New Zealand: Baby taken from parents dies in CYF care

May 24, 2002

A 4-month-old boy has died in the custody of a Child, Youth and Family caregiver two weeks after police and social workers removed him from his parents.

Craig and Louise Martin of Glen Eden were told on Wednesday afternoon that their son Patrick had died that day from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (Sids), or cot death.

He is the second child to die in CYF custody in the past three weeks. A 39-year-old man, a CYF-approved caregiver, already faces a murder charge after the death of 3-year-old Tamati Pokaia in Huntly on April 29.

Child welfare agents again prove their incompetence in "protecting" kids.
posted by Linda for FightCPS.Com at 1:49 PM   

 

Complaints from fosterincarcerationists

Though they are willing to take money for hostage-holding children from their parents for the state, and willing to dumbly believe every child left with them is a victim of his or her own parents, the fosterincarcerationists are quick to 'cry fowl' when they become the victims of false accusations.

May 14, 2002

Burned-out foster parents have little voice in decisions about kids they care for, are forced to spend hundreds of dollars on unexpected costs and too often are stung by false accusations of child abuse, government auditors say.

"Many leave because they are frustrated and exhausted," said the report by the Health and Human Services inspector general. "They are weary from navigating a foster care system that is difficult and inoperable."

"Several of the foster parents said that caseworkers did not return their calls for days or even weeks," the report said. Caseworkers agreed they are hard to reach, blaming the large workload and multiple responsibilities.

But that doesn't make it any easier for the foster parent, Stevens said. "When you have a child that's in a crisis situation and you cannot get ahold of your worker, you don't know what steps to do."

Foster parents also have trouble accessing basic services, including child care, dental and mental health services -- problems that also extend beyond foster care. For instance, while foster kids are covered by Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor, many doctors and dentists don't accept it because it pays so poorly.

'Child-saver' zealots are quick to take kids from their impoverished parents, but are not able to do the job of taking care of the kids. They should leave the kids where they belong - with their natural families - with people they were born to and who truly care for them.

The report found that managers gave little credence to the stress foster families face when they are falsely accused of abuse or neglect by a troubled child.

The investigations leave foster parents feeling "insulted, distrusted and potentially labeled as child abusers," the report said, and it is particularly traumatic to be "accused of the very thing they are trying to prevent."

"It happens daily," said Karen Jorgenson, who directs the National Foster Parent Association. "We need to have a process whereas the foster parents are not `guilty until proven innocent.' They remove all the kids from their home immediately, before they do their investigation, even when some of the kids making allegations have a history of making allegations."

Geez, Karen Jorgenson, they do that to NATURAL PARENTS too - and you're not complaining. Why not?... because it doesn't help pad your pocketbook?


posted by Linda for FightCPS.Com at 5:25 PM   

 

California: The City Killed Tiffany Mason

From San Francisco comes this sordid article about a teenager the child-saver zealots took from her impoverished but loving mother, then allowed to slip into prostitution while a state-ward:

Tiffany Laverne Mason had two murderers -- the killer who smashed her head and threw her naked body into Lake Natoma, and the negligence of city officials who should have protected her.

Tiffany was found dead in August 2001. Police in Folsom, a Sacramento suburb, are trying to nail the lowlife slayer of a child who had virtually no chance to find her way in life.

At 15, Tiffany was a prostitute working the streets of San Francisco. She had done so for nearly two years before she was brutally slain.

She was a prostitute while she was in the custory of state so-called "protective services".

Tiffany worked for two pimps in her short life. Amazingly, both men had worked in city youth programs -- as mentors.

Just the kind of non-family "mentors" fosterincarcerationists would be willing to dump the kids off with. You know they think anyone is better than parents these days.

DHS bureaucrats worried more about covering their rear ends than saving Tiffany's life. Foster care manager Jimmie Gilyard, a Mayor Willie Brown appointee, even forbade Carobus from helping her return to foster care after she "went AWOL."

The department is not legally responsible for children classified as AWOL for more than six months.

"It was easier for her to be a runaway than for them to have to deal with her," said Carobus, an 11-year child welfare social worker.

CPS officials refused to be interviewed. The truth comes out - they are more interested in covering their asses than in the children they are PAID to take care of.

Her troubled mom cried. Her twin brother, William, was badly shaken. Authorities, however, seem more concerned about lawsuits than comforting the family.

My sympathy to the families of all the many children who have died while in state custody.

Instead, agency directors looked the other way as Tiffany sold her adolescent body on the streets. When police picked her up for prostitution, the District Attorney's Office would not press charges.

"They never called me when my daughter was raped," Torres said. "They never called me when she was picked up for prostitution. They only called when it was time to identify her body," said the mother.

To state social-meddling agents: Real nice "child protection" work guys................... NOT. Isn't it about time YOU got out of the child-kidnapping business?

This article, published May 20 in the SF Examiner, is the first in a five-part series. I would like to see more articles about children abused by the CPS system in California and other states. California has payed out MILLIONS of your taxpayer funds for children harmed in state custody during the last few years. When they start putting CPS caseworkers in jail for their incompetence, I'll be happy.....

Part Two of Tiffany's Story

Part two has this information about DHS.... apparently most juvenile prostitutes are wards of the court, thanks to child-saver zealots taking them from their parents.

The system is not set up to help girls off the streets. It is designed -- however unintentionally -- to deliver them back to pedophiles and pimps.

"I'm seeing a huge increase in very young girls -- 11- and 12-year-olds -- coming in (for prostitution)," said Julie Posadas, coordinator of girls' services at YGC.

The majority of the juvenile streetwalkers here are wards of the court from San Francisco and other California counties.

"Probation wants DHS to take custody of them," Carobus said. "And DHS wants Probation to take custody. It's lose-lose for everyone."

"There are a lot of people out there buying children. They're often routine pedophiles," said Carobus, who has had two other child prostitutes under his care. "What is this, a pedophile protection community?"

According to the article, Tiffany's natural mother was never called when Tiffany was arrested (many times) for prostitution. Instead she was dropped off at DHS where she walked through the building and out the back, where her pimp was waiting for her.

Part Three of Tiffany's Story

Oh my God.... the woman who raised one of the pimps that was exploiting Tiffany has been appointed as head of SF's Department of Children, Youth and Their Families! This woman... was a fosterincarcerator? She - the woman who heads their department - raised a child to become a pimp? This story gets sicker by the second... and she gave him a job in a community center where he was working with children. What is this irresponsible person doing in a position of power over other parents?


posted by Linda for FightCPS.Com at 4:57 PM   

 

Former Florida child abuse investigator receives 40 years for murder-for-hire plot

This is the caliber of people out there investigating others for alleged child maltreatment? With people like this making God-like decisions about who should be parents and who shouldn't, no wonder there are so many complaints. Who gives these people the authority to play God? ........our legislators, perhaps?

When Ms. Stone, 40, hired another of her former parolees to kill her lover's girlfriend last August, Richardson police were secretly watching. They recorded footage of Ms. Stone laughing while hammering out details, describing the target's car and work habits, and handing over $1,500 in cash.

Well, uh, did you have any preference ... to how you want this done?" the hit man asked on tape. "Do you want me to make it like ... a burglary gone wrong or a drug deal gone wrong or a rape gone wrong?"

Laughing, Ms. Stone replied, "It doesn't matter. I'm thinking just a drive-by would be the best to me."

More proof that child welfare investigators aren't perfect. They ALL have a history. My recommendation: investigate THEM. Are they investigating you? Are they keeping private records on you? Turn the tables! Investigate THEM. Keep your own private records on THEM.

Described as an intelligent, affable person, Ms. Stone grew up and attended school in Dallas. She graduated early from the University of Texas at Arlington, earning a bachelor's degree in criminal justice in 1983.

One of her first law enforcement jobs was for the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles. She later worked as a child-abuse investigator in Florida, returning to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in 1993, where she served as a district parole officer until 2000.

posted by Linda for FightCPS.Com at 4:34 PM   

 

Florida: Three child welfare workers fired in Palm Beach County

A good start:

Two child welfare workers have been fired for failing to visit and keep track of children in foster care, while an investigator was dismissed for leaving a child in an abusive situation.

Valerie Coombs, 42, was fired Monday for sending two children to other parts of the state without notifying caseworkers in those areas, Day said. As a result, the children were never visited by state workers.

The second caseworker, 42-year-old Michael Dorch, was fired Friday for failing to document information about 21 of the 23 children in his care, according to his dismissal letter.

That's very nice, but what I want to know is when they will start firing caseworkers for detaining children who aren't being abused or neglected, and for lying about the parents in reports to the court. Better yet, when will they start prosecuting these sub-humans and putting them in jail where they belong?


posted by Linda for FightCPS.Com at 3:52 PM   

 

Ohio: Parents sue over baby-sitting debacle

For all you parents in Ohio who want to sue CPS, take note of the attorney in this article. If he can't help you, maybe he has a friend who can.

Published May 17 in the Cincinnati Post:

Two Hamilton County Children's Services workers were sued in federal court Thursday by an Amberley Village couple who said they went out for the evening and came back to find police had taken their three children - and then arrested the couple for child endangering.

''It is outrageous,'' said Robert Newman, attorney for the Horvitz family. ''This is every parent's nightmare.''

When Michael and Haviva Horvitz went out on Dec. 16, 2000, they left their 11 1/2-year-old son, who had taken baby-sitting classes with Better Babysitters, in charge of his siblings, ages 8 and 4.

The children were left alone which was fine until one of the children cut her finger and they went to a neighbor for help. In the fashion of brainwashed Americans who have forgotten how to be good neighbors, these snitches called in law enforcement instead of helping the child. Their form of "help" turned out to be 23 days of traumatic separation from parents for all three children.

State law, Newman said, requires a hearing within 24 hours. Newman also wrote two letters, he said, to the the Hamilton County Department of Job and Family Services but received no response.

All you who are waiting for a hearing/trial, take note... what do your state laws say about this? How many days do they really have to get a case to court? I've heard of people waiting 8 months and longer just to be given their first court appearance. This is unconstitutional and against all state laws. If this sounds like your case, please be proactive and read the laws. You may have good grounds for a lawsuit on that basis alone.

Municipal Court Judge William Mallory Jr. ordered the children returned to their parents on Jan. 8. Mallory found the couple not guilty of the criminal charges March 8.

Petrie said the law does not set a minimum age for babysitters. ''Obviously, if you had (a babysitter) under the age of 10, we would be very alarmed by that,'' she said. ''Kids 11, 12, that's a gray area. You'd have to deal with that on a case-by-case basis.''

Newman said the Horvitzes still have nightmares. ''They're afraid of this every time they go out of the house,'' he said.

At least they got a judge with some good sense. Not everyone is that lucky.




posted by Linda for FightCPS.Com at 3:41 PM   

 

Protesters demand end to use of child restraints in Ontario group homes

This is important, especially for parents of children in special ed, group homes or mental hospitals! Restraint of children is dangerous and can be deadly! I have more links to information about this on the Children's Rights page of this website.

OTTAWA (CP) - A woman fighting to end the practice of restraining some children in Ontario group homes took her battle public Friday.

She said the use of restraints against children in correctional or treatment facilities can put them at serious risk of injury or death. The practice involves a worker holding down a child on the floor face-down which can restrict breathing and lead to suffocation, she explained.

"Every time a restraint is used - even if proper techniques are used - they're putting them at risk of suffocation," Scharf said.

William Edgar, a 13-year-old ward of the Children's Aid Society of Toronto, lapsed into unconsciousness while being restrained by staff at a group home in Peterborough in 1999. He died two days later in hospital.

This is not just a Canadian problem - it is in the United States too. The Deadly Restraints website documents over 400 people restrained to death in mental hospitals. The special ed school my daughter used to attend in California did it to her quite often - that's yet another good reason we are now homeschoolers.


posted by Linda for FightCPS.Com at 2:49 PM   

 

Miami mother says 2 men posing as state workers tried to take girl

May 21 2002

A young mother who was trying to get government help for her daughter said she nearly lost her 8-month-old daughter to two men who she thinks were posing as workers for the Department of Children & Families and demanded that she hand the child to them.

Erika Higinio, 26, of Peru, said two Spanish-speaking men dressed in suits said they were from DCF and were there to take her baby, Eileen, to make sure she had her vaccines and other medical requirements.

I don't know why it took so long for people to realize that criminals can do this.

"They were very insistent," Higinio said. "They told me my baby needs help, but I told them I wasn't giving my baby over to strangers."

A family friend who answered the phone at Higinio's home said they think it all started when Higinio went to the office of the federal Women, Infants and Children nutrition program, or WIC, to get food assistance for her child. While there, she lost paperwork that included forms with her address. The friend said he thinks someone who might have found the address at the WIC office tracked her down.

"Thank God she had the precaution not to open the door fully," the man said.

You can't trust anyone these days, it seems. You especially can't trust anyone who says "I'm just here to help your family."


posted by Linda for FightCPS.Com at 12:02 PM   

 

Colorado: Dad whose gun shot son claims 'lies' by officials

May 15, 2002

A 4-year-old accidentally shot by his older brother last month left Children's Hospital Tuesday in good condition, as his father held a news conference to defend himself against child abuse charges.

"Social services is telling the courts that he can't move or feed himself and that he's unresponsive," said Shawn Lennie, Tyler's father. "We wanted to show that he can wave to everyone, that he can hold up four fingers to show that he's just turned 4. He was in great spirits. We wanted to get that across."

This is the best move - make the asinine CPS lies public. The only reason they get away with these lies in juvenile court is that the courtroom and files are closed to press and public. It is therefore up to the parents to throw off the cloak of secrecy and assert Constitutional rights to a PUBLIC hearing by letting the media know what's going on.

"I had a beer in my refrigerator, so now I have to take drug and alcohol classes," Lennie said. "My wife had a half-empty wine cooler, so now she's an alcoholic, too, and they're worried about her mental health."

This is typical. The American government makes alcohol use legal, and then if a parent uses it, that fact is exploited to take the children away from the parents. Where's the justice?

"As soon as we get custody of the kids back, my father and I are going to take on social services about their tactics," Lennie said.

I welcome one more family to the fight against social meddling and injustice. One family at a time, we'll have a revolution going in this country if the legislators don't get moving on repealing CAPTA, ASFA, and other harmful anti-family laws.


posted by Linda for FightCPS.Com at 12:04 PM   

 

Massachusetts Fosterincarceration Facility Owner tells the press: DYS forced future prostitute out

May 20, 2002

A Salem teen slipped into a Belmont prostitution ring only after the state Department of Youth Services forced the girl to leave her beloved foster home on her 18th birthday, the girl's foster mother says.

``They said, `You have to leave,' even though she had nowhere to go,'' Jennifer McLellan said of Rebecca Clocher, who was busted as a teen hooker late last year. ``Then one day, she comes to me with a fancy car and clothes and said she was a stripper.''

The girl was forced to leave at the age of 18 because she had a juvenile arrest record. Even if the fosterincarceration facility owner had wanted to keep her there without pay, she wouldn't have been allowed to do so without losing her other hostages.


posted by Linda for FightCPS.Com at 11:49 AM   

 

Florida Agency Settles Child Abuse Suit

This AP article from May 17, 2002 states that the foster/adopters gave the six children (who are now ages 9 to 15) cough syrup to make them sleep and filmed them being physically and sexually abused. They were placed in the fosterincarceration facility of Jackie and Frank Lynch in 1990 despite the fact that the state social meddlers knew that Jackie had lost custody of a child just three years earlier, in 1987, for sexual and emotional abuse. The state social meddlers also knew that Frank Lynch "had abandoned his biological children," had been arrested for obstruction of justice and fell $16,000 behind in child support payments. Five years later Florida social meddlers allowed the Lynches to adopt the children. The children were detained back into fosterincarceration in 1997. There's no comment in the article on why the natural parents lost custody of their children. No doubt it was for something a lot less severe than what state social meddlers put these children through.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) - The state's child welfare agency has agreed to pay $5 million to settle a lawsuit over the alleged physical and sexual abuse of six siblings placed in foster care.

The Department of Children & Families workers "ignored clear signs of danger" in allowing five brothers and their sister to be placed with Frank and Jackie Lynch, who had a history of child abuse, the 1999 lawsuit charged.

"By the department's own standards, rules and regulations, the Lynch foster home should never have been licensed and re-licensed as a foster home," the children's attorney Howard Talenfeld said.

Question: Since the children are still minors, who will get the five million dollars? Social "services" perhaps?


posted by Linda for FightCPS.Com at 4:30 PM