10 posts tagged “child neglect”
Have you ever called a government agency for help only to be chuckled at and made fun of? Then chances are you have never had to contact the Cocke County Department of Children Services (DCS) located on Heritage Street in Newport, Tennessee.
Such was the case on Monday, July 6, when Renée Lynn, Editor-in-Chief of “The Knoxville Journal,” needed to discuss a dire situation with Kim Ramsey, a case worker at the Cocke County DCS. Mrs. Lynn tried numerous times to reach Ms. Ramsey or anyone in the department to no avail.
Finally, Mrs. Lynn got in touch with Ms. Ramsey to converse about a very serious issue concerning information relevant to two foster children under their jurisdiction. Apparently the information was ignored.
When asked very pertinent questions about the care of these children, Ms. Ramsey began laughing over the phone along with other employees. They just kept on laughing. Ms. Ramsey made no effort to correct her rude behavior with an apology. Mrs. Lynn then informed Ms. Ramsey that this was not a laughing matter, but was a grave set of circumstances. Again Mrs. Lynn was met with snickering.
It just so happened that Mrs. Lynn’s telephone was on speaker phone and at least one other person witnessed the outrageous behavior of Ms. Ramsey.
Mrs. Lynn commented, “It is a sad day when upstanding citizens are being subjected to such disrespect from government employees.”
This is not the first complaint lodged against the Cocke County DCS. This reporter knows of at least one other incident in which the Cocke County office has overstepped their bounds.
Ms. Vicki Hodge, supervisor of the Cocke County DCS did return a call to Mrs. Lynn on Tuesday, July 7, but did not apologize for the offensive conduct of her employees.
If you have any information about the Cocke County DCS you would like to share, please call Myra Wheeler at The Knoxville Journal at (865) 546-5353.
http://www.theknoxvillejournal.com/inside/pages/news/Cocke-County-DCS.html
I am sure they would be interested in all the stories in TN, give it a shot.
| Judge to day care worker: Say you're sorry |  |
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| Wednesday, 13 May 2009 | |
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The former lead day-care worker at a Sun Prairie, Wisconsin day care center has been given probation for squeezing an 18-month old until she stopped breathing, according to the Wisconsin State Journal. Dane County Circuit Judge Patrick Fiedler gave Sara Kladenhall 5 years to "prove... she was sincere when she said she was sorry for what happened," reports the paper.The child was revived by a co-worker and has since recovered. Co-worker Lindsay Anderson, charged with child neglect for helping to hold the child down, was placed in a first offenders program. The State Journal says that following that sentencing, Anderson was charged with domestic disorderly conduct in another case and dropped from the first offenders program. On May 7, she pleaded guilty to the disorderly conduct charges and was placed, again, in the first offenders program. For a second time. |
www.stopfamilyviolence.org/349
by Sarah Childress
Published on September 25, 2006 by Newsweek
Why Parents Who Batter Win Custody
by Sarah Childress
It took
six years for Genia Shockome to gather the courage to leave her
husband, Tim. He pushed her, kicked her and insulted her almost from
the moment they married in 1994, she says. She tried to start over with
their children when the family moved from Texas to Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
It didn't last long. Tim called her constantly at work and, after they
split up, pounded on her door and screamed obscenities, she alleged in
a complaint filed in 2001. Tim was charged with harassment. As part of
a plea deal, Tim agreed to a stay-away order—but denies ever abusing
her or the children. In custody hearings over the past six years, Tim
has insisted that he's been a good father, and argued that Genia's
allegations poisoned their children against him. The judge sided with
Tim. This summer he was granted full custody of the kids, now 11 and 9.
Genia was barred from contacting them.
Genia is
one of many parents nationwide who have lost custody due to a
controversial concept known as parental alienation. Under the theory,
children fear or reject one parent because they have been corrupted or
coached to lie by the other. Parental alienation is now the leading
defense for parents accused of abuse in custody cases, according to
domestic-violence advocates. And it's working. The few current studies
done on the subject consider only small samples. But according to one
2004 survey in Massachusetts by Harvard's Jay Silverman, 54 percent of
custody cases involving documented spousal abuse were decided in favor
of the alleged batterers. Parental alienation was used as an argument
in nearly every case.
This
year the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges denounced
the theory as "junk science," and at least four states have passed
legislation to curtail its use in custody cases involving allegations
of domestic violence. "It's really been a cancer in the family courts,"
says Richard Ducote, an attorney in Pittsburgh who has represented
abuse victims in custody cases for 22 years. "It's made it really
difficult for parents to protect their kids. If you ask for protection,
you're deemed a vindictive, alienating parent."
It may
seem hard to fathom how a judge could award custody to a parent accused
of abuse. But battered spouses often don't file criminal charges—so no
judicial finding is made against their mates—and family-court judges
typically aren't trained to referee the complexities of abusive
relationships. (Although men are sometimes battered by their wives,
women are the victims in the majority of abuse cases.) Judges often
throw out documented evidence of spousal abuse, arguing that it is
irrelevant in a custody case. And experts say that family-court judges
often look favorably on the alleged abuser because he seems more
willing to share custody than the accuser—who is hellbent on keeping
the father away from the child. According to a survey by Geraldine
Stahly, a psychology professor at California State University at San
Bernardino, attorneys will caution battered spouses against reporting
abuse in court so they don't lose their children. (Stahly and other
academics say the parental-alienation argument has more legitimacy in
custody disputes that don't involve charges of abuse.)
Parental-alienation
syndrome was first introduced by child psychiatrist Richard Gardner in
the 1980s. Fathers-rights groups picked up on the idea and began trying
it out in court. These groups condemn abusers. But Dan Hogan, executive
director of Fathers & Families, a nonprofit group that advocates
for joint custody, argues that all too often the accusers lie in order
to win custody of their kids.
There's
a small but growing movement to ban parental alienation in custody
cases, sparked by embattled parents bonding online. They've linked with
lawyers and advocates for battered spouses across the country. At least
four states, including California, have laws protecting parents who
make good-faith abuse allegations. Others may soon follow their lead.
Greg Jacob, an attorney who takes cases for abused parents pro bono, is
drafting legislation to shop to Virginia and Maryland next month.
Meanwhile, parents like Genia keep fighting. "It's so hard, having my
children lost," she says, her voice breaking. "This was my life—my
children."
The Department of Human Services (DHS) is struggling to accurately and timely identify who is qualified to receive assistance, costing the state millions in misspent assistance dollars and millions more in potential federal sanctions and lost incentives, said a report from Auditor General (OAG) Thomas McTavish released on Friday.
DHS, which is responsible for determining eligibility for cash, food assistance, childcare and Medicaid cases, didn't effectively catch or fix errors in determination in the four years reviewed by the audit, from October 2002 through November 2006, the audit said.
Among the chief finds of auditors was that DHS mistakenly sent out payments in fiscal year 2006-06 in 7.5 percent of cases, which the report attributed to ever increasing caseloads from workers.
Although DHS has made strides in its system, the error rate in Michigan in 2005-06 was still 1.5 percent higher than the federal government tolerates, opening the state to economic sanctions much like the $89 million the federal government initiated for the fiscal years 1995-02.
Not only is Michigan inaccurate in its approvals but it's slow, too, the report said.
Michigan ranks 45th in its turnaround time with 81 percent of clients receiving approvals within the 30 days required by the federal government. That compares to Massachusetts , which ranked first and informs nearly 99 percent of its clients about their case status within a month.
In order to progress further, DHS said, it needs more "resources," because, although officials agreed with many of the audit's suggestions, they can't comply with them without more funds.
Among the fixes the department said it would initiate with more money is a study of how many workers it needs to handle caseloads and what tasks could be done by other staff members to increase worker availability for clients.
With more than 75 percent of workers and 87 percent of managers reporting that caseloads are too high, the study will likely find that more staff is needed, but the department said it can't hire more workers without additional funding.
As usual, the Department immediately cries "We need more money! We need more staff!" They told the OAG they would use additional dollars to "do a study". In fact, the OAG said that "DHS did not conduct a workload analysis to determine optimal caseworker staffing levels" and not only did they not do that last year, they hadn't done it in 2001-02 after being told they should by the Auditor General. So now they say they will if we give them more money?
You may read the audit for yourself. Here is the link: http://audgen.michigan.gov/comprpt/docs/r431028505.pdf
Does DHS need more staff? Do they have too many managers and not enough case workers? It is hard to get those answers; the Department is not forthcoming. The bottom line is the Department of Human Services has been woefully inefficient and inept for years and it continues to be in spite of repeated Audit Reports reporting the problem and even suggesting the solution. This is a problem that cannot be fixed by the OAG and it cannot be fixed by the Legislature. It must be addressed by the "Executive". That's right folks; I am talking about the governor and her department heads.
I hate to sound like a broken record, but my Transparency bill, which would expose the entire state budget, including that of the DHS, to the sunshine for everyone to see and closely examine, would go a long way toward resolving many of these issues.
On March 12, 2008, a joint committee of the Legislature met to ask for answers from the Department. What was their answer? We need more staff. We need more time. We are implementing a new program in the NEXT TWO YEARS. Once we have that in place, it will be better.
Here is hoping that Director Ismael Ahmed, the recently appointed Director of DHS can effectively address the issue.
What is Going on in the House?
To keep abreast of
bills moving through the House of Representatives, check my blog. I will be
posting when the House is in session at www.CorePrinciples.blogspot.com
Ok friends, Court date has been reset again. Looks like I am going to go at it alone, Forgive me if I dont say too much, snoops you know?
I
am trying to get publicity, so these people know others are watching. I
guess you can say Im going to step out there and do the damn thing.
Hopefully, I will get Bella home and set out a format others can use to
get their kids. I think we have been going about this the wrong way. We
are disjointed and separated, we need to all be together, signing
petitions, making calls, and writing local media of each person that is
involved. What I am saying is instead of just talking and supporting
each other on here, we need to share info and work together, a few
cases at a time. Depending on who has what going on in theior court
cases. Sound good? and I mean this, if you aren't going to work to help
another in the group dont bother, some will need to write letters, some
can look up info, laws or adddresses to each States media and elected
officials to contact.
Whadda ya say are you in?
Contact me and say it "IM IN" and lets get to work.
first off here is a link o our local news station, Bellas picture is there, I suggest you do the same in your local media, I want everyone to go there and post a comment about the "system". Eventually they will see all the hits and do a story.
http://knoxville.wate.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=lastup&cat=0&pos=7
you have to register, but its quick. The good thing is TN is having alot of trouble with CPS and we need to strike while its hot, cause its cooling FAST.
Second, the petition is reopened, so if you have signed it, your job is to post it 2 other places.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/5/in-support-of-lisa-and-bella-smith-2
I also suggest you go here and write your own petition, if you need help holler.
They are effective if you get them signed and keep them updated, Name names in them, be specific,
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/
Ok that it, this shit is serious, if you want help then you have to help others, we can do this together.
ps
feel free to copy and or share anything I post.
We only have 175 signatures to go, thank you all so much. I was so surprised to see people from Australia, Germany, Portugal, and even Canada have taken a minute for this important cause, You guys are wonderful. What a great Valentines day gift it would be to have my baby returned.We don't have much time left, this petition will be submitted with court documents. These documents will be ready today or tomorrow, so please keep spreading the word.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/5/in-support-of-lisa-and-bella-smith-2#signatures
Thank You friends,
BellasMom06
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ABA - Dialogue on Freedom
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The American Judicature Society - A nonpartisan organization of judges, lawyers, and non-legally trained citizAmerican Bar Association's Lawlink ens interested in the administration of justice.
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Courts.net - Indexed List to U.S. Court Sites
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Davidson County District Attorney's Office - website provides enhanced information about the office to victims, witnesses, members of the community, and the media.
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FindLaw , A Comprehensive Legal Site Search Engine
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Institute for Court Managment (National Center for State Courts)
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JERITT Project - a national clearinghouse for information on continuing judicial branch education
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"Kids and the Law" from California Bar Association
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Law and Politics Internet Guide - (Legal resources)
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Lipscomb University Institute for Conflict Management
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Nashville Bar Association Appellate Practice Manual
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Nashville School of Law
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National Center for State Courts - A comprehensive listing of State, International and Federal Courts
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SEARCH -National Consortium for Justice Information and Statistics
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CTAS - County Technical Assistance Service, University of Tennessee
(Complete Listings of County Officials) -
TennHelp - A project of the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services
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Tennessee Bar Association - disciplinary process explained
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Tennessee Bench-Bar CLE
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Tennessee Code Annotated (on Michie site)
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Tennessee County Information (Info from the National Association of Counties )
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Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education and Specialization
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Tennessee Attorney General Opinions
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Tennessee Board of Law Examiners
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Tennessee General Assembly (For current legislation - choose "Bills" from site's menu.)
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Tennessee Legislature Chaptered Bills
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Tennessee District Attorney Generals' Conference
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Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program
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The Tennessee Lawyers Association for Women (TLAW)
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Tennessee Office of Criminal Justice
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Tennessee State Agency Rules and Regulations (Non-judicial)
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U.S. District Court - Middle Division
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U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (Opinions)
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University of Missouri - Kansas City - Famous Trials - Detailed Historical Accounts
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Vanderbilt University Law School
