Upset by foster child's OD, panel grills DYFS officials

Upset by foster child's OD, panel grills DYFS officials
Members demand rules be tightened for homes and care-givers

http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey...180.xml&coll=1

Friday, December 07, 2007
BY SUSAN K. LIVIO
Star-Ledger Staff

Appalled by the fatal overdose of a toddler in a foster home last year,
members of the Assembly Human Services Committee yesterday demanded that
child welfare officials raise the bar for who can be a foster parent.

The committee reviewed a report by the Office of the Child Advocate
detailing the death of Xavier Jones, a 21-month-old boy who died June 7,
2006, after swallowing a bottle of methadone left by his foster mother's
adult daughter.


The committee asked how the foster parent continued to be relicensed
after admitting that her adult daughter, who spent a lot of time in the
East Orange home, was a recovering addict.

"The foster parent was straight up -- her daughter was on methadone.
That's a disqualifier," said committee Chairman Joseph Cryan (D-Union).
"Right now it's a judgment call."

Unless the state Division of Youth and Family Services immediately
changes its policy, Cryan said the committee will draft legislation to
do so.

"If we asked the vast majority of New Jerseyans whether it was okay to
place a foster child with someone living with a drug user in recovery,
the answer would be no," Cryan said.

Assemblywoman Nilsa Cruz-Perez (D-Camden) said she was "very troubled"
by the case and asked Child Advocate E. Susan Hodgson if licensing rules
were too lax.

"We have really good, really rigorous licensing procedures," Hodgson
said. "What is needed is vigilant case practice once children are placed
in resource homes," a term New Jersey uses to describe foster and
adoptive parents.

"Addiction is a terrible problem. She was addressing the problem. There
should have been better oversight of who was providing care in that
home," she added.

The child advocate's report found DYFS refused to license the home
unless the daughter moved out, which she did in 2004. But in June 2006,
the report said, "Investigative reports suggest that this biological
daughter and her 9-year-old son were frequenting the resource home and
perhaps living in the home."

Kevin Ryan, commissioner of the Department of Children and Families,
DYFS' parent agency, left the hearing before the discussion. Spokeswoman
Mary Helen Cervantes said DYFS shared concerns about the daughter and
took action. "We ordered her to leave and she did," Cervantes said.

Cryan said he was frustrated with both DYFS and the child advocate, whom
he pressed to say whether her office was getting enough information and
cooperation from Ryan's team. "This advocate needs to be more assertive
in her role -- less concerned about data and more concerned about
advocacy," Cryan said.

Hodgson issued a response: "We are taking a hard look at the progress of
child welfare reform in the state, but have been hampered by lack of
cooperation from the Department in some key areas including access to
essential information.

"I am committed to strongly advocating on behalf of New Jersey's
children to improve their safety, health and well-being. The cooperation
of the Department and the support of the Legislature is invaluable to me
in this goal."






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 PROGRAMS....

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...