Poppy seeds trigger child abuse case against WNY mom

“A doctor came into my room, that was the first time a doctor had come to my room and said, 'Just so you know, you failed your drug test, is there anything you took?'” Silakowski recounted.

More >> Poppy seeds trigger child abuse case against WNY mom

Woman sentenced in adoption scheme

A judge has sentenced a Woodworth woman to more than four years in prison for promising to help people with adoptions.

Betty Jo Krenz took money from an Oregon couple, but never followed through with the adoption. Krenz entered guilty pleas to misdemeanor and felony theft while a third charge of misuse of identifying information was dismissed.

More >> Woman sentenced in adoption scheme

Criminal Trial of Former Foster Care Provider Mary Holden Ayala Begins in Federal Court

What is expected to be a two-week trial of Mary Holden Ayala, the former executive director of the now-defunct Portland foster care agency Give Us This Day, began Jan. 29 in U.S. District Court in Portland.

The first witness called by federal prosecutors: former Sen. Margaret Carter (D-Portland), a longtime Give Us This Day board member.

More >> Criminal Trial of Former Foster Care Provider Mary Holden Ayala Begins in Federal Court

Shelter runaways being pulled into human trafficking

The problems at Davenport Shelter began long before a 15-year-old girl was allegedly raped after running away from the state licensed housing facility for troubled girls on Detroit’s east side.

According to state records, The Department of Health and Human Services launched a number of special investigations into the shelter dating back to 2011.

More >> Shelter runaways being pulled into human trafficking

SC toddler returned to parents after judge finds no merit to abuse allegations

A young boy seized from his Johns Island home during a 2017 abuse investigation is back with his parents after a medical expert convinced a Charleston County judge the child’s multiple broken bones resulted from a case of rickets, according to attorneys for the family.

Rickets results from an extreme deficiency of vitamin D, which helps the body absorb calcium. It causes children to have soft, weak or deformed bones. And that’s what led to more than a dozen fractures throughout the boy’s infant body that sparked authorities’ suspicions and tore the family apart for nearly two years, their attorneys said.

More >> SC toddler returned to parents after judge finds no merit to abuse allegations

Trump administration defends efforts to identify and reunify separated children

The Trump administration defended its efforts to identify and reunify migrant children who had been separated from their undocumented parents along the US-Mexico border in a response to a court order filed Friday.

US District Judge Dana Sabraw had ordered the administration to respond to a Health and Human Services Department inspector general report as part of an ongoing family separation lawsuit, Ms. L et al. vs. Immigration and Customs Enforcement et al, by Friday.

More >> Trump administration defends efforts to identify and reunify separated children

Polk child welfare worker had over 165 files of child pornography, deputies say

A Polk County man arrested on charges of possession of child pornography in December 2018 received an additional 165 possession charges Thursday.

Officials from the Polk County Sheriff's Office arrested 28-year-old William Smith, of Bartow, on Dec. 21. Bartow is a former counselor at Youth and Family Alternatives, which contracts with the Florida Department of Children and Families.

More >> Polk child welfare worker had over 165 files of child pornography, deputies say

‘I promised I would never leave her side’: Saskatchewan parent fights for child to be returned from social services

Indigenous parents dealing with the child welfare system say the system is not helping them keep their families together.

Approximately 70 per cent of the children in Saskatchewan’s child welfare system are Indigenous.

More >> ‘I promised I would never leave her side’: Saskatchewan parent fights for child to be returned from social services

Social Media Impacts Divorce and Custody Cases

Most people keep their cell phones within reaching distance, and post on social media without thinking too carefully. It can be a very risky habit; sharing pictures, personal information, and other details is often done without considering possible aftereffects. As the popularity of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other platforms grow, a new field opened that focused on using social media posts as digital evidence. This information can be legally used to prove a spouse’s actions in court.

More >> Social Media Impacts Divorce and Custody Cases

PA auditor general to probe bureau handling child-abuse appeals

Calling it a “shadow justice system,” Pennsylvania’s auditor general said Thursday that his office will investigate a bureau within the state Department of Human Services tasked with hearing child abuse appeals and cases involving 280 other issues.

More >> PA auditor general to probe bureau handling child-abuse appeals

PAINFUL BOMBSHELL Ever since I was told that I was adopted, my life has fallen apart

I am 28 and two years ago I discovered my parents adopted me as a baby.

They later adopted my “brother” who is two years younger than me but we are not actually related either.

More >> PAINFUL BOMBSHELL Ever since I was told that I was adopted, my life has fallen apart

CBeebies to have Will Young read children 'bedtime story' about gay adoption as he says 'inclusivity must start at youngest age possible'

ill Young is due to read a story about same-sex parents on CBeebies, the BBC's children's channel, explaining that "inclusivity must start at youngest age possible"

The singer is due to appear on the channel's popular Bedtime Stories show, broadcast at 6.50pm every night, in order to mark LGBT history month.


More >> CBeebies to have Will Young read children 'bedtime story' about gay adoption as he says 'inclusivity must start at youngest age possible'

Adopted father charged with sexual assault after daughter is found in Wisconsin

A 14-year-old girl who disappeared from Tennessee more than two weeks ago has been found alive in Wisconsin and her father is now charged with rape, authorities said Thursday.

The girl is "doing fine," Sheriff Tommy Jones of Monroe County, Tennessee, said Thursday.

More >> Adopted father charged with sexual assault after daughter is found in Wisconsin

Fired Tacoma cops accused of telling woman to beat 9-year-old plead not guilty to assault

Two fired Tacoma police officers pleaded not guilty Friday to charges they told a Tacoma woman to beat her 9-year-old grandson with a belt.

Damion Birge and Jesse Jahner are both charged with third-degree child assault, coercion and official misconduct in Pierce County Superior Court.

More >> Fired Tacoma cops accused of telling woman to beat 9-year-old plead not guilty to assault

Maine father pardoned, cleared of wrongdoing after being accused of abusing infant son

A Maine father has been pardoned nearly five years after being accused of abusing his infant son.

Brandon Ross had said a medical condition called Ehlers-Danlos syndrome was the cause of his son's injuries. It is a genetic condition that causes bones to be abnormally susceptible to fractures.

More >> Maine father pardoned, cleared of wrongdoing after being accused of abusing infant son

Foster mom 'chained up teenage daughter for three days'

A Worcester mother found herself in the dock on two counts of child abuse on Thursday after she "disciplined" two teenage girls for creating "lust-inducing" Facebook pages.

The woman, a 52-year-old who lives with her biological daughter and 11 foster children, allegedly chained up her 16-year-old foster daughter for three days. The second child-abuse charge related to daily "hidings" the woman allegedly inflicted on her 15-year-old biological daughter.

More >> Foster mom 'chained up teenage daughter for three days'

Governor Backs DCYF Director After No Confidence Vote

A spokesperson for Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo says the governor has "full confidence" in the director of the Department of Children, Youth and Families after union workers issued a vote of no confidence.

Union president Kathy McElroy previously said the group voted overwhelmingly against DCYF Director Trista Piccola Wednesday, citing staffing issues and the recent death of a 9-year-old girl.

More >> Governor Backs DCYF Director After No Confidence Vote

DCF former employee sentenced for possession of child pornography

A former employee of the Department of Children and Families has been sentenced for possessing child pornography.

More >> DCF former employee sentenced for possession of child pornography

Mom pepper-sprayed caseworker to abduct daughter, Indio police say

A woman who police say abducted her teenage daughter from an Indio mental health facility and pepper-sprayed a caseworker was at large.

Police said they believe Latasha Dove could be traveling to the Long Beach or Los Angeles area. Both Dove and the girl are from Long Beach, police said.

More >> Mom pepper-sprayed caseworker to abduct daughter, Indio police say

Big brother, big nurse: Why Oregon should not impose mandatory gov’t visits on newborns and parents

Maligning “big government” is popular, true, but it is not the size of government that actually causes the worst problems. The inefficiency of “big government” pales in comparison to the damage done by the personal corruption of politicians and bureaucrats. This is what really makes government power matter, because the more power government has, the worse abuse of that power will be. And while the effects of politicians’ corruption may diminish if they lose re-election, unelected bureaucrats are often virtually “unfireable.”

These are points to ponder as Oregon considers establishing home visits by nurses where newborns (or new adoptees) reside.

More >> Big brother, big nurse: Why Oregon should not impose mandatory gov’t visits on newborns and parents

The mother imprisoned for child abuse she didn't commit

Many women who are the breadwinners in their families face a choice: skip work, or face jail if anything happens to your child in someone else’s care

More >>  The mother imprisoned for child abuse she didn't commit

Federal judge dismisses child protection lawsuit

Dwight Mitchell filed suit after two of his three children were temporarily removed from his custody by Dakota County child protection workers in 2014, when he was living in Apple Valley. On Tuesday, a judge dismissed the suit.

Mitchell, who now lives in New Jersey, alleged, in part, that county workers discriminated against him because he is African-American. He later formed a racially diverse group of Minnesota parents who claimed county agencies illegally placed their children out of home. That group, called "Stop Child Protection Services from Legally Kidnapping," was added as a plaintiff.

More >>  Federal judge dismisses child protection lawsuit

Metro Detroit parents wrongly accused of child abuse by pediatrician have case dismissed

A family from Westland says when they noticed a mark on their newborn’s stomach, they took him to the doctor right away. But Allie and Jimmy Parker were stunned when a University of Michigan doctor accused them of abusing their baby.

More >> Metro Detroit parents wrongly accused of child abuse by pediatrician have case dismissed

Child Abuse Pediatricians: Are parents being wrongly accused?

They are called Child Abuse Pediatricians, and they say their mission is to protect children. However, local parents, attorneys and even some doctors say some of these specialists are tearing families apart.

The Parker family says they were emotionally and financially devastated after a false accusation of child abuse. Their lawyer says she’s had to fight against the same Child Abuse Pediatrician who accused the Parkers about 20 times, and they want to warn other families.

More >> Child Abuse Pediatricians: Are parents being wrongly accused?

Mother’s agonizing wait ends in SF: She’s reunited with baby taken from father by U.S. officials at border

A Honduran mother in San Francisco was reunited with her 17-month-old daughter on Tuesday night after spending a month desperately pleading with federal immigration authorities for the return of her baby who was separated from her father at the U.S.-Mexico border.

More >> Mother’s agonizing wait ends in SF: She’s reunited with baby taken from father by U.S. officials at border