step of sentencing her to jail for a total of three months.

UPDATE: CPS worker missed dead child

UPDATE: CPS worker missed dead child

A Broome County child protective service employee, who was dispatched Friday to check on the well-being of a child, apparently did not recognize that the child had been dead for the past three days.

Proof that Foster Parents Do It For The Money????

Parents protest cuts to foster programs

Administration officials say Maine cannot afford to keep paying rates that are among the highest in New England. Parents countered during interviews that the cuts might force some foster parents out of the program because the lower rates would not cover their costs.

Maine's foster care system is falling apart
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If approved by the Legislature, the reductions in foster care reimbursement rates will be as follows:

Level Current Rate New Rate
A $ 16.50 per day $ 16.50 per day
B $ 30.00 per day $ 21.00 per day
C $ 45.00 per day $ 31.50 per day
D $ 60.00 per day $ 42.00 per day
E $ 75.00 per day $ 52.50 per day

Adoption subsidy rates will also be affected in line with the across the board reductions in foster care rates. The clearest explanation of this adjustment is as follows:

Rates currently over $ 21.00 per day will be reduced to $ 21.00 per day and those rates at
$ 21.00 per day and below will remain unchanged.

Source http://www.tfcm.org/

Social worker struck off for child abuse failure

Social worker struck off for child abuse failure

A social worker whose actions were found to have put a child at serious risk has been removed from the social care register, the General Social Care Council (GSCC) said today.

Paediatricians 'scared of giving evidence in court'

Paediatricians 'scared of giving evidence in court'

Paediatricians need greater protection from parents and the press or many will refuse to act in child abuse cases, an expert warned today.

More From a Grandmother

I have had the horrific experience of having to deal with DCYF in Nashua, NH for a little more than two year's. My two daughter's children were taken fraudelently and I was not allowed custody due to false allegation's made my the DCYF attorney, which were proven false in court.

In Nashua, service's are NOT rendered to parent's before the child is taken. They are immediately placed in foster care, even though the real parent object's to the placement. Relative's are not given the option of placement.

I have just finished foster care classes in Nashua, though I do not agree with the teaching's and was totally disgusted by what I heard coming out of the mouth's of the foster care worker's and their teacher's. It was all I could do to sit there and listen to the lie's.

The potential foster parent's were told a child is never taken before service's are provided. Not true. They were told DCYF searche's for relative's before placing a child in foster care. Another lie. They were told the Judge very rarely listen's to DCYF. Another lie. We were told by a caseworker and a DCYF attorney that the Judge does anything DCYF want's. It's true, he does.

Parent's whose children were taken, are made out to be the scum of the earth, no if's and's or but's about it. If their child was taken, they either abused or neglected period. Nothing was mentioned about anyone being falsely accused. I guess those word's are not in their vocabulary. Parent's are so badly smeared, that the potential foster's can't figure out how these horrible parent's are even allowed visit's.

My daughter's were told from the start, that the foster couple's are told not to bond with the children as they may get to go home some day. Foster care class tell's you to bond.

These people are told in class, that they will never be told anything about the parent, because it's confidential. They will only be told about the child. Another lie. DCYF tell's the foster couple anything and everything about your entire family, truth or lie.

I was recently told by Probate court that I can not petition the court to adopt my granddaughter because she's in DCYF custody.

so I signed up for foster care classes. The thing's I heard made me sick, I just wanted to scream and walk out. Then I thought to myself, this is a way I can finally find out the dirt DCYF is feeding these people. So I'm passing on the dirt to you.

One day we will win this horrible fight against the American family and DCYF will get what they deserve.

Unhappy Grammy
----


added 2/19/08

I would not lie and go against my daughter's, so they say I'm in denial. Then they told me I was too emotional because I cried for my grandchildren. Then I set up a picket with other grandparent's and parent's whose children were taken, for grandparent's right's. I have also submitted ton's of letter's to Newspaper's, which were printed. Every one of them is in my daughter's files.I've written to the Governor, the DHHS Commissioner, President Bush, State Senator's, State Rep's,The NH Attorney General, the U.S. Attorney General amongst ton's of other people. including the Head Judge for District Court and the Head Judge for Probate Court, not counting all the motion's I've filed for custody and motion's to intervene.

I told them my I Will have my grandchildren before I die. I and my family will never give up.

I was very nice to the Supervisor and the Foster care worker. The Foster care worker smiled as we talked. The Supervisor looked as if someone else sent her to do their dirty work. She looked nervous. I told them I had nothing against either one of them, as they weren't the one's who slandered my family from day one. I also told the Foster care worker that I did not agree with everything they were telling the class, but I kept my mouth shut and just listened. She thanked me for that and told me I should have talked to her before the first class and let her know what was going on. She was nice. But we know about nice. Wolve's in sheep's clothing.


I didn't get mad, I didn't yell. I was very calm. I saw my daughter's caseworker and she saw me. We didn't speak. I know the trick's she played on my daughter to keep her baby. She was clearly working all along for the foster couple to adopt her. Several witnesses overheard her at the courthouse telling the foster couple,"Don't worry there's no guarantee C****'s going anywhere," after she lied to the Judge to stop C***** from going into a court-ordered program. As I was leaving, I told them to have a nice day.

C***** file a complaint with the NH Attorney General against DCYF, her court-appointed puppet, the hospital and the health clinic. The A.G. wrote back and said she has no jurisdiction over any of them. She's a liar! So C***** sent out more complaint's. She is trying to file a federal lawsuit on her own. We don't have the money for a Lawyer. I know if we did, the kid's would be returned.
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More from Unhappy Grammy

Deaths of kids raise oversight questions

Deaths of kids raise oversight questions

But when a child involved with the Department of Child Services dies or a family has a complaint about DCS, the same agency that handled that child's case investigates what might have gone wrong.

Benefit bypasses foster kids

Benefit bypasses foster kids

20,000 Ontario children haven't received money under new Liberal plan to alleviate poverty

Mixed bag of foster care reforms

Mixed bag of foster care reforms

After 3-year-old Marcus Fiesel died at the hands of his foster parents, there were myriad efforts to memorialize him, from holding fundraisers to dedicating projects in his name. But in terms of saving other children from his fate, the most meaningful memorial took place Wednesday when Gov. Ted Strickland signed into law a package of foster care reforms.

Program reducing foster care cases

Program reducing foster care cases

A new program is beginning to decrease the number of monthly foster care cases in Ottawa County -- keeping families unified.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Somebody doesn't like Legally Kidnapped

I'm shocked.

I'm floored.

It has come to my attention that somebody doesn't like Legally Kidnapped. LOL!!!!

http://fost-adopt.adoptionblogs.com/weblogs/anti-foster-care-and-adoption-blogger

Copy and paste the link into your browser. Clicking on it will get you an error message due to the intense moderation of these baby marketer blogs.

An interesting blog post

MY TOUGHEST JOB

Most of my clients were poor people caught in a system that employed just-out-of-college middle class kids to go out into homes and determine whether children were at risk. Turn-over in their job was tremendous. Most lasted no more than 6 months or, at most, a year. I handled cases in which these social workers deemed children to be at risk and had them removed from their homes by the police because:

Foster mother accused of severely beating tot



THE LITTLE GIRL WAS HOSPITALIZED WITH SERIOUS INJURIES, INCLUDING A DETACHED RETINA, AND SERIOUS HEAD TRAUMA.

Oregon flunks for foster care safety

Failure to investigate abuse reports and caseworkers who do not check with children or their parents often enough were among the top safety concerns listed in a federal review of the state foster care program.


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Oregon gets failing grade in foster care

The Oregon Department of Human Services failed in 11 of 14 areas considered crucial for children's safety and well being.

More foster kids are abused or neglected in Oklahoma than in any other state.



"a child was more likely to get abused, if the child was in state custody, than if the child were not and that is a shocking statistic."
----
DHS is accused of failing to investigate reports of abuse or neglect in foster homes or facilities.


----
The Oklahoma Department of Human Services is being sued, accused of knowingly allowing children to be seriously mistreated.

Michigan Department of Human Services Facing Lawsuit Over Treatment of Foster Children in Michigan

Michigan Department of Human Services Facing Lawsuit Over Treatment of Foster Children in Michigan

A federal class-action lawsuit nearing trial may spell trouble for the state agency responsible for protecting 19,000 abused or neglected children in Michigan.

From A Grandmother

two sister's fighting for the return of their children taken fraudelently

My two daughter's children were taken illegally by CPS. There were hidden medical record's, court-appointed lawyer's who would not file appeal's or motion's.

My oldest daughter walked into a Nashua Hospital with her daughter and was accused of being intoxicated. She was arrested and her two children taken. Blood test's were done on her that night, yet there were no lab report's in her medical file. They had mysteriously disappeared until month's later and showed no alcohol in her system. By this time the Judge admitted the children were taken illegally, but said too bad, she didn't file an appeal, which was up to her lawyer, not her. She is still fighting for her children's return.There is much more to this story, including fraudelent act's by CPS.

My other daughter was given a morphine IV for nineteen hour's in labor, as her daughter was placenta-previa and should have been born by C-section, at the same hospital. She was never told. Toxicology test's were done on the baby, which showed morphine. They took the baby, claiming my daughter used heroin the day before the baby was born.

The court, nor her lawyer ever got her prenatal medical record's, which show my daughter had a high risk pregnancy and a myriad of illnesses while pregnant. She was never told about any of them and now suffer's from Sheehan syndrome and can't have any more children. The record's appeared six month's after the baby was taken. The same Judge told her the same thing he told her sister. Her right's have since been terminated even though she had the burden of proof in Probate Court. They terminated her right's because she didn't file appeal's. Her Lawyer refused to file them and the Attorney Discpline Office won't do a thing. The CPS worker's as well as other lawyer's, have told us the Judge does whatever CPS want's. It's true. He does. We are still fighting for the baby's return. My daughter is now filing a complaint in Federal District Court and then the Court of appeal's, if need be.

I have been fighting for my grandchildren's return for over two years now. This fight is really taking it's toll on the family and people need to see what CPS is all about. We have the proof of everything. Our government gave CPS the power to do whatever they want. They don't try to help family's. All they do is harm.

I am hoping to get their whole story published, somewhere, somehow. The problem is court-appointed puppet's, that the Judge won't allow them to fire, along with the fraudelent practice's by DCYF.

My daughter is filing a Federal lawsuit herself, as we don't have the money for a Real Lawyer.

D*****
----
Please feel free to offer any support or advice in the comments section of this post.

HHS Criticized After Hired Drivers Accused of Abuse

HHS Criticized After Hired Drivers Accused of Abuse

For the second time in a week, a driver contracted by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services faces charges of endangering a child who was in the state's care.

The Child Brokers Strike Again

Family wanted: Dejah, 15

DEJAH, 15, a fun-loving girl with a great sense of humor, loves drawing and has dreams of becoming an artist.
----
You gotta wonder if these kids have real parents who love them.

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Re: An email I recieved

Regarding the last post, "An Email I Recieved"

To those of you who have left comments asking for the "Attatched Form." This email was forwarded to me from another webmaster running a very good Family Rights website. We all do share information every now and then, as we are all in this together. I did not recieve this form or I would have added it to the post. There is an email address at the bottom, perhaps if you email this person, you can request it. But please exercize caution before sharing any private information or information that could compromize your case.

LK

Man allegedly threatened to suicide-bomb CAS

Man allegedly threatened to suicide-bomb CAS

A Vaughan man whose baby was seized by the Children's Aid Society allegedly threatened to suicide-bomb the CAS and kill the nurse who notified the agency in a graphic Facebook message, court heard this week. "When I find what nurse called the CAS, may God have mercy on my soul because I'm going straight to hell with a 25-year pit stop in prison", a message on the man's Facebook site stated, alluding to the minimum term for first-degree murder. "Plan B we have firearms and the manpower."
"Nobody outside of a baby carriage or a judge's chamber believes in an unprejudiced point of view."
Lillian Hellman

Failing children? Lawsuit targets DHS

Failing children? Lawsuit targets DHS

A Rogers County foster child is among nine children suing state officials, including Gov. Brad Henry and members of the Department of Human Services, for alleged abuse, neglect and improper care while in state custody.

More kids on the baby market!

Photo exhibition displays children in need — of a family

These aren't your usual kids, nor are they models, though they could pass for that. They're children from Central New York who were waiting for adoption in 2006 when the photos were shot by professional photographers. The 25 children remaining in the exhibit are still among the 80 waiting for a family in the 14 counties in Central New York, including Tompkins, said Suzanne Colligan, an Adoption Specialist at the Syracuse Regional Office of the New York State Office of Children and Family Services.

Friday, February 15, 2008

Couple Cleared By Courts Fight DCS To Clear Names

Couple Cleared By Courts Fight DCS To Clear Names

A couple accused of killing their teenage daughter has spent months trying to clear their names despite being cleared by the courts.

Heart Gallery focuses on foster children

Heart Gallery focuses on foster children

Valentine’s Day seemed like a good time for child-welfare officials to promote its Heart Gallery, a collection of professionally taken portraits of children up for adoption and considered hard to place.

Also See Anybody Want A Kid?

Attacker to stay in jail for four months

Attacker to stay in jail for four months

Covering her eyes with her hands, Crystal Mitchell shook her head and buried her face inside her sweater as a provincial judge gave her a 10-month jail sentence yesterday for assaulting a Kawartha-Haliburton Children's Aid Society worker.

Charges dismissed against witness in foster child death

Charges dismissed against witness in foster child death

A judge has dismissed an evidence tampering charge against a woman accused of helping hide the remains of an Ohio foster boy who died in 2006 after being bound and left in a closet.


For more on this story
For Marcus Fiesel, 2003-2006. A boy who loved flowers.

Change disrupts children in foster care

Change disrupts children in foster care

Children who frequently change schools suffer academically, psychologically and socially, studies show. For foster children, who change schools more often than most children, the consequences are more pronounced.

Child advocates say the frequent moves not only disrupt a child's education but deepen the trauma of already abused and neglected young people.

WALTHAM FOREST: Social worker 'ignored child abuse'

WALTHAM FOREST: Social worker 'ignored child abuse'

A SOCIAL worker is accused of ignoring claims by a 13-year-old girl that she was being physically abused by her father.

A break for desperate parents

A break for desperate parents

PARENTS WITH troubled children just won a legal victory from the Supreme Judicial Court. In a decision last week, justices ruled that parents are entitled to lawyers if they risk losing custody of their children in so-called CHINS or "child in need of services" cases.

Foster children keep voice in DCF system

Foster children keep voice in DCF system

The Department of Children & Families will continue using foster children to improve the troubled system, despite the arrest of a top agency employee who used one of those children to create pornographic pictures, agency head Bob Butterworth said Wednesday.

Now why would anybody want to do that?

Cops: 3 Kids Abducted at Gunpoint

Police say she took the children from the foster parents' vehicle and put them in her car.

30 health workers saw Jessica 10 times in her 54-day life. So why was her sadist father able to kill her?

30 health workers saw Jessica 10 times in her 54-day life. So why was her sadist father able to kill her?

A baby girl murdered by her sadistic father could have survived if health and social workers had taken action over signs of illtreatment, a damning report said yesterday.

Jessica Randall was just 54 days old when she died.

Group seeks to improve foster care in Utah

Group seeks to improve foster care in Utah

Groaning under the weight of red tape and bureaucracy, Utah's foster-care program is broken, and a local group is looking for volunteers to help push big changes.

Today, four siblings in the Utah Valley area were expected to be split apart into two or more foster homes -- a situation no one feels is ideal -- because of a lack of foster families who can take them as a group.

Children's advocates: Beshear failing campaign funding pledge

Children's advocates: Beshear failing campaign funding pledge

Kentucky advocates for abused and neglected children charged yesterday that Gov. Steve Beshear has failed to live up to a campaign pledge to fully fund the state's cash-strapped child-welfare system.

A call for swift change for juvenile dependency courts

A call for swift change for juvenile dependency courts

Saying a Mercury News investigation confirmed the poor treatment that foster children and their families suffer in California's courts, the chairman of a commission examining the state's dependency system is promising comprehensive reforms - and soon.

Motels no place for foster care: advocate

Motels no place for foster care: advocate

Putting foster children in motels is a deplorable practice, but one that sometimes cannot be avoided, Newfoundland and Labrador's child and youth advocate says.

Federal class action suit filed against DHS

Federal class action suit filed against DHS

It accuses DHS of violating the constitutional rights of children by routinely putting them in unsafe, unsupervised and unstable situations in which they are abused.

Ie. Foster Care!!!

Response to a comment

I feel the need to respond to a comment left on this post.
----
Nutjob says...
"I have to say< I think you are for some reason completely biased on the topic of foster parents. Yes, there are many draw backs, however foster parents also take in children who without them might be a in group home or an otherwise bad situation. Sometimes parents really need to have their kids taken.(drug addicts, abusers, etc.) Also, with the option of adoption(which by the way isn't as easy as you make it sound) it is easier for families to interact and from a bond with the child before the child is thrust upon them.

Something tells me your kids or someone in your family has had bad experiences with the foster care system. But I beg of you not to try and discourage good people from helping a child, because those are in fact, the only people you will reach."
----
If society wasn't completely ignorant of the reality of this issue, there would be no need for this blog. I do not want to discourage good people from helping children and I do not advocate for a parents right to abuse or neglect a child in any way.

You have no idea how painful it is to do a blog like this. I have cried many times. I have had nightmares. I would love for nothing more then to be able to just shut it down. I hate doing it. The only thing that prevents me from shutting it down is the reality of the system. It does not work. It doesn't work for the children and it doesn't work for the parents. The only ones it works for is those who profit from it in whatever way, the foster parents, the doctors, the lawyers, the social workers, the Guardian Ad Litems, the drug companies, the adoption agencies. Anyone who can possibly make a buck off the system does. That's the reality.

You know what pisses me off the most about this blog? The fact that I have so much to work with.

Kids in the system go through hell. They are bounced around from home to home, they are abused by strangers, they loose all sense of love, stability, security, roots, family ties. Some are stuck in group homes because of a lack of good foster homes. Others are stuck in group homes because they have been severely damaged to the point of being unable to function in a family environment. Sure some of this is due to the experiences of abuse they've had in their homes, but much more of it is due to their experience in foster care. Kids are drugged up so heavily that many of them don't even have a clue as to their reality. On top of that they are lied to. I'll even bet that a lot of these peoples greatest fear is that the children themselves will find out about the truth. Then they are put out on their own at the age of 18, with little or nothing in terms of the social, family and financial support that they so desperately need.

Then you have System Sucks like Lanette from Adoption Blogs, and many others who routinely demonize and dehumanize what they call bio-parents while praising a system that dopes kids up and passes them around like puppies and considers themselves hero's for doing it. I'm sorry that she has struck a nerve with me. Had they not edited my comments for truth, and told so many lies themselves. I wouldn't be picking on her today. This is an adoption agency who profits from this system.

I am well aware that there are good people out there who want to help children; this blog is not against them. This blog is an attempt at a voice for the children and parents who have been victimized by these "Good" people. I am well aware that there are bad parents out there who should have no right to care for a child. But I've discussed this issue with a lot of people. I've heard from grandmothers who have done nothing wrong, but have been told that they can have no contact with their grandchildren who they love very much. I've spoken with mothers who have been abused by their husbands only to have their kids snagged by the system as punishment. I've spoken with parents who have been falsely accused of abuse, alienated from their children, been proven innocent in court and still not given their kids back. I've spoke with parents who have spent thousands on lawyers who have been cut off from legal aid because their life's savings has dried up. I've heard of people having to sell their homes just to pay these legal fees. I've spoken with young mothers who were easy targets because they couldn't afford to fight for their children. And why is it like this? Because the states get money for each kid in the system. They are rewarded with thousands of dollars from an Adoption Bonus from the federal government for each kid adopted from the system. That's a powerful incentive from these sick bastards who we trust to protect our children, wouldn't you think?

So if this blog prevents a good person from becoming involved then I'm sorry. If people weren't so blindly ignorant about this issue, and if the states weren't hiding behind their confidentiality laws, covering their tracks by keeping thousands of these stories out of the news, I wouldn't feel the need to enlighten them. Believe me when I say it happens a lot more then the newspapers will ever let on.

But thanks for your comment anyway.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Inspirational memoir recounts journey from loveless foster home to Harvard

Inspirational memoir recounts journey from loveless foster home to Harvard

The initial allure of Andrew Bridge's memoir lies in the curious question of how a boy, taken from his mentally ill mother at the age of seven and raised in a loveless foster home, could defy the odds and eventually graduate from Harvard Law School.

Recent Report Calls for Justice for Native Children & Families

Recent Report Calls for Justice for Native Children & Families

Time for Reform: A Matter of Justice for American Indian and Alaskan Native Children explains the ways in which native children come into contact with the child welfare system.

An interesting blog post.

An example of the Foster Parent with the Adoption Agenda's Mentality

I found this heartwarmingly sugarcoated article in an article directory. I don't usually correct that which is left out. But I'm posting this article as an example of the mentality of Foster Parents with the Adoption Agenda.

4 things he leaves out.

1. You can thwart the reunification efforts of the parents by claiming a bond with the child, so the parents reunification efforts don't really matter.
2. Kids who have been in the system for a while generally have special needs.
3. You get paid!!!
4. It is my opinion that many of them get off on bashing the REAL parents. Ie. My favorite preditorial adoptor Lanette from Adoption Blogs http://foster-care.adoptionblogs.com/ (remember they don't like me, so copy the link and paste it into your browser, I'm not really a spammer, just opposed to the opinions of this Self-Righteous Hypocrate. God I wish they would shut that lying parent hater down.)

Here's the article.
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The Advantages Of Foster Child Adoption
By Mike Selvon

There is a big difference between looking to be an adoptive family and being a foster family. The primary difference is that in adoption, the potential parent is looking specifically to adopt.

In a foster care situation, the foster family is simply providing a temporary residence to nurture and care for a kid until they are either adopted or returned to their biological parents. But some foster families develop a strong bond with the kid and want to make him or her a permanent member of their family through foster child adoption.

The typical adoptive family has to apply to adopt a child and then go through the lengthy process of home studies and background checks. Families already in the foster care system will have an advantage.

The first advantage to foster child adoption is that the child is already present in the home and has developed bonds with the family members. The second is that foster families know how the system works and can help speed the process along.

Most foster children are placed into foster care for several reasons. The first is because a court order was issued, demanding that the kid be removed from the care of the biological parents due to neglect or abuse. The second reason is that the parents were unable to care for the kid and subsequently turned over their parental rights to the foster care system.

The third reason could be that the guardians or biological parents died and no one else was able to care for the child. Foster care adoptions occur after a child has been placed with a foster family, so the hope is that the kid eventually becomes a permanent member of that family unit.

If the child was taken from the birth parent(s) and their rights were terminated, then the foster child adoption agency will ensure that no one else can come forward to claim the child. The last thing they want is for the kid to develop a bond with his or her new parents and then have to be taken away. The trauma of that removal could be devastating to the kid.

If you are looking to be an adoptive family, consider being a foster parent first. Yes, you may develop a bond with a kid that has to be returned to the parents but at least you will be helping children who need someone to love them unconditionally. The positives far outweigh the negatives.
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And here is their bio-box
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We offer a free child adoption audio gift. Learn more about foster child adoption at our portal, and drop us a note at our domestic adoption blog.
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As a final note, it is my belief that if a child is in a foster home before their parents rights are terminated, that foster parent should not be allowed to adopt that child. Foster parents with the adoption agenda are responsible for destroying thousands of families because they thwarted the reunification efforts of the real parents, who are working hard to get their kids back.

Many of these children should have gone home.

For more info on this delima, please visit http://www.senatornancyschaefer.com/articles.php?filter=6

Waco foster dad gets 30 years after toddler left blind

Waco foster dad gets 30 years after toddler left blind

A foster parent in Waco has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after admitting he hurt a toddler in his care by shaking her.

Motels house children in N.L. foster-care crunch

Motels house children in N.L. foster-care crunch

Health officials in St. John's are putting children in motels because of a critical shortage of foster families, a CBC News investigation has found.

Anybody want a kid?




"80% of these kids can end up homeless."

Senate study calls for improvements to DCYF services

Senate study calls for improvements to DCYF services

The state must do more to care for abused and neglected children, foster families and even its own caseworkers, according to the findings of a legislative investigation released yesterday.


Solution: More Money!!!

Now, why would anybody want to do that?

Woman who attacked worker can present evidence

Crystal Mitchell, 35, entered the agency's office on Chemong Road on Nov. 21, grabbed a worker and lunged at her with a pair of scissors in her hand.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Protecting Their Own

Human Services Will Not Take Action Against Hamburg Office


The department began investigating its Ashley County office in December after a relative of Joshua Robinson, a 17-month-old Crossett toddler who died December 16 of blunt force injury to the head, alleged that the office failed to follow up on reports of abuse prior to the child's death.