Legally Kidnapped

Shattering Your Child Welfare Delusions Since 2007


Wednesday, April 30, 2008

DCF fires employee after arrest

DCF fires employee after arrest

A Department of Children and Families child abuse investigator was fired after an arrest on charges of drunken driving with her 3-year-old child in the car, authorities said Tuesday.

Jill Renee Kostiuk, 37, ran a red light over the weekend, colliding with a sport utility vehicle while her son was in the back seat, according to an arrest report. She was charged with child neglect and DUI, and on Monday was fired from DCF.

Note: I wonder if this babystealer thinks that she's being treated unfairly.

New Mexico police remove 4 children from church compound

New Mexico police remove 4 children from church compound

State police in northeastern New Mexico have removed four children from the compound of an apocalyptic church, whose leader claims to be the Messiah and acknowledges having sex with followers.

He alleges the children were kidnapped by the state.

Abused Children Dying Under Shroud of State Secrecy

Abused Children Dying Under Shroud of State Secrecy

The majority of U.S. states fail to release adequate information about fatal and life-threatening child abuse cases, adhering to misguided and secretive policies that place confidentiality above the welfare of children and prevent public scrutiny that would lead to systemic reforms, according to a report released today by First Star and the University of San Diego School of Law's Children's Advocacy Institute (CAI), two leading national child advocacy groups.

Jersey police investigating child abuse charge man, 68

Jersey police investigating child abuse charge man, 68

Detectives investigating allegations of child abuse on the island of Jersey yesterday charged a 68-year-old married man with rape, indecent assault and procuring an act of gross indecency. He is expected to appear before magistrates today.

Europe to examine family law secrecy

Europe to examine family law secrecy

A motion has been put to the Council of Europe calling for an investigation into the human rights of people involved in the family court system in England and Wales.

Liberal Democrat MP Paul Rowen, who is a member of the Council of Europe and its human rights committee, proposed the motion. It is supported by nine other Council of Europe members. The motion says: "The assembly notes that there is substantial concern that the secrecy of the family division of courts in England and Wales has caused the development of an environment in which practitioners are not properly accountable."...

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Dad protests treatment after unknowingly giving son lemonade with alcohol

Dad protests treatment after unknowingly giving son lemonade with alcohol

A University of Michigan professor says he had no idea he'd given his 7-year-old son alcoholic lemonade at a ball game, and is furious at child-protection officials for removing his son from the home.
----
No charges were filed against the father, who says it was a case of "massive overreaction."


Note: Give em hell Professor!

Mass. Social Services Blasted In U.S. Report

Mass. Social Services Blasted In U.S. Report

NewsCenter 5's Shiba Russell reported that the report, commissioned by the Children’s Advocacy Institute and First Star, graded disclosure practices and looked at whether the nation's child protection agencies are properly releasing critical information about child abuse cases.

Massachusetts received a grade of D minus

Note: I would have given them all an F.

ND Receives Failing Grade in Public Disclosure of Child Abuse Information

ND Receives Failing Grade in Public Disclosure of Child Abuse Information

Two national child advocacy groups say North Dakota does not adequately release information about life-threatening or fatal child abuse cases.

Man arrested in Jersey child abuse probe: police

Man arrested in Jersey child abuse probe: police

Police arrested a 68-year-old man Tuesday as part of a probe into allegations of child abuse on the Channel island of Jersey, a force spokesman said.

Vermont gets `F' for transparency on child abuse role

Vermont gets `F' for transparency on child abuse role

Vermont and nine other states get F's in a report examining how forthcoming states are in releasing information about their roles in cases of severe child abuse.

DCF investigator charged with DUI and child neglect

DCF investigator charged with DUI and child neglect

A Department of Children and Families investigator has been charged with DUI and child neglect.

A Florida Highway Patrol officer arrested Jill Kostiuk, 37, early Saturday morning after she allegedly ran a red light and caused an accident in Collier County.

Note: They gave this kid to the father. If she wasn't a worker, the kid would have ended up in foster care for something like this.

Fresno County investigates death of 4-month-old foster baby

Fresno County investigates death of 4-month-old foster baby

Fresno County officials are investigating the death of a 4-month-old boy who died in a Fresno foster home last week.

The county Coroner's Office said Justin Thomas Murrietta died April 20. An autopsy has not revealed a cause of death, and further tests are pending. But county child welfare officials say it appears that Justin died of sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS -- the sudden, unexplained death of an otherwise healthy infant.

Justin's natural parents, Bobbie Murrietta and Thomas Farray of Fresno, dispute the county's conclusions, however. They believe he was smothered by a pillow.

Report faults many states on child abuse policies

Report faults many states on child abuse policies

Many states often fail to release adequate information about fatal and near-fatal child abuse cases, placing confidentiality above disclosure to a degree that thwarts needed reforms, two child advocacy groups say in a new report.

Pa. welfare officials object to 'F' on child-abuse report

Pa. welfare officials object to 'F' on child-abuse report

Pennsylvania public welfare officials are disputing a national report that says the state fails to release adequate information about fatal and life-threatening cases of child abuse and neglect.

Asbestos found in Baltimore child welfare services building

Asbestos found in Baltimore child welfare services building

About 350 state employees and countless children visiting the child welfare services building in Baltimore may have been exposed to asbestos, found in the building over the weekend.

Monday, April 28, 2008

Child Protection and the Confucian Cycle

Child Protection and the Confucian Cycle

The media have made much of police removing some 460 children from an isolated Texas ranch. The authorities received a telephone call which purported to come from a 16 year old girl in the compound who said she had been forced to marry a 50 year old against her will. On April 8, Fox News reported:

Children's Protective Services (CPS) spokeswoman Marleigh Meisner said each child will get an advocate and an attorney. But she said they would have a tough time adjusting to modern life if they are permanently separated from their families. [emphasis added]

CAS

A Special Report on the Texas Foster Care System

A Special Report on the Texas Foster Care System

“They are everybody’s children, and nobody’s children. They are the forgotten children in the Texas foster care system. Some of them find homes with caring foster parents, or in treatment centers with experienced and caring providers. And some do not. Some foster children have been moved among 30, 40 or even more all-too-temporary “homes.” Some have been sexually, physically and emotionally abused while in the system; some have run away and joined the ranks of the missing. A few have even died at the hands of those entrusted with their care. This report gives these children something they need—a voice.”

Confusion on FLDS kids' status ongoing

Confusion on FLDS kids' status ongoing

Attorneys here continued to express frustration Sunday at the lack of information they are receiving about Fundamentalist LDS Church children placed into foster care facilities.

Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, which represents 48 FLDS mothers, has received reports of at least three children who are hospitalized, but say they've been unable to confirm the information and report back to worried parents at the YFZ Ranch.

Hard lemonade, hard price

Hard lemonade, hard price

Dad's oversight at Tigers game lands son in foster care

If you watch much television, you've probably heard of a product called Mike's Hard Lemonade.

Note: Still think it couldn't happen to you?

Foster Baby Burial: DFACs Hasn't Called Back

Foster Baby Burial: DFACs Hasn't Called Back

A baby's funeral is tomorrow, but his foster mother is still looking for answers tonight.

She tells News 3 the state suddenly took over the arrangements and the Division of Family and Child Services won't return her calls.

CHILD PROTECTION RACKET (The Big Game)



MONEY MONEY MONEY IT"S ALL ABOUT THE MONEY LADIES AND GENTLEMAN

Family Court Wants Your Children



Family courts need to be abolished. Do not let socialism into our families.

2 young FLDS boys unaccounted for

2 young FLDS boys unaccounted for

As children from the Fundamentalist LDS Church settled into new foster homes this weekend, the whereabouts of two young boys remains uncertain.

California’s high foster kid population offers opportunities for Christian families

California’s high foster kid population offers opportunities for Christian families

“I was seeing children coming into foster homes where they are supposed to be safe, but they were being re-abused, many of the homes were overcrowded and in particular, I was seeing children needing one-on-one time and not being able to get it because there were so many children in the home,” she said.

Some kids in hospital; moms push for answers

Some kids in hospital; moms push for answers

At least nine children taken from a polygamous sect's ranch are or have been in the hospital and attorneys for most of the mothers say they have received little or no information about their conditions.

Generation RX



Common Radius Films is a private documentary and media development company based in Vancouver, British Columbia. GENERATION RX marks the first film partnership between the company and international award-winning writer/producer/director Kevin P. Miller. This film explores how children have been caught in the middle of an unprecedented change in Western culture: that of drugging children with psychiatric medications earlier — and more often than ever before.

GENERATION RX has already garnered the support of some of the most respected names in Hollywood, including writer/director Paul Haggis, who won back-to-back Academy Awards for "Million Dollar Baby," and "Crash." GENERATION RX, Mr. Haggis said, "is a powerful and often chilling eye-opener. Weeks after viewing, the stories continue to haunt me."

GENERATION RX is scheduled for release in 2008.

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Child advocates say MDHS is broken

Child advocates say MDHS is broken

The very system that took one Adams County woman from the grips of child abuse is now in such shambles she’s turned her back on it.

Ex-Counselor Convicted Of Sex Charge At Center Of Another Claim

Ex-Counselor Convicted Of Sex Charge At Center Of Another Claim

A former counselor with the Florida Department of Children and Families already serving time in prison for molesting a young boy is at the center of a lawsuit by one of his alleged victims.

The Family Under Attack - Does the State Own YOUR Children?

The Family Under Attack - Does the State Own YOUR Children?

Why the ongoing imprisonment of FLDS (Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) children in Texas should serve as a warning to every family in America.

Note: Because the mom's did nothing wrong.

Child welfare bureau complaints up 36%

Child welfare bureau complaints up 36%

The agency charged with keeping abused and neglected children in Milwaukee County safe is failing to meet the needs of their parents with mental health issues that could put children at greater risk, according to a report by the Office of the Milwaukee Ombudsman for Child Welfare.

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Teen who alleges being raped in foster home speaks out

“Why a are you stepping forward now and talking about this?” News Eight asked. “Because I'm ready for it, “ said the woman identified as Crystal. 19-year old Crystal is ready to break her silence about a secret she carried for years. “I don’t exactly remember how everything started. I just remember I was 13 or 14,” said Crystal.

Bill to pay DCF settlement to couple who adopted sexually abused boys fails

Bill to pay DCF settlement to couple who adopted sexually abused boys fails

That has been Debbie and Jorge's life since 1998, when they adopted the boys without knowing they had been abused for years in state foster care. Both gave up their chosen careers to raise their severely troubled sons, who have set fires in their home and have hidden knives outside their bedroom windows.

Friday, April 25, 2008

Foster Mom Sentenced For Child's Death

A foster mother who killed a handicapped was sentenced to life in prison without any hope of parole.

Raw Video: Sect Mom Makes 'SOS' Plea



An adult member of the West Texas polygamist sect held a sign out of a chartered bus that reads 'SOS Mothers Separated Help.' It comes after more than 400 children taken from the compound were sent to group homes and foster care facilities. (April 24)

Mothers shout 'Help!' as they're bused off

Mothers shout 'Help!' as they're bused off

As the big charter bus pulled away from here, the women threw open the dark-tinted windows and shouted: "Help!"
One woman held out a makeshift sign reading: "SOS Mothers separated Help."

CPS Causes Horrendous Stress and TRAUMA, and Americans Should PAY for Harming Families This Way

CPS Causes Horrendous Stress and TRAUMA, and Americans Should PAY for Harming Families This Way

I was reading through the comments this morning and noticed Cheryl wrote, “The stress that CPS has caused us is insurmountable.”

Precious child



This is a video of our son and how we were destroyd by cps involving the loss of our son

DCFS/CPS IS CORRUPT



DCFS/CPS is corrupt and needs to be stopped. Please, watch my video.

Save Families and Change The World



DCFS advertises nothing but adoption and public assistance for the foster families. Some are wealthy and get food stamps for our kids. Rarely have I ever actually seen it spent on the kids. My children always had marks, were ill and never dressed appropriately for the weather. You can easily tell the difference between the photos of when I had my kids and when they were in foster care. No baby should ever have a black eye. No baby should ever have to wear clothes size 7 when they're barely one. No baby should ever be sick seven months out of the year. Every baby should get medical attention when they need it. No baby should ever have to wear shoes that don't fit right, especially without socks, just because they are cheaper. Help me fight. I'm writing a book exposing DCFS as corrupt and expressing the need for DCFS to open an internal affairs department so things can be looked at from a third party perspective. If cops have to do it, so should DCFS! Help me convince a publisher that the people want to know the specifics and want my book to come out. Subscribe, rate, tell all your friends all about my mission to change things.

Foster Parent Faces 58 Sex Abuse Charges

Foster Parent Faces 58 Sex Abuse Charges

Charles Sparks, 60, was arrested Thursday on charges of child molesting, child seduction and sexual misconduct with a minor.

Protecting our most vulnerable children

Protecting our most vulnerable children

AS a nation, it is time we harnessed the determination and generosity embodied in the Anzac spirit to overcome one of our most intractable problems - child protection. The shameful figures speak for themselves. Last year, 58,563 incidences of child neglect and physical, sexual and emotional abuse were substantiated across Australia. This was more than twice the number in 2000. The number of children in out-of-home care has doubled to 28,441 since 1996. Two-thirds of them are younger than 10, with the biggest group four and younger. Sadly, such problems tend to carry into adult life, sometimes even setting up intergenerational cycles of abuse.
In light of the states' repeated failures to come to grips with the issue, The Weekend Australian welcomes the Rudd Government's move to take a lead. The aims are earlier intervention and prevention, and they make sense.

Hidden epidemic of 33,000 ADHD children

Hidden epidemic of 33,000 ADHD children

A report by the health watchdog NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS) said that at least 7,000 children with the most severe form of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were currently undiagnosed and could benefit from drug treatADVERTISEMENTment.

Note: Quite frankly, this is bullshit.

Foster care provider charged with raping child in his care

Foster care provider charged with raping child in his care

Shocking allegations involving a foster care parent, accused of raping a child in his care.

Away From Home

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/index.php?cl=7541618

Interesting video on the FLDS Case.

A Former Foster Child Finally Finds His Forever Home

Ex-con charged with killing his foster family

When Vennis McCall got out of prison in February, he stayed with a family that had taken him in as a child -- the family of Allen McCullough Jr.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

German CPS responsible for another death



The German CPS is responsible for another child death. It is no different no matter what country you go to, Children are stolen and sold for profit. This family was torn apart, and for what reason?? because they put them on drugs... thought they had psychological issues? No, they didn't until their good 'ol government stepped in. Now they're children are strangers are their oldest is dead!

DCF Files Lawsuit to Avoid Paying Settlement to Molestation Victim

DCF Files Lawsuit to Avoid Paying Settlement to Molestation Victim

The Florida Department of Children and Families has filed a lawsuit to avoid paying a settlement of more than $600,000 to a 12-year old girl.

The girl was awarded that money more than a year ago after a jury convicted a Child Protective Investigator of sexually molesting her in 2000 when she was 5-years old. It happened when she was being transported to an emergency shelter.

FLDS Spokesman: Foster Homes Inadequate

Two Foster Mothers Accused of Killing Children Under Their Care

Two Foster Mothers Accused of Killing Children Under Their Care

A woman accused in the beating death of a 23-month-old foster child under her care must stand trial on murder and assault charges, a judge ruled Wednesday.
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A young woman accused of fatally bludgeoning her 4-year-old foster daughter must stand trial on murder and assault charges, a judge ruled Wednesday.

The Dangers of Foster Care

Due to the FLDS Polygamy case in Texas, Child Protective Services and the Foster Care System has been getting a lot of attention these days. There has been a lot of debate surrounding this particular case. Did they do the right thing in removing all 416 kids, or did they screw up? Let’s look at some of the facts about foster care.

Children in foster care are more likely to be abused then they are in their own homes.

What do the names Dontell Jeffers, Marcus Feisel, Logan Marr, and Cheyenne Delp all have in common? They were four foster children who were murdered at the hands of their foster parents. You can do a Google search on any of these names and you will find lots of information about them.

Foster care is often seen as a safety net for abused and neglected children by those who are ignorant of the realities. Most of these cases are hidden from public scrutiny due to confidentiality laws which are claimed to help keep the kids safe. However anybody who has ever dealt with the system would argue otherwise. The fact is that children are no better or safer in foster care then they are in an abusive home. This is not saying that there aren’t any good foster homes or foster parents, on the contrary. Many people go into it with nothing but the best of intentions. They want to make life better for abused and neglected children and some of them do. The problem is that foster children experience multiple placements throughout their childhoods, some living in as many as forty different homes. This increases the likelihood that they will be abused, especially when they get a foster parent who couldn’t care less, and they are out there. Many of them simply do it for the money.

Many foster parents, who have their own biological children play favorites. This does not provide a welcoming environment for a child who recently had their lives ripped out from under them.

Also, foster children are often abused by other foster children in the home. Some are beaten up, others are sexually abused. Although there are a few stories of such things happening making the news reports, they are few and far between because of confidentiality laws.

Children are bounced around from home to home, school to school.

It is not uncommon for a foster child to be placed in several different homes throughout their childhood. Because of shortages of good foster homes, some are moved far from home. Children are ripped from all that they know, family, friends, their schools; their belongings are taken from them. Many show up on the doorstep of a foster home with nothing but a trash bag full of personal belongings. This can have a profound effect on a child who desperately needs stability in order to grow, thrive and function in the world we live in.

Although their claim is to find permanent placements, that is much easier said then done. First of all, federal regulations give the real parents time and opportunities to fix their situations, although it is not always possible to return the children to a safe home, it is always the first goal. If that is not possible the parent’s rights are terminated in family court and the child is put up for adoption. However nobody wants to take in a child with special needs. Nobody wants to adopt an older child. And many children just flat out don’t want to be adopted so they act out to prevent it.

Many children in the system are flat out considered unadoptable. Also, foster parents often can't handle some of the children who come into their homes. So the trend has been to put them someplace else. They end up in another new school. They end up living with another set of strangers. Any friends that they have made are gone. Any contacts that they have had with their families are cut off.

Foster children are often heavily medicated.

Children in foster care come with a whole host of mental issues and behavioral problems. Many of these issues are caused by the abuse or neglect that they suffered in their own homes, while many more are caused by being in foster care. In fact, many children end up in foster care not because they were abused or neglected, but because some social worker showed up at their door and decided that the parents couldn’t handle a child with such special needs. Children who are bounced around from home to home tend to develop attachment disorders. Children who have their lives ripped out from under them tend to get angry and act out.

The simple answer to this is to medicate them. It is much easier then actually dealing with the root of the problems of foster children. Children in foster care are medicated with powerful psychiatric drugs for everything from ADHD to depression often whether they need them or not.

Children who age out of the system at age 18 are often not ready to be out on their own.

As soon as a child turns 18, the state is no longer responsible for them. They are often put out on their own ready or not.

At any given time, there are 75 million children under age 18 in the United States. At any given time, there are approximately half a million children under the age of 18 in foster care, yet according to a study from Brown University, adults who have spent time in foster care as a child make up 23% of the homeless population in the United States. Why is it that such a large segment of the homeless population comes from such a small segment of the population? And that’s just one outcome.

Former foster children are much more likely then non-foster children to be incarcerated, use drugs, be unemployed and girls are more likely to become pregnant at a young age.

Fortunately often times there are cases where another family member such as an aunt or a grandparent are able to take in and care for foster children. However, I have spoken to several grandparents who would love nothing more then the opportunity to raise their grandchildren. Although the claim is that when a child is removed from their home, the first choice would be to look for a relative to take them in, they simply don’t do that. In fact, many grandparents have reported having all contact cut off with their grandchildren regardless of the fact that they have done nothing wrong.

All in all, the foster care system is no better for a child then an abusive home. Often times it's much worse.

Abuse victim: Key to stopping abuse starts with telling your story

Abuse victim: Key to stopping abuse starts with telling your story

Sunday came around and her foster mother heaped more pancakes on her plate than she could ever eat. When she stopped eating and started vomiting the pancakes, her foster mother would force-feed her the vomit.
That's abuse. That's a memory.

Annie was the youngest of nine children. Her mother divorced her alcoholic father before Annie was born. Taken away from her uneducated welfare mother at a young age, Annie suffered emotional and physical abuse at the hands of a foster mother and sexual abuse by a foster father.

When her real mother found her at the foster home, Annie was covered from head to toe with bruises.

"I had enough bruises on me that she was able to get me out of there," Annie recalls. It was the second foster mother who made pancake Sundays so horrible.

Foster Mom Receives Life In Prison

Foster Mom Receives Life In Prison

Sherri Mathis was convicted on March 4 in the death of 6-year-old Cheyenne Delp.

"There was justice for Cheyenne today and that is what I promised my baby, justice. She got it today," said Cheyenne Delp's mother, Roxanne Haga.

Witness: Evidence Of Abuse On Foster Child

Witness: Evidence Of Abuse On Foster Child

Prosecutors allege that Dania Haros, 23, of Oceanside beat Angelina Espalin to death in November 2006. Haros has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and assault on a child causing death. Her preliminary hearing got under way Wednesday.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Legislation to Crack Down on Fraud, Child Abuse in Troubled Teen Programs to Be Introduced Tomorrow

Legislation to Crack Down on Fraud, Child Abuse in Troubled Teen Programs to Be Introduced Tomorrow

Rep. George Miller (D-CA) will introduce legislation tomorrow, aimed at reining in the billion dollar "troubled teen" industry, which, according to the New York Times, detained about 100,000 children and adolescents as of 2005-- a number which had quadrupled in 10 years.

Hearing Scheduled for Woman Accused of Killing Special-Needs Child

Hearing Scheduled for Woman Accused of Killing Special-Needs Child

A preliminary hearing is scheduled Wednesday for a foster mother accused in the beating death of a toddler under her care last year.

Appeals Court Rules Fort Bend Woman's Suit Against Texas CPS Can Proceed

Appeals Court Rules Fort Bend Woman's Suit Against Texas CPS Can Proceed

A Fort Bend County woman, whose 13 children were taken from her over a weekend in February 2000 by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, has won the right to proceed with a lawsuit against the department.

Carey Man Accused of Raping Foster Child

Carey Man Accused of Raping Foster Child

A 20-year-old Carey man has been charged with rape for allegedly having sex with a 13-year-old girl who at the time was in foster care with the man's parents.

Attorney: CPS Wrongfully Removed Kids From Home

Attorney: CPS Wrongfully Removed Kids From Home

An attorney for a Garland family says Child Protective Services wrongfully took two children from their parent's home.

More than two weeks ago, Zoe and Chris Arriaga were taken into foster care. While in the foster home, Zoe died.

Children and Social Services



A teenage mother from Nottingham who was reunited with her newborn baby by a judge will face a social services application to take the boy away again.

The baby was born to the 18-year-old, who has just left local authority care, in a hospital early on Wednesday.

A High Court judge ruled the boy was taken without a court order.

Solicitor Stuart Luke said the mother, who has mental health problems, would oppose any move to take away her son.

The boy returned to his mother - who was taken into care after running away from home and started taking drugs - about nine hours after being taken by social services staff.

Source BBC The Best News Channel in the World

Forced Adoption - UK selling children for money



Who can help you? Call IAN JOSEPHS
This is the Gentleman who can help you for free, if you're facing a forced adoption in the UK (his website has been "live" for 4 years).
HELPLINE Telephone = 00 33 626 87 56 84
His email = ian@monaco.mc
Website = http://www.forced-adoption.com


For goodness sake, reach out for help, this is too big and too important not to have everyone on side. Together we can do this!

The British government gives millions to local authorities who adopt the most children. A Bonus.

Parents are having children "adopted" for financial reasons. This is unethical and immoral - it amounts to selling children.

Music is Kelly Clarkson - Low.

HELP THEM - Pensioner jailed 2 years - writing to Grandson



A Pensioner couple have been given jail sentences for getting in touch with their grandson. A 71 year old man, Charles Taylor, was jailed for 20 months during a private hearing, held without a jury. The grandmother was given a 2 year suspended sentence from the secret courts.
John Hemming, MP for Birmingham, Liberal Democrat is raising awareness of their sentences.
http://www.fassit.co.uk/grandmother_p ...

Ask your MP to Sign EDM 529!!!
http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDet ...
The EDM asks that the Home Secretary releases Charles Taylor immediately.

Petitions to help us
http://www.fassit.co.uk/petitions_fas ...
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/secrecyfam ... and
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/thefamily/

If CAFCASS are hurting you, write to your MP, you can tell your MP anything, AND show them your court documents.

Finally, help support the grandparents, by leaving comments on YouTube.

Can you leave comments and ratings, so that others will pick up this "gagged" story.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Ohio jury begins deliberations in child abuse case

Ohio jury begins deliberations in child abuse case

A jury in southwest Ohio has begun deliberations in the trial of a man accused of hitting his five adopted children with belts and sticks and duct-tapping one of the boys to a chair for days without food or drink.

Gates' CPS suit continues

Gates' CPS suit continues

Gates has accused the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, which oversees CPS, of violating his constitutional rights against unlawful search and seizure by taking custody of his 13 children without a warrant on a Friday in February 2000.

Texas harming FLDS children, Utah group says

Texas harming FLDS children, Utah group says

Texas authorities' attempts to save children from being abused at the YFZ Ranch are doing much more harm than good for the 437 children they removed from the FLDS Church property, a Utah child welfare advocacy group said Monday.

A byproduct of actions by child protective services in Texas is exposing children to a special kind of trauma, fear and mistrust that they are likely to have not known were it not for the raid at the compound, said Bonnie L. Peters, executive director of The Family Support Center

Jersey child abuse probe finds bone and teeth

Jersey child abuse probe finds bone and teeth

Police in Jersey have found more bone fragments and two “milk teeth” from a child or children during excavations at a former children’s home at the centre of a child abuse investigation.

Girl Who Survived Abuse Dies Of Accid. Overdose

Girl Who Survived Abuse Dies Of Accid. Overdose

A Red Wing girl who survived a brutal assault by her father three years ago, only to die earlier this year at a foster home, died of an accidental drug overdose following a tonsillectomy, officials said.
Anybody voting today, please remember that Clinton sighed the Adoption and Safe Families act into law.

Monday, April 21, 2008

Ut Oh! Look at the wording people.

Rescued Children From Polygamous Sect To Be Placed In Foster Homes Soon

On Monday state officials will be collecting DNA samples from the 400 children rescued from a polygamous sect to determine their parentage and any possible abuse. The results will be know in three to four days.

Note: Rescued Children? Legally Kidnapped by the Child Protective and Kidnapping Industry they mean. Just them saying that somebody is guilty is all the evidence one should need to know that something deceptive might be going on. Just more propaganda making the workers appear to be the hero's.

Oakland pimps prey on youth

Oakland pimps prey on youth

A 2007 survey of Oakland youth being assisted by the Sexually and Commercially Exploited Youth Program found 88 percent of the youngsters had run away from home, and 53 percent came from foster care group homes. Three-quarters of them had been raped, and 48 percent had been physically abused growing up.

Baby snatching by Arlington County

Baby snatching by Arlington County

There’s an empty highchair sitting in the kitchen of the Arlington home of Nancy Hey and Christopher Slitor. It’s their daughter Sabrina’s highchair. But it’s been empty for two years because thieves disguised as Arlington County social workers and judges took her from her parents. She was stolen with no public scrutiny or accountability. Arlington County social workers used unproven allegations of neglect in April 2005 to justify removing then-3-week-old Sabrina from her parent’s home. Her parents were accused - anonymously - of starving Sabrina. And they were deemed unable to care properly for their daughter, even with the frequent help of Nancy Hey’s mother and a full-time nanny. After more than two years of legal wrangling with the county’s Child Protective Services (CPS), Arlington Circuit Court Judge James Almand terminated the couple’s parental rights in June 2007.

'Hoax' cry for help, hundreds of children in custody . . . chaos rules at sect trial

'Hoax' cry for help, hundreds of children in custody . . . chaos rules at sect trial

The arrest of a Colorado woman for allegedly impersonating an abused girl has cast doubt on the tip-off that led to a massive police raid on a polygamist compound in Texas.

One key - and rare - ingredient in child welfare

One key - and rare - ingredient in child welfare

AS EVERY front-line human services provider knows all too well, it will take something far simpler - yet far more elusive - to "fix the child welfare system" than Marylou Sudders and Maureen Flatley's well-intentioned platitudes (Op-ed, April 18) or "bold statements" from the newly appointed child advocate. It will take money.

Note: Give them more! Isn't that what child abuse propaganda month is all about?

Some child welfare agencies hiding behind accreditation

Some child welfare agencies hiding behind accreditation

The headlines out of Kentucky paint a frightening picture of an agency in chaos. The state's largest child advocacy organization charges that children have been torn needlessly from their families and rushed into "quick-trigger" adoptions, so the state can collect bounties from the federal government.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Dead toddler's caregivers arrested

Dead toddler's caregivers arrested

The caregivers of a south Auckland toddler who died in suspicious circumstances have been arrested.

A search of their Drury home has led to drug and firearms charges, and the couple, aged late 30s, will appear in the Papakura District Court on Monday morning.

Child Kidnapping Services

Child Kidnapping Services

Judge Walther has ruled — and wasn’t the suspense terrific? — that the 416 abducted FLDS children will remain in "temporary" state custody.

This, despite the fact (as explained below), that the abuse report that provided the pretext for the raid was contrived. This, despite the admission, under oath, of Bruce Perry of the ChildTrauma Academy — an "expert" witness on behalf of the state — that the foster care system "would be destructive to these kids."

Money for brain-injured girl advances

Money for brain-injured girl advances

Marissa Amora, who suffered permanent brain damage as a 2-year-old in her Lake Worth home because of negligence by the Department of Children and Families, is closer to collecting a $26.7 million judgment against the agency - but is still so far away.

No criminal charges to come for fired DCF supervisor

No criminal charges to come for fired DCF supervisor

Required reviews were never performed on dozens of investigations of abuse and neglect involving the elderly and other vulnerable adults, according to an Inspector General report released this week.

Advocates take Oklahoma foster care to U.S. court

Advocates take Oklahoma foster care to U.S. court

From age 4, when she was taken from a drug-using mother, until she turned 18 last year and left the foster care system, Sasha Gray moved a total of 42 times. There were emergency shelters, foster homes, group homes, a brief trial with her mother, short stays in psychiatric care because of defiant behavior.

DSS: Services lower foster-care need

DSS: Services lower foster-care need

State to separate sect moms, kids

State to separate sect moms, kids

The adult mothers of a polygamist sect who have been staying with their small children in state shelters will have to leave them behind as early as Monday

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Colorado woman is 'person of interest' in polygamist case

Colorado woman is 'person of interest' in polygamist case

A Colorado woman is being pursued as a "person of interest" in connection with phone calls that triggered the raid of a Texas polygamist ranch, authorities said Friday.

It's Almost Tuesday

It's Almost Tuesday

“Its Almost Tuesday” is what I tell myself; even though it’s only Wednesday; but in foster care, Wednesday is no different from any other day – except for Tuesday. It’s the only hope I can find because Tuesday is the day I get to see my Mommy.

Note: This is a fabulous blog. I'm really surprised I haven't found this before.

It's Almost Tuesday

Friday, April 18, 2008

Former foster parent pleads guilty to child abuse

Former foster parent pleads guilty to child abuse

A former Jasper County foster parent pleaded guilty Friday to abusing a 3-year-old boy left in his charge by the state two years ago.

CPS Employee Arrested On Sexual Battery Charges

CPS Employee Arrested On Sexual Battery Charges

Fairfield resident David Ray Kirby, 58, was arrested on April 17 on charges of indecent exposure, sexual battery, annoying a child under 18 and preventing a victim from reporting a crime. Kirby is a Solano County employee who reportedly worked for CPS for 10 years.

Police to interview dead toddler's foster family again

Police to interview dead toddler's foster family again

Police are expected to go back to Dylan Rimoni's foster family today and interview them again about how the Papakura toddler received the "unexplained head injuries" that killed him.

Judge rules state will retain custody of FLDS children

Judge rules state will retain custody of FLDS children

The judge says: "This is the hardest, toughest decision a judge makes every day," she said. "It's no easy decision to rip families apart. There is no easy way to do this."

Note: Uh huh.

Now why would anybody want to do that?

Man indicted; allegedly threatened caseworker

County Assistant Prosecutor Gwen Howe-Gebers said Mr. Warnament is accused of retaliating against Monica Gazarek, a caseworker in the children services unit who was involved in a matter with his child. The indictment also accuses him of threatening to hurt her father.

B.C. mum on child welfare: advocate

B.C. mum on child welfare: advocate

The B.C. government should be giving the public far more information about the deaths and injuries of children in its care, Children's Representative Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond says.

CPS: Children removed from moms to get at truth

CPS: Children removed from moms to get at truth

"There was some sadness among the children," Meisner said at a briefing. "We explained to the children that we really believe that families should be together if at all possible, but unfortunately, sometimes that’s not possible."

Note: How cold!

CPS is a facade to 'protect', functions to human traffick for federal funds

CPS is a facade to 'protect', functions to human traffick for federal funds

What can be done to stop the madness of our children being harmed and families being destroyed, by a government agency, Child Protection Service, which claims to “PROTECT CHILDREN” and “PRESERVE FAMILIES? Our government will not acknowledge, listen, or act, upon the tragic harm they cause. With black and white evidence of what harm and destruction they are causing, they are not concerned. The lives and voices of children go unheard.

Mother Outraged Over Alleged School Bus Discipline

Mother Outraged Over Alleged School Bus Discipline

A Southern Kentucky mother is furious after she says her son was forced by a bus driver to walk behind the bus on the way to elementary school.

Eldorado Yearning For Zion women experience the most feared words ever spoken: ‘Your children are ours,’ CPS

Eldorado Yearning For Zion women experience the most feared words ever spoken: ‘Your children are ours,’ CPS

“The death penalty of family law cases.” This is how the events unfolding for 416 children and their now-separated mothers were described as the State of Texas and Child Protective Services (CPS) mount their largest single attack ever on families. After being forcibly removed from their homes at gunpoint and then through deceit and lies separated from their children, these crying and now-untrusting mothers deprived of any parting contact with their children were given the choice—go to a women’s shelter or go back to your homes. “Your children are ours,” said CPS.

Fearfully, these distressed mothers are not alone in their harrowing experience. After working with 300 cases in Georgia alone, State Senator Nancy Schaefer filed a report, concluding: “I believe Child Protective Services nationwide has become corrupt and that the entire system is broken almost beyond repair. I am convinced parents and families should be warned of the dangers. … It obliterates families and children simply because it has the power to do so.”

FOLLOW UP: 12-year-old put in foster care after getting drunk

FOLLOW UP: 12-year-old put in foster care after getting drunk

A 12-year-old girl who got drunk at her friends house is now in foster care.

Note: How this is the mom's fault is beyond me.

Judge: Now...what I want you to do between now and then, and it's
gonna be up to you...

Mother: It doesn't matter what you want me to do. I did everything
they want regardless anyways...and I still end up here...no matter
how hard I try...(unintelligable).

Judge: That changes the decision a little bit

Police inquiry after foster child's death

Police inquiry after foster child's death

Police are investigating the death of a south Auckland toddler who sustained unexplained head injuries while in the care of his foster parents.

Police spokeswoman Angeline Barlow said the death of three-year-old Papakura toddler Dylan Hohepa Tonga Rimoni was being treated as suspicious.

Sign the Petition for FLDS

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/free-the-innocent-flds

Thursday, April 17, 2008

House Passes Courtney Resolution Declaring April 2008: National Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Awareness Month

House Passes Courtney Resolution Declaring April 2008: National Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Awareness Month

Today, the House of Representatives by a vote of 410 – 0 passed U.S. Representative Joe Courtney’s House Resolution 1097, expressing support for the designation of the month of April 2008, as National Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Awareness Month.

Court: Make foster names public

Court: Make foster names public

Names and addresses of foster care parents, sought by the Enquirer after the August 2006 murder of 3-year-old Marcus Fiesel, must be released to the newspaper, a unanimous Ohio Supreme Court ruled today.

The ruling came despite a new state law passed in February that will bar public access to foster home details. However, that law doesn’t become effective until May 14.

Like we didn't see this coming

Hearing for children at polygamist retreat grinds to a halt

A court hearing to decide the fates of hundreds of children seized from a polygamist retreat ground to a halt almost as soon as it began Thursday as hundreds of lawyers demanded to study the first piece of evidence before it could be introduced.

PBS FRONTLINE: "Medicating Kids" (2001)



In "Medicating Kids," FRONTLINE examines the dramatic increase in the prescription of behavior-modifying drugs for children. Are these ... all » medications really necessary--and safe--for young children, or merely a harried nation's quick fix for annoying, yet age-appropriate, behavior?

View FRONTLINE's second look at this issue with "The Medicated Child," aired in January 2008:

Dispute on Treatment of Children After Raid

Dispute on Treatment of Children After Raid

A spokesman for the State Department of Family and Protective Services said Wednesday that the children, most of whom are now at the San Angelo Coliseum, a midsize multipurpose arena, were doing well, eating good food and happily playing ball on a local football field under adult supervision.

Some mothers, however, painted a different picture. Separated from their offspring on Monday so that the older children could be questioned about abuse that may have occurred at the compound, the mothers said their children, who had previously been held inside an old military facility called Fort Concho, had wanted only to go home. Colds and a wave of chickenpox had swept through the fort’s close quarters, they said.

“Life at Fort Concho was very much like a concentration camp,” said one mother, a woman who gave only a first name, Amy, in speaking with a reporter.

Audit finds sex offenders at Calif. child care facilities

Audit finds sex offenders at Calif. child care facilities

The state social services agency on Wednesday was moving to shut down nine homes used for child daycare and foster care after an audit found registered sex offenders living there in violation of state law.

Uncertain Future for Polygamy Kids

Uncertain Future for Polygamy Kids

It was like a kid's worst nightmare: Police with automatic weapons descended, strangers swept children off to a cold, crowded shelter, chicken pox broke out, and then their moms were hauled away.
----
But child welfare experts fear the state's actions may be worse than whatever might have gone on at the ranch.

"What Texas has done is barbaric," said Richard Wexler, executive director of the National Coalition for Child Protection Reform. "The worst thing you can do to these children is separate them from their mothers."

"Taking a child away is tantamount to pouring salt in an open wound, so basically the position of the Texas Department of Child Protective Services is 'Pass the salt,'" he told ABCNEWS.com.

A Quote from an Anonymous Foster Parent

"Usually the case workers I dealt with never even met the children I had, nevermind knew them well. Home visits? Never heard of them. I'd be lucky if they returned my calls."

From a comment left here.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Former Yukon foster child admits abusing boy in decades-old case

Former Yukon foster child admits abusing boy in decades-old case

A Yukon woman who was raised in government group homes admitted in court Tuesday that she physically and sexually abused another foster child nearly 30 years ago, but claimed she herself was a victim of abuse.

Former child welfare spokesman indicted on child porn charge

Former child welfare spokesman indicted on child porn charge

A federal grand jury has formally charged a former spokesman for Florida's child welfare agency with producing child pornography.

A Comment

Just got a comment that makes a really good point about the Texas FLDS case. I decided to post it here to make sure it wasn't missed.


Instead of investigating each individual alleged case as they would normally do, the government instead decided it was their right to take away everyone's child. This might sound OK if it doesn't apply to you but it's a horrifying event and a very dangeruos precedent. This has never been done before in the US. If it were happening in another country then we'd be outraged. Here in the US many are pointing fingers at the FLDS because they're "weird". Instead of removing the children en-masse, they should have done this properly and investigated each case. At worst, each accused man could have been arrested. In case you don't know it, in almost all cases of accused molestation, children are not immediately removed from the situation. This is because nothing has been proven. Only in the case of "weird" religious nuts does the government make wild accusations like this. Why? Because they're different. Just wait until the Texas Govt. decides that you're a bit too weird as well.

Original Comment Here
"A judge is a law student who marks his own examination papers."
H. L. Mencken

Foster mom pleads in child abuse case

Foster mom pleads in child abuse case

A Fremont woman accused of using a back scratcher to beat teenagers she is the legal guardian for entered into a plea agreement Monday in Dodge County District Court.

Foster youth: 'Nothing about us without us'

Foster youth: 'Nothing about us without us'

A study of former foster youths in three Midwestern states

OK Foster Care Not OK, Lawsuit Seeks a Fix

OK Foster Care Not OK, Lawsuit Seeks a Fix

• Children are abused and neglected in DHS custody at a very high rate.
• DHS places children in unsafe homes and overcrowded, understaffed emergency shelters.
• DHS bounces children from one unstable foster placement to another.
• DHS workers have excessive caseloads and turnover.
• DHS has dangerous monitoring and oversight practices.
• DHS makes Insufficient efforts to develop and maintain an adequate pool of foster care placements.

City foster kid abuse leaps 57%

City foster kid abuse leaps 57%

ACS: Spike due to more children being put in care after '06 Nixzmary murder

The number of children being abused or neglected in foster care skyrocketed by at least 57% this year, an alarming jump raising concerns about the quality of the city's foster homes.

State review finds widespread violations in child abuse deaths

State review finds widespread violations in child abuse deaths

A Department of Human Services investigation into child deaths found caseworkers in several counties broke state laws, failed to investigate complaints and did not share findings with other agencies around the state.

Bleak Stories Follow a Lawsuit on Oklahoma Foster Care

Bleak Stories Follow a Lawsuit on Oklahoma Foster Care

From age 4, when she was taken from her drug-using mother, until she turned 18 last year and left the foster care system, Sasha Gray moved a total of 42 times. There were emergency shelters, foster homes, group homes, a brief trial with her mother and short stays in psychiatric care because of defiant behavior.

Note: But it gets even better.

Soldier Returns From Iraq Deployment To Fight For Family



Child Protective Services take two of a soldier's children from her ex-husband while she is in Iraq.

Quebec. Foster parent charged with abuse

Quebec. Foster parent charged with abuse

A foster parent hired by an agency is accused of abusing the children he was entrusted to protect. Clifford Zimmer, a foster parent with Batshaw Youth and Family Services since 1997, faces charges of sexually abusing three of five children in his care, plus a relative.
----
Foster parent charged

A foster parent hired by the agency is accused of abusing the very children he was entrusted to protect.

Note: They should charge a lot more.

Public needs ability to peek under shroud

Public needs ability to peek under shroud

In December 2004, Child Protective Services officials learned that one of their caseworkers helped an abusive father regain custody of his kids, then later reportedly ignored his oldest child's plea for help. By then, the caseworker had become the father's girlfriend.

So what, you ask, did the brass at CPS do about it? Nothing. In fact, while the father wound up pleading guilty to child abuse, the caseworker wound up getting promoted.

Social workers express sadness for Gozo child abuse

Social workers express sadness for Gozo child abuse

The Maltese Association of Social Workers (MASW) expressed sadness at the news about the apparent findings of the child abuse cases in Lourdes Home, Gozo, the prospect of closure facing the home and the effect this will have on the children who are living there. Deploring all cases of abuse, it added it would be only fair to acknowledge that over the years, Lourdes Home had provided care and protection to a number of children, and concrete and sustained support and respite to their families.

Polygamy sect in fury at child abuse claims

Polygamy sect in fury at child abuse claims

Mothers from a polygamy sect raided over allegations of child abuse show the strain yesterday as they blast authorities for separating them from their children.
----
POLYGAMIST RANCH

"We will never learn the full truth as long as there are adults who encourage a code of silence and stand over the children's shoulders coaching them," said Darrell Azar, a spokesman with the Department of Family and Protective Services.

--
Also on Tuesday, photos and video released by a sect spokesman showed authorities in body armor and with automatic weapons on the raid of the compound.






----
Polygamous mystery: Does allegedly abused teen bride 'Sarah' exist?

Thirteen days have passed since Texas authorities entered a polygamous sect's ranch in Eldorado and removed every child living there, but they still do not know if they have the 16-year-old whose calls for help moved them to act.

And there are questions about whether she really exists.
----
Polygamist Mothers Speak Out About Separation



Some mothers at a polygamist ranch in Texas say they were forced to leave their children after state officials took custody of them. Only mothers with young children have been able to stay with their kids.

Australian state parliament views child abuse cases

Australian state parliament views child abuse cases

A REPORT detailing the sexual abuse of children in state care over the past 40 years has been tabled before the South Australia state parliament.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Mom settles with psychiatric hospital over abuse of 6-year-old

Mom settles with psychiatric hospital over abuse of 6-year-old

The mother of a boy who was committed to the SandyPines psychiatric hospital at age 6 has settled a lawsuit alleging abuse at the center.

Workers at the center for emotionally disturbed children in Tequesta forced Isaiah White into full-body restraints, put him in isolation for excessive periods of time and left him lying in his own vomit after he misbehaved, according to the suit.

Soldier Returns From Iraq Mission To Fight For Family

Soldier Returns From Iraq Mission To Fight For Family

A soldier with the Indiana Army National Guard's 76th Infantry is home on emergency leave to fight for her parental rights regarding two of her children.
----
"I called the case worker that was originally assigned to it. I called the supervisor that's ahead of that person. I called the on-call CPS worker. I've called all of those individuals about seven to 10 times a day," Fulk said.

It was five days into her 14-day leave before Fulk was allowed to see her children for four hours.

Note: Only in America, Right?

Rapist preyed on foster kids

Rapist preyed on foster kids

A RUTHLESS rapist found victims by getting a job as a care worker and trawling a council’s database for vulnerable young girls.

Juvy Clerk's Office Questioned Again

Juvy Clerk's Office Questioned Again

Foster care children in Davidson County are supposed to get out of the state system as soon as possible, but the I-Team has found something that's holding up the process, and many people are pointing fingers at Juvenile Court Clerk Vic Lineweaver.

Polygamist sect members deny child abuse

Polygamist sect members deny child abuse

Members of the polygamist sect raided by Texan authorities earlier this month have denied their children were ever abused and compared the actions of officials to those of "Nazi Germany".

Former DSS director charged with misconduct

Former DSS director charged with misconduct

The former program director of the S.C. Department of Social Services office in Conway was charged Monday with perjury, forgery and misconduct in office.

“Power to devastate and destroy families”

“Power to devastate and destroy families”

Parents whose sons were wrongly removed from their home want change in laws protecting social workers from lawsuits

A Redlands couple is challenging federal and state laws granting immunity from civil suits to social workers and other government officials who investigate allegations of child abuse.

Note: Yeah! Support this fight worldwide!

Women, taken from children: 'We were deceived.'

Women, taken from children: 'We were deceived.'

Directly contradicting state authorities about the nature of the raid on and removal of children from a religious compound, a group of angry, tearful women lashed out at Child Protective Services and demanded the return of their children.
----
Children Taken From Sect Moved to New Shelter

State officials moved 416 children seized from a polygamist compound to a new shelter Monday and sent many of their mothers away, while a judge and lawyers struggled with a legal and logistical morass in one of the biggest child-custody cases in U.S. history.
----
Polygamous mothers to Texas: 'Our children need us'

Concealing their anger but not their tears, more than two dozen women of a polygamous sect told reporters they were surrounded by troopers and forced to leave their children in state custody Monday.

Social workers call for better regulation of child residential services

Social workers call for better regulation of child residential services

The findings of child abuse at Lourdes Home underlined the need for regulating the provision of services for children in out-of-home (residential and foster) care, the Maltese Association of Social Workers (MASW) said today.

Monday, April 14, 2008

Child case worker accused of falsifying records

Child case worker accused of falsifying records

Prosecutors charged a former child abuse investigator with falsifying records in an October case by saying he had interviewed a child when he had not, records show.

Lee Graves, 61, was arrested April 8 on warrant charging him with one felony and one misdemeanor count of falsifying records. He was released after posting $3,000 bond.

Texas judge wonders how to decide fate of 416 seized children

Texas judge wonders how to decide fate of 416 seized children

Lawyers said the state told the mothers that if they leave the shelters where their children are being held, they will not be let back in. Griselda Paz of Legal Aid of Northwest Texas said she had never seen such restrictions in 20 years of legal work.

"By isolating them, by not letting them talk to their lawyers or giving them the choice between leaving their children and being able to talk to lawyers and prepare for this hearing, they feel that that's unfair," said Rod Parker, a Salt Lake City lawyer who has represented the FLDS and some of its members in civil and criminal cases. "And of course they are out of their element, they're frightened of all those things."

Study: Troubled homes better than foster care

Study: Troubled homes better than foster care

Children whose families are investigated for abuse or neglect are likely to do better in life if they stay with their families than if they go into foster care, according to a pioneering study.

Note: Here's the guy who did this study. Click Here

And here is the study in PDF. Click Here

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Prom Princesses gives formal wear to foster kids

Prom Princesses gives formal wear to foster kids

Gigi Edwards-Bryant remembers the night of her high school prom well.

“I didn’t go to my prom because I didn't have anything to wear,” she says. “I didn't have a dress and the foster parent (she was living with) didn't get me one, so I got to watch her kids go and I didn't get to go.”

As an adult, Edwards-Bryant decided that shouldn’t happen to other children in foster care.

Note: What a nice foster mother she had.

Police: Former CPS contract worker arrested in baby's kidnapping

Police: Former CPS contract worker arrested in baby's kidnapping

An ex-contract worker for the state's Child Protection Services has been arrested in connection with the kidnapping of a baby boy, who Phoenix police say remains missing.

Ghosts of news stories past

Ghosts of news stories past

I hadn’t been in my new position as news director at a two-station radio group in Rome, Ga. for even a year when the case of Kenneth Baldwin grabbed the headlines. Baldwin had been a foster parent for the local social services office for several years when rumors began to circulate that he was sexually abusing girls assigned to his care. Official police investigations soon followed, leading Baldwin to his eventual arraignment in court before a local jurist who had the reputation of being a “hanging” style of judge.

Change One Thing?



Foster parents, grandparents, therapists, and former DHS workers tell the court their stories in a public hearing.

Message To Family Court Victims - Read This Book!



From Dr. Stephen Baskerville, political science...

They want more money

Lost in the system

In the nearly six years since, one set of foster parents was accused of abusing Jeff, and another set rejected him. Two attorneys have represented him, a truckload of therapists have examined, diagnosed and treated him, and at least three caseworkers have been assigned to him. He has been up for adoption, then not. His brother and sister have been adopted by their grandparents; Jeff hasn't seen them in nearly two years.
----
As Jeff's case illustrates, even in a system where most workers do their best, the odds are against them — stacked by a system that is underfunded, widely dysfunctional and inconsistent, and at times seems to operate in a common-sense vacuum.

Federal foster care oversight fine costs Texas $4M

Federal foster care oversight fine costs Texas $4M

Texas has paid a $4 million federal fine for not seeing its foster children often enough, state officials confirmed Saturday.

Foster mom accused of hurting 5-year-old

Foster mom accused of hurting 5-year-old

A foster mother was charged with felony aggravated battery to a child Friday for allegedly injuring a 5-year-old boy, Harvey police announced.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Cash prize for council that hit adoption targets

Cash prize for council that hit adoption targets

A council has admitted receiving Government money under a controversial "adoption target" scheme that rewards the removal of children from their parents.

Bill would open some DCF records

Bill would open some DCF records

Some records in the Department of Children and Families may become more open to affected children and the public under a bill moving through the House and Senate.

Smack ban on foster carers 'is PC gone mad'

Smack ban on foster carers 'is PC gone mad'

Social workers were accused yesterday of "political correctness gone mad" after it was revealed that councils and agencies will not let foster parents smack children but don't object if they have a criminal record.

Five missing foster children found this week

Five missing foster children found this week

Five children previously listed on the Department of Human Services Missing Children Web site were reported found this past week.

Is Fayette County, Ga. the Child Removal Capital of America?

Is Fayette County, Ga. the Child Removal Capital of America?

Statements of pain from grieving families echoed against the solid brick walls of the Fayetteville’s City Hall as parents, pastors, politicians, civil rights organizers and concerned citizens gathered on the steps to voice concerns about the removal of children from their families by Georgia Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS).

DCF social worker arrested in Martin County

DCF social worker arrested in Martin County

A Department of Children and Families social worker has been fired and arrested for falsifying documents to indicate he visited a child client he did not, according to law enforcement records and DCF officials.

Child Protective Investigator Fielding Lee Graves' arrest comes two years after another social worker was sentenced to probation for elaborately falsifying records for 13 DCF cases.

Time to realize prejudices regarding child abuse

Time to realize prejudices regarding child abuse

If our society is truly interested in raising awareness of and preventing the abuse and neglect of our children, then it also requires us to step back and view how our prejudices interfere with the recognition process. Child abuse prevention is not about profiling an economic group, but seeking to protect children from harm and neglect, which can and does happen in all strata of our society. April is Child Abuse Awareness Month and is also a good time to evaluate our perceptions regarding abuse and neglect of our children.

No child abuse charge for foster parent

No child abuse charge for foster parent

John Galvan, 43, of 428 E. Centerway, Janesville, was arrested April 2. District Attorney David O’Leary said Galvan is accused of spanking his son with a spoon, leaving bruises.

Note: The headline should have said: Foster Parent Get's Away With It!

Self-Righteous Hypocrite Alert!

http://clarioncaller.blogspot.com/2008/04/does-every-child-matter-candidates-will.html

Note: The ignorance of the self-righteous hypocrite never fails to amaze me.

Agency violated policies before girl's death

Agency violated policies before girl's death

State child-welfare workers failed to follow their policies involving a 2-year-old Salem girl who allegedly was killed by her mother's boyfriend.

Fear of change should not thwart child-welfare reform

Fear of change should not thwart child-welfare reform

As in most lines of work, nobody in child welfare likes to be told that the way they've been doing things for years is wrong.

So sometimes people get defensive. They nurse their grudges and wait for the next horror story about the death of a child known-to-the-system, then exploit it to scapegoat reform.

That's what really was on display Sunday as those who want to undercut Iowa's first tentative steps toward fixing child welfare exploited the horrible death of Ziarah Williams to claim that the "pendulum had swung too far" toward keeping families together.
----
Critics of reform say Iowa's fanatical dedication to child removal makes children safer. But I know 15,000 children who might disagree. They're the 15,000 children whose records were examined in a landmark study to see who did better in later life: children placed in foster care or comparably-maltreated children left in their own homes.

The researcher zeroed in on the "in-between" cases - those where there is a real problem in the home, but the decision could go either way. He found that the foster children were far more likely to get pregnant, far more likely to be arrested and far less likely to be able to hold a job than the children left with their own parents.

Note: Take that you system suckoffs!

Boy in foster care severely beaten

Boy in foster care severely beaten

A 5-year-old boy who was placed in foster care because his parents allegedly abused him was severely beaten this week by his guardian, who was another relative, authorities said.

Foster parents accused of child abuse

Foster parents accused of child abuse

A Butler County man honored statewide and nationally for helping foster children has been charged with whipping an adopted teen-age daughter with a belt and slamming her head into a desk.

Drug raid at foster home

Drug raid at foster home

Three foster children were removed from a Kinnaird Avenue home Thursday after police found crack cocaine and Neighborhood Code Enforcement condemned the structure.

Friday, April 11, 2008

Needs of prisoners’ children discussed

Needs of prisoners’ children discussed

One day last September, corrections officials took a snapshot look at their jailed population with a specific purpose in mind: to get a rough count of how many children were left behind when one, if not both, of their parents went to prison.

It was, in some ways, a rough measure of the prison’s future population, too, experts say.

False accusation of child abuse was a nightmare, says B.C. man

False accusation of child abuse was a nightmare, says B.C. man

A B.C. man who lost his job and his reputation because of a false accusation of child abuse wants the province to exonerate him so he can return to working with young people.

Russian lawmakers approve child foster care bill

Russian lawmakers approve child foster care bill

Under the amendments, a child over 10 years of age could be adopted only with his or her consent. The law prohibits different foster parents from adopting siblings unless evidence exists that it would benefit the orphan.

Social worker in 'career suicide'

Social worker in 'career suicide'

A Hounslow social worker, who formed an innapropriate personal relationship with the father of a child she was supervising, has been banned from practising.

Aaaawwwww the poor Social Workers

Warning of low morale among Edinburgh social workers

SOCIAL workers dealing with spiralling numbers of child protection cases are suffering from low morale, inspectors have warned.

Note: What do foster children and their real families suffer from?

Parents 'forced to abandon disabled children'

Parents 'forced to abandon disabled children'

The head of the inquiry into New South Wales' Child Protection Services says he has heard multiple stories of families having to abandon disabled children because of a lack of support services.

Arrest linked with murdered teen

Arrest linked with murdered teen

Melissa had been in foster care at the time of her disappearance from Rathbraughan Park in Sligo, on September 14, 2006. It was initially thought that the troubled teen, who was known to have been unhappy, had run away.

Law Now Proved to Criminalise Good Parents

Law Now Proved to Criminalise Good Parents

Anti-Smacking Law Now Proved to Criminalise Good Parents

Family First NZ says that the charging of a Glen Innes man which was subsequently dismissed in the Auckland District Court today is evidence that good parents are victims of the anti-smacking law, a law which has done nothing to stem rates of real child abuse.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Foster Parents Sued For Abuse

Foster Parents Sued For Abuse

A year into their prison sentence for abusing their foster children, Arthur and Lori Allain are being sued by their former ward for a nine-figure sum.

Butler Co. custody in US court

Butler Co. custody in US court

A mother who lost visitation with her 10-year-old daughter after Butler County Children Services got involved in her private custody case has taken her long-time battle with the agency to federal court.

How policy forced a family to desert their child

How policy forced a family to desert their child

To abandon her in hospital was the only way, experts had advised them, to secure the help they needed to cope with her profound intellectual disabilities, which were tearing their home life apart.

Foster parents of infants mistreat their own children

Foster parents of infants mistreat their own children

Dear Annie: My daughter and her husband present extremely well in public. In fact, they are foster parents to infants. But behind closed doors, things are very ugly.

Editorial: Open DCF records

Editorial: Open DCF records

Openness leads to trust and secrecy leads to suspicion, which is why legislators should approve a bill that would make it easier for the Department of Children and Families to release child abuse and neglect records to the public.

Foster Children in the Face of Budget Cuts

Foster Children in the Face of Budget Cuts

"Right now we have proposals on the table, both House and Senate that will reduce child welfare services 24 million plus dollars, for our area that means about 400-thousand dollars in reduced services for kids who are already in the child welfare system." said Overstreet.

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Pine Point man wants children returned, launches hunger strike

Pine Point man wants children returned, launches hunger strike

Doug Clark is a man determined not to lose his 9-year-old daughter and 3-year-old grandchild.
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It is a Catch 22 situation for Clark. The notice from the White Earth Tribal Housing Authority, dated April 3, states a reason for his eviction is he has no children in the home. “Eviction makes it almost impossible to get my kids back,” he said.

Note: Talk about getting screwed.

Bill may ease access to DCF records

Bill may ease access to DCF records

Some records in the Department of Children and Families may become more open to affected children and the public under a bill moving through the House and Senate.

A new approach could end foster care



A new study shows that a disfunctional family is better for kids than living in foster care.

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Foster care her living hell

Foster care her living hell

PRISCILLA Taylor grew up feeling like she "didn't matter".

"That was the only way to survive. Tell yourself that you are nothing, so you don't feel the pain," she said.

No surety those in care aren't thrust from frying pan to fire

No surety those in care aren't thrust from frying pan to fire

On a superficial look, the report of the inquiry into children in state care might seem like a typical product of what Amanda Vanstone used to dub the advocacy industry describing faults by the state in looking after children taken into care for their own good, now complaining of neglect, less than ideal care, and physical and sexual abuse while in care. Another chapter of the Bringing Them Home report, perhaps.

Trial Underway for Jacksonville Woman Accused of Murdering Her Foster Child

Trial Underway for Jacksonville Woman Accused of Murdering Her Foster Child

A Jacksonville courtroom is trying to determine if the death of a 7 year old girl was murder or an accident.

Tuesday, opening arguments were underway in the first degree murder trial of Futrell.

Batavia Man Sentenced For Abuse Of Foster Child

Batavia Man Sentenced For Abuse Of Foster Child

A Batavia Township man was sentenced to five years in prison Tuesday for sexually abusing a foster child in his care.

Skull cannot be dated

Skull cannot be dated

TESTS to date the fragment of a child's skull found at Haut de la Garenne in February are likely to remain inconclusive.

Kent officers aid Jersey probe into child abuse

Two officers from Kent Police are helping the States of Jersey Police with their investigation into allegations of historical child abuse.

Why would anybody want to do that?

DSS: Duncan mother skipped town with 10-year-old boy

Ivan Karapandzic's home life in Duncan was far from perfect, but at least his family knew he had a home. His mother, Donna Karapandzic, lost custody of her children in July 2007 and skipped town, Ivan and his now 14-year-old brother in tow.

Report: DCF worker tapped fake debit cards

Report: DCF worker tapped fake debit cards

It took Violet Jones, a state public assistance supervisor, only about 30 seconds to authorize hundreds of dollars in cash assistance on phony debit cards she and two accomplices reportedly used, according to an investigation by the Department of Children & Families' inspector general.

Lanette calls it quits!

http://foster-care.adoptionblogs.com/weblogs/all-good-things

To anybody who has been reading this blog for a while might have known that I have taken issue with the parent bashers at Adoption Blogs, especially one by the name of Lanette.

I'm happy to say that she has called it quits. Now if we can just get the rest of them shut down, there will be one anti-parent propaganda outlet gone. Remember these people want your children.

Wash. boy snitches on mom for growing pot

Wash. boy snitches on mom for growing pot

A 14-year-old boy upset when his mother threatened to send him to military school invited police over to see the pot she was growing in their home, according to a report in the Kitsap Sun Newspaper.

Panorama prompts new calls

Panorama prompts new calls

NEW information has been received by police working on the Haut de la Garenne child abuse inquiry, following the BBC Panorama programme about the inquiry last week.

Foster care provider sentenced for murdering child

Foster care provider sentenced for murdering child

An emotional morning in Superior Court, as a local foster mother convicted of killing a four-month-old boy in her care received her sentence.

Expose` - DHS Children`s Protective Services Division

Expose` - DHS Children`s Protective Services Division

DHS often requests that clients bring in, or sign releases for their clients’ medical records. If the existing medical records do not support the allegations made by DHS, they routinely bring in their own psychiatrists.

Guess what

It Could Happen To You