Child Protective Services, CPS, has devastated and destroyed hundreds of thousands of families in America during the last thirty years leaving a trail of broken hearts, broken dreams, and shattered childhoods.

Rather than helping families, government agents have used unconstitutional laws in Juvenile Court to rip children away from their loving parents, break asunder God-given, natural, parent-child bonds, and adopt the children of the grieving out to others who profit financially with large monthly adoption subsidy payments.





Child Protective Services must be stopped! The law that started this, CAPTA, must be repealed. We must work tirelessly to inform the public of this very dangerous travesty of justice. We must keep faith knowing that if there is a God, there is an answer and a way to end this heartache.

Child Protective Services Agents - please come to your senses! Family destruction on false or trivial grounds is wrong, reprehensible, and inhumane.

Fosterers - be aware that for the money you get you are holding much-loved children away from their grieving families while the parents are forced to perform a service plan that is anything but a service to them. I call this hostage holding for the government. This is not kindness - to help misguided government agents destroy family relationships and break loving bonds.

CPS workers and fosterers - I ask that you now give up these unworthy professions and find something more dignified to do with your lives. Let the children of the innocent return to their homes where they are truly valued, adored, and loved by the parents God gave them.

Family rights are God-given rights. And they should not be ignored or postponed. Every moment these loving parents and children spend separated from one another is a torment beyond what anyone should ever have to bear.

It is unworthy of human dignity to allow this terrorism and torture of families to go on without saying something, speaking out, and trying to make a change.

Site mission: To provide information and support for families attacked by Child Protective Services and child welfare agents, especially those families facing false or trivial accusations of child abuse or neglect; and for researchers working to protect natural family rights.


Enter your email address below to subscribe to
Fight CPS.Com
Whenever this page is updated
You will be notified.

powered by Bloglet

Bad Child Protective Services agents deserve to be sued.
Represent Yourself in Court: How to Prepare & Try a Winning Case

By Attorneys Paul Bergman & Sara Berman-Barrett

Child Protective Services is shredding families.
The Shredding of Families

By Dr. Lillian D. Dunsmore and Dr. Richard A. Dunsmore

Child Protective Services from a fosterer's point of view.
Memoirs of a Baby Stealer: Lessons I've Learned As A Foster Mother

By Mary Callahan

Protecting Children from Child Protective Services.
Protecting Children from Child Protective Services

By Alan L. Schwartz

Dark Secrets within Child Protective Services
By Teresa Cunio

Psychologists who work for Child Protective Services.
Whores of the Court

By Margaret A. Hagen

Fiction about Child Protective Services.
Custody of the State

Christian Fiction
By Craig Parshall


Search Now:


Fighting Child Protective Services False Accusations


Fighting Child Protective Services False Accusations
Family Rights v. Child Welfare


Home :: Message Forum :: Document Library :: Chat Room
FAQ :: Legal Disclaimer :: Prayer Requests :: Link To Us :: RSS




Saturday, July 24, 2004

 

Foster children harmed by psychotropic drug Risperdal



Maker of drug admits hiding its risks
BY CAROL MARBIN MILLER
cmarbin@herald.com
July 24, 2004

The maker of a billion-dollar antipsychotic medication has acknowledged misleading doctors and other healthcare providers about the safety of its product, minimizing potentially deadly side effects.

The drug, Risperdal, has been commonly prescribed to Florida children in state care, including to a handful of boys who developed lactating breasts after taking it.

On Wednesday, drug maker Janssen Pharmaceutica wrote a two-page letter to doctors, warning them that the company, in promotional material, had ''minimized potentially fatal risks, and made misleading claims'' that the medication was more safe in treating mental illness than other drugs in the same category.

Most physicians received the letter Friday.

Risperdal is the leading drug used to combat schizophrenia and other types of psychotic disorders, earning Janssen about $2.1 billion in annual sales. The drug was first marketed about eight years ago, and is prescribed to more than 10 million people worldwide.

The ''important correction of drug information'' came shortly after federal regulators had accused Janssen of ''disseminating'' advertising and marketing material that was ``false or misleading.''

A letter from Janssen to doctors, dated Nov. 10, 2003, claimed Risperdal did not increase the risk of diabetes among consumers compared with other similar drugs, called neuroleptics or antipsychotics.

But an April 2004 letter from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to Janssen asserts quite the contrary. Research indicated ''an increased risk of hyperglycemia-related adverse effects and diabetes with Risperdal,'' the letter stated.

A TROUBLED HISTORY

In 2001, The Herald published a series of stories about the common use of Risperdal among children in state care. Child-welfare advocates said the drug routinely was being used by foster care providers as a ''chemical restraint'' on children whose unruly behavior was a frustration to caretakers.

''I had clients who were displaying severe side effects, and I tried to alert the Department of Children & Families both as to the local problem and the growing national concern about a range of psychotropic medications, Risperdal and other antipsychotics in particular,'' said Coral Springs attorney and children's advocate Andrea Moore.

''They listened, but they did not hear me,'' Moore added.

Broward Circuit Judge John A. Frusciante, who must approve requests from doctors before they can prescribe mind-altering drugs to children whose cases he oversees, said Risperdal continues to be used frequently by doctors who treat children in state care.

''It is not uncommon,'' Frusciante said.

''This whole psychotropic drug issue is a problem for us,'' Frusciante said. ``It's a very scary area to be in, because we know medication can be a tremendous help for a number of children. But we also know that there are risks to the children who are taking these medications.''

Friday, DCF officials told The Herald they would review the new material and ask doctors who care for foster children to re-evaluate their medication options.

''We will make this information available to all our districts, program supervisors, community-based care agencies and partners,'' said DCF spokesman Bill Spann. ``In addition, we will provide this information to all the physicians who care for the children in foster care, and ask them to review the cases of any children who are on the drug.

''We will ask them to take the appropriate action,'' Spann said.

ONE IN THREE TREATED

The state Agency for Health Care Administration, which pays the drug bill for most children in state care, as well as needy children who are insured by Medicaid, could not say Friday how many Florida Medicaid recipients are being administered the drug.

In 2001, after The Herald's series, DCF reviewed the records of most foster children. Records showed about about one in three foster children taking a powerful mood-altering drug. Many were taking untested combinations, or ''cocktails,'' of the drugs.

Infants and toddlers were being given psychiatric drugs, according to a 2003 study by the Florida Statewide Advocacy Council.

Antoinette R. Appel, a Plantation neuropsychologist, studied the records of about 50 South Florida foster children who had been prescribed Risperdal.

She said many of the children developed severe side-effects, including obesity, lethargy, lack of concentration, hormonal disorders and the inappropriate development of secondary sexual characteristics, such as lactating breasts in boys or young girls.

Carolyn Salisbury, associate director of the University of Miami's Children & Youth Law Clinic, has pleaded with child welfare authorities for about five years to curtail the widespread use of mood-altering drugs among foster kids, who often complain the drugs make them more ill.

VICTORY IN COURT

One of the clinic's most high-profile clients, identified in court papers as M.W., won a Florida Supreme Court ruling that child welfare authorities cannot lock up foster kids in psychiatric hospitals without a hearing. M.W. had developed lactating breasts after doctors forced him to take Risperdal, court records show.

One of Salisbury's clients, a 15-year-old girl, begged her to prevent the child welfare agency from forcing her to take Risperdal, Salisbury said. The girl had become obese and suffered from dramatic mood swings, alternating between feeling agitated or very depressed.

''I always object to my foster child clients being placed on Risperdal . . .,'' Salisbury said. ``However, DCF continues to place children in their care on the drug, even though DCF knows full well the horrible side effects foster children continue to suffer on this drug.''

Copyright Notice: According to US Copyright law, copyright vests initially in the author(s) of the work. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, any copyrighted material herein is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you are the copyright holder and choose to have your work removed from this website, email the webmaster and it will be done. However we here at fightcps.com hope you prefer that our researchers continue to benefit from access to your work.


Link: http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/9231611.htm


posted by Linda for FightCPS.Com at 9:39 PM  


Wednesday, July 21, 2004

 

New Jersey: DYFS Confused about Children's Rights reforms



What part of 'quit torturing parents and children' don't you understand? - LJM

State asks judge for clarity on DYFS reforms

By ANGELA DELLI SANTI
Associated Press Writers

July 21, 2004, 6:51 PM EDT

TRENTON, N.J. -- The state has raised questions over its ability to carry out changes to New Jersey's child welfare agency, two days after legally binding reforms were submitted to the court.

The Attorney General's office on Wednesday sent a four-page letter to the federal judge overseeing the reforms, noting concerns that portions of the plan are too vague and may be beyond the agency's ability to enforce.

"We are seeking a clarification from the judge and putting on record that we think some of these items should not be enforceable," said Andy Williams, a spokesman for the Department of Human Services, which oversees the Division of Youth and Family Services.

Child welfare advocates were disappointed, saying the state is trying to shirk its responsibility.

"I am concerned that the state is trying to get out of being held accountable," said Marcia Robinson Lowry, executive director of Children's Rights, the New York-based organization that sued the state to force sweeping reform within DYFS.

On Monday, state officials agreed to implement an extensive list of reforms and meet certain deadline or face sanctions.

The changes are part of a settlement reached with Children's Rights. An independent panel, comprised of national child welfare experts, was created to monitor the overhaul.

According to the state, some of the requirements being placed on DYFS are not clearly defined, go beyond the original lawsuit or are under the control of another entity, such as the Legislature, the courts or local school districts.

Child advocates questioned the state's commitment to reforms.

"We're disappointed the state is now seeking to limit its responsibility in ensuring the safety of New Jersey's most vulnerable children," said Cecilia Zalkind, executive director of the Association for Children of New Jersey.

State officials insist they are only seeking clarification.

U.S. District Judge Stanley R. Chesler last month approved a state plan to overhaul the state's child welfare agency, saying he hoped the reform effort would "be the start of a new day for the children of New Jersey."

Broadly, the reform plan seeks to base child welfare services in individual communities and to increase the number of foster families in the state.

Officials also want to partner with other state agencies to focus on larger social problems they say contribute to child abuse and neglect, such as domestic violence and substance abuse.

The initiative is already under way. DYFS has beefed up its staff by more than 130 new hires, who will be briefed by Human Services Commissioner James Davy and others on Thursday.


posted by Linda for FightCPS.Com at 1:56 AM  



 

New York: Fosterer on trial for burn death of child



The girl's grandparents were trying to get kinship care rights honored. - LJM

Defendant says she treated scalded child

Wed, Jul 21, 2004
ROB BOOTH and MEGHAN RUBADO
Observer-Dispatch

UTICA -- When manslaughter defendant Rosemary Davis didn't hear 22-month-old Erickyzha Warner playing in the bathtub a few days before Memorial Day, she entered the bathroom to see if the child was OK.

"She was lying in the bathtub and the hot water was on and steam was coming up," according to Davis' statements to Utica police on file in Oneida County Court and reviewed by the Observer-Dispatch. "She was sitting up but just leaning back ... she was just looking into the sky."

Davis told police she then pulled the toddler out of the steaming water, covered her with a towel, laid her on the kitchen table and began cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The child responded with open eyes and laughter.

The 51-year-old legal guardian treated the girl's burns for the next few days, according to her statements to police, but never sought professional medical attention until Memorial Day when she called 911 after the child's condition worsened. The toddler was pronounced dead hours later.

Because Davis didn't seek help sooner, she was charged with second-degree manslaughter. On Tuesday in Oneida County Court, she pleaded not guilty to the class C felony. The charge carries a maximum prison sentence of 15 years. She's being held on $40,000 bail.

Davis also was offered a plea bargain Tuesday from the District Attorney's office to dispose of the case. Davis and her attorney, public defender Peter Bereskin, have until Friday, Aug. 6, to decide whether to accept it, Judge Michael L. Dwyer said.

Assistant District Attorney Dawn Catera Lupi said the offer includes pleading guilty to the second-degree manslaughter charge, but would not disclose what the sentence would include.

Davis, who lived at 714 Saratoga St. at the time and was the legal guardian of Erickyzha, told police she drew enough water in the tub at about noon on Thursday or Friday -- prior to Memorial Day -- so the water came up to just above her legs.

She then placed Erickyzha in the tub and left her in the care of Bobby J. Noid, who lives out of town but visits the area and has watched Erickyzha before, Davis said in her statement.

Davis told police she then cleaned the house for about 10 to 15 minutes and repeatedly asked Noid if the baby was alright, and he responded yes.

But at one point when Davis saw Noid sitting in a kitchen chair, it upset her so she checked on Erickyzha herself, according to her statements. That's when she found the toddler apparently unconscious and took her out of the tub, documents stated.

Prosecutors and police early in the case said it was possible another person may be charged, but Lupi Tuesday said additional arrests don't appear likely, and that anyone else in the house at the time may just be used as a witness in the case.

During the next few days following the bath, Davis treated the girl's burns on her legs and bottom side with peroxide and ointment and followed advice she obtained from a medical book that a family friend dropped off.

When the landlord, Craig Loomis, visited at one point, Davis told police that she told Loomis to check the water heater in the basement because the water "was too damn hot." Loomis went to the basement, returned and told her he turned it down, she said.

Davis said in her statement that Erickyzha still was eating, drinking water and smiling during the next few days until Memorial Day, when she was not responding in a normal manner.

Davis said she then called 911.

Erickyzha died at St. Elizabeth Medical Center due to bacterial infection that led to cardiac arrest, according to Davis' indictment.

Davis' son, Simon, 32, was in court Tuesday at his mother's arraignment. He said he disagreed with his mother's decision to treat Erickyzha at home. He said he received a call the day Erickyzha was burned but didn't go to see her.

"I didn't realize how serious the burns were," he said. "She should have taken her to the hospital."

Erickyzha ended up in Davis' custody after she was taken out of the care of her biological mother, Misheena Watson, 23, of Bleecker Street. Davis was a friend of the family and had experience raising her own children and another foster child.

Watson -- who last week said she has gone through grief counseling, parenting classes and drug rehabilitation -- feels that manslaughter isn't a severe enough charge against Rosemary Davis.

"If she really cared, she would have taken my baby to the hospital," Watson said.

Also in court Tuesday were Erickyzha's paternal grandparents, Henry Darby and Tammy Warner. They were in the process of trying to get custody of Erickyzha when the child died.

They have continued the custody process even after the girl's death, Darby said. He feels that delays and hurdles in the custody process kept Erickyzha from his home for too long, he said.

"I want the courts to know that she had a home to come to, that she was loved," Darby said.


posted by Linda for FightCPS.Com at 1:49 AM  


Monday, July 19, 2004

 

USA: Foster children not receiving mental health help



Found at Newswise

Newswise — Each year, more than 600,000 children seen in the U.S. child welfare system for alleged maltreatment do not receive mental health care for significant emotional and behavioral problems, reports a study in the August Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. The findings are based on NIMH-funded analyses of the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being, a nationally representative study funded by the US DHHS’s Administration on Children and Families.

"Routine screening for mental health needs and increasing access to mental health professionals for further evaluation and treatment should be a priority for children early in their contact with the child welfare system," concludes a research team led by Barbara J. Burns, Ph.D., of Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, N.C.

Dr. Burns and colleagues analyzed nationwide data on children and adolescents investigated by child welfare agencies for reported abuse or neglect. A standard child behavior checklist suggested that 48 percent of the children had "clinically significant" emotional or behavioral problems.

However, only one-fourth of these children in need received specialized mental health care, such as evaluation by a child and adolescent psychiatrist or other mental health professional. Mental health services were received by just 16 percent of maltreated children overall. For those not scoring in the "significant" range on the checklist, the rate was just four percent.

Children with certain characteristics were more likely to receive mental health services: for example, preschool-aged victims of sexual abuse or children with a severely mentally ill parent.

However, other groups were less likely to receive mental health services, including African-American children. Children who were not placed in foster care were also less likely to receive services. This was a particular concern, since 90 percent of the victims of alleged maltreatment continued living in their parents' home.

Similarly, 64 percent of the children were evaluated for neglect rather than abuse. Yet these children accounted for only 13 percent of those receiving mental health services.

Based on U.S. government estimates of 1.7 million maltreated children and adolescents per year, the findings suggest that just 200,000 of 800,000 children in need actually receive mental health services. This leaves more than 600,000 children per year with "unmet mental health needs," Dr. Burns and colleagues conclude.

Abused and neglected children are at high risk of emotional and behavioral problems. Previous studies of mental health care for children served by child welfare agencies have emphasized those placed in foster care. The new study is one of the first to focus on the larger group of children who remain at home or live with relatives after reported maltreatment.

The results show that about half of youngsters in the child welfare system have significant emotional or behavior problems, and that three-fourths of these do not receive needed mental health services. Certain groups seem at especially high risk of not receiving services, including children who remain at home and those who are victims of alleged neglect.

Dr. Burns and colleagues call for further study to identify barriers to mental health care for matreated children. One likely contributor is the lack of adequate resources, including child and adolescent psychiatrists and other well-trained mental health professionals. The researchers call for a "true partnership" between child mental health and child welfare services to ensure adequate mental health assessment and intervention for maltreated children.


posted by Linda for FightCPS.Com at 1:59 AM  


Sunday, July 18, 2004

 

Texas: CPS Judge opening fosterincarceration business?



According to this article, Texas CPS judge Robin Sage is forming what looks like a business, "Fostering Partners". Anyone see anything wrong with that? - LJM

Couple asking officials to include local CPS in investigation

July 18, 2004
By Glenn Evans

A couple who temporarily were barred as foster parents are asking elected officials to ensure the local Child Protective Services office is included in a statewide CPS investigation ordered by Gov. Rick Perry.

"I want someone to come in and look at this in Gregg and Harrison counties, because until we change the ethics, nothing is going to change," Marsha Marjason of Longview said Friday.

Marjason and her husband, Steve, became foster parents in October 2001. A year later, the couple was accused of not being team players by CPS officials overseeing their home.

That accusation was levelled the day after the Marjason's disagreed with the rest of the CPS team on which parent should get custody of two children who had been taken by the state during an abuse investigation.

In October 2003 after 10 child placements, they were again told they were not team players shortly after meeting privately with Family Court Judge Robin Sage.

Two days later, they were notified they were out of the foster parent program.

On June 9, after meeting in Austin with CPS Assistant Commissioner Joyce James, the Marjasons received good news and bad news: James upheld the decision to close the Marjason home as a state foster home; but she added the Department of Family and Protective Services, which oversees CPS, would not bar the couple from being foster parents through private placement agencies.

"At this time your family is free to apply to be foster parents with any other child-placing agency," James wrote.

The couple are in the process of qualifying with Dallas-based Buckner Benevolences.

While the Marjasons were being booted from the state system, Sage was forming Fostering Partners in response to a shortage of foster families here. There were 155 children in need of foster care in this county in October 2003 but only five homes, forcing authorities to place local children with foster families in San Augustine, Houston and Dallas.

"We've recruited 17 confirmed new families and another three possible families," Sage said Friday, adding the Gregg County program is being modeled in the Bryan-College Station area and should become a statewide model. She did not comment directly on the Marjasons' situation, but said communication is critical between state child welfare agents and foster families.

"There have been some differences and problems with communication with CPS in the past, primarily because CPS has been so overworked and overwhelmed with the task they've got," Sage said.

Now, the governor has called for a statewide investigation of CPS after a Hidalgo County grand jury indicted the Department of Family and Protective Services on charges case workers failed to intervene in a sexual abuse case involving three girls and their stepfather.

Stephanie Goodman, spokeswoman for the Longview CPS office, said Friday that the state's top-to-bottom investigation will include the foster care system statewide.

"We're welcoming that here in Gregg County," she said. "I think any suggestions that have a positive impact on our policies will help us serve our families. ... We value our foster families. But we always have to put the children first, and put them in placement that meets their needs."

Marjason said she has asked representatives of U.S. Rep. Max Sandlin, D-Marshall, and Republican state Reps. Tommy Merritt of Longview and Bryan Hughes of Mineola to urge Perry to include Northeast Texas in the investigation.

Responses from all three offices were encouraging, she said. Sandlin's office is forwarding her complaint to the Texas attorney general, she said, while Merritt and Hughes have indicated they would contact the governor's office.

She also invited others to join her, by calling (903) 236-8530.

"If I can get names and stories and get them off to Austin, I'll have a better chance of having this internal audit or investigation in Marshall and Gregg County," she said.


posted by Linda for FightCPS.Com at 2:15 AM  



 

Texas: CPS Judge opening fosterincarceration business?



According to this article, Texas CPS judge Robin Sage is forming what looks like a business, "Fostering Partners". Anyone see anything wrong with that? - LJM

Couple asking officials to include local CPS in investigation

July 18, 2004
By Glenn Evans

A couple who temporarily were barred as foster parents are asking elected officials to ensure the local Child Protective Services office is included in a statewide CPS investigation ordered by Gov. Rick Perry.

"I want someone to come in and look at this in Gregg and Harrison counties, because until we change the ethics, nothing is going to change," Marsha Marjason of Longview said Friday.

Marjason and her husband, Steve, became foster parents in October 2001. A year later, the couple was accused of not being team players by CPS officials overseeing their home.

That accusation was levelled the day after the Marjason's disagreed with the rest of the CPS team on which parent should get custody of two children who had been taken by the state during an abuse investigation.

In October 2003 after 10 child placements, they were again told they were not team players shortly after meeting privately with Family Court Judge Robin Sage.

Two days later, they were notified they were out of the foster parent program.

On June 9, after meeting in Austin with CPS Assistant Commissioner Joyce James, the Marjasons received good news and bad news: James upheld the decision to close the Marjason home as a state foster home; but she added the Department of Family and Protective Services, which oversees CPS, would not bar the couple from being foster parents through private placement agencies.

"At this time your family is free to apply to be foster parents with any other child-placing agency," James wrote.

The couple are in the process of qualifying with Dallas-based Buckner Benevolences.

While the Marjasons were being booted from the state system, Sage was forming Fostering Partners in response to a shortage of foster families here. There were 155 children in need of foster care in this county in October 2003 but only five homes, forcing authorities to place local children with foster families in San Augustine, Houston and Dallas.

"We've recruited 17 confirmed new families and another three possible families," Sage said Friday, adding the Gregg County program is being modeled in the Bryan-College Station area and should become a statewide model. She did not comment directly on the Marjasons' situation, but said communication is critical between state child welfare agents and foster families.

"There have been some differences and problems with communication with CPS in the past, primarily because CPS has been so overworked and overwhelmed with the task they've got," Sage said.

Now, the governor has called for a statewide investigation of CPS after a Hidalgo County grand jury indicted the Department of Family and Protective Services on charges case workers failed to intervene in a sexual abuse case involving three girls and their stepfather.

Stephanie Goodman, spokeswoman for the Longview CPS office, said Friday that the state's top-to-bottom investigation will include the foster care system statewide.

"We're welcoming that here in Gregg County," she said. "I think any suggestions that have a positive impact on our policies will help us serve our families. ... We value our foster families. But we always have to put the children first, and put them in placement that meets their needs."

Marjason said she has asked representatives of U.S. Rep. Max Sandlin, D-Marshall, and Republican state Reps. Tommy Merritt of Longview and Bryan Hughes of Mineola to urge Perry to include Northeast Texas in the investigation.

Responses from all three offices were encouraging, she said. Sandlin's office is forwarding her complaint to the Texas attorney general, she said, while Merritt and Hughes have indicated they would contact the governor's office.

She also invited others to join her, by calling (903) 236-8530.

"If I can get names and stories and get them off to Austin, I'll have a better chance of having this internal audit or investigation in Marshall and Gregg County," she said.


posted by Linda for FightCPS.Com at 2:15 AM  



 

Texas: CPS Judge opening fosterincarceration business?



According to this article, Texas CPS judge Robin Sage is forming what looks like a business, "Fostering Partners". Anyone see anything wrong with that? - LJM

Couple asking officials to include local CPS in investigation

July 18, 2004
By Glenn Evans

A couple who temporarily were barred as foster parents are asking elected officials to ensure the local Child Protective Services office is included in a statewide CPS investigation ordered by Gov. Rick Perry.

"I want someone to come in and look at this in Gregg and Harrison counties, because until we change the ethics, nothing is going to change," Marsha Marjason of Longview said Friday.

Marjason and her husband, Steve, became foster parents in October 2001. A year later, the couple was accused of not being team players by CPS officials overseeing their home.

That accusation was levelled the day after the Marjason's disagreed with the rest of the CPS team on which parent should get custody of two children who had been taken by the state during an abuse investigation.

In October 2003 after 10 child placements, they were again told they were not team players shortly after meeting privately with Family Court Judge Robin Sage.

Two days later, they were notified they were out of the foster parent program.

On June 9, after meeting in Austin with CPS Assistant Commissioner Joyce James, the Marjasons received good news and bad news: James upheld the decision to close the Marjason home as a state foster home; but she added the Department of Family and Protective Services, which oversees CPS, would not bar the couple from being foster parents through private placement agencies.

"At this time your family is free to apply to be foster parents with any other child-placing agency," James wrote.

The couple are in the process of qualifying with Dallas-based Buckner Benevolences.

While the Marjasons were being booted from the state system, Sage was forming Fostering Partners in response to a shortage of foster families here. There were 155 children in need of foster care in this county in October 2003 but only five homes, forcing authorities to place local children with foster families in San Augustine, Houston and Dallas.

"We've recruited 17 confirmed new families and another three possible families," Sage said Friday, adding the Gregg County program is being modeled in the Bryan-College Station area and should become a statewide model. She did not comment directly on the Marjasons' situation, but said communication is critical between state child welfare agents and foster families.

"There have been some differences and problems with communication with CPS in the past, primarily because CPS has been so overworked and overwhelmed with the task they've got," Sage said.

Now, the governor has called for a statewide investigation of CPS after a Hidalgo County grand jury indicted the Department of Family and Protective Services on charges case workers failed to intervene in a sexual abuse case involving three girls and their stepfather.

Stephanie Goodman, spokeswoman for the Longview CPS office, said Friday that the state's top-to-bottom investigation will include the foster care system statewide.

"We're welcoming that here in Gregg County," she said. "I think any suggestions that have a positive impact on our policies will help us serve our families. ... We value our foster families. But we always have to put the children first, and put them in placement that meets their needs."

Marjason said she has asked representatives of U.S. Rep. Max Sandlin, D-Marshall, and Republican state Reps. Tommy Merritt of Longview and Bryan Hughes of Mineola to urge Perry to include Northeast Texas in the investigation.

Responses from all three offices were encouraging, she said. Sandlin's office is forwarding her complaint to the Texas attorney general, she said, while Merritt and Hughes have indicated they would contact the governor's office.

She also invited others to join her, by calling (903) 236-8530.

"If I can get names and stories and get them off to Austin, I'll have a better chance of having this internal audit or investigation in Marshall and Gregg County," she said.


posted by Linda for FightCPS.Com at 2:15 AM  


Please Consider
Linking To This Site
From Your Site Or Weblog


Fighting Child Protective Services False Accusations
Fighting Child Protective Services False Accusations
Fighting Child Protective Services False Accusations
Fighting Child Protective Services False Accusations

Copyright Notice: According to US Copyright law, copyright vests initially in the author(s) of the work. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, any copyrighted material herein is distributed without profit or payment to those who have an interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: Title 17, Sec.107. If you are the copyright holder and choose to have your work removed from this website, email the webmaster and it will be done. However we here at fightcps.com hope you prefer that our researchers continue to benefit from access to your work.

Broken Links: Because many old news articles are taken offline you will find broken links in the archives of this weblog. There's nothing we can do to prevent this problem.


Subscribe to:
Fight CPS Newsletter | RSS
Information and support for families facing false accusations of child abuse and neglect.
Name:
Email:
Format:
Subscribe
Unsubscribe


Make your own website to fight CPS with these tools:
CoffeeCup - HTML Editor
& FTP Software

GoDaddy $3.99 Domain Name Sale


Constitution

What to do if CPS agents are investigating you

Who will prepare your case?

Write to your legislators about CPS

The Good Advocates List

A review of: Protecting Children From Child Protective Services by Alan L. Schwartz

Solomon's Wisdom

A Call For Change - by Joseph Sarandos

Bounty payments for adoptions - how much is your child worth to CPS?

Get your case file using the Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act of 1974

The New Freedom - Orwellian "Newspeak" for a program that will force mental health evaluations on everyone. This is NOT "freedom" - this is about taking away your rights and controlling the minds of children and all other U.S. citizens.



Download AFRA's Expose 4 in pdf format




Effective and Affordable! Subliminal Persuasion Recordings

I have used Barrie Konicov's recordings to stop smoking, write better, gain confidence, and much more. They are very effective and affordable and I recommend them highly. - Linda Jo Martin of FightCPS.Com



Weblog News Archives:
01/31/1999 - 02/07/1999 03/07/1999 - 03/14/1999 10/29/2000 - 11/05/2000 12/17/2000 - 12/24/2000 10/07/2001 - 10/14/2001 10/14/2001 - 10/21/2001 10/21/2001 - 10/28/2001 10/28/2001 - 11/04/2001 11/11/2001 - 11/18/2001 11/18/2001 - 11/25/2001 12/09/2001 - 12/16/2001 12/16/2001 - 12/23/2001 12/23/2001 - 12/30/2001 01/06/2002 - 01/13/2002 01/13/2002 - 01/20/2002 01/20/2002 - 01/27/2002 01/27/2002 - 02/03/2002 02/03/2002 - 02/10/2002 02/10/2002 - 02/17/2002 02/17/2002 - 02/24/2002 02/24/2002 - 03/03/2002 03/03/2002 - 03/10/2002 03/10/2002 - 03/17/2002 03/17/2002 - 03/24/2002 03/24/2002 - 03/31/2002 04/21/2002 - 04/28/2002 04/28/2002 - 05/05/2002 05/05/2002 - 05/12/2002 05/12/2002 - 05/19/2002 05/19/2002 - 05/26/2002 05/26/2002 - 06/02/2002 06/02/2002 - 06/09/2002 06/09/2002 - 06/16/2002 06/16/2002 - 06/23/2002 06/23/2002 - 06/30/2002 06/30/2002 - 07/07/2002 07/07/2002 - 07/14/2002 07/14/2002 - 07/21/2002 07/21/2002 - 07/28/2002 07/28/2002 - 08/04/2002 08/04/2002 - 08/11/2002 08/11/2002 - 08/18/2002 08/18/2002 - 08/25/2002 08/25/2002 - 09/01/2002 09/01/2002 - 09/08/2002 09/08/2002 - 09/15/2002 09/15/2002 - 09/22/2002 09/22/2002 - 09/29/2002 10/13/2002 - 10/20/2002 12/08/2002 - 12/15/2002 12/29/2002 - 01/05/2003 01/05/2003 - 01/12/2003 01/12/2003 - 01/19/2003 01/26/2003 - 02/02/2003 02/02/2003 - 02/09/2003 02/09/2003 - 02/16/2003 02/16/2003 - 02/23/2003 02/23/2003 - 03/02/2003 03/09/2003 - 03/16/2003 04/13/2003 - 04/20/2003 05/11/2003 - 05/18/2003 06/15/2003 - 06/22/2003 10/26/2003 - 11/02/2003 11/02/2003 - 11/09/2003 11/09/2003 - 11/16/2003 11/16/2003 - 11/23/2003 11/23/2003 - 11/30/2003 11/30/2003 - 12/07/2003 12/07/2003 - 12/14/2003 12/14/2003 - 12/21/2003 12/21/2003 - 12/28/2003 12/28/2003 - 01/04/2004 01/11/2004 - 01/18/2004 01/18/2004 - 01/25/2004 01/25/2004 - 02/01/2004 02/01/2004 - 02/08/2004 06/20/2004 - 06/27/2004 06/27/2004 - 07/04/2004 07/04/2004 - 07/11/2004 07/11/2004 - 07/18/2004 07/18/2004 - 07/25/2004 07/25/2004 - 08/01/2004 08/01/2004 - 08/08/2004 08/08/2004 - 08/15/2004 08/15/2004 - 08/22/2004 08/22/2004 - 08/29/2004 08/29/2004 - 09/05/2004 09/05/2004 - 09/12/2004 09/12/2004 - 09/19/2004 10/10/2004 - 10/17/2004 10/17/2004 - 10/24/2004 10/24/2004 - 10/31/2004 11/07/2004 - 11/14/2004 11/28/2004 - 12/05/2004 12/05/2004 - 12/12/2004 12/19/2004 - 12/26/2004 12/26/2004 - 01/02/2005 01/02/2005 - 01/09/2005 01/09/2005 - 01/16/2005 01/30/2005 - 02/06/2005 02/06/2005 - 02/13/2005 02/13/2005 - 02/20/2005 02/20/2005 - 02/27/2005 02/27/2005 - 03/06/2005 03/06/2005 - 03/13/2005 03/13/2005 - 03/20/2005 03/20/2005 - 03/27/2005 03/27/2005 - 04/03/2005 04/17/2005 - 04/24/2005 04/24/2005 - 05/01/2005 05/01/2005 - 05/08/2005 05/08/2005 - 05/15/2005 05/29/2005 - 06/05/2005 06/05/2005 - 06/12/2005 06/12/2005 - 06/19/2005 06/26/2005 - 07/03/2005 08/14/2005 - 08/21/2005 10/23/2005 - 10/30/2005 11/13/2005 - 11/20/2005 01/29/2006 - 02/05/2006 02/05/2006 - 02/12/2006 03/19/2006 - 03/26/2006 03/26/2006 - 04/02/2006 04/02/2006 - 04/09/2006 04/23/2006 - 04/30/2006 04/30/2006 - 05/07/2006 05/07/2006 - 05/14/2006 05/14/2006 - 05/21/2006 05/21/2006 - 05/28/2006 06/25/2006 - 07/02/2006 08/27/2006 - 09/03/2006 09/17/2006 - 09/24/2006 09/24/2006 - 10/01/2006 10/15/2006 - 10/22/2006 10/22/2006 - 10/29/2006 10/29/2006 - 11/05/2006 11/05/2006 - 11/12/2006 11/12/2006 - 11/19/2006 11/19/2006 - 11/26/2006 11/26/2006 - 12/03/2006 12/03/2006 - 12/10/2006 12/17/2006 - 12/24/2006 12/24/2006 - 12/31/2006



Home :: Forum :: Document Library :: Chat Room
FAQ :: Legal Disclaimer :: Prayer Requests :: Link To Us :: RSS :: Old Site



This site is a member of WebRing. To browse visit here.