DCF probes worker's rehire, Case manager was fired after problemswith law

DCF probes worker's rehire
Case manager was fired after problems with law

http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs....712120450/1075

By Rachel Myers

Originally posted on December 01, 2007

A child welfare worker was placed on unpaid administrative leave Friday
while officials determine whether she was mistakenly hired after she
broke the law twice in her previous post.

Loretta Scurry, 50, also known as Loretta Phipps, had worked as a case
manager for Department of Children and Families in Fort Myers since
1989. According to personnel records, Scurry was fired in October 2002
for speeding with a child in a car and violating a state privacy statute.

She appealed that decision, which resulted in a resignation settlement
that states, "The employee agrees not to seek reemployment with the
Department of Children and Families and acknowledges and accepts that
the agency will not reemploy her."

Just two months later, she was hired to an identical post at Lutheran
Services in Fort Myers during a trial period for the agency before all
DCF casework became privatized and was contracted out to Lutheran
Services in 2004. Lutheran Services is funded by the Children's Network,
which is funded by DCF.

Case managers are responsible for following up on complaints of child
abuse, interviewing abused and neglected children and preparing case
plans for families in the system.

On Friday, the day after The News-Press began inquiring about Scurry's
employment, the agency placed her on leave while they investigate.
Scurry did not respond to requests for comment.

"We just received notice of this," said Patricia Leonard, Lutheran
Services regional director. "We are investigating it, and she is now on
administrative leave pending the outcome."

Aimee McLaughlin, spokeswoman for the Children's Network, said it was
her understanding that other child welfare agencies were not given
access to Scurry's resignation settlement when they requested to review
her personnel file. But when The News-Press requested her files from
Lutheran Services, that paperwork was at the top of the stack.
McLaughlin said many DCF case managers were hired by Lutheran Services
when DCF privatized.

"Any DCF worker who wanted to come over would be accepted," she said.
"And we took a large majority of the workers who were already working in
those positions when they chose to apply."

But Scurry's situation is different because of the circumstances
surrounding her dismissal and subsequent resignation. Records show
several written and oral reprimands over the years, many for
"unprofessional behavior," poor case management and low attendance. One
of the most serious incidents was a supervised visit between a mother
and child in 2000.

"At some time during this visit, you left the visitation room to go to
your office," states a reprimand written by Scurry's supervisor, Barbara
Duvall. "This was in direct violation of operating procedure, which
addresses visitation of sheltered children. It was also a direct
violation of a court order. While you were out of the visitation room,
the child injured his head."

The year before, she was reprimanded in a review for failing to follow
up with six children under her supervision.

But it wasn't until 2002 that Scurry was forced to leave. The first
incident occurred in June when she reportedly disclosed in open court
the identity of a person who reported abuse of a child — information
that is protected under state law. The second was a traffic violation in
which she allegedly drove 90 mph in a 60-mph zone while she was
transporting a teenage child in protective custody. DCF records show she
told her boss she had been stopped because, "I'm black and I have a
white child in my car."

Maureen Weber is a grandmother whose son and daughter-in-law reportedly
dealt with Scurry when she worked for DCF. She said she complained to
Scurry's bosses about her "rudeness" over the course of that
investigation, and was notified when Scurry left. She was astonished to
learn she was hired to an identical job.

"Why would anybody hire her back?" Weber said. "It's very upsetting to me."

DCF spokeswoman Kristi Sonntag said her office does not regulate the
hiring practices of those they contract. "If Lutheran Services wanted to
hire someone, that was to their discretion," she said. "There's no
direct line of authority between DCF and Lutheran Services."

McLaughlin, the Children's Network spokeswoman, said her office
contracts many other agencies and doesn't review hiring practices with
the exception of random annual audits and in cases where an issue is
brought to their attention. Since her employment at Lutheran Services,
most of Scurry's reviews have been either outstanding or excellent,
except for a few complaints lodged against her for unprofessional behavior.

If she is cleared after the investigation, she will receive retroactive
pay, McLaughlin said. If the investigation determines she should not
have been hired, the date she was placed on leave will be considered her
date of termination. The review could take up to two weeks to complete.





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.


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...