PHOENIX Arizonas in a state of "perennial panic," endangering childreneven as it needlessly destroys thousands of families...

'Perennial Panic' Plagues Arizona Child Welfare

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/s...e,162635.shtml

PHOENIX, Aug. 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Arizona child welfare
functions in a state of "perennial panic," endangering children even as
it needlessly destroys thousands of families, a national non-profit
child advocacy organization and a former Arizona legislator said Monday.

The National Coalition for Child Protection Reform released a report
with 14 recommendations, including a "grand compromise" on funding to
break what NCCPR Executive Director Richard Wexler called "the great
Arizona stalemate" that has stalled progress in child welfare.

Wexler and former State Rep. Laura Knaperek (R-Tempe) called for a
"fully transparent" child welfare system, with all court hearings and
most records open to press and public.

"Days after taking office for her first term, Gov. Napolitano told Child
Protective Services caseworkers to 'err on the side of protecting the
child, and we'll sort it out later.' More than four-and-a-half years
later, they still haven't sorted it out," Wexler said. "By the time the
governor figured out that you can't err on the side of the child without
erring on the side of the family, it was too late."

"There is nothing more important than protecting children. However, the
philosophy of 'when in doubt, remove the child' is a recipe for
disaster. It puts a target on children for physical, emotional, and
educational risk," said Rep. Knaperek, who has been fighting to reform
Arizona child welfare for over 17 years. "The real victims are the kids;
measured by the high rates of everything from abuse in foster care
itself to teen pregnancy, arrest and youth unemployment."

Wexler noted that his group, often called "the family values left" and
Rep. Knaperek "start from very different places ideologically -- but we
have reached very similar conclusions. Protecting children is an issue
that crosses ideological lines in unusual ways; that makes compromise
possible. The dreadful state of Arizona child welfare makes compromise
essential."

Wexler said that the number of children taken from their homes each year
in Arizona has skyrocketed, but instead of making children safer, child
abuse deaths also have increased sharply.

National Coalition for Child Protection Reform




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

CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES, HAPPILY DESTROYING HUNDREDS 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...