The new DCF, the one - lawsuit by lawsuit, apology by apology, newpolicy by new policy - climbing out from under Jeb's Bush legacy.

DCF under Butterworth changing case by case

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion..._DCF_0623.html

Palm Beach Post Editorial

Saturday, June 23, 2007

There are two state Departments of Children and Families. One is the
bureaucracy that former Gov. Bush "overhauled," funneling state
responsibility for abused, neglected and disabled children and adults to
private agencies and hiding details of wrongdoing. Then there's the new
DCF, the one - lawsuit by lawsuit, apology by apology, new policy by new
policy - climbing out from under Jeb's legacy.

A key to that transformation has been deciding that DCF no longer will
ignore court orders. As a result, DCF, under the leadership of former
Attorney General Bob Butterworth, since January has cleared 384
lawsuits, most involving mentally ill inmates who were jailed without
treatment for longer than the 15 days state law allows.

"It's clearly a different view," said Assistant Secretary for Operations
George Sheldon. DCF's responsibility to taxpayers and its obligation to
those dependent on the state "are not necessarily in conflict."

With 175 open lawsuits seeking money from DCF, Mr. Butterworth is
weeding out "cases we shouldn't be fighting" and repairing damage when
"the department might not have acted appropriately."

Some cases take time to settle because they are not cheap and they are
politically embarrassing.

• DCF correctly dropped its appeal of the 2005 jury verdict ordering DCF
to pay brain-damaged Marissa Amora $26.8 million for negligence under
DCF's watch. After mediation hearings last week, Mr. Butterworth
reiterated, "We want to do all we possibly can for the Amora case."

• This week, Mr. Butterworth apologized to a Panhandle couple for DCF's
refusal to acknowledge finding in 2004 the remains of their 18-year-old
son who disappeared from a state hospital in 2002.

• Mediation in an adoption case in which Mr. Butterworth concedes that
the former Boynton Beach parents "were not treated properly" is
scheduled for next month. DCF did not tell the couple the extent of
abuse suffered by three brothers being adopted.

• There's also mediation in a case involving five children placed in an
Orlando home that, Mr. Sheldon acknowledged, "was not an appropriate
setting for kids."

But until the Legislature and the state-contracted private foster-care
agencies meet Mr. Butterworth's commitment to expose and prevent such
jaw-dropping tragedies, DCF's transformation will not be complete. Not
as long as agencies keep secret for months abductions such as the
2-year-old from Tampa who was found this week in a Wisconsin house with
a scalded 11-year-old and a strangled woman buried in the back yard. Not
while the three adopted brothers remain untreated. And not while Marissa
Amora remains unpaid.




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...

These agencies have had 35 years to get it right!
Now that this one is a gonner, they're trying "damage control"?

Put the agency out of it's misery.

It's been known for ages that the only way
to reform these corrupt agencies is to
destroy them completely and start over
with none of the old employees, none of
the crusading or corrupt mindset,
legal accountability for lies in court,
Clear and Convincing as burden of proof,
TOTAL REGIME CHANGE, no less.

Coming to a state CPS near you.
It won't take long now.


On Jun 23, 12:21 am, fx wrote:
DCF under Butterworth changing case by case

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion...aper/2007/06/2...

Palm Beach Post Editorial

Saturday, June 23, 2007

There are two state Departments of Children and Families. One is the
bureaucracy that former Gov. Bush "overhauled," funneling state
responsibility for abused, neglected and disabled children and adults to
private agencies and hiding details of wrongdoing. Then there's the new
DCF, the one - lawsuit by lawsuit, apology by apology, new policy by new
policy - climbing out from under Jeb's legacy.

A key to that transformation has been deciding that DCF no longer will
ignore court orders. As a result, DCF, under the leadership of former
Attorney General Bob Butterworth, since January has cleared 384
lawsuits, most involving mentally ill inmates who were jailed without
treatment for longer than the 15 days state law allows.

"It's clearly a different view," said Assistant Secretary for Operations
George Sheldon. DCF's responsibility to taxpayers and its obligation to
those dependent on the state "are not necessarily in conflict."

With 175 open lawsuits seeking money from DCF, Mr. Butterworth is
weeding out "cases we shouldn't be fighting" and repairing damage when
"the department might not have acted appropriately."

Some cases take time to settle because they are not cheap and they are
politically embarrassing.

· DCF correctly dropped its appeal of the 2005 jury verdict ordering DCF
to pay brain-damaged Marissa Amora $26.8 million for negligence under
DCF's watch. After mediation hearings last week, Mr. Butterworth
reiterated, "We want to do all we possibly can for the Amora case."

· This week, Mr. Butterworth apologized to a Panhandle couple for DCF's
refusal to acknowledge finding in 2004 the remains of their 18-year-old
son who disappeared from a state hospital in 2002.

· Mediation in an adoption case in which Mr. Butterworth concedes that
the former Boynton Beach parents "were not treated properly" is
scheduled for next month. DCF did not tell the couple the extent of
abuse suffered by three brothers being adopted.

· There's also mediation in a case involving five children placed in an
Orlando home that, Mr. Sheldon acknowledged, "was not an appropriate
setting for kids."

But until the Legislature and the state-contracted private foster-care
agencies meet Mr. Butterworth's commitment to expose and prevent such
jaw-dropping tragedies, DCF's transformation will not be complete. Not
as long as agencies keep secret for months abductions such as the
2-year-old from Tampa who was found this week in a Wisconsin house with
a scalded 11-year-old and a strangled woman buried in the back yard. Not
while the three adopted brothers remain untreated. And not while Marissa
Amora remains unpaid.

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...