Foster Childrens' Sensitive Papers Trashed
http://www.woai.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=174582e0-e15d-4948-8e68-8d711f53fcb2
it's sensitive information that you would never want to get into the
wrong hands. The potential victims would have been young children. We're
talking about documents that contain everything from investigations of
sexual abuse to the types of mind-altering drugs the kids are on.
So, how did the Trouble Shooters get them, and why is there now a state
investigation? News 4 WOAI Trouble Shooter Brian Collister is breaking
the story.
"Everything from insurance to meetings to descriptions of children, the
parents, foster parents, people under investigations. Internal documents
with bills, e-mails," said Ruben Medrano, as he thumbed through hundreds
of documents sitting on his garage floor.
"It's just too much personal information here," he said. He found two
boxes chalk full of documents while he was out for a morning walk. He
said he goes through other people's trash, not looking for information,
but instead for scrap metal to use in art projects.
The problem is, the documents he found describe almost every aspect of
foster childrens' lives. They include investigations, checks to foster
families, medical backgrounds of kids and much more.
Medrano said his fear was that this supposed "trash" would get into the
hands of an identity thief or a sexual predator.
"I told myself that there's no way I could leave this laying there in
the trash," said Medrano.
That's why he decided to put them into the hands of the Trouble
Shooters. In the stacks, we learned who these children are, where they
live, plus saw their records of mind-altering drugs some kids were
taking, their level of care, backgrounds and checks written to the
foster parents, and even investigations into possible sexual abuse in a
foster home.
This is all information this grandfather says could have been used by
the wrong people to victimize kids who already lead a tough life.
We wanted to know who would trash these documents. We started our
investigation at the house where Mr. Medrano found them on the far
Northeast side. It belongs to Alicia Shank, once a Texas Regional
Director for the Bair Foundation. That foundation is an agency
contracted by the state to find homes for foster children.
We wanted to talk to Shank, but she didn't want to comment on camera.
She told us on the phone that a contractor making updates to her home
must have thrown the documents out, but she won't tell us who that
contractor is for us to verify it.
We went to her former bosses at the Bair Foundation. They confirmed she
no longer works there and they want their documents back. That's all
they would say.
Now, the state is investigating.
Department of Family and Protective Services spokesperson, Mary Walker
told us, "We're glad that you brought it to our attention because as a
result of that, we've notified the division of child care licensing.
They have opened an investigation into this and they are trying to
determine if indeed there was a breech of confidentiality by the
particular agency."
While the state tries to find out why Ms. Shank ever left the Bair
Foundation with those documents, Ruben wants to know why these valuable
documents made it to the street's curb.
"[I'm] trying to figure out how so much information about children can
be gathered and thrown to the way side just like they were nothing, like
the kids were trash themselves."
The Trouble Shooters are returning the documents to the Bair Foundation
where they belong.
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 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...
www.connecticutdcfwatch.com/8x11.pdf
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
Fatalities CPS 6.4, Parents 1.5
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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