850 Teddy Bear Vigil July 21 2019

A Teddy Bear Vigil was held at the Edmonton Alberta Legislative Building Steps. Each bear represented a fallen child due to the negligence of the Child and Family Services.  We are making changes and our children of tomorrow will be still here thanks to Keri and Velvet taking lead in starting a new cycle of methods that work for all families and would not tear apart, but provide all the supports necessary to achieve the level of parenting all want to see.  Taking children away from their homes in most of these cases as you will see will upset most of us and want to go home and give our babies hugs and kisses and remind them how important they are to us and our futures.  Love your family, Please click on the link to the Petition. Thank you for all who took part today and those who couldn't make it sent their prayers! Almost 7,000 Signatures! Let's make it to 10,000!

Thank you!  http://chng.it/9MxQKhRXtd

Keith Gerein: Progress on child intervention system must not die with NDP government

Though final numbers have yet to be published, Alberta likely set a new high last year for deaths among children, teens and young adults who were receiving services from the child intervention system.

An average of three deaths per month in 2018-19 — whether from suicide, homicide, accident or causes yet to be determined — shows the system remains rife with disorder that will require considerably more diligence to rectify.

More >> Keith Gerein: Progress on child intervention system must not die with NDP government

Alberta family separated by adoption for seven decades is finally reunited

A family of five has finally been brought back together after 70 years of being apart, meeting for the first time in Olds this weekend.

Bob Elfstedt, who lives in Sherwood Park, was placed for adoption as a baby when he was born out of wedlock in 1939.

More >> Alberta family separated by adoption for seven decades is finally reunited

Long-separated mother and daughter reunite at Edmonton airport

When Alexa Rudi rode down an escalator to the arrivals level at Edmonton International Airport on Friday night, she found a cheering crowd of more than 20 of her family members. They were waving signs and wearing name tags. Some of them had known her as a child, but many had never met her before.

Among the crowd was her mother, Theresa Atkinson, whom she had not seen face-to-face for more than 30 years. The pair locked eyes, then held each other and cried. Each woman had spent years searching for the other.

More >> Long-separated mother and daughter reunite at Edmonton airport

Rally held to protest provincial child custody laws on Saturday

Parents unhappy with the current family law system in Alberta gathered in downtown Medicine Hat for a protest over the weekend.

Close to a dozen people met outside of Court of Queen’s Bench on Saturday morning to protest child custody law, saying that women are given an unfair advantage in the courts.

More >> Rally held to protest provincial child custody laws on Saturday

Number of Alberta child welfare deaths increased last year

Thirty-three children died while in care or receiving support from Alberta child services last year, equalling a post-2009 high set four years ago.

Youth deaths in the 2017-18 fiscal year rose by seven over a year earlier. Sixteen of the youths were aged five or younger. Eight were older than 18.

More >> Number of Alberta child welfare deaths increased last year

Sixties Scoop survivors shed tears, share sense of hope after apology by Rachel Notley

Indigenous Albertans who were snatched from their families as children reflected on their own resilience Monday as the Alberta government issued a long-awaited apology.

“Every time we tell our stories, parts of our hearts, souls and spirits mend back together,” said Suzanne Wilkinson, 47.

More >> Sixties Scoop survivors shed tears, share sense of hope after apology by Rachel Notley

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.

'Messed me up:' '60s Scoop survivors meet for Alberta apology consultations

EDMONTON — Beatrix Massee is a Cree woman from Alberta but she speaks with a slight Tennessee twang — a legacy of the foster homes she grew up in after being taken from her mother by government authorities in the '60s Scoop.

More >> 'Messed me up:' '60s Scoop survivors meet for Alberta apology consultations

Ripples from ’60s Indigenous children Scoop continue

The Alberta government is working with the ’60s Scoop Indigenous Society of Alberta to hold “engagement” sessions with Indigenous adults who were placed as children in non-Indigenous homes.

More >> Ripples from ’60s Indigenous children Scoop continue

Sixties Scoop apology will go a long way, but more action needed: Chief

One Alberta Indigenous leader is hoping the province goes beyond its Sixties Scoop apology and builds a long-term action plan for healing.

Papaschase Chief Calvin Bruneau said the Alberta government’s consultation with Indigenous communities needs to be continuous and long-term.

More >> Sixties Scoop apology will go a long way, but more action needed: Chief

Alberta to hold public sessions to gather information for '60s Scoop apology

EDMONTON — Alberta is crafting a formal apology to Indigenous people for the infamous '60s Scoop.

Children's Services Minister Danielle Larivee says the government will hold six sessions around the province starting later this month to hear from survivors.

Larivee says the information will form the foundation of a formal government apology and guide future actions on reconciliation and healing.

More >> Alberta to hold public sessions to gather information for '60s Scoop apology

Calgary foster father breaks down after being found not guilty of sexually assaulting girl in his care

In the moments after the judge acquitted him on Tuesday, a former Calgary foster father who was accused of sexually assaulting a young girl in his care began sobbing uncontrollably.

In the prisoner's box, Fortunanto Jinon collapsed into a chair with his face buried in his hands after hearing the words "not guilty." His wife cried from her seat in the gallery of the courtroom.

More >> Calgary foster father breaks down after being found not guilty of sexually assaulting girl in his care

Mother of girl who died in kinship care fights for resurrection of Serenity's Law

The mother of Serenity, a four-year-old girl who died of horrific injuries after being placed in kinship care on a central Alberta reserve, hopes her daughter's death ushers in new protections for vulnerable children.

On Tuesday, the woman will sit in the gallery of the Alberta legislature as Calgary MLA Mike Ellis attempts to resurrect Bill 216, also known as Serenity's Law. She cannot be identified under provincial child welfare legislation so as not to identify her other children.

More >> Mother of girl who died in kinship care fights for resurrection of Serenity's Law

Alberta advocate says province not ‘doing enough fast enough’ to protect children

In Alberta, there are too many children in the child welfare system and too many who are trying to take their own lives says the provinces child and youth advocate.

“One of the things we are quite concerned about with Indigenous young people is the number of people in care of the government,” said Del Graff. “They are vastly over-represented in Alberta.

More >> Alberta advocate says province not ‘doing enough fast enough’ to protect children

Youth suicides signal need for culture change in child welfare system: advocate

Two Indigenous teenage girls who died by suicide.

A third who died after being hit by a car.

All experienced traumas ignored by child welfare services, says a new report.

More >> Youth suicides signal need for culture change in child welfare system: advocate

Fostering Change: One man’s story of abuse in the Alberta foster care system

Michael Matthews’ earliest memory is from when he was three years old. He was abandoned by his parents and along with his brother and sister, he was left alone in a Calgary garage. There was no food and no one to care for them.

Police found them and that marked the beginning of Matthews’ life in foster care.

More >> Fostering Change: One man’s story of abuse in the Alberta foster care system

LK Report for 8/4/17 - Beware of Phony Caseworkers... Beware of the real ones too!

Here are the headlines for today.  Check back soon!

This post could be updated at any time throughout the day.

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For the third time in less than a year, a teenage girl in the Florida foster care system has committed suicide.

More >> Florida foster care teen kills herself, is third teen in state foster system to commit suicide in less than a year

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Gov. Greg Abbott called on a federal judge to drop a case considering court supervision of Texas' beleaguered child protection system; he argued the four pieces of foster care reform legislation he signed into law in May would fix chronic problems.

More >> Foster care reform still 'not enough'

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WASHINGTON, Aug. 1, 2017 /Standard Newswire/ -- Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) has introduced legislation in the U.S. Senate to propose a Parental Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Graham's Senate joint resolution had four original cosponsors at its introduction on Tuesday, August 1: Roy Blunt (R-MO), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), and Jim Risch (R-ID). The resolution will receive a bill number later this week.

More >> Senator Graham Introduces Parental Rights Amendment

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CAPE CORAL, Fla. (AP) — A foster father in Florida has been arrested in the death of a 13-month-old child.

Cape Coral police Capt. Tony Sizemore announced that U.S. marshals arrested 38-year-old Gregory Dustin Todd on Tuesday. He’s charged with homicide and cruelty toward a child. He’s accused in the death of Mackenzie Fewox, who died Jan. 29.

More >> Foster father arrested in death of 13-month-old Florida girl

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A Los Gatos, Calif. couple accused of adopting a 9-year-old Russian orphan before turning him into a sex slave for the remainder of his childhood was convicted Tuesday in a last-minute plea deal that spared the South Bay executives — and their victim — a jury trial.

More >> California couple pleads to sexual abuse of their adopted Russian orphan

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A High Court judge has ruled against a council’s attempts to use an injunction to force a mother and father to take down an online petition relating to their children’s care proceedings.

More >> Judge dismisses council’s bid to block parents’ adoption petition
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Boston - A state lawmaker, along with a dozen or so foster families and others involved the state's child welfare system are outraged after seeing the treatment given to a loving foster family.

More >> Lawmaker reacts to 5 Investigates' report on DCF strip search
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A former foster mother from Pawtucket was convicted Tuesday of second-degree child abuse following a four-day jury trial, according to a news release from Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin.

More >> Former foster mother from Pawtucket convicted of abusing 2-year-old boy
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The Cape Coral toddler who died in January had bruises on her body and died from asphyxiation.

A warrant released Wednesday details the bruises and injuries found during an autopsy.

More >> Cape Coral 13-month-old asphyxiated; DCF had previous contact with family

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ST. JOHNSBURY, Vt. (AP) — A prosecutor has re-filed a murder charge against a Vermont man accused of killing his foster mother in 2000.

More >> Murder Charge Filed Again Against Man in Foster Mother Death
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It is 10 years since Peter Connelly – known as Baby P – died, aged 17 months, following weeks of neglect and abuse. His mother, Tracey Connelly, along with her boyfriend, Stephen Barker, and Jason Owen, Barker’s brother, were each convicted of “causing or allowing” Peter’s death – it remains unclear who actually killed him.

More >> Ten years on from Baby P's death, social workers are still scapegoats

Note: Ten years on from Baby P's death, social workers are still stealing children too and at a much higher rate.

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There’s still a ways to go in revamping the state’s troubled foster care system. That’s according to Children At Risk.

More >> Advocacy Group Offers Recommendations For Fixing ‘Broken’ Foster Care System
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Since the start of the Trump administration, undocumented people across the state have been filling out Power of Attorney forms (POA), according to Milwaukee Mexican Consulate director Ingrid Fernández Tamez. The POA allows a family to designate a person to take responsibility for their children’s care, including getting them to and from school and taking them to doctors’ appointments.

More >> Uptick in deportations leads undocumented parents to make plans for children
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Two Eagle Mountain parents were arrested Thursday morning on reports of locking a child in a basement room every night for months without food, water, light or a bathroom.

More >> Eagle Mountain couple reportedly abused foster child, locked him alone in basement nightly

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Some caseworkers sharply criticized by a judge who reviewed the death of foster child Kawliga Potts still work for the Alberta government, Children's Services Minister Danielle Larivee acknowledged Tuesday.

More >> Some caseworkers criticized by fatality inquiry judge still work for government

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MILTON — Borough police are looking for a woman who entered a home on Wednesday evening and, posing as a children and youth caseworker, tried take a child, according to a police news release.

Police said that between 6 ad 6:15 p.m., an unidentified female went to the home of a woman who lives on the 300 block of Mahoning Street. Posing as a county children and youth caseworker, the suspect refused to identify herself and refused to provide agency identification when asked by the resident. She told the resident she was there to take custody of the resident’s young child. When the resident challenged the demand, the woman attempted to push past the resident. The resident blocked the doorway and pushed the woman back out onto the front porch, refusing to allow her into the home. The resident threatened to call police and attempted to take a photo of the suspect with her cell phone. The suspect knocked the cell phone out of the resident’s hand and then fled east on Mahoning Street.

More >> Police: Woman posing as caseworker tried to take child

• Mother claims phony caseworker tried to kidnap her child

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LK Daily Report for 7/30/17 - Falsifying Records Edition...

Here are the headlines for today.  Check back soon!

This post could be updated at any time throughout the day.

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In a child custody case that made national headlines after a suburban Detroit judge jailed three children for refusing to socialize with their father, the Michigan Supreme Court has rejected a harsher punishment recommended last year — ruling that Oakland County Judge Lisa Gorcyca should be publicly censured but not suspended for her courtroom behavior.

More >> Michigan high court rejects suspension on judge who jailed kids in custody fight
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A Contact 5/Palm Beach Post investigation uncovers what many investigators are calling "a crisis" inside the Department of Children and Families.

More >> Falsifying DCF records: Investigator tells all

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Detroit — Michigan’s child-welfare system remains under court oversight, 11 years and millions of dollars after a sweeping lawsuit challenged the way the state cares for vulnerable kids who are removed from their homes because of abuse or neglect.

More >> Mich. child welfare still under judge’s eye

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Family Law Attorney Allison C. Williams, from Short Hills, NJ shares legal advice on PIX11 show "Protecting Your Family" on the question:

My child protective services caseworker lied under oath in the court hearing. What can be done about this?

More >> What to Do if Child Protective Services Worker Lies Under Oath NJ CPS
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The abuse and traumatization of children strikes a chord in our society, resonating with our innate parental sensibilities and perpetuating a vicious cycle that results in poor outcomes in adolescence, adulthood and beyond. Victims often end up in abusive situations again as adults and are more prone to substance abuse, incarceration and mental illness.

More >> The vicious cycle of CPS intervention
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A Hawaii island family is mourning the death of a 3-year-old boy.

The Hawaii Police Department say the child was in foster care when he died, and the case is now under investigation.

More >> Parents demand answers after 3-year-old boy dies while in foster care
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“Kawliga Potts’ death was a direct result of the fundamental failure of everyone connected with this child to do their jobs. No one followed the rules and procedures that were in place.”

More >> Paula Simons: Fatality inquiry finds 'fundamental failure' by care workers caused death of Kawliga Potts

• Foster boy's death a result of child welfare failings: Alberta judge

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A question from Quora...

More >> Does Dr. Phil expose CPS?

LK Daily Report for 7/28/17 - Systematic Failures

Here are the headlines for today.  Check back soon!

This post could be updated at any time throughout the day.

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A new report released Friday found ethical lapses and mistakes deemed "highly irresponsible" under the state's former child services director, George Sheldon, who favored a circle of associates he imported from Florida after he took over the Department of Children and Family Services.

More >> State report rips former DCFS chief over ethical, financial lapses

• Report says ex-director mismanaged DCFS

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A Contact 5/Palm Beach Post investigation uncovers what many investigators are calling "a crisis" inside the Department of Children and Families. Large caseloads, high turnover, low pay, voluminous paperwork, and pressure to meet performance goals - make the job impossible, child protective investigators say, and put children in a dangerous position.

More >> Falsifying DCF Records: Former Investigator says 'it's common knowledge'
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First Nations foster child Kawliga Potts was killed by his foster mother Lily Choy in January 2007. Choy was later convicted of manslaughter.

More >> Judge blames social workers' 'failure' to do their jobs for 2007 death of foster child
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Northampton County children and youth caseworker Shannon Snyder lies awake wondering about the teenage girl she met earlier in the day who feared her strict parents could kill her.

More >> Frazzled child welfare workers struggle as abuse reports soar

Note: I've said it before and I'll say it again.  CPS is only half the problem and the only thing lower than a CPS Agent is a Rat.
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A former social worker from Crawfordsville was arrested and charged with three counts of sexual misconduct with a minor Thursday. Amy Walls, 46, Crawfordsville was taken into custody on a warrant out of Allen County. According to court documents, the charges were filed Wednesday in Allen County Superior Court.

More >> C’ville woman charged with sex crimes

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Investigators inside the Florida Department of Children and families say Florida is putting children at risk.

More >> DCF Workers: State Is Failing Kids
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The publisher of the Mail Online will pay out damages to Madonna over a “serious invasion of privacy” after the website published details of the singer’s four-year-old twin daughters in January.

More >> Mail Online forced to pay damages for revealing details of Madonna’s adoption
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SALT LAKE CITY — When a child is sick, parents go to doctors looking for a diagnosis, prescription or treatment plan. Sometimes they find conflict.

More >> What rights do parents have when they disagree with doctors?
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The head of the state’s child welfare agency, hired seven months ago to revive a mission that critics say had been sacrificed in recent years to save money, faced plenty of questions from lawmakers Thursday.

More >> DCYF director on the hot seat over department training, investigations
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Following reports of high caseloads, high turnover and little experience among Child Protective Investigators in Palm Beach County, The Post and WPTV decided to investigate.

More >> DCF casework by the numbers: An inside look
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An Ankeny couple who adopted nine children with disabilities from foster care has been charged with child endangerment for allegations of physical abuse.

More >> EXCLUSIVE: After 68 police reports, Ankeny couple who adopted 9 kids charged with abuse
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Orphanages seem like the easy route, but what we don't realise is that they stunt the physical, mental and emotional development of a child.

More >> Orphanages Are Not Conducive To Child Development