Children Removed From Abusive Homes in TX Spiking
Removals of Texas children from abusive homes have reached their highest point since the 2008 polygamist sect raid, when hundreds of children were taken into custody in a single day.
In September, child welfare workers took nearly 1,500 children away from their families over allegations of abuse or neglect. That’s the highest single-month removal since April 2008, when Child Protective Services removals topped 1,600 — more than 400 of them from a West Texas polygamist ranch.
Child welfare officials attribute the recent spike to a variety of factors — from the economy to the fallout from a major court ...
Comments (5)
nccpr
Remind me never to send another tip to the Texas Tribune. Ms. Ramshaw first found out about this spike in removals from me. I learned of it from Johana Scot of the outstanding Texas advocacy organization, the Parent Guidance Center, www.parentguidancecenter.org
I told Ms. Ramshaw about the spike in removals because it's a sign of Texas retreating from reform and doing harm to children. In fact, thanks largely to Scott McCown, and his unceasing efforts to pressure the system into taking away more children, entries into foster care in Texas have been soaring since 1998. The correction was in 2007, when they finally started going down again. Now the system is UN-correcting.
These data are readily available on NCCPR's website here: http://www.nccpr.org/reports/statsupdate.pdf
Also on our website, our comprehensive report on Texas child welfare, including an appendix featuring an e-mail dialogue between Mr. McCown and myself that readers may find interesting: http://www.nccpr.org/reports/texasreport2.pdf
I certainly didn't expect the Tribune to simply take my word for this or accept only my interpretation of the data. But I didn't expect the Tribune to totally leave that point of view out of the story either, and rely on McCown, who *always* says Texas isn't taking away enough children, and led the cheerleading for CPS in the FLDS case. Nor was there any comment from Ms. Scot.
Was it really too much trouble to include both sides, or is that one of those out-of-date "old media" notions?
Well, you know what they say. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. You fooled me once.
Richard Wexler
Executive Director
National Coalition for Child Protection Reform
www.nccpr.org
CenTexan2
Mr. Wexler,
Don't expect anyone in Texas to take CPS reform seriously. Their poorly trained and incompetent investigators certainly harm Texas children and their families. In fact, CPS's attempt to integrate professional law enforcement personnel and techniques has been a dismal failure -- due to a "culture clash." If Ms. Ramshaw simply looked at the number of first-time abuse/neglect allegations that are made in the course of a divorce action; the number of these allegations that come from the spouse and not the child; and the number of these allegations made against the husband -- she would begin the scratch the surface of what's wrong with this agency. If she would outreach to attorney and therapists who regularly interact with CPS, she would find cases where CPS has lied and fabricated evidence to cover their mistakes.
A child should be remove to protect that child from abuse and/or neglect -- not because it's the easiest way out for an agency without resources and training, oblivious to its role in violating the due process rights of a parent or parents, many without the thousands of dollars needed in attorney, social worker and therapist fees to protect their entire family's rights.
The fact that CPS itself can be a tool of child and spousal abuse is a concept Texas just can't or won't wrap its head around.
rhondasciortino
Your article points to the need for good child care workers, foster families, mentors, and Court Appointed Special Advocates. If you care about kids who've been abused, PLEASE, PLEASE consider helping on some level. There are good child welfare organizations throughout Texas that have specific volunteer needs which range from helping with an annual Christmas party all the way to becoming a foster or adoptive parent. If you're reluctant, please reconsider. For more information, go to http://blog.rhondasciortino.com/2009/11/03/no-special-qualifications-necessary.aspx
You, YES YOU, can change the life of a child. I know, because I was one of those kids. www.rhondasciortino.com
vmc
Child Protective Services is a joke! They take kids away from loving homes but won't even investigate reports of actual abused children. They make money off putting children in foster homes.
CPSGestapo
What nobody mentiones is that families are LESS able to hire attorneys and defend their Constitutional rights because of this economic downturn. People are forced into CPS services by threats of going to court where they are scared of a judge. We are INNOCENT even by CPS' admission of "unable to determine"..AND YET we are still in court..not even our attorney is able to explain WHY!!! Perhaps because we speak up for our rights and don't let CPS bullies FORCE us into signing 'service plans".
this is a VERY sneaky TAX. MOST of the people at the parenting class that we had to attend couldn't even afford a CAR let alone an attorney's massive fees!!! They are HERDING and HURTING the poor like CATTLE...simply because the poor do not have enough money to stand up for themselves. Ther is NO accountablility at that agency..caseworkers can get away with perjury and walking all over people's Constitutionally GUARANTEED Civil Rights!! This is an outrage...and yet the brave reporter seems to be VERY sympathetic to the "mob rule" mentality of CPS and their VERY gestapo-like methods.
Just because an ANONYMOUS person or required reporter says they think tyhere MIGHT be something wrong...that DOES NOT mean that people are guilty!! we have a RIGHT to a presumption of innocence! Don't for a second think that an election year judge doesn't feel an overwhelming pressure to kiss the Gargantuan backside of CPS just soi he can keep his job. This TX CPS system is DISGUSTING in my opinion...and the people that blindly praise the poor overworked caseworker that tirelessly crusades to joust the windmills of all those (presumed guilty) horrible child abusers...these people are even worse to me. I could understand people maybe loosing focus when they see real child abuse and having a little post traumatic stress problems causing them to overreact and/or become overzealous...but what is the general populous' defense....God forbid you are ever accused of child abuse that you have not done...because you will have NO rights when they drag you into Kangaroo....I mean Juvenile Court..only the same rights a juvenile has...basically none. Just because you say you do not like CPS they will do everything they can to you...or just because you don't want to sign releases for YOUR own medical records...don't give them everything their little narcissistic hearts desire and the try to intimidate and lie to you by threats of court and REMOVING your child. Our child has not been removed..but CPS certyainly was trying for a partial removal at least..called protective daycare..even though there has NEVER been any evidence of abuse OR neglect to oiur child.
I'm sure there are probably some decent folks at CPS..I do NOT eblieve i have met any of them!!!
That's all my opinion..make up your own mind...but I warn you to be VERY cautious if they ever come looking at YOU!!! The system has NO checks and balances to keep the bad apples out and no vehicle by which to remove them. I for one, plan to SUE their CPS tail off when this is all done and possibly the judge too...if you closed your eyes in court or when listening or learning about CPS you might think you were in Nazi Germany or Communist China...you have VERY few rights in Juvenile Court...ADULTS should NOT be forced into Juvenile Court with CPS...it is ENTIRELY unconstitutional in my opinion...and also shows what kind of brood of vipers calls the shots. Thanks for listening...CPS reform is needed NOW....off all those children that suffered child abuse and died...do your HOMEWORK...i think you'll find that FOUR to ONE the were dying in Foster Care...the entire system is just a business or a job to most people that work in it..it is truly revolting...but then again we were warned about the love of money being the root of all/every evil! Want to be a first class reporter...you'll have to drop the schoolgirlesque admiriation for the CPS knight in shining armor, first...time to take off the rose colored frames and see the truth!