Monday, April 30, 2018
Man accused of sexually assaulting cousin's foster child facing new charges
A man accused of sexually assaulting his cousin's foster child is now facing new charges in connection with the rape.
Juan Antonio Rivera, 34, is charged with trafficking of a person under 18 and aggravated sexual assault of a child. Rivera was arrested April 2 on a sexual assault of a child charge and has been in custody since.
More >> Man accused of sexually assaulting cousin's foster child facing new charges
Alfie Evans Is What Happens When Kids Belong To Society Instead Of To Parents
In the debate surrounding Alfie Evans, a British toddler who died this weekend after hospitals refused to treat him, some defend the British government’s right to substitute its judgment for that of Alfie’s parents. These people argue children are not the “property” of their parents, but that states should ultimately be responsible for their welfare.
More >> Alfie Evans Is What Happens When Kids Belong To Society Instead Of To Parents
More >> Alfie Evans Is What Happens When Kids Belong To Society Instead Of To Parents
If we truly want to rehabilitate incarcerated youth, we must stop putting them in solitary confinement
A couple of weeks ago, a jury looking into the suicide of Yousef Mohamed Hussein, an inmate who took his own life in segregation in an Ottawa detention centre back in 2016, came out with 29 recommendations for dealing with inmates with mental health issues. Among them was the suggestion that unless there was "clear and obvious" misconduct, inmates should still be allowed some interaction and communication with others.
More >> If we truly want to rehabilitate incarcerated youth, we must stop putting them in solitary confinement
More >> If we truly want to rehabilitate incarcerated youth, we must stop putting them in solitary confinement
No hashtags and street protests over abuse of children in care
Do we really care about children in the care of the State? And by “we”, I don’t mean Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, or any other State service. I mean the rest of us – Irish society.
More >> No hashtags and street protests over abuse of children in care
More >> No hashtags and street protests over abuse of children in care
Britain's ‘oldest parents’ have their baby removed by social services
A COUPLE in their 60s have had their baby removed from their care just one year after controversially becoming Britain’s oldest parents.
More >> Britain's ‘oldest parents’ have their baby removed by social services
More >> Britain's ‘oldest parents’ have their baby removed by social services
'Reactive' social services interventions rising as early intervention falls
The number of children issued with child protection plans rose by about a quarter between 2010 and 2016, most likely caused by cuts to early intervention schemes, a new report has found.
Cuts to early intervention services, resulting from financial pressures on children services, have made social services’ interventions “more reactive”, the Education Policy Institute said in their report, published today.
More >> 'Reactive' social services interventions rising as early intervention falls
Cuts to early intervention services, resulting from financial pressures on children services, have made social services’ interventions “more reactive”, the Education Policy Institute said in their report, published today.
More >> 'Reactive' social services interventions rising as early intervention falls
A FATHER’S FIGHT
In December, Judge John Stegner, a Second District judge ruling in First District Court, found in Bressie’s favor, indicating the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare’s Child Protective Services had turned its back on its compact with Idaho citizens by illegally removing Bressie’s children from his care and placing them in foster homes, preventing the dad from visiting the children — a traumatic situation that resulted in suicide attempts by two siblings — and splitting up a once-stable family.
Most of a $350,000 settlement helped pay the burden of attorney fees and expert witness costs that had accrued in 10 years of fighting the state.
More >> A FATHER’S FIGHT
Oklahoma House Passes Bill That Would Allow Adoption Agencies To Reject Gays On Religious Grounds
In the wake of last week's controversial passage of a bill that would allow Oklahoma citizens to carry guns without any kind of permit or license, the Oklahoma House of Representatives passed another controversial bill that would allow adoption agencies to reject gay couples and other couples deemed unfit for parenthood on the basis of religious faith.
More >> Oklahoma House Passes Bill That Would Allow Adoption Agencies To Reject Gays On Religious Grounds
More >> Oklahoma House Passes Bill That Would Allow Adoption Agencies To Reject Gays On Religious Grounds
Sunday, April 29, 2018
Stolen and Lost in the System - LK Report for April 29th 2018 - Legally Kidnapped Podcast
Stories From Inside Oregon's Troubled Foster Care System
For the last few months, we’ve been having a series of conversations about Oregon’s child welfare system, following a scathing audit. We’ve heard from administrators, caseworkers, critics and foster parents to try to get a handle on a really complex system. We’ve been asking how it works, where it’s failing and what it would take to fix it.
After talking so much about these young people in previous conversations, in this latest installment, we meet Portland teenager Rosie Gullett, who is currently in foster care, and Chérie Renee Hawes, a young woman who spent many years in Oregon’s child welfare system.
More >> Stories From Inside Oregon's Troubled Foster Care System
Child-welfare officials keep a list of people they say are a danger to kids. Even when they're not.
Migrant caravan: Parents seeking asylum in U.S. fear forcible separation from children
Kenia Elizabeth Avila Garcia sat in a restaurant stairwell looking dejected while the youngest of her three children bounced a rubber ball on the steps.
She had just met with an American lawyer providing pro bono legal consultations in a room upstairs to the migrants from Central America who traveled in a caravan through Mexico to the U.S. border.
More >> Migrant caravan: Parents seeking asylum in U.S. fear forcible separation from children
She had just met with an American lawyer providing pro bono legal consultations in a room upstairs to the migrants from Central America who traveled in a caravan through Mexico to the U.S. border.
More >> Migrant caravan: Parents seeking asylum in U.S. fear forcible separation from children
Saturday, April 28, 2018
Rehoming: How parents with adopted foreign kids can seek the help they need
Too often, parents who have adopted kids from other countries choose to "rehome" them due to unforeseen issues. However, help is available.
More >> Rehoming: How parents with adopted foreign kids can seek the help they need
More >> Rehoming: How parents with adopted foreign kids can seek the help they need
Foster mother loses custody of child because birth mother wants kid to go to "a couple"
A foster mum who cared for a baby since birth has lost a legal battle to adopt it as its birth mother wants the child to go to "a couple".
The woman was commended on Friday by Judge Brendan Toale for her “extraordinary” job in looking after the infant, who has suffered extreme health issues.
More >> Foster mother loses custody of child because birth mother wants kid to go to "a couple"
The woman was commended on Friday by Judge Brendan Toale for her “extraordinary” job in looking after the infant, who has suffered extreme health issues.
More >> Foster mother loses custody of child because birth mother wants kid to go to "a couple"
In Oregon, lawyers for foster children don't even have to show up
A pair of Oregon sisters were 5 and not quite 2 when state workers removed them and three older half-siblings from their Medford home in March 2014. Police were concerned about the children’s lack of food and their parents’ drug use and domestic violence, court records say.
The little girls deserved a say in what happened to them next, and one person was paid by Oregon taxpayers to be their voice: Central Point lawyer Risa Hall.
More >> In Oregon, lawyers for foster children don't even have to show up
The little girls deserved a say in what happened to them next, and one person was paid by Oregon taxpayers to be their voice: Central Point lawyer Risa Hall.
More >> In Oregon, lawyers for foster children don't even have to show up
Editorial: Case shows everybody loses if CYFD drops ball
It’s clear the Children, Youth and Families Department made serious mistakes in the case of a toddler girl taken from her parents after officials learned the teen son had sexually assaulted the 6-year-old son and determined the parents hadn’t done enough to stop it or remedy the trauma.
All contact between the parents and their daughter was eventually cut off by the time she was 4. The parents have spent years and untold sums trying to get her back. The girl is now 10, doesn’t remember her parents and has a foster family that wants to adopt her.
In other words, everybody involved has lost or faces losing something dear to them.
More >> Editorial: Case shows everybody loses if CYFD drops ball
All contact between the parents and their daughter was eventually cut off by the time she was 4. The parents have spent years and untold sums trying to get her back. The girl is now 10, doesn’t remember her parents and has a foster family that wants to adopt her.
In other words, everybody involved has lost or faces losing something dear to them.
More >> Editorial: Case shows everybody loses if CYFD drops ball
Top Homeland Security officials urge criminal prosecution of parents crossing border with children
The nation’s top immigration and border officials are urging Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen to detain and prosecute all parents caught crossing the Mexican border illegally with their children, a stark change in policy that would result in the separation of families that until now have mostly been kept together.
If approved, the zero-tolerance measure could split up thousands of families, although officials say they would not prosecute those who turn themselves in at legal ports of entry and claim asylum. More than 20,000 of the 30,000 migrants who sought asylum during the first quarter — the period from October-December — of the current fiscal year crossed the border illegally.
More >> Top Homeland Security officials urge criminal prosecution of parents crossing border with children
If approved, the zero-tolerance measure could split up thousands of families, although officials say they would not prosecute those who turn themselves in at legal ports of entry and claim asylum. More than 20,000 of the 30,000 migrants who sought asylum during the first quarter — the period from October-December — of the current fiscal year crossed the border illegally.
More >> Top Homeland Security officials urge criminal prosecution of parents crossing border with children
British toddler at center of legal battle dies
Alfie Evans, the sick British toddler whose parents won support from Pope Francis during a protracted legal battle over his treatment, died early Saturday. He was 23 months old.
More >> British toddler at center of legal battle dies
More >> British toddler at center of legal battle dies
Friday, April 27, 2018
Child-welfare lawsuit alleges Manitoba government withholding money
A $250-million lawsuit against the Manitoba government alleges the province is holding back money from First Nations and Metis child- welfare agencies.
The lawsuit claims the government is unilaterally holding back 20 per cent of funding.
More >> Child-welfare lawsuit alleges Manitoba government withholding money
The lawsuit claims the government is unilaterally holding back 20 per cent of funding.
More >> Child-welfare lawsuit alleges Manitoba government withholding money
Couple arrested for sexually abusing 13-year-old girl they were supposed to be taking care of
Two people have been arrested for sexually abusing a 13-year-old girl they were supposed to be taking care of.
On April 18th, a DHS case worker called police to report a possible sexual assault/rape.
More >> Couple arrested for sexually abusing 13-year-old girl they were supposed to be taking care of
On April 18th, a DHS case worker called police to report a possible sexual assault/rape.
More >> Couple arrested for sexually abusing 13-year-old girl they were supposed to be taking care of
Jury finds man guilty of stalking a DHHS worker
Jurors found Timothy Wymer of Baltimore Township guilty of stalking a Barry County Department of Health and Human Services employee.
The verdict came within 30 minutes of the six-member jury receiving the case Monday after the one-day trial in Barry County District Court before Judge William Doherty. The jury consisted of four women and two men.
More >> Jury finds man guilty of stalking a DHHS worker
The verdict came within 30 minutes of the six-member jury receiving the case Monday after the one-day trial in Barry County District Court before Judge William Doherty. The jury consisted of four women and two men.
More >> Jury finds man guilty of stalking a DHHS worker
Sen. Rob Portman grills HHS on handling of unaccompanied immigrant children
WASHINGTON - Federal agencies responsible for processing unaccompanied minor immigrants who enter the United States still haven't fixed glitches that have let children fall in with human traffickers, Ohio Republican Sen. Rob Portman said Thursday.
A subcommittee chaired by Portman began examining the issue after eight minors from Guatemala were placed with human traffickers who forced them to work 12-hour days, six days a week at egg farms around Marion, Ohio. The traffickers are facing criminal charges.
More >> Sen. Rob Portman grills HHS on handling of unaccompanied immigrant children
California Supreme Court clarifies use of testimony by young children
The California Supreme Court decided unanimously Thursday that a father should not have been removed from his home based on his 3-year-old daughter's claim that he had molested her.
In a ruling written by Justice Leondra Kruger, the justices said a juvenile court judge should not base a decision on the accuracy of statements by a child too young to testify unless the youngster's claims bear "special indicia of reliability."
More >> California Supreme Court clarifies use of testimony by young children
In a ruling written by Justice Leondra Kruger, the justices said a juvenile court judge should not base a decision on the accuracy of statements by a child too young to testify unless the youngster's claims bear "special indicia of reliability."
More >> California Supreme Court clarifies use of testimony by young children
'We were not consulted:' Aboriginal youth advocate critical of B.C.'s legislative changes
A long-time Aboriginal youth advocate says the B.C. government should have done a better job consulting First Nations before introducing legislative changes to improve Indigenous child welfare.
More dialogue between the Ministry of Children and Family Development and the communities involved is needed get the heart of the problem of children going into care, said Mary Teegee, chair of the Delegated Aboriginal Agencies Provincial Forum.
More >> 'We were not consulted:' Aboriginal youth advocate critical of B.C.'s legislative changes
More dialogue between the Ministry of Children and Family Development and the communities involved is needed get the heart of the problem of children going into care, said Mary Teegee, chair of the Delegated Aboriginal Agencies Provincial Forum.
More >> 'We were not consulted:' Aboriginal youth advocate critical of B.C.'s legislative changes
Mother of baby stolen by two social welfare officials yet to re-unite with child
The mother of a stolen baby in Kumasi will have to wait a while longer to reunite with the child.
It’s been three weeks since police retrieved the unidentified woman’s four-month-old baby from foster parents to whom social workers had sold her in the Central Region.
More >> Mother of baby stolen by two social welfare officials yet to re-unite with child
It’s been three weeks since police retrieved the unidentified woman’s four-month-old baby from foster parents to whom social workers had sold her in the Central Region.
More >> Mother of baby stolen by two social welfare officials yet to re-unite with child
British MP proposes “Alfie’s Law” to restore parental rights in medical situations
The world watched in horror as Charlie Gard’s parents had their ability to make medical decisions forcibly taken away from them at the hands of the British government. Charlie was initially diagnosed with a rare RRM2B mitochondrial depletion syndrome, and his parents raised over $1.5 million for his care, hoping to take him to the United States to receive experimental treatment. This set off multiple court battles, as the Great Ormond Street Hospital and the British government repeatedly refused to allow them to seek care outside of the country. Charlie’s life support was ultimately removed, against his parents’ will, and he died last year.
More >> British MP proposes “Alfie’s Law” to restore parental rights in medical situations
More >> British MP proposes “Alfie’s Law” to restore parental rights in medical situations
Kinship Care in the Opioid Epidemic: The Overlooked Caregivers of the Overlooked Victims
As our nation continues to reel from a decades-long opioid epidemic that has devastated families and communities, the public health response has focused on reducing fatal overdoses and treating addiction. Those are of course necessary and noble actions, but we must also be dedicated to strengthening supports for children in these families – the bystanders to this epidemic who are just as impacted yet rarely seen, save for haunting images of being stranded in minivans while their parents succumb to overdoses in the front seat.
More >> Kinship Care in the Opioid Epidemic: The Overlooked Caregivers of the Overlooked Victims
More >> Kinship Care in the Opioid Epidemic: The Overlooked Caregivers of the Overlooked Victims
'Worst foster parents in the world': Federal agency says it lost track of 1,475 migrant children
Federal officials lost track of nearly 1,500 migrant children last year after a government agency placed the minors in the homes of adult sponsors in communities across the country, according to testimony before a Senate subcommittee Thursday.
More >> 'Worst foster parents in the world': Federal agency says it lost track of 1,475 migrant children
More >> 'Worst foster parents in the world': Federal agency says it lost track of 1,475 migrant children
State Sues East Hartford Social Worker, Company, Charging Medicaid Fraud
The state is suing an East Hartford-based clinical social worker, contending that she and her behavioral health company billed the state about $1.84 million for psychotherapy services that were never provided.
More >> State Sues East Hartford Social Worker, Company, Charging Medicaid Fraud
More >> State Sues East Hartford Social Worker, Company, Charging Medicaid Fraud
Douglas foster children leaving county
Douglas County children are being shipped off, out of their homes, their communities, and their schools, all because there are too few foster homes available in the county.
While there are only five foster homes in Douglas County, only two are available. In those, one only accepts babies, and the other only has one bed available. Two are at capacity and the third is only for temporary — known as respite — housing.
More >> Douglas foster children leaving county
While there are only five foster homes in Douglas County, only two are available. In those, one only accepts babies, and the other only has one bed available. Two are at capacity and the third is only for temporary — known as respite — housing.
More >> Douglas foster children leaving county
Thursday, April 26, 2018
Police search for Greenfield father accused of threatening to kill and eat CASA volunteer
The Greenfield Police Department is searching for a father accused of threatening DCS workers who tried to take his kids away. Now officers are asking for the public’s help in locating him.
According to court documents, 43-year-old Ryan Luker sent text messages to DCS and CASA workers on his family’s case. He threatened to harm anyone who tried to take his children away from him.
More >> Police search for Greenfield father accused of threatening to kill and eat CASA volunteer
According to court documents, 43-year-old Ryan Luker sent text messages to DCS and CASA workers on his family’s case. He threatened to harm anyone who tried to take his children away from him.
More >> Police search for Greenfield father accused of threatening to kill and eat CASA volunteer
Migrant children in critical need of welfare policies, US Senate finds
The removal of a number of policies safeguarding minors who cross the United States-Mexico border has endangered hundreds of children, according to a Senate subcommittee. To prevent further harm, officials are calling on a return to these protections.
More >> Migrant children in critical need of welfare policies, US Senate finds
More >> Migrant children in critical need of welfare policies, US Senate finds
The terrible things that CPS did - The LK Report for April 26, 2018 - Legally Kidnapped Podcast
Protesters Rally Against Philadelphia Family Court Judge Younge
The protesters, mostly parents, grandparents and their supporters, all had a common narrative: Philadelphia Family Court Judge Lyris F. Younge allegedly violated their rights by not giving them the chance to adequately present their arguments in cases where a child or grandchild would be put into foster care.
More >> Protesters Rally Against Philadelphia Family Court Judge Younge
Is the new Kansas child welfare leader already losing support?
Gina Meier-Hummel accepted the job of secretary for the Kansas Department for Children and Families under a storm cloud.
She agreed to lead an agency in crisis, one that has been rightly lambasted for its lack of responsiveness and transparency. Several Kansas children had died of extreme abuse and neglect.
More >> Is the new Kansas child welfare leader already losing support?
She agreed to lead an agency in crisis, one that has been rightly lambasted for its lack of responsiveness and transparency. Several Kansas children had died of extreme abuse and neglect.
More >> Is the new Kansas child welfare leader already losing support?
UK Judge Rules Against Parents of Toddler: Baby Alfie Will Not Go to Italy for Treatment
A United Kingdom judge ruled Tuesday afternoon that toddler Alfie Evans, who has been fighting an undiagnosed brain disease and is now off life support, may not fly to a Vatican hospital in Rome for treatment.
Mr. Justice Hayden referred to his decision as the "final chapter in the case of this extraordinary little boy", according to LifeSiteNews.
More >> UK Judge Rules Against Parents of Toddler: Baby Alfie Will Not Go to Italy for Treatment
Children were taken from 15 care families due to concerns
Children were removed from 15 foster families last year as a result of protection and welfare concerns, it has been confirmed.
A spokeswoman for Tusla said that in December there were 4,384 approved foster carers caring for 5,702 children.
Last year, the child and welfare agency said there were "25 founded child protection and welfare concerns" against foster carers.
More >> Children were taken from 15 care families due to concerns
A spokeswoman for Tusla said that in December there were 4,384 approved foster carers caring for 5,702 children.
Last year, the child and welfare agency said there were "25 founded child protection and welfare concerns" against foster carers.
More >> Children were taken from 15 care families due to concerns
Federal Agencies Lost Track of Hundreds of Migrant Children Placed With Sponsors
A top official with the Department of Health and Human Services is expected to tell members of Congress on Thursday that the agency lost track of nearly 1,500 migrant children the agency placed with sponsors in the United States, according to prepared testimony obtained by The New York Times.
The official, Steven Wagner, acting assistant secretary of the agency’s Administration for Children and Families, is expected to disclose during testimony to a Senate Homeland Security subcommittee that the agency learned of the missing children after placing calls to the people who took responsibility for them when they were released from government custody.
More >> Federal Agencies Lost Track of Hundreds of Migrant Children Placed With Sponsors
The official, Steven Wagner, acting assistant secretary of the agency’s Administration for Children and Families, is expected to disclose during testimony to a Senate Homeland Security subcommittee that the agency learned of the missing children after placing calls to the people who took responsibility for them when they were released from government custody.
More >> Federal Agencies Lost Track of Hundreds of Migrant Children Placed With Sponsors
2 Social Welfare officers arrested for stealing and selling baby
The suspects have been identified as Evelyn Jemima Alangeah and Samuel Obeng Afriyie, the former a Probation Officer and the latter a Justice Administration Officer.
More >> 2 Social Welfare officers arrested for stealing and selling baby
Social worker allegedly raped a girl at his mother's home, court hears
A social worker raped a girl at his mother's home, a jury heard today.
One of two alleged victim's of Dean Gathercole told his trial that he said "he had an errand to run", then raped her in the 1980s.
More >> Social worker allegedly raped a girl at his mother's home, court hears
One of two alleged victim's of Dean Gathercole told his trial that he said "he had an errand to run", then raped her in the 1980s.
More >> Social worker allegedly raped a girl at his mother's home, court hears
Overworked and burnt-out: Social worker testifies why she quit at inquest into Iqaluit baby's death
The former supervisor for child services testified social workers in Nunavut's Department of Family Services were experiencing burnout at the time of four-month-old Amelia Keyookta's death in 2015.
The ongoing coroner's inquest into the infant's death is required by the Nunavut Coroner's Act because the baby was in government custody when she died.
More >> Overworked and burnt-out: Social worker testifies why she quit at inquest into Iqaluit baby's death
Kansas adoption bill would protect religious liberty, not discrimination
When the Supreme Court’s 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision affirmed Americans’ constitutional right to same-sex marriage, Justice Anthony Kennedy assured the country that the religious freedom safeguards enshrined in the First Amendment would protect those who continue to oppose those marriages. In his dissenting opinion, Justice Samuel Alito was not so sanguine, warning, “I assume that those who cling to old beliefs will be able to whisper their thoughts in the recesses of their homes, but if they repeat those views in public, they will risk being labeled as bigots and treated as such by governments, employers and schools.”
Not quite three years later, Alito’s concerns have already come to pass.
More >> Kansas adoption bill would protect religious liberty, not discrimination
Not quite three years later, Alito’s concerns have already come to pass.
More >> Kansas adoption bill would protect religious liberty, not discrimination
DCF Defends Response To Report Of Foster Child Molested In Home
A Massachusetts foster parent is devastated. A 6-year-old girl he and his wife have been caring for was molested in his home. WBZ-TV's Paul Burton reports.
More >> DCF Defends Response To Report Of Foster Child Molested In Home
Indiana Department of Child Services goes $284M over budget
The Indiana Department of Child Services has surpassed its budget by $284 million with two months left in the fiscal year.
The state Budget Committee heard about the issue Tuesday, The Journal Gazette reported.
More >> Indiana Department of Child Services goes $284M over budget
The state Budget Committee heard about the issue Tuesday, The Journal Gazette reported.
More >> Indiana Department of Child Services goes $284M over budget
Minnesota Father says Kids were Legally Kidnapped
We are following up tonight on that lawsuit filed by a group of parents at the state capitol this week who say Minnesota child protection services is doing more harm than good in some cases.
The lawsuit is being led by a parent who says the laws are unconstitutionally broad and vague.
More >> Minnesota Father says Kids were Legally Kidnapped
The lawsuit is being led by a parent who says the laws are unconstitutionally broad and vague.
More >> Minnesota Father says Kids were Legally Kidnapped
Wednesday, April 25, 2018
HORROR ABUSE Vile beast who raped three young girls at Galway foster home exposed after brave victim waived anonymity
A VILE beast who raped young girls at a foster home has been exposed thanks to the bravery of one of his victims.
Sicko Keith Burke, 29, was last month sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison for raping three children who were all under the age of ten.
More >> HORROR ABUSE Vile beast who raped three young girls at Galway foster home exposed after brave victim waived anonymity
Sicko Keith Burke, 29, was last month sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison for raping three children who were all under the age of ten.
More >> HORROR ABUSE Vile beast who raped three young girls at Galway foster home exposed after brave victim waived anonymity
Woman raped as foster child urges commission of investigation
A woman repeatedly raped as a child by a teenager over a period of seven years while she was in the care of his parents has called for the establishment of a statutory commission of investigation into what happened.
The woman, identified as “Sarah”, was one of three girls raped by Keith Burke (29) of Addergoolemore, Dunmore, Co Galway, between 2003 and 2007. He was between 14 and 18 at the time, while the girls were all under 10.
More >> Woman raped as foster child urges commission of investigation
The woman, identified as “Sarah”, was one of three girls raped by Keith Burke (29) of Addergoolemore, Dunmore, Co Galway, between 2003 and 2007. He was between 14 and 18 at the time, while the girls were all under 10.
More >> Woman raped as foster child urges commission of investigation
Korean orphans languish in system as tradition, new laws make adoption difficult
At around 1:30 p.m., Jae Min’s mother carried him up the worn green steps of Jusarang Community Church on a steep hillside on the outskirts of Seoul. Jae Min was screeching. His mother clutched him tightly to her chest to shield him from the brisk late winter air.
She opened the metal hatch built into the wall of the church. The lone mother gently laid her newborn in the temperature-controlled box like hundreds of desperate and fearful single mothers before her. Inscribed in Korean, below the handle of the hatch was a scripture from Psalm 27:10: “For my father and mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in.”
More >> Korean orphans languish in system as tradition, new laws make adoption difficult
She opened the metal hatch built into the wall of the church. The lone mother gently laid her newborn in the temperature-controlled box like hundreds of desperate and fearful single mothers before her. Inscribed in Korean, below the handle of the hatch was a scripture from Psalm 27:10: “For my father and mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in.”
More >> Korean orphans languish in system as tradition, new laws make adoption difficult
Records reveal years of child abuse in former Minnesota family driven over cliff in California
Oregon child welfare officials knew in July 2013 that Jennifer Hart - who last month drove her wife and six adopted children off a California cliff into the ocean - had already faced abuse allegations in Minnesota, according to records from their investigation released Monday, April 23.
They knew that when the family previously lived in Alexandria in west-central Minnesota, Hart allegedly deprived them of food and left them to rummage through trash for something to eat at school. School officials eventually stopped telling the Hart parents when their children took food from other students so that the children wouldn't be punished, records released to The Washington Post show.
More >> Records reveal years of child abuse in former Minnesota family driven over cliff in California
They knew that when the family previously lived in Alexandria in west-central Minnesota, Hart allegedly deprived them of food and left them to rummage through trash for something to eat at school. School officials eventually stopped telling the Hart parents when their children took food from other students so that the children wouldn't be punished, records released to The Washington Post show.
More >> Records reveal years of child abuse in former Minnesota family driven over cliff in California
Lawsuit Alleges Child Welfare Workers Illegally Removing Children From Homes
A lawsuit alleges that child welfare workers are wrongfully removing children from their homes.
A group of Minnesota parents filed the suit yesterday accusing the state and county child protection agencies of illegally placing their children in foster care for what they consider ordinary parental discipline, such as spanking. The parents say the state's child protection laws are overly broad and trigger unnecessary investigations.
More >> Lawsuit Alleges Child Welfare Workers Illegally Removing Children From Homes
A group of Minnesota parents filed the suit yesterday accusing the state and county child protection agencies of illegally placing their children in foster care for what they consider ordinary parental discipline, such as spanking. The parents say the state's child protection laws are overly broad and trigger unnecessary investigations.
More >> Lawsuit Alleges Child Welfare Workers Illegally Removing Children From Homes
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
Judge takes boxes of DHHS records regarding two murdered Maine girls for review
NEWS CENTER Maine is seeking to determine if the system failed Marissa Kennedy and Kendall Chick. These boxes contain audio recordings, case worker reports, and medical records. A judge will determine if the files - or the information in them - are fit for public release.
More >> Judge takes boxes of DHHS records regarding two murdered Maine girls for review
More >> Judge takes boxes of DHHS records regarding two murdered Maine girls for review
Parents facing 'unfair child abuse claims' over bruising
Parents are being investigated for possible child abuse because of the misinterpretation of guidelines on bruising in babies, it's claimed.
Official guidelines from health watchdog NICE for hospital workers suggest such bruising is very uncommon.
More >> Parents facing 'unfair child abuse claims' over bruising
Official guidelines from health watchdog NICE for hospital workers suggest such bruising is very uncommon.
More >> Parents facing 'unfair child abuse claims' over bruising
Lawmakers brace for 'firestorm' over adoption bill backed by Colyer, Catholic Church
Kansas lawmakers will face renewed pressure from Gov. Jeff Colyer’s administration and the Catholic Church to pass new protections for faith-based child placement agencies when they resume their session this week.
The Kansas House last month fell five votes short of passing legislation stating that no child placement agency shall be denied a license or contract “solely because of the agency’s objection to performing, assisting, counseling, recommending, consenting to, referring or otherwise participating in a placement that violates such agency’s sincerely held religious beliefs.”
More >> Lawmakers brace for 'firestorm' over adoption bill backed by Colyer, Catholic Church
The Kansas House last month fell five votes short of passing legislation stating that no child placement agency shall be denied a license or contract “solely because of the agency’s objection to performing, assisting, counseling, recommending, consenting to, referring or otherwise participating in a placement that violates such agency’s sincerely held religious beliefs.”
More >> Lawmakers brace for 'firestorm' over adoption bill backed by Colyer, Catholic Church
Social worker who was charged more than a decade after first allegation of abuse in children's home goes on trial
A man who was in a children's home before he became a social worker abused and raped two troubled girls, a jury has heard.
Dean Gathercole, now aged 53, grew up in a Nottinghamshire children's home before he was fostered as a teenager.
More >> Social worker who was charged more than a decade after first allegation of abuse in children's home goes on trial
Victims of abuse in foster home feel let down over 'leniency' of abuser's sentence
There have been calls for an investigation into the case of three girls who were abused at a foster home in Co Galway.
The case has raised serious questions about how the Health Service Executive responded to the initial reports of abuse.
More >> Victims of abuse in foster home feel let down over 'leniency' of abuser's sentence
The case has raised serious questions about how the Health Service Executive responded to the initial reports of abuse.
More >> Victims of abuse in foster home feel let down over 'leniency' of abuser's sentence
Telford Grooming Scandal: Former Social Services Boss, Local Lawmakers Exposed as Paedophiles
Three former Telford lawmakers, including one who oversaw the social services department during the town’s Muslim rape gang epidemic, have been exposed as paedophiles.
Graham Bould, 60, was convicted in 2001 for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy in Telford during the early 1980s. He served as chairman of Shropshire County Council’s social services department from 1993 to 1998 – when the issue of mainly white girls being groom by Pakistani Muslim men began to grow.
More >> Telford Grooming Scandal: Former Social Services Boss, Local Lawmakers Exposed as Paedophiles
Graham Bould, 60, was convicted in 2001 for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy in Telford during the early 1980s. He served as chairman of Shropshire County Council’s social services department from 1993 to 1998 – when the issue of mainly white girls being groom by Pakistani Muslim men began to grow.
More >> Telford Grooming Scandal: Former Social Services Boss, Local Lawmakers Exposed as Paedophiles
Racism in Child Protective Services is Tearing Minnesota Families Apart
According to state data, black children in Minnesota are disproportionately involved with child protective services and—due to racial bias—more likely to be removed from their families than white children.
Data shows that black families in Minnesota are three times more likely to be involved with child welfare services. The outcome of that involvement is typically more devastating on a variety of measures and likely to have damaging and permanent effects.
More >> Racism in Child Protective Services is Tearing Minnesota Families Apart
Data shows that black families in Minnesota are three times more likely to be involved with child welfare services. The outcome of that involvement is typically more devastating on a variety of measures and likely to have damaging and permanent effects.
More >> Racism in Child Protective Services is Tearing Minnesota Families Apart
Oregon knew of abuse case against family that went off cliff
Oregon child welfare officials knew the family in an SUV that plunged off a California cliff had faced a child abuse investigation in another state when it looked into allegations in 2013, according to documents released Monday.
Oregon Child Protective Services obtained records from Minnesota prior to investigating Jennifer and Sarah Hart in July 2013, KOIN-TV in Portland reported Monday. But the agency closed the case with investigators concluding that they were "unable to determine" whether there was abuse in the home, despite some indications of abuse or neglect.
More >> Oregon knew of abuse case against family that went off cliff
Oregon Child Protective Services obtained records from Minnesota prior to investigating Jennifer and Sarah Hart in July 2013, KOIN-TV in Portland reported Monday. But the agency closed the case with investigators concluding that they were "unable to determine" whether there was abuse in the home, despite some indications of abuse or neglect.
More >> Oregon knew of abuse case against family that went off cliff
Monday, April 23, 2018
Boy, 11, found dead at Oatley train station after running from 'carer's facility'
A boy, 11, who ran from what police said was “a carer's facility”, has been found dead at Oatley train station.
It is believed the boy was hit by a train.
St George police, the Dog Unit and Polair began a search after the child ran from a “carer’s facility” on Oatley Parade about 7.15pm on Sunday.
More >> Boy, 11, found dead at Oatley train station after running from 'carer's facility'
It is believed the boy was hit by a train.
St George police, the Dog Unit and Polair began a search after the child ran from a “carer’s facility” on Oatley Parade about 7.15pm on Sunday.
More >> Boy, 11, found dead at Oatley train station after running from 'carer's facility'
DCF plans to hire 200 unlicensed staff to perform child-welfare investigations
The administration of Gov. Jeff Colyer outlined Monday plans for an expanded $23 million request to improve services to troubled children and to hire as many as 200 unlicensed personnel to take child protection jobs the state hasn’t been able to fill with licensed social workers.
More >> DCF plans to hire 200 unlicensed staff to perform child-welfare investigations
More >> DCF plans to hire 200 unlicensed staff to perform child-welfare investigations
Taken from their parents: There is nothing right about this
It's hard to imagine a policy crueler than one reported by the New York Times on Saturday. A review of government data found, and federal officials confirmed, that about 700 migrant children had been taken away from their parents at the southern border since October. More than 100 were younger than 4. Department of Homeland Security officials said the agency did not split families apart to deter illegal immigration, but rather to "protect the best interests of minor children crossing our borders."
This practice is inhumane. The migrant children have already experienced trauma, and being removed from their parents is the last thing they need. And there is no evidence that this policy will do anything to deter migrants fleeing to our southern border.
More >> Taken from their parents: There is nothing right about this
This practice is inhumane. The migrant children have already experienced trauma, and being removed from their parents is the last thing they need. And there is no evidence that this policy will do anything to deter migrants fleeing to our southern border.
More >> Taken from their parents: There is nothing right about this
Some Kansas foster children are still missing as others sleep in offices
In late November, Kansas' newly-appointed child welfare leader said foster children spending the night in offices instead of homes or other placements was "unacceptable." But more than four months later, dozens still do.
And although officials insist they have focused time and resources every day to find kids who are missing from foster care, nearly 70 are still unaccounted for in Kansas, according to officials with the Department for Children and Families.
More >> Some Kansas foster children are still missing as others sleep in offices
And although officials insist they have focused time and resources every day to find kids who are missing from foster care, nearly 70 are still unaccounted for in Kansas, according to officials with the Department for Children and Families.
More >> Some Kansas foster children are still missing as others sleep in offices
Family of murdered DCFS worker ask for better protections
Checking on child welfare does not permit warrantless police searches, Appeal Court rules
A Saskatchewan appeal decision upholding exclusion of evidence “affirmed old bedrock principles” that police cannot use child protection as “carte blanche to invade people’s privacy,” said the lawyer of a mother acquitted of drug and gun charges.
The April 5 Court of Appeal for Saskatchewan decision in R. v. McMahon 2018 SKCA 26 can be traced back to November 2013, when Cpl. Reilly Knock with the RCMP’s Big River detachment received a tip that the children of one Marcia McMahon were enduring poor living conditions and lacked proper care.
More >> Checking on child welfare does not permit warrantless police searches, Appeal Court rules
The April 5 Court of Appeal for Saskatchewan decision in R. v. McMahon 2018 SKCA 26 can be traced back to November 2013, when Cpl. Reilly Knock with the RCMP’s Big River detachment received a tip that the children of one Marcia McMahon were enduring poor living conditions and lacked proper care.
More >> Checking on child welfare does not permit warrantless police searches, Appeal Court rules
Illegal adoptions, including sale of baby, known to HSE since 2012
Evidence of multiple illegal adoptions — with at least one child sold to the US from the Tuam mother and baby home — was uncovered by the HSE as early as 2012.
More >> Illegal adoptions, including sale of baby, known to HSE since 2012
More >> Illegal adoptions, including sale of baby, known to HSE since 2012
Sunday, April 22, 2018
Adopted girl marries birth father, who murders her
What started out as a joyful reunion of a young woman with her birth parents soon turned sour, then shocking, and finally deadly.
A young woman named Katie married her birth father, had a baby with him and, after she decided to leave him, lost her life to him along with that of their child and her adoptive father. All three were laid to rest this weekend in upstate New York.
More >> Adopted girl marries birth father, who murders her
Note: You really can't make this stuff up.
A young woman named Katie married her birth father, had a baby with him and, after she decided to leave him, lost her life to him along with that of their child and her adoptive father. All three were laid to rest this weekend in upstate New York.
More >> Adopted girl marries birth father, who murders her
Note: You really can't make this stuff up.
Saturday, April 21, 2018
Hundreds of Immigrant Children Have Been Taken From Parents at U.S. Border
On Feb. 20, a young woman named Mirian arrived at the Texas border carrying her 18-month-old son. They had fled their home in Honduras through a cloud of tear gas, she told border agents, and needed protection from the political violence there.
More >> Hundreds of Immigrant Children Have Been Taken From Parents at U.S. Border
More >> Hundreds of Immigrant Children Have Been Taken From Parents at U.S. Border
Police: Woman With Hepatitis C Spit In Face Of Caseworker
According to police, a Gouverneur woman with the contagious liver disease hepatitis C spit in the face of a caseworker for St. Lawrence County Child Protective Services.
Village police arrested 34 year old Jennifer Nowak of 205 East Main Street, Apartment 2.
Minnesota's approach to child protection makes children less safe
The headline on the New York Times story was startling: “Foster Care as Punishment: The New Reality of ‘Jane Crow.'" The story documented case after case in which poor African-American children were taken from their families and consigned to foster care in situations that would get barely a passing glance in affluent white families. The story described the needless trauma inflicted over and over on children of color.
More >> Minnesota's approach to child protection makes children less safe
More >> Minnesota's approach to child protection makes children less safe
Friday, April 20, 2018
Officials: Child abuse allegations swamping state investigators
In 2016, there were 44,359 allegations of suspected child abuse passed along to the state, almost double the 26,352 allegations made in 2012, according to Department of Human Services reports. Almost 40,000 of the tips received in 2016 didn’t lead to a finding of abuse by county investigators.
More >> Officials: Child abuse allegations swamping state investigators
Note: This is an important article. It shows that most CPS rats are idiots and that getting everybody to call the hotline isn't the answer.
More >> Officials: Child abuse allegations swamping state investigators
Note: This is an important article. It shows that most CPS rats are idiots and that getting everybody to call the hotline isn't the answer.
The shocking number of children going missing from foster homes in Bristol
Dozens of children in Bristol went missing from foster and residential placements last year, according to a Freedom of Information request seen by Bristol Live.
Around 83 children were recorded as missing - just one less from the previous year.
More >> The shocking number of children going missing from foster homes in Bristol
Around 83 children were recorded as missing - just one less from the previous year.
More >> The shocking number of children going missing from foster homes in Bristol
Parents who lost parental rights say goodbye to their children
Waterford — The parents whose rights were terminated by a Superior Court judge saw their children for the last time on Thursday.
Judge John C. Driscoll issued the decision on April 13 in Superior Court for Juvenile Matters in Waterford, severing the parental rights of Kirsten Fauquet, 26, to her five children, ages 7, 5, 3, 2 and 1, and of John Stratzman, 27, her partner and biological father of three of the children.
More >> Parents who lost parental rights say goodbye to their children
Judge John C. Driscoll issued the decision on April 13 in Superior Court for Juvenile Matters in Waterford, severing the parental rights of Kirsten Fauquet, 26, to her five children, ages 7, 5, 3, 2 and 1, and of John Stratzman, 27, her partner and biological father of three of the children.
More >> Parents who lost parental rights say goodbye to their children
SOCIAL SERVICES UNDER FIRE FOR FORCED STRIP SEARCH ON 3-YEAR-OLD
Two forced strip-searches of a child by authorities at a Head Start program prompted by vague claims from an unreliable source could be considered child abuse, argues a friend-of-the-court brief urging the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to revive a lawsuit.
More >> SOCIAL SERVICES UNDER FIRE FOR FORCED STRIP SEARCH ON 3-YEAR-OLD
More >> SOCIAL SERVICES UNDER FIRE FOR FORCED STRIP SEARCH ON 3-YEAR-OLD
'Helpless': The only treatment for their baby's epileptic seizures was illegal
What would you do if your child had a serious illness and the only treatment that would stop her pain was illegal?
Two-year-old Jaelah Jerger has epilepsy, and as a baby her tiny body was wracked with up to 30 seizures a day. Her parents tried a drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration, but it didn't work.
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The Jergers decided to try a remedy they'd learned about on the internet, an extract from the cannabis plant called cannabidiol, or CBD. Advocates of the oil say it can help with schizophrenia, anxiety, cancer — and epilepsy.
More >> 'Helpless': The only treatment for their baby's epileptic seizures was illegal
BTW, Happy 4/20!!!
I'm sorry for posting this link but you need to understand the mentality that you are up against
One of the hardest obsticals for a parent involved with Child Welfare to overcome is the Foster Parent who Falls in love with your child.
I do not agree with this article. It is by a foster care provider who is in love with a child and wants to keep the girl for her own. I am posting it so that you might get a grasp of the mentality that families are up against. I therefore post it for educational purposes only.
Hold on to your lunch.
Why do our courts make decisions about the fate of children on a timeline designed for adults? That’s the question that Rachel Schneiter and her family are asking themselves as they await a decision about what will happen to the now-3-year-old baby girl they took into their home shortly after her birth.
Schneiter never planned to be a foster mother. A nurse for 18 years in a suburb of Buffalo, she volunteered through a church group to help young, at-risk mothers.
More >> Foster kids, wronged by the courts
Justices: Teachers Not Required to Report Own Child's Abuse
Teachers in Washington are supposed to tell authorities when they believe a student has suffered abuse or neglect, but the state's Supreme Court ruled Thursday the requirement doesn't necessarily apply when a teacher's own child is the victim.
In an 8-1 ruling, the court dismissed a Pierce County case against a teacher who failed to immediately report that her daughters told her their stepfather had molested them.
More >> Justices: Teachers Not Required to Report Own Child's Abuse
In an 8-1 ruling, the court dismissed a Pierce County case against a teacher who failed to immediately report that her daughters told her their stepfather had molested them.
More >> Justices: Teachers Not Required to Report Own Child's Abuse
Hundreds apply to see or block the opening of adoption records in New Brunswick
FREDERICTON — Just weeks after the New Brunswick government opened a century of adoption records there is growing interest from people who want to know more about their past, and those who want that information kept secret.
“Most adoptees just want to look in their birth mother’s eyes and say, ‘This is who I am’,” said Marie Crouse, president of Parent Finders New Brunswick. The volunteer organization helps adoptees and birth parents in the reunion process.
More >> Hundreds apply to see or block the opening of adoption records in New Brunswick
“Most adoptees just want to look in their birth mother’s eyes and say, ‘This is who I am’,” said Marie Crouse, president of Parent Finders New Brunswick. The volunteer organization helps adoptees and birth parents in the reunion process.
More >> Hundreds apply to see or block the opening of adoption records in New Brunswick
Thursday, April 19, 2018
DHHS warns Mainers about person impersonating Child Protective Services caseworker
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services is warning Mainers about a person allegedly impersonating a DHHS Child Protective Services caseworker.
The alleged incident occurred in southern Maine.
More >> DHHS warns Mainers about person impersonating Child Protective Services caseworker
Beware of the real ones too!
The alleged incident occurred in southern Maine.
More >> DHHS warns Mainers about person impersonating Child Protective Services caseworker
Beware of the real ones too!
Central Illinois couple suing DCFS over handgun ban at home day cares
A central Illinois couple and several gun rights groups have filed a federal lawsuit challenging a statewide ban on handguns in home day cares, arguing the prohibition violates the Second Amendment rights of the operators of the businesses.
The suit was filed Monday against the state and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, which sets licensing rules for child care facilities. A spokeswoman for the agency declined to comment on pending litigation.
More >> Central Illinois couple suing DCFS over handgun ban at home day cares
The suit was filed Monday against the state and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, which sets licensing rules for child care facilities. A spokeswoman for the agency declined to comment on pending litigation.
More >> Central Illinois couple suing DCFS over handgun ban at home day cares
Alberta Children’s Services worker charged after 'thousands' of child porn photos found.
A Fort McMurray man recently employed with Alberta Children’s Services is facing child pornography charges after “thousands” of images were discovered on work computers, says the province’s joint police team.
The 60-year-old man was charged after an April 11 arrest in Leduc by the Internet Child Exploitation unit, said the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) in a Wednesday news release.
More >> Alberta Children’s Services worker charged after 'thousands' of child porn photos found.
The 60-year-old man was charged after an April 11 arrest in Leduc by the Internet Child Exploitation unit, said the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) in a Wednesday news release.
More >> Alberta Children’s Services worker charged after 'thousands' of child porn photos found.
Bristol parents getting visits from social services and police for taking kids on holiday
Members of Bristol’s Somali community have said the anti-female genital mutilation (FGM) campaign “is based on assumptions, misinformation and intimidation” which “targets and profiles certain ethnic groups” in Bristol.
The statements were made at a meeting of the Somali Parents Against Stigmatisation (SPAS) group, formed after the collapse of a recent anti-FGM trial at Bristol Crown Court.
More >> Bristol parents getting visits from social services and police for taking kids on holiday
The statements were made at a meeting of the Somali Parents Against Stigmatisation (SPAS) group, formed after the collapse of a recent anti-FGM trial at Bristol Crown Court.
More >> Bristol parents getting visits from social services and police for taking kids on holiday
Wednesday, April 18, 2018
Children's own 'sex selfies' fuelling rise in child abuse images
lmost one in three reported child abuse images are now taken by the children themselves, new figures from the Internet Watch Foundation show.
Children are increasingly filming or photographing themselves in explicit situations and sharing the footage, which then ends up on adult pornography sites or shared by paedophiles, the foundation's annual report found.
More >> Children's own 'sex selfies' fuelling rise in child abuse images
Children are increasingly filming or photographing themselves in explicit situations and sharing the footage, which then ends up on adult pornography sites or shared by paedophiles, the foundation's annual report found.
More >> Children's own 'sex selfies' fuelling rise in child abuse images
DCFS blasted for “unconscionable” witholding of child abuse data
For nine months, DCFS ignored advocates’ requests for a complete set of child abuse data, questioning their legal obligation to report the data, and suggesting that the computer systems they have used to compile the reports for over three decades are suddenly incapable or producing the reports. This morning’s data release shows that is not the case.
More >> DCFS blasted for “unconscionable” witholding of child abuse data
More >> DCFS blasted for “unconscionable” witholding of child abuse data
Official: Flash drive with foster kids' info trashed
The state Department of Children, Youth and Families says an employee accidentally threw out a flash drive with encrypted information about nearly 1,000 children in the state's foster care system.
Department spokeswoman Kerri White says the employee discarded the flash drive while cleaning their desk.
More >> Official: Flash drive with foster kids' info trashed
Department spokeswoman Kerri White says the employee discarded the flash drive while cleaning their desk.
More >> Official: Flash drive with foster kids' info trashed
Former foster carer jailed for 12 years for sexually abusing children
"I hate you and I hope you burn in hell," a sex abuse victim told former Child, Youth and Family Services (CYF) caregiver Rex Lawrence Wilson before he was jailed for 12 years.
The 64-year-old's two victims – he was found guilty at an eight-day Christchurch District Court jury trial in January – both read emotional victim impact reports at his sentencing in the same court on Wednesday.
More >> Former foster carer jailed for 12 years for sexually abusing children
Leading doctors call on government to ban solitary confinement of children and young offenders
Leading doctors have called on the government to abolish the solitary confinement of children and young people in the youth justice system, warning that it can have a “profound” impact on their health.
Nearly 40 per cent of boys in British jails are estimated to have spent time in solitary confinement, which is defined under international human rights law as “the confinement of prisoners for 22 hours or more a day without meaningful human contact”.
More >> Leading doctors call on government to ban solitary confinement of children and young offenders
Nearly 40 per cent of boys in British jails are estimated to have spent time in solitary confinement, which is defined under international human rights law as “the confinement of prisoners for 22 hours or more a day without meaningful human contact”.
More >> Leading doctors call on government to ban solitary confinement of children and young offenders
Body found floating in ocean is Ciera Hart, whose mother drove her family off a cliff, officials say
A body recently found floating near a Northern California cliff where a family’s SUV plunged 100 feet into the ocean has been identified as 12-year-old Ciera Hart, authorities said Tuesday.
Ciera, the youngest member of her family, was one of three children who remained missing after Jennifer Hart, 38, drove her wife and six adopted children off a scenic Pacific Ocean overlook last month, according to authorities, who believe the plunge was intentional. Preliminary toxicology results last week found that Jennifer Hart was drunk, with a blood alcohol level of 0.102. In California, drivers are considered legally drunk if they have a level of 0.08 or higher.
More >> Body found floating in ocean is Ciera Hart, whose mother drove her family off a cliff, officials say
Ciera, the youngest member of her family, was one of three children who remained missing after Jennifer Hart, 38, drove her wife and six adopted children off a scenic Pacific Ocean overlook last month, according to authorities, who believe the plunge was intentional. Preliminary toxicology results last week found that Jennifer Hart was drunk, with a blood alcohol level of 0.102. In California, drivers are considered legally drunk if they have a level of 0.08 or higher.
More >> Body found floating in ocean is Ciera Hart, whose mother drove her family off a cliff, officials say
Lawmakers consider state-worker safety after death of DCFS caseworker
Illinois lawmakers are considering legislation to better protect state workers in vulnerable jobs after the death of a child-welfare worker was beaten last fall.
Pamela Knight was a Department of Children and Family Services caseworker. She was attacked in September while trying to take protective custody of a child in Dixon. She died from her injuries in February.
More >> Lawmakers consider state-worker safety after death of DCFS caseworker
Pamela Knight was a Department of Children and Family Services caseworker. She was attacked in September while trying to take protective custody of a child in Dixon. She died from her injuries in February.
More >> Lawmakers consider state-worker safety after death of DCFS caseworker
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
Teen reported missing after fleeing DCF custody
Police in Attleboro are asking for the public’s help in tracking down a teenager who has not been seen since he fled Attleboro District Court on Monday.
Christopher Belt, 16, was in the custody of the Department of Children and Families when he escaped and ran off, officials said.
More >> Teen reported missing after fleeing DCF custody
Child Abuse Strike Force makes another arrest over boys’ home abuse
Detectives, investigating the allegedly horrific, historical abuse of children in a Sydney boy’s home, have made a second arrest interstate.
Strike Force Eckersley was established by the Nepean Police Area Command in late 2016 following a series of complaints made to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
More >> Child Abuse Strike Force makes another arrest over boys’ home abuse
Strike Force Eckersley was established by the Nepean Police Area Command in late 2016 following a series of complaints made to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
More >> Child Abuse Strike Force makes another arrest over boys’ home abuse
Police protect judges at home from 'intimidating' Family Court protesters
Judges are being protected at their family homes by police as angry dads protest outside with placards and megaphones.
A group of fathers, many of whom are disgruntled at losing custody or visitation rights to their children, are gathering outside the homes of Family Court judges in Auckland, say multiple Herald sources.
More >> Police protect judges at home from 'intimidating' Family Court protesters
A group of fathers, many of whom are disgruntled at losing custody or visitation rights to their children, are gathering outside the homes of Family Court judges in Auckland, say multiple Herald sources.
More >> Police protect judges at home from 'intimidating' Family Court protesters
Class action against Cherokee County DSS moves to federal court
There are new developments involving the Department of Social Services in Cherokee County.
The class action lawsuit filed against Cherokee County DSS has been moved to federal court.
More >> Class action against Cherokee County DSS moves to federal court
The class action lawsuit filed against Cherokee County DSS has been moved to federal court.
More >> Class action against Cherokee County DSS moves to federal court
Abusive mother wins payout over privacy breach
An abusive mother who was the “face” of a foster care agency has won a payout after the child welfare authority disclosed details of her history to her employer.
The Department of Family and Community Services must compensate the woman $4539 after she was fired from her position at the agency over fears for children in its care and the organisation’s reputation.
More >> Abusive mother wins payout over privacy breach
The Department of Family and Community Services must compensate the woman $4539 after she was fired from her position at the agency over fears for children in its care and the organisation’s reputation.
More >> Abusive mother wins payout over privacy breach
2 charged in foster child’s beating death in Eagan
An Eagan woman and her boyfriend face charges in the death of her 3-year-old foster child.
Zeporia Fortenberry, 30, has been charged with two counts of second-degree manslaughter. Charles Wayne Homich, 27, is charged with three counts of second-degree murder and two counts of first-degree manslaughter.
More >> 2 charged in foster child’s beating death in Eagan
UK Appeals Court Rules Against Parents of Toddler on Life Support
The Court of Appeal in the UK ruled against the parents of a 23-month-old boy on life support. They wanted to take him to Italy for medical treatment.
The toddler is battling an undiagnosed brain disease, according to reports. He is on life support at Liverpool's Alder Hey Children's Hospital which is part of the UK's National Health Service Foundation Trust.
More >> UK Appeals Court Rules Against Parents of Toddler on Life Support
Australian paedophile fostered children in Brazil until fake identity unravelled
An Australian paedophile on the run from police made a new life in Brazil, fathering three foster children until his fake identity unravelled after a serious car crash.
As Christopher John Gott, 63, lies in a coma in a Rio hospital with severe head injuries, his foster children are dealing with shock at learning his secret past.
More >> Australian paedophile fostered children in Brazil until fake identity unravelled
As Christopher John Gott, 63, lies in a coma in a Rio hospital with severe head injuries, his foster children are dealing with shock at learning his secret past.
More >> Australian paedophile fostered children in Brazil until fake identity unravelled
Families 'in limbo' after adoption agency suspended
Stephanie Diehl and her husband always dreamed about raising a family. Now, they're living in limbo after the adoption agency they hired has suspended operations.
Monday, April 16, 2018
Kentucky governor apologizes after linking child abuse to teacher protests
Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin apologized on Sunday to people who he said were hurt by his "guarantee" that children were abused after a massive teacher walkout shut schools on Friday.
More >> Kentucky governor apologizes after linking child abuse to teacher protests
More >> Kentucky governor apologizes after linking child abuse to teacher protests
'I want my son back': The inside story of a N.J. adoption gone wrong
It was only the third time Gloria Roman held her son -- and she knew it would be the last.
The 7-pound, healthy baby boy was only a few days old. Roman gazed at him and saw herself in his tiny face.
Holding him felt "like home," she said.
More >> 'I want my son back': The inside story of a N.J. adoption gone wrong
The 7-pound, healthy baby boy was only a few days old. Roman gazed at him and saw herself in his tiny face.
Holding him felt "like home," she said.
More >> 'I want my son back': The inside story of a N.J. adoption gone wrong
Parents in the Deadly California Cliff Crash Were Allowed to Keep Home-Schooling Despite Abuse Claims
The parents who drove off a California cliff with their six adopted children were allowed to continue home-schooling them despite repeated allegations of child abuse across three states.
The crash that killed Jennifer and Sarah Hart and at least three of their children, has become the latest high-profile case in which alleged child abuse coincided with home-schooling. New details reveal that child welfare officials, who reportedly interviewed the family in 2013, did not pursue a case against the Harts despite their children being in violation of state home-schooling laws.
More >> Parents in the Deadly California Cliff Crash Were Allowed to Keep Home-Schooling Despite Abuse Claims
The crash that killed Jennifer and Sarah Hart and at least three of their children, has become the latest high-profile case in which alleged child abuse coincided with home-schooling. New details reveal that child welfare officials, who reportedly interviewed the family in 2013, did not pursue a case against the Harts despite their children being in violation of state home-schooling laws.
More >> Parents in the Deadly California Cliff Crash Were Allowed to Keep Home-Schooling Despite Abuse Claims
Soaring numbers of children going missing in care – with five reports a day and youngest child aged four
Vulnerable children who repeatedly go missing from care in Suffolk and Essex are at a serious risk of sexual exploitation and bullying.
That is the stark warning from campaigners as “disturbing” new figures reveal five missing reports are logged by children’s services in both counties every single day.
Council chiefs in Suffolk received 2,757 reports of looked-after children going missing from 2015 to 2017 – relating to 357 individuals – according to statistics released to this newspaper.
Council chiefs in Suffolk received 2,757 reports of looked-after children going missing from 2015 to 2017 – relating to 357 individuals – according to statistics released to this newspaper.
State to examine sex abuse among children at welfare facilities
The central government will open a fact-finding investigation into child-against-child sexual abuse at welfare institutions nationwide, an underreported problem whose severity was recently exposed by shocking revelations in Mie Prefecture.
The move by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare followed the Mie prefectural government’s disclosure that at least 111 such sexual abuse cases occurred at child welfare facilities in the prefecture over nine years from fiscal 2008.
Under the Child Welfare Law, prefectural authorities are required to inform the central government about sexual violence committed by staff workers against children at these institutions.
More >> State to examine sex abuse among children at welfare facilities
The move by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare followed the Mie prefectural government’s disclosure that at least 111 such sexual abuse cases occurred at child welfare facilities in the prefecture over nine years from fiscal 2008.
Under the Child Welfare Law, prefectural authorities are required to inform the central government about sexual violence committed by staff workers against children at these institutions.
More >> State to examine sex abuse among children at welfare facilities
Study: Texas foster children five times as likely to get pregnant than other teens
Teens in Texas foster care are nearly five times as likely to get pregnant than other youth their age, according to a study released Monday that calculates the rate for the first time.
More >> Study: Texas foster children five times as likely to get pregnant than other teens
More >> Study: Texas foster children five times as likely to get pregnant than other teens
‘Our kids die in the child welfare system.’ The Métis Nation warns it’s losing kids at an alarming rate
Métis are the descendants of mixed Cree-French ancestry from the historic Métis Homeland in Manitoba and the Prairies. The 2016 Census found 89,405 in B.C. call themselves Métis, one-third of all Indigenous people. At least 16,000 of them are registered as citizens of the Métis Nation of B.C. The Métis language is Michif.
More >> ‘Our kids die in the child welfare system.’ The Métis Nation warns it’s losing kids at an alarming rate
More >> ‘Our kids die in the child welfare system.’ The Métis Nation warns it’s losing kids at an alarming rate
Sunday, April 15, 2018
Illinois House likely won't hear bill to raise penalties for assaulting DCFS workers
A state bill aimed at delivering a harsher punishment for battering a Department of Children and Family Services or Adult Protective Services worker isn’t likely to be heard by legislators this year.
House Bill 4586 was introduced in February by state Rep. Tony McCombie, R-Savanna, in response to an attack on veteran DCFS worker Pamela Knight, 59, of Dixon in September.
More >> Illinois House likely won't hear bill to raise penalties for assaulting DCFS workers
House Bill 4586 was introduced in February by state Rep. Tony McCombie, R-Savanna, in response to an attack on veteran DCFS worker Pamela Knight, 59, of Dixon in September.
More >> Illinois House likely won't hear bill to raise penalties for assaulting DCFS workers
'It's reprehensible.' Bevin comments linking teacher rally to child abuse spark backlash
Republicans and Democrats alike reacted with outrage to Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin's comments that teacher protests in Frankfort lead to the sexual abuse of children.
"I guarantee you somewhere in Kentucky today, a child was sexually assaulted that was left at home because there was nobody there to watch them," Bevin said on Friday to a group of reporters. "I guarantee you somewhere today, a child was physically harmed or ingested poison because they were left alone because a single parent didn’t have any money to take care of them."
More >> 'It's reprehensible.' Bevin comments linking teacher rally to child abuse spark backlash
"I guarantee you somewhere in Kentucky today, a child was sexually assaulted that was left at home because there was nobody there to watch them," Bevin said on Friday to a group of reporters. "I guarantee you somewhere today, a child was physically harmed or ingested poison because they were left alone because a single parent didn’t have any money to take care of them."
More >> 'It's reprehensible.' Bevin comments linking teacher rally to child abuse spark backlash
In an effort to skirt it's own responsibility, DHHS reviews child abuse cases it contracted out
Maine’s child welfare program is revisiting six-and-a-half months of child abuse reports it received and referred to contractors who intervene in “lower-risk” abuse and neglect cases.
The Office of Child and Family Services earlier this month asked the four contractors who handle those lower-risk cases to comb through their records dating back to last Aug. 31 and re-report to the state many of the families whose cases they were assigned. The state would then review those cases.
More >> DHHS reviews child abuse cases it contracted out
Official Media Circus of April: Drunk, drugged and possibly on the run: The Hart family's final days
Three children remain missing and so many questions persist in the mystery of how the Hart family's SUV ended up at the bottom of a 100-foot Mendocino, County, California, cliff.
The few details that have emerged paint what appear to be dark months, and perhaps years, for Jennifer and Sarah Hart's six adopted children, who repeatedly accused their mothers of abuse, according to reports from neighbors and a social worker.
More >> Drunk, drugged and possibly on the run: The Hart family's final days
Mum abducted boy and took him to Ireland in desperate bid to hide from social services
A young mother was trying to thwart a social services investigation when she abducted her toddler son in East Yorkshire and took him to Ireland.
More >> Mum abducted boy and took him to Ireland in desperate bid to hide from social services
More >> Mum abducted boy and took him to Ireland in desperate bid to hide from social services
Devonte Hart's biological mom: They gave my kids 'to monsters'
By the time Devonte Hart's biological mom saw the viral photo that made him famous, her son was already missing and presumed dead, along with one of her other children. A third was confirmed dead.
And Sherry Davis was devastated.
More >> Devonte Hart's biological mom: They gave my kids 'to monsters'
And Sherry Davis was devastated.
More >> Devonte Hart's biological mom: They gave my kids 'to monsters'
McFeely: Mom says she called social services about her twins in Fergus Falls, then one died
Justis Burland's mother says she contacted Otter Tail County social services in the days before his death. Misty Dawn Truitt says she wanted to make sure Justis and his twin brother Xavier were accounted for because their caretaker "flipped out" after a custody hearing was cut short by a judge.
That phone call would've come after April 2, the date the caretaker, Bobbie Bishop, was denied full custody of the children. By April 9 Justis was dead, having allegedly been beaten by Bishop and Walter Wynhoff of Fergus Falls, Minn., the family friends with whom Justis and Xavier were living.
More >> McFeely: Mom says she called social services about her twins in Fergus Falls, then one died
TRAGIC TODDLER ~ Social services have ‘blood on their hands’ over death of tragic Fife tot Hayley Davidson
SOCIAL services have “blood on their hands” over the death of tragic tot Hayley Davidson, her mum’s ex- husband claimed.
The accusation by Ross Davidson, 29, comes as The Scottish Sun on Sunday can reveal the baby girl was considered to be “at risk” even before she was born.
More >> TRAGIC TODDLER ~ Social services have ‘blood on their hands’ over death of tragic Fife tot Hayley Davidson
Note: See? They can't get it right either way.
Saturday, April 14, 2018
Canada Kidnapped Native Children to ‘Kill the Indian’ in Them
You may not have heard of Finding Cleo, much less listened to it. That needs to change.
One of the most disturbing and compelling works of investigative journalism this year, the Canadian Broadcast Corporation's Finding Cleo unpacks generations of failed government policy and the toxic white paternalism that fueled them in both Canada in the United States, all in the quest to answer one question: Where is Cleo? What happened to the little Cree girl who was forcibly taken from her Saskatchewan family in the 1970s, exported like a product to the United States, and somehow lost to everyone who had known and loved her?
More >> Canada Kidnapped Native Children to ‘Kill the Indian’ in Them
One of the most disturbing and compelling works of investigative journalism this year, the Canadian Broadcast Corporation's Finding Cleo unpacks generations of failed government policy and the toxic white paternalism that fueled them in both Canada in the United States, all in the quest to answer one question: Where is Cleo? What happened to the little Cree girl who was forcibly taken from her Saskatchewan family in the 1970s, exported like a product to the United States, and somehow lost to everyone who had known and loved her?
More >> Canada Kidnapped Native Children to ‘Kill the Indian’ in Them
UPDATED: Parents still maintain custody of Alfie Evans
Correction: April 13, 2018 1:35 EST: Administration on Alfie Evans' official Facebook page "Alfies Army" are now correcting a press release from earlier this morning which stated that Alfie had been made a "ward of the court." This report has been amended to reflect this update.
LONDON, April 13, 2018 (LifeSiteNews) – The parents of baby Alfie Evans still retain custody of their son after a press release by the family’s media coordinator this morning suggested that the child had become a “ward of the court.”
More >> UPDATED: Parents still maintain custody of Alfie Evans
LONDON, April 13, 2018 (LifeSiteNews) – The parents of baby Alfie Evans still retain custody of their son after a press release by the family’s media coordinator this morning suggested that the child had become a “ward of the court.”
More >> UPDATED: Parents still maintain custody of Alfie Evans
Governments and courts are turning parenting into an Orwellian nightmare
It is hardly controversial to say that the institution of the family is in crisis. Fewer and fewer people are getting married, in or out of the Church. Fertility rates have been in freefall for 50 years. Nearly a quarter of families in Britain are single-parent, with nearly half of these living in poverty. By almost every metric you can use, the family, which is the essential mechanism by which our cultural and social DNA is passed on, is in decline.
More >> Governments and courts are turning parenting into an Orwellian nightmare
More >> Governments and courts are turning parenting into an Orwellian nightmare
Man headed to prison for threats to shoot CPS caseworkers
A Cambridge man put on probation last year for threatening to shoot Child Protective Services caseworkers is headed to state prison after he was found to have violated the terms of probation.
Claude J. Boisvert, 46, was sentenced last June to 60 days in Washington County Jail and 5 years on probation after his guilty plea to making a terroristic threat, a felony, in connection with a December 2016 arrest for threats to caseworkers who visited his home. He agreed to serve 2 years in state prison, to be followed by 2.5 years on parole.
More >> Man headed to prison for threats to shoot CPS caseworkers
Claude J. Boisvert, 46, was sentenced last June to 60 days in Washington County Jail and 5 years on probation after his guilty plea to making a terroristic threat, a felony, in connection with a December 2016 arrest for threats to caseworkers who visited his home. He agreed to serve 2 years in state prison, to be followed by 2.5 years on parole.
More >> Man headed to prison for threats to shoot CPS caseworkers
Couple Offers Warning After Adoption Agency Closes
The couple had paid thousands in fees before the agency abruptly shut.
A couple is warning other families who are considering adoption after a heartbreaking experience with a private agency.
A couple is warning other families who are considering adoption after a heartbreaking experience with a private agency.
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