CA - Teen Sues L.A. (county) After Decade in Foster Care

http://abcnews.go.com/US/LegalCenter...C-RSSFeeds0312
Teen Sues L.A. After Decade in Foster Care

Teenage Girl Reunited With Her Long-Lost Father After Decade in Foster Care
Sues L.A. County
LOS ANGELES Jul 17, 2006 (AP)- A teenage girl reunited with her father last
year after a decade in foster care is suing Los Angeles County for taking so
long to bring them together.
County supervisors had said in September that the reunion of Melinda Smith,
now 17, and father Thomas Marion Smith was the result of a "groundbreaking
effort," and congratulated county agencies for locating the father.

But the lawsuit alleges that the Department of Children and Family Services
failed to use "due diligence" to locate Thomas Smith. It claims the agency
never notified Smith, who had continued making child support payments, that
his daughter was in foster care and never gave him a chance to claim her.

"He's a registered voter with a valid driver's license and an open child
support case," said Smith's attorney, L. Wallace Pate. "All they had to do,
at any time during those 10 years, was pick up the phone and ask the L.A.
County Child Support Services Department: `Do you have a contact on this
man?'"

Beginning in 1989, Thomas Smith made child support payments to Melinda's
mother for his 1-year-old daughter, but when Melinda was 4 her mother moved
and left no forwarding address.

Two years later, Melinda was turned over to foster care officials after the
county received complaints of abuse.

Smith's whereabouts were listed as unknown in court documents on the case,
although records show that Melinda's caseworker knew Smith was paying child
support and his address was on file with the agency that collected the
payments.

Father and daughter were reunited in July 2005 after Melinda got help from a
social worker assigned to find permanent placement for teens in foster care.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages from the county, the social workers
who handled the case and a private agency that provides attorneys for
children in foster care.

County officials would not comment because of the pending litigation.

Dusty wrote:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/LegalCenter...5&CMP=OTC-RSSF
eeds0312 Teen Sues L.A. After Decade in Foster Care

Teenage Girl Reunited With Her Long-Lost Father After Decade in
Foster Care Sues L.A. County LOS ANGELES Jul 17, 2006 (AP)- A teenage
girl reunited with her father last year after a decade in foster care
is suing Los Angeles County for taking so long to bring them
together. County supervisors had said in September that the reunion
of Melinda Smith, now 17, and father Thomas Marion Smith was the
result of a "groundbreaking effort," and congratulated county
agencies for locating the father.

But the lawsuit alleges that the Department of Children and Family
Services failed to use "due diligence" to locate Thomas Smith. It
claims the agency never notified Smith, who had continued making
child support payments, that his daughter was in foster care and
never gave him a chance to claim her.

"He's a registered voter with a valid driver's license and an open
child support case," said Smith's attorney, L. Wallace Pate. "All
they had to do, at any time during those 10 years, was pick up the
phone and ask the L.A. County Child Support Services Department: `Do
you have a contact on this man?'"

Beginning in 1989, Thomas Smith made child support payments to
Melinda's mother for his 1-year-old daughter, but when Melinda was 4
her mother moved and left no forwarding address.

Two years later, Melinda was turned over to foster care officials
after the county received complaints of abuse.

Smith's whereabouts were listed as unknown in court documents on the
case, although records show that Melinda's caseworker knew Smith was
paying child support and his address was on file with the agency that
collected the payments.

Father and daughter were reunited in July 2005 after Melinda got help
from a social worker assigned to find permanent placement for teens
in foster care.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages from the county, the social
workers who handled the case and a private agency that provides
attorneys for children in foster care.

County officials would not comment because of the pending litigation.

But, but, but... if they reunited her with her father... they wouldn't
be able to continue to collect CS.

TheDave© wrote:

Dusty wrote:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/LegalCenter...5&CMP=OTC-RSSF
eeds0312 Teen Sues L.A. After Decade in Foster Care

Teenage Girl Reunited With Her Long-Lost Father After Decade in
Foster Care Sues L.A. County LOS ANGELES Jul 17, 2006 (AP)- A teenage
girl reunited with her father last year after a decade in foster care
is suing Los Angeles County for taking so long to bring them
together. County supervisors had said in September that the reunion
of Melinda Smith, now 17, and father Thomas Marion Smith was the
result of a "groundbreaking effort," and congratulated county
agencies for locating the father.

But the lawsuit alleges that the Department of Children and Family
Services failed to use "due diligence" to locate Thomas Smith. It
claims the agency never notified Smith, who had continued making
child support payments, that his daughter was in foster care and
never gave him a chance to claim her.

"He's a registered voter with a valid driver's license and an open
child support case," said Smith's attorney, L. Wallace Pate. "All
they had to do, at any time during those 10 years, was pick up the
phone and ask the L.A. County Child Support Services Department: `Do
you have a contact on this man?'"

Beginning in 1989, Thomas Smith made child support payments to
Melinda's mother for his 1-year-old daughter, but when Melinda was 4
her mother moved and left no forwarding address.

Two years later, Melinda was turned over to foster care officials
after the county received complaints of abuse.

Smith's whereabouts were listed as unknown in court documents on the
case, although records show that Melinda's caseworker knew Smith was
paying child support and his address was on file with the agency that
collected the payments.

Father and daughter were reunited in July 2005 after Melinda got help
from a social worker assigned to find permanent placement for teens
in foster care.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages from the county, the social
workers who handled the case and a private agency that provides
attorneys for children in foster care.

County officials would not comment because of the pending litigation.


But, but, but... if they reunited her with her father... they wouldn't
be able to continue to collect CS.

I really want to believe that this was all due to incompetence, rather
than evil.

But I say that sooo often about these cases...

Would there in fact be any financial incentive for anyone to keep this
girl in foster care? I guess it depends on how much money we're talking
about and who was collecting it.

- Ron ^*^

Werebat wrote:
I really want to believe that this was all due to incompetence, rather
than evil.

Such incompetence *IS* evil.

jen

It wouldn't surprise me if the L.A. now trys to get reimbusement from the
father for the years of foster care costs.

"Dusty" wrote in message
...
http://abcnews.go.com/US/LegalCenter...C-RSSFeeds0312
Teen Sues L.A. After Decade in Foster Care

Teenage Girl Reunited With Her Long-Lost Father After Decade in Foster
Care Sues L.A. County
LOS ANGELES Jul 17, 2006 (AP)- A teenage girl reunited with her father
last year after a decade in foster care is suing Los Angeles County for
taking so long to bring them together.
County supervisors had said in September that the reunion of Melinda
Smith, now 17, and father Thomas Marion Smith was the result of a
"groundbreaking effort," and congratulated county agencies for locating
the father.

But the lawsuit alleges that the Department of Children and Family
Services failed to use "due diligence" to locate Thomas Smith. It claims
the agency never notified Smith, who had continued making child support
payments, that his daughter was in foster care and never gave him a chance
to claim her.

"He's a registered voter with a valid driver's license and an open child
support case," said Smith's attorney, L. Wallace Pate. "All they had to
do, at any time during those 10 years, was pick up the phone and ask the
L.A. County Child Support Services Department: `Do you have a contact on
this man?'"

Beginning in 1989, Thomas Smith made child support payments to Melinda's
mother for his 1-year-old daughter, but when Melinda was 4 her mother
moved and left no forwarding address.

Two years later, Melinda was turned over to foster care officials after
the county received complaints of abuse.

Smith's whereabouts were listed as unknown in court documents on the case,
although records show that Melinda's caseworker knew Smith was paying
child support and his address was on file with the agency that collected
the payments.

Father and daughter were reunited in July 2005 after Melinda got help from
a social worker assigned to find permanent placement for teens in foster
care.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages from the county, the social workers
who handled the case and a private agency that provides attorneys for
children in foster care.

County officials would not comment because of the pending litigation.

Until recently, little was done to find relatives of unclaimed foster
children because the search process was difficult and tedious, social
workers were untrained and overworked, and there was an inherent bias
against family members of children in foster care.


.........Follow the money.

That will tell the story.

OMG i loved that line in the movie "All the Presidents Men"

Like every child in the foster system has his own f&^%*g attorney.
CPS gets paid per child.
and the trail goes on and on.

SilverDollar

Werebat wrote:
TheDave© wrote:

Dusty wrote:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/LegalCenter...5&CMP=OTC-RSSF
eeds0312 Teen Sues L.A. After Decade in Foster Care

Teenage Girl Reunited With Her Long-Lost Father After Decade in
Foster Care Sues L.A. County LOS ANGELES Jul 17, 2006 (AP)- A teenage
girl reunited with her father last year after a decade in foster care
is suing Los Angeles County for taking so long to bring them
together. County supervisors had said in September that the reunion
of Melinda Smith, now 17, and father Thomas Marion Smith was the
result of a "groundbreaking effort," and congratulated county
agencies for locating the father.

But the lawsuit alleges that the Department of Children and Family
Services failed to use "due diligence" to locate Thomas Smith. It
claims the agency never notified Smith, who had continued making
child support payments, that his daughter was in foster care and
never gave him a chance to claim her.

"He's a registered voter with a valid driver's license and an open
child support case," said Smith's attorney, L. Wallace Pate. "All
they had to do, at any time during those 10 years, was pick up the
phone and ask the L.A. County Child Support Services Department: `Do
you have a contact on this man?'"

Beginning in 1989, Thomas Smith made child support payments to
Melinda's mother for his 1-year-old daughter, but when Melinda was 4
her mother moved and left no forwarding address.

Two years later, Melinda was turned over to foster care officials
after the county received complaints of abuse.

Smith's whereabouts were listed as unknown in court documents on the
case, although records show that Melinda's caseworker knew Smith was
paying child support and his address was on file with the agency that
collected the payments.

Father and daughter were reunited in July 2005 after Melinda got help
from a social worker assigned to find permanent placement for teens
in foster care.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages from the county, the social
workers who handled the case and a private agency that provides
attorneys for children in foster care.

County officials would not comment because of the pending litigation.


But, but, but... if they reunited her with her father... they wouldn't
be able to continue to collect CS.

I really want to believe that this was all due to incompetence, rather
than evil.

But I say that sooo often about these cases...

Would there in fact be any financial incentive for anyone to keep this
girl in foster care? I guess it depends on how much money we're talking
about and who was collecting it.

- Ron ^*^

I wouldn't be surprised if the money was going straight into the
account of a government employee. Perhaps her caseworker was in cahoots
as well.

It's amazing what you can do with the right authorization and a couple
of keystrokes.

wrote
.................

I wouldn't be surprised if the money was going straight into the
account of a government employee. Perhaps her caseworker was in cahoots
as well.
==
Yeah. Actually, it's surprising it didn't happen in FL.

wrote in message
ups.com...
Until recently, little was done to find relatives of unclaimed foster
children because the search process was difficult and tedious, social
workers were untrained and overworked, and there was an inherent bias
against family members of children in foster care.


........Follow the money.

That will tell the story.

OMG i loved that line in the movie "All the Presidents Men"

Like every child in the foster system has his own f&^%*g attorney.
CPS gets paid per child.
and the trail goes on and on.

Following the money trail is just one piece of the motivation behind these
rogue agencies who hold themselves out as acting on behalf of children. But
money from the Federal government for foster care/child support is one of
the major motivators.

These agencies are typically staffed with liberal thinking state bureaucrats
who are orchestrating their own versions of social engineering. Here is
their "target list" in my state:

1. Home schooled children.
2. Christian families.
3. Vegetarians.
4. Politically conservative, not just neocons.
5. Parents who spank their children.
6. Families scraping by financially.
7. Young, white children.

A "yes" to one or more of those criteria put families at risk for having
children taken into protective custody by the state. CPS in my state
estimates 60% of all families fit their criteria for seizing children,
placing them in foster care, and/or adopting them out to more appropriate
"families."

But, but, but... if they reunited her with her father... they wouldn't
be able to continue to collect CS.

I really want to believe that this was all due to incompetence, rather
than evil.

But I say that sooo often about these cases...

Would there in fact be any financial incentive for anyone to keep this
girl in foster care? I guess it depends on how much money we're talking
about and who was collecting it.

Here's who gets paid because of this "mistake":

1. DCFS bureaucrats get to justify their existence, as this case makes up
part of their "caseload." If the foster care goes well, all the better,
since they effectively get a "flat rate" per case.

2. An outside agency is contracted to provide "psychological services" to
the child and the foster family. This includes a psychologist and several
allied health professionals, *even if nothing is wrong with the child or the
foster home.* You're looking at a psych eval every month, a psychological
eval every three months, therapy maybe once or twice a week, with powerful
drugs prescribed to the kid at the drop of a hat, and the parents shamed if
they refuse to subject their children to this. Often the agency will take
custody of the child to overcome this hurdle. The psych evals are done like
cattle calls.

3. The foster family gets paid to house the child, of course, but a number
of civil servants get paid to process the paperwork, which further justifies
their existence.

4. Any "nonprofits" involved in this unnecessary case either get income, or
the ability to write off "losses" against real income. For example, in
between foster placements, the kid is going to need a place to stay, and a
shelter might jack up the costs of the temporary housing. Since the city
will usually pay **** for this, the difference becomes a writeoff against
any money the shelters (sometimes even a residential psych facility for kids
who really just need a roof but the system can't find one) do take in.

That's just off the top of my head. I'm sure there are more people feeding
at this trough.

I'm surprised this happened to a girl. Usually it's the boys who slip
through the cracks.


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"Google maintains the USENET." -- The Honorable R. Barclay Surrick, Eastern
District of PA Judge
From Parker v. Google, E.D.Pa. #04-cv-3918