Berks County Sheriff Discharges Gun In Service Center; Gets 5 day suspension Months Later

This event happened in November. For this, John T. Stanton got a 5 day suspension in January. Authorities in Berks  refuse to comment on details, but blame "personal issues" for the whole episode.

http://readingeagle.com/article/20140116/NEWS/140119903/1030#.UthE3BBdUfU

Ironically, yesterday in Berks, a man was arrested by the same sheriffs department. His crime? Making verbal threats to government caseworkers at the same government building where the sheriff purposely discharged his air gun.


http://readingeagle.com/Section/SplashMobile?page=http://readingeagle.com/article/20140115/NEWS/301159964/t=M?fb_action_ids=10202227750549415

FL Conducts Independent Evaluation On CYS Services And The Results Are......

http://www.ocala.com/article/20131109/OPINION01/131109688/-1/news?Title=Editorial-Problems-at-DCF

Florida Judge Stands Up For What is Right, Verbally Gives CYS A Lashing For Bias, Trampling Constitutional Rights

http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/11/08/3740811/mom-gets-children-dcf-gets-skewered.html

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/11/08/3740811/mom-gets-children-dcf-gets-skewered.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/11/08/3740811/mom-gets-children-dcf-gets-skewered.html#storylink=cpy

Send Your Letters To David Camp!

Meet David Camp, the chairman of the House Means and Ways Committee who is currently overseeing hearings on reforming the foster care system. You can send him  your "hot potato" letters from people who refused to do anything as well as your thoughts about foster care and the government agencies entrusted with "keeping children safe".

For contact information and to read more on the hearings, go here.

http://waysandmeans.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=356385

Hot Potato Part Duo!

This letter was addressed to a citizen in the western part of Pa who had written to voice her opinion to Pat Toomey.



Thank you for contacting me about child welfare services. I appreciate hearing from you.

As you may know, Pennsylvania maintains a child welfare system that is county-administered and state-supervised. In addition, the federal government provides assistance to state and local agencies for the provision of child welfare services, most notably through Title IV-E of the Social Security Act and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grant program. To ensure compliance with federal requirements and to assess the overall system's processes and outcomes, the federal Department of Health and Human Services conducts regular audits and conformity reviews of state and local programs.

I understand your support for efforts to ensure the integrity of these state and local agencies and guarantee the safety, proper assessment, and appropriate placement of children within Pennsylvania. Please be assured that I appreciate your input and will keep your comments in mind as initiatives to improve and modernize child welfare services are introduced and considered in the Senate.

Thank you again for your correspondence. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future if I can be of assistance.

Sincerely,


Pat Toomey
U.S. Senator, Pennsylvania

Hot Potato Hot Potato!

Kids all over the world play the game "hot potato" or some variation thereof. The goal is to not get caught with the hot potato--ie to quickly pass it off to someone else before you get burnt.  Pennsylvania politicians(or all politicians for that matter) play this game very well.

Yes, yes we care. BUT....but alas I can't do anything about THAT. You see, it isn't my potato. Here is a letter from a Pennsylvania Senator that states just that. Yes, we have a problem with child abuse agencies not doing their job in Pennsylvania. But oh dear, that isn't my problem.

Here is the letter, written in response to a letter written by a blogger in Pennsylvania.

Thank you for taking the time to contact Senator Casey about child protective services in Pennsylvania. He appreciates hearing from all Pennsylvanians about the issues that matter most to them.
Child protective services are administered at the county level in the state of Pennsylvania. The Department of Public Welfare’s Office of Children, Youth and Families serves in an oversight capacity to monitor the county agencies and ensure their compliance with state laws. The states have traditionally exercised jurisdiction over litigation and other matters involving child custody, based on the premise that state courts are best able to evaluate all parties and ultimately render decisions in the best interests of a child.
As a federal official, Senator Casey is unable to take direct action on matters relating to these agencies. If you have any questions about a specific issue regarding Child Protective Services, I urge you to contact your State Representative or State Senator for assistance.
Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts with our office. Please do not hesitate to contact us in the future about this or any other matter of importance to you.
Bonnie Seaman
Director of Constituent Services
Senator Robert P. Casey, Jr.
22 S. Third Street, Suite 6A
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17101
717-231-7540
717-231-7542 (fax)
http://casey.senate.gov/

You can call the office and express concern. Exactly whose jurisdiction it is in Pennsylvania? Who is the local CYS accountable to????

Investigation Into Guardian Ad Litems Shows Corruption and Bias

A guardian ad litem is appointed by the court to "protect the best interests of the children" in court. Does this happen? An investigative reporter in one area says no.

http://www.cbsatlanta.com/story/22258017/investigation-exposes-little-oversight-of-child-advocates

Lawmaker Hosts Town Hall Meeting Where CPS Victims Can Share Their Experiences With The Agency

http://www.news10.net/news/article/261695/2/Move-to-reform-CPS-gains-momentum

6th Circuit Court Nixes Practice of Removing Children from Homes Without a Hearing

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20131031/NEWS21/310310049/DCS-will-no-longer-remove-kids-from-homes-without-hearing?nclick_check=1

Penn State To Pay $60 Million To Victims

It's costly--both financially and emotionally. Penn State has agreed to pay almost $60 million dollars to abuse victims in exchange for them not pressing further charges against the university.

There were 26 victims in the Penn State scandal. How many people have been victimized in Berks County over the years and ignored? Many.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/29/sports/ncaafootball/penn-state-to-pay-59-7-million-to-26-sandusky-victims.html?_r=1&

No More Berks County

Berks County News Network is proud to be a part of the NoMORE campaign which seeks to bring awareness to the issues of abuse and domestic violence.

In Berks County, many people, men, women and children are victimized. Yet the culture in the county seeks to blame the victim and try to make the problem go away rather than deal with it.

You can personally participate in this campaign by uploading your photo and YOUR STORY! Follow this link for information

 http://nomore.org/gallery/

Say NO MORE BERKS COUNTY!!!!

Ways and Means SubCommittee Holds Hearings On Foster Care

In Washington DC, hearings were held by the Ways and Means Subcommittee to address the problems with the foster care system. Specifically the committee was interested in hearing from human trafficking victims who had been foster care youths. The caucus is looking at ways to address the issues in the Child Welfare system in response to the Trafficking Act in order to prevent exploitation to foster care children.

A former foster care child Withelma Ortiz Walker Petigrew gave a testimony about her experience in the foster care system. She also spoke to MSNBC.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DvFSpwwq7M

In response, a number of pieces of new legislation were introduced to Congress.

Go here to let your opinions be known as well as your experiences with foster care in Berks County! This is SO important!!!!!!!
http://fosteryouthcaucus-karenbass.house.gov/



Also, go here to like this facebook page and let your opinions be known on the issue of foster care, especially the system in Berks County!

https://www.facebook.com/fosteryouthcaucus

On October 22nd, a bill was passed to encourage adoption of foster care youth. You can see this here

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:h.r.3205:

The legislation accomplishes this according to those in the know:

In addition to reauthorizing the Adoption Incentives program for three years, this legislation:

• revises awards to focus on increasing adoption rates in order to encourage states to continue placing foster children in permanent homes even as foster care caseloads continue to decline;
• focuses more resources on increasing adoptions of older children;
• creates a new award category for increases in the rate of children leaving foster care for legal guardianship with loving and stable relatives;
• extends the Family Connection Grants program designed to help foster children reconnect with family members; and
• requires states to focus on post-adoption services, helping children and families even after adoptions have been finalized.

CYS Contacts

This is a great post by a Berks County blogger.

http://vickieinrobesonia.blogspot.com/2013/09/useful-info-and-contacts-when-fighting.html

Abused Kids Grow Up and File Suits In Pittsburgh Alleging Judge Did NOT Help Them

http://www.pghcitypaper.com/pittsburgh/bleak-house/Content?oid=1703238

Schuylkill County Woman May Lose Custody Of Her Child Due to Epilepsy

Isabel Miller has many medical issues, she is epileptic which dominates her world but she is quite capable of being a good Mother, something that caseworkers in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania disagree with DUE TO HER MEDICAL ISSUES. 

Taken from a piece written by friends:

We, Child Advocates Around the World disagree.  Her son is of an age now that her medical condition should not threaten his safety and well being.  He is intelligent, alert and he wants to be at home with his mother.  He is quite capable of picking up the phone and dialing 911 should the need arise.

Tomorrow, October 21, 2013 Schuylkill County Child Protective Services will atempt to rob this woman of her child.  There is a hearing that will take place in that potentially all parental rights to this child will be terminated.  We think that this is wrong.  The termination of parental rights to any child should be used ONLY as a last resort, when ALL other programs fail, children Dakota's age will likely "age out" in foster care, he will suffer for this and we believe that this too is wrong. 

WE DEMAND THAT THIS COUNTY RETHINK AND REVIEW THIS CASE, WE ARE ASKING THAT TRIALS BECOME A PART OF THE CASE PLAN to include home trials between Dakato and his Mother Isabel Miller.  We are requiring that the caseworkers of this county, Schuylkill County Child Protective Services extinguish all efforts to terminate parental rights and that these same caseworkers initiate a formal case plan of reunification, promptly and with Godspeed.

If this does not happen and parental rights are terminated we, Child Advocates Around the World have every intention of making this a media event, we will push through the red tape and expose this situation to all concerned in the world.

Please sign the petition to help this mother:

https://www.change.org/petitions/schuylkill-county-child-protective-services-and-domestic-courts-relinquish-legal-and-physical-custody-rights-of-dakota-knapp-to-his-biological-mother-isabel-miller-do-not-attempt-to-terminate-her-parental-rights-due-to-illness

PA Man Has Incestuous Relationship With Relatives--No One Says Anything for 20 Years

This incredible story just broke about a man in Western PA. He had a relationship with underage relatives over a period of decades and fathered children with the women--4 to be exact. The women even filed in court for child support of the children! Yet NO ONE did anything to help these women for 20 years.

According to the article, the MAN's identity is being with held "to protect the identity of his victims".

WHERE WAS CYS?????????

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-north/man-faces-charges-of-rape-incest-of-pre-teen-708292/

Act To Protect Children Passes Congress, Commission To Meet

Congress has quietly passed an act to protect American children, perhaps an acknowledgement that current laws do very little to protect children. A commission is being established to assist with the overhaul. Voters who want input into the process are encouraged to contact their federal legislators.  Read more on the bill here:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-petit/protect-our-kids-ac_b_2633784.html?utm_hp_ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false

Results of National Study on CYS in 2003

http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/CPS-status03/state-policy03/index.htm

Ex-Pat Doctor Explains The Truth, The Whole Truth, And Nothing But the Truth About Family Court And The Legal System

http://work2bdone.com/live/corruption-faq/

Don't Adopt THIS Child Sites Springing Up Across the UK

Parents in the UK who have been scorned by social services are taking on a new tactic. Family members are actually taking out ads and putting up facebook pages and websites to help save their children.

Will this tactic take off in the US? Only time will tell.