Stranded in the Foster Care System
Last Update: 11:33 pm
Stranded in the System
(WXYZ) – We do stories on kids abused in the foster care system. Action news has uncovered cases of foster kids who are loved and cared for by family members, but are still taken away. It’s a heart-wrenching saga of children stranded in the system.
The Martins were Jake’s foster parents when their niece couldn’t care for the little boy.
Action News was there the gut-wrenching day little Jake was taken from the only family he has ever known—that was likely last time they would see him.
Renee Neal’s step grandson Immanuel has been in her care since he was born. Now, he’s gone.
“I just hope he’s not feeling anything like I feel,” she says.
Neal will likely never see him again.
Richard McNeil had hoped to adopt his great grandsons. But the state took them away.
“I can’t put it into words. Take a mother who just had a baby taken away from her. It’s the same feeling,” says McNeil.
Records show the state admits all these children were loved and well cared for, but in each case the state decided the kids would be better off with someone else. The man who makes those decisions is Bill Johnson. He heads the Michigan Children’s Institute. By law, he could not speak about specific cases when we interviewed him last year after the state took Jake
“…those obviously are people who you lived with, who cared for you and we are going to care for you here,” says Johnson, explaining what new foster parents would tell foster kids. “It’s sad, you’re going to miss them, and the child will adjust.”
But some believe it’s too much power for just one man. Cases like these are examples of his power. In Jake’s case Johnson removed him because Cheryl Martin, his great aunt and former foster mom, had a run in with the law because she was drunk in public. She has since quit drinking. Cheryl and her husband Rob Martin loaned money to a woman who later accused Rob of assault. He was charged though the woman’s own daughter told the court her mother has made the same accusations of others she owes money.
“I’m not denying that I made mistakes, but we learn from our mistakes and move on. We don’t get our children taken away,” says Rob Martin.
The state gave Jake to a couple who planned to adopt him, but Action News has learned that just three months later they changed their mind because Jake was having trouble adjusting. Now, he is with yet another foster family.
“It’s so hard, I miss him so much,” says Cheryl Martin, crying.
“Whether it’s Christmas or birthday, there is no easy date,” says Rob Martin.
In Immanuel’s case, Renee Neal and the boy’s grandpa were his foster parents. When they divorced, Immanuel stayed with Renee. Records show the state had granted Neal the right to adopt Immanuel. Records say it would be in Immanuel’s “best interest” to remain in Neal’s care.
“I was the only person who had an application in to adopt Immanuel,” she says.
But Renee says when she complained about a social worker not getting Immanuel services the worker accused Neal of interfering with Immanuel’s visitation with his grandpa—and recommended the adoption be revoked.
“…the only thing I had throughout the whole process was my word against the workers and they won,” says Neal.
Now, Immanuel’s grandpa is adopting the little boy and Neal has no right to see the seven-year old ever again.
“It’s like a death,” she says, crying.
Richard McNeil was the foster parent of his two great nephews. He was trying to adopt them when the state removed the boys based on a single accusation.
“I would rather have state police come to my home and do an actual investigation like it’s supposed to be done, not some half-baked investigation all slanted one-sided…” he says.
The boys were taken when a nurse’s aide accused McNeil’s ex-wife of slapping the oldest one. At the time, they were visiting a friend at a nursing home.
“…being accused of this is devastating to me,” says Anne McNeil, Richard’s ex-wife. “I don’t sleep.”
The McNeil’s say their nephew has attention deficit disorder. sometimes they hold is face to talk to him. They believe that is what the aide saw. The aide did not return our calls.
“What they did is not right. they say, oh the boy’s will bounce back. yeah, right, sure,” says Richard McNeil.
“I try to think about it as if I was to have a conversation with this child 20 years down the road,” says Johnson. “Would I be able to say that the decision I made was something I could defend to the child?”
Johnson decides 2700 of these cases a year—but says only about 10 percent are complex. It’s difficult to challenge Johnson. You need money for a lawyer to appeal him in court and the chances of succeeding are slim.
“It has been very rare that I have reversed him,” say Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Mary Beth Kelly.
Kelly has presided over hundreds of adoption cases. She says although she often has disagreed with Johnson, the law limits her ability to reverse his decisions.
“…it’s a very high legal standard,” says Kelly.
“…you have power that is concentrated in the department of human services within specific branch to make life altering decisions for children,” says Vivek Sankaran, assistant professor at the Child Advocacy Law Clinic at U-M. He also represents parents who appeal Johnson’s decisions.
“They’re relying on often one-sided information from a specific case worker without hearing, kind of getting the wealth and breadth of information from different parties…”
Sankaran says Michigan is unique in giving one person final say in adoptions. Most states rely on the courts to decide those cases and he believes Michigan should as well.
“…not because judges are perfect, but because we’ve created open processes,” says Sankaran. “We don’t have that type of openness right now in Michigan.”
In written responses the state says it works hard to get foster kids in good homes and that adoptions increased 10 percent last year—the highest number of adoptions ever in one year. The Martins and Richard McNeil have taken their cases to court. Renee Neal does not have the money to appeal.
—
Dennis Lawrence
Child and Family Rights Advocate
http://www.miparentalrights.ning.com
616-848-0664
By: Heather Catallo
(WXYZ) – For several months, the Action News Investigators dug deep into Michigan’s tragically-flawed foster care system. During our investigation, we uncovered the heartbreaking story of a 10-year-old boy who starved to death while a facility banked cash to care for him.
We began telling Johnny’s story over the last two days here on WXYZ.com. In that time, the response has been overwhelming and your comments confirm that Michigan’s children need a better foster care system.
Johnny’s mother, Elena Andron, dedicated her life to caring for her wheelchair-bound son. All she wanted was a little help.
The state’s answer was to put him in a foster care facility. One year later, Johnny starved to death.
“He was a big part of my life. He was my life,” Andron told Action News Investigator Heather Catallo.
The state is quick to take kids from parents and put them in foster care, especially poor parents. The state makes it very hard to get them back. Experts say the state has a financial incentive to keep kids away from their families.
Johnny, who was nine at the time, could not walk, talk or feed himself. He had cerebral palsy and epilepsy.
“He was a lot of work, like any single mother, it was kind of hard,” says Andron.
Things got even tougher when she lost her factory job.
She turned to the Michigan Department of Human Services, a decision she will regret for the rest of her life.
The foster care facility where the state sent Johnny failed to feed him enough food. Andron says she watched her son waste away as she begged for help.
“I just wanted to carry him out of there, just pick him up and take him, and just take him home,” she says.
If only it was that simple.
Bill Mitchell knows how difficult it can be to get your kids out the state’s hands. He had to fight all the way to the Michigan State Supreme Court to get his three boys back.
“They’re my kids. I’m not going to give up on my kids,” says Mitchell.
Why did Mitchell and Andron have to fight so hard to try to get their children back? Some say it’s because the state gets a lot of cash for foster kids.
“Termination of parent rights is very high in Michigan,” says Warner. “But it’s also very high nationwide and it happened because of some laws that were passed by the federal government and encouraged states to terminate parental rights more often than they used to and promise to send them money if they would terminate rights and have the children adopted.”
According to the state’s own figures, the federal government gave Michigan about $110 million last year for foster care. That’s compared to the $26 million in programs that help parents keep their kids. Foster facilities also have an incentive to keep kids away from their parents. In Andron’s case, the foster home got about $12,000 a month from the state for Johnny.
“You’re getting paid, you’re getting a lot of money,” says attorney Arnold Reed, who represents Andron in a lawsuit against the foster care facility and several other state-contracted groups.
Reed says the foster facility profited big time off of Johnny.
“There is no shortage of money, plus you’re getting a stipend, you’re getting a clothes stipend and you’re getting a stipend for food,” says Reed.
But not enough of that food made it to Johnny.
“He started deteriorating so quick I could not believe my eyes,” says Andron. “He had gotten so weak to where he was just shaking constantly.”
She agreed to make her son a temporary ward of the state. She was supposed to bring him home after a year – once she got back on track financially. But she says the state didn’t tell her that she would be put on a central registry for parents who abuse and neglect their kids. To get Johnny back she would have to fight to get off of the registry by attending parenting classes and meeting other requirements—something that Andron says was nearly impossible to do with a new job.
“They wanted me to go through some evaluations, which I did,” says Andron.
When she complained about Johnny losing weight, she says the state turned on her.
“They didn’t care. None of my complaints mattered,” says Andron.
The Department of Human Services did not like Andron’s complaints or her efforts to get her son back. They took her to court and asked that she not be allowed to see Johnny.
Andron says the first time she met her court-appointed lawyer was that day in court. She says the lawyer didn’t put up much of a fight. The judge sided with the state. The next time Andron heard about Johnny he was dead.
“I entrusted people with my son and I thought they were good people. They were licensed,” says Andron.
Johnny weighed 120 pounds when he went into foster care, she says. An autopsy report shows he was only 48 pounds when he died of malnutrition.
“I just cannot believe that someone can have that kind of a heart, to starve a child like that,” says Andron.
Bill Mitchell also fought the state. His boys were living with their mom when his children were taken. Mitchell tried to get the boys, but the
state asked the court to terminate his parental rights too, primarily because of his finances.
“I have the right to choose where I want to work,” says Mitchell, who is an engineer and works at Walmart. The state held this against him. DHS also didn’t like that he couldn’t keep up the mortgage on the family home after the boys’ mom walked out.
“She was responsible for $300 of the thing and it was too much for me to maintain, you know, all by myself,” Mitchell says.
The state also said Mitchell didn’t try hard enough to get his kids back. But he says he changed his shift to work nights to make state scheduled visits with his sons and parenting classes.
“It wouldn’t have mattered what I said or what I did, they had already determined their course and now we were just going through the motions,” says Mitchell, who didn’t even get a court appointed lawyer until nine months and three hearings into the case.
The lower court sided with the state and terminated bill’s rights but he appealed and three long years later the Michigan Supreme Court sided with him.
“You shouldn’t have to go to this point,” says Mitchell.
The ruling says Mitchell’s finances should never have been held against him. Mitchell is set to get his kids back. But he says it’s all taken a toll.
“Birthdays, first time they discover something, first time they make a new friend, things that will never be returned to me,” he says.
“He’s one of the most outstanding parents ever to have been run through a termination preceding, and if it can happen to him, it can happen to anybody,” says attorney Elizabeth Warner.
“We’re spending a ton of money for putting these kids in foster care,” says Vivek Sankaran, an assistant professor at the Child Advocacy Law Clinic at the University of Michigan Law School. “But for these children we are irreparably scaring them by damaging the bonds that they form with their families.”
Sankaran says only about nine percent of the 16,000 kids in foster care were sexually or physically abused. The majority were taken from their parents because of poverty-related neglect.
“Removal is too often thought of as the first option for protecting children and child welfare rather than working with families, engaging with them, providing them services in the home,” says Sankaran.
His organization, the Detroit Center for Family Advocacy, helps parents on the front end—getting them the services they need so their kids are not taken. He says so far they have had 100 percent success.
“We need to create a culture where parents are willing to say, ‘I need help, help me, I need to become a better parent, here is what I need,’” says Sankaran.
That is exactly what Andron tried to do, but with heartbreaking results.
“I gave them my healthy child and to get him back in a casket. I feel like he’d still be a live today if he was home with me,” says Andron.
State officials would not speak on camera. But they told Action News that their top priority is to return kids to their birth parents. The state also says the number of kids in foster care is down by about 3,000 and fewer parents had their rights terminated last year.
As for the foster home that housed Johnny, the state shut it down.
—
Dennis Lawrence
Child and Family Rights Advocate
http://www.miparentalrights.ning.com
616-848-0664
Stranded in the Foster Care System
Last Update: 11:33 pm
Stranded in the System
(WXYZ) – We do stories on kids abused in the foster care system. Action news has uncovered cases of foster kids who are loved and cared for by family members, but are still taken away. It’s a heart-wrenching saga of children stranded in the system.
The Martins were Jake’s foster parents when their niece couldn’t care for the little boy.
Action News was there the gut-wrenching day little Jake was taken from the only family he has ever known—that was likely last time they would see him.
Renee Neal’s step grandson Immanuel has been in her care since he was born. Now, he’s gone.
“I just hope he’s not feeling anything like I feel,” she says.
Neal will likely never see him again.
Richard McNeil had hoped to adopt his great grandsons. But the state took them away.
“I can’t put it into words. Take a mother who just had a baby taken away from her. It’s the same feeling,” says McNeil.
Records show the state admits all these children were loved and well cared for, but in each case the state decided the kids would be better off with someone else. The man who makes those decisions is Bill Johnson. He heads the Michigan Children’s Institute. By law, he could not speak about specific cases when we interviewed him last year after the state took Jake
“…those obviously are people who you lived with, who cared for you and we are going to care for you here,” says Johnson, explaining what new foster parents would tell foster kids. “It’s sad, you’re going to miss them, and the child will adjust.”
But some believe it’s too much power for just one man. Cases like these are examples of his power. In Jake’s case Johnson removed him because Cheryl Martin, his great aunt and former foster mom, had a run in with the law because she was drunk in public. She has since quit drinking. Cheryl and her husband Rob Martin loaned money to a woman who later accused Rob of assault. He was charged though the woman’s own daughter told the court her mother has made the same accusations of others she owes money.
“I’m not denying that I made mistakes, but we learn from our mistakes and move on. We don’t get our children taken away,” says Rob Martin.
The state gave Jake to a couple who planned to adopt him, but Action News has learned that just three months later they changed their mind because Jake was having trouble adjusting. Now, he is with yet another foster family.
“It’s so hard, I miss him so much,” says Cheryl Martin, crying.
“Whether it’s Christmas or birthday, there is no easy date,” says Rob Martin.
In Immanuel’s case, Renee Neal and the boy’s grandpa were his foster parents. When they divorced, Immanuel stayed with Renee. Records show the state had granted Neal the right to adopt Immanuel. Records say it would be in Immanuel’s “best interest” to remain in Neal’s care.
“I was the only person who had an application in to adopt Immanuel,” she says.
But Renee says when she complained about a social worker not getting Immanuel services the worker accused Neal of interfering with Immanuel’s visitation with his grandpa—and recommended the adoption be revoked.
“…the only thing I had throughout the whole process was my word against the workers and they won,” says Neal.
Now, Immanuel’s grandpa is adopting the little boy and Neal has no right to see the seven-year old ever again.
“It’s like a death,” she says, crying.
Richard McNeil was the foster parent of his two great nephews. He was trying to adopt them when the state removed the boys based on a single accusation.
“I would rather have state police come to my home and do an actual investigation like it’s supposed to be done, not some half-baked investigation all slanted one-sided…” he says.
The boys were taken when a nurse’s aide accused McNeil’s ex-wife of slapping the oldest one. At the time, they were visiting a friend at a nursing home.
“…being accused of this is devastating to me,” says Anne McNeil, Richard’s ex-wife. “I don’t sleep.”
The McNeil’s say their nephew has attention deficit disorder. sometimes they hold is face to talk to him. They believe that is what the aide saw. The aide did not return our calls.
“What they did is not right. they say, oh the boy’s will bounce back. yeah, right, sure,” says Richard McNeil.
“I try to think about it as if I was to have a conversation with this child 20 years down the road,” says Johnson. “Would I be able to say that the decision I made was something I could defend to the child?”
Johnson decides 2700 of these cases a year—but says only about 10 percent are complex. It’s difficult to challenge Johnson. You need money for a lawyer to appeal him in court and the chances of succeeding are slim.
“It has been very rare that I have reversed him,” say Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Mary Beth Kelly.
Kelly has presided over hundreds of adoption cases. She says although she often has disagreed with Johnson, the law limits her ability to reverse his decisions.
“…it’s a very high legal standard,” says Kelly.
“…you have power that is concentrated in the department of human services within specific branch to make life altering decisions for children,” says Vivek Sankaran, assistant professor at the Child Advocacy Law Clinic at U-M. He also represents parents who appeal Johnson’s decisions.
“They’re relying on often one-sided information from a specific case worker without hearing, kind of getting the wealth and breadth of information from different parties…”
Sankaran says Michigan is unique in giving one person final say in adoptions. Most states rely on the courts to decide those cases and he believes Michigan should as well.
“…not because judges are perfect, but because we’ve created open processes,” says Sankaran. “We don’t have that type of openness right now in Michigan.”
In written responses the state says it works hard to get foster kids in good homes and that adoptions increased 10 percent last year—the highest number of adoptions ever in one year. The Martins and Richard McNeil have taken their cases to court. Renee Neal does not have the money to appeal.
—
Dennis Lawrence
Child and Family Rights Advocate
http://www.miparentalrights.ning.com
616-848-0664
Stranded in the Foster Care System
Last Update: 11:33 pm
Stranded in the System
(WXYZ) – We do stories on kids abused in the foster care system. Action news has uncovered cases of foster kids who are loved and cared for by family members, but are still taken away. It’s a heart-wrenching saga of children stranded in the system.
The Martins were Jake’s foster parents when their niece couldn’t care for the little boy.
Action News was there the gut-wrenching day little Jake was taken from the only family he has ever known—that was likely last time they would see him.
Renee Neal’s step grandson Immanuel has been in her care since he was born. Now, he’s gone.
“I just hope he’s not feeling anything like I feel,” she says.
Neal will likely never see him again.
Richard McNeil had hoped to adopt his great grandsons. But the state took them away.
“I can’t put it into words. Take a mother who just had a baby taken away from her. It’s the same feeling,” says McNeil.
Records show the state admits all these children were loved and well cared for, but in each case the state decided the kids would be better off with someone else. The man who makes those decisions is Bill Johnson. He heads the Michigan Children’s Institute. By law, he could not speak about specific cases when we interviewed him last year after the state took Jake
“…those obviously are people who you lived with, who cared for you and we are going to care for you here,” says Johnson, explaining what new foster parents would tell foster kids. “It’s sad, you’re going to miss them, and the child will adjust.”
But some believe it’s too much power for just one man. Cases like these are examples of his power. In Jake’s case Johnson removed him because Cheryl Martin, his great aunt and former foster mom, had a run in with the law because she was drunk in public. She has since quit drinking. Cheryl and her husband Rob Martin loaned money to a woman who later accused Rob of assault. He was charged though the woman’s own daughter told the court her mother has made the same accusations of others she owes money.
“I’m not denying that I made mistakes, but we learn from our mistakes and move on. We don’t get our children taken away,” says Rob Martin.
The state gave Jake to a couple who planned to adopt him, but Action News has learned that just three months later they changed their mind because Jake was having trouble adjusting. Now, he is with yet another foster family.
“It’s so hard, I miss him so much,” says Cheryl Martin, crying.
“Whether it’s Christmas or birthday, there is no easy date,” says Rob Martin.
In Immanuel’s case, Renee Neal and the boy’s grandpa were his foster parents. When they divorced, Immanuel stayed with Renee. Records show the state had granted Neal the right to adopt Immanuel. Records say it would be in Immanuel’s “best interest” to remain in Neal’s care.
“I was the only person who had an application in to adopt Immanuel,” she says.
But Renee says when she complained about a social worker not getting Immanuel services the worker accused Neal of interfering with Immanuel’s visitation with his grandpa—and recommended the adoption be revoked.
“…the only thing I had throughout the whole process was my word against the workers and they won,” says Neal.
Now, Immanuel’s grandpa is adopting the little boy and Neal has no right to see the seven-year old ever again.
“It’s like a death,” she says, crying.
Richard McNeil was the foster parent of his two great nephews. He was trying to adopt them when the state removed the boys based on a single accusation.
“I would rather have state police come to my home and do an actual investigation like it’s supposed to be done, not some half-baked investigation all slanted one-sided…” he says.
The boys were taken when a nurse’s aide accused McNeil’s ex-wife of slapping the oldest one. At the time, they were visiting a friend at a nursing home.
“…being accused of this is devastating to me,” says Anne McNeil, Richard’s ex-wife. “I don’t sleep.”
The McNeil’s say their nephew has attention deficit disorder. sometimes they hold is face to talk to him. They believe that is what the aide saw. The aide did not return our calls.
“What they did is not right. they say, oh the boy’s will bounce back. yeah, right, sure,” says Richard McNeil.
“I try to think about it as if I was to have a conversation with this child 20 years down the road,” says Johnson. “Would I be able to say that the decision I made was something I could defend to the child?”
Johnson decides 2700 of these cases a year—but says only about 10 percent are complex. It’s difficult to challenge Johnson. You need money for a lawyer to appeal him in court and the chances of succeeding are slim.
“It has been very rare that I have reversed him,” say Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Mary Beth Kelly.
Kelly has presided over hundreds of adoption cases. She says although she often has disagreed with Johnson, the law limits her ability to reverse his decisions.
“…it’s a very high legal standard,” says Kelly.
“…you have power that is concentrated in the department of human services within specific branch to make life altering decisions for children,” says Vivek Sankaran, assistant professor at the Child Advocacy Law Clinic at U-M. He also represents parents who appeal Johnson’s decisions.
“They’re relying on often one-sided information from a specific case worker without hearing, kind of getting the wealth and breadth of information from different parties…”
Sankaran says Michigan is unique in giving one person final say in adoptions. Most states rely on the courts to decide those cases and he believes Michigan should as well.
“…not because judges are perfect, but because we’ve created open processes,” says Sankaran. “We don’t have that type of openness right now in Michigan.”
In written responses the state says it works hard to get foster kids in good homes and that adoptions increased 10 percent last year—the highest number of adoptions ever in one year. The Martins and Richard McNeil have taken their cases to court. Renee Neal does not have the money to appeal.
—
Dennis Lawrence
Child and Family Rights Advocate
http://www.miparentalrights.ning.com
616-848-0664
How Child Protection Services Buys and Sells Our Children 
Children in the United States are tokens for abuse, molestation, death, and human trafficking. Think President Obama could care? NOT. Has anyone viewed the videos of victims on http://www.honkforkids.com or http://www.honkforkids.com/videoindex.htm ? Indiana children are alos abused by Dept of Children. Children in Indiana are removed from safe homes without cause, only to be placed into danger or death. Children abused by foster parents are protected by DCS, and the police are never called to prosecute the abusers of children. Indiana children are taken for federal profit & fund the agency of DCS, that is never accountable. But you already know that many children in foster care are there not for protection, but for federal funding to profit state. Man bashes in infant’s head, results with brain trauma, DCS worker refused medical care, but James Payne condones.
Human trafficking for profit of state, children alienated from blood relatives, perjury committed without care by DCS. Even Carl Brizzi’s office laughs at a woman beaten in her car, with witnesses the police failed to note, but the Bi-polar, manic depressive, self mutilator, drug abuser, abuser, is just what kind of person DCS will hand an infant to as woman flees from the abuse to safety. DCS doesn’t want the infant to be safe, just beaten to gain federal funding of medical life long care. There is no protection of children, just protection to fund and protect DCS. Many children you adopt to strangers were removed from loving homes and innocent parents refused judical rights to expose the crimes of DCS. But you already know this too. Childern are nothing but like mere cattle to be sold for profit. Do you know the number of children that are killed under DCS, but are never vendicated or the killer prosecuted? It is a secret.
Indiana state officials commit perjury to a federal judge, Larry J McKinney. Why can DCS staff stand before a judge to commit perjury and falsification of court records to make a mockery of our judical system? Does Indiana have a true judical system? Why is the abuse of children condoned by James Payne & why isn’t child abuse reported to the police, rather than allow DCS to hide the crimed done? Do all Indiana officials commit perjury to protect themselves, than to honor their position to serve the people? What are people to do for safety and rights, if not even state leaders can speak in truth? Why do the judges ignore & refuse to listen to the GAL recommendations & refuse to follow the court’s own court order? The good ol’ boy of Indiana, even federal judges partake.
Perjury by both David Arthur & Greg Zoeller helps Director of Child Services James Payne to commit perjury in this federal case, stating James Payne had no involvement of the case spoke of 1:07-cv-xxxx- lJM-DML.
(One of many statements of perjury regarding James Payne & his staff)
James Payne in fact was extensively involved.
State of Indiana has tendency of committing perjury & mockery of our judicial system.
Below is James Payne notification that he in fact had EXTENSIVE INVOLVEMENT OF THE CASE.
— On Tue, , Payne, James W wrote:
From: Payne, James W
Subject:
To:
Dear Ms. xxxxxxx:
Your communication to Senator Bayh has been referred to this office for a response. As you know, I have had extensive discussions with you, I have followed this case closely, and at this point I continue to affirm the actions of the Department in this matter.
You have an attorney and you should continue to work through that attorney to advance your cause and to make your positions known. You have a remedy and assistance through your attorney in that Court and those issues can be presented directly to the Court hearing this matter.
While I regret that we disagree on the process in this matter, I hope you understand that our responsibility is to protect children and to take information, assess that and proceed accordingly. Having reviewed everything and been involved with this almost from the beginning, I concur with the agency’s action in this matter.
cc: The Honorable Evan Bayh
James W. Payne
Director
Indiana Department of Child Services
402 W. Washington Street
Room W392
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Children are taken from innocent parents, parents refused right to expose the lies of DCS, children are alienated from their loving families only to be abused, raped, and die at hands of strangers, but DCS condones.
Children in foster and up for sale by human trafficking adoptions. Many have loving parents and family. The destruction of DCS in Indiana & lies of James Payne.
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This is a blanket statement that DHS/CPS uses to ignore the truth & hide behind their corruption. I was told almost word for word the same BS from Scott Parrott in Michigan.
Legal kidnapping, with no accountability!
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Child Protection Services, is the largest governmental agency in the United States, that has NO oversight, has no accountability, no responsibility, and allowed to commit perjury and falsification in any and all court rooms, without penalty. Children have become tokens of profit to the governmental agency for the states.
The US government does not audit, ask questions, ignore complaints from citizens, and continue to pay billions of dollars to remove children without cause with bogus allegations, then place most children into danger for abuse, molestation, rape, or death, at the hands of strangers. Many children are never seen again, as CPS has no knowledge of where over 34 % of the removed children are currently.
No one is held accountable for the children’ deaths, as foster parents are given a paid legal aide service to protect them from what happens to the children under their care.
Judges fail to honor their oath taken by never mandating CPS to validate with evidence of the bogus words and false allegations. Secrecy and conspiracy within the walls of CPS has caused a mofia type behavior of corrupt activity, of which is killing our precious innocent children, mentally and physically, that tax payers are paying to do.
Try to beg for help from the prosecutor and police of the crimes, threats, coersion, and violation of judical laws of perjury, or a child in danger, beaten with skull caved in, to be ignored and told nothing can be done. Or for the IAG to ignore cries for help and say they have no jurisdiction over CPS. Yet, when a citizen attempts to be heard in federal court, the IAG is there to help commit perjury for the director of CPS/ DCS. Though Governor Mitch Daniels, is fully aware and is ultimately responsible, he could careless and ignores the deaths of children at the hands of the state, in Indiana.
More abuse occurs to children under the negligence of CPS. But ask President Obama if he knows the mis-utilization of funds freely allowed by this non-oversighted, arrogant, and corrupt governmental agency that violates every law, right, and judical statutes ever written, to hear him utter, “Huh?”. Too bad the wasteful use of funds are freely flowing to states, such as Indiana, to harm the children that are to be protected.
Obama could save billions if he only knew facts, rather than the lies and shown colorful meaningless charts developed by CPS. Many do not know that CPS does NOT keep accurate records of children abused, molested, raped, and killed, under state care by fosters or institutional care. But CPS does keep records of abuse and deaths of children at the hands of parents.
No oversight, no accountability, no protection of the children who are abused by the largest governmental agency, who functions outside the realm of civil, constitutional, and human rights. NO ONE can stop them, as they are the god against our nation’s precious innocent children. Especially, in Indiana.
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Pingback: Bill of Rights For Kids
need info @ investigation for cps worker creating false & misleading documents and submitting to a court of law (fraud within the DHS system)
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Credit for the great blog post. I am glad I have taken the time to read this.
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I always was concerned in this topic and still am, regards for putting up.
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Marvelous details, thank you to the creator.
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This is such a great source that you will be giving and you give it away for zero cost.
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This layout is so stellar. How did you manage to make a blog thats as smart as it is sleek? I mean, its like an Aston Martin –smart and sexy at the same time. Ive got to say, the layout alone made me come back to this blog again. But now that Ive read what youve got to say, Ive got to share it with the world!
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You made certain fine points there. I did a search on the theme and found nearly all folks will consent with your blog.
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You really make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this topic to be really something which I think I would never understand. It seems too complicated and very broad for me. I am looking forward for your next post, I will try to get the hang of it!
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I admit, I have not been on this webpage in a long time… however it was another joy to see It is such an important topic and ignored by so many, even professionals. I thank you to help making people more aware of possible issues.
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please keep writing these articles CPS is sick they are destroying our children shattering their sense of security ripping them from loving homes People need to know the truth.
Thank-you Darcy
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My daughter and I are victims of CPS in Michigan. My daughter was removed from my care at an undisclosed location – a day care center in Port Huron, MI. I had no clue what was going on until CPS knocked at my door and told me that they had my child in custody. I was numb with disbelief. I first went through the St. Clair County Family Division court under Judge Elmwood Brown. I lost and my rights were terminated because it was in “the best interest of the child” whatever that means. I was a loving single mother. My daughter and I had a very strong bond, and initially when they took her, the foster care worker admitted that we had a strong bond, but what was to come later is beyond comprehension. The foster care mother told my daughter what a terrible person and mother I was…I then took my case to the Michigan Court Of Appeals which took a year and they did not reverse the decision of the trial court. It was affirmed. So then I took my case to the Michigan Supreme Court and they didn’t even look at my brief because it had landed on the wrong desk and the Statute Of Limitations had run out by 24 hours. This has been the worst hell I’ve ever had to endure. My life is totally ruined. My heart and soul are shattered, and I can only imagine what they put my daughter through. You cannot live with this threshold of emotional pain. No one can. I can’t believe it has been seven years since I last talked/saw my daughter. I missed so much which can never be replaced. This Michigan system is true evil. The devil in disguise. I’m writing a book now, called, “A Child Legally Kidnapped”. Trust me it will be a good book with a lot of information and personal tragedy. I can only pray that one day God will do divine intervention and I will see my only child again. One day.
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CPS accepts anonymous complaints, illegally violates parent’s and children’s civil and constitutional rights. They also assume the parent and child are lying during the illegally held interviews. They also claim that the material gathered from these interviews can be turned over to law enforcement to pursue criminal charges against the parent, but claim they do not have to read Miranda Rights to the parents.
I am concerned that CPS feels justified in trumping federal laws during investigations. Parents and children are told that if they refuse to conduct the interview that CPS can take custody to force the interview. CPS also assumes that the parents and children are lying, so they can take “emergency” custody without a court order or evidence to prove the accusations are true!
CPS and the courts do not consider the emotional trauma inflicted on the parents and children when taking children away from the parents; children’s emotional well being especially! Mandatory reporters can hide behind the mandatory standing and can make falsified accusations and know they are protected from prosecution. Even if the complaints turn out to be untrue, CPS has no desire to investigate as to why the accusation was made.
CPS even uses previous unsubstantiated complaints as evidence of neglect, even if the investigators believe the complaints to have zero merit. CPS also allows an investigator to sit alone with a child even if the investigator is a middle aged male and the child is a teenage girl. This violates federal sexual harassment laws, but is allowed under state law. This also allows CPS to make claim of statements by the child even if the child never made them, or allows CPS to withhold any statements the child does make from their report.
What can be done when CPS removes a child, but tells you & the court they had no evidence? During a 13 day custody the CPS worker, foster care worker & foster parent all lied to & threatened the child. They also made the child go 17 hours without insulin because they had to follow protocol & knew the child was in danger. Complaints to Lansing went unanswered except to tell the parent several appalling comments- “When CPS shows up the child & parent have no civil or constitutional rights.” “We would rather destroy the emotional well being of one child to protect a few.” “You should be happy we took your child because that shows how much we care about children.” After 13 days the judge ruled CPS had no probable cause & returned my child. Due to current laws CPS can remove a child without evidence or probable cause. They are also allowed to provide false statements, twist the child’s & parents words, & make unprovable statements about the parent.
I was told that CPS did a “thorough” investigation into my complaint, but at no time interviewed my daughter or me. All they had to go on were their own files & records. They do not answer to anyone, except themselves in complaints. Even the Office of Children’s Ombudsman has never found CPS to be guilty of CPS protocol. Even perjury, threats, knowingly providing inaccurate statements & withholding life saving medications are not in violation of protocol.
December 7, 2007 (Sherri Harris- CPS, Laura Couch supervisor, Charles Foster- CPS state administrator)
My diabetic daughter contracted strep throat. This puts her into ketoacidosis. She ended up in Hurley Hospital in Flint. She has memory loss. During this period she is interrogated by hospital staff & a psychologist. They determine a traumatic experience caused the memory loss. An endocrinologist determines the DKA caused memory loss.
December 10, 2007
CPS is called stating this is not my daughter & that she is a kidnap victim. The endocrinologist has her file disproving this, but is not consulted by the hospital staff or CPS. My daughter is untrusting of the CPS worker & tells her so. CPS determines there is no case, but calls my daughter a psychotic bitch in front of hospital staff.
My complaints all the way up to Lansing are ignored. Maybe my daughter made the CPS worker mad; causing the comment is what was determined by Lansing.
December 11, 2007
Went to Mott Clinic for the follow up visit after the hospital.
An off duty police officer calls dispatch stating her sister Pam who works at Hurley called to say a father was at the Children’s Clinic with his daughter, but this was not his daughter. When dispatch asked for my name, the officer didn’t know my name because I was using an alias, but didn’t know the alias, either. But without knowing my name, she knew there was an out of state warrant for me for kidnapping & molestation.
CPS was also told that my name on my ID was misspelled. Not sure how a hospital employee can tell if the state misspelled your name on your ID and you failed to notice it!
Was held in a room at the clinic for 4 hours till the police were assured that there were no current or any warrants ever for me.
The Flint IA cleared all officers of wrongdoing, but reorganized the department shortly thereafter for improprieties.
October 8, 2008 (Tashelle Morris- CPS, Julie Gonzales- supervisor, Bill Weston- County CPS supervisor, Randy Bartz- County DHS supervisor)
CPS showed up to my job saying I was living in my van, which was not true. They had searched a van behind the restaurant prior to entering the restaurant, without a warrant. Turned out my van was parked 1/2 mile away in the employee lot.
I was told to bring my daughter in the next day for an interview. I was forced to sign release of information forms. When I tried to refuse, exercising my rights, I was told that was ok, but my daughter would not be leaving with me. No investigation
May 23, 2009 (Rochelle Whatley-Thomas- CPS, Jennifer Polk- supervisor)
I was offered a job in Ohio working weekends until June. Instead of pulling my daughter out of school, I had her stay with a couple while I was out of town. My daughter told a couple of her friends that it would be more fun to stay with them rather than our friends. A school counselor was told by a student that my daughter told everyone that I abandoned her & left her homeless. The principal had all the info regarding contacts for me in Ohio & the friend’s name & number locally, but tells the counselor to call CPS.
CPS showed up to the school. My daughter was told to go straight to our house after school. She told CPS that she may not even have her key on her as she was not staying there while I was out of town. CPS & the police threatened her if she tried to go to the friend’s house they would have to take her. Luckily she had the key. CPS called me from my house & said they needed my permission to inspect the house. I told them to wait till I got back Monday night. They said that would be fine, but my daughter would not be there. I reluctantly allowed them to do this. After my daughter refused to talk to CPS until I was back in town, the CPS worker stood in my front yard & yelled at my daughter “You ain’t no ghetto girl! So don’t be actin’ like you a ghetto girl! Cause you ain’t no ghetto girl!” I was called back & told everything looked good & nobody would bother me & I was to go to their office Tuesday to interview & nobody would bother us over the weekend.
May 24, 2009 (Ivan Galindo- CPS)
while our friends were at work, my daughter & her friends went to our house to make lunch & watch movies. There was a knock at the door. My daughter looked through the peep hole & did not recognize the man, so did not answer the door. Next, she heard the man try to open the door. They grabbed knives out of the kitchen drawer. Next, they heard him trying to open the windows & other doors. The hid & saw him peeking in the kitchen window. He proceeded to walk around the entire house & even tried the windows & doors in the other apartment of the duplex.
May 27, 2009
Went to CPS office & did the interview. CPS said they saw no case here. No investigation.
September, 2012 (Kevin Zaborney- CPS, DeAndre Lawson- supervisor, Justin Harper Foster Care, Rebekah Irwin, Foster Care supervisor, Jennifer Dillard- County CPS supervisor, Reverend Rita Truss- County DHS supervisor, Darrel Fields Lansing Field Supervisor, Mrs Mahoney- Lansing Field supervisor, Bonnie- Office of Communication, Patty O’ Connor- DHS administration, Scott Parrott- CPS state coordinator, Maura Corrigan- State DHS director, Ryan Fewins- State CASA supervisor, Randi Roberts- Saginaw County CASA supervisor, Suzanne Greenberg- Saginaw County CAN supervisor, Drewe Robinson- Saginaw County CAN Board of Directors, Irene & Larry Salinas- Foster Home; Referee Dwight Lewis, Judge Faye Harrison)
the restaurant I was working at in Ohio closed earlier than expected for the season. We decided to return to Michigan for the winter rather than stay in Ohio. Maybe to Michigan permanently. I had several restaurant interviews lined up in Detroit, Redford, Canton, Ypsilanti & Ann Arbor. Since Canton was the central location, we stopped there to use as our base till I found a job. We located a motel that also had apartments. We ended up in a 3 bedroom that rented by the week or month. Instead of sitting in the apartment or in the van while I interviewed, my daughter went to visit a friend near Saginaw. She again became ill & wound up in DKA.
My teenage daughter was visiting her friend for a week or so. She started to complain of a sore throat. Also her insulin cartridge cracked, rendering the insulin useless. I called her doctor to have an emergency cartridge provided, but on the way to the pharmacy she became disoriented and was taken to the hospital in DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis). While in this state she told the ER staff that she had not taken insulin in over a week, didn’t know what day it was and that her doctor had told her to stop taking her insulin. While in ketoacidosis, the statements can not be taken seriously. However, the ER staff ignored the last two statements and called CPS to make a complaint. An endocrinologist would confirm that statements in ketoacidosis can not be taken at face value and that a Type I diabetic can not live a week without insulin. The hospital staff refused to do a test for a cold or strep throat, which could very well be the reason the wound up in the hospital to begin with. CPS did not bother to confirm these facts. They also threatened to take immediate custody if my daughter and I chose to exercise 4th and 14th amendment rights and refuse to talk to them without a court order or an impartial witness on my daughter’s behalf. My daughter stated that the negligence did not exist, but CPS chose not to provide this statement to the court and also claimed that my daughter lied to protect me, even though CPS had no evidence to that fact. Two days later CPS showed up without a court order and two local police officers in tow to take custody.
CPS also told me that a motel is not an acceptable place to get my daughter back. It was a 3 bedroom apartment in a motel complex that had 8 other apartments. CPS also hoses homeless families in motels.
After 13 days the judge ruled that there was no probable cause and returned my daughter home. I am concerned that if there was no probable cause, why she was taken in the first place.
I filed a complaint with CPS Central Intake at least once a month about the abuses by CPS, the foster care system & the foster home. All were ignored until now & the only complaint that was forwarded on was the foster home.
January 6, 2013 (Kourtney Post- CPS)
While my daughter was recovering from an auto accident, CPS showed up & said a new complaint had been called in, but repeated word for word the same complaint in September, but the complaint had been changed to molestation. The CPS worker decided not to conduct an investigation.
January 7, 2013
I received a call from Wayne County CPS that said we were living in a motel in Canton & her diabetes was out of control. No investigation. In fact an ex-friend of my daughter is bragging that she called in this report & if my daughter is anywhere near Frankenmuth she will call again, but CPS is not at liberty to have her investigated for a falsified report because they have to protect this person & the integrity of the “anonymous” calling in of reports. CPS would rather protect a falsified complaint & destroy the life & reputation of a good family!
April 29, 2013 (Tracy Lyons- CPS Foster Care Investigator)
CPS called to say that they are investigating the foster home & needs my daughter’s statement. My daughter refuses any contact with CPS. I was told that she has to cooperate. Some people are saying if she refuses, CPS can put her in foster care until she agrees; others say they can’t remove her. Either way, we are both scared at what CPS can & will do if my daughter doesn’t want to talk to them or even if she does talk to them.
CPS (Scott Parrott) also claims to have conducted a thorough investigation, but never interviewed my daughter or me; but only looked over their own files to investigate themselves! They found themselves not to have done anything wrong!
Procurement of an order to seize a child through distortion, misrepresentation, and/or omission in court and is a violation of the fourth amendment. ( Malik v. Arapahoe Cty. Dept. of Social Services. (10th Cir. 1991)
State and Federal laws state “every effort must be made to keep the child in the home (RCW 74.14A.020., RCW 26.44.063,RCW 13.34.060,Finding — 1999 c 17: “The legislature has found that any intervention into the life of a child is also an intervention in the life of the parent, guardian, or legal custodian, and that the bond between child and parent is a critical element of child development.
“The phenomenon of children dying in state care is one that deserves special scrutiny. We know that there are many more deaths than made the newspapers. The total number of children who die annually while under state care is unknown. While multiple agencies track their numbers, no central tracking agency exists and tracking methods differ between agencies. That’s one of the issues should be addressed.” Justice Maura Corrigan (This is the same Maura Corrigan that is now mismanaging the Michigan DHS!!)
From the Michigan DHS website:
• In 2008, DHS and private agencies completed 2,638 adoptions and received $875,000 in federal funds for the accomplishment. In 2009, DHS and private agencies completed 3,030 adoptions – more than ever before – and were awarded a $3.5 million federal adoption incentive award for the accomplishment.
• In 2008, there were 6,315 foster children residing with unlicensed relatives. The agreement required Michigan to move the children to licensed settings or relative homes approved for a waiver. As of October 2010, the state is in 99 percent compliance.
DHS receives $4,000- $6,000 per child placed in foster care from Social Security Title IV-E, but no $ if they do not find abuse & neglect, or if they leave the child at home or place the child with a relative that is not licensed.
Child Protective Services FAQ’s
1. How can so many cases fall through the hands of the Department of Social Services ?
2. When does someone become accountable for these children ?
3. How many cases have we not even heard of ?
4. Are drugs being misused on Foster Kids ?
5. Are children in foster care overmedicated ?
6. How many children have been mentally damaged when they have been removed on a False Allegation and/or an issue, that is not considered Child Abuse ?
7. How many foster children missing ?
8. What happens to Kids when they “Age Out” of the Foster Care System?
“That feeling of worthlessness destroys many kids who leave the system; more than 80 percent become homeless for a period of time, and less than 50 percent graduate from high school, about 10 percent enroll in college, with 2 percent graduating.”
9. What are we doing to the next generations?
Sorry but I can’t answer that. It’s confidential.
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Administrtion for Children & Families:
This agency is supposed to oversee CPS, but turns a blind eye to what is really going on.
I talked to the Michigan liason today. I am appalled by her uncaring, snobbish attitude.
She admitted that CPS is not allowed to take a child without a written order SIGNED by a judge, but nothing can be done when it does happen. When told that my child almost died in “protection”, I was told that children die in foster care all the time, it just happens.
I was also told that instead of exercising my Constitutional Rights, just give in. By exercising our rights, we are hiding our guilt & we deserve to have our children removed.
Even the Federal Government id telling us the Constitution does not exist as far as CPS is concerned!
Her name is Irene Carrillo
irene.carrillo@acf.hhs.govr
312-886-4934
Supervisor:
Angela Green
angela.green@acf.hhs.gov
312-353-9672
National supervisor for acf:
Molly Peterson
molly.peterson@acf.hhs.gov
202-401-2340
Please have your members call these people & let them know how corrupt CPS, as if they don’t already know, but don’t care!
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