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Kidjacked | Jacked Up
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Children from fatherless homes account for: 90% of all homeless or runaway children and 85% of all youths sitting in prisons. National CPS News Archive
Send Kidjacked news and information about what's happening nationally and we'll include it in our coverage. We invite you to check our CPS news section. (Scroll down for National news.) [Additional National Resources]
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A Nation in Crisis
by Nancee Crowell
Nancee Crowell, California and Nevada State Director of 'National Foster Parent Coalition for Allegation Reform' responds to an article written by Craig Schneider regarding Georgia CPS, expressing her outrage at the treatment of parents by Child Protection Agencies
Kidjacked
May 25, 2008
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Just Who's Abusing Whom?
by Annette M. Hall
Today in America, 935 children were forcibly removed from their home and entered the national foster care system.
Kidjacked
May 25, 2008
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Our grandchildren were stolen by DHS and adopted away from us!
by John Buethe
This is not an isolated incident, it happens all across our country. Our grandchildren we stolen by DHS and adopted away from us!
We are just not understanding why it is that a grandmother known as Rose Lucas can get the attention of a state Senator, who helped her to get her grandchildren back from DHS. Yes, we don't know the circumstances of her case but we do know the facts of ours.
National Writers Syndicate
August 20, 2008
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Homeschool Meeting Draws Sparse Crowd, Makes Small Gains
by Linnea Brown
BROOKSVILLE - Local parents who homeschool their children are in no hurry to send their children back to Hernando County public schools. That much became clear after Thursday's meeting at the school district, hosted by Superintendent Wayne Alexander.
One by one, nearly a dozen of the parents stood behind a podium and told a panel of district experts why they initially pulled their children out of local public schools. According to finance director Deborah Bruggink, each child pulls in approximately $3,998 in state funding. If all homeschooled students enrolled in district schools, that could add as much as $3.34 million to the district's budget.
Tampa Bay
August 15, 2008
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Misguided shield for abusive parents
by Darin Strauss
Recently, a child in Seattle made repeated trips to the hospital for vomiting. His doctor found traces of a toxic chemical in the child's urine. The doctor alerted Child Protective Services, and police visited the child's home.
They found the chemical in the family's medicine cabinet. Child Protective Services then accused the mother of repeatedly poisoning her child. This was allegedly Munchausen by Proxy - a syndrome whereby parents hurt their children to gain notoriety. Child Protective Services removed the child from his home. But then the case swerved in a surprising direction.
The Boston Globe
July 26, 2008
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State requests foster care for 8 FLDS children
Texas child welfare officials on Tuesday asked a court to order foster care for eight children at a polygamous compound, saying their mothers have refused to limit the children's contact with men suspected of being involved in underage marriages.
Child Protective Services officials also asked the court to end cases for 32 children after finding no evidence that their families engaged in underage marriages. The agency has been investigating the Yearning for Zion Ranch in Eldorado since April, when it raided the compound and seized more than 400 children on allegations of physical and sexual abuse.
CNN
August 05, 2008
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Family hopes child-protective system gets fixed
A West Michigan family is speaking out in hopes a system that protects newborns gets fixed. Amber McIntyre-Roden was charged last month with murdering her 2-month-old daughter, Tamiah.
The adoptive parents of Tamiah's sister tell 24 Hour News 8 Tamiah could have been saved -- rescued from her mother. The Sees adopted Kylene. In July, when Kylene turned 3, her birth mother, McIntyre-Roden, paid her a visit. McIntyre-Roden brought another visitor - her new baby, Tamiah.
Wood TV 8
August 12, 2008
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'They robbed me of my childhood'
by Mike Barber and Andrew Schneider
WENATCHEE -- For months, it seemed almost anyone here could be accused of the most vile acts imaginable. And those targeted were powerless to stop the madness.
Four years have passed since the wave of child sex abuse allegations swept across this city. Yet those embroiled in the controversial investigation cannot forget the moment their lives changed forever. Parents recall the indignity of being accused of unspeakable acts, then watching as their freedom and families were ripped away.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
February 26, 1998
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How Many Children Must Die?
Chimpanzees take better care of their young than the State of Indiana, and they use only their natural instincts. How much training does it take to figure out that a two-year-old who tested positive for methamphetamine is not safe in his home?
We, the taxpayers, demand that DCS perform the duties they have been hired to perform. Susan Tielking is a waste of office space. Her job is to recite the same old, "state confidentiality rules prohibit her from revealing specifics about the case." Our legislators must remove "confidentiality" from any and all juvenile cases. Then we can kick Susan to the curb.
Honk for Kids
August 06, 2008
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Don't overreact to the Brewer tragedy
The government has a responsibility to protect children when their families can't. It seems so simple, until it has to be done.
Certainly, there are times when the government must intervene to deal with abuse or neglect. But removing a child should generally be seen as the last resort. When agencies focus too heavily on foster-care placement, they risk not only overburdening staff, but also losing perspective on what ensuring family well-being really means.
Newsday
August 10, 2008
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Social work officials: More help is needed
by Laura Wilcox
During this year's regular session, the West Virginia Legislature considered, but did not pass, a bill designed to improve social worker safety.
The bill would have increased criminal penalties for those who commit felony or misdemeanor assault and battery on child protective or adult protective service workers in the field. The Legislature this year did pass a bill providing adult and child protective services workers personal immunity from civil liability, meaning that they cannot be sued for doing their job.
The Herald-Dispatch
August 05, 2008
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Child care worker accused of abuse
by Chris Dumond
Two weeks after placing her baby in home-based child care, Lakisha Dickerson got a worrisome phone call. Something didn't seem right, the child care provider, Latanya Murphy, told Dickerson, who immediately left work and came to check on her child.
Murphy, 43, is charged with two counts of child abuse, felonies that carry as much as 10 years in prison. Lynchburg Juvenile and Domestic Relations Judge William Light on Monday heard testimony from Dickerson and another mother who testified their children came home injured after being in Murphy's care.
Lynchburg News Advance
August 04, 2008
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Dying in Arkansas Foster Care
by Ebone' Mone't
Currently Arkansas Department of Human Services is investigating four child deaths. Each of the four children died in the last two months. This happened after years of no foster child deaths in the state.
Delancy was one of 9,000 kids living in foster care in Arkansas. She says her experience was mostly bad. "I've been raped in one foster home. I've been beaten in the other one; I've been starved in one," describes Delancy.
THV
August 05, 2008
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CPS criticized for lax employee screening
State lawmakers, irked that Child Protective Services doesn't run regular criminal background checks on the vast majority of its employees, say they'll file legislation requiring routine checks.
The lax screening came to light after lawmakers learned of a CPS supervisor's assault conviction and an indecent exposure charge against a caseworker. Rep. Patrick Rose, D-Dripping Springs, the House's point man for human services programs, criticized CPS' current policy of running Texas background checks on virtually all the people it hires and then rechecking each year for only 250.
Dallas Morning News
August 01, 2008
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Settlement serves state's children
by Ismael Ahmed
Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm directed me to hammer out and negotiate the successful agreement with the New York-based Children's Rights organization in the best of interest of the state.
This agreement puts children first. It reflects the shared goals of improved safety for children, stronger supports for those who care for them, and more promising outcomes for their future. Investing in children is the right solution for Michigan's long-term child welfare reform plan. This plan focuses on spending money to invest in children and reform the system, not wasting taxpayers' money on costly attorney fees, court costs and potential fines.
Detroit Free Press (MI)
July 18, 2008
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Hearing set for child welfare settlement
A federal judge has scheduled a hearing for preliminary approval of a court settlement that would mean sweeping changes in Michigan's child welfare system.
Terms of the settlement call for a drastic decrease in workers' caseloads, an increased push to find permanent homes for Michigan's 6,000 legal orphans and the hiring of an outside monitor to oversee the changes.
Detroit Free Press (MI)
August 04, 2008
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I Team...Where's my Mommy?
by Ernie Freeman
The strange custody story involving the Danielle Malmquist and her ex husband Shem, a FedEx pilot, aired last night.
In the end we learned that a Shelby County Circuit Court Judge Jerry Stokes granted Shem his petition for divorce, and gave him custody of their two children, and ordered Danielle to have supervised visitation with her boys, at a cost of $100 per hour.
Ernie Freeman's Blog
July 24, 2008
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Police Taser boy with broken back 19 times
Parents of a 16-year-old boy in intensive care with a broken back want to know why police Tasered their son 19 times rather than calling an ambulance for help.
When police arrived, they found Hutchinson under an overpass on U.S. 65 Saturday morning, Springfield's KY3 News reported. The boy had fallen 30 feet off the overpass and was lying on the shoulder. When the boy didn't respond to police, they Tasered him, repeatedly.
World Net Daily
August 01, 2008
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Parents, 2 city workers, 5 others charged in disabled Philadelphia teen's starvation death
Four social workers were among nine people charged Thursday in the death of a disabled 14-year-old girl who authorities say wasted away from neglect before dying at 42 pounds.
Warrants were issued for all nine defendants Thursday. Andrea Kelly, the mother of Danieal, was charged with murder, and father Daniel Kelly, who did not live with the family, was charged with child endangerment.
The Conservative Voice
July 31, 2008
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9 charged in death of disabled Philly teen
For days before Danieal Kelly died in a fetid, airless room - made stifling hot by a midsummer heat wave - the bedridden teenager begged for something to drink until she could muster only one word: water.
The nightmare of forced starvation and infection that killed Danieal while she was under the protection of the city's human services agency is documented in a 258-page grand jury report released this week that charges nine people - her parents, four social workers and three family friends - in her ghastly death.
MSNBC
August 01, 2008
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9 charged in death of disabled Philly teen
by Kathy Matheson
Four social workers were among nine people charged Thursday in the death of a disabled 14-year-old girl who authorities say wasted away from neglect before dying at 42 pounds.
Abraham had scathing words for the city's Department of Human Services, calling its handling of the case "callous, indifferent, unconscionable" - and all too familiar. "Danieal did not fall through the cracks," she said. "It was a failure of institutional inclination. Saving Danieal was just too much trouble."
The Bakersfield Californian
July 31, 2008
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County's Department of Child Services aims to improve relations with child advocates | IndyStar.com | The Indianapolis Star
by Tim Evans
The Marion County office of the state agency responsible for protecting children has adopted a new approach to improve how it deals with complaints about foster parents, though independent child advocates say even more needs to be done.
A point person in the Department of Child Services office now reviews reports from independent child advocates whenever those advocates think their concerns are not being heard by agency caseworkers. Cynthia Booth, executive director of Child Advocates Inc., welcomed the designation of caseworker Gail Waldron-Bray as the person to contact when there are problems dealing with DCS staff in Marion County.
The Indianapolis Star
July 31, 2008
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Changing Foster Care
Sacramento, CA - Thursday morning Speaker Bass and Assemblymember Beall are holding a special hearings on the best way to fix California's foster care system.
There are 74,000 children who live away from their families and communities because of abuse or neglect at home. Fifty percent of the children who enter foster care are under five years old.
News10
July 31, 2008
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LI child welfare agencies remove more kids from parents
by Michael Amon
Long Island's child welfare agencies have removed 28 percent more children from their parents' custody this year, a spike that bucks a statewide trend.
The upswing in removals was most pronounced in Nassau County, where 125 children were placed in foster care during the first six months of the year, a 69 percent increase compared with the same period in 2007. Suffolk had a 15 percent increase.
Newsday
July 31, 2008
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When foster care becomes a business, children may suffer
by David Johnson
With gas prices exceeding $4, companies downsizing and unprecedented numbers of homes going into foreclosure, the economic crisis facing Americans is front and center. It is the 800-pound gorilla in the room who cannot be ignored.
Interestingly, one of the ways in which increasing numbers of suburbanites are attempting to cope with the crisis is through the Illinois Foster Care Program, said Dr. Barbara Jackson, author of "Throw Away Kids: A Case Study of the Unique Educational Needs of Foster Children." (Jackson will discuss her book at 7 p.m. Friday at River North Coffee Cafe, 369 E. Sibley Blvd., Chicago.)
The Southtown Star
July 30, 2008
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U.S. Sen. Grassley: Makes progress on legislation to help foster care kids get permanent, loving homes
Senator Chuck Grassley said today that his legislation to help move kids in foster care to permanent home is scheduled for consideration on Friday by the Senate Committee on Finance.
Grassley urged congressional leaders to find a way to achieve final passage of the legislation before the end of this year's session. Grassley is the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Finance, which is responsible for social welfare legislation including adoption policies.
Iowa Politics
July 30, 2008
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Fisher: Ex-foster kids use experience to help system
by Patty Fisher
Lobbyists and "special interests" have a pretty bad reputation these days. But not all lobbyists are out to get tax breaks for bigwigs. And some special-interest groups really are special.
That's why I was delighted to learn that the California Youth Connection, an organization that has been banging on doors in Sacramento for 20 years, demanding reform for the foster care system, is receiving a prestigious award today from the James Irvine Foundation. The 2008 Leadership Award recognizes Californians who have successfully tackled some of the state's most critical challenges, from poverty to health care to the environment.
San Jose Mercury News
July 31, 2008
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Ohio makes a poor call on day care vs. foster care
Having a family member step in to care for a relative's children when the state takes them away is better for the children than foster care, research shows. It makes sense that a grandmother can help a child thrive and feel connected and loved.
It also saves taxpayer money. Yet, Ohio will soon strip day-care vouchers from about 1,000 people who are employed and have custody of relatives' kids, but can't afford day care themselves. The state has ordered counties to stop giving child-care vouchers to people caring for relatives' kids unless they meet federal poverty guidelines.
The Cleveland Plain Dealer
July 31, 2008
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Foster care awareness
Social services bosses fear Doncaster residents may be breaking laws on child care by not telling them about so-called private fostering.
Doncaster Council is launching an awareness campaign because it fears some families make their own short term child care arrangements with friends without letting the authority know. The practice, known as private fostering, means a child under 16 lives with someone other than their parent or close relative for more than 28 days. There is a legal duty to report the arrangement.
The Star (UK)
July 31, 2008
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Baby placed in foster home despite warnings
by Tim Evans
The state agency responsible for protecting children once again is facing accusations that it failed to act on repeated warnings in the weeks preceding the death of a child.
The Indianapolis Star has obtained documents that reveal the Department of Child Services placed 11-week-old Destiny Linden with a foster family even after an advocate warned the agency about the care and safety of other foster children in the home.
The Indianapolis Star
July 27, 2008
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Newport News woman charged with felony child neglect
by Cindy Clayton
Police have charged a woman with child neglect after finding her children home alone in unsanitary conditions, they said.
An officer went to the 400 block of Britnie Court about 11 p.m. Sunday on a report of possible child neglect, according to police. When the officer arrived, he found the children, ages 12, 12, 3 and 1, home alone, according to police. A foul smell also was coming from inside the home.
Hampton Roads
July 29, 2008
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Top 10 issues of the 2008 legislative session
It was a year of legislative reform at the Child Protective Services and the foster-care system. Rep. Jonathan Paton, R-Tucson, and Rep. Kirk Adams, R-Mesa, doggedly pursued changes at CPS following the deaths of three Arizona children.
Paton and Adams rode their entire reform package through the Legislature and the governor's desk. The measures dealt with increasing transparency in the CPS system by opening some CPS records, court proceedings for children and state employee disciplinary records. The measures also require CPS workers to follow court orders and file missing-person reports.
Arizona Capitol Times
July 30, 2008
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Jacked Up: MSBP: Witch Hunt - Kidjacked
by Annette Hall
I shouldn't need to remind anyone what happened in New England in 1692 which ushered in the witch hunts for "the protection of the child[ren]". Before it was all over, nineteen men and women were convicted of practicing witchcraft and hanged.
Like most CPS cases, your opening paragraph mentions a vague instance, while withholdi |
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