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CPS case records released in deaths of 2 children | "Clearly we haveissues with the Tucson sector of CPS," said Rep. Kirk Adams..



 
 
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Old August 2nd 07, 01:23 AM posted to alt.support.child-protective-services,alt.support.foster-parents,alt.dads-rights.unmoderated,alt.parenting.spanking
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Default CPS case records released in deaths of 2 children | "Clearly we haveissues with the Tucson sector of CPS," said Rep. Kirk Adams..

CPS case records released in deaths of 2 children
Body of 1 child was found months after visits ended

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articl...cords0731.html

Matthew Benson and Yvonne Wingett
The Arizona Republic
Jul. 31, 2007 12:00 AM
State caseworkers stopped checking on the welfare of two Tucson children
almost 10 months before one was found stuffed into a plastic tub in a
storage locker and their father was accused of murdering them.

Documents released Monday show Child Protective Services concluded in
April 2006 that the children should remain with their father despite a
court order that granted the mother custody and gave him no visitation
rights.

CPS officials responded Monday that caseworkers followed proper
procedures in the case and that they were unaware of any complaints
about the father. The officials also acknowledged they did not know of
the court order refusing the father visiting rights.




Based on an open-records request by The Arizona Republic, a Maricopa
County Superior Court judge ordered the release of documents related to
the deaths of Ariana Payne, 4, and her brother, Tyler, 5. His body has
never been found.

Ariana and Tyler's deaths, as well as that of another Tucson child,
Brandon Williams, have spurred legislators to call for hearings to
investigate the cases and the conduct of CPS workers. Documents related
to Brandon's case also were released Monday.

"Clearly we have issues with the Tucson sector of CPS," said Rep. Kirk
Adams, a Mesa Republican who has reviewed the Payne case files. "It is
incumbent upon us to look into these things."

Gov. Janet Napolitano is "horrified about what happened to these
children," spokeswoman Jeanine L'Ecuyer said, and is in constant contact
with CPS officials.

The records show CPS had closed its case on the two Payne children,
assuming they were safe with their father, Christopher Payne. The
documents depict a family in turmoil and an agency struggling with how
to protect children from the very people they should least fear: their
parents.

Not in the documents but also telling is chronic understaffing that CPS
officials say hampered the agency's ability to respond to its caseload.
At one time, 40 percent of CPS' investigator positions were vacant.

The short lives of the Payne children had been tumultuous, the documents
show, with their parents estranged and their mother battling drugs,
depression and bipolar disorder. Ariana and Tyler often bounced between
the homes of their mother, Jamie Hallam, and father.

Divorce decree ignored
The couple divorced in 2003, with each accusing the other of drug abuse
and mistreatment of the children. But a court awarded Hallam custody and
denied Payne visitation, and the divorce decree noted his past drug
abuse and allegations of domestic violence.

CPS never investigated the divorce decree, officials said Monday, so it
wasn't taken into account years later when a caseworker encouraged Payne
to seek custody of the children. CPS officials, in fact, said they were
unaware of any complaints against Payne. In March 2006, a CPS supervisor
instructed Tucson police to leave the children in Payne's care when an
officer responded to Hallam's complaint that Payne had not returned the
children after a visit.

A couple of months earlier, in January, Payne had reappeared in the
children's lives after several years away. He had a job, a girlfriend
and what seemed to be a more-stable home life than Hallam's. She had
willingly allowed Ariana and Tyler to visit Payne, wanting them to have
a relationship with their father.

But during one visit in January 2006, Payne decided the children were
safer with him than their mother. So he kept them.

A month later, a CPS worker during a welfare check of Payne's home noted
no signs that the children were being neglected. Payne had already told
CPS of his hopes to gain custody of the children and had been informed
of the proper paperwork.

It would be another month, March 9, before Hallam would complain to
police that Payne had kept her children. The officer who visited the
home in response to that call saw little reason to worry: "I found both
children (Ariana and Tyler) playing in a bedroom," the officer wrote in
a police report "Both kids were happy, appeared healthy, and were
excited to see police in their home."

Case closed
One month later, April 14, CPS closed the case with the children living
in Payne's care. He still lacked custody, but CPS officials believed
they were safe.

"We had not indication whatsoever he presented a threat," CPS head Ken
Deibert said Monday. "There were not allegations of abuse or neglect
against Mr. Payne."

Within months, Ariana and Tyler would be dead. Payne and his girlfriend,
Reina Gonzales, are in jail and face first-degree murder charges.

Rep. Jonathan Paton, a Tucson Republican who also has seen the Payne
case files, questioned why CPS closed the case in April.

"They closed the case without custody being established," he said,
referring to documents released Monday. "It was irresponsible for them
to close the case without knowing what the custody would be of these
kids and never checking up on them again."

CPS officials explained that cases are routinely closed after 21 days if
there are no active complaints or allegations against a parent or
guardian. There were no complaints against Payne, though CPS was unaware
a court had barred him from visitation with the children.

The case of Ariana and Tyler isn't an indictment against the entire CPS
system, Deibert said.

"You cannot judge the child-welfare system by one or two cases. Is the
system perfect? No. I don't know any system that is perfect."



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...

 




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