A little background for those who are unaware: Casa (Court Appointed Special Advocate) is a volunteer program in many states of advocates who interact with the children who are removed from their homes by Child Protective Services, and who act as "eyes and ears" for family court judges. Since they are highly endorsed by CPS, and since CPS claims that their goal is family reunification, I thought it pertinent to look over CASA's handbooks and evaluate whether they are, indeed, working to reunify families. The information explaining CASA is pulled DIRECTLY from their educational pamphlets (my comments are interjected):
What is CASA?
A Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) is an adult willing to stand up for an abused or neglected child [NOTE: Stop right here. Remember, children are removed from home because of SUSPECTED abuse or neglect, not abuse or neglect that has been criminally proven, at least at the onset. So we haven't even made it past the first paragraph]. A CASA colunteer is appointed by a judge to provide factual information on behalf of a child caught in a difficult legal process. In a court system challenged by increasing caseloads, a CASA volunteer can make the single greatest difference in the life of a child [apparently family members, even those NOT suspected of abuse or neglect, don't matter. Gotcha]
What does a CASA do?
You do not have to be a lawyer or a social worker to become a CASA volunteer. These abused [?] children simply need dedicated and devoted women and men who are willing to advocate for their best interests [pretty hard to do when you've already tried, convicted and sentenced their parents without the benefit of a trial].
As a CASA volunteer, you will be given support, guidance, tools, and training from professionals in the field [read: CPS case workers, which means you're getting rather one sided information from which you are expected to make "objective" decisions]. to help you understand and work effectively with the child welfare system. You will develop communication techniques and cultural competency skills [Oh, is this the training from the expert on "at risk youths" who states that poor families don't want their children to be educated because they're afraid their children will surpass them?], and receive relevant child development training.
Once you are sworn in as a child advocate by a judge, you will be given constant support and guidance by professional staff [read: CPS caseworkers] as you search for information on what is in the child's best interest. You will review the case, gather new data, and become familiar with the child's background. Then you will develop a report that is shared in the courtroom. Your recommendations will be considered by the judge when making decisions regarding the child
Why choose to be a CASA?
Every year, the state of Texas removes thousands of children from their homes because of abuse and neglect [ALLEGED abuse and neglect, maybe?]. These victimized [oh, they're certainly victimized allright...usually by the system CASA supports] children are drawn into an overburdened child welfare system that is charged with addressing every child's individual needs. As part of this process, these children go to court where judges must weigh all the evidence to make important decisions that greatly impact the lives of these children.
When there is a CASA on the case, the judge is afforded a unique and comprehensive picture of the child's situation, needs and best potential outcomes. CASA volunteers are frequently the most consistent adult in the lives of children during their involvement in the child welfare system [mainly because those who SHOULD be the most consistent adult, the parents, are not given that option because their children were removed without due process and often upon spurious complaints]. CASA volunteers help guide [alleged] abused and neglected children toward safe, loving, permanent families [the interesting phrasing here is the lack of mention of family reunification, which CPS states as one of its primary goals].
ANALYSIS: The CASA program is neither good or bad in theory, and the volunteers could go a long way towards helping children and families through difficult situations, if their training and observation techniques were truly objective. Because their training is so decidedly one sided and operating upon the presupposition of guilt of the parents or caregivers, however, it is unlikely that CASA volunteers will be effective in making the differences they set out to achieve. This is yet another shameful example of CPS' attempts to destroy innocent families and villainize parents without the benefit of a jury trial.
Because the CASA program offers such promise, however, I would not advocate for its eradication, but rather a reform in the manner in which CASA volunteers are trained. They need to be trained by advocates on BOTH sides of the fence, to understand that parents, as any other American citizen, are considered innocent until proven guilty, and to work as fervently for reunification as for removal when reunification is truly the best option.
CASA: Reuniting families or Ripping Them Apart?
Moderators: family_man, LindaJM
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gideonmacleish
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An excellent analysis of CASA, Gideon.
"Because the CASA program offers such promise, however, I would not advocate for its eradication, but rather a reform in the manner in which CASA volunteers are trained."
My take on it is that CPS is a seriously broken and corrupt system and that makes everything associated with it totally useless in terms of benefit and in fact, only serves to support the broken and corrupt system.
The CASA program in an ideal world, with ideal training, would be invaluable. Again, this world is just the opposite. When and if CPS is ever eradicated and a new system takes its place that truly protects children from abusive parents, then CASA can resurface as a supporting tool. Until then, I have no interest in supporting CASA and any other CPS colluding program.
"Because the CASA program offers such promise, however, I would not advocate for its eradication, but rather a reform in the manner in which CASA volunteers are trained."
My take on it is that CPS is a seriously broken and corrupt system and that makes everything associated with it totally useless in terms of benefit and in fact, only serves to support the broken and corrupt system.
The CASA program in an ideal world, with ideal training, would be invaluable. Again, this world is just the opposite. When and if CPS is ever eradicated and a new system takes its place that truly protects children from abusive parents, then CASA can resurface as a supporting tool. Until then, I have no interest in supporting CASA and any other CPS colluding program.
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gideonmacleish
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Bob,
I agree with what you have to say. But, in our struggle against the unlawful authorities, we need to identify potential allies.
CASA is one such potential ally. While they would appear to be our enemy, we must remember that what they know about CPS is from one sided presentations in the course of their training that, of course, FAVOR the agency. But the common thread among them is that they CARE about children (the same, by the way, can be said of many social workers).
If we are going to win, it is only going to be through educating and informing the public so that they know the truth. And we won't win if we adopt an "us against the world" mentality. While I wouldn't advocate for considering CASA as an ally as things ARE, I see among CASA volunteers many potential allies that would rally AGAINST CPS if they knew the truth. And so, part of our job as activists should be to EDUCATE them to the truth.
I agree with what you have to say. But, in our struggle against the unlawful authorities, we need to identify potential allies.
CASA is one such potential ally. While they would appear to be our enemy, we must remember that what they know about CPS is from one sided presentations in the course of their training that, of course, FAVOR the agency. But the common thread among them is that they CARE about children (the same, by the way, can be said of many social workers).
If we are going to win, it is only going to be through educating and informing the public so that they know the truth. And we won't win if we adopt an "us against the world" mentality. While I wouldn't advocate for considering CASA as an ally as things ARE, I see among CASA volunteers many potential allies that would rally AGAINST CPS if they knew the truth. And so, part of our job as activists should be to EDUCATE them to the truth.
And therein lies the problem Gideon, education.
This is an extremely difficult task. People who have not been victimized by CPS do not come to these sites and do not have any clue about what's really going on. Others fall into 2 primary categories:
1. Either they are fully aware because they have been victimized or know someone who has or have seen the injustices from inside CPS and have the humanity to rise above it.
2. Or are indoctrinated into the CPS culture to such an extent that they become part of it (and I'll include CASA into that, for the most part).
Before one is victimized by CPS and I'll use me as an example, a person has a perception of CPS equal to what those initials stand for, Child Protective Services. Sure, it's a government agency so we all know government is not perfect and mistakes happen, but we believe that CPS does the job we perceive it's supposed to do for the most part. And we don't look any deeper and we just go on with our lives without even thinking about any other possibilities and certainly not sinister ones. And even when told about the atrocities, we find them very hard to believe.
To educate the above (including CASAs) to the point where they can become useful allies is nearly impossible. So allies outside of our community of victims are very hard to come by.
This is an extremely difficult task. People who have not been victimized by CPS do not come to these sites and do not have any clue about what's really going on. Others fall into 2 primary categories:
1. Either they are fully aware because they have been victimized or know someone who has or have seen the injustices from inside CPS and have the humanity to rise above it.
2. Or are indoctrinated into the CPS culture to such an extent that they become part of it (and I'll include CASA into that, for the most part).
Before one is victimized by CPS and I'll use me as an example, a person has a perception of CPS equal to what those initials stand for, Child Protective Services. Sure, it's a government agency so we all know government is not perfect and mistakes happen, but we believe that CPS does the job we perceive it's supposed to do for the most part. And we don't look any deeper and we just go on with our lives without even thinking about any other possibilities and certainly not sinister ones. And even when told about the atrocities, we find them very hard to believe.
To educate the above (including CASAs) to the point where they can become useful allies is nearly impossible. So allies outside of our community of victims are very hard to come by.
Woah there, wild horses.
I have been a CASA for two years now. Our mission statement is: To advocate in the best interest of the child; who has been issued under a CHIPS order by family court.
1)Meaning, a CASA does not get a case until the child has been investigated with the family, and found in need by a judge to be in protective services. Also, many CASA work with children in the home just to see how they are doing.
You want to know my current dilemma? I started representing ateen mom and her child, placed together in a wonderful home. THe foster mom is a strong means of support for me and is strictly of the belief that children belong with safe birth parents. She is no rookie. She has been doing this for 20+ years and has had 50+ children in her care. She has adopted several; all voluntary placements; she still invites the birth parents to her home and for visits. All of her free will and in the best interest of the child.
I went in gung-ho determined to see this young family make it through. MOm graduate, Dad get clean and get a job; unfortunately, violence and the "ghetto thug " lifestyle reign supreme in these people's lives, and while I shed my value system, I cannot believe that a child should go to a home where there is weekely physical abuse, drug dealing, and sex offenders.
It makes me look in favor of the foster parents, but in that home she is safe. With her bio-parents, she is shuttled and forgotten and yelled at. The baby is two and has been in foster care for a year and a half.
I spend time with the mother; I take her out to dinner, I meet her friends, I place myself in danger to see where this child will be living. Poverty is not dangerous. No food, mean pitbulls, and drug dealing is.
For the record, CASA has NEVER, been supervised by CPS. Our local CPS chapter wants us GONE because we often report thier failure to check up on the kids or set realistic goals. We answer to the National CASA associtation. NOT CPS. We too are all mothers on our team, and don;t take this lightly. We shed our old value systemts and consider diversity and see family strength in all it's forms, not just middle class white culture.
Cases with CASA are often resumed in 18 months, MUCH quicker than cases without CASAS. Most are reunited. Isn't that the goal- to achieve a safe, permanent home for foster children as much as possible?
This is why I log in and lurk here- to see your battles with foster parents and CPS. To know what to look out for that may not bein the best interest of the child.
Please, understand what we are- not puppets of CPS. Rather, one person assigned to one case to know it inside and out. We see improvement or false allegations, we tell the judge. We see relapse,. we report it to the judge. Abuse or issues in the foster home- first social worker, then judge.
I just spent 2 hours with one of my CASA children. SHe is hard-core ghetto. I think she shoukld have her daughter, but her duaghter is in THE PERFECT HOME at present. How do I advocate for a thug, drug, pit bull life over a catholic, stable life? How do I? THis young mother obsessed about her daughter and how she is a blood gang member by birth. But she is her daughter and she has a right to raise her like a thug. Or she could stay woth her foster parents, never know fear or hunger, and probably go to college.
Tough as hell call. Lighten up on us please.
I have been a CASA for two years now. Our mission statement is: To advocate in the best interest of the child; who has been issued under a CHIPS order by family court.
1)Meaning, a CASA does not get a case until the child has been investigated with the family, and found in need by a judge to be in protective services. Also, many CASA work with children in the home just to see how they are doing.
You want to know my current dilemma? I started representing ateen mom and her child, placed together in a wonderful home. THe foster mom is a strong means of support for me and is strictly of the belief that children belong with safe birth parents. She is no rookie. She has been doing this for 20+ years and has had 50+ children in her care. She has adopted several; all voluntary placements; she still invites the birth parents to her home and for visits. All of her free will and in the best interest of the child.
I went in gung-ho determined to see this young family make it through. MOm graduate, Dad get clean and get a job; unfortunately, violence and the "ghetto thug " lifestyle reign supreme in these people's lives, and while I shed my value system, I cannot believe that a child should go to a home where there is weekely physical abuse, drug dealing, and sex offenders.
It makes me look in favor of the foster parents, but in that home she is safe. With her bio-parents, she is shuttled and forgotten and yelled at. The baby is two and has been in foster care for a year and a half.
I spend time with the mother; I take her out to dinner, I meet her friends, I place myself in danger to see where this child will be living. Poverty is not dangerous. No food, mean pitbulls, and drug dealing is.
For the record, CASA has NEVER, been supervised by CPS. Our local CPS chapter wants us GONE because we often report thier failure to check up on the kids or set realistic goals. We answer to the National CASA associtation. NOT CPS. We too are all mothers on our team, and don;t take this lightly. We shed our old value systemts and consider diversity and see family strength in all it's forms, not just middle class white culture.
Cases with CASA are often resumed in 18 months, MUCH quicker than cases without CASAS. Most are reunited. Isn't that the goal- to achieve a safe, permanent home for foster children as much as possible?
This is why I log in and lurk here- to see your battles with foster parents and CPS. To know what to look out for that may not bein the best interest of the child.
Please, understand what we are- not puppets of CPS. Rather, one person assigned to one case to know it inside and out. We see improvement or false allegations, we tell the judge. We see relapse,. we report it to the judge. Abuse or issues in the foster home- first social worker, then judge.
I just spent 2 hours with one of my CASA children. SHe is hard-core ghetto. I think she shoukld have her daughter, but her duaghter is in THE PERFECT HOME at present. How do I advocate for a thug, drug, pit bull life over a catholic, stable life? How do I? THis young mother obsessed about her daughter and how she is a blood gang member by birth. But she is her daughter and she has a right to raise her like a thug. Or she could stay woth her foster parents, never know fear or hunger, and probably go to college.
Tough as hell call. Lighten up on us please.
The CASA that called me had never even heard of HUD Family Reunification Vouchers.
CASA,
What strategies have you seen for substance abuse, employment and housing that work best?
Two major issues which legislation and funding haven't kept pace with are
subsidized guardianship to preserve family relationships
and
longer time frames for substance abuse cases.
Do you have any insight into these issues?
CASA,
What strategies have you seen for substance abuse, employment and housing that work best?
Two major issues which legislation and funding haven't kept pace with are
subsidized guardianship to preserve family relationships
and
longer time frames for substance abuse cases.
Do you have any insight into these issues?
Marina wrote:CASA,
What strategies have you seen for substance abuse, employment and housing that work best?
Two major issues which legislation and funding haven't kept pace with are
subsidized guardianship to preserve family relationships
and
longer time frames for substance abuse cases.
Do you have any insight into these issues?
WHere I am a CASA, inpatient treatment, free job training (I am talking two year associates degrees with FREE daycare for children of the state) are available. As for housing, there is a transitional housing program I am trying to get her to take. She would get an apartment with her daughter for 30% of her income, granted she attend domestic violence counseling and not have any abuse or overnight guests (this transitional housing program is for women trying to leave abusive relationships) However, the #1 factor in drug abuse treatment is the willpower of the person being treated.
For instance, I think this girl will lose her child because she will CHOOSE to live with her drug dealing boyfriend rather than get custody of her child back.
As far as longer time frames for substance abuse issues, these can be addressed through extensions. It all depends on the efforts the bio-parent is making- whether treatment is tried, etc- also, children CANNOT be removed due to drug use here. It is only if the drug use leads to neglect or imminent danger. (as in the case of meth labs) THis long term foster care dance is what led to the 15 month limit for foster care placements. This teen mom I am representing has been in and out of foster care her WHOLE life.
Funded guardianship was a joke in my case. It went to the girl's 21 year old sister who used all the $$ for crystal meth while this 14 year old child raised her two young nephews and got pregnant by her sister's older friends who visited the home. BIo mom was way worse off in life skills than any of the children. I have not seen any shortages, personally, in funded guardianship here. Funds were easily available and generous (a good friend of mine gets $1100 for her permanent guardianship of her husband's niece child)
CASAs, here, are assigned only to complex, complicated, "worst of the worst" cases. I have the perspective of working with a very large family where EVERY individual has CPS involvement (and I'm talking very severe, documented, child abuse.)
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Harlan Carroll
- Posts: 158
- Joined: Sun Jun 04, 2006 11:50 am
the casa worker on our case has not seen or talk to any of us since june but when we went to court at the end of November she recommended that my child not come home, so i have to ask if she has not spoke to us where do you think she got her information
the caseworker of course
so all i see is the casa worker is just another caseworker who goes to court and makes her dicissions on lies from the caseworker and or the social workers.
the caseworker of course
so all i see is the casa worker is just another caseworker who goes to court and makes her dicissions on lies from the caseworker and or the social workers.
fighting for my family
lynn... the CASA worker for my family did the same thing. She never met the children or us... she didnt even read the file and when the judge asked for her input, she said that the kids should stay in a foster home... He asked her if she had read the file and she said no.... then where the heck did she get off on voicing her opinion?
The CASA worker will be here in a couple of days to meet with the kids and I.... why I dont know.
The CASA worker will be here in a couple of days to meet with the kids and I.... why I dont know.
As a CASA,i think the above cases are reprehensible and should be reported ASAP to the CASA director.
I have logged 240+ hours reviewing files,researching reatives for placement, taking my CASA chargesout to dinner, well over $150 for gifts they would not get otherwise, and have been yelled at inthe face by CPS counsel.
Any CASA who does not read the child's file, in my opinion,should not be a CASA.
The reporting, incidentally, does go to CPS as a copy only. the JUDGE in the targetof the report. I have had hearings called because of information that I have supplied the judge that CPS chose to ignore.
I have logged 240+ hours reviewing files,researching reatives for placement, taking my CASA chargesout to dinner, well over $150 for gifts they would not get otherwise, and have been yelled at inthe face by CPS counsel.
Any CASA who does not read the child's file, in my opinion,should not be a CASA.
The reporting, incidentally, does go to CPS as a copy only. the JUDGE in the targetof the report. I have had hearings called because of information that I have supplied the judge that CPS chose to ignore.
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fightingfor3
- Posts: 199
- Joined: Tue Sep 26, 2006 5:40 pm
I too have had no good interaction with them. The one time I talked with a CASA advocate was AFTER I was adjudicated. What's the point in that? I was not ALLOWED to talk to them prior. I went directly to their office and spoke with the advocate assigned to our case. She offered nothing. I addressed concerns regarding the children and their treatment in care, nothing. Every time I brought something up, the response I had is that they don't deal with that. The director and several other employees were present. Later she misconstrued most of what I said and ignored the rest. In her report she went off of what the social workers reported, as many statements are almost verbatim.
"The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic state itself. That in essence is facism." Franklin Roosevelt
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Again, allI can tell you is that our organization is NOT a partner with CPS. CPS would love to see us float away- a prior poster said that they need a watch dog group for CPS- we are not a watch dog for CPS but for the child and the child alone.
The reason you didn't talk to a CASA until after you were adjuticated is because CASAs ONLY get assigned to cases where a CHIPS order has been filed and that is AFTER ajudication. There is no point assigning a CASA until a child has been deemed in need of special protection.
I'm sorry to hear of your negative experiences- we've had good progress with our program, and of nearby programs.
The biggest thing with CASAs is continuity in the case. If a foster home changes, or a social worker changes, the CASA does not, and gives the judge a complete history. THis can often be in the bio parent's favor.
The reason you didn't talk to a CASA until after you were adjuticated is because CASAs ONLY get assigned to cases where a CHIPS order has been filed and that is AFTER ajudication. There is no point assigning a CASA until a child has been deemed in need of special protection.
I'm sorry to hear of your negative experiences- we've had good progress with our program, and of nearby programs.
The biggest thing with CASAs is continuity in the case. If a foster home changes, or a social worker changes, the CASA does not, and gives the judge a complete history. THis can often be in the bio parent's favor.
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fightingfor3
- Posts: 199
- Joined: Tue Sep 26, 2006 5:40 pm
CASA was assigned to my case from day one, the same time my lawyer was assigned.
CHIPS is in the northern states, I believe? They might be more proactive and have more resources available to them.
I hear that you are saying that your program is one that is successful. I am glad that it is so. I'm glad for parents who can actually receive services that might be helpful. Unfortunately that is not the case everywhere.
I understand CASA is to protect the child, but in the child's best interest it is imperative to see the parents succeed. It is impossible for this to happen if there is only one side of a story. Most of the time there are errors in the child's report, at the least. Sometimes horrific lies. To base the "protection" of a child on something that possibly never existed isn't going to be effective nor productive for either the child or the family unit.
CHIPS is in the northern states, I believe? They might be more proactive and have more resources available to them.
I hear that you are saying that your program is one that is successful. I am glad that it is so. I'm glad for parents who can actually receive services that might be helpful. Unfortunately that is not the case everywhere.
I understand CASA is to protect the child, but in the child's best interest it is imperative to see the parents succeed. It is impossible for this to happen if there is only one side of a story. Most of the time there are errors in the child's report, at the least. Sometimes horrific lies. To base the "protection" of a child on something that possibly never existed isn't going to be effective nor productive for either the child or the family unit.
"The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic state itself. That in essence is facism." Franklin Roosevelt
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
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Frustrated
- Posts: 3916
- Joined: Fri Aug 26, 2005 11:15 am
- Location: Canada
- Contact:
To further the important question:
WHAT IS THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE CHILD?
Most Courts would argue that in the best interests of the child does not extend to the Child himself or herself, but also does not extend to its own natural Family that he or she is familar with for the rest of their natural Life since Birth.
WHAT IS THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE CHILD?
Most Courts would argue that in the best interests of the child does not extend to the Child himself or herself, but also does not extend to its own natural Family that he or she is familar with for the rest of their natural Life since Birth.
It is easy to steal from poor people. But don't do it. And don't take advantage of those poor people in court. The Lord is on their side. He supports them and he will take things away from any person that takes from them.~ Proverbs 22:22
The CASA in my family's case is such a complete
stooge for the agency that she has ignored caseworker
perjury that was exposed and actually LIED in
efforts to prop up the agency's grip on us.
Court Appointed Special Advocates, phpht!
The CPS agency is basically considered to be
an extension of the court as well.
In some places they have tried to make
Family Rights advocates official too, but
it's not far fetched to point out that this
is just a means to coopt or neutralize the
outside criticism from Family Rights groups.
Family Rights groups are starting to become
a serious threat for the Child Protection INDUSTRY.
Study up on how CPS is trying to fight back.
http://www.sltrib.com/2003/Oct/10182003/utah/103158.asp
SATURDAY
October 18, 2003
Utah is a showdown state in an activist movement to restore control of children's welfare to
the family
By Brooke Adams
The Salt Lake Tribune
From Oregon to Michigan, new parents' rights groups are rising with single-minded purpose:
to undo laws and policies they believe unfairly allow child protection agencies to break up
families.
Utah is one of the showdown states -- and the activism began long before Parker Jensen
became a household name.
Parents' rights activists have, among other things, successfully pushed for court-ordered
warrants before children can be removed from homes, prohibited parental rights from being
terminated when a parent fails to complete a treatment plan and opened court proceedings in a
pilot project.
Their success has not gone unnoticed.
Last year, Utah Children, a nonprofit advocacy group, identified attempts by parents'
rights groups to "weaken child protection programs" as one of its three top concerns.
It also sought help from a national organization, Voices for America's Children, for advice
on how to counter parents' rights groups.
"Utah is the only state I've heard of where they are getting significant attention and
leverage," said Deborah Stein, policy director for the organization, which represents groups
like Utah Children across the nation. "These groups might be active elsewhere, but [they
aren't] having that level of impact."
That is likely to change.
One example: Two Michigan groups, formed in the past year, Citizens for Parental Rights and
the state chapter of the National Alliance for Parents and Families, met with congressional
representatives last week. They are seeking national reforms that include disclosing the
identities of those making child abuse allegations and using more funds on fixing families than
foster care. Nancy Luckhurst of Sheridan, Mich., and secretary for the National Alliance, is
busy starting branches across the country via the Internet.
"We are becoming quite well received," Luckhurst said in a telephone interview.
Groups unite: In Utah, Daren and Barbara Jensen and their son Parker became the poster
family for the parents' rights movement this summer as they battled the state over the boy's
cancer diagnosis and treatment.
"The Jensen case is a flashpoint in bringing it back to the surface in a very visible way,"
said Karen Crompton, executive director of Utah Children.
Grass-roots efforts to limit state involvement in family affairs have always been
well-received here. The Utah Eagle Forum, a conservative interest group led by Gayle Ruzicka,
has been at it for more than a decade. "We work hard at it and when you tell the truth, people
will listen," said Ruzicka. "We've hung in there over and over and continually come back."
Other Utah groups feed into the parents' rights movement. They include home schooling
proponents to Accountability Utah, a government watchdog group, JEDI For Women (Justice,
Economic Dignity and Independence), which advocates for low-income women, and Citizens
Commission on Human Rights, a Scientology group opposed to use of psychotropic drugs, such as
Ritalin.
In the 1980s, fathers who believed they were getting a raw deal in divorce settlements began
flexing political clout through Utah Parents for Children's Rights and Utah Fathers and
Children Together. FOCUS, the successor of those groups, had eight bills before the Legislature
this year alone. All failed.
But the newest cause celebre in Utah and nationwide is the belief that an overzealous child
welfare system is destroying families -- often, critics say, by confusing poverty with neglect.
"Certainly we need to do something in this country to protect abused children," said Doug
Quirmbach, public relations director of CPS Watch, a Missouri-based national group founded in
1995 as a policy and data clearinghouse for child welfare issues. But, "If a child is removed
unnecessarily, the state is abusing that child."
That belief has given rise to new groups in Utah: Citizens for Child Protection Reform,
Family Rights of Utah, Utah Families Association and, in the wake of the Jensen case, My Child,
My Choice.
Almost all were founded by people who had a personal run-in with the Utah Division of Child
and Family Services. Several groups have little more than a name behind them; others got a
jump-start with help of conservative-values champions like Ruzicka.
National organizations also have aided Utah groups such as Oregon-based American Family
Rights Association, which provided content used in fliers at pro-Jensen family rallies.
Key issues: Roz McGee, former director of Utah Children and a current state legislator,
says the parents' rights movement is in part an ironic result of raising public awareness of
what constitutes abuse.
"Once all professionals became aware of the need to report suspected child abuse, there
became more reports and more consistent investigations," McGee said. "In response to this, some
people who believed they were wrongly investigated began to get vocal."
Other observers say new laws and policies adopted in the past decade set the stage for the
movement. They include federal welfare reform, the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 and,
in Utah, the 1994 overhaul of Utah's child welfare system as part of class-action lawsuit
settlement, and a 1997 state law that made witnessing domestic violence a form of child abuse.
"What we're seeing is more children being removed who've not been neglected or abused at
all, but [who caseworkers say] meet a profile where a parent may be likely in the future to be
a danger to the child," said Quirmbach.
Take what happened to Lisa Bierly of Salt Lake City. In 2000, DCFS removed her
then-7-year-old son after alleging his diabetes was not being properly managed. Caseworkers
also decided her then-2-year-old daughter was a "sibling at-risk" and took her from Bierly's
custody.
She subsequently lost custody of both children despite completing several treatment plans.
Bierly is appealing that decision, but odds are slim that her children will be returned to her.
Meanwhile, two attempts to place her son Jordan with adoptive parents have failed. Her
daughter has lived in eight foster homes and was rejected by two adoptive families; she
recently was diagnosed with Reactive Attachment Disorder, a failure to bond with a caregiver.
Quirmbach and Bonnie Macri, director of Utah's JEDI Women, also see poverty as a common
denominator in many removal cases.
"JEDI started in 1999 getting bombarded with low-income women who'd lost their children,"
Macri said. "Low-income women were being sent back to work and they didn't have enough money to
pay child care and their children were being taken out of their homes."
Rallying cry: The parental rights cause resonates in Utah where there is widespread support
for limited government and an "abiding reverence" for family.
"When you put those organizations on top of that deeply held, cherished belief, it becomes
a very powerful force in state politics," said Kelly Patterson, an associate professor of
political science at Brigham Young University. "Across other states you would see pockets of
strength, but in few states [are they] as powerful on a statewide basis."
Richard Wexler, director of the National Coalition for Child Protection Reform, disputes
that Utah groups have had any measurable success. His yardstick: fewer children being removed
from their homes, and that hasn't happened. DCFS removed nearly 1,900 children from their
parents for substantiated allegations of abuse, neglect, maltreatment or juvenile delinquency
for the 12-month period that ended July 1, according to state figures.
"If there is supposedly some all-powerful parental rights movement tying the hands of
caseworkers, the rate of removal in Utah doesn't show that," said Wexler.
Showdown looms: Making it more difficult for DCFS to intercede will be a prime objective of
parents' rights groups in the 2004 legislative session.
Already, Richard Anderson, DCFS director, said he has seen drafts of several bills and
talked with legislators about others. Among the early ideas being floated by the pols: restrict
the state from intervening in medical treatment decisions if parents are judged competent;
change mandatory reporting requirements for physicians; redefine what constitutes abuse and
neglect; and require jury trials any time the state wants to terminate parental custody.
"Before the Jensen case happened, we were already looking at multiple bills," Ruzicka said.
Now, "every legislator wants to carry something."
Anderson adopts a conciliatory pose when talking about the factions vying to direct his
agency's operations.
"There is a healthy tension that needs to exist in child welfare," Anderson said. "We need
to make sure there is a group protecting parents' rights and a group protecting children's
welfare. I wish they would come together."
The dilemma for Crompton is how to provide balance to the parents' rights groups that so
easily capture media attention with their crowds and catchy phrases.
"They've got the rallying cry 'My Child, My Choice.' Those kind of sound bites are always
easy, like 'No More Taxes.' They resonant. But to look at the issues comprehensively is more
than a sound bite."
Confidentiality requirements often work in favor of the parent's rights activists,
according to Crompton.
"You don't know the whole story on either side because it is protected information. But
children aren't just snatched from their homes," she said.
"The bottom line has to be the safety of a child and the state does have an obligation to
provide that safety net if a family can't or won't."
-----
Brooke Adams was awarded a 2003 Journalism Fellowship in Child and Family Policy, which
supported research for this report. The program is based at the University of Maryland.
[email protected]
-----
stooge for the agency that she has ignored caseworker
perjury that was exposed and actually LIED in
efforts to prop up the agency's grip on us.
Court Appointed Special Advocates, phpht!
The CPS agency is basically considered to be
an extension of the court as well.
In some places they have tried to make
Family Rights advocates official too, but
it's not far fetched to point out that this
is just a means to coopt or neutralize the
outside criticism from Family Rights groups.
Family Rights groups are starting to become
a serious threat for the Child Protection INDUSTRY.
Study up on how CPS is trying to fight back.
http://www.sltrib.com/2003/Oct/10182003/utah/103158.asp
SATURDAY
October 18, 2003
Utah is a showdown state in an activist movement to restore control of children's welfare to
the family
By Brooke Adams
The Salt Lake Tribune
From Oregon to Michigan, new parents' rights groups are rising with single-minded purpose:
to undo laws and policies they believe unfairly allow child protection agencies to break up
families.
Utah is one of the showdown states -- and the activism began long before Parker Jensen
became a household name.
Parents' rights activists have, among other things, successfully pushed for court-ordered
warrants before children can be removed from homes, prohibited parental rights from being
terminated when a parent fails to complete a treatment plan and opened court proceedings in a
pilot project.
Their success has not gone unnoticed.
Last year, Utah Children, a nonprofit advocacy group, identified attempts by parents'
rights groups to "weaken child protection programs" as one of its three top concerns.
It also sought help from a national organization, Voices for America's Children, for advice
on how to counter parents' rights groups.
"Utah is the only state I've heard of where they are getting significant attention and
leverage," said Deborah Stein, policy director for the organization, which represents groups
like Utah Children across the nation. "These groups might be active elsewhere, but [they
aren't] having that level of impact."
That is likely to change.
One example: Two Michigan groups, formed in the past year, Citizens for Parental Rights and
the state chapter of the National Alliance for Parents and Families, met with congressional
representatives last week. They are seeking national reforms that include disclosing the
identities of those making child abuse allegations and using more funds on fixing families than
foster care. Nancy Luckhurst of Sheridan, Mich., and secretary for the National Alliance, is
busy starting branches across the country via the Internet.
"We are becoming quite well received," Luckhurst said in a telephone interview.
Groups unite: In Utah, Daren and Barbara Jensen and their son Parker became the poster
family for the parents' rights movement this summer as they battled the state over the boy's
cancer diagnosis and treatment.
"The Jensen case is a flashpoint in bringing it back to the surface in a very visible way,"
said Karen Crompton, executive director of Utah Children.
Grass-roots efforts to limit state involvement in family affairs have always been
well-received here. The Utah Eagle Forum, a conservative interest group led by Gayle Ruzicka,
has been at it for more than a decade. "We work hard at it and when you tell the truth, people
will listen," said Ruzicka. "We've hung in there over and over and continually come back."
Other Utah groups feed into the parents' rights movement. They include home schooling
proponents to Accountability Utah, a government watchdog group, JEDI For Women (Justice,
Economic Dignity and Independence), which advocates for low-income women, and Citizens
Commission on Human Rights, a Scientology group opposed to use of psychotropic drugs, such as
Ritalin.
In the 1980s, fathers who believed they were getting a raw deal in divorce settlements began
flexing political clout through Utah Parents for Children's Rights and Utah Fathers and
Children Together. FOCUS, the successor of those groups, had eight bills before the Legislature
this year alone. All failed.
But the newest cause celebre in Utah and nationwide is the belief that an overzealous child
welfare system is destroying families -- often, critics say, by confusing poverty with neglect.
"Certainly we need to do something in this country to protect abused children," said Doug
Quirmbach, public relations director of CPS Watch, a Missouri-based national group founded in
1995 as a policy and data clearinghouse for child welfare issues. But, "If a child is removed
unnecessarily, the state is abusing that child."
That belief has given rise to new groups in Utah: Citizens for Child Protection Reform,
Family Rights of Utah, Utah Families Association and, in the wake of the Jensen case, My Child,
My Choice.
Almost all were founded by people who had a personal run-in with the Utah Division of Child
and Family Services. Several groups have little more than a name behind them; others got a
jump-start with help of conservative-values champions like Ruzicka.
National organizations also have aided Utah groups such as Oregon-based American Family
Rights Association, which provided content used in fliers at pro-Jensen family rallies.
Key issues: Roz McGee, former director of Utah Children and a current state legislator,
says the parents' rights movement is in part an ironic result of raising public awareness of
what constitutes abuse.
"Once all professionals became aware of the need to report suspected child abuse, there
became more reports and more consistent investigations," McGee said. "In response to this, some
people who believed they were wrongly investigated began to get vocal."
Other observers say new laws and policies adopted in the past decade set the stage for the
movement. They include federal welfare reform, the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 and,
in Utah, the 1994 overhaul of Utah's child welfare system as part of class-action lawsuit
settlement, and a 1997 state law that made witnessing domestic violence a form of child abuse.
"What we're seeing is more children being removed who've not been neglected or abused at
all, but [who caseworkers say] meet a profile where a parent may be likely in the future to be
a danger to the child," said Quirmbach.
Take what happened to Lisa Bierly of Salt Lake City. In 2000, DCFS removed her
then-7-year-old son after alleging his diabetes was not being properly managed. Caseworkers
also decided her then-2-year-old daughter was a "sibling at-risk" and took her from Bierly's
custody.
She subsequently lost custody of both children despite completing several treatment plans.
Bierly is appealing that decision, but odds are slim that her children will be returned to her.
Meanwhile, two attempts to place her son Jordan with adoptive parents have failed. Her
daughter has lived in eight foster homes and was rejected by two adoptive families; she
recently was diagnosed with Reactive Attachment Disorder, a failure to bond with a caregiver.
Quirmbach and Bonnie Macri, director of Utah's JEDI Women, also see poverty as a common
denominator in many removal cases.
"JEDI started in 1999 getting bombarded with low-income women who'd lost their children,"
Macri said. "Low-income women were being sent back to work and they didn't have enough money to
pay child care and their children were being taken out of their homes."
Rallying cry: The parental rights cause resonates in Utah where there is widespread support
for limited government and an "abiding reverence" for family.
"When you put those organizations on top of that deeply held, cherished belief, it becomes
a very powerful force in state politics," said Kelly Patterson, an associate professor of
political science at Brigham Young University. "Across other states you would see pockets of
strength, but in few states [are they] as powerful on a statewide basis."
Richard Wexler, director of the National Coalition for Child Protection Reform, disputes
that Utah groups have had any measurable success. His yardstick: fewer children being removed
from their homes, and that hasn't happened. DCFS removed nearly 1,900 children from their
parents for substantiated allegations of abuse, neglect, maltreatment or juvenile delinquency
for the 12-month period that ended July 1, according to state figures.
"If there is supposedly some all-powerful parental rights movement tying the hands of
caseworkers, the rate of removal in Utah doesn't show that," said Wexler.
Showdown looms: Making it more difficult for DCFS to intercede will be a prime objective of
parents' rights groups in the 2004 legislative session.
Already, Richard Anderson, DCFS director, said he has seen drafts of several bills and
talked with legislators about others. Among the early ideas being floated by the pols: restrict
the state from intervening in medical treatment decisions if parents are judged competent;
change mandatory reporting requirements for physicians; redefine what constitutes abuse and
neglect; and require jury trials any time the state wants to terminate parental custody.
"Before the Jensen case happened, we were already looking at multiple bills," Ruzicka said.
Now, "every legislator wants to carry something."
Anderson adopts a conciliatory pose when talking about the factions vying to direct his
agency's operations.
"There is a healthy tension that needs to exist in child welfare," Anderson said. "We need
to make sure there is a group protecting parents' rights and a group protecting children's
welfare. I wish they would come together."
The dilemma for Crompton is how to provide balance to the parents' rights groups that so
easily capture media attention with their crowds and catchy phrases.
"They've got the rallying cry 'My Child, My Choice.' Those kind of sound bites are always
easy, like 'No More Taxes.' They resonant. But to look at the issues comprehensively is more
than a sound bite."
Confidentiality requirements often work in favor of the parent's rights activists,
according to Crompton.
"You don't know the whole story on either side because it is protected information. But
children aren't just snatched from their homes," she said.
"The bottom line has to be the safety of a child and the state does have an obligation to
provide that safety net if a family can't or won't."
-----
Brooke Adams was awarded a 2003 Journalism Fellowship in Child and Family Policy, which
supported research for this report. The program is based at the University of Maryland.
[email protected]
-----
fixigo wrote:CASA wrote:
""her duaghter is in THE PERFECT HOME at present. How do I advocate for a thug, drug, pit bull life over a catholic, stable life?""
With all your heart - there's no such thing as a CPS success story.
SO- are you saying I advocate a child to return to a family where EVERY female child has been sexually molested for three generations, where infants have been beaten, found unattended in a filthy cold home with dangerous dogs and ridden with lice?
Perhaps I'm in the wrong here, as this site is obviously aimed at FALSE accusations. Obviously there is a fine line between what you feel is safe for a child and what a parent should be allowed to do to a child.
If it is this site's, belief that children are property of thier parents with no right to protection or outside intervention, obviously I am in the wrong place.
I feel strongly everyone makes mistakes, that the current system is horribly neglectful towards single/low income families- but that everyone should have ample opportunities to take care of THEMSELVES so they can care for thier children. WHen a mother chooses crack over formula, should we all look away?
And Greegor, Utah is the WORST state to look at in regards of child protection and family rights. CPS happily hands over 13-16 year old girls to their "husbands" (40-50 year old church elders of the FLDS, often relatives) so they can be forced to produce baby after baby with their "sisterwives". This legislation was directly introduced due to the constant media coverage of child brides being kept captive and hidden away, and the FLDS church-based CPS returning these molested girls (I mean they were PREGANT and taken out of school at 8th grade) to their "husbands".
fixigo wrote:With all your heart - there's no such thing as a CPS success story.
You're darn right. Because sometimes the parents plain out are unsafe, and so are the foster homes.
As a CASA, I talk to the family, the child, doctors, social workers, attend hearings, but above all, ADVOCATE THE CHILD'S wishes and needs. I see how the social workers pretend things aren't happening when they are, and I see women lie about letting the man who raped their kid have access to them again.
My whole point- CASA IS NOT, and NEVER WILL BE, affiliated with CPS, at least not in my state. We are an independent organization that supplies objective information to the judge and looks in on the child's well-being.
-
ladyfoldora
- Posts: 58
- Joined: Thu Sep 14, 2006 6:48 am
- Location: South Carolina
- Contact:
I think I am a little confused. Are CASA and GAL the same thing?
In my case, the only ones who know anything about the GAL at this point is the CPS caseworker. He knew the original one had to be removed and a new one had been appointed. Seems to me that at least in this state and regarding GALs they are pretty friendly with CPS. I have NEVER heard from the GAL (old one or new one), and I hope to god they aren't planning on going to court and just using the info from the CPS case file. As far as CASA goes, I am not familiar with them at all and they have never been mentioned, which I guess is why I just assumed they were pretty much the same thing.
In my case, the only ones who know anything about the GAL at this point is the CPS caseworker. He knew the original one had to be removed and a new one had been appointed. Seems to me that at least in this state and regarding GALs they are pretty friendly with CPS. I have NEVER heard from the GAL (old one or new one), and I hope to god they aren't planning on going to court and just using the info from the CPS case file. As far as CASA goes, I am not familiar with them at all and they have never been mentioned, which I guess is why I just assumed they were pretty much the same thing.
Are CASA and GAL the same thing?
Basically yes, They are the courts eyes and ears..
I have NEVER heard from the GAL (old one or new one), and I hope to god they aren't planning on going to court and just using the info from the CPS case file.
Check your state laws and the policies of the GAL..Most states have laws that state each step the GAL should do in each case. Conducting interviews with parents is one of them. Some states they can be prosecuted for failing to "follow the law and policies"
*********************
My advice is my opinion and not legal advice
*********************
A bad lawyer is worse then no lawyer and bad advice is worse then no advice....
My advice is my opinion and not legal advice
*********************
A bad lawyer is worse then no lawyer and bad advice is worse then no advice....
CASA wrote:
SO- are you saying I advocate a child to return to a family where EVERY female child has been sexually molested for three generations, where infants have been beaten, found unattended in a filthy cold home with dangerous dogs and ridden with lice?
Perhaps I'm in the wrong here, as this site is obviously aimed at FALSE accusations. Obviously there is a fine line between what you feel is safe for a child and what a parent should be allowed to do to a child.
If it is this site's, belief that children are property of thier parents with no right to protection or outside intervention, obviously I am in the wrong place.
I don't speak for this 'site'.
Parents convicted of 'molesting' their children should go to jail.
Parents convicted of 'beating' infants should go to jail.
Parents 'should be allowed' - bullcrap -
Parents have the right to raise their children as they see fit without interference from a gaggle of second guessing nanny's.
Folks advocating for 'child's rights' are no friend of family. And destroying family to 'protect' children is an oxymoron.
All of this is of course JMHO.
fixigo wrote:
I don't speak for this 'site'.
Parents convicted of 'molesting' their children should go to jail.
Parents convicted of 'beating' infants should go to jail.
Parents 'should be allowed' - bullcrap -
Parents have the right to raise their children as they see fit without interference from a gaggle of second guessing nanny's.
Folks advocating for 'child's rights' are no friend of family. And destroying family to 'protect' children is an oxymoron.
All of this is of course JMHO.
See, this is where I get confused. There ARE people out there, plenty of them, that think having sex with their children and burning them as a lesson is OK. One thing CPS cannot address here is the practice of burning a child's fingers with a match to teach them to not play with fire. It's a cultural thing to one ethnic group. It makes me mad to see three year olds with burnt hands in the grocery store. But are you saying that the family should be helped another way? Because I'd love to hear it, and I'm not being sarcastic.
For the record, I too believe CPS should not exist, and that child abuse be taken seriously and abusers sent to jail and prevented from harming other children. Unfortunately, it is a cold hard fact that most children are harmed/molested in their OWN HOMES.
GAL is a lawyer in my state, appointed by the judge. What I've seen is that they glance through the file and nod with whatever the judge says. They do NOT interact with the child, social worker,or foster family.
CASAs are volunteers to provide information to the judges about the case- objectively and entirely.
My point about advocating for this child to get her child back is that being a CASA is gut wrenching and goes against your own values often.
I'd also like to point out that in counties with CASA programs, cases get closed within the 15 month time limit 78% of the time. With no CASA programs, it's something like 21%?
-
Frustrated
- Posts: 3916
- Joined: Fri Aug 26, 2005 11:15 am
- Location: Canada
- Contact:
I have a question:
How many times does CASA worker actually and physically see the "said child"? Do they see them at all? Does CASA see most Children as Judge orders it? Where CASA sees the Children? Does CASA ask questions to the Children and find out of their wishes? Does their wishes actually brought to the Judge?
What is the percentage that CASA worker does see the Children named in the Case?
How many times does CASA worker actually and physically see the "said child"? Do they see them at all? Does CASA see most Children as Judge orders it? Where CASA sees the Children? Does CASA ask questions to the Children and find out of their wishes? Does their wishes actually brought to the Judge?
What is the percentage that CASA worker does see the Children named in the Case?
It is easy to steal from poor people. But don't do it. And don't take advantage of those poor people in court. The Lord is on their side. He supports them and he will take things away from any person that takes from them.~ Proverbs 22:22
Frustrated wrote:I have a question:
How many times does CASA worker actually and physically see the "said child"? Do they see them at all? Does CASA see most Children as Judge orders it? Where CASA sees the Children? Does CASA ask questions to the Children and find out of their wishes? Does their wishes actually brought to the Judge?
What is the percentage that CASA worker does see the Children named in the Case?
In my program, we MUST, as a condition of the CASA volunteer agreement, spend one full hour hour of contact weekly with said child. This does not include any court hearings or documentation.
That is the whole point of the CASA program- to know the child very well. I take my CASA child out to dinner, and just listen to her. I make sure she has cupcakes sent to her class on her birthday.
Yes, I spend a great deal of time with my CASA children, and remember, i have known them for going on 16 months now. I didn't just hop into thier lives and become a watchdog for CPS. It's child centered and family centered, as the family is also involved.
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