Judge: Names of abused foster children to be disclosed
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071214/NEWS01/71214031/0/BLOG19
December 14, 2007
By JACK KRESNAK
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
A federal magistrate judge on Friday ordered the state Department of
Human Services to disclose the names of 2,893 foster children who were
subjects of an abuse or neglect allegation while they were in state
custody to a children’s advocacy group suing the state.
At a hearing Friday in Detroit, Magistrate Judge Donald Scheer also
ordered the DHS to preserve the 2006 and 2007 e-mails of 33 DHS
officials pending an agreement between the state and the advocacy group
Children’s Rights on how to narrow the search to e-mails relevant to the
state’s operation of its foster care system.
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New York-based Children’s Rights filed a class-action lawsuit against
Michigan in August 2006 on behalf of nearly 19,000 children in its
foster care system, citing neglect and abuse of children while under
state supervision.
Sara Bartosz, a Children’s Rights lawyer, cited the cases of several
foster children who had died in state care since the lawsuit was filed,
including 2-year-old Isaac Lethbridge, 2-year-old Allison Newman and
3-year-old James Bradley, Jr., all of whom died of mistreatment in
state-licensed foster homes in Wayne County.
Bartosz said the state DHS computerized child welfare information
systems were “a record-keeping abomination,” in part because the state
is unable to say exactly what caseloads are for workers in foster care,
adoption and licensing.
Scheer agreed with Special Assistant Attorney General B. Jay Yelton that
some of the requests for information made by Children’s Rights were
overly broad.
But, Scheer said the information on caseloads should be made available
to Children’s Rights, as well as a statistically significant sample of
the 2,893 foster children from 14 of Michigan’s 83 counties so that
their case files could be reviewed to look for weaknesses in the child
protection system. How many of the 2,893 children were found by CPS to
have been abused or neglected is unclear. Bartosz the information needs
to be retrieved and evaluated quickly in order to meet the June 3, 2008,
date set for trial before U.S. District Court Judge Nancy Edmunds.
“Every day of delay is another day our clients have to live with this
system,” Bartosz said.
Children’s Rights is not asking for compensation to themselves or foster
children, but wants the state to improve the foster care system to
higher standards.
Yelton said his law firm -- Miller, Canfield, Paddock, and Stone --
already has worked 11,000 hours on the lawsuit. At a conservative
estimate of $100 an hour, that’s $1.1 million spent by Michigan so far
to defend the lawsuit.
DHS employees have spent 4,000 hours in depositions and document
retrieval/copying since the suit began, Yelton said.
CURRENTLY CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES VIOLATES MORE CIVIL RIGHTS ON A
DAILY BASIS THEN ALL OTHER AGENCIES COMBINED INCLUDING THE NATIONAL
SECURITY AGENCY/CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY WIRETAPPING PROGRAMS....
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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