If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Tenn. Child Services Official Fired
Tenn. Child Services Official Fired
Fri Jun 27, 2:36 PM ET By KARIN MILLER, Associated Press Writer NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A top regional official with Tennessee's child protection agency has been fired amid an investigation into the deaths of several children under state care, the department said Friday. The Shelby County office, in Memphis, came under scrutiny this spring after a state audit found its administrator, Juanita White, tried to conceal questionable purchases, including $5,750 for the use of a yacht club. A fired DCS worker and other former agency employees then came forward, alleging that White also had tried to keep quiet the deaths of at least six children in homes where DCS child protective services workers had investigated abuse reports. Diana Lowry, who was fired by White after 25 years with the state, said the cases were closed quickly and without adequate investigation. White, the regional administrator since 2000, has denied any wrongdoing. She declined repeated requests for an interview. DCS Commissioner Mike Miller, who took office in January, sent officials and an investigative team to Memphis two weeks ago to look into the complaints. On Friday, after meeting with Memphis department officials, he said White was fired for "personal reasons." "There's no direct culpability or responsibility or disciplinary action implied," Miller said. He said investigators are not far enough along to determine whether the allegations are true. Last week, the department said it was expanding the investigation to include the June 17 death of 8-month-old Dewayne Butler. The DCS office had received two reports in April that the baby had been abused, but it closed the case in May after the reports were determined to be unfounded. The boy died of head trauma a few weeks later, and his 18-year-old mother is now charged with murder. Tennessee was already operating under a federal court order to improve its foster care system as the result of a lawsuit settlement. Other states' child protection services have also faced recent criticism. Florida's child welfare agency chief acknowledges the department still has problems with abuse investigations and foster care more than a year after caseworkers admitted they had lost track of a still-missing foster child, Rilya Wilson. New Jersey this week agreed to immediately spend an extra $22.3 million to bolster its child welfare agency and allow an independent panel to oversee major reforms under a settlement with a child advocacy group. The agency came under renewed scrutiny in January after the starvation death of Faheem Williams, 7, in Newark. Reports of problems in the home were not investigated. ___ On the Net: Tennessee Department of Children's Services: http://www.state.tn.us/youth/ http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...n_s_services_2 |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Canadian Judge ok's Dad's apanking in Calgary divorce case | Fern5827 | Spanking | 8 | October 4th 05 03:43 AM |
Repost--Helpful suggestions | Chris C. | Spanking | 6 | July 5th 04 03:11 AM |
misc.kids FAQ on Breastfeeding Past the First Year | [email protected] | Info and FAQ's | 0 | April 17th 04 12:24 PM |
Dennis was U.N. rules Canada should ban spanking | Kane | Spanking | 63 | November 17th 03 10:12 PM |
A Plant's Motivation? | Kane | Spanking | 44 | October 16th 03 01:51 PM |