OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - Washington state's foster care system is headingback to court, with lawyers for a group of foster kids saying the state hasn'tdone enough to make promised reforms.

Foster care lawyers taking state back to court

http://www.komotv.com/news/9883317.html

By Associated Press
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - Washington state's foster care system is heading
back to court, with lawyers for a group of foster kids saying the state
hasn't done enough to make promised reforms.

The pending court action is the latest twist in a landmark lawsuit known
as the Braam case, in which 13 foster children sued the state for
bouncing them around foster homes without adequate services.

The state settled the suit in 2004 by promising to make dozens of
specific improvements, including more state caseworkers, better foster
parent training and increased mental health treatment for kids.

But lawyers for the Braam plaintiffs have criticized the state's
progress, and said Wednesday they have decided to seek a court order
forcing the state to uphold its earlier promises.

"They've dropped the ball on certain critical areas," Casey Trupin, a
lawyer with Columbia Legal Services, told The Associated Press. "The
court needs to give some clarification that these are mandates. They
need to be taken care of quickly."

State officials weren't surprised by the move, which was foreshadowed by
months of complaints from plaintiff's lawyers that the state wasn't
spending enough to overhaul the foster care system. Some said the court
action could help the state set priorities for achieving the huge set of
reforms.

Specifically, Braam attorneys say the state has fallen short by:

- Only completing timely health and education screenings in 30 percent
of cases, instead of the 90 percent required in the settlement.

- Not cutting the number of times new foster kids are transferred from
one home to another.

- Failing to decrease caseloads for foster caseworkers, and taking too
long to raise the number of foster kids who see a caseworker once a month.

One of the Legislature's child welfare leaders, Rep. Ruth Kagi, D-Lake
Forest Park, pointed out that lawmakers have increased spending aimed at
the Braam case's mandates.

That includes about $4.6 million to add caseworkers over the next two
years, with the goal of visiting foster children once per month.

However, Kagi said, the Braam settlement is so complex that
policy-makers have found it hard to decide which areas to tackle first.

"I think getting some clarity from the court about what exactly is
required would be helpful," Kagi said. "And the Legislature has never
been given a clear idea from the plaintiffs about how much money they're
talking about."

Robin Arnold-Williams, secretary of the state Department of Social and
Health Services, agreed that a clearer sense of priorities could help.

"You can't do it all at the same time and do it well," Arnold-Williams
said. "We're trying to be strategic."

And while the Braam settlement focuses solely on foster care,
Arnold-Williams said lawmakers and Gov. Chris Gregoire have also been
putting money into programs to help children before they're removed from
dangerous homes.


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...