Arizona: Boy's death must stir reform at CPS "CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES"

Boy's death must stir reform at CPS

Aug. 11, 2007 12:00 AM

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepu...berts0811.html

We may never know what really happened to 9-year-old Dustin Rhodes. But
we know in part why he's dead.

Child Protective Services didn't do its job.

The state admitted it before a trial that ended this week with an order
to pay Dustin's mother $1.5 million.
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"The jury afterwards wanted to know whether CPS had made any changes
since this incident in 2003," said the mother's attorney, Steve Copple.
"They also wanted to know whether this verdict might make a difference."

Will it?

In 2003, Dustin was a third-grader living in Litchfield Park with
extended family and an aunt's boyfriend. His parents weren't around,
though Copple says the mother had kicked her drug problem and wanted her
son back.

According to court records, Dustin's teacher noticed mood changes and
bruises in January 2003. The last straw came a month later, when he
showed up with a swollen black eye, explaining that he'd run into a
tire. The teacher and two other workers reported their suspicions of
abuse to the school counselor, who in turn called CPS.

The agency dispatched a newly minted caseworker, on the job only three
months. Within weeks, he and his supervisor closed the case, finding no
abuse. They walked away without talking to any of the three who reported
their suspicions. They walked away without noticing that Dustin's
explanation to the caseworker - that another child had punched him -
wasn't even close to the story he told his teacher. They walked away
without finishing the job.

Four months later, an ER nurse called CPS when Dustin was brought to a
West Valley hospital with a swollen face and bruises in various stages
of healing. Dustin said he had fallen.

This time, a caseworker took the boy to a doctor, who concluded the
injuries could have been accidental but recommended more investigation.
And again CPS walked away.

Twenty-eight days later, Dustin was taken by helicopter to Phoenix
Children's Hospital, in a coma. This time, CPS decided that he had been
abused. By then he'd been dead for five days.

Dustin's death was ruled a homicide, but no one was ever charged in his
death. The three adults in the home were acquitted of child-abuse
charges last month. A spokesman for the family told me the boy died of
natural causes.

Meanwhile, the state admitted it messed up five days before a
wrongful-death trial began. "The state of Arizona has admitted that
Child Protective Services was negligent and that its negligence was the
cause of the wrongful death of Dustin Rhodes," Judge Paul Katz told the
jury.

All that was left to determine was how much the state would pay for its
mistakes. That, and what our leaders will do about them, so that maybe
the next Dustin has a shot at survival.

The truth is, CPS is overwhelmed with cases, underwhelmed with manpower
and unwilling to admit mistakes until dragged into court. Even now, the
head of CPS sidesteps questions about errors.

"You can look at any case retrospectively and say had I known this or
known that, I would do things differently," Ken Deibert said Friday.

The question is: Did they look?

Deibert, who as been on the job nine months, says the agency is
improving. But he also points out that CPS needs another 220 caseworkers
to meet the caseload standards set in 2004. That is 220 workers he
doesn't have the funds to hire.

I don't know if an overburdened staff is why Dustin died. I do know that
the governor and the Legislature ought be finding out and doing whatever
it takes to fix this agency.

A jury of our peers sent them a message this week - 1.5 million
messages, actually.

Is anybody listening?



Reach Roberts at or (602) 444-8635.
Read her blog at robertsblog.azcentral.com.






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...