2 mothers unhappy about 'raid' at private treatment program

Reaction to the state's shutdown of a private adolescent treatment program in northwestern Montana over allegations of physical and psychological abuse range from relief to anger to defiance.

Some former participants and staff said they were glad the state removed more than two dozen children from the Ranch for Kids on July 23 and suspended its license.

More >> 2 mothers unhappy about 'raid' at private treatment program

Raid removing 27 kids from Montana ranch 'may be the tip of the iceberg,' lawmaker says

The removal of 27 children at a private facility for adopted children in Montana this week was the culmination of years of efforts to effectively regulate private youth treatment programs — and it "may just be the tip of the iceberg," the lawmaker who spearheaded the reform effort said Thursday.

The children were removed Tuesday from the Ranch for Kids in Rexford, in Lincoln County along the Canadian border, in response to what state officials called frequent and severe allegations of physical and psychological abuse. Some have already been reunited with their parents, state officials said.

More >> Raid removing 27 kids from Montana ranch 'may be the tip of the iceberg,' lawmaker says

• Children interviewed amid abuse allegations at Montana ranch
• Moms angry over how state removed children from Ranch for Kids

'Hit, kicked ... spit on': Montana alleges abuse, removes kids from private youth program

In an unprecedented action, the state of Montana removed 27 children from the Ranch for Kids in Lincoln County on Tuesday morning after receiving multiple complaints of physical and psychological abuse and neglect at the private program for troubled youth.

Acting on an order from Lincoln County District Court Judge Matthew J. Cuffe, and with support of law enforcement, the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services personnel took the children from the remote ranch outside Rexford, and suspended its license.

More >> 'Hit, kicked ... spit on': Montana alleges abuse, removes kids from private youth program

Montana facility that drugged Oregon foster child to control her behavior will close

A Montana children’s psychiatric treatment center will close in the aftermath of reports that it used drugs to control the behavior of a 9-year-old Oregon girl in foster care.

Butte-Silver Bow County Chief Executive Dave Palmer told The Montana Standard that Acadia Montana informed county officials Monday that it will close in a month or so.

More >> Montana facility that drugged Oregon foster child to control her behavior will close

NEW FAMILY TREATMENT COURT A RESOURCE FOR REUNIFICATION

Last week, a long-awaited family treatment court officially opened its doors to Flathead County families impacted by dependency and neglect cases, offering support for program-elligible parents pursuing reunification with their children who have been placed into Child Family Services.

The court, known as Family Tree, aims to provide evidence-based treatment for families impacted by parental substance use, reduce child maltreatment and provide children with services they need to be raised in a healthy environment. Funding for the court was granted by the U.S. Department of Justice in October of 2018. The department gave $600,000 to support the program for its first three years.

More >> NEW FAMILY TREATMENT COURT A RESOURCE FOR REUNIFICATION

Montana case of mother who lost her child due to health issues shines spotlight on child protective service abuses

Most Americans would never imagine that going to the hospital could result in the government seizing their child, but that's exactly what happened to Debbie Westlake when she went to the emergency room three years ago.

Montana's Child & Family Services division sent out a social worker on their first "Priority 1" call who determined Westlake's 4-year-old son, Robert, should be taken from daycare to foster care before his mother was released from the hospital that day.

More >> Montana case of mother who lost her child due to health issues shines spotlight on child protective service abuses

Montana Supreme Court overturns parental rights termination

The state failed to make a reasonable effort to reunite a woman with the son who was taken away from her after he was born with methamphetamine in his system, the Montana Supreme Court ruled.

The justices unanimously overturned the July 2018 termination of the mother's parental rights and ordered the Division of Child and Family Services to work to reunite the woman with her son, who has lived with foster parents in Billings since his birth in October 2016.

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Oregon foster care scandal draws attention to use of ‘chemical restraint’ in Montana

When Annette Smith found out a 9-year-old Oregon girl she represents was being injected with Benadryl and other antihistamines to chemically restrain her for misbehavior and was also frequently being placed in locked seclusion while being treated at Acadia Montana in Butte, she was “horrified and scared for my client’s safety,” Smith told members of the Oregon Senate Human Services Committee on April 11.

More >> Oregon foster care scandal draws attention to use of ‘chemical restraint’ in Montana

Missoula foster parents plead not guilty to child abuse

A Missoula couple have pleaded not guilty in a Montana court to criminal child endangerment and other charges in their treatment of foster children.

The Missoulian reports Angela and Malcolm Cobler entered their pleas Thursday. Each face nine charges, including criminal child endangerment, endangering the welfare of children and several counts of assault on a minor. Malcolm Cobler is also charged with tampering with evidence.

More >> Missoula foster parents plead not guilty to child abuse

Guest view: Problems with Child and Family Services

As chairman of House Human Services Committee, I realize that there is a need for a good system of protection for our children in Montana. As many news sources opine, and as we know, there are children who need to be removed from their homes, at least for a time and sometimes permanently.

We also know that due process is not being met at times for some families.

More >> Guest view: Problems with Child and Family Services

Billings lawmaker accuses state employees of 'kidnapping' children

A Republican lawmaker from Billings has accused state child protection workers of kidnapping children, and he’s urging parents visited by the state employees to throw them out of their homes.

Rep. Rodney Garcia said on James White’s “North West Liberty News” in mid-February that child welfare workers “do not protect the kids, they kidnap them.” North West Liberty News is a right-wing blog that espouses conspiracy theories on the “CIA-controlled media,” among others.

More >> Billings lawmaker accuses state employees of 'kidnapping' children

MISMANAGEMENT ALLEGED THROUGHOUT MONTANA’S CHILD AND FAMILY SERVICES

Montana’s Child and Family Services Division is tasked with safeguarding the wellbeing of some of the society’s most vulnerable citizens, but in recent months the agency has been criticized by sources who claim longstanding mismanagement has fostered a broken system.

Nearly 20 sources with knowledge of Northwestern Division VI of Child and Family Services in Kalispell and other offices in Montana say over the years employees have had to maneuver a system that consistently fails to uphold its purpose, namely keeping children safe and families strong. They claim those suffering the most are children, who are sometimes unnecessarily taken from their homes and families by Child and Family Services. Many sources interviewed chose to remain anonymous, and to protect their identities, the Daily Inter Lake will not divulge names of those who currently work with Child and Family Services.

More >> MISMANAGEMENT ALLEGED THROUGHOUT MONTANA’S CHILD AND FAMILY SERVICES

Helena-area man sues Montana, saying his foster mother raped him

A Helena-area man who said his former foster mother repeatedly raped him as a teen is suing the state of Montana for placing him in her home.

The lawsuit filed in Lewis and Clark County District Court Wednesday accuses the state of Montana and its Department of Public Health and Human Services of negligence and negligent supervision.

More >> Helena-area man sues Montana, saying his foster mother raped him

Fear of judgment, CPS prevents some addicted pregnant women from being honest

Along with St. James Healthcare in Butte, Missoula’s Community Medical Center recently received grant money to improve access to quality care for pregnant mothers and their babies.

While the new Montana Healthcare Foundation-funded programs developing across the state rely on standardized, prenatal screening for substance abuse, societal stigma and the fear of Child and Family Services may deter some pregnant women from being honest about their struggles with drug use.

More >> Fear of judgment, CPS prevents some addicted pregnant women from being honest

Dozens rally for foster care reform

“Little child, dry your crying eyes…” a passionate guitarist emotionally strummed his rendition of White Lion’s “When the Children Cry.” The lyrics take their toll on his audience, which is full of folks rallying for foster care reform in Montana.

“I wish I had a relationship with my daughter. I miss my son so much. It’s not right what they did to my family. It’s not right that I have to live without remaining family members,” said Kirk Eakin, a father who believes his children were unjustly taken out of his custody.

More >> Dozens rally for foster care reform

Helena rally decries family separation by Children and Family Services

Around two dozen people gathered outside the state Capitol Thursday morning to decry the separation of families by Montana's Children and Family Services Division.

The "Our Kids Cry Too" rally was organized by the Montana Child Protection Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness of children's rights in Montana and advocating for due process.

More >> Helena rally decries family separation by Children and Family Services

Rally wants to keep Montana families in legal limbo together

A rally will be held Aug. 23 at the state Capitol to shed light on what organizers say is a need for new state laws in Montana to keep families together who are caught up in various legal systems.

More >> Rally wants to keep Montana families in legal limbo together

Guest view: When child protection goes wrong

Park County has recently learned that its office of Child and Family Services is scheduled to be closed by the State of Montana. There has been publicly identified resistance to this decision, presented as though it is all bad.

But what might be the rest of the story? While this state agency sometimes saves lives, are there other voices to be heard? Do Child Protection Specialists only protect?

More >> Guest view: When child protection goes wrong

Montana’s dubious distinction: Child removal capital of America

Congratulations to the Missoulian and its partners at the University of Montana School of Journalism for out-reporting almost every major news organization in America in the series “Addicted and expecting.”

In one of the stories, Dr. Kenneth Cairns laments the failure of so many of his fellow physicians to provide the right kind of help to mothers suffering from addiction. The doctors can’t get past their own feelings of contempt for the mothers.

They are not alone. Contempt for parents who use drugs, or parents who simply are poor and whose poverty is confused with “neglect,” runs so deep that Montana now has a dubious distinction: It is the child removal capital of America. Montana is tearing apart families more often than any other state — a rate nearly triple the national average.

More >> Montana’s dubious distinction: Child removal capital of America

Missing person alert issued for teenagers taken from Billings foster home

Police are looking for two teenage girls who were taken from a foster home by their mother, who does not have custody.

A Missing Endangered Person Advisory was issued at about 5:45 p.m. for 15-year-old Susanna Gibson and 13-year-old Kadance Spencer. Their mother, Tiannia Pantalion, may be on drugs, according to police. The girls are believed to be in danger.

More >> Missing person alert issued for teenagers taken from Billings foster home