Privatization has done nothing for preserving families in Kansas. While the USA foster care system has decreased the number of children in foster care over the last decade, Kansas has continued to increase the number of children placed in foster care.
"In 2012 the number of U.S. children in foster care dropped for the sixth straight year, falling to about 400,000 compared to more than 520,000 a decade ago, according to the federal Department of Health and Human Services.1 The latest figures show there were 400,540 children in foster care as of September 30, down from 406,412 a year earlier and from approximately 523,000 in 2002. Privatization has continued to play a role in reducing the number of children who enter the foster care system." Read more here: http://reason.org/news/show/apr-2013-child-welfare-privatizatio
Showing posts with label foster care fraud. Show all posts
Showing posts with label foster care fraud. Show all posts
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Under Governor Brownback and DCF Phyllis Gilmore RECORD Number of Kansas Children are in Foster Care
http://www.khi.org/news/2013/aug/12/number-kansas-children-foster-care-continues-grow/
The Kansas Health Institute's KHI numbers for children in foster care don't seem to match the State's own records.
Taken from the KHI website: "In Sedgwick County, the state’s most populous after Johnson County, the average number of children in out-of-home placements has increased from 950 in fiscal 2011 to 1,319 in fiscal 2013. On June 30 across Kansas, there were 5,719 children in out-of-home foster care settings, a mix of foster homes, relatives’ homes, group homes, psychiatric facilities, and juvenile detention facilities. That’s only the second time in the past 10 years that the number has exceeded 5,700 on the final day of the state’s fiscal year. The last time was in 2008, the onset of the Great Recession."
One thing is for certain, under Governor Brownback and DCF Secretary Phyllis Gilmore more children are being taken from their families, lives are being destroyed and Kansas children don't stand a chance of having any stability in their lives.
The numbers don't match. On the State's website it shows the total number of children served in Sedgwick County in fiscal 2013 was 1,452 which is higher than the 1,319 KHI reported. On the State's website it shows the total number of children served in out-of-home foster care settings was 8,853 which is also much higher than the 5,719 KHI reported. See link here: http://www.dcf.ks.gov/services/PPS/Documents/FY2013DataReports/ServedInDCFCustody/OOHPChildrenServedSFY2013.pdf
The Wichita Eagle Reported: "Over the past two years, near-record numbers of children have entered the state’s foster-care system, the Kansas Health Institute News Service reported. In Sedgwick County, the average number of children in out-of-home placements has increased from 950 in fiscal year 2011 to 1,319 in 2013. Statewide, there were 5,719 children in such placements as of June 30 – only the second time in the past 10 years that the number has exceeded 5,700 on the final day of the state’s fiscal year (the last time was at the start of the Great Recession in 2008)."
The numbers above are below the actual numbers listed by the State but then the Eagle took their story based on the KHI article. Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/2013/08/18/2947009/eagle-editorial-foster-care-increase.html#storylink=cpy
The Kansas Health Institute's KHI numbers for children in foster care don't seem to match the State's own records.
Taken from the KHI website: "In Sedgwick County, the state’s most populous after Johnson County, the average number of children in out-of-home placements has increased from 950 in fiscal 2011 to 1,319 in fiscal 2013. On June 30 across Kansas, there were 5,719 children in out-of-home foster care settings, a mix of foster homes, relatives’ homes, group homes, psychiatric facilities, and juvenile detention facilities. That’s only the second time in the past 10 years that the number has exceeded 5,700 on the final day of the state’s fiscal year. The last time was in 2008, the onset of the Great Recession."
One thing is for certain, under Governor Brownback and DCF Secretary Phyllis Gilmore more children are being taken from their families, lives are being destroyed and Kansas children don't stand a chance of having any stability in their lives.
The numbers don't match. On the State's website it shows the total number of children served in Sedgwick County in fiscal 2013 was 1,452 which is higher than the 1,319 KHI reported. On the State's website it shows the total number of children served in out-of-home foster care settings was 8,853 which is also much higher than the 5,719 KHI reported. See link here: http://www.dcf.ks.gov/services/PPS/Documents/FY2013DataReports/ServedInDCFCustody/OOHPChildrenServedSFY2013.pdf
The Wichita Eagle Reported: "Over the past two years, near-record numbers of children have entered the state’s foster-care system, the Kansas Health Institute News Service reported. In Sedgwick County, the average number of children in out-of-home placements has increased from 950 in fiscal year 2011 to 1,319 in 2013. Statewide, there were 5,719 children in such placements as of June 30 – only the second time in the past 10 years that the number has exceeded 5,700 on the final day of the state’s fiscal year (the last time was at the start of the Great Recession in 2008)."
The numbers above are below the actual numbers listed by the State but then the Eagle took their story based on the KHI article. Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/2013/08/18/2947009/eagle-editorial-foster-care-increase.html#storylink=cpy
Saturday, July 27, 2013
More Children In State Custody Under Gov Brownback
FY2013 DCF/SRS Stats and History
Total Number Children Removed Last 4 Years:
FY2013 Statewide 3,974 children removed http://www.dcf.ks.gov/services/PPS/Documents/FY2013DataReports/ServedInDCFCustody/RemovalReasonByCountyFY2013.pdf
FY2012 Statewide 3,623 children removed
FY2011 Statewide 3,408 children removed
FY2010 Statewide 3,444 children removed
Total Number Children Served In OOHP, Out Of Home Placement:
6/30/13 Kansas total 8,853, Sedgwick County
Prior Years:
FY2013, Of the 3,974 Children Removed, Only 2,086 Were Substantiated For Abuse:
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Mission Kansas Police Cavity Search Mom After Toddlers Drop Pebbles in Mail Slot and Threatens To Take Children
http://intellihub.com/2013/07/16/mission-kansas-police-cavity-search-mom-after-toddlers-drop-pebbles-in-mail-slot/
""I kept asking them to call my husband to come get our scared children. They would NOT call my husband until much later. It’s like they were playing head games. I had asked (nearly BEGGED) many times for them to call their father, yet Tige Dean threatened he would take my kids away by CPS because they couldn’t get a hold of dad! Yet, they HADN’T EVEN ATTEMPTED to call him yet!""
Just to mention, the THIRD officer that shows up later was not mentioned AT ALL in the Police Report. They act as if he was NEVER even there. I later found out who the THIRD officer was due to a local senior citizen contacting me & telling me WHO he was. They knew because he had abused them as well. The third officer’s name was Tige Dean.
Out of ALL THREE Police Officers, NOT ONCE did ANY of them make an attempt to console my baby girls who were huddled in the car crying & watching all this out the window. My oldest actually thought they were going to SHOOT me. This has caused much trauma.
I kept asking them to call my husband to come get our scared children. They would NOT call my husband until much later. It’s like they were playing head games. I had asked (nearly BEGGED) many times for them to call their father, yet Tige Dean threatened he would take my kids away by CPS because they couldn’t get a hold of dad! Yet, they HADN’T EVEN ATTEMPTED to call him yet!
I later found out that the Postal Employee, Yvette Jenkins, called 911 after saying that I was yelling at her, kicking the door & throwing rocks at her through the mail slot! In reality, I was arguing with my husband on the cell phone in an EMPTY Postal lobby while using the automated machine. My bored toddlers dropped pebbles in the mail slot. You can also hear Yvette Jenkins say on the video while the cops are talking to her that the Post Office has protocol & that they asked me to leave. Yet ANOTHER LIE. She was actually in the back warehouse area where I couldn’t even see her & she NEVER came out to speak to me. I was leaving on my OWN ACCORD after I told my husband on the phone, “You can ship your own dang packages on Monday!” We have tried & tried to get the Post Office to give up the video footage but they say they have NO cameras, even though they have a sign in the lobby that says the premises are monitored.
I’m disgusted with The Mission Kansas PD. From the illegal CAVITY SEARCH, to horrifying my children, to the lies in the police report, lies from the post office, trumping up charges on me to cover their asses & then LYING again saying there was NO VIDEOS of anything– out of THREE police dash cams & a FEDERAL BUILDING (Post Office). We have ALSO been THREATENED by the Prosecuter of MISSION,KS himself–Mr. David Martin!!!''
http://intellihub.com/2013/07/16/mission-kansas-police-cavity-search-mom-after-toddlers-drop-pebbles-in-mail-slot/
""I kept asking them to call my husband to come get our scared children. They would NOT call my husband until much later. It’s like they were playing head games. I had asked (nearly BEGGED) many times for them to call their father, yet Tige Dean threatened he would take my kids away by CPS because they couldn’t get a hold of dad! Yet, they HADN’T EVEN ATTEMPTED to call him yet!""
""On the evening of 3-16-2013 around 5 pm I was leaving the Mission Post Office. I had just put my two young daughters (Ages 4 & 2) in the minivan. While I was putting packages in the car, I was unexpectedly approached from behind by a female cop– Officer Michelle Pierce.
Cop Block
July 16, 2013
She stated, “I’m going to need your identification.” I asked her, “Why?” Again, she said, “Give me your ID.” I again asked her, “Why?” The third time she was more demanding & said, “GIVE ME your identification.” I then agreed that I would give her my ID but I wanted to know WHY first. I said “Okay, but why?” She still would not tell me. At that point, you can see what happens in the video. Without warning, she started walking towards me, twists my arm, starts cuffing me, flings me around & slams me on the ground while finishing cuffing me. At that point, Officer Tim Gift arrived & assisted her. They hurt me when they dropped me on the ground & also got my thumb stuck in the cuffs. You can hear my toddler age girls crying & screaming in the car as they took me down & throughout the hour or so they had me there.July 16, 2013
Just to mention, the THIRD officer that shows up later was not mentioned AT ALL in the Police Report. They act as if he was NEVER even there. I later found out who the THIRD officer was due to a local senior citizen contacting me & telling me WHO he was. They knew because he had abused them as well. The third officer’s name was Tige Dean.
Out of ALL THREE Police Officers, NOT ONCE did ANY of them make an attempt to console my baby girls who were huddled in the car crying & watching all this out the window. My oldest actually thought they were going to SHOOT me. This has caused much trauma.
I kept asking them to call my husband to come get our scared children. They would NOT call my husband until much later. It’s like they were playing head games. I had asked (nearly BEGGED) many times for them to call their father, yet Tige Dean threatened he would take my kids away by CPS because they couldn’t get a hold of dad! Yet, they HADN’T EVEN ATTEMPTED to call him yet!
I later found out that the Postal Employee, Yvette Jenkins, called 911 after saying that I was yelling at her, kicking the door & throwing rocks at her through the mail slot! In reality, I was arguing with my husband on the cell phone in an EMPTY Postal lobby while using the automated machine. My bored toddlers dropped pebbles in the mail slot. You can also hear Yvette Jenkins say on the video while the cops are talking to her that the Post Office has protocol & that they asked me to leave. Yet ANOTHER LIE. She was actually in the back warehouse area where I couldn’t even see her & she NEVER came out to speak to me. I was leaving on my OWN ACCORD after I told my husband on the phone, “You can ship your own dang packages on Monday!” We have tried & tried to get the Post Office to give up the video footage but they say they have NO cameras, even though they have a sign in the lobby that says the premises are monitored.
http://intellihub.com/2013/07/16/mission-kansas-police-cavity-search-mom-after-toddlers-drop-pebbles-in-mail-slot/
Friday, May 24, 2013
4 Year Old Lucas Barnes Was Murdered While Missouri Social Workers Ignored Child Abuse Reports
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Emails between employees of the Missouri Department of Social Services show notes missing as Lucas Webb’s case was transferred between investigators.
The 4-year-old died in October 2012 from blunt force trauma to his abdomen. Prosecutors have charged his stepmom, Melissa Webb, with kicking him to the stomach. Both she and Lucas’ dad, Justin Webb, face second-degree murder charges for Lucas’ death.
People with concerns about Lucas called into the child abuse hotline five separate times over three years. Despite repeated calls about unexplained bruises, documents show the Missouri Department of Social Services dismissed each call, labeling them as unsubstantiated.
The emails surround the final hotline call made to DSS in September, just weeks before Lucas’ death.
Emails show the case assigned to one employee but another employee assigned to visit the home. She turns her notes over to the other worker to complete the investigation.
Some notes appear to never have made it into the file as emails between workers show supervisors repeatedly asking one worker for her notes
After Lucas’ death, emails fly between employees again.
One supervisor details what she knew about the case writing, “I also want to note that I can’t re-do every case that workers go out on, so I put my trust in the others involved.”
She also writes that even though the caller to the hotline said Lucas was complaining his stepmom kicked him in the stomach “the main focus was child hungry and looked underweight.”
It again highlights that information was missing from the file.
The supervisor writes: “Had I had all the information that we have now, then the report would have been different. I went with the information I had at the time I closed it.”
The Department of Social Services released the following statement about Lucas’ case:
The death of any child is a tragedy and the Department of Social Services deeply regrets the death of Lucas Barnes.
In all cases where we have a child death or serious injury, we review those incidents to determine whether staff complied with law and policy, or to determine whether policy needed to be changed. The department looked into the case of Lucas Barnes and determined that policy was not followed. As a result, appropriate personnel actions was taken and two employees are no longer working for the Department of Social Services.
We asked the department to clarify which specific policies they found were not followed and they provided us the following links.
Read more: http://www.kshb.com/dpp/news/local_news/investigations/emails-shed-light-on-hotline-calls-about-lucas-webb#ixzz2UGrePamr
The 4-year-old died in October 2012 from blunt force trauma to his abdomen. Prosecutors have charged his stepmom, Melissa Webb, with kicking him to the stomach. Both she and Lucas’ dad, Justin Webb, face second-degree murder charges for Lucas’ death.
People with concerns about Lucas called into the child abuse hotline five separate times over three years. Despite repeated calls about unexplained bruises, documents show the Missouri Department of Social Services dismissed each call, labeling them as unsubstantiated.
RELATED | Two Department of Social Services employees fired after 4-year-old’s death http://bit.ly/19XnlVf
The department released hundreds of pages of documents Monday about Lucas’ case. Included in those records are dozens of emails between Missouri Department of Social Services employees which detail how that may have happened.The emails surround the final hotline call made to DSS in September, just weeks before Lucas’ death.
Emails show the case assigned to one employee but another employee assigned to visit the home. She turns her notes over to the other worker to complete the investigation.
Some notes appear to never have made it into the file as emails between workers show supervisors repeatedly asking one worker for her notes
After Lucas’ death, emails fly between employees again.
One supervisor details what she knew about the case writing, “I also want to note that I can’t re-do every case that workers go out on, so I put my trust in the others involved.”
She also writes that even though the caller to the hotline said Lucas was complaining his stepmom kicked him in the stomach “the main focus was child hungry and looked underweight.”
It again highlights that information was missing from the file.
The supervisor writes: “Had I had all the information that we have now, then the report would have been different. I went with the information I had at the time I closed it.”
The Department of Social Services released the following statement about Lucas’ case:
The death of any child is a tragedy and the Department of Social Services deeply regrets the death of Lucas Barnes.
In all cases where we have a child death or serious injury, we review those incidents to determine whether staff complied with law and policy, or to determine whether policy needed to be changed. The department looked into the case of Lucas Barnes and determined that policy was not followed. As a result, appropriate personnel actions was taken and two employees are no longer working for the Department of Social Services.
We asked the department to clarify which specific policies they found were not followed and they provided us the following links.
- 4.1.1.2 Reviewing Prior History
- 4.1.4.1 Interviewing the Child(ren) Alone
- 4.1.3.1 Investigations Involving Reported Physical Injuries and/or Sexual Abuse
- 4.1.5.1 Chief Investigator
- 4.1.4.4 Collaterals
- 4.1.10.1 Minimum Contact Standards for Delayed Conclusions
Read more: http://www.kshb.com/dpp/news/local_news/investigations/emails-shed-light-on-hotline-calls-about-lucas-webb#ixzz2UGrePamr
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Should Social Workers Be Scared? California, Vallejo boy tries to stab his social worker
Posted: 05/02/2013 01:02:58 AM PDT
http://www.timesheraldonline.com/news/ci_23154141/vallejo-boy-tries-stab-his-social-workerShould Social Workers Be Scared? Texas, CPS worker choked, beaten while checking on infant
Texas, CPS worker choked, beaten while checking on infant
A Child Protective Services case worker remains hospitalized after she was attacked Tuesday while investigating a report of an abused baby.
According to Houston Police, the baby's parents and a friend beat and choked the 23 year old woman until she lost consciousness.
Case worker Stephanie Vera went to the Somerset Apartments in the 8000 block of W. Tidwell around 5 p.m. Tuesday to check on the well being of a one year old infant.
According to CPS supervisor Estella Olguin, “We were investigating allegations of medical neglect, neglect of supervision and and physical abuse. The reason the visit at the home was to conduct that investigation.”
Olguin says Vera was trying to arrange to have a relative take custody of the baby while the parents were being evaluated. During that discussion, the baby's father, identified as Troy Davis, 21, became angry, grabbed Vera and locked the apartment's front door. Police say Davis punched Vera in the head, then grabbed her by the throat, and slammed her against a wall. During the struggle, Vera managed to dial 911, but the call was cut short when Davis grabbed the phone.
According to investigators, Davis continued to choke her until she lost consciousness, while Davis’s friend, Shane Hensworth Douglas, 21 allegedly threatened Vera with a knife. The baby's mother, Karissa Marie Ferringno, 19, allegedly looked on during the confrontation. When the fighting started, police say the baby's grandmother took the child and left the apartment.
Vera was rescued by Houston Police officers who responded to her 911 call. They arrested Davis, Douglas and Ferrigno. All three were charged with aggravated assault and aggravated kidnapping. They are being held under $30,000 bond each.
CPS took custody of the baby. She has been placed in a foster home.
Vera remains hospitalized with injuries to her head and neck.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)