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
|
|||
|
|||
(New Jersey) Man faults DYFS after son's near drowning
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey...05730040020732
0.xml Man faults DYFS after son's near drowning Dad cites prior allegation of neglect against baby's foster parents Friday, July 04, 2003 BY ANA M. ALAYA Star-Ledger Staff A Wildwood man whose 18-month-old son nearly drowned in a foster home said the state should have looked more closely at prior allegations of neglect in the household. Michael Rugg Sr., whose son Mikey Rugg is in critical condition with damaged lungs, said the state Division of Youth and Family Services cleared the foster parents of a neglect allegation less than two months before his son was found floating in their pool while in their care on Sunday. "DYFS should have looked a little harder the first time, and in this case where Michael almost drowned. Both foster parents said they were in the back yard at the time of the incident," Rugg said. Rugg said he and his wife, Sherry, have been fighting with DYFS officials to remove their son from the foster parents, whose identity is protected by state privacy laws, since they learned in May that the agency had investigated the couple. A spokesman for DYFS, Joe Delmar, said the May allegation that the couple had left Mikey and other children in the house alone was unfounded. He said the agency is investigating the pool incident. "The child was in the back yard with the foster parents. They turned around for a minute and in that minute he was found floating in the swimming pool," Delmar said. "Criminally, it may appear to be an accident, but we have different standards which require us in this case to look at any lack of supervision possibly related to the incident," Delmar said. "As they proceed with this investigation, they will take into account any prior referrals to make a determination." Mikey Rugg is in Cooper Medical Center in Camden. A lawyer for the Ruggs, Gil Scutti, said DYFS had not been able to provide the Ruggs with clear answers about the incident at the Gloucester Township foster home "It is truly beyond my comprehension how this baby can be in a pool and be in the hospital in critical condition and no one can say how he got in the pool or how long he was in there," Scutti said. Scutti said he will look into whether DYFS was on notice that the foster parents were not reliable. "Many times the reports about foster care have to do with abuse, not neglect, but unfortunately, the consequences of neglect can be far worse than abuse," Scutti said. Rugg's wife suffered severe postpartum depression after giving birth to Mikey and he and his two sisters were taken away by the state in September, Rugg said. The children were removed from the home after their mother stabbed their father. "So many things are going wrong now that the state has the children," Rugg said. "My daughters were just moved to a new foster home. My son is in the hospital. I just want us all to be together again." Copyright 2003 NJ.com. All Rights Reserved. |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|