Blog authors note:
The below talks about federal money and divorcing parents. The same scenario accounts for IV-E funding involving children who are removed by CPS.
-----
Various Fathers, Mothers, and former father-PI's have told me that for every child placed in Foster Care, the States receive between $4,000-6,000 (per month) that the child remains under the State's foster care / Replacement Parent Protection Plan #1 (RPPP-1). The States also receive a similar amount for each child placed in adoption, or RPPP-2. And since the Majority of the Money that the State receives from the Feds does NOT go to the Replacement Parent, but rather to the State, there is a Financial Incentive for the States to place as many children as possible in one of their two Replacement Parent Protection Plans: and for this reason, THAT is exactly what is going on -- in Many cases -- with little or no justification.
My understanding is that the States receive from two-thirds to three-fourths of the Money, and the other 1/3 to 1/4 goes to RPPP-1 or RPPP-2. Therefore, the more children who are taken away from their parents, the More Money the States receive to feed their growing Monster.
See the Links below for more on how Title IV-D Federal Funding of Child Support Services, Child Protective Services, and Family Courts has turned a natural tendency to obtain More Money and Power and what it can purchase for me and my family, into a Nightmare for Divorcing Parents: and especially those who Don't Want to share the Kids, but instead to nitpick and lie about the other parent and seek Sole Legal Custody. This has given birth to Monster-Gov: with an insatiable appetite for More Children and Parents, and All their Assets: and a Free for All for state and private licensed "clinical" social workers, Family Law attorneys, psychologists, marriage and family therapists, and last but not least, State and local budgets.
Go to this link, http://www.earthage.org/familycourtcrooks/title_iv-d-federal-funding.htm, and there are several other links that explain all of this very well.
CPS corruption hurts and destroys families worldwide. Please use caution posting about CPS here or anyplace on the internet. For your protection, using your full, real name and precise location is not advised. CPS has eyes everywhere and CPS is notorious for taking what people say, twisting it, embellishing on it and then using it against them in CPS "investigations" and at court proceedings.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Report - More Indiana Children Die From Abuse, Neglect, Report Says
Child Advocates Chide Backslide In Children's Services
INDIANAPOLIS -- Federal statistics show that Indiana has one of the highest rates of child abuse and neglect in the nation, though Department of Child Services officials claim their statistics show progress.
Recent cases of child abuse deaths are indicative of how some Indiana children fall through the cracks, and federal reports obtained by Call 6 Investigator Joanna Massee are counter to DCS claims that the child welfare system is improving.
Some child advocates said they've seen some progress recently, but others said they are gravely concerned about recent abuse and neglect deaths and what they consider backsliding services.
Deaths Of Children Spur Concern
The cases of Devin Parsons and Christian Choate highlight what many consider to be the failings of DCS.
Greensburg police found Parsons, 12, fatally beaten in June. His mother, Tasha Parsons, and her boyfriend, Waldo Jones, were subsequently charged with murder.
Randy Parsons, Devin's great-uncle, said he wasn't aware of the extent of abuse that police said went on in the boy's home.
"You just never expect anything like that," Parsons said, adding that he didn't realize a DCS employee visited the boy's home days before his death. "I think the job wasn't finished."
Christian Choate, 13, also had a long history with DCS before his death earlier this year. According to the agency's records, Christian lived in a cage and received regular beatings during the last months of his life.
In May, investigators pulled Christian's body from a shallow grave in Gary. His father, Riley Choate, and his stepmother, Kimberly Kubina, were charged with murder.
Records obtained by the Call 6 Investigators showed that the families of both children had a long history with DCS.
DCS Director James Payne said he thinks his agency is better at protecting children than ever before, and he cautioned against using child fatalities as a measuring stick.
" First of all, nobody in the system looks at fatalities as a measure of whether or not the system itself is doing a good job in helping protect children," Payne said. "Often the fatalities occur without any contact before. Often they happen in circumstances that were unpredictable."
Child Welfare Tracking Systems Inconsistent
Nationwide, child safety workers criticized an inconsistent tracking system for child deaths.
Because federal and state reports cover different time periods, the numbers don't match, and that means the number of deaths can look like it's going up in one report and down in another.
For example, the most recent Child Maltreatment Report released by the Department of Health and Human Services showed an increase in the number of child deaths from 2008 to 2009. The federal government counted 34 deaths in 2008 and 50 deaths in 2009. The federal year runs from Oct. 1 through Sept. 30.
The state's most recent Child Abuse and Neglect Report of Child Fatalities showed a decrease in the number of child deaths from 2008 to 2009. The state government counted 46 deaths in 2008 and 38 deaths in 2009. The state year runs from July 1 through June 30.
Payne said a better way to evaluate the system is to look at statistics, such as fewer children being placed in residential treatment.
"The system is much better now," Payne said.
DCS is focused on helping children thrive in the home because taking them out is very traumatic, Payne said.
But the cases that involved Devin and Christian indicate that leaving abused and neglected children in a home can also be devastating.
Child Advocates' Opinion Mixed
Privately, leading child advocates and service providers told Massee they disagree with Payne’s claims that the system is improving. Publicly, they choose their words carefully if they say anything at all, fearing retaliation.
Massee asked Payne if the culture at DCS discourages criticism within the agency.
"I suspect there is at some level," but not at the executive level, Payne responded.
David Sklar, who leads the Children’s Coalition of Indiana, an organization that works to support and lobby for children and families, said child advocates and service providers fear retaliation for voicing concerns about DCS.
"They're afraid to advocate for those clients because they're afraid that the state might look somewhere else to provide those contracts," Sklar said.
Sklar added that advocates are also concerned that the state is spending fewer dollars on therapeutic services that help address and prevent child abuse and neglect.
"We are starting to see a backslide," he said.
Last year, DCS gave back nearly $104 million to the state general fund, money that could have been used for children. Payne said the agency did not need the cash.
When Massee asked Payne about these spending decisions, he granted RTV6 unprecedented access to the agency, adamant that his system is working.
During a roundtable discussion with DCS employees, Massee asked case workers about the difficulties they face on the job.
Supervisor Melissa Clark said she has seen positive changes during her 17 years with DCS, but she also said the work comes with challenges.
"It can be a life and death decision that we're making," Clark said. "We do see some turnover. It is a stressful job. It's emotional. We deal with the crying child that's being removed from their parent."
Denise Brightman said she has spent 21 years working with families and worries about making a mistake "every day."
While workers such as Brightman and Clark can only control the cases assigned to them, State Rep. Bill Crawford, D-Indianapolis, said he is concerned with decisions being made at the top.
Crawford criticized the state’s decision to spend less on services for abused and neglected children in need.
"There are too many child advocates from around the state of Indiana who are crying foul," Crawford said.
Child advocates said the unspent funds could be used for services such as counseling for young abuse victims, clothing and food for foster kids and toward other services for families, such as those in which Christian and Devin once belonged.
Speaking privately, one leading child advocate told Massee, "This needs to be a call to action. The system will succeed when the private sector and public sector work together."
Source http://www.theindychannel.com/news/29636918/detail.html
INDIANAPOLIS -- Federal statistics show that Indiana has one of the highest rates of child abuse and neglect in the nation, though Department of Child Services officials claim their statistics show progress.
Recent cases of child abuse deaths are indicative of how some Indiana children fall through the cracks, and federal reports obtained by Call 6 Investigator Joanna Massee are counter to DCS claims that the child welfare system is improving.
Some child advocates said they've seen some progress recently, but others said they are gravely concerned about recent abuse and neglect deaths and what they consider backsliding services.
Deaths Of Children Spur Concern
The cases of Devin Parsons and Christian Choate highlight what many consider to be the failings of DCS.
Greensburg police found Parsons, 12, fatally beaten in June. His mother, Tasha Parsons, and her boyfriend, Waldo Jones, were subsequently charged with murder.
Randy Parsons, Devin's great-uncle, said he wasn't aware of the extent of abuse that police said went on in the boy's home.
"You just never expect anything like that," Parsons said, adding that he didn't realize a DCS employee visited the boy's home days before his death. "I think the job wasn't finished."
Christian Choate, 13, also had a long history with DCS before his death earlier this year. According to the agency's records, Christian lived in a cage and received regular beatings during the last months of his life.
In May, investigators pulled Christian's body from a shallow grave in Gary. His father, Riley Choate, and his stepmother, Kimberly Kubina, were charged with murder.
Records obtained by the Call 6 Investigators showed that the families of both children had a long history with DCS.
DCS Director James Payne said he thinks his agency is better at protecting children than ever before, and he cautioned against using child fatalities as a measuring stick.
" First of all, nobody in the system looks at fatalities as a measure of whether or not the system itself is doing a good job in helping protect children," Payne said. "Often the fatalities occur without any contact before. Often they happen in circumstances that were unpredictable."
Child Welfare Tracking Systems Inconsistent
Nationwide, child safety workers criticized an inconsistent tracking system for child deaths.
Because federal and state reports cover different time periods, the numbers don't match, and that means the number of deaths can look like it's going up in one report and down in another.
For example, the most recent Child Maltreatment Report released by the Department of Health and Human Services showed an increase in the number of child deaths from 2008 to 2009. The federal government counted 34 deaths in 2008 and 50 deaths in 2009. The federal year runs from Oct. 1 through Sept. 30.
The state's most recent Child Abuse and Neglect Report of Child Fatalities showed a decrease in the number of child deaths from 2008 to 2009. The state government counted 46 deaths in 2008 and 38 deaths in 2009. The state year runs from July 1 through June 30.
Payne said a better way to evaluate the system is to look at statistics, such as fewer children being placed in residential treatment.
"The system is much better now," Payne said.
DCS is focused on helping children thrive in the home because taking them out is very traumatic, Payne said.
But the cases that involved Devin and Christian indicate that leaving abused and neglected children in a home can also be devastating.
Child Advocates' Opinion Mixed
Privately, leading child advocates and service providers told Massee they disagree with Payne’s claims that the system is improving. Publicly, they choose their words carefully if they say anything at all, fearing retaliation.
Massee asked Payne if the culture at DCS discourages criticism within the agency.
"I suspect there is at some level," but not at the executive level, Payne responded.
David Sklar, who leads the Children’s Coalition of Indiana, an organization that works to support and lobby for children and families, said child advocates and service providers fear retaliation for voicing concerns about DCS.
"They're afraid to advocate for those clients because they're afraid that the state might look somewhere else to provide those contracts," Sklar said.
Sklar added that advocates are also concerned that the state is spending fewer dollars on therapeutic services that help address and prevent child abuse and neglect.
"We are starting to see a backslide," he said.
Last year, DCS gave back nearly $104 million to the state general fund, money that could have been used for children. Payne said the agency did not need the cash.
When Massee asked Payne about these spending decisions, he granted RTV6 unprecedented access to the agency, adamant that his system is working.
During a roundtable discussion with DCS employees, Massee asked case workers about the difficulties they face on the job.
Supervisor Melissa Clark said she has seen positive changes during her 17 years with DCS, but she also said the work comes with challenges.
"It can be a life and death decision that we're making," Clark said. "We do see some turnover. It is a stressful job. It's emotional. We deal with the crying child that's being removed from their parent."
Denise Brightman said she has spent 21 years working with families and worries about making a mistake "every day."
While workers such as Brightman and Clark can only control the cases assigned to them, State Rep. Bill Crawford, D-Indianapolis, said he is concerned with decisions being made at the top.
Crawford criticized the state’s decision to spend less on services for abused and neglected children in need.
"There are too many child advocates from around the state of Indiana who are crying foul," Crawford said.
Child advocates said the unspent funds could be used for services such as counseling for young abuse victims, clothing and food for foster kids and toward other services for families, such as those in which Christian and Devin once belonged.
Speaking privately, one leading child advocate told Massee, "This needs to be a call to action. The system will succeed when the private sector and public sector work together."
Source http://www.theindychannel.com/news/29636918/detail.html
Texas - CPS removes kids after mysterious incident prompts investigation
By Anna Waugh
Almost three months after an 11-year-old Willis girl disappeared one evening and was discovered delirious and bleeding in a ditch hours later, she and her 13-year-old sister were removed by a Child Protective Services emergency order from their home because of possible neglect.
CPS officials arrived around 5 p.m. Tuesday at the family’s home in the Royal Forest subdivision when the girls’ parents were grocery shopping, mother Jade Polk said. Polk’s mother was watching the girls and refused to open the door, but agreed to do so after they allegedly threatened to kick the door down and have the grandmother arrested.
Without cell phone reception inside the store, Polk said listening to a voicemail in the parking lot left by her panicked mother “just killed her,”knowing she would go home to a house without her kids.
“It was a shock,” she said.
Polk’s youngest daughter went missing for a few hours July 31 after she was last seen playing with their family dog around 7:45 p.m. and later found around 9:50 p.m. in front of a home on Royal Sterling Drive, about 1-1/2 miles from her home. She was covered in bruises with blood splattered across her body from a nose bleed and did not recognize her parents.
She was rushed to Conroe Regional Medical Center, where she was diagnosed with a severe concussion. The possibility of a sexual assault was ruled out with a rape kit, and she was released a few days later on Aug. 2.
Since then, Polk said, numerous doctor visits later at three hospitals have made doctors conclude that her daughter has a neurological disorder, but a three-month waiting list to see a pediatric neurologist at Texas Children’s Hospital has delayed any more tests and answers.
“She still doesn’t know what happened to her,” Polk said. “She’s blank.”
According to the emergency order, CPS presented the case Tuesday before 410th state District Court Judge K. Michael Mayes and was granted an emergency removal based on an "immediate danger to the physical health or safety of the children or the children have been the victims of neglect or sexual abuse.”
CPS workers told Polk and her husband Wednesday that the reason for removing their children was because they did not continue to take their daughter to counseling or participate in family counseling, which was recommended by a CPS case worker after a home visit suggested the girl see a counselor at Children’s Safe Harbor in Conroe to help her try to remember what happened the night she disappeared.
But after one visit, Polk said, her daughter was uncomfortable with the constant questions by the counselor asking if her parents hurt her. Her parents then decided to have a family friend who attends a nearby church to counsel her so she would feel more comfortable, Polk said.
Instructions can be either verbal or written and in CPS cases where the safety is a concern, parents are asked to participate in services relevant to the case – like counseling – and the children are removed without warning by emergency removal if they do not comply, CPS spokeswoman Gwen Carter said.
“If a family doesn’t cooperate and abuse or neglect is a concern, we can go to the court to request to remove the children and put them in a safe environment,” Carter said, adding that both girls are together in a foster home.
Now knowing the lack of official counseling was viewed by CPS as a neglectful decision, Polk said she had no idea her decision would result in her daughters' removal because she was never given any written documentation about counseling, so did not think continuing to take her daughter to CSH or participate in family counseling was mandatory.
In such situations, CPS is "put into the position where it is more difficult to explain inaction as opposed to action," regardless of the validity of the accusation at the time it was made, Conroe attorney E. Tay Bond said.
“When you have a governmental agency that is tasked with performing a family function," he said, "there is no possible way for CPS to function as well as a caring family does.”
The family’s financial situation also leads Polk to believe that her family is being targeted because they are low-income. Polk has a job, she said, but her husband recently filed for disability.
Regardless of their income, Polk said, she always ensures her children have food to eat and clothes to wear every day, as well as proper medical care.
“I think we’ve been wrongly accused,” she said. “There’s been no neglect.”
She has lined up 10 character witnesses to speak on her behalf at a hearing Monday morning that will consist of neighbors, friends and the girls’ teachers, and plans to request that the girls be turned over to another family member for the time being so they will be around family.
“I’m there for my kids. I do not neglect my kids,” Polk said. “I would bleed for them.”
James Ridgway, Jr. contributed to this report.
Source http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/courier/news/cps-removes-kids-after-mysterious-incident-prompts-investigation/article_de53db32-003c-55ad-8666-228bdb3d6aec.html
Almost three months after an 11-year-old Willis girl disappeared one evening and was discovered delirious and bleeding in a ditch hours later, she and her 13-year-old sister were removed by a Child Protective Services emergency order from their home because of possible neglect.
CPS officials arrived around 5 p.m. Tuesday at the family’s home in the Royal Forest subdivision when the girls’ parents were grocery shopping, mother Jade Polk said. Polk’s mother was watching the girls and refused to open the door, but agreed to do so after they allegedly threatened to kick the door down and have the grandmother arrested.
Without cell phone reception inside the store, Polk said listening to a voicemail in the parking lot left by her panicked mother “just killed her,”knowing she would go home to a house without her kids.
“It was a shock,” she said.
Polk’s youngest daughter went missing for a few hours July 31 after she was last seen playing with their family dog around 7:45 p.m. and later found around 9:50 p.m. in front of a home on Royal Sterling Drive, about 1-1/2 miles from her home. She was covered in bruises with blood splattered across her body from a nose bleed and did not recognize her parents.
She was rushed to Conroe Regional Medical Center, where she was diagnosed with a severe concussion. The possibility of a sexual assault was ruled out with a rape kit, and she was released a few days later on Aug. 2.
Since then, Polk said, numerous doctor visits later at three hospitals have made doctors conclude that her daughter has a neurological disorder, but a three-month waiting list to see a pediatric neurologist at Texas Children’s Hospital has delayed any more tests and answers.
“She still doesn’t know what happened to her,” Polk said. “She’s blank.”
According to the emergency order, CPS presented the case Tuesday before 410th state District Court Judge K. Michael Mayes and was granted an emergency removal based on an "immediate danger to the physical health or safety of the children or the children have been the victims of neglect or sexual abuse.”
CPS workers told Polk and her husband Wednesday that the reason for removing their children was because they did not continue to take their daughter to counseling or participate in family counseling, which was recommended by a CPS case worker after a home visit suggested the girl see a counselor at Children’s Safe Harbor in Conroe to help her try to remember what happened the night she disappeared.
But after one visit, Polk said, her daughter was uncomfortable with the constant questions by the counselor asking if her parents hurt her. Her parents then decided to have a family friend who attends a nearby church to counsel her so she would feel more comfortable, Polk said.
Instructions can be either verbal or written and in CPS cases where the safety is a concern, parents are asked to participate in services relevant to the case – like counseling – and the children are removed without warning by emergency removal if they do not comply, CPS spokeswoman Gwen Carter said.
“If a family doesn’t cooperate and abuse or neglect is a concern, we can go to the court to request to remove the children and put them in a safe environment,” Carter said, adding that both girls are together in a foster home.
Now knowing the lack of official counseling was viewed by CPS as a neglectful decision, Polk said she had no idea her decision would result in her daughters' removal because she was never given any written documentation about counseling, so did not think continuing to take her daughter to CSH or participate in family counseling was mandatory.
In such situations, CPS is "put into the position where it is more difficult to explain inaction as opposed to action," regardless of the validity of the accusation at the time it was made, Conroe attorney E. Tay Bond said.
“When you have a governmental agency that is tasked with performing a family function," he said, "there is no possible way for CPS to function as well as a caring family does.”
The family’s financial situation also leads Polk to believe that her family is being targeted because they are low-income. Polk has a job, she said, but her husband recently filed for disability.
Regardless of their income, Polk said, she always ensures her children have food to eat and clothes to wear every day, as well as proper medical care.
“I think we’ve been wrongly accused,” she said. “There’s been no neglect.”
She has lined up 10 character witnesses to speak on her behalf at a hearing Monday morning that will consist of neighbors, friends and the girls’ teachers, and plans to request that the girls be turned over to another family member for the time being so they will be around family.
“I’m there for my kids. I do not neglect my kids,” Polk said. “I would bleed for them.”
James Ridgway, Jr. contributed to this report.
Source http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/courier/news/cps-removes-kids-after-mysterious-incident-prompts-investigation/article_de53db32-003c-55ad-8666-228bdb3d6aec.html
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Minnesota - High court: State, not tribe, must preside over adoption
Decision reverses two earlier orders favoring White Earth Band of Ojibwe. Parents' rights had been terminated.
Article by: ABBY SIMONS, Star Tribune
Updated: October 26, 2011 - 9:27 PM
Adoption proceedings for an Indian child whose parents' rights were terminated must take place within state courts, not tribal courts, the Minnesota Supreme Court ordered Wednesday.
In the 4-2 decision, the court reversed two earlier orders granting the White Earth Band of Ojibwe permission to handle the child's adoption within its tribal court.
In its order, the Supreme Court reasoned that under the Indian Child Welfare Act, tribal authority is limited to foster care placement and termination of parental rights -- not adoptive placement.
The child in question, identified in court documents as L.S., is an enrolled member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe. The mother is white, and the couple's five older children have all been removed from parental care or have had their parental rights terminated. According to documents, neither parent lived on the White Earth Reservation.
After parental rights were terminated, a Fillmore County judge granted the White Earth Band of Ojibwe permission to transfer pre-adoption proceedings to its tribal court under the rules of the Indian Child Welfare Act. A guardian ad litem for the child objected, but the Court of Appeals upheld the ruling in favor of the tribe.
In its reversal, the Supreme Court said there is no language in the federal law granting tribes jurisdiction over adoptive placement proceedings for children not living on the reservation. Because the language in the law was ambiguous, the court reasoned that adoptive proceedings should be excluded, not included.
The court also reasoned that the White Earth tribal court also lacked jurisdiction over the termination of parental rights because the mother was not a member of the tribe and the child did not live on the reservation.
The case will now return to Fillmore County District Court, where a guardian ad litem will be re-appointed and pre-adoptive placement will take place under state jurisdiction.
In his dissent, Justice Paul H. Anderson wrote that there is no language in the law that prevents transfer of pre-adoptive and adoptive placement proceedings to a tribal court in cases involving Indian children who do not live on or are not from their tribe's reservation. In light of the law, which is meant to favor tribes, the omission should instead be interpreted as granting the tribe permission to preside over the child's adoption.
Source http://m.startribune.com/local/?id=132640213
Article by: ABBY SIMONS, Star Tribune
Updated: October 26, 2011 - 9:27 PM
Adoption proceedings for an Indian child whose parents' rights were terminated must take place within state courts, not tribal courts, the Minnesota Supreme Court ordered Wednesday.
In the 4-2 decision, the court reversed two earlier orders granting the White Earth Band of Ojibwe permission to handle the child's adoption within its tribal court.
In its order, the Supreme Court reasoned that under the Indian Child Welfare Act, tribal authority is limited to foster care placement and termination of parental rights -- not adoptive placement.
The child in question, identified in court documents as L.S., is an enrolled member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe. The mother is white, and the couple's five older children have all been removed from parental care or have had their parental rights terminated. According to documents, neither parent lived on the White Earth Reservation.
After parental rights were terminated, a Fillmore County judge granted the White Earth Band of Ojibwe permission to transfer pre-adoption proceedings to its tribal court under the rules of the Indian Child Welfare Act. A guardian ad litem for the child objected, but the Court of Appeals upheld the ruling in favor of the tribe.
In its reversal, the Supreme Court said there is no language in the federal law granting tribes jurisdiction over adoptive placement proceedings for children not living on the reservation. Because the language in the law was ambiguous, the court reasoned that adoptive proceedings should be excluded, not included.
The court also reasoned that the White Earth tribal court also lacked jurisdiction over the termination of parental rights because the mother was not a member of the tribe and the child did not live on the reservation.
The case will now return to Fillmore County District Court, where a guardian ad litem will be re-appointed and pre-adoptive placement will take place under state jurisdiction.
In his dissent, Justice Paul H. Anderson wrote that there is no language in the law that prevents transfer of pre-adoptive and adoptive placement proceedings to a tribal court in cases involving Indian children who do not live on or are not from their tribe's reservation. In light of the law, which is meant to favor tribes, the omission should instead be interpreted as granting the tribe permission to preside over the child's adoption.
Source http://m.startribune.com/local/?id=132640213
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)