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#1
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Arrests spur examination of foster parent criteria
Notice the cases of horrible abuse at the hands of Fosters listed at
the bottom. Feb 2007 New Mexico suffocating his 2-year-old foster son with a blanket Jan 2007 Brooksville charged with sexually abusing four boys Oct 2006 Missouri 15 counts of possessing child pornography featuring two of his foster boys Aug 2006 Ohio 3-year-old wrapped in blanket and packing tape couple went to a family reunion Aug 2006 Minnesota man charged with molesting two girls AUG 2006 MN another man same county week earlier charged with molesting foster daughter July 2006 WV charged with sexually abusing two boys and a girl May 2006 Wisconsin charged death of 3-year-old boy by PUNCHING (also punched 2 year old) Mar 2006 New Mexico charged with felony child abuse 18-month-old boy suffered brain injury http://www.news-journalonline.com/Ne...AD02022407.htm February 24, 2007 Arrests spur examination of foster parent criteria By DEBORAH CIRCELLI Staff Writer DAYTONA BEACH -- Monitoring devices, drug testing, psychological evaluations and a national network among states are a few steps being discussed to keep foster children safe. With two recent cases of local foster parents charged with molesting or sexually abusing children, state and national child-welfare workers are struggling for answers on how to keep them from being abused by people entrusted to provide a safe haven. "These kids have enough stuff in their lives and they just don't need this," said Dr. Carl Schwenker, a Port Orange adoptive parent and former foster parent. Schwenker, a board member of Community Partnership for Children, a local agency contracted to provide foster care services, said one idea may be having a psychologist meet with prospective foster parents. "It will probably discourage some people from becoming foster parents, but I think it's necessary. We really need to get tough," he said. Robert R. Clinton, 51, of Deltona, was charged Thursday with sexual battery on a 3-year-old local foster girl and 40 counts of promoting sexual performance of a child. Investigators found 40 images on Clinton's computer and digital camera of him and the child in sexual acts, reports show. He also was charged with 10 counts of possessing child pornography that investigators believe he downloaded from the Internet. George Goolde of Orange City, who was president of the local foster parent group, was arrested in November and faces charges of molesting three children in his care. Both Goolde and Clinton remain in the Volusia County Branch Jail. The state Department of Children & Families in Tallahassee is looking at the foster parent application process, though a psychological evaluation is "not on the table at this time," a spokesman said. Local officials are open to obtaining more information because they say criminal background screenings don't always show the full picture. But some caution against putting up more barriers when the majority of foster parents are trying to help children. In Volusia and Flagler counties, there are 225 licensed foster homes, but about 65 more are needed, officials say, especially for teens, who at times are placed outside the area. Reggie Williams, local district administrator for the state DCF, met with staff Friday to review procedures and further meetings are planned. But he said, "We shouldn't just do things because they sound good. "There are no easy answers," Williams said. "People who want to be a perpetrator will find ways of doing it. It's sick." Neighbor To Family, which provides sibling foster care and oversaw Clinton's home, installed monitoring devices in its foster homes last year in Florida and four other states. The motion detectors cause an alarm to go off in the house to wake up the foster parents and the child if someone enters the child's bedroom at night. But in Clinton's case, the sexual battery, police say, occurred in the living room. Gordon Johnson, chief executive officer of Neighbor To Family, said his agency talked about installing cameras but thought they would be too hard to monitor. Some day-care centers nationally have installed cameras so parents through an Internet site can see their children throughout the day. "This is a rare case. I'm not sure we want to overreact," Johnson said. State Sen. Evelyn Lynn, R-Ormond Beach, said she's "appalled" that some foster parents are abusing children. She said the state needs to study the issue and make changes, even if it means periodically checking a foster parent's computer. She and local DCF staff also say a national registry of foster parents is needed so if the parent does something wrong in one state, other states would know about it. "We have to have a national approach to making sure our children are safe," Lynn said. DCF workers last year revoked a Deltona woman's foster care license after being notified from someone outside the state that she was charged in 1993 with endangering foster children in New Jersey. Local DCF officials said the foster mother, who had been licensed locally for five months, gave inadequate information on her application and didn't tell local officials she had been a foster parent in New Jersey. An official with the National Foster Parent Association said such a registry would be an invasion of a foster parent's privacy. But a federal law passed last year is requiring a national registry of all people involved in substantiated cases of child abuse. Until that is developed, local DCF staff and foster care agencies already started in August checking with abuse hot lines in other states where an applicant has lived in the last five years to see if any abuse calls were made on the person. An official with the Child Welfare League of America suggests workers visit children more and talk to children away from the foster home to deter abuse. Ohio officials are looking at changes after a foster couple was arrested in August in the death of their 3-year-old developmentally disabled foster boy left in a closet for two days wrapped in a blanket and packing tape. Some changes include drug testing, credit and bankruptcy checks, more extensive reference checks and medical forms attesting to an applicant's physical and mental condition and what psychotropic drugs they are taking. But Karen Jorgenson, executive director of the National Foster Parent Association, said toughening the licensing processes is not going to help. She suggests more home visits, smaller case loads per worker and better training of workers to identify signs of sexual abuse. "People who are abusive or into pornography, it appears, are very good at what they do, and keeping it hidden from people," she said. -- News researcher Helen Morey contributed to this report. Other Abuse Cases While some national experts say abuse in foster homes is less than 1 percent, two local foster fathers were charged in the past three months either with sexual battery or molesting children in their care. Here are some other cases nationally in the past year: · February 2007: A 31-year-old foster father in New Mexico was charged with suffocating his 2-year-old foster son with a blanket. · January 2007: A 30-year-old foster father in Brooksville was charged with sexually abusing four boys. · October 2006: A 40-year-old foster father in Missouri was charged with 15 counts of possessing child pornography featuring two of his foster boys. · August 2006: A foster couple in Ohio were charged in the death of their 3-year-old developmentally disabled foster boy. Reports say the child was left alone in a closet for two days, wrapped in a blanket and packing tape while the couple went to a family reunion. · August 2006: A 49-year-old Minnesota foster father was charged with molesting two girls. Another foster father, 45, was arrested in the same county a week earlier and charged with molesting his foster daughter. · July 2006: A 51-year-old foster father in West Virginia was charged with sexually abusing two boys and a girl. · May 2006: A 31-year-old foster father in Wisconsin was charged in the death of a 3-year-old boy. Reports say he punched the child and his 2-year-old brother. · March 2006: A 32-year-old foster mother in New Mexico was charged with two felony counts of child abuse involving an 18-month-old boy who suffered a brain injury. |
#2
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Arrests spur examination of foster parent criteria
Greegor wrote:
Notice the cases of horrible abuse at the hands of Fosters listed at the bottom. Greg I have hundreds and hundreds of similar and worse cases I've seen and saved from the media. I also know personally of families stories of their relatives doing things to children you would not want to believe, like all males, including the family dog, using a little girl from the age of 4 to about9 years old before CPS was notified. Now would you like me to go back to WDNNSCPS FULL TIME? I find most of it so sickening that I refuse to post it...just now and then to remind you vicious twits of what you are protecting. 0:] Feb 2007 New Mexico suffocating his 2-year-old foster son with a blanket Jan 2007 Brooksville charged with sexually abusing four boys Oct 2006 Missouri 15 counts of possessing child pornography featuring two of his foster boys Aug 2006 Ohio 3-year-old wrapped in blanket and packing tape couple went to a family reunion Aug 2006 Minnesota man charged with molesting two girls AUG 2006 MN another man same county week earlier charged with molesting foster daughter July 2006 WV charged with sexually abusing two boys and a girl May 2006 Wisconsin charged death of 3-year-old boy by PUNCHING (also punched 2 year old) Mar 2006 New Mexico charged with felony child abuse 18-month-old boy suffered brain injury http://www.news-journalonline.com/Ne...AD02022407.htm February 24, 2007 Arrests spur examination of foster parent criteria By DEBORAH CIRCELLI Staff Writer DAYTONA BEACH -- Monitoring devices, drug testing, psychological evaluations and a national network among states are a few steps being discussed to keep foster children safe. With two recent cases of local foster parents charged with molesting or sexually abusing children, state and national child-welfare workers are struggling for answers on how to keep them from being abused by people entrusted to provide a safe haven. "These kids have enough stuff in their lives and they just don't need this," said Dr. Carl Schwenker, a Port Orange adoptive parent and former foster parent. Schwenker, a board member of Community Partnership for Children, a local agency contracted to provide foster care services, said one idea may be having a psychologist meet with prospective foster parents. "It will probably discourage some people from becoming foster parents, but I think it's necessary. We really need to get tough," he said. Robert R. Clinton, 51, of Deltona, was charged Thursday with sexual battery on a 3-year-old local foster girl and 40 counts of promoting sexual performance of a child. Investigators found 40 images on Clinton's computer and digital camera of him and the child in sexual acts, reports show. He also was charged with 10 counts of possessing child pornography that investigators believe he downloaded from the Internet. George Goolde of Orange City, who was president of the local foster parent group, was arrested in November and faces charges of molesting three children in his care. Both Goolde and Clinton remain in the Volusia County Branch Jail. The state Department of Children & Families in Tallahassee is looking at the foster parent application process, though a psychological evaluation is "not on the table at this time," a spokesman said. Local officials are open to obtaining more information because they say criminal background screenings don't always show the full picture. But some caution against putting up more barriers when the majority of foster parents are trying to help children. In Volusia and Flagler counties, there are 225 licensed foster homes, but about 65 more are needed, officials say, especially for teens, who at times are placed outside the area. Reggie Williams, local district administrator for the state DCF, met with staff Friday to review procedures and further meetings are planned. But he said, "We shouldn't just do things because they sound good. "There are no easy answers," Williams said. "People who want to be a perpetrator will find ways of doing it. It's sick." Neighbor To Family, which provides sibling foster care and oversaw Clinton's home, installed monitoring devices in its foster homes last year in Florida and four other states. The motion detectors cause an alarm to go off in the house to wake up the foster parents and the child if someone enters the child's bedroom at night. But in Clinton's case, the sexual battery, police say, occurred in the living room. Gordon Johnson, chief executive officer of Neighbor To Family, said his agency talked about installing cameras but thought they would be too hard to monitor. Some day-care centers nationally have installed cameras so parents through an Internet site can see their children throughout the day. "This is a rare case. I'm not sure we want to overreact," Johnson said. State Sen. Evelyn Lynn, R-Ormond Beach, said she's "appalled" that some foster parents are abusing children. She said the state needs to study the issue and make changes, even if it means periodically checking a foster parent's computer. She and local DCF staff also say a national registry of foster parents is needed so if the parent does something wrong in one state, other states would know about it. "We have to have a national approach to making sure our children are safe," Lynn said. DCF workers last year revoked a Deltona woman's foster care license after being notified from someone outside the state that she was charged in 1993 with endangering foster children in New Jersey. Local DCF officials said the foster mother, who had been licensed locally for five months, gave inadequate information on her application and didn't tell local officials she had been a foster parent in New Jersey. An official with the National Foster Parent Association said such a registry would be an invasion of a foster parent's privacy. But a federal law passed last year is requiring a national registry of all people involved in substantiated cases of child abuse. Until that is developed, local DCF staff and foster care agencies already started in August checking with abuse hot lines in other states where an applicant has lived in the last five years to see if any abuse calls were made on the person. An official with the Child Welfare League of America suggests workers visit children more and talk to children away from the foster home to deter abuse. Ohio officials are looking at changes after a foster couple was arrested in August in the death of their 3-year-old developmentally disabled foster boy left in a closet for two days wrapped in a blanket and packing tape. Some changes include drug testing, credit and bankruptcy checks, more extensive reference checks and medical forms attesting to an applicant's physical and mental condition and what psychotropic drugs they are taking. But Karen Jorgenson, executive director of the National Foster Parent Association, said toughening the licensing processes is not going to help. She suggests more home visits, smaller case loads per worker and better training of workers to identify signs of sexual abuse. "People who are abusive or into pornography, it appears, are very good at what they do, and keeping it hidden from people," she said. -- News researcher Helen Morey contributed to this report. Other Abuse Cases While some national experts say abuse in foster homes is less than 1 percent, two local foster fathers were charged in the past three months either with sexual battery or molesting children in their care. Here are some other cases nationally in the past year: · February 2007: A 31-year-old foster father in New Mexico was charged with suffocating his 2-year-old foster son with a blanket. · January 2007: A 30-year-old foster father in Brooksville was charged with sexually abusing four boys. · October 2006: A 40-year-old foster father in Missouri was charged with 15 counts of possessing child pornography featuring two of his foster boys. · August 2006: A foster couple in Ohio were charged in the death of their 3-year-old developmentally disabled foster boy. Reports say the child was left alone in a closet for two days, wrapped in a blanket and packing tape while the couple went to a family reunion. · August 2006: A 49-year-old Minnesota foster father was charged with molesting two girls. Another foster father, 45, was arrested in the same county a week earlier and charged with molesting his foster daughter. · July 2006: A 51-year-old foster father in West Virginia was charged with sexually abusing two boys and a girl. · May 2006: A 31-year-old foster father in Wisconsin was charged in the death of a 3-year-old boy. Reports say he punched the child and his 2-year-old brother. · March 2006: A 32-year-old foster mother in New Mexico was charged with two felony counts of child abuse involving an 18-month-old boy who suffered a brain injury. |
#3
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Arrests spur examination of foster parent criteria
Kane, In a big enough population, damn near anything will happen.
But per capita, the state's "better parents" aren't panning out that way! |
#4
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Arrests spur examination of foster parent criteria
Greegor wrote:
Kane, In a big enough population, damn near anything will happen. Including vicious child haters moving in with girlfriends and abusing her children. But per capita, the state's "better parents" aren't panning out that way! In the words of the wonderfully wise: In a big enough population, damn near anything will happen. In 1980-81 the most common objection to foster parents I heard from workers were exactly the same. THEY know that SOME ****s get in. Now YOU show how to keep them OUT, Greg. And do it without an increase in funding, you stupid little vicious git. |
#5
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Well, he's not a college student ... but ...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070227/...8XhzgL ms0NUE
Back to Story - Help Yahoo! News Study: College students more narcissistic By DAVID CRARY, AP National WriterTue Feb 27, 12:32 AM ET Today's college students are more narcissistic and self-centered than their predecessors, according to a comprehensive new study by five psychologists who worry that the trend could be harmful to personal relationships and American society. "We need to stop endlessly repeating 'You're special' and having children repeat that back," said the study's lead author, Professor Jean Twenge of San Diego State University. "Kids are self-centered enough already." Twenge and her colleagues, in findings to be presented at a workshop Tuesday in San Diego on the generation gap, examined the responses of 16,475 college students nationwide who completed an evaluation called the Narcissistic Personality Inventory between 1982 and 2006. The standardized inventory, known as the NPI, asks for responses to such statements as "If I ruled the world, it would be a better place," "I think I am a special person" and "I can live my life any way I want to." The researchers describe their study as the largest ever of its type and say students' NPI scores have risen steadily since the current test was introduced in 1982. By 2006, they said, two-thirds of the students had above-average scores, 30 percent more than in 1982. Narcissism can have benefits, said study co-author W. Keith Campbell of the University of Georgia, suggesting it could be useful in meeting new people "or auditioning on 'American Idol.'" "Unfortunately, narcissism can also have very negative consequences for society, including the breakdown of close relationships with others," he said. The study asserts that narcissists "are more likely to have romantic relationships that are short-lived, at risk for infidelity, lack emotional warmth, and to exhibit game-playing, dishonesty, and over-controlling and violent behaviors." Twenge, the author of "Generation Me: Why Today's Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled — and More Miserable Than Ever Before," said narcissists tend to lack empathy, react aggressively to criticism and favor self-promotion over helping others. The researchers traced the phenomenon back to what they called the "self-esteem movement" that emerged in the 1980s, asserting that the effort to build self-confidence had gone too far. As an example, Twenge cited a song commonly sung to the tune of "Frere Jacques" in preschool: "I am special, I am special. Look at me." "Current technology fuels the increase in narcissism," Twenge said. "By its very name, MySpace encourages attention-seeking, as does YouTube." Some analysts have commended today's young people for increased commitment to volunteer work. But Twenge viewed even this phenomenon skeptically, noting that many high schools require community service and many youths feel pressure to list such endeavors on college applications. Campbell said the narcissism upsurge seemed so pronounced that he was unsure if there were obvious remedies. "Permissiveness seems to be a component," he said. "A potential antidote would be more authoritative parenting. Less indulgence might be called for." The new report follows a study released by UCLA last month which found that nearly three-quarters of the freshmen it surveyed thought it was important to be "very well-off financially." That compared with 62.5 percent who said the same in 1980 and 42 percent in 1966. Yet students, while acknowledging some legitimacy to such findings, don't necessarily accept negative generalizations about their generation. Hanady Kader, a University of Washington senior, said she worked unpaid last summer helping resettle refugees and considers many of her peers to be civic-minded. But she is dismayed by the competitiveness of some students who seem prematurely focused on career status. "We're encouraged a lot to be individuals and go out there and do what you want, and nobody should stand in your way," Kader said. "I can see goals and ambitions getting in the way of other things like relationships." Kari Dalane, a University of Vermont sophomore, says most of her contemporaries are politically active and not overly self-centered. "People are worried about themselves — but in the sense of where are they're going to find a place in the world," she said. "People want to look their best, have a good time, but it doesn't mean they're not concerned about the rest of the world." Besides, some of the responses on the narcissism test might not be worrisome, Dalane said. "It would be more depressing if people answered, 'No, I'm not special.'" Copyright © 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Copyright © 2007 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved. Questions or Comments Privacy Policy -Terms of Service - Copyright/IP Policy - Ad Feedback |
#6
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Well, he's not a college student ... but ...
0:- wrote:
Dalane said. "It would be more depressing if people answered, 'No, I'm not special.'" Facing reality is 'depressing' for this koo-koo?? We are one of 6 billion - one six billionth of a system of human life on earth. Believing we are 'special' is insanity. Maybe that's why we're hated the world over - we're fuc**n koo-koo's. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070227/...8XhzgL ms0NUE Back to Story - Help Yahoo! News Study: College students more narcissistic By DAVID CRARY, AP National WriterTue Feb 27, 12:32 AM ET Today's college students are more narcissistic and self-centered than their predecessors, according to a comprehensive new study by five psychologists who worry that the trend could be harmful to personal relationships and American society. "We need to stop endlessly repeating 'You're special' and having children repeat that back," said the study's lead author, Professor Jean Twenge of San Diego State University. "Kids are self-centered enough already." Twenge and her colleagues, in findings to be presented at a workshop Tuesday in San Diego on the generation gap, examined the responses of 16,475 college students nationwide who completed an evaluation called the Narcissistic Personality Inventory between 1982 and 2006. The standardized inventory, known as the NPI, asks for responses to such statements as "If I ruled the world, it would be a better place," "I think I am a special person" and "I can live my life any way I want to." The researchers describe their study as the largest ever of its type and say students' NPI scores have risen steadily since the current test was introduced in 1982. By 2006, they said, two-thirds of the students had above-average scores, 30 percent more than in 1982. Narcissism can have benefits, said study co-author W. Keith Campbell of the University of Georgia, suggesting it could be useful in meeting new people "or auditioning on 'American Idol.'" "Unfortunately, narcissism can also have very negative consequences for society, including the breakdown of close relationships with others," he said. The study asserts that narcissists "are more likely to have romantic relationships that are short-lived, at risk for infidelity, lack emotional warmth, and to exhibit game-playing, dishonesty, and over-controlling and violent behaviors." Twenge, the author of "Generation Me: Why Today's Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled — and More Miserable Than Ever Before," said narcissists tend to lack empathy, react aggressively to criticism and favor self-promotion over helping others. The researchers traced the phenomenon back to what they called the "self-esteem movement" that emerged in the 1980s, asserting that the effort to build self-confidence had gone too far. As an example, Twenge cited a song commonly sung to the tune of "Frere Jacques" in preschool: "I am special, I am special. Look at me." "Current technology fuels the increase in narcissism," Twenge said. "By its very name, MySpace encourages attention-seeking, as does YouTube." Some analysts have commended today's young people for increased commitment to volunteer work. But Twenge viewed even this phenomenon skeptically, noting that many high schools require community service and many youths feel pressure to list such endeavors on college applications. Campbell said the narcissism upsurge seemed so pronounced that he was unsure if there were obvious remedies. "Permissiveness seems to be a component," he said. "A potential antidote would be more authoritative parenting. Less indulgence might be called for." The new report follows a study released by UCLA last month which found that nearly three-quarters of the freshmen it surveyed thought it was important to be "very well-off financially." That compared with 62.5 percent who said the same in 1980 and 42 percent in 1966. Yet students, while acknowledging some legitimacy to such findings, don't necessarily accept negative generalizations about their generation. Hanady Kader, a University of Washington senior, said she worked unpaid last summer helping resettle refugees and considers many of her peers to be civic-minded. But she is dismayed by the competitiveness of some students who seem prematurely focused on career status. "We're encouraged a lot to be individuals and go out there and do what you want, and nobody should stand in your way," Kader said. "I can see goals and ambitions getting in the way of other things like relationships." Kari Dalane, a University of Vermont sophomore, says most of her contemporaries are politically active and not overly self-centered. "People are worried about themselves — but in the sense of where are they're going to find a place in the world," she said. "People want to look their best, have a good time, but it doesn't mean they're not concerned about the rest of the world." Besides, some of the responses on the narcissism test might not be worrisome, Dalane said. "It would be more depressing if people answered, 'No, I'm not special.'" Copyright © 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Copyright © 2007 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved. Questions or Comments Privacy Policy -Terms of Service - Copyright/IP Policy - Ad Feedback -- Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com |
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