A national advocate for child- welfare reform is pushing for moreopenness in CPS cases in Arizona as part of a package of reform recommendationsaimed at reducing the system's reliance on foster care.

Advocate: Open CPS to scrutiny
State urged to make court records public and cut use of foster care

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articl...lfare0821.html

Amanda J. Crawford
The Arizona Republic
Aug. 21, 2007 12:00 AM
A national advocate for child- welfare reform is pushing for more
openness in Child Protective Services cases in Arizona as part of a
package of reform recommendations aimed at reducing the system's
reliance on foster care.

Richard Wexler of the National Coalition for Child Protection Reform
called Monday for lawmakers to follow the example set in a dozen other
states where he said court records in child-welfare cases are open for
the public and the media to scrutinize.

"We really do need to know what is going on inside the system," Wexler
said at a news conference at the Capitol on Monday.




Wexler, joined by Republican Sen. Linda Gray and former state Rep. Laura
Knaperak, also called for $54 million in new funding for
family-preservation programs and criticized reforms put in place in
Arizona in 2003 that they said have resulted in too many children being
placed in foster care. Those reforms, implemented after several
high-profile child deaths, included making child safety, not family
preservation, the priority.

Dana Naimark of Children's Action Alliance said she agreed with the need
for more funding for in-home services for families but said the 2003
reforms were necessary to protect children.

"I think it was appropriate in 2003 to re-emphasize the focus on the
safety of children, and the vast majority of Arizonans agree," she said.

Wexler's report was timed to coincide with the public scrutiny on the
deaths of three Tucson children who died after their families had
interaction with CPS. Lawmakers plan hearings next month examining the
deaths of Ariana and Tyler Payne and Brandon Williams.

Wexler, whose group is based in northern Virginia, said too often such
scrutiny results in reforms that tear families apart needlessly. He has
long advocated against increased use of foster care as a solution to
problems in child-welfare agencies and points to studies showing that
children in foster care sometimes have worse outcomes than those left
with parents. He called for more drug-treatment programs and defense
attorneys for families involved with CPS.

"I'm not talking about leaving kids who are brutalized in their homes,"
Wexler said. He said the agency should focus removal efforts on the
worst cases and find ways to serve other families without taking
children away.

Jeanine L'Ecuyer, spokeswoman for Gov. Janet Napolitano, said the agency
has made strides in recent years in reducing the number of children in
group homes and increasing the number of families receiving home-based
services.

"There is an emphasis, when it is safe and in the best interest of the
child, to provide services in the home where it is possible to do that,"
L'Ecuyer said.

Rep. Jonathan Paton, R-Tucson, who called for the CPS hearings into the
Tucson deaths, said he believes more openness in CPS cases would be good
both for families and the system. But he said he is not convinced that
the agency is too quick to pull children from homes. In the Payne case,
for example, the children were left with their father, who now is
charged with murder.




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...