August 2004 Expose' on the Child Abuse Industry

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My children were removed five years agofrom my care and placed in my mother’s home where she is paid by the government to keep them. Both children were taken 7 months after my son’s leg was accidently broken and I was accused of abuse. Half of my wages are being garnished for past due child support making it impossible for me to make ends meet. I will never give up trying toget custody of my children who want desperately to come home.My dad had health problems and put me voluntarily in CPS custody for two-weeks.Even though he recovered, CPS refused tosend me home. I spent 23 months in a group home where I was prescribed a cocktail of psychiatric drugs. Everyone wondered why I developed behavior & health problems. Now, my dad is an advocate for CPS reform and they retaliated against us by keeping me in the system for so long.I went to the police and CPS while seeking help in a women’s shelter as I firmly believed my son was being molested by his father, who is an attorney. The outcome of me trying to protect my son, caused CPS to immediately give his father custody without any investigation. For the last twoyears, I have had only supervised visitation with my son. Due to this unjust ruling, my son has endured unthinkable acts of sexual abuse and his father’s alcoholism. I will not quit fighting for my son’s return and being an advocate for CPS and Judicial reform until this system is

overhauled.

A few victims of the Child Abuse Industry . . .

At 4, I was illegally taken by the police without a warrant from my non-abusive dad and forced into foster care. In my first foster home, I endured sexual and physical abuse. My foster mom, therapist and court appointed attorney brainwashed me to make false statements about my dad. My dad spent thousands of dollars defending himself in Dependency court. Now, my dad’s case plan has been completed for 8 months and hoping to go home very soon.My 7-children were removed from my home and thrust intofoster care when the police arrested my husband who was creating a domestic disturbance.They took all my children because they said I had a dirty home. After fighting in court for more than a year, I lost my home,and all of my possessions to pay for legal expenses. My husband and I were forced to live at the local homeless shelter. After one of my children was burned in a scalding hot bath in the foster home, then my 7 children were finally returned. I can’t believe our own government would treat families this way and make us pay for their mistakes.

A two-year investigation by a Los Angeles Newspaper Group found that the child welfare system has taken thousands of children away from their parents in cases where it may not have been necessary or advisable, sending them tohomes that are more dangerous than the ones they left. This is happening nationwide, not just in Los Angeles.The reason? It appears to be a twisted system of financial incentives that rewards county Child Protection Service agencies for placing a huge number of children in foster care– spending from $30,000 to $150,000 for each child per year. This money comes from our Federal Social Security Trust Fund! The reward system, which one expert called the “perverse incentive factor,” led Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services as well as CPS agencies nationwide to whisk children away from their parents when alternatives to out-of-home placement would have worked better.

Expose

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IV–on the Child Abuse Industry

Recognizing the Problems, Seeking the Solutions

August 2004

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Mission Statement

The American Family Rights Association is a professional association of parents,grandparents, family rights advocates, former foster and adopted children,attorneys, licensed social workers, medical professionals, human rights andfreedom advocates.The insertion of the coercive force of government into the private lives of families,without accountability, due process, or recourse to redress the government forgrievances is epidemic nationally and invariably harms families, communities,threatens our country’s future and should be vigorously opposed.As an association we are dedicated to assisting families and their children byproviding access to educational materials, news, support and information whichwill allow families and individuals to educate themselves on subjects of vitalimportance in restoring, exercising, and defending their sovereign rights andliberties.Visit us at: www.familyrightsassociation.com

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AFRA Mission Statement..................................................................................................................................................2 The Washington DC delegates report to the membership..........................................................................................4Reuniting families turning into success story for county..........................................................................................6 Judge calls for case reviews of 30,000 foster children...............................................................................................7 Kids’ parents impotent against agency’s power...........................................................................................................8 State bills parents for foster care...............................................................................................................................10 Report: Foster care system needs massive overhaul.................................................................................................12 Photographs from the Report “Forgotten Children” by Carole Strayhorn..........................................................14Perry vows to find cracks in child protection system...............................................................................................15 Foster Care is Un-American...........................................................................................................................................16 Utah’s Parent Czar, by Wendy McElroy.........................................................................................................................18 Kids are hurting for lack of court help........................................................................................................................19 Foster Care Cash Cow, by Troy Anderson.....................................................................................................................20 Ways to Care for an Ailing Foster System, Federal funds could help more kids at home....................................22 Private Agencies Diverting Millions, audits find parties, vacations, & more.......................................................24Child Abuse: A Quiet Shame, by Kathy Gambrell, UPI White House Reporter........................................................26 Honorable Lawmakers, Guardians of the United States Constitution,

by AFRA California Director, Bill Tower........

29 Child services scandal heats up–Molina: Fire or discipline ineffective social workers.......................................30 Committee Chair, Marie Parente, is Trouble by DSS,................................................................................................32 Successful alternatives to taking children from their parents–

Nine Ways to do Child Welfare Right........................

36 Foster Ruling to Cost the State Millions, relatives get back pay for foster care benefits................................38 Fighting the “Hidden American Disgrace”of Court Abused Children......................................................................39 Foster-kid cash lure may fade–Governor wants to alter system............................................................................40 Proposal limits CPS powers...........................................................................................................................................41 Schwarzenegger attempting to stop exploitation of children for money in California.....................................42 DSS “Follows the money”–Makes an Extra $90 Million Per Year.............................................................................44Abused, drugged and unprotected–mentally ill children suffer in state paid centers........................................48 Ruling on Hearsay Evidence Guts Cases.......................................................................................................................51 Danny’s Story, another child lost to foster care........................................................................................................52 “Relaxing” Liberty Protection for Child Abuse and Terror Attack Prevention for “Our” Children and Nation.................................................................................................................................53 Group fights for changes to Child Protective Services............................................................................................56 The FIA Game–Child Abuse and Child Welfare Protection Laws..............................................................................58 You Know You Are a Corrupt Juvenile Court Judge If,

one man’s experience of the Juvenile Courts..................................

61 National Advisory on Organized Crime Operating in the Child Protection System.............................................62 State’s Child Protection Agencies Collude with Judges to Defraud Federal Government....................................64Study–kids rushed into foster system..........................................................................................................................67 Letter from former foster child Raymond Anthony Marrujo–from San Quentin Prison.....................................68 When the state becomes parent..................................................................................................................................74Psychiatric Fraud–Mental Health Care Today............................................................................................................76 Restraint Deaths and Abuse, Involuntary Commitment Abuse Victims.................................................................77 Mentally ill US children held detention centres..........................................................................................................82 Oregon Black Market Child Selling, USA-Mexico Baby Market................................................................................83 Woman pleads no contest, gets 8 year term in baby buying case.........................................................................83 Agency Blasted in Abuse Probe....................................................................................................................................84CYF program allows mother to take fate into her own hands.................................................................................85 Congressional Inquiry in San Bernardino....................................................................................................................86 David’s children: little children placed in foster care wtih a convicted child molester.......................................87 Panel on foster schools–rate of student graduation from nonpublic facilities low..........................................88 Board focus on schooling–Supervisors

vote to form council to improve education

of foster kids............................89 Making Drugs, Shaping the Rules.................................................................................................................................90 Multiple Transistions – A young child’s point of view on foster care and adoption.............................................98 Stratton Children Bring Home the Bacon....................................................................................................................96 How Dependency Court Really Works..........................................................................................................................98 Comprehensive Child Development Programs Federalize U.S. Children.................................................................102 Thirty Years of CAPTA..................................................................................................................................................104Government Bonuses Accelerate Adoptions.............................................................................................................109 Phantom Foster Children – Woman Charged With Embezzling...............................................................................110 Heavy Hand of Justice – Custody Switch....................................................................................................................111 Could your children be given to gay parents?............................................................................................................115 Volunteer Advocates are of little help study finds...................................................................................................116 Military dads fall victim to child related injustices.................................................................................................117 Family: CPS returned twins two months ago..............................................................................................................118 Systematic Destruction of Families, An essay on Child Protective Services and the Family Courts..............120 In this land?....................................................................................................................................................................122 Why Join the American Family Rights Association..................................................................................................123

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