Boy locked in cellar deemed 'safe' by DHS

Boy locked in cellar deemed 'safe' by DHS
By WENDY RUDERMAN
215-854-2860

http://www.philly.com/dailynews/loca..._by_DHS.h tml


For two years, the city Department of Human Services paid a
social-services agency to check up on Theresa Ortiz's children.

But late last year, agency social workers deemed the kids safe and DHS
closed the case, according to DHS sources.

During a drug raid Wednesday, cops found Ortiz's 11-year-old son locked
in a filthy cage-like space in the basement of the family's Kensington home.

The boy and his two sisters, ages 13 and 14, later told police their
mother forced them to spend hours locked in the 8-foot-wide basement
cell as punishment.

Police said they were shocked to find the boy locked away with nothing
more than a ratty foam mattress, some crayons and a bucket filled with
urine and feces. The boy had been shut inside for three hours before
cops rescued him, authorities said.

The news of the caged boy comes as DHS leaders work to reform the
long-troubled agency in the wake of an Inquirer investigation revealing
that kids under DHS' care - or within families previously known to DHS -
died from abuse or neglect. In some cases, children died after DHS
closed the family case-file.

In May, a child-welfare panel appointed by Mayor Street concluded a
review of 52 child fatalities from July 2001 through August 2006. Half
of the 52 children were under DHS care when they died; the other half
had either previously received DHS services or were born into families
formerly in the system, the panel found.

At the time of Wednesday's drug raid, DHS had an open case file on the
Ortiz family because one of Theresa Ortiz's children, a 15-year-old boy,
was placed in foster care after getting into trouble with the law,
according to a DHS source.

For about two years, DHS paid a social-services agency to help the
family and protect Ortiz's children from harm. DHS closed the case file
last November, said the the sources, who did not reveal the agency's name.

Ortiz, 37, was charged with endangering the welfare of a child. Her
children were taken into DHS custody.

"The Department of Human Services is involved with the children of
Theresa Ortiz," DHS spokesman Frank Keel said yesterday. "The children
were brought to DHS by members of the Police Department's Special
Victims Unit immediately after the discovery of the 11-year-old boy in
the basement. The safety of the children is our top priority and they
will remain in our care until their long-term safety is assured."

Ortiz lived at the home on Clearfield Street near D with her boyfriend,
Salvador Reyes, 33, who was arrested and charged with narcotics
violations and endangering the welfare of a child.

The 11-year-old boy was home alone at the time of the raid, which netted
$45,000 worth of heroin, $700 worth of cocaine, a .25-caliber handgun
and $5,000 in cash, police said.

The children lived in deplorable conditions and were prevented from
eating by a lock on the refrigerator, while Ortiz and Reyes shared a
posh bedroom and comfortable surroundings, police said.

"Our investigation revealed that the kids were living there and that all
three of the kids had spent time in that confined room," said Narcotics
Chief Inspector William Blackburn.

"Maybe they'll be placed in a better home," Blackburn added. "Hopefully,
we made a difference with this one." *




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 THOUSANDS 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...