Missing kids a rising concern

Missing kids a rising concern
Care homes struggle to provide safety and discourage runaways.
By Christina Jewett - Bee Staff Writer

Published 12:00 am PDT Monday, June 25, 2007

http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/240117.html


Her adrenaline racing, Michelle first slipped out the door of the
Children's Receiving Home of Sacramento at age 13.

In the dark, she walked along the shoulder of Auburn Boulevard, hopped
on a light-rail train and found an empty office building. There, she
slept on the roof.

Since then, each time a police officer returned her to the home -- at
13, at 14 and now at 15 -- she has stayed long enough for little more
than a bowl of noodles or a quick shower. Then, she's walked right back
out the door she entered.

Such is the challenge for the people who run Sacramento's two large,
nonprofit care homes for children: They don't have the authority to lock
teens up, but they're expected to keep them safe and help change their
lives for the better.

Complicating the task are teens with histories like Michelle's, whose
name has been changed to protect her identity. She started running away
from home at 12, leaving behind a mother addicted to heroin and a home
lacking electricity.

"Is it (running away) in their best interest? No. Is it dangerous? Yes."
said David Ballard, chief executive officer of the Children's Receiving
Home. "Do I get more gray hairs waiting for them to come back? Yes."

Such worries vex child welfare workers throughout California. Even as
foster care cases dropped by nearly a third since 2000, the number of
reported runaways doubled statewide.

In Sacramento County, the increase is not as dramatic. But in the city
of Sacramento, one-third of all missing-juvenile cases can be traced to
the region's two children's homes, according to Sacramento police reports.

The first is the Children's Receiving Home of Sacramento on Auburn
Boulevard, which filed about 680 missing-person reports in 2006 and
about 310 so far this year.

The 98-bed home serves 1,500 to 1,800 children each year, usually on a
temporary basis. Many of them are separated from abusive or drug-addled
parents. Others are removed from unfit foster- or group-home placements.

The second is Sacramento Children's Home on Sutterville Road. Officials
there filed 313 reports on missing youths in 2006 and about 70 so far
this year, police reports show. Up to 68 kids with severe emotional,
behavioral or mental health troubles stay at the home for an average of
12 to 18 months.

Ultimately, officials hope to return the kids to their parents,
relatives or foster care.

The homes are required to report kids missing within minutes of their
departures. Most of the kids leave and return on their own, some time
and time again. Some, such as Erin Hardison, 18, return in a matter of
hours.

"It's not the Receiving Home," she said of the reason she left without
permission. "It's the whole system -- (Child Protective Services), your
social worker, your past, the things going on with your parents. You are
at a point in your life where you want to do your own thing."

Police response to the missing-persons reports varies -- their swiftest
reactions are reserved for young children who vanish for the first time,
said Sgt. Michael Murray.

County Child Protective Services workers also look for the missing
youths. During court dates, they are required to inform judges about
what steps they are taking to find the kids.

"We never stop," said Laurie Slothower, CPS spokeswoman. "We really
never stop looking for them."

Currently in Sacramento, 98 youths have been reported missing for more
than 48 hours, Slothower said. Nearly one-third of them have been
missing for days. About a quarter of them have been gone for more than
six months.

Ballard said many children arrive at the Receiving Home in a vulnerable
emotional state. Many have survived abuse or molestation or years in
vermin-infested homes. On top of that, they are often torn by having to
leave relatives whom, despite their flaws, they love.

Michelle first arrived at the Receiving Home after being homeless for
nearly a year, living beneath freeway overpasses.

At the home, kids from 2 to 17 are placed in stuccoed, brightly
decorated cottages with kids in their age group and gender. Each house
has a shared living area with high ceilings and sky lights, surrounded
by bedrooms.





CURRENTLY CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES VIOLATES MORE CIVIL RIGHTS ON A
DAILY BASIS THEN ALL OTHER AGENCIES COMBINED INCLUDING THE NATIONAL
SECURITY AGENCY/CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY 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.

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...