State foster care gets a fix-it list
A state task force offers recommendations.
By MELANIE AVE, Times Staff Writer
Published October 10, 2007
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/10/10/State/State_foster_care_get.shtml
The state's Task Force on Child Protection, created to examine the
Florida's foster care system and recommend improvements in the wake of a
high-profile blunder involving a missing toddler, issued its preliminary
report this week.
The 11-page report says more urgency and coordination between agencies
is needed in all levels of foster care and specifically calls for a
quicker review when foster children are not visited by caseworkers.
Florida Department of Children and Families Secretary Bob Butterworth
created the 13-member task force in July to make sure a case like
2-year-old Courtney Clark's would not happen again. The Pinellas girl
disappeared for nine months with her birth mother. Subsequent reviews
revealed numerous errors by DCF, its private contractors and law
enforcement.
"One of the things our committee did not want was to come up with just
another report to sit on the shelf," said task force chairman Barry
Krischer, West Palm Beach state attorney. "We wanted to come up with
recommendations that could be implemented, assuming the Legislature was
committed to protecting children."
Melanie Ave can be reached at or 727 893-8813.
Key recommendations
Caseworkers: Reduce the review period for children not seen by a
caseworker to 31 days.In Courtney's case, a caseworker did not visit her
once she was placed with her mother's friend in Lake County. It took the
worker four months to report her missing to law enforcement.
Background checks: Improve the screening of potential caregivers,
including foster parents, relatives and strangers through changed
legislation. In Courtney's case, a home study of the foster family did
not fully disclose a history of abuse there.
Missing child reports: Support legislation to require law enforcement to
accept a missing child report when a foster child is taken by a fleeing
birth parent. In Courtney's case, there was a delay in entering her
information into the Florida Crime Information Center and the National
Crime Information Center because she was taken by her birth mother, who
was not charged with a crime.
What's next
A final report will be released Nov. 2, though the group's work is far
from over. It plans to continue to meet bimonthly through September 2008
to tackle other issues, including:
Creating a uniform payment method for foster care: There is a large
range in per child funding among nonprofit, community-based agencies
that oversee foster care across the state. Some agencies receive $11,000
per child while others receive $18,000.
Clarifying the roles of DCF and its private contractors: In Courtney's
case, DCF partly blamed its contractor, which partly blamed its
subcontractor, which supervised the girl's caseworker.
Reducing caseworker turnover: In some areas, turnover has been more than
90 percent.
Establishing standards for addressing child against child sexual abuse:
Confusion has arisen among foster families about where to place children
who abuse other children.
[Last modified October 9, 2007, 23:09:11]
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
Imagine that, 6.4 children die at the hands of the very agencies that
are supposed to protect them and only 1.5 at the hands of parents per
100,000 children. CPS perpetrates more abuse, neglect, and sexual abuse
and kills more children then parents in the United States. If the
citizens of this country hold CPS to the same standards that they hold
parents too. No judge should ever put another child in the hands of ANY
government agency because CPS nationwide is guilty of more harm and
death than any human being combined. CPS nationwide is guilty of more
human rights violations and deaths of children then the homes from which
they were removed. When are the judges going to wake up and see that
they are sending children to their death and a life of abuse when
children are removed from safe homes based on the mere opinion of a
bunch of social workers.
CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES, HAPPILY DESTROYING THOUSANDS 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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