Agency Failed in Probing Child Abuse
BY SARAH GARLAND - Staff Reporter of the Sun
August 10, 2007
http://www.nysun.com/article/60222
The Administration for Children's Services will hire 100 new
investigators with law enforcement backgrounds to help transform what a
scathing study released yesterday by city investigators described as the
agency's culture of complacency, neglect, and dishonesty.
The 141-page report by the Department of Investigation commissioned by
the mayor exhaustively details the bungled cases of 11 children who died
and one who nearly drowned while their families were being monitored by
the agency. Among the deaths were the high-profile murders of 7-year-old
Nixzmary Brown and 4-year-old Quachaun Browne.
The report found a pattern of incompetence and negligence up the line
from caseworkers to the agency's management, including cases closed
"where unstable, potentially deadly situations remained unresolved in
the homes" and caseworkers who lied to cover up their own inaction when
children died.
"These 10 cases revealed a road map of problems with ACS investigations
— the same problems that this city has seen over and over again in the
past," the commissioner of the City of New York Department of
Investigation, Rose Gill Hearn, who led the 18-month study, said. "Facts
were not ascertained and children were left at risk because ACS did not
have all of the information."
The report detailed instances of caseworkers routinely accepting the
denials of parents accused of abusing their children, without bothering
to check with other witnesses.
"DOI's investigation has revealed grave problems in the quality and
integrity of the investigations conducted by ACS staff," the report
said. "ACS staff often conducted careless, incomplete investigations of
serious abuse allegations."
Caseworkers also frequently neglected to check up on families where
abuse had been found, didn't bother to obtain critical medical records
or criminal background checks, and dragged their feet in seeking legal
action when they were barred access to hostile homes.
In one instance, the case of Quachaun Browne, who died after he was
beaten repeatedly over the course of a weekend by his mother's
boyfriend, was closed even after an ACS worker found that the home was
filthy and empty of food after responding to reports that the children
were eating garbage and begging from neighbors.
In another, a caseworker didn't investigate discrepancies in the
accounts of Nixzmary Brown's siblings about injuries she had that
appeared to be the result of abuse. Instead, the caseworker accepted
Nixzmary's stepfather's account that Nixzmary had fallen on a piece of
wood. Her emaciated body was found a month later after her stepfather
was accused of banging her head against a faucet and sexually abusing her.
Meanwhile, caseworkers were often working without cars, cell phones, or
even notebooks to record interviews, and were provided only limited
training in the techniques of investigation and interrogation.
Ms. Gill Hearn suggested that to fix its many failings, the agency's
priority should be to "get the facts." She recommended the hiring of 100
"investigative consultants" with law enforcement experience that will
cost the city about $3 million.
Twenty investigators were hired this year as a part of reforms the
agency has been implementing since the uproar over the death of Nixzmary
Brown, which have included the firing or discipline of 14 workers. With
the additions, Ms. Gill Hearn said there would be one investigator to
every 15 caseworkers.
Ms. Gill Hearn proposed 25 other recommendations, including encouraging
caseworkers to travel in pairs instead of alone, and teaching them to
take notes.
She also said the agency should learn from past reform efforts that led
to only nominal, superficial changes.
The ACS commissioner, John Mattingly, called the study a "very tough
report."
"In child protection, there is no quick fix, no silver bullet," he said.
"This is not going to be a snap your fingers and put out a new policy
and everything will be better."
But he also said he was appreciative of the report and planned to
implement the recommendations.
He added that ACS is making progress despite challenges, including a
dramatic increase in reports of child abuse since Nixzmary's case in
2006, to an estimated 61,000 this year from 48,000 in 2005.
This year, he said in 40% of cases, workers had documented evidence of
abuse, up from 33% in 2005. By increasing the number of caseworkers to
about 1,300 from 900, Mr. Mattingly said the average caseload has fallen
to 11 this year from 20 in 2005, although some caseworkers still have up
to 20 cases at a time.
"We have a ways to go," he said. "But we have seen improvements."
CURRENTLY CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES VIOLATES MORE CIVIL RIGHTS ON A
DAILY BASIS THEN ALL OTHER AGENCIES COMBINED INCLUDING THE NSA / CIA
WIRETAPPING PROGRAM....
CPS Does not protect children...
It is sickening how many children are subject to abuse, neglect and even
killed at the hands of Child Protective Services.
every parent should read this .pdf from
connecticut dcf watch...
http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com/8x11.pdf
http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com
Number of Cases per 100,000 children in the US
These numbers come from The National Center on
Child Abuse and Neglect in Washington. (NCCAN)
Recent numbers have increased significantly for CPS
*Perpetrators of Maltreatment*
Physical Abuse CPS 160, Parents 59
Sexual Abuse CPS 112, Parents 13
Neglect CPS 410, Parents 241
Medical Neglect CPS 14 Parents 12
Fatalities CPS 6.4, Parents 1.5
CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES, HAPPILY DESTROYING HUNDREDS OF INNOCENT
FAMILIES YEARLY NATIONWIDE AND COMING TO YOU'RE HOME SOON...
BE SURE TO FIND OUT WHERE YOUR CANDIDATES STANDS ON THE ISSUE OF
REFORMING OR ABOLISHING CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES ("MAKE YOUR CANDIDATES
TAKE A STAND ON THIS ISSUE.") THEN REMEMBER TO VOTE ACCORDINGLY IF THEY
ARE "FAMILY UNFRIENDLY" IN THE NEXT ELECTION...
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