Grandmother protests moving boy out of state: A half-dozen protesterssat outside Department of Health and Human Services...

Grandmother protests moving boy out of state

BY MICHAEL ARMSTRONG
STAFF WRITER

http://www.homernews.com/stories/062...s_a3_001.shtml

A half-dozen protesters sat outside Department of Health and Human
Services, Office of Children's Services on Lake Street Friday to protest
an OCS decision to move an 8-year-old boy to a Texas treatment facility.
The boy was scheduled to leave Alaska this week.

Sitting or standing by a sign for the Division of Family and Youth
Services the former name of OCS about a half-dozen friends displayed
slogans like "Keep Our Kids Here" and "Leave Kids in Loving Homes."
Corinne Coffey, the boy's grandmother, held a sign that read "Help me
see my grandson 1 last time."

Coffey said her grandson has been diagnosed with autism, bipolar
depression and attention-deficit disorder. Her daughter was not able to
care for the boy, Coffey said. Coffey had custody of the boy off-and-on
until he was 5 and then after that until July 2005, when she had to give
him up because of health reasons. Dana Payne, a friend of Coffey's at
the protest, was the boy's foster parent; the boy is now a ward of the
state.

OCS sent the boy to a treatment facility in Anchorage, and allowed
Coffey to visit him. OCS decided to send him to Texas, she said a move
that would make it expensive for her to visit.

"They (OCS) say they don't have any place to take care of these kids,"
Coffey said. "Well fine. Give him back to me."

OCS follows strict procedures in deciding when it takes a child into
state custody, said Susan Morgan, communications coordinator for Alaska
Health and Social Services. Because of privacy concerns, OCS cannot
speak about individual cases, Morgan said. She did discuss general
policies regarding sending children to the Lower 48 for treatment.

"When children require intensive residential psychiatric treatment
services that are not currently available in Alaska, an Out-of-State
Placement Committee consisting of representatives from various divisions
and agencies including the Division of Behavioral Health and the
Division of Juvenile Justice reviews that child's situation before they
make any placement decision," Morgan said in a statement prepared by
OCS. "A judge must approve the placement and the placements are reviewed
on a regular basis. The placement decision does not rest solely with the
Office of Children's Services."

OCS recently hired a coordinator for its Bring the Kids home project, an
initiative to keep Alaska children in Alaska treatment facilities,
Morgan said. Last year, Alaska had 429 children in Lower 48 residential
psychiatric facilities. This year, 301 Alaskans in treatment Outside.

Payne said Coffey visited her grandson Saturday in Anchorage for 90
minutes. She said the group plans to hold protests every Friday from
noon to 5 p.m. Payne has talked to OCS setting up a community meeting in
Homer to listen to concerns. Before setting up a meeting, OCS needs to
know how many people would attend, she said. People interested in
attending a meeting should call Payne at 235-9393.






CURRENTLY CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES VIOLATES MORE CIVIL RIGHTS ON A
DAILY BASIS THEN ALL OTHER AGENCIES COMBINED INCLUDING THE NATIONAL
SECURITY AGENCY/CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY 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

Imagine that, 6.4 children die at the hands of the very agencies that
are supposed to protect them and only 1.5 at the hands of parents per
100,000 children. CPS perpetrates more abuse, neglect, and sexual abuse
and kills more children then parents in the United States. If the
citizens of this country hold CPS to the same standards that they hold
parents too. No judge should ever put another child in the hands of ANY
government agency because CPS nationwide is guilty of more harm and
death than any human being combined. CPS nationwide is guilty of more
human rights violations and deaths of children then the homes from which
they were removed. When are the judges going to wake up and see that
they are sending children to their death and a life of abuse when
children are removed from safe homes based on the mere opinion of a
bunch of social workers.

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...